New Megaman Battle Network
A complete reimagining of the universe and stories of Megaman Battle Network.
Story 4: Defiance of Fate
Chapter 8: Illicit Investigation
In the corner of downtown Den City, several blocks away from SciLab, two children stood around a crosswalk sign. Lan and Mayl were gathering their chips, as they both prepared to jack in to the city network, as close to Gauss's lab as they dared to physically be.
After a few minutes, Lan looked up from his completed folder, toward his friend. "Alright… are you ready?"
Mayl nodded, determination in her eyes. "Let's do it." They both pulled out the cords on their PETs, jacking into the ports on the crosswalk, sending their Navis into Den Net City.
In the Net, Megaman and Roll materialized together on a crosswalk, a handful of Navis walking around them but not bothered by their sudden appearance. After a day of recovery, the both of them were back in Netbattling shape, though they hoped they wouldn't need to be. After looking around for a couple of seconds to determine where they were, they started making their way toward the outer reaches of Den Net City, toward the building that Megaman had infiltrated less than a week ago.
Five minutes later, the two Navis found themselves at their destination. Roll was unfamiliar with the large building in front of them, but Megaman recognized it well; this was the research station he had infiltrated a few days prior, on the day he had run away. He started walking around the side of the building, away from the main entrance and toward another one that his father had told him about, with Mayl's Navi following behind him. It didn't take him long to find the correct spot, and as he reached his hand out toward the wall, a control panel materialized in the air in front of him, waiting for input.
Megaman started typing, inputting a number of commands, remembering the confidential instructions that had "accidentally" been sent to him by Dr. Hikari. Roll kept a careful lookout as he worked, not wanting anyone to discover what they were doing. A minute later, the panel emitted a series of noises, and a portion of the building wall slid up and away, inviting the two Navis inside. Megaman grinned, stepping inside and motioning for Roll to follow, which she did. Seconds after they walked in, the entrance closed again.
"Alright, so we need…" the blue Navi thought aloud, whispering. "We need to either scan the equipment that's connected to the Net, or find a connection to some security cameras. Hopefully one of those two will be enough."
Roll nodded in response, as the pair walked into the larger Net space of the building, where a number of scientific instruments awaited them. All of them at rest, as this wasn't the time that Gauss tended to do his experiments. "Let's split up. I'll call you if I find anything."
Megaman nodded, agreeing to do the same, and the two walked off in opposite directions. He started scanning every machine he came across, tapping them and bringing up their basic information screens. This was a basic function of most Net-connected machinery, and with a little digging, Megaman was able to find more details on each device, such as their serial numbers. He worked meticulously, going through every small machine, having no idea what the stolen components were or what they looked like.
Fifteen minutes of scanning later, his path led him to a large, familiar space. He stopped and looked toward it, seeing all the instruments surrounding it, the same ones that had created the strange portal he had seen a few days earlier. Even though he had only looked for a few seconds, the image he saw had been burned into his mind, and he thought about it constantly, unable to unsee the destroyed version of Den City. He could practically see it now, in front of him, and just being back in this space created a sick feeling in his stomach. Was there anything he could do to prevent this future from coming to pass? By sneaking into Gauss's lab, was he working to prevent it, or was he ensuring it would become reality?
"Megaman!" His musings were interrupted by Roll's whispered voice, speaking to him over a secure communication line. "Come over here! I think I found it!"
His eyes widened, and he turned back toward the direction Roll had traveled in, running quickly. He found her standing in front of an array of screens, linked to security cameras that were looking into the lab. Megaman looked over them, trying to find what she was looking at, before she pointed to one in particular.
"The machine here, in this video," she spoke quietly. "Look at the serial number. It's an exact match."
He leaned in closer, squinting to get a better look at the numbers written on the label near the bottom of the device. As he read the number, comparing it mentally to the list of stolen devices, he nearly gasped as he realized she was right.
"That's… that's it, then. Gauss stole them. He had someone steal them, and here's our proof."
The two of them stared for several long moments, unable to believe their good fortune. Before either of them could consider their next moves, however, they noticed a strange red object flying over their heads, colliding with the array of video screens and exploding. Megaman and Roll yelped as they were knocked back, debris flying at them as they slid along the ground, trying to get to their feet.
"i don't know who you two are, but you've made a major mistake." Megaman turned toward the voice, on one knee, his eyes widening as a familiar sight entered his vision.
"Magnetman?!" he exclaimed. "What are you… how are you…"
Magnetman's eyebrows raised. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"
"What are you talking about?" Megaman got to his feet, as did Roll next to him. "We just fought, days ago! I… we…"
"I have no idea what you're referring to," his foe responded, forming a pair of magnet missiles in his hands. "All I know is that you've learned too much." He flung one missile at each of his two opponents, with greater speed than he had two days ago, and the two barely had time to dodge out of the way before the missiles collided with the wall of the Cyberworld, detonating.
"What's with this guy?" Roll asked as she landed next to Megaman, quickly standing and forming a crossbow on her arm. "He doesn't remember us at all. Is this a different Magnetman or something?"
"Maybe." Megaman brandished his own Mega Buster. "Whatever's going on, it's not important. We need to get rid of him before he can alert Gauss about what we're doing here." Roll nodded, and the two of them dashed toward Magnetman at the same time, firing their small arms. Their foe moved quickly out of the way, showing a speed that he hadn't before; whatever injury he was suffering from during their first battle, it wasn't present now.
The increase in speed didn't escape Megaman's notice at all, but he was certain he still had the advantage. After running around and firing a number of buster shots toward his foe, he extended his right arm and formed a Long Sword at the end of it. Smirking, he quickly changed course, running and leaping directly toward Magnetman, preparing to bring his blade down. As Magnetman formed his own sword weapon and held it up to block, Megaman suddenly vanished, the effects of an Area Steal.
"What?!" Magnetman quickly looked around, sword still held up defensively, looking to see where his foe had gone. Hearing a noise behind him, he whirled around 180 degrees, only to find a small collection of Minibombs hurtling toward him.
Megaman smirked from farther behind the Minibombs, waiting for them to hit so he could follow up with a sword swipe. His pleasure turned to shock, however, when Magnetman extended his hand toward the bombs, causing them to slow down and quickly come to a stop, before they rocketed backward at high speed, repelled by Magnetman's magnet abilities. Megaman didn't have the time to dodge out of the way, and each of the bombs connected with him and exploded, sending him flying backwards. He was able to hear Roll cry out in surprise before he hit the back wall and slid down into a sitting position. He held his chest and started to get up, when he heard the sound of tearing metal above him. Looking up, he saw one of the larger machines come free, sliding down and landing on him, knocking the air out of him and pinning him to the ground.
"No! Mega!" Roll started to race over instinctively, but her movement was slowed, and eventually stopped, as Magnetman reached out his hand again, creating a powerful magnetic force that stopped the female Navi in her tracks. She struggled to break free, trying to aim her crossbow at her foe, but Magnetman slowly advanced forward while keeping her fixed in place, before reaching out and grabbing her by the neck, lifting her up.
His eyes narrowed, as curiosity snuck into his mind. "Before I finish you off, I must know… what are you doing here? Why are you spying on my operator?"
"Gauss…" Roll attempted to get free, trying to kick at him, shoot at him, to no avail. She tried hard not to cry out in pure frustration. "He stole parts from IPC… and he tried to frame my operator's father… he's a criminal!"
Magnetman smirked. "I see… your operator is the Sirelis girl." He stretched out his free arm, a large Mega Cannon forming on the end of it. "I hope she's watching right now… I hope she realizes what a big mistake she's made, sending you here." He aimed the cannon at Roll's face. "Farewell, meddlesome Navi."
As he prepared to fire, he heard a small sound from behind him, just barely loud enough to give him pause. He turned around, eyes widening as he saw Megaman approaching with a blade attached to his arm, having somehow been able to free himself. Magnetman tried to move out of the way in the small amount of time he had, but it wasn't quite enough, and Megaman plunged his sword deep into his enemy's side.
"Agh!" The Navi cursed and reflexively let go of Roll, who rubbed her throat and coughed a couple of times before standing up again. Magnetman tumbled back, his now seriously-injured side screaming in pain, as he tried to get back onto his feet. He watched as Megaman helped Roll get into a standing position, before they both turned to face him, eager for this battle to end.
Before they could resume fighting, however, all three of them paused as a strange sound filled the Cyberworld, originating from outside. Back in the real world, Lan and Mayl heard it too, immediately recognizing it as several police sirens. Looking down the street, Lan could see a police car in the distance, approaching them at high speed, and he suddenly got a sick feeling in his stomach. He could hear that there was another police car approaching from the opposite direction.
"Do you think those police cars are heading this way…?" Mayl wondered aloud, panic creeping into her voice. Lan didn't know, but he wasn't interested in finding out for sure.
"Megaman!" He looked down into his PET, calling out to his Navi. "The police are coming! We need to get out of here!" Their Navis turned to look at each other fearfully, as they quickly racked their brains over what to do. They couldn't just stay, as they would be direct evidence of the intrusion if they were found out. If they left, though, Magnetman could potentially destroy evidence and do damage of his own.
Magnetman, however, had his own worries to deal with. If the police were allowed to know what was going on here, Gauss would be in an enormous amount of trouble. He couldn't have his efforts derailed, not when he was so close to doing what he needed to do. The only way his operator could get out of this mess was if the two Navis in front of him had never shown up in the first place. Perhaps there was a way, with some still-untested technology…
As Megaman and Roll were frantically weighing their limited options, a strange glow and an odd, almost indescribable sound drew their attention back to their foe. One hand was holding his injured side, while the other was cast behind him, where a bizarre sort of portal was residing and emitting a strange light.
"I'll see you two again…" he spoke cryptically, before letting himself fall backward into the bizarre opening in the world. Megaman and Roll gasped, running after him for a second, before the portal closed up behind him. He was nowhere left to be seen, and the two of them had no clue where he had gone.
After a second of confusion, Megaman looked back toward his operator. "Lan! Magnetman is gone! Let's get out of here!"
Lan nodded and quickly jacked his PET out of the port in the stoplight, with Mayl following suit. As the police cars started closing in on their location, the two of them turned and raced off, turning down the first alley they could find. The police cars followed them, screeching to a halt in front of the alley, with several uniformed officers climbing out and starting to run after them. When they came out the other end, however, it was clear the two children had given them the slip. They turned back to return to their cars, starting to patrol the area, ready to arrest Lan and Mayl if their faces turned up again.
One hour later, the two children were camped out on a rooftop in downtown Den City. They had climbed up a fire escape to evade the police, and were waiting for the heat to die down before they made their next move. Unfortunately, from what they could see, the police cars down below were not going anywhere, and it was getting later and later in the day. The two of them would likely start to freeze if night fell, on top of making their families worry.
"This is so bad…" Mayl commented quietly, hands clasped nervously in her lap. "I didn't even think about the police getting involved… what if we get arrested? This… our futures could…" She was trying to remain calm, but her words started breaking down as panic started to creep in.
Eventually, after a bit more silence, Lan spoke up. "We can't stay here. We have to go back down eventually."
"Where are we supposed to go?"
"SciLab," Lan quickly replied. "Dad will be there. He'll know what to do. And even if he's left, there's lots of places we can hide. It's our best shot."
Mayl took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, not wanting to break down like she did months ago, during Frostman's attack. "Alright… let's go before it gets too much later."
The pair picked themselves up and walked back to the fire escape, climbing down until they were back on the street. They carefully made their way down the streets of Den City, ducking into alleyways at every opportunity, quickly running into stores when they heard anything that sounded like a siren. They traveled slowly, taking another 45 minutes before SciLab was in sight. As soon as the building appeared in front of them, as they turned a corner, a visible weight lifted off of both of their shoulders.
Lan was the first to start running toward the building, throwing caution to the wind, and Mayl followed closely behind him. Just as they were able to cross the last street, however, a police car screeched to a stop in front of them, with a large, angry officer stepping out, glaring at them.
"You two, freeze!" he called out, advancing toward the both of them, as a second officer also got out of the car. Lan turned around, looking for the fastest way away from this man, jumping out of his skin when he saw two more police officers behind him. His heart sank as he realized that they must have been tailing the two of them this entire time, waiting for their opportunity to trap them.
"You kids are in big trouble now," one of the other officers spoke. "Hacking into government property is a serious crime, you know. Say goodbye to your friends, say goodbye to school…" The four cops advanced on Lan and Mayl from all around, and the two kids had nowhere to escape to this time, their eyes filled with terror.
"That's enough." All six jumped a bit as another voice spoke, from close by. They all turned their heads simultaneously, toward a tall, bespectacled woman with long, blue-grey hair and a formal suit, walking toward them with a resolute and somewhat angry look on her face. Everyone's eyes went wide as they immediately recognized the governor of Electopia, Fuyuko Morimoto. "I think that's quite enough, gentlemen."
"Gov… Governor, what are you…" the larger cop spoke, before changing tack. "We have this under control. You don't need to worry yourself about this."
"I think I do, actually." Morimoto stopped walking, standing right in front of Lan and Mayl. "I just had a very interesting conversation at SciLab about some goings-on here in Den City. You can leave those children with me. I'll take it from here." The children were confused, but quickly walked behind the governor, standing as close as they could, as if she was casting a protective barrier around herself.
"I assure you, Mrs. Morimoto, we can take care of them," one of the cops spoke up, stepping closer, not about to let these kids get away. "These two kids, they were hacking-"
"Governor Morimoto, if you don't mind," she replied sternly, her eyes cutting into the police officer. "I'm the person in charge here, not you. And certainly not Magnus Gauss." She kept up her piercing glare, as she watched the color drain from the faces of all four officers simultaneously. "Consider yourselves all on paid leave. Now get out of here." Without another word, she turned around and started walking back toward SciLab. Lan and Mayl followed close behind, relieved and starstruck, as the four police officers watched numbly from the sidewalk.
"Thank you so much, ma'am… Governor…" Mayl spoke up a few moments later. "But… why did you save us?"
"That's what the conversation I was just having was about," the governor replied. "Someone at SciLab alerted me to some possible corruption in the Den City police department. I'm certain you'll recognize him." As the trio walked through the front doors of SciLab, Lan quickly identified his father waiting inside, relief crossing his face as he saw his son.
"Dad!" Lan ran up to his father, throwing his arms around him and squeezing tight. Mayl ran up behind him, as Morimoto smiled and watched.
"Dr. Hikari! How did you know what was going on? Why is the governor here?"
Yuichiro held his son gently with one arm, replying to Mayl without glancing up. "I got a transmission from Roll, nearly two hours ago. She sent pictures of some machines in Gauss's lab, with the serial numbers, and the police report you two 'found'." He looked up, toward the governor. "I called her office as soon as I put the pieces together."
"I'm thankful you did, Doctor," Morimoto replied, walking up to him. "Corruption and bribery in the police force is a very serious offense. I'm going to be having a long talk with the Chief of Police over the next few days."
Dr. HIkari nodded, thanking her again for intervening, and she nodded and turned to leave, as he looked back down at the two children. "I think there's someone that we need to see, too. The sooner, the better. What do you think?"
Lan grinned and nodded, stepping away from his father. It was already late in the day, but he was both relieved and energized, and he was ready to put this whole thing to bed. "Let's do it."
"Alright, folks, let's get to work. We only have a little more to go."
Back in the lab, Gauss was standing in the entryway, giving orders to the various workers and scientists that had come in with him minutes ago. His experiments had been progressing at a rapid pace, and it wouldn't be long before he was ready to do what he had set out to do.
As he started walking toward one of the main research rooms, however, he heard the loud buzzer of the doorbell. He frowned and turned around, walking up to the door and turning on a nearby screen to see who was outside; when he saw who it was, he paused, not sure what could be going on. After hesitating for a moment, he decided that not answering the door would be far more suspicious, and he stepped up and opened it wide. On the other side of the door was Dr. Hikari, accompanied by two random Officials he had recruited at SciLab, along with Lan, Mayl and Chaud. All of them had concerned looks on their faces, except for Mayl, who was shooting a death glare toward Mr. Gauss, unable to help herself.
"Dr. Hikari… what are you doing here? What is this?"
"Mr. Gauss, I need to ask you if we can search this lab," Yuichiro replied. "We have some concerns about what's been going on here."
"Is that really necessary, Doctor?" Gauss was keeping his cool without much trouble, trying not to arouse more suspicion. "Are you suddenly concerned about the safety of my experiments? You knew what I was doing when we signed the agreement… an agreement which ensures my privacy, I might add."
Dr. Hikari was unfazed. "The agreement also has stipulations about illegal activity, as I recall. I hate to break it to you, but we have ample reason to believe that illegal acts have occurred here." He mustered his best authoritative look as he looked into the eyes of Magnus Gauss, who looked back with confidence and a bit of defiance. "So again, I have to ask you to let us search this lab."
Gauss paused for a moment, pondering this as long as he dared, contemplating his options. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Alright, Doctor, if you feel it's necessary." He stepped back into the lab, turning to the other workers and giving them a nod, as Dr. Hikari and the others entered. He closed the door firmly behind them, not interested in letting any passersby see what he was up to.
"Where do we start?" Chaud asked, walking forward a bit faster than the rest, always eager to take the lead. He glanced back toward Yuichiro, awaiting more information.
"Well, we know what the components look like, so we just need to-" Dr. Hikari began, but he never got a chance to finish, as one of Gauss's workers grabbed him from behind. He instinctively struggled to get away as the worker held a handkerchief over his nose and mouth; seconds later, his eyes closed and he slumped to the ground, unconscious from the ether on the cloth.
All at once, the five others were simultaneously grabbed and knocked out in a similar manner. All of them fell to the floor, some of them rather painfully, as more handkerchiefs were deployed. The workers all looked back at Magnus Gauss, who was still holding up his arm, giving the hand signal they had all understood. He lowered his arm and shook his head, grumbling about the mess that he had found himself in.
"Hey, Boss," one of the workers spoke. "You want us to, uh…" He took his index finger and drew a line across his neck, certain the message would get through.
"What?" Gauss reacted with a bit of shock. "No, no no no. I don't need you to… I just need them out of the way. Only for a few hours." He rubbed his head, thinking for a brief moment. "Go get some chairs, tie them up somewhere."
The others all nodded, grabbing the various unconscious bodies and dragging them off, as Magnus sighed. "I'm so close… I can't be interrupted now. Everyone, get back to…"
"Mr. Gauss!" A scientist ran in from another room. "We've…" He paused for a minute, looking confusedly at some of the bodies being dragged away, before shrugging it off and continuing. "We've located him, deep in the Undernet."
Gauss's eyebrows raised. "You found Pharaohman?"
"Yes, sir. He's still sleeping, but we managed to bring him into the lab's Net space. We can get started anytime."
"Perfect. Then let's not waste a moment." The scientist nodded, turning and heading back into the research room he came from, as Gauss started to follow, speaking quietly to himself.
"At last, after all this… soon, I'll be seeing you again, my dear Tesla. Just wait a little bit longer…"
He walked down the hallway, following the scientist, more than eager for his plans to finally come to fruition.
