Mega Man Ж: New Dawn
Chapter 1: First Contact
Seventy Years Later…
"Unf!" he grunted as he was thrown out of the building. "What's the big deal? Why are you being so rough?"
"Psh, you know what you did, Nat," one of the security officials said. "The WWW doesn't allow snooping in places you don't belong, especially on company time."
"You've got to be kidding me," Nat cried. "What did I do? My Navi hanging out over at a WWW data cache, so what? It's not like I accessed it! The WWW is all wrong! How can they possibly know what I was doing?!" The security officer just laughed it off.
"Whatever you say," a second security official scoffed as he walked out the front door with a box full of decorations. "Here's the crap from your office. Sadly I think you'll be decorating your house with this stuff. I doubt anyone's going to give you a job in this town if they find out you were attempting to screw around with WWW."
"He threw the box onto the sidewalk with contempt, spilling most of the contents on the ground. "Oh," he said as he pulled out something from behind him. "And here's your PET. We took the courtesy of formatting it for you."
"You destroyed my NetNavi?!" Nat cried in disbelief. "Why?!"
"Think of it as a going away present from us," the first security guard said with a slight laugh. The security official threw the PET down, breaking it. They abruptly turned around and went back inside the office complex.
Nat got off the ground and let out a long sigh. He looked at the spilled contents of the box. I guess they're right, he thought. I don't think I'm going to be finding any work in Ethnet City…not with the WWW keeping track of all Net traffic.
Nat was a network engineer for a popular online store. After his NetNavi had been caught looking into a restricted part of the Net controlled by the WWW from a company terminal, his business was informed by the WWW and he was promptly fired. He picked up the shattered PET to take home and repair. Gathering up the remainder of his belongings in the box, he made his way to his car. I get why I was fired but why destroy my NetNavi? Now it'll be nearly impossible for me to get a new one… He thought as he drove home. The WWW is way too powerful…they spy on all of our network communications and run everything in the Net…I wish there was a way I could change all this. I wish…I could give the Net to the world rather than let the WWW be the one and only entity…no one should have the power to control the flow of information.
When he got home, he tossed his box onto the couch of his apartment and shuffled over to his computer. At least I can still do something… He pulled out the broken remains of his PET and took it over to his work bench.
After working on repairing the PET for a few hours, Nat received a message on his computer.
"Eh? Who could be sending me a message now?" he said to himself. He walked over to the screen and looked at the sender.
{ XE: I need help. Are you there? }
XE? He thought as he stared at the message. I don't know anyone named 'XE'. He reached over his keyboard and began typing.
{ NatMan11: Yeah, I'm here. Who is this?
XE: I need your help. I saw what happened to you today…you seem like someone who could help me.
NatMan11: OK, but how can I help you?
XE: I am a NetNavi…I need you to meet me. I have to ask a favor of you.
NatMan11: I don't have a NetNavi, the place where I worked destroyed my NetNavi when I was fired.
XE: It's not an issue. I can meet you another way then. Do you have a PET?
NatMan11: Yeah, I've got a PET but it's damaged right now. I have to fix it.
XE: Can you have it fixed in an hour?
Natman11: Yes.
XE: Fix it and then go to the communications tower around the block and connect the PET in an hour. I'll enter the PET and then we can talk. }
The mysterious Navi then broke off the message. It needs my help? I wonder why… Nat pondered. He returned to his work bench to finish working on his PET.
An hour later, Nat's PET was repaired and he was waiting at the communications tower. He plugged the PET in and turned it on. Hope it knows I'm here… He looked down at the PET screen and saw a progress bar appear, indicating that it was downloading something from the communications tower. After letting it finish, he unplugged the PET.
"Hello? Are you in there?" he said to his PET, hoping that the Navi he had talked to online would be inside. As he looked at the screen, the image of a human-like figure came into focus. It was blue and was wearing a helmet with yellow highlights.
"Hello, and thank you for coming," it said back. Its eyes were a vibrant green color.
"Who are you?" Nat asked.
"I am a NetNavi from a distant past. Over a century ago, I was involved in a global struggle to reclaim the Net from the vile WWW organization, the same one who runs your network today." he began. "Are you 'Nat Mirochu'?" he asked. Nat nodded his head. "Go back to your apartment, I'll explain more there."
The PET put itself into a suspension mode. Nat, still somewhat confused, returned to apartment with his PET. He switched it back on.
"Alright, we're back at the apartment," Nat told the Navi inside his PET. "Tell me what's going on here."
"Very well. Many years ago, the Net as you know it now was a much more liberated place. While there were still occurrences of netcrime, it was not as it is today with the WWW in 100% control of all Net activity," he explained. "When the WWW attacked the Net in 2011, I was among the NetBattlers called on to oppose them."
"Who are you?" Nat asked, still uncertain whether he should trust the mysterious Navi.
"Back when I was an active NetBattler, my name was ''. However, I have since become known as 'Megaman XE', or simply 'Xe' for short," he explained.
"''? I've heard that name before…you were a legendary NetNavi from years ago but mysteriously vanished after a battle with the old WWW," Nat said, amazed he'd be speaking to a being of such infamy.
"Please, I don't care for pointless titles," he continued. "That struggle against the WWW became known as the 'Great Navi Eradication' when their new leader, Egen, severed the communication ties between countless Navis from and their operators. He then proceeded to delete all the opposing Navis. Without having operators on their side, all the world's opposition to Egen and the WWW easily fell and the Net was in the WWW's hands, leading to becoming as you see it today. It was during this battle that I was separated from my operator, Lan Hikari. I haven't seen him in over 100 years."
"That's awful," Nat said. "So how have you survived? The WWW reportedly eliminated every Navi without an operator."
"I've managed to stay underground, hiding inside server kernels around the globe. The WWW eradication forces have deleted many of the Navis who managed to survive that battle but a very few select of us still remain in the cyber underground. All of us want nothing more than to see the end of the WWW and their stranglehold on the Net."
"So how did you find out about me?" Nat asked.
"When you discovered the WWW data cache today, I was nearby," he explained. "I knew immediately you had an interest in the WWW and could potentially help me finally put an end to the WWW. I know my operator Lan died years ago without ever finding me because I had to go into hiding to protect myself from the WWW's eradication forces. I have vowed that someday I would find a competent operator who would help me strike back at the WWW and restore freedom to the Net."
"What became of Lan? Do you know?" Nat asked.
"All I know is he became a research technician for a company called 'Interdyne Technologies', which went out of business thanks to the WWW many years ago. I found a data file from fifty years back that indicated he worked for them at one time," Xe told him. "He hated the WWW and was only working as a network researcher to help further the art of networking as a whole, a continuation of his father's mission. I will never forgive myself for not returning to Lan but at least I can avenge our separation by defeating the WWW."
"Why has it taken you so long to find an operator? Why did you choose me after over 100 years?"
"No one I've reached out to has had the interest in the WWW I was looking for…the conviction to help me bring them down at any cost," Xe replied. "Your interest in the WWW's data cache proved to me that you want the system to change. That you weren't afraid of the consequences of meddling in WWW affairs…so that's why I decided you would be the one…will you help?"
Nat thought about the consequences of engaging the WWW. He too did not like the WWW's iron blanket of authority over all Net-based communication. "I've always envisioned a better world where the Net would be free to use by anyone and their Navi…not this façade of an existence we lead in today's Net. The WWW chokes out all information flow and censors data when they don't agree with it. I want that to end. What do you plan to do?" Nat asked.
"I want to infiltrate the WWW central server and delete whatever is running it. Doing so will shut down the network and will make it possible to entirely reset the Net," Xe said. "I need a willing operator who can help me fight through the WWW forces."
"But I don't have any net battle experience," Nat said. "On top of that, Battle Chips are closely monitored. When you purchase them you have to register your PET with the chip. As soon as they discover I was using the chip to operate a Navi from the Navi war they'll hunt you down and delete you."
"True but I have friends who may be able to help. There is an underground cell of WWW resistance operators in Ethnet City. I have contacts with their Navis and they can help you," Xe told him. "They can provide you with battle training as well as 'clean' chips that don't need registration to use."
Nat contemplated Xe's words. I agree with Xe, something has to change. The WWW is normally too powerful and too oppressive… Nat thought. But if a legend like is actually asking for my help in defeating them, it may be possible. The Net should belong to the world, not the WWW.
"I accept," he told Xe with confidence. "If you are who you say you are, then I think we may stand a chance against the WWW forces."
"Thank you. There are more Navis who survived the WWW's Navi eradication. If you locate operators for them, they will be able to join us."
"Where can I find this underground cell…?" Nat asked.
To be continued…
(Some notes: in keeping with Battle Network tradition, I have named the human protagonist "Nat" to reference NAT, or Network Address Translation. Also, yes, "Xe" should be pronounced "zhe". See, I had a use for the title.)