Our Compromises

The Ministry team regrouped the next morning around the videoconferencing screen, breakfast and coffee in hand.

"Honestly, it's bizarre. This is extremely valuable information," Pride said. "Yet we're having this insanely casual phone call. It feels like we need more advisors and ministers around to be looking at this."

"How much so? Who could it have come from?" Enzan asked, arms folded against his chest. Whatever tier of mental gymnastics he was performing, it was way, way above Kaita's, who was just trying to figure out how this all related to the Ministry and where Netto fit into it. Meiru didn't look like she was too far behind Enzan, a hand hovering near her mouth as if she was afraid she'd shout out any conclusions she drew.

"Only someone very close to the top of their special operations unit could have leaked this," Pride explained. "There are things in here that we've been trying to confirm the existence of for years."

"You mean, it wasn't Rockman?" Kaita blurted. Immediately after, he realized what a dumb question that was. "S-sorry…"

"Not without help," Pride told him gently. "I'm sorry."

Hikari-hakase frowned. Meiru and Enzan exchanged glances. "If they're after Synchro Chip technology, what would it be for?" Meiru asked. The question seemed to be changing the subject, but one look at her focused expression convinced Kaita that this was somehow relevant to Netto's location. Her tag team with Enzan was even more formidable than Kaita had thought.

"It would be to wage war against other nations that have access to substantiation technology, and to be able to act as mercenaries for groups who have a need for Cross Fusion soldiers. But who do they think they're using this against?" Pride wondered. "There are rumors of a proxy war in Hikmah, but nothing that's boiled over to this degree. I know several nations have a presence in Afrikku, Creamland included, but Afrikku's own people are peaceful. Even considering Darkland's policy of aggression toward the other foreign parties there, this level of substantiation technology is far more than anyone should need."

After a moment's reflection on this answer, Kaita wanted to follow up, But if there are already people living in Afrikku, why are all of you there? The adults all seemed to already know, though, and Meiru and Enzan seemed to be playing along.

"I know this is old hat to you, but I don't know Darkland's history as well," Enzan explained. "Mercenaries?"

For a moment, Pride looked intensely concerned; but with one short exhalation of breath, she was back in total control. "Darkland is a small country, with few natural resources. Its main source of power and income is through hiring out its soldiers and hackers as mercenaries, though it'll make less covert power grabs as well if it senses weakness in its neighbors. I've fought their cyberwarfare units many times before, whether they were working under Darkland's flag or an assumed name."

"Try not to worry too much about us," Meiru said with a sad smile, noticing Pride's concern. "We're not about to do anything crazy."

"But it's you two!" Pride said. "I have to worry." Tilting her head in the younger Netbattlers' direction, she said, "Kaita-kun, Mary-chan, promise me you'll try to keep your mentors out of trouble, okay?"

This kind of light, teasing promise was one that Kaita could answer without hesitation. "Promise!"

01110010011001010111000001110010011010010111001101100101

"Only someone higher up the chain of command, eh?" Enzan reflected. "Someone finally got to him."

"We've got to figure out what they're up to," Meiru decided. "Rockman and… and Netto."

"Not just that, but more evidence as to where Netto's been," Enzan pointed out. "If we can bring that to light, we should have what we need to build a case that Netto was acting under duress this whole time."

"Can we really prove that much?" Meiru marveled. "I want to, but it was only yesterday that we'd all given up on him completely."

"Even I can't convince myself to go that far any longer. Look at what he gave us," Enzan said. "If that leak gets traced back to him, there's no way he can stay privy to so many of Darkland's secrets."

"Secrets they'd kill to keep…" Meiru glanced back at the door, worried.

"They can't go after us to that level. Even when they needed Hikari-hakase to make those new Synchro Chips, they did everything they could to keep him from finding out who he was making them for," Enzan pointed out. "It wouldn't make the news for them to go after one of their own, but it would cause an international incident if they got traced to that kind of attack on the Ministry of Science."

"Or on you, for that matter." Her resolve strengthened, Meiru summed up, "Netto's counting on us to find the answers, then, and we can start by finding out what Darkland's been doing with substantiation technology in Afrikku."

"I can tell you the basics. It's to keep a hold of resources," Enzan explained. "Afrikku has a lot of natural mineral deposits that are important to hardware manufacturing, so mercenaries and other nations alike have presences there. The last conflict zone on Earth, through nothing but a quirk of fate. But we need to start finding the details. IPC uses most of those same materials, so I can start by seeing what internal documents we have…"

"And Roll and I are pretty handy at finding information through other means," Meiru finished. "While we're busy, we'll be counting on our little spies to keep us in the loop and keep Hikari-hakase from getting too worried, won't we, Kaita-kun?"

From behind the nearby planter came a frustrated, "How did you know?!"

01110010011001010111000001110010011010010111001101100101

"So let me sum this up," Punk began as his Operator exited the car at his destination of another unoccupied office building, this one with a huge chunk missing from the upper three floors. "The entire landing party, weapons an' all, is in here."

"That's correct," Netto confirmed. "We've lost any facilities that had to do with the Net Police, and the usable space of the current Nova base is too small."

"And we're just walkin' in."

"Yep," Rockman said, beaming. "His plans are just as terrible as ever."

"Neither of you get to complain about this plan," glowered Netto, "especially not you, Rockman." He presented his Darklish ID at the door and was waved inside.

Even considering how Zimmermann and a small platoon's worth of men were absent, the scene inside was worse than Netto had imagined. Darkland's biotech was the best in the world, thanks in great part to the Silver Division's contributions. But the shootout had gone so poorly, it was probably the only thing keeping the bed-bound men alive. Neither they nor the medics and fellow soldiers tending to them were in any condition to ask Netto about anything. He walked to the back room unimpeded.

They had stuffed Shun in a janitorial closet, though they'd put a much more substantial lock on the door than a closet would normally warrant. Shun himself was sitting by a mop and bucket. He was cuffed to a steel bar that ran behind his back, keeping his hands apart. Remembering his own initiation, Netto could only assume an electric current could be run through it to shut him up, explaining why the younger teen was staring up at his captor warily but not saying a word.

"So," Netto said to break the silence. "Wanna get out of here?"

Shun narrowed his eyes into a glare, but still said nothing.

"Oh, uh, this isn't a trick," Netto clarified. "I can make some excuse, and we can just leave, and then I guess I'll let you go. Don't you want out?"

"Guess I oughta," Shun said, before a huge, cynical grin twisted his face and he rocked forward. Netto couldn't quite tell if Shun was silently laughing or merely grimacing. After a moment, he continued, "But, then, why should I bother? Everyone hates me."

"…Do we really have to play head games here?" Netto rolled his eye. "Don't be stupid."

"Then don't bother saving me, since I'm so stupid," Shun retorted smugly.

Netto took in the cocky expression on the younger boy's face. "Do you think you're landing some sick burn on me, or something?" he asked, baffled. "Why are you wasting time like this? You need to go!"

Shun shrugged as best he could with his arms restrained. "Go where?"

"I don't care! Just go home, or–"

Netto only realized his mistake when Shun burst out laughing. "Back to my aunt? I'd rather live in a tent. She hates me."

Again with the hate. Netto always had noticed that about Shun, how black-and-white his thinking could get. It made him easy to manipulate. Such a child. Netto took a deep breath, remembering his role as the adult in the situation. "It doesn't work that way," he explained, trying to sound patient. "People don't just hate you. Even the General always beat the shit out of me because I was being trouble."

"You don't know anything," Shun snapped. "She never needed an excuse! If she'd had a bad day at work, or whatever, she'd hit me just for looking at her." He looked away. "If she'd had too much wine, she'd get creative, and that was worse."

"That's…" He had to be telling the truth. Netto knew it from the wineglass. Shun had to have adopted that mannerism from his aunt to look more grown-up. Yet he'd never actually touched the stuff. Never stooped to her level.

"She was worse than the General. And she was your family."

Was he feeling sorry for this dumb kid?

"Everyone always told me that," Shun said, his voice small but angry. "'She's your family. You have to forgive her.'"

"No," Netto said gruffly, dropping to a crouch to get on Shun's level. "Look, your aunt was a tiny, immature little… infant lady. She had no authority to treat you that way, and she deserved what you did to her." He thought back over the sudden twist their argument had taken. "You did kill her on the way out, right?"

"Of course not! I know you're nuts, but–"

Netto felt the insatiable urge to roll his eye skyward once again. "This is exactly why I can't take you seriously. You're always on edge, but you never use it for anything real."

"I was eight, and she's on the school board!" Shun narrowed his eyes. "How come you didn't kill this General?"

"Because he's my superior. It was his job to teach me the ropes." It was the truth, after all, and that phase of their association was all in the past. Nothing uncomfortable about it. Nothing there to examine further. After so long, he could convince himself of that much.

Shun butted on ahead, "And?"

"The General's like twice my size and ten times as smart. He's old, but…"

When the General had to explain things one too many times, he got creative; increasingly so, with each repeated infraction. And that was worse.

"Okay, fine, that was unreasonable of me." Netto sighed. "Sorry."

"Yeah! How come–wait." This time, it was Shun who was taken by surprise. "You apologized?"

"I kept expecting you to be some kind of genius, but you're just a kid." Netto shrugged. "The General could try and teach you to be a Silver, but he'd be wasting his time."

That was enough for Shun's normal expression to reassert itself. "Wow, thanks."

"Now that we've cleared that up, keep your mouth shut and we'll get you–"

Netto sensed rather than heard the building entrance door open. A stillness descended upon the air in seconds. Dread filled the pit of his gut, but he tried to shake it away. He had to act like everything was normal, or it all would end here.

Fortunately, his Navis were quiet in their PET as well. Punk had probably explained to Rockman how Darkland's official stance was to think of Navis as very complicated programs, valuable simulacrums but not real people. But even Shun, blockheaded as he was, had the wherewithal to wonder, "What just happened out there?"

"If you know what's good for you, you won't attract its attention," Netto muttered. "You stay quiet in here, okay? You don't want any part of this."

"The General," Shun said, looking into Netto's face.

"Maybe," he said noncommittally. Or tried to, but his voice was tight. "Can't know until I face him." He took a deep breath, shook some of the tension out, and left the safety of the makeshift cell.

It wasn't the General, but the General had clearly heard about what had happened.

Dressed in the same away uniform Netto was wearing was Eight, flanked by the doll-like figures of Two and Four. Two was taking this all in with her usual apathy, her large blue eyes alighting on one cot like an owl observing a mouse. Four was bouncing on her heels, green eyes sparkling, no doubt eager to start in on all these fresh canvases. "Hiya, Seven!" Eight greeted him. "Your damage control has arrived!"