"The aquarium?"
Lan blinked back confusion at the tickets his dad held in front of him.
The boy had thought he had come to SciLabs today to discuss the current situation with WWW with his father and others that were involved. Not… go to something that was meant for pleasure and fun.
"Yes." Yuichiro smiled. "It'll be a perfect place for you to discuss matters of WWW. As good as it would be to discuss it here, not all at SciLabs are involved and we don't want to start a panic. Plus, it'll be more calming to discuss in a public setting rather than a private serious place like this one."
"Okay… I guess." lan titled his head. "So is it you and me?"
"Nope. I sadly have work to do with Zero and the others. Your date, however, doesn't."
"And that would be…?"
"Me."
A young girl about Lan's age walked up behind Yuichiro, her long blond hair bouncing behind her as she walked. There was a spark in her blue eyes as she smiled at Lan.
"Hey, Lan. Been a few weeks."
Lan's eyes lit up, a grin coming to his face.
"Ciel!" He laughed, throwing his arms around her. "Oh man, way too long!"
She giggled, hugging him back.
"Sorry, I was just so busy with everything. Doesn't hurt to make time for my favorite cousin though."
He pulled back, nudging her.
"I'm your ONLY cousin." He gave her a curious look. "Though… you know all about this?"
She grimaced, shrugging her shoulders a little.
"Unfortunately. That's why Uncle Yuichiro thought it'd be better for us to talk it over somewhere most people won't be looking and we can have some quiet time to process. Sounds good?"
"Y-Yeah of course… and I'm sure Megaman's missed Prairie too."
"Yeah! Been awhile!" Megaman called from his PET.
Ciel giggled.
"Then let's not waste another moment then, shall we?"
"Yep. Let's get a move on."
Yuichiro gave them the tickets, giving them both a stern look.
"Now, stick together. I know you're teenagers but… just be careful, alright?"
"We will. We'll watch out for each other. If anything happens I'll have Megaman call."
A quiet day with my cousin…
How could that get screwed up?
oooooo
It was a busy day at the AC/DC aquarium. People milling about, crowding in front of the tanks to get a good view of the creatures inside.
Lan couldn't remember the last time he had visited this place. While the animals inside were all robotic, they were so lifelike that for a moment he thought they were.
Shimmering fish flitting around the tanks, seaweed and kelp swaying in the current created by the filters.
"Hm… Remind me, what's your favorite exhibit here?" Ciel asked.
"The sharks." He grinned. "Nothing cooler. Especially the huge great white and the hammerheads."
Ciel giggled, keeping her gaze on the exhibit.
"Yep, sounds about right. I prefer rays myself."
"Flap flaps." Lan nudged her shoulder, laughing a bit.
"Oh, pardon me for not remembering."
He chuckled before his gaze turned serious as he started to go down the hall to one of the other exhibits. Ciel frowned, following after him.
"Well… we came here to talk, right?" He asked, making sure no one else was around.
This area was a large wall style tank, with several mechanical sharks swimming about it, all of different species.
Any other day, Lan would've been pressed up against the glass, trying to see all the details, but now… his focus was on Ciel, leaning back against the tank, arms crossed.
"Yes." Ciel sighed, frowning. "Well… I guess the beginning is a good place?"
"Yeah."
"Well… WWW is nothing new. They were formed about 10 years ago. They caused a few problems but then disappeared as quickly as they showed up. No one is sure why. Most speculate it was due to just biding their time or they just weren't strong enough to compete against the strong forces of the Net Police." Ciel frowned. "It was a scary time regardless. Many don't remember the details but I certainly do."
Lan frowned.
"Did something happen?"
Ciel crossed her arms, her hands holding at her sides.
"As you know I'm… not exactly average in my academic capabilities."
"Yeah. You're already an apprentice of SciLabs at 14, even considered one of their brightest-" Lan's face sunk as it clicked in his head. "... They went after you, didn't they?"
"Yes… They made it clear they wanted to kidnap me to use me for whatever their schemes were. Thankfully, the Net Police were able to step in and protect me and everyone at SciLabs. I don't want to go into the details but it was definitely a dark day at the lab."
"I see… So… What about now? Does anyone know what they're up to?"
"At the moment, no." Ciel leaned back against the railing behind her. "The Net Police are still doing as much research as they can but so far… none of the incidents really add up other than to make their presence known, scare people and cause damage to our world and the Cyberworld. The end game… hopefully we can understand soon before it's too late."
"Got it…" Lan ran a hand through his hair. "Well… I'll… do what I can to help since I found out recently those jerks are not a fan of me and Megaman and anyone who messes with my family gets my full fury."
Ciel frowned, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Just… be careful. They're not going to hesitate now that you've become a target. You can't go running in recklessly without a plan."
"Ciel, let's be perfectly honest here, it's me you're talking to." Lan looked to her, concern in his eyes. "And when it comes to everyone in our family, I'd rather get hurt than watch you guys suffer even a little bit. That's just how I am."
"I know. That's why I'm worried… and why I know you can take them on too." Ciel smiled a bit. "You two are the most stubborn netop and navi pair I've ever seen."
"That a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Yes."
He chuckled a bit, nudging her shoulder.
"Thanks for this, Ciel. Sorry if it drug up any bad memories. I just… I hate feeling useless. If WWW wants a piece of me, I'd rather they just do it directly not… play games with my friends or my family. Y'know?"
"I completely understand." Ciel pulled out her PET. "Which is why now, we'll take this on together." She looked at her screen. "Prairie, have you updated Megaman on all the recent information Grey and Ashe have discovered?"
"I have, even if it's not much."
Lan pulled out his PET.
"Grey and Ashe?"
"They're special undercover net agents. They're like Aile and Vent in how they're built and their abilities but they were natural occurrence navis, rather than ones made at SciLabs." Megaman explained.
"They have the unique ability of being able to alter their bodies to look casual or have armor, though unlike Aile and Vent, they only have one form, like my mother's navi, Giro." Ciel added. "They're the best undercover agents the Net Police have since they can blend in so well with crowds."
"Not to mention they're sneaky." Prairie giggled. "They can even catch navis like Protoman off guard and he's pretty observant."
"Whoa, whoa they know PROTOMAN!?" Lan gave them a wide eyed look. "As in THAT Protoman, the famous net battler?"
"Yep!"
Megaman covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Em, Ciel, did you tell him about that? Prairie filled me in on that part already."
Lan looked to her, giving her a flat look.
"Don't tell me his netop's some super spy too. I can't compete with that!"
Ciel winked.
"I won't tell you then."
Okay, now I wanna defeat that guy even more when this crap is all behind us.
… But if they're helping keep people like Ciel safe, can't dislike them.
"Well… whatever. I guess I'm on a mission then. I'll help however I can to stop this WWW, no matter what it takes." he lifted a fist in the air. "Till the net is safe!"
Ciel giggled.
"Glad to hear it Lan."
"We'll all do our best." Megaman smiled.
Prairie nodded.
"And that's all we ask."
oooooo
"All set to go, Colorman?"
Maddy was currently hiding out in a cafe at the AC/DC aquarium, enjoying a nicely put together sandwich and a soft drink.
"Sure am. All my little virus minions are on standby to flood the system and I got all the aqua chips I need to assist them and put up a strong fight."
"Perfect."
"Though… Ms. Maddy. Something I noticed."
"Hm?" She held up her PET closer. "What?"
Colorman opened up a window, showing footage from a security camera. It showed a young boy and girl hanging around the shark tank area.
"Isn't that boy right there the one Lord Wiley wanted us to get rid of?"
Maddy looked at the image carefully, making sure it was indeed him. Sure enough, the headband he was wearing was a dead ringer.
"Yeah, that's definitely him. Not sure about the girl he's with though. She honestly kind of looks familiar too. Can't put my finger on it."
"Should we take out two birds with one stone?"
She grinned.
"Can't leave any loose ends. Zap and Match can screw up all they want, but we have a reputation to uphold. WWW can't look like a bunch of chumps." She took a drink of her soda. "We'll take them out. The girl has a navi, delete it too along with Megabrat."
He gave a salute.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am."
"Let's start then. I think it's time they got to relive that old movie Jaws."