"I see... I'm grateful that you were able to rescue Copy Iris Number 7895620," Number 2610984 said with a small smile, unbeknownst to Baritone.
"Uhm... You're welcome..." Baritone wanted to leave, but something nagged him to stay. He stared at the 2 Iris copies in blank thought before a question popped into his mind.
"Oh! Uh... Who was that black Navi with the teal cape?" Baritone asked.
Number 2610984 didn't respond. She didn't turn her head to face Baritone, but instead lowered her head with a sad face.
"So... Who was that Navi that just got deleted?" Baritone asked again.
"...His name is Colonel. He's a copy of the Colonel Attack System. Basically, he's a brother of mine."
Baritone's eyes widened with a mild surprise. "But, why was he bugged? Why would he attack Number 7895620?"
Number 2610984 sighed in response. "Lately, there have been more and more incidences where the copies would be infected with bugs, and they would start attacking anything. Navi civilians, buildings, even other copies... like this one whom you've rescued.
"That's terrible..." Baritone remarked.
"In any case, we have to find the source of the problems. But, so far, there hasn't been much results." Number 2610984 said.
"Hmmm... Oh, have you seen a black Navi with a cloak that's the same color as my scarf?" Baritone asked and pointed at this scarf. Number 2610984 looked at Baritone's scarf before she answered with a no.
"Oh, I see. Alright, then... I'll be going." Baritone stated.
"Alright. Please be careful as you go about."
"Thanks. You, too." Baritone walked away, looked back for a moment and then leaped off to a nearby building.
Copy Iris Number 2610984 was quiet as she was healing her injured copy. She looked up and around her surroundings every once in a while. Though it was calm, something nagged Number 2610984's mind.
"It seems too quiet... I feel something might surprise and strike us at any minute..."
Number 2610984 continued on with her business, but a black Navi stood nearby another building, hidden from the Copy Iris' view.
"That whelp of a son... I'll be sure to get rid of you... Yes, I shall... The Navis of this pathetic city will never know what truly struck them until at the given time. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh..." The Navi chuckled as his hand emerged from his beige cloak and generated a ball of bugs. He then stared at his 2 targets, waiting for the chance to strike...
Meanwhile, Baritone stood at the top of Net City's Central Tower. He looked all around and saw countless Navis minding their own business.
"I should probably get down and try to talk with the Navis there. They might know where Father could be..." Baritone thought as he leaped down from the tower and hopped down on a couple buildings before he landed on the ground.
"Wow... I never thought city life could be this hectic. It's not like where I was born and lived." Baritone commented as he stared in awe of his surroundings.
The buildings that he stood on top of now looked gigantic and seemed to stare down at him. He then looked at the Navis who crowded the streets. He found the incessant blinking of the advertisement screens distracting. Again, Baritone looked around silently until he remembered what he needed to do.
"I really need to stop staring and be focused..." Baritone scolded himself.
He then felt a bit ashamed of eating his words. He didn't realize that asking someone a question was harder than he imagined. Baritone was a bit hesitant as to what he should do. There were Navis of many sizes. Some were small and acted like children. Others seemed large and powerful. Baritone didn't know who to ask.
"I might as well start somewhere." Baritone told himself as he began walking around. Some Navis were too busy talking to each other. Others stared at Baritone curiously, but he was too shy to talk to them and continued walking. Later, Baritone had enough courage to walk up to a couple of security Navis and tried to ask a question.
"Um, e-excuse me. Have you seen a... a black Navi with a beige cloak?"
"Black Navi? The only ones we've seen are copies of the Colonel Attack System, and they have teal capes, not beige."
"Oh, but... I'm looking for a black Navi that kind of... looks like me and wears a cloak that's the same color as my scarf."
"Nah, haven't seen the Navi you're looking for. And, you need to be careful these days. Lately, some of the copies have been buggy, and they've started attacking civilians in Net City."
"Oh. Yes, I know."
"You're Net Op should be more aware about that. You look like the kind of Navis who would be too naïve to see that danger's right behind you."
"What?" Baritone whirled around in panic, but nothing was behind him.
"Hahahah~! You're definitely that kind of a Navi. Anyway, tell your Net Op to be careful."
"Um, what's a Net Op?"
"...What...? You don't have a Net Operator? You don't have a human operator who basically controls you?"
"No. The only human I've ever known is... well, my mother. Well... kind of." Baritone stammered. The security Navis became silent as they tried to process what Baritone said.
"Well, thank you for your help. I'll be going." Baritone excused himself and walked further ahead. The two security Navis stared at each other.
"That Navi must be a nut case saying that he has a human mother..." The security Navis muttered as they walked the opposite direction in surprise and annoyance.
Baritone continued walking down the main street as he pondered what Net Ops were.
"A human who basically controls me... Mother was once human. She never controlled me, but loved me," Baritone thought.
He stopped to look around the street. It was filled with Navis rushing across the street. He was about to cross when he heard an explosion a couple hundred yards behind him. Screams and yelps of fright and panic ensued.
"What the-? What was that?" Baritone turned around and saw a glimpse of the black Navi with the teal cape, only there were 8 copies charging toward Baritone.
"The Colonel Copies!" Baritone stood his ground and summoned his Light Arm Blade. He made a couple steps before he realized that some force began to bear weight on him.
"Argh... Why is it... so hard to move my body...?" Baritone cringed as he tried to move his feet, but they moved sluggishly along the ground. The Colonel copies now came at him with their swords and started to strike him. Baritone attempted to block the copies' attacks, but he was thrown off balance as one of the copies tackled him. Baritone flew backward and fell to the ground on his back.
"Rrrgh..." Baritone grimaced as he stood up. He glared at the Colonel copies before he noticed 2 feminine figures near to his right. Baritone's eyes widened with shock.
"The Iris copies I met earlier...!" The two Iris copies were covered with bugs. Their faces were smothered in the bugged data and their glowing black eyes and blood-red irises glared at Baritone as though they were binding him to the spot.
"No... not you two..." Baritone spoke under his breath.
The two Copy Irises each lifted a hand and summoned a ball of bugged energy. Then, they hurled the energy balls at Baritone and the Colonel Copies. Both energy balls were in the air for a split second before they exploded into bug shards that struck Baritone and the Colonel Copies. The Copy Irises then teleported out of sight.
"Argh!" Baritone yelled out in pain, though he realized now that the strange invisible pressure that weighed on him disappeared as soon as the Copy Irises were out of sight.
"I wonder if the Copy Irises can bind Navis as well as healing them...?" Baritone wondered as he struggled to get up.
Some of the shards were imbedded in his body, while others struck the Colonel Copies. Ironically, they didn't seem to feel the pain. Baritone glanced at the Colonel Copies before he realized the the energy shards not only damaged him. On the contrary, the shards seemed to strengthen the Colonel Copies. They all bellowed as their energy levels skyrocketed and glowed with a red, rippling glow of energy surrounding them.
"Oh no... What am I gonna do...?" Baritone moaned.
The 8 copies then stomped toward him and lifted their swords, poised to give the final blow. Baritone stood his ground preparing for the impact when 2 Navis stepped in front of him.
"Wh-What?" Baritone was baffled. One Navi was red with long silver hair. The other Navi was blue with short black hair that sprouted at the back of his head.
"Proto Sword!"
"Mega Buster!"
With their attacks, the 2 Navis slashed and blasted the 8 Colonel Copies. The copies roared in anger before they retreated and teleported away. The red and blue Navis then turned their attention to the apprehensive Baritone. The white Navi still stood defensively against the 2 Navis.
"...Bass?" The blue Navi exclaimed in surprise.
"No, Megaman... That's not Bass." The red Navi spoke. "He looks like him, but I don't think it is Bass."
"But, Protoman, then wouldn't that mean-"
"Wh-Who are you?" Baritone demanded. "How do you know my father?"
"Your... father?" Both Navis responded with a gape.