Chapter 22- Traps and Turnabouts, Part 2
The following is a fan-made work of fiction. Certain original characters made by myself will be claimed under my ownership. However, I do not nor will I ever claim to own Mega Man Battle Network.
Mega Man Battle Network © Capcom
Reddington Bluemann, Phyllis Tina, Ripley Marduk, Myth Man, Bobby and Helena Crosby, Desiree Domin, and Castiel Lex-Ordo © HatOnFire/Me
The night before Lan's trial began, I'd call Yai and ask if she was gonna go there to support him, since she was still in the middle of transferring. She couldn't have said yes fast enough. Lan had let her in on what was going on when she visited him. While she was ticked off at him for not asking her to help sooner, she understood why.
I was to let her know when I had Lan's Mom so she could tell him. In trials, the accused could use their PETs, but certain actions are locked due to their status as a defendant. He can't jack in, send messages, or make calls. As I worked on my end, he would drag the trial out and expose the WWW mole who framed him once his mom is safe from harm. I choose not to think about what'll happen if I don't succeed.
I also informed Higsby to standby when I'd get the time for the meeting. This also helps just in case something happened to me while I tried to save her. Chaud and Detective Bluemann were unavailable, I couldn't expect that much help.
The next day at the courthouse, Lan was cleaned up, wearing his suit from two nights ago. He was able to hold his PET again, but all he could do was look over the evidence digitally sent to Mega Man. He also has a file of the evidence to look at for himself.
[BGM: Courtroom Lounge ~ Opening Prelude, CADENZA -Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney-]
"Need to look over the evidence one more time?" Mega Man questioned, forced to pace back and forth in Lan's hands.
"I've looked at everything already," Lan responded, "I don't know how Mr. Ito's going to prove I did it with all this, but I know he will if he believes I'm guilty."
"Well, you have us supporting you, Lan," Yai said, wearing a black shirt under a red jacket with a red skirt. "Everybody you helped out over the years with Mega Man is here."
"Really?" The delinquent boy became more attentive.
"At least, the people who're taking the time to see this are," Yai noted, recognizing that I can't be at court on a school day.
"Good luck in there, kid," Bobby Crosby, the ex-governor, nodded with Dr. Froid as they walked in.
"I wish there's another way I can help you," The Waterworks director mumbled, "But this is all I can do."
"I know you couldn't commit a crime like this," Ms. Phyllis Tina spoke up, "I believe in you."
"Ms. Tina," Lan was surprised to see her here, "You're here, too?"
"I owe the principal a few favors just for doing this on short notice," The high school teacher stated, "And watching you is my responsibility to your parents."
"It's the same for me," Ms. Mari chimed in with a smile, "You're still my student, Lan."
"Ms. Mari…" Lan nearly choked up, "I don't know what to say."
"How about that you'll pull through?" Yai suggested, "Court's not a Net Battle, but I'm sure that you'll make it work."
"Thank you, all of you," The delinquent beamed, "I'll prove my innocence."
"The only way to do that is to question the witnesses that take the stand," Mega Man recalled the videos on court procedure he watched to advise Lan, "Contradictions in the facts will help our case, but we need to back up our claims or our credibility will hurt."
"Like our credibility hasn't taken a nosedive?" Lan joked, "Either way, I'll do it."
'I'm trusting you to save Mom, Dex,' He thought to himself, walking into the doors of the courtroom. 'And somehow, I'm going to get that WWW agent and expose him. It's him or me!'
He walked down the gallery aisle of the to the defendant's bench on the right side of the courtroom, setting his PET on the dock that connected it to the computer.
Standing opposite to him was a man slightly taller than Lan. He wore a brown vest with silver buttons over a pale yellow shirt with a red tie. His pants were gray, his shoes brown, and his black hair was in bowl cut where his bangs covered his right eye up. His eyes were closed and he was casually smiling.
This is Satoru Ito, the prosecutor for the trial.
The investigators, witnesses, and the audience were whispering to each other as the judge for the trial came in.
He wore a typical judge's robe, all black, over a white shirt and a pink necktie. His degrading dark brown hair was short and mostly around his skull, being bald on top. He also had a mustache with small goatee.
His name is Castiel Lex-Ordo, a city judge who's been active for over thirty years.
He silenced the murmuring in the gallery with the drop of the gavel on its sound block.
[BGM: Trial, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]
"Court is in session for the trial of Lan Hikari and Net Navi Mega Man," Judge Lex-Ordo declared, "Is the prosecution prepared to present their case?"
"Yes, Your Honor," Prosecutor Ito replied, holding a book close to his hip.
"Is the defense prepared?" The judge turned to Lan.
"Um, yes, Your Honor," Lan was nervous, but he spoke clearly.
"I understand that you waived your right to an attorney?" Judge Lex-Ordo questioned.
"Yes, sir," Lan nodded, "I… I can resent… represent myself."
"Oh, Lan," Mega Man whispered with worry.
"Hmm…" The judge looked unsure, and he would indicate as such. "You don't sound confident. Are you sure you are competent to stand and defend yourself?"
"The law states that even a juvenile defendant can represent themselves in court," Ito skimmed through his law book, tapping a finger on a paragraph. "While I can't comment on why the defendant would forgo the right to an attorney, I don't object to his ability to represent himself."
"I only wish to understand that you do intend to do so," Lex-Ordo spoke to the delinquent, "This trial is serious. Should you be found guilty, you will have to face the consequences of your sentence, which will be determined by the crimes you are accused of."
"I do understand, sir," Lan insisted, "And I intend to be found not guilty."
The judge stared at the boy, seeing fire and grit in his eyes. It reminded him of the prosecutor he worked with, and a little bit of himself when he was young.
"If you believe you are ready, we will begin," He accepted what he saw, looking back to Ito. "But first, let me say that these proceedings are sensitive. This courtroom is restricted to all persons involved with this case and those in attendance. This network is also closed off from the rest of the internet to prevent interruptions to these proceedings. Any civilian caught recording will be removed, fined, and may face jail time. Mr. Ito, your opening statement."
"Two days ago, on a Saturday night," The prosecutor started divulging the context, "SciLab hosted an exclusive dinner to unveil a partnership with IPC Inc, revealing collaborative projects and signaling the abolition of SciLab's ban."
On the judge's bench, a slanted computer screen displayed pictures of the Gov't Complex's Restaurant and the Power Plant underneath it. Those images were also visible on the television screens mounted on the walls next to the bench.
"In the underground restaurant of the Government Complex," Ito continued, "Several incidents followed. A blackout and ventilation generators shutting off, preventing oxygen from being pumped in the lowest levels."
"That's a frightening experience," Judge Lex-Ordo remarked to himself.
"Minutes later, when power came back to the floors, another crime happened: Dr. Yuichiro Hikari being assaulted in the power room."
Lan didn't flinch when that was said, not even when people around were starting to whisper to each other.
"He was struck from behind with a wrench and electrocuted with a stun gun. Both weapons could've been lethal. And there was also the theft of the Electricity Program."
The picture of a golden computer chip covered in glass littered the screens.
"The program's essence was harvested into a PET and removed from the scene. The prosecution will prove Lan Hikari's involvement in these crimes."
"Feeling the pressure?" Mega Man checked in with Lan.
"Honestly, it could be worse," Lan murmured.
"Mr. Ito, call your first witness," The judge requested.
"Will the lead investigator take the stand?" Ito called, getting a response from a man in the audience on the first floor. Making his way to the stand, he stood like a soldier at attention. "State your name and occupation."
"Seishin Keifer," The commissioner did as told, "Commissioner of the Den Tech Net Police."
'Redd's boss…' Lan sweated a little bit, 'Now I'm worried.'
"Commissioner Keifer, I'm surprised you're the first witness," His Honor discerned, "You don't typically investigate cases anymore."
"You're astute, Your Honor," Keifer nodded, "I've taken over the investigation to ease concerns about our police force's effectiveness in handling these new crimes. The nature of this trial is very sensitive."
'Oh, I'm sorry,' Lan kept his snide comments in his head, 'I didn't know politicians were sensitive about their tippy toes.'
"My subordinates investigated this case to the best of their ability, and I have assisted them," Keifer added, "We put together a report to present to this court."
"In that case, tell us everything you have learned," Ito appealed, letting the testimony begin. "Why was Lan Hikari arrested?"
"First off," Keifer started, "There was footage of him in the Power Plant's power room before the lights went out. The time stamp was clear enough to state that. Secondly, Eugene Chaud witnessed the suspect downstairs and made the attempt to apprehend him. His Navi occupied a Copy Bot and grabbed Dr. Hikari. He was going to run with him before the police stopped him. He exited, and somehow, the accused also got away."
"The getaway was clean," The judge started to question, "And yet, the accused turned himself in later that night?"
"Yes," The prosecutor answered, "Only he knows why he did that. Let's not press the issue."
"Defense," Judge Lex-Ordo announced, "Will you cross-examine the witness?"
"Uh, yes!" Lan briefly faltered, "I'll… I'll do that thing."
"You forgot what a cross-examination is, didn't you?" Mega Man dryly whispered.
"Yeah…" Lan sheepishly replied.
"We've been over this," His blue partner rolled his eyes, "You ask the questions, and the witness answers them. If we're going to stand a chance, we need to find a hole in his testimony."
"But he's the commissioner of the police," Lan muttered, "He knows not to lie."
"I never said he's a liar. But maybe there's something he didn't consider when he spoke."
[BGM: Cross Examination - Moderato 2007, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]
"Commissioner Keifer," Lan began, "How did you come by the footage?"
"The footage was sent to us," Keifer explained, "The person who did that elected to remain anonymous, but we believe it was someone working security there."
"Shouldn't it have been lost when the blackout happened?"
"We learned that the footage was corrupted, likely due to the sabotage in the plant's mainframe," Keifer went on, "Keep in mind that the Electricity Program was so volatile that it could cause network shutdowns. We believe that's why some of the footage was lost."
"Yes, a brilliant deduction indeed, commissioner," Ito nodded with his gentle smile.
'Cross Fusion never existed, huh?' Lan told himself, 'Fine, I'll play along.'
"About the Copy Bot that Mega Man allegedly used," He worded that carefully, "How do you know for sure that it was really Mega Man using it?"
"My policemen swore that they saw him with Dr. Hikari," The commissioner crossed his arms, "And so did several eyewitnesses."
"And did Chaud really see me there?"
"His report, which is in the Court Record, states he did."
"Mr. Hikari," Mr. Ito closed the book he was reading to say, "Mr. Eugene Chaud is a highly trusted Official who has worked with the law. Attacking his word when you have none to speak of is unwise."
"I gotta admit that wasn't smart, Lan," Mega Man whispered, "Remember how well he took it when you accused him?"
"Can I strike that from the record?" Lan requested.
"That's the smartest thing I've heard from you since you started," The judge accepted that while dissing him, much to the amusement of some of the people in the gallery.
'Insulted by an old man in court,' The delinquent groaned, 'Even so, something's off… Wait! I got it!'
"Commissioner!" He pressed with a shout, "Your testimony is off the mark!"
[BGM: Apollo Justice - A New Chapter of Trials!, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]
"What?" Keifer was taken aback, "How is that so?"
"It's the Copy Bot," As Lan clarified that, his Navi brought up a digital file on the robot from the court record. "You stated that it fled the scene of the crime with me and Mega Man. But if that's the case, then why was it in the trash chute?"
Keifer glared at the delinquent, lost in thought.
'Don't look at me like that!' Lan sweated, 'It's a legit question!'
"That is peculiar, isn't it?" The judge agreed, "I felt that something was off when you mentioned that."
"If you say Mega Man fled with the Copy Bot," The defense pressed, "Then isn't it ignorant to suggest it was placed in the trash chute to be disposed of?"
"It would be," The prosecutor had a retort, "But not if you were still at the scene."
"What does that mean?" Lan questioned.
"Yes," Keifer followed Ito's train of thought, "Mega Man evaded the police and we lost sight of you. There is the possibility that you had Mega Man take the Copy Bot to the trash chute."
"Is that what you think happened?" One of Lan's eyebrows rose up after looking at Chaud's report, "Mr. Ito, I'd like for you to read this part of Mr. Chaud's report."
"'I saw Mega Man flee the complex, unable to pursue him,'" Ito read that aloud, forming his own thoughts. "I'm not saying we'll disregard his report; only that we should take another item into account."
"Explain for the court," The judge demanded.
"The sabotage report," Ito replied, "The mainframe's damage lasted for a long time, and the video footage had jamming bursts at certain areas, even when power was restored. This ties into what we found on the Copy Bot."
"Here's more of their case against us, Lan," Mega warned him.
"I present this damaged Copy Bot before the court," A picture of the broken machine flickered on the screen, along with additional notes about its internal drive. "The hard drive had some items deleted from the system, but there is a program that's still intact. It triggers a jamming signal when active."
"A jamming signal?" Judge Lex-Ordo repeated, "Why have it transmit from a Copy Bot?"
"To cover up one's presence," Ito answered, "Tapped into the Power Plant, the Copy Bot would be able to cause shutdowns when the perpetrator has no more use for the mainframe. With his PET, the accused could trigger it to hide and flee."
"Mr. Hikari was in possession of the floor plans as well," Commissioner Keifer added, "This led to Mr. Chaud arresting him."
"Shouldn't I object to this?" Lan looked for guidance from Mega.
"The WWW coding is in the PET," Mega Man told him, "We can't explain how that got in there without revealing our suspect early."
Lan understood what that meant, keeping quiet again.
'I'll save this info for later,' He thought, 'Since no one would believe us if we say something now.'
"Defense, is there anything else to ask of the witness?" The judge questioned.
"No, sir," He replied, "He can leave."
"You may step down, commissioner," Ito gestured for him to leave, "Mr. Hikari, before I go further, I must ask you: do you deny these chains of events as fact?"
"I don't think any of this is right, if that's what you're asking," Lan crossed his arms, "I can't dispute it unless I've seen and heard everything."
"You have the right for that, but you must understand the situation you're in," The prosecutor started to explain, "This trial is a question of whether or not the WWW is involved, with the Elec Program stolen from the plant. I aim to prove you're involved with the incident, not that you are a WWW agent."
"So you think I'm working with them?"
"That's a probable assertion, yes," Ito confirmed, dropping his smile. "And if it turns out you are working with them or for them, then there will be a harsh sentence afterwards."
"What does that mean?" Lan blinked, feeling a drop of sweat trail down his forehead.
"The Cabinet is starting to see the WWW less as mere ruffians, and more as terrorists. They have made a threat against them, and by extension, all of Nihon. The Cabinet is deliberating on enforcing penalties on any convicted associate of WWW, now that they're willing to commit treason."
"Penalties?" Lan almost choked, feeling sick to his stomach. "Treason? Does that mean there'll be… death penalties?"
"Any threat against us may have to be responded accordingly," Once Ito said that, a few whispers were made among Lan's supporters.
"This can't be…" Mr. Crosby turned blue.
"He's still a child…!" Ms. Tina stuttered.
"Please, no…" Yai's face became pale as she started fearing for Lan's life.
[BGM: Thrill Theme - Suspense, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]
"Considering your constant run-ins with the law," Prosecutor Ito continued, "It's only justified that these crimes will have you tried as an adult. If you're affiliated with WWW, then I can't stop you from going on death row."
"W-What'll happen to Mega Man?" Through it all, Lan was still worried about his most valued friend.
"He will be permanently deleted following the verdict," Ito bluntly stated.
'I wish I could trade places with Scrooge,' Mega Man internally croaked, 'Being visited by ghosts doesn't sound bad compared to this!'
"Your only way out would be a full confession, right here and now," Ito pressed his finger on his table for emphasis, "I don't think you're with WWW, but the evidence is not so keen on opinions. I'd like to call a recess for Mr. Hikari to deliberate for himself, Your Honor."
"That would be wise," Judge Lex-Ordo agreed, prepared to bang his gavel down to make it official.
"Objection!"
Lan shakily breathed after that outburst, doing that without thinking for himself. I heard it was pretty cool.
"I-I mean," He leaned forward, wiping sweat from his head. "I-I don't need a break…"
"Mr. Hikari?" Ito checked on him, "I didn't mean to alarm you. The court is willing to show leniency, but you must name any accomplice involved, if there is one."
"H-Hub?" Lan whispered, "I… I'm scared of what I'll say next. I never had to… do this before… What if I get you-?"
"It's alright, Lan," Mega Man calmed him down, "I'm willing do to anything. Just… know that once you say something, there's no turning back. You can fold if it's too much for you. I won't think less of you."
"I'll dive off a cliff if it'll save Mom," Lan fired back, "I'm not stopping."
He took a deep breath before announcing to the court, "I'm innocent, but make no mistake; WWW is involved. My sentence can be life imprisonment or the death penalty if I fail, but I'm not afraid! I want a complete acquittal, nothing less!"
[BGM: The Truth Revealed/Tell the Truth 2007, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]
"Lan…!" Yai whispered as the gallery clamored in shock. They assumed Lan was guilty and figured he would just confess, but there he was, standing as tall as he could with his height and glaring boldly ahead of him.
"What is he doing?!" Ms. Mari shuddered, "Is he serious?!"
"The deal at least would've kept him alive," Dr. Froid tightly clenched his biceps, "But I knew he wouldn't accept that."
"You fool…" Ito uttered, "This deal won't last long. What are you trying to do?"
'My only chance is for Count Zap to take the witness stand,' Lan thought, secretly fearing the consequences of what he just said. 'I must prove I'm not the culprit, and he knows it! I hope I can prove my innocence…'
"Settle down, now!" The judge shouted, but the court was still thrown into chaos. The trial had to enter recess until everyone would calm down…
'What is he playing at?' The culprit behind the incident thought to themselves, hiding among the crowd. 'Does he think this will somehow change the outcome? Well, we'll see about that…'
01001101 01001101 01000010 01001110
At school, most of the students had only been talking about Lan standing trial. No one had anything good to say, so I tuned them out. There wasn't any point getting angry about it.
While writing stuff in paper, I got a text from a number I didn't recognize, but I knew it was them. What the message said was this:
DEN DOME 12:00 ALONE
I gasped once I saw the time on my watch. It was 11:00 AM, but it would take one hour to get there by train. It would also take a little longer if I had to break into Den Dome.
There was no time to lose. I immediately got up and walked out of the class, much to the astonishment of my peers and teacher. No one said anything or even did anything, since I was the last guy anybody expected to walk out like that.
I ran downstairs and got out of the school, but a couple of teachers saw me and chased after me. I took off regardless, losing them in a neighborhood. Fortunately, we were prepared.
*HONK-HONK!*
A green van with several Battle Chips painted over it lightly blew its horn, stopping for a quick moment. I opened the van up and got inside it.
"Got the location, huh?!" Higsby exclaimed while I fastened my seat belt.
"Den Dome," I told him, "And step on it!"
He did. The van took off, burning rubber in the street and going a little over the speed limit. Several minutes later, however, we'd get stuck in a traffic jam.
"Some idiot's blocking the way, huh!" Higsby grumbled, "I can't go around cause everybody else is doing the same thing!"
"I'm finding alternate routes now, Mr. Higsby!" Number Man called.
Eventually, we got past it and went on. With the way Higsby drove, he successfully got us to my destination in forty minutes.
"We're here…" He sighed, stopping the car.
I jumped outside, seeing a barricaded parking lot surround Den Dome. The dome itself was enormous, having tinted glass cover the inside.
The crossing gate raised itself up like someone was expecting me to waltz in. I had no choice but to proceed.
"Dex," Higsby had one more thing to say to me, "I'm gonna park this somewhere for the getaway."
"Okay," I replied, "If things get dire, forget about me. Just save Mrs. Hikari."
"Good luck, huh?" He smiled, rolling up the window and taking the van somewhere.
"Alright, Dex," Guts Man pounded his chest, "Let's go."
I made my way into the desolate lot, walking on asphalt to the building. Once I got there, the doors automatically opened for me.
"The poem of the Spider and the Fly comes to mind," I commented, anticipating everything that came ahead.
I was led to a locker room by an open door to the next floor and the lights flickering in a sequence. Beyond the door of this room was a walkway leading to a platform with an orange Net Battle machine in the center.
All around the platform was the dome's arena, mostly devoid of people. The exception was the two that were at the machine. One was a bald man in some sort of tunic with some hair in the back like a rat tail. The other was a woman bound and gagged, but not blindfolded. That wasn't a good sign.
"I too am familiar with the tale of the Spider and the Fly," The man spoke, "But she will be able to leave. Now, the Wood Program."
"You want me to jack my Navi in the Net Battle Machine?" I correctly guessed what he wanted me to do, so I did that.
Inside the computer, Guts Man saw the only Navi that was inside.
His overall design resembled a wizard, mimicking it with a blue pointed hat, which had a red orb in the center with pale yellow horns shooting backwards, and a blue body with some light blue down the middle. His body was like a robe, only his shoulders had a point sticking out, his waist was thin, and the lower part of the 'robe' was divided into three sections.
Purple diamonds were on those robe sections in a pattern: one diamond taking up the most space with two smaller ones on opposing sides. Smaller diamonds were also in a straight line on his long arms, one after the other. His brown boots were angled with a blue triangle on the front of them. His hands were replaced by red orbs that shined like jewels.
His 'beard' covered most of his face, and it almost resembled part of a crescent. His eyes were yellow, shaped like rectangles, and I'm sure that black space around his eyes is meant to be an eye mask. His emblem was on the front of his shoulders, and I caught a glimpse of some kind of tome stuck to his back.
"Welcome," He softly spoke, "Bring the program over here."
"Gotcha," Guts Man carefully transferred the program to his possession.
"You got what you wanted, so please let Mrs. Hikari go," Being calm was the right call for now.
"I've just been informed of how the trial is going," The WWW agent checked his PET, "He's professing his innocence instead of guilt. How… futile."
"Hey, pal, let her go," I pressed him for her release.
"Lan Hikari must be found guilty in court before I can do that," He didn't budge, "And he's not confessing when he had the chance to."
"Well, I'm not leaving until she's free," I scowled at him.
"Of course," He knew as much, "While you're waiting, how about we kill some time?"
"Are you proposing a Net Battle, Yahoot?" The wizard Navi questioned, "These two are hardly worthy of being contenders."
"Now, now, Magic Man," The man called Yahoot shook his head in disapproval, "We might as well raise the stakes. That is, with their lives."
"Of course," I saw that coming, "I guess we're not gonna leave here alive without a fight."
"If young Lan holds you in high esteem, then you should be able to give as much as you take," Yahoot smiled, daring me to take him on.
"I'm already risking my life being here," I shrugged, "Might as well go all the way!"
"I will warn you," Yahoot smirked as he said this, "I am quite good at erasing things on the net and in the real world."
"Yeah, I'm sure," I spat.
"I'm ready for this, Dex!" Guts Man pounded his fists together with gusto, "Let's do it!"
"Alright," I accepted, mentally prepared for this grueling match. "Guts Man, battle routine, set!"
"Execute!"
CHAPTER 22 END