Chapter 5 – Cannonman Attacks
The students of the 6th grade followed Dr. Hikari and their teacher, Ms. Mari, through the gates of SciLab and into the main lobby. Here, Dr. Hikari started to give an introduction speech to the students. All of them paid attention to the speech…except for Lan. His mind was still stuck on thoughts about Megaman being in the real world. However, he was quickly brought out of his thoughts when a familiar voice spoke to him.
"Lan. If you don't hurry, you are going to fall behind in the tour," Megaman said, standing on Lan's shoulder. The hologram of Megaman got a small glance from Lan before he smiled a bit. Lan looked around and saw that the rest of his class were already leaving the lobby and going into the adjacent hallway.
"Well, it isn't like I will get lost or something like that."
"True, But, Ms. Mari doesn't know you spend a lot of time here. So, it would be best to not make her worry."
"Yeah…you're probably right."
"Alright, then. Your class just went through the doorway. Better catch up!"
Without another word, Lan hurried to the doorway that led to the interior of SciLab. Still, Lan couldn't stop thinking about the experiment…and about Chaud and Protoman. What happened to Protoman was huge. It wasn't something that a person can just forget about the very next day. No. This was something that would remain in the Lan's memory until Protoman was completely healed. The only problem with that theory was…who knew when Protoman would be back to 100 percent functionality. Lan decided he could ask his dad after the field trip was over. After all, they would be in the same building for the next hour or so. So, Lan figured that he would have a little time before the class left after the tour.
Dr. Hikari continued to show Lan's class the interior of SciLab. Most of the 6th grade class had never seen SciLab before, save for Lan, Maylu, Dex, and Yai. Tory had never really seen SciLab the way that his 4 other friends have. He was mostly off doing something at home, or taking ice skating lessons. Needless to say, out of the 5 of them, he was probably the one who was most impressed by everything around him.
"If you look to your left, you will see the Virtual Training Room. In here, NetOps and NetNavis can hone their skills against pre-programmed viruses. Since SciLab works in close connections with the Net Police, we often get Net Agents and NetSavers to come here and train. Right now, no one is training, because a Net Agent and NetSaver's identities must be kept secret, as you may already know," Dr. Hikari explained to the school children. They were impressed that SciLab, a building that specializes in the research and implementation of advances in the network, worked so closely with the Net Police.
One of the students raised his hand. "Dr. Hikari. How many Net Agents and NetSavers have come through SciLab?"
"That's a good question. Because we work so closely with the Net Police, it is hard to keep track of how many of their officials have been here. But, if I was to give a rough estimate, I would have to say around six, which includes the Commissioner and his assistant," Dr. Hikari said, thoroughly answering the student's question.
"Really? That little," a different student asked.
Dr. Hikari let out a hearty chuckle at the comment. "Well, like I said, we work closely with the Net Police. However, that doesn't mean that every one of their officers have been in SciLab. Now, let's continue the tour."
The students continued to follow Dr. Hikari deeper and deeper into the interior of SciLab. Many of them were impressed by all of the technological devices that were scattered across the rooms that they passed on the tour.
"And, here, we have the NetNavi Recovery Room. The scientists inside this room work to make sure that damaged or malfunctioning NetNavis are restored to their original way. This room was heavily used during the first DarkChip outbreak 9 months ago. Nowadays, it is used to help NetNavis get repaired when they are attacked by viruses and get damage too much for standard PET repair programs," Dr. Hikari explained to the eager students.
The students pressed their faces up against the window of the NetNavi Recovery Room in order to get a better look at what was going on inside. They could see various scientists working on several different NetNavis, checking to make sure they were operating well, repairing damaged areas on their structures, and then getting them ready to be transmitted back to their NetOps.
Lan was also looking inside to see what the scientists were up to. Actually, he didn't have much of an interest in seeing what they were doing. He wanted to see if he could spot Chaud's PET, hoping that Protoman was in the capable hands of the SciLab technicians. His eyes probed the room in front of him, trying to spot the red-colored PET. When he didn't see it after 30 seconds, he figured that Protoman was already repaired, and sent back to Chaud. However, just as Lan started to turn away, one of the technicians moved and revealed Chaud's PET on a stand. The color of the PET caught Lan's eye, as well as Megaman's, who was still on Lan's shoulder.
"Hey, Megaman. Look over there. It's Chaud's PET. I guess Protoman is still getting repairs," Lan said, looking back and forth from his shoulder to the NetNavi Recovery Room.
"Yeah. But, when you think about it, Protoman was pretty beat up after that experiment failed. I guess it was too much for even him to handle," Megaman said, in half-agreement with Lan. They both looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces before turning away from the window and following the rest of the class.
"Next, on your right, you will see a hallway that goes to the Observation Room, also called the Observation Deck. In there, people can observe what happens in the room next to it. We will get to that in a few more moments," Dr. Hikari said, continuing on with the tour. Lan, Dex, Maylu, and Yai already knew what room was next to the Observation Room.
"Now, everyone. I have a question to ask you. How many of you have heard that SciLab was working on a revolutionary experiment, but we're keeping exactly what it was top secret," Dr. Hikari asked the students, trying his hardest not to show any amusement in his voice. Almost every hand shot into the air.
"I see word gets around fast, but that isn't surprising in this day in age," Dr. Hikari said, finally releasing what amusement he had bottled up inside him. "Well, then I have a special treat for you. You, the 6th grade class of DenTech Academy, will be the first civilians to know about the new experiment we are working on."
As soon as those last words left Dr. Hikari's mouth, there was nothing but astonishment amongst the students. Even Ms. Mari was taken aback by Dr. Hikari's statement. Something like this rarely, if ever, happened. SciLab was so secretive about what they were experimenting on, that no one ever found out about it until whatever they were working on was released to the public. Such an instance was the Link PET. Although, BlazeQuest and SciLab worked together to finish that project.
"Dr. Hikari. Are you sure that it is alright to show us such a top secret project," Ms. Mari asked the scientist.
"It shouldn't be a problem. It is still at the experimental stage. We could be years away from perfecting it.
"Ok. I guess then we shouldn't wait here if you are ready to show us."
"With pleasure, Ms. Mari."
"Ok, class. Follow Dr. Hikari to the next room. And, make sure you stay together."
The students continued to follow the scientist to the next area in the hallway. Even though they had seen it yesterday, Lan and Megaman were actually getting a little excited about the unraveling. It wasn't so much that they were excited for themselves; they were excited to see the look on everyone's faces when the project was revealed. It wasn't some small feat to be able to materialize NetNavis into the human world without the assistance of a Copyroid or Dimensional Area.
"Ok, everyone. This next, and final room, may be considered the most important one in all of SciLab," Dr. Hikari announced to the class to students. "This is what we call the Experiment Room. It is where we research and develop all of the upgrades, components, and other objects for the Cyber world. We have also developed several different components for NetNavis, which brings me to the big surprise."
All of the students were listening intently to what the scientist had to say next. After all of the rumors that had circulated around the net, after all of the waiting, after all of the anticipation, the students of DenTech Academy's 6th grade class were going to be the first civilians in the whole WORLD to be told what this top secret project was.
"Ms. Mari. I can see it in their eyes and faces, even yours. You all must be very excited about this announcement," Dr. Hikari said, making an obvious observation, and showing some amusement in his voice.
"Very much so, Dr. Hikari. For such a high level project to be revealed before it is ready is such a rare thing. And, to top all that off, to a class of 6th graders," an excited Ms. Mari stated. All of the students, still in complete listening mode, nod in agreement with Ms. Mari.
"Well, then. I guess I better not keep you waiting," Dr. Hikari stated, as he turned to the room in front of the group.
"As some of you may know, not too long ago, there was an incident that engulfed the whole world," Dr. Hikari began. Lan knew this was going to be a long speech.
"It was the insidious Dr. Regal who encased the world in what we call a Dimensional Area. Only minutes after the world was covered, Dr. Regal was able to delete a NetNavi called Shademan. Shademan was from a race of NetNavis called 'Darkloids.' He was their leader. Prior to what we now call the 'Regal Incident,' Shademan was able to use highly advanced programming to allow himself to enter the human world without the need for a Dimensional Area."
The students and Ms. Mari all looked at Dr. Hikari with a large amount of interest. They knew of the event fairly well. Who didn't? It covered the entire planet. Most people agreed that there wasn't a single person alive who did not know about the event. Still, Dr. Hikari continued with his speech.
"About a month ago, while researching on the Net, scientists here at SciLab discovered what appeared to be fragments of Shademan's deleted data. After decoding it, we found this data to be the very program that he incorporated into himself that allowed him to pass between the Cyber and Human worlds."
Gasps could be heard in the group of students.
"Through the hard work of the scientists here, we have been able to replicate this data, and form it into a program, called the M-Program, short for Materialization Program."
The eyes of the students, and even Ms. Mari, all lit up. They could already tell where this speech was going. The exciting for Dr. Hikari's final words of his speech grew to exponential proportions inside the students and teacher. Even Lan and Megaman were getting excited again.
"I can see it all on your faces. You probably know what I am going to say. And, you are correct. Using this program, we hope to be able to install it into NetNavis, allowing them to pass between worlds, and interact with their NetOps."
Wows, gasps, and many other forms of vocal excitement rang from the group of students. This had to have been the single most important and innovative discovery in the history of the Net. To be able to materialize NetNavis, without something called a Dimensional Area, was…unbelievable.
"However, right now, we are only at the Experimental stage. It may be a long ways off before we can perfect this program. However, we believe that, through the M-Program, we can ensure a very promising future between the human race and NetNavis," Dr. Hikari finally said, concluding his speech.
One of the students raised his hand. "How does it all work?"
"Perhaps I can answer that," called a voice from behind the children. They all turned around to see none-other-than Famous standing behind them.
"Oh, good. You did make it. Children, this is Mr. Famous. He is our resident expert on NetNavi recovery. If ever a NetNavi is damage, even to the most serious of extents, he is the person we call for help," said a smiling Dr. Hikari.
"Please, call me Famous."
"Famous. You said you would like to explain the process to the children?"
"Of course, Dr. Hikari."
The students all turned their attention to the man behind them. He was wearing his usual glasses, orange shirt with the number 20 on it, lab coat, black pants, and orange sneakers.
"Unlike other programs that create solid holograms, the M-Program doesn't just make the NetNavi into a solid hologram. Rather, it is like the NetNavi is being removed from Cyberspace. Basically, it is re-writing its data to match that of an actual human being. Through the M-Program, a NetNavi is brought out of the Cyberworld and into the Human world…in living flesh and blood."
The group was in complete awe. Solid holograms were one thing, but to actually bring a NetNavi into the human world, in living flesh and blood…that was even more unbelievable.
"There is more. This materialization is not permanent. Through what Dr. Hikari calls the 'NetLine,' NetNavis that use the M-Program to come to the Human world and easily return to the Cyber world. This NetLine is like a wireless data stream that links the NetOp's PET to the NetNavi. At any time, the materialized NetNavi can use the NetLine to return to their PET, and they will be just like normal," Famous said, concluding his speech on the subject.
Maylu raised her hand to ask a question. She had wanted to ask it since Dr. Hikari unveiled the project.
"You said that the project is in the Experimental Phase. Have there been any actual test subjects?"
Dr. Hikari, Famous, Lan, and Megaman, all gave each other worried expressions. Thoughts of what happened the day before all filed their heads. It was a topic that they really didn't want to talk about. Some of the students took note of the facial expressions on Famous and Dr. Hikari's faces. Finally, Dr. Hikari broke the silence.
"Yes. One NetNavi was used in an initial experiment. It was yesterday, as a matter of fact," the scientist stated. Numerous students got excited and just blurted out comments and questions without raising their hands.
"Really? Just yesterday?"
"Who was the NetNavi?"
"Was it a success?"
Dr. Hikari looked at the children, trying not to let his demeanor change in front of them. However, the more he thought about the events of the past day, the more his facial expression went from a smile to a more indifferent look.
"Yes. It was just yesterday. Unfortunately, the experiment was not a success. During the installation of the M-Program into the NetNavi, something went wrong, and the NetNavi's data started to break up. If the NetOp didn't act as fast as he did, his NetNavi would have surely faced deletion," Dr. Hikari stated, with a more than obvious sense of dread in his voice. The students immediately took note of this, and their expressions changed as well.
"That is why this is still at the Experimental Stage. Once we analyze the data from the experiment, we should be able to figure out what went wrong, correct it, and make sure that such a thing does not happened again," Dr. Hikari added.
Dex raised his hand. "How is the NetNavi doing now? Will it be ok?"
"The NetNavi was badly damage. However, we assessed that the damage to his programming wasn't as severe as we thought it was. Given another day or 2, he should be fully recovered," Dr. Hikari said, answering Dex's question.
Ms. Mari then stepped in front of the group of children. "I know what you all must have a lot of questions. However, we should head back to the lobby. So, get into a single file line and head back down the hallway.
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"So, this is what you didn't tell us, Lan," Maylu asked Lan, who was sitting beside her in the Lobby.
"Yeah. When Megaman and I came here yesterday, we saw the first experiment. It was so cool to see it. But, like my dad said, something did go wrong, and the experiment was a failure," Lan said, in a gloomy way.
"Hey, cheer up, Lan. At least it wasn't us who were the first ones," Megaman said, trying to reassure Lan, hoping to snap him out of the mood he was in.
"By the way, Lan. Who was the first person to do the experiment," Yai asked, wondering who else could have been the first besides Lan and Megaman.
"…It was Chaud and Protoman," Lan said, still in a gloomy state-on-mind.
"CHAUD AND PROTOMAN?"
Yai, Dex, Maylu, and Tory were all surprised to hear those words come out of Lan's mouth. They knew that Chaud liked to take risks, and thought himself and Protoman to be invincible, but to take such a huge risk that would have deleted Protoman if he didn't act fast enough…What was Chaud THINKING?
Their conversation was cut short, as alarms inside SciLab started to go off. This send the Lobby into a panic, as these alarms meant that something terrible was about to unfold. Ms. Mari quickly instructed the students to remain calm. One of the SciLab scientists came out and told the students and teacher to move to the interior of the building, seeing as if there was some kind of outside threat, they could be safest when further inside.
"Lan, what's going on," a worried Maylu asked, as she grabbed onto Lan's arm tightly. Lan felt her arms around his right arm. She was squeezing so tight that the blood circulation to his hand was cut off.
"Maylu, you can grab my arm all you want, but not so tight," Lan said, trying not to sound angry or worried, though his voice said otherwise.
Maylu looked at Lan. She didn't realize that she was grabbing so tightly onto his arm. Her grip slowly loosened. Lan felt relieved. He hand had gone a little numb, but it was getting better.
"Ok, everyone. Continue down this hallway and take a left. There will be a descending staircase that goes to a shelter. Quickly now," A SciLab official said, directing the students down a corridor.
As they continued on their way, a loud crash could be heard throughout the building. Though, it wasn't a normal crash. Whatever made the sound actually came from OUTSIDE SciLab and crashed inside. It was clear it came from the outside because the impact of the object shook the building down to its foundation. Scientists were scrambling to find the source of the sound.
As the students made their way through the hallways, Lan got a call on his PET.
"Lan! Are you there?
"Huh? Is that you, Mr. Famous?"
"Famous, just Famous. Anyway, you probably heard the crash. I want you and Megaman to check it out. We believe it impacted somewhere by the elevator to the lower experiment room."
"Roger, Mr. Famous. We're on our way!"
"Just Famous!"
Lan had to make sure that everyone was distracted. SciLab officials knew Lan was a NetSaver, so he knew they wouldn't try to keep him with the group. The problem came in actually getting AWAY from them. He looked at Maylu, Dex, and Yai, and an idea came into his head.
"Maylu, Dex, Yai. I need your help. Mr. Famous just called me and I need to find the source of that crash. Can you guys distract Ms. Mari and everyone else while I get away," Lan asked, hoping that his friends would be there to help him.
Maylu, Dex, and Yai looked at each other, and simply nodded at Lan. That was the only response that he needed. They quickly set the plan into motion.
"Ouch! Ms. Mari!" Maylu fell to the ground, trying her best to feign an injury. The yell caught the attention of Ms. Mari, just like she planned.
"Maylu! Are you ok," Ms. Mari asked, worried near to death. Her worry wasn't only for Maylu's injury, but more or less a combination of Maylu's injury and the events unfolding around them. She signaled everyone else to keep moving, while she tried to help Maylu. While Ms. Mari was helping Maylu, Dex and Yai blocked her sight for a moment, just enough let Lan slip away without being noticed.
"That was close, Megaman. We better get to where they think that object crashed."
"Right. I'll get you a path now."
~~!~~
~~!~~
It didn't take long for Lan to make it to the elevator that went to the lower levels of SciLab. However, upon arriving, he saw nothing…at least, at first. He then opened the elevator door to discover a hole in the roof of the shaft. Whatever came crashing down didn't land near the elevator. It landed inside the elevator. What it was, it didn't crash on an angle. No, it came straight down…from wherever it came from.
"You think we should climb down to check it out, Megaman?"
"Hmmm…Mr. Famous did ask us to investigate."
"You're right. Let's go."
Lan climbed inside the elevator shaft, only to be shocked by what he saw. As he looked down the shaft, he saw what appeared to be a capsule. It crashed through the shaft, but seemed to have nuzzled inside the actual elevator.
"Hold on…that capsule isn't natural."
"You're right, Lan. It must have been man-made."
"But…who would make it and then…" Lan's words were cut short as the capsule opened.
Both he and Megaman, who was still standing on Lan's shoulder as a translucent hologram, looked inside the capsule. Their expressions both went from shocked to horrified, then to a mix of the two emotions. As the capsule opened, it revealed a Copyroid inside. As soon as the pod opened and the Copyroid revealed, a NetNavi jacked-in from the elevator control panel.
"Uhhh…Lan…"
"I know, Megaman. We better get out of here!"
The Copyroid started to take the form of the NetNavi that just jacked-into it. Lan quickly moved up the ladder of the elevator shaft and exited the shaft onto the same floor which he came from.
And, not a moment too soon.
Just as he exited the shaft, a shot from what looked like a cannon came roaring up from the location of the Copyroid, just barely missing Lan. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran down the hallway.
"A copyroid? I thought we got rid of them all, Lan."
"You forget, Megaman. Bubbleman was selling them not too long ago. Some of them must have been bought and stored. For all we know, the UnderNet Market might be full of them."
"I hope not. I don't want to have to deal with UnderNet Navis."
"Don't give up just yet, Megaman. We can still take on that NetNavi."
Lan pulled his PET off its armband and called up the first person that came to his mind.
"Mr. Famous! We need some help!"
"Just Famous! What is the problem?"
"We have a NetNavi that just jacked-into a copyroid in SciLab. We need a Dimensional Area up."
"Will do."
~~!~~
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"Mr. Famous. What is wrong with the Dimensional Generator," Dr. Hikari asked, knowing that his son had just requested a Dimensional Area.
"We designed the Dimensional Generator to place Dimensional Areas in places so that Lan and Chaud could fight the Asteroid NetNavis. However, we never took into account that SciLab itself would ever be under attack."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that it will take some time to recalibrate the generator to produce an Dimensional Area around SciLab."
"How much time do you need, Mr. Famous?"
"About 5 minutes. It shouldn't take too long."
"Alright. Get started on that. We need to seal off that NetNavi."
~~!~~
~~!~~
Lan continued to run as fast as he could. He knew that the NetNavi was behind him…somewhere. He heard explosions every now and then, which meant that the NetNavi was still around…causing whatever damage it could. Suddenly, Lan got a call on his PET. It was from his dad.
"Lan, listen carefully. Mr. Famous needs to recalibrate the Dimensional Generator so that it will produce a Dimensional Area around SciLab. What I need you to do is make sure that the NetNavi doesn't get too far. Seal him off with as many of the security doors as you can! It should only take 5 minutes to get the Dimensional Area up."
"Right, dad. Once Mr. Famous is done with that, we will kick that NetNavi's butt!"
"Just keep him contained for the time being, son. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I won't, dad. Let's go, Megaman!"
"I'm with you, Lan. Let's show this NetNavi what we are made off!"
With that, Lan turned around and headed back down the hallway. He wasn't sure where the NetNavi was now, but he had to have been down one of the corridors he just came from. He briefly looked down each one, seeing if there was any indication that the NetNavi was there. There wasn't any indication as to which way the NetNavi was…until a Cannon blast came from one of the corridors and also hit Lan.
"Lan! Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Megaman. It just missed me."
While Lan was attempting to recover from dodging such as blast, he heard footsteps coming from down the corridor that Cannon blast came from. Lan looked up to see the NetNavi responsible for the attack on SciLab. It was rather tall, was colored in green, blue, and red, as well as his hands being…well…not there. He had hands like Torchman would. Lan gathered what courage he had in him, stood up, and questioned the NetNavi.
"So, you are the one responsible for the attack. Who are you?"
"My name is Cannonman. And you, Lan Hikari, are in the way of the UnderNet Mafia!"
That being said, Cannonman aimed his right arm at Lan. However, Lan was able to quickly think of another question before Cannonman took his shot.
"Wait! Who is the UnderNet Mafia?"
"Ha-ha. Well, since you are about to die, I might as well tell you. We are a group of Solo NetNavis that have had it with humans interfering with the affairs of the UnderNet," Cannonman began. This didn't sound well to Lan. "So, we have set out to destroy any and all NetNavis that have NetOps, as well as dispose of NetOps with the ability to CrossFuse. Once we rid the Net of all NetNavis with NetOps, we will proceed to take over the human world, and claim it as our own!"
As Cannonman finished his speech, the arm that was aiming at Lan turned into a green cannon. Both Lan and Megaman recognized what exactly it was. This NetNavi seems to have uploaded the Cannon BattleChip, and it was now pointing directly at Lan.
"Lan, move out of the way!"
"I can't! There's nowhere to take cover!"
"Say goodbye, Lan Hikari! Cannon!"
Lan closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. As Cannonman fired his shot, a blast door appeared in-between the Cannon blast and Lan. He opened his eyes to see the door there, and breathed out in a sigh of relief. He turned to see Chaud standing in a corridor behind him with his hand on a button.
"Chaud! I was wondering where that door came from. You closed it, didn't you?"
"You're getting quicker on the uptake, Lan."
"Hehe. Well, you know what they say. It takes…"
"Enough talk, Lan. Famous is almost done making the corrections. Get yourself ready. I need to check the rest of this area for people who might be trapped."
"Right, and thanks again!"
Chaud went down another corridor to run his inspection. Lan went in the opposite direction of the now closed blast door. It was only a matter of time before Cannonman blasted his way through the door. Megaman knew it wasn't going to hold long.
"We gotta put some distance between us and Cannonman. We need to stay alive so that Mr. Famous can finish the recalibrations," Megaman said, trying to sound reassuring to Lan. However, it wasn't working like he wanted.
"You make it sound like I can't pull it off, Megaman. Put a little more faith in me," Lan said back to Megaman, with a noticeable grin on his face. Megaman took notice of this, and smiled back.
Lan and Megaman suddenly heard a blast come from behind them. They had no doubts that Cannonman had finally succeeded in blasting through the door. They knew that he was now on his way to carry out his mission to get rid of them.
Lan got back to the Lobby of SciLab. "Here. This should give us enough to move around. Now, we just have to wait for Mr. Famous to…" Lan was cut off by a voice from his PET.
"Just Famous! Lan, the recalibrations are complete. Activating the Dimensional Generator!"
"Thanks Mr. Famous!"
"Just Fam…oh, I give up."
Famous cut communications just as Cannonman blasted his way into the main Lobby. He found Lan standing in front of him, holding his PET in hand.
"You finally stopped running. Time to end this, Lan Hikari!"
"Not this time, Cannonman!"
As Lan completed his sentence, the Dimensional Generators on top of the building activated, sending a beam of energy towards the SciLab satellite, which then reflected the beam of energy back towards SciLab, encasing the entire campus in a Dimensional Area.
"This is where we send you packing! Let's do it, Megaman!"
"I'm with you, Lan!"
"SynchroChip in, Download! Begin CrossFusion now!"
A bright sphere of light encased Lan as his PET disappeared and Megaman's armor began to materialize onto Lan's body. The first to appear were the boots, followed by the gloves, then chest emblem. Lan's body shined as it became covered in a bodysuit, and shoulder pads formed after, Finally, Megaman's helmet, face guard, and back-piece materialized, completing the transformation.
Lan stepped out of the sphere of white light and stood before Cannonman.
"You come to the human world just so you can get rid of me? I'm not if I should be flattered or scared," Lan said, showing no restraint for his obviously sarcastic comment.
"You talk tough, Lan Hikari. But, let's see you back it up. Hi-Cannon!"
The other hand on Cannonman then turned into a blue cannon. He now had a Cannon on his left arm, and a Hi-Cannon on his right arm.
"No way! He can summon a Hi-Cannon as well? This is gonna be one tough fight, Megaman."
"Just stay on your toes, Lan. We have beaten tougher guys than him."
Cannonman could overhear Lan and Megaman's conversation. He couldn't help but start laughing at the Human/Navi hybrid in front of him.
"Hey, what do you think is so funny," Lan demanded to know. Cannonman only kept on laughing. Such a display of laughter only served to make Lan angry at the situation.
"Keep on laughing, Cannonman. Because that is how you are going to be defeated. CyberSword, Double Download!"
Lan's completed sentence sparked a change in his hands, as 2 CyberSwords appeared on them. He then started a charging assault on Cannonman, only to be easily avoided by the solo NetNavi. Lan attempted his assault once more time, only to once again be easily avoided. Cannonman sure was quick on his feet. This wasn't going to be an easy battle.
"You think that just because I am a Solo NetNavi that I don't have tricks of my own? Allow me to show you one…Mega-Cannon!"
Upon the completion of his words, Cannonman's hands went into the air, and began to glow a bright white light. Lan and Megaman looked in awe at the sight. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Those moves and light can only mean one thing…
"No way...that light and energy…it's from…" Lan was cut off by Megaman.
"A Program Advance!"
"But…how can a Solo NetNavi be able to perform a Program Advance?"
"Don't think it too much, Lan Hikari. Or else, you might get hit…Zeta-Cannon…FIRE!"
Cannonman lowered his arms to chest level and aimed the Zeta-Cannon and Lan. Upon his aiming being complete, he fired the weapon. Lan, still taken aback by a Solo NetNavi being able to use a Program Advance, nearly froze in place…that is, until Megaman snapped him out of it.
"Lan! Move!"
Lan heard Megaman's voice and snapped out of his trance. However, it was too late, He dodged the majority of the blast, but some of it struck the emblem on his chest. For a regular attack, this wouldn't have been a problem. However, it wasn't a regular attack. This was the Zeta-Cannon Program Advance. The impact from the attack pierced the emblem, released the PET's energy, and, to Lan and Megaman's dismay and horror…canceled CrossFusion for them.
"Hahahaha! Now, you are NOTHING compared to me! I can use the data from the Cannon, Hi-Cannon, and Mega-Cannon BattleChips at will! I can control their Program Advances as well. You have no hope of surviving this encounter!
Lan struggled to recover from the rapid lose of CrossFusion. He had fallen to the ground from the blast, and was having a difficult time trying to stand up. Lan instinctively looked around his immediate area to locate his PET. He spotted the device a few feet away from him. However, to Lan's surprise and shock, Cannonman was standing in front of the device.
"Now…to make sure you don't interfere with our plans in the human world again...!"
"NOOO! MEGAMAAAAAAAAN!"
Just as Cannonman's foot fell to the ground, a BattleChip came flying from out of nowhere and knocked Lan's PET out from under Cannonman's foot. Megaman was saved, thanks to the stray BattleChip. However, Lan's SynchroChip was ejected from the PET…and still remained under Cannonman's foot as it came down.
-CRACK-
The sound made Lan shiver down to his core. The one thing that brought him and Megaman a close as possible to each other…was just destroyed. Lan was still in shock from losing CrossFusion, this was just too much. He quickly shut his eyes and tried to imagine that he didn't just hear the sound he thought he heard. However, he knew deep down inside that it was as real as ever.
"I had to say this to Flashman. I will say it to you, as well. NEVER mess with a NetSaver's PET," Chaud's voice exclaimed, talking to Cannonman. Cannonman simply laughed at the sight of Chaud in the room.
"My, my. Aren't we the brave one? Well, no matter. I was able to complete one of my objectives here. With Lan Hikari's SynchroChip out of the way, there is no way he can CrossFuse with Megaman. That brings the UnderNet Mafia one step closer to achieving world domination," Cannonman said, showing both amusement and victory in his voice.
'He's right,' Chaud thought. 'With Protoman out of commission, and Lan not being able to CrossFuse, how are we going to stand up them? It would be too much for Raika to handle and…' Chaud's thoughts were cut short as he heard these chilling words come from Cannonman.
"You're Chaud Blaze, aren't you? You are my other objective. With both of Japan's top NetSavers out of the way, nothing will stand in our way. NOTHING! Cannon, Triple Upload! Giga-Cannon, FIRE!"
Chaud ducked out of the way, and managed to pull Lan into the back corridor for cover. Lan was still in shock at everything that has happened. He had never been beaten like this before.
"Lan! Lan! Snap out of it, Hikari!" Chaud's voice brought Lan back to his senses. He had been zoned out for about 2 minutes now, and they were now hiding in the Observation Deck.
"Uhhh…Chaud? Is that you?"
"Lan. Good, you came to. We have a problem. You're SynchroChip was crushed, and Protoman and I cannot battle. He is still in recovery."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Honestly, I don't know. This is such a tough bind for us that we…"
Chaud was then interrupted by Megaman, who still seemed to be functioning properly. He appeared on Lan's shoulder, like he normally would, and started to speak to the two boys in the room.
"I have an idea. However, it is extremely dangerous…especially for me."
"Megaman? What are you talking about?"
"Lan…I think he means the M-Program"
"What? No way, Megaman! Out of the question!"
"Lan! It may be our only way out of this. If we just install the M-Program into me, then we might…"
"Forget it! I don't want to risk you being deleted just so that there MIGHT be a chance at saving us. Something will happen."
"Lan! Enough already! If we don't install that program into me, then all will be lost!"
Once again, Lan knew that Megaman was right. But…it just didn't feel right. He didn't want to put Megaman in any kind of danger. Trying to install the M-Program into Megaman would put him at such great risk for deletion…Lan didn't want to even think about it. However, he knew that until something happened, they would have nothing to lose.
"…Alright, Megaman. I hope you know what you are doing."
"Trust me, Lan. Have a little faith." Megaman smiled at Lan with this comment, and Lan returned the smile.
"Well, you have a point, Megaman. Alright, Chaud. Let's get that Program!"
"About time you decided." Chaud gave Lan a small grin.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."
Lan and Chaud found a large object in the Observation Deck and were able to break the window between the Observation Deck and Experiment Room. They climbed down from the window sill and tried to get things ready.
"So…umm…what do we turn on?"
"Lucky for you, I was paying attention when Protoman's experiment started."
"Geez…you don't have to rub it in my face."
"Turn on those two consoles, I'll get these two…flip a switch here…"
After Lan and Chaud turned on all of the necessary equipment, they could see on the consoles that the M-Program was ready to be uploaded into a NetNavi's program. There were also instructions on one of the panels for Lan to follow, such as which place to Jack-in, what he should do while the installation is taking place, etc.
"hmmm…Megaman…are you sure you want to do this? You really don't have to…"
"I'm sure, Lan. I want to be able to protect everyone. Without CrossFusion, this is the only other way."
"Alright…I guess this is it, then…Jack-in, Megaman. Power up!"
Lan aimed the infer-red iris of his PET towards the port in which Megaman was to be jacked-in. Almost immediately after he was jacked-in, a hologram of him appeared in the Navi Capsule next to the console. Megaman looked out from the capsule, looking directly into Lan's eyes. Lan could see that Megaman really wanted to go to any length to save the people he cared for. After their eyes broke away from each other, Megaman gave Lan a positive nod, and, in turn, Lan gave the go ahead for Chaud to start up.
"Megaman…if at anytime you feel strange, say something. We don't want a repeat of what happened to Protoman," Chaud said, in a rather commanding voice.
"Alright. Let's just hope this works," Megaman replied, giving Chaud an acknowledging nod.
"Ok, then. Here we go. Beginning M-Program installation."
Chaud watched his monitor, making sure that the installation of the M-Program worked. Lan kept his eyes on Megaman's image. He still wasn't sure about this whole situation. He didn't want Megaman to get the program; not because he didn't want to see Megaman in person, but because the process of getting it installed was just too dangerous. He watched his screen intently, which was also monitoring the progress of the upload.
Several more explosions could be heard from down the hallway. The doors to the Experiment Room were all closed and locked from the inside; a precaution that Chaud deemed necessary. But, the doors would not hold for long. They just had to hope that the M-Program installation would not take too much longer.
"Come on, come on! Work faster!" Lan's excessive impatience was starting to get the best of him. With Cannonman behind them, maybe even right behind one of the locked doors, he knew that unless the installation didn't get finished soon, they all would be finished.
"You can't rush this, Lan. It needs time to fully install and re-configure the NetNavi's data to be allowed entry into the human world," Chaud stated, with a hint of anger in his tone. He wasn't much for Lan's impatience, and it often got the best of Lan.
Another explosion occurred. This time, it was much closer than the last. Cannonman was getting closer and closer to the Experiment Room. If the install didn't finish soon…
"Ahhhh!" Megaman screamed in pain. Lan's attention was ripped from the computer screen and focused upon the NetNavi's holographic image.
"Megaman! What's wrong," Lan demanded. He didn't want it to sound like a command, but it came out just like one.
"I'm….fine…keep going…" Megaman's words were starting to stutter.
"Lan! We have to stop now. Megaman's data is starting to break up!"
"What? No! Megaman! Jack-out!"
"No, wait, Lan! Don't do it just yet…a little longer…"
Megaman tried not to sound in pain, but it was too unbearable for him to not sound like it. Another scream escaped from his mouth. Lan was becoming more and more terrified by the second. He was watching his best friend being deleted, right in front of his eyes. He couldn't take it any longer. He had to save Megaman!
"Forget it, Megaman! I'm jacking you out right now!
"No, Lan! Please don't! Just a little longer!"
"Out of the question! You can't keep this up!"
"Lan…listen to me…I just want you to…believe that I…will be ok. Just believe…that I will be there…to protect you and…Chaud. That's all I ask…of you. Just…believe…"
With those final words, Megaman's hologram in the NetNavi Capsule exploded into pixilated boxes, and left Lan's line of sight. Tears started to form under Lan's eyes. He couldn't believe it…Megaman was…actually…deleted?
One more explosion occurred. However, this time, it was one of the Experiment Room doors that exploded. Chaud grabbed Lan by the arm and dragged him to the other side of the room. When the smoke created by the explosion cleared, none-other-than Cannonman was standing in the middle of it.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. It must be my lucky day. BOTH NetSavers in the same room, and close together. I think one Mega-Cannon shot will finish this job!" Cannonman laughed as he finished his remark. He then raised his left arm, and a Mega-Cannon appeared on it, already aimed and ready to fire.
"This is the end for you, Lan Hikari and Chaud Blaze. Mega-Cannon…FIR…" Cannonman's command was cut short when a ball of purple energy crashed into the Mega-Cannon on his hand. Several other balls of purple energy came down upon Cannonman. This left him a bit disoriented, and caused quite a large amount of smoke to be created from the impacts.
"What? Who did that? Show yourself!"
"You don't know who it was? Well, then. Allow me to introduce myself."
From above Lan and Chaud, who were against the wall to the Observation Deck, came an entity that was extremely quick on its feet. Because of the explosions around SciLab, the majority of the lights were not working. This made it hard to see who it was at first. As the smoke cleared, and more light was able to shine through, the mysterious person who saved Lan and Chaud was revealed.
"My name…is Megaman! And you, Cannonman, are going down!"
"Megaman! You're…ok!"
Lan couldn't hide his happiness. In fact, there were not enough words to describe how he was feeling right now. They were so many emotions running through him right now that he didn't know how to feel. He was still in a devastated state-of-mind after seeing what appeared to be Megaman getting deleted, but also full of happiness and joy to see his best friend standing in front of him, not to mention saving him from a Mega-Cannon attack.
"Lan, Chaud. Get out of here. You don't want to be in the line of fire."
"He's right, Lan. We have to get to another part of the building."
"What? No way. I have to stay here and help Megaman."
"Lan…this isn't up for discussion. Go, NOW."
Lan could now add shocked to those list of feelings. He had never heard Megaman give him an ORDER before. That was a first. Before, Megaman would ask or beg Lan to do something. But, this time…this time was completely different. But, he knew he had to stay, no matter how much Megaman asked…or commanded…him to leave.
"No! You need BattleChips to fight this guy, and I am the only one who can supply them."
"Lan…"
"Megaman…I believed in you…that you would come back…I just want you to return the favor and believe in me…believe that you NEED me for this battle."
Megaman couldn't argue that point. He simply looked at Lan and nodded his head.
"Aww…isn't that sweet? A touching moment between friends. It's enough to make me want to puke." Cannonman laughed hard after his comment, but still aimed the Mega-Cannon at Megaman. "Time to become one with the Net, Megaman. Mega-Cannon, FIRE!"
A blast came from the Mega-Cannon. It was extremely fast and accurate, but Megaman was able to dodge it, but barely.
"We are ending this now, Megaman! Program Advance! Spreader, BattleChip in. Triple Download!"
"You aren't the only ones. Cannon, Hi-Cannon, Mega-Cannon. Upload! Program Advance! Zeta-Cannon!"
Both Megaman and Cannonman began to charge up their respective Program Advances. The room was instantly illuminated by the light that the programs were giving off. Chaud was still inside the room, but knew that it was time for him to leave, lest he get caught in the crossfire between the Program Advances. However, he had to do one more thing…
"HyperBurst, FIRE!"
"Zeta-Cannon, FIRE!"
Both Megaman and Cannonman fired their Program Advances, impacting between them, causing the energy to start building up exponentially inside the room. The orange of the Zeta-Cannon and the blue of the Hyper Burst mixed in with each other as they impacted, swirling around as the energy continued to build up. Chaud ran to one of the terminals and starting punching in a few data commands. Lan took notice of this.
"Chaud! What are you doing? You have to get out of here!"
"Not yet! I have to backup and save the M-Program data. We can't let your father's work just be destroyed!"
Chaud was right. All this protecting would have been in vein if the program wasn't salvaged. A few moments later, Chaud backed up the program data on a Data Chip. He then ran out another door and left Lan and Megaman to battle Cannonman.
"Hahahaha! You won't survive this attack! You are finished, Megaman!"
"You don't get it, do you? I will never be finished as long as I have Lan to fight with me. Something you will NEVER understand!"
With those words, Megaman's Hyper Burst started to gain a foothold on the battle. Cannonman could not believe what was going on. "Nooo! This can't be happening! I am SUPERIOR to you! SUPERI…" his last word was cut off as the Hyper Burst made contact with him, causing enough damage to destroy the Copyroid.
With the battle won, Lan ran up to Megaman and threw himself onto him, in a tight, friendly hug. Megaman, who was sweating from his head and armpits, accepted the hug, holding onto Lan tightly.
"Megaman…I thought I almost lost you. I am glad you are back."
"Me too, Lan. I hope that never happens again."
"Do you want to return to your PET?"
Megaman shook his head and smiled. "Nah. I'll stay here with you."