Raika grimaced slightly, and not just due to him "escaping" again. This time, though, he was quite sure- he hoped, anyway- that nothing unusual would occur. He was not after any sort of illegal device, or even going too far from Sci-lab. He was even on an official mission in Netopia again, a little more than weeks after his last visit, but just "happened" to be taking longer than the assignment required.
The destination was merely a small home about ten blocks from the lab, plus a foster home only a few blocks away from that, if he could manage both. He was quite sure that he would be "more" welcome at the former, so he could try it first. Whether or not the older civilian that lived there would actually give the small amount of information to him that he was after was another thing altogether.
Raika frowned as he briskly walked down the sidewalk, passing random boisterous carefree civilians. No one paid much attention to him, other than a few odd glances at his uniform and a few that shoved rudely at him as they passed him. He ignored the taunting- of course, there were civilians that did not prefer authorities, whether having an actual cause perhaps due to sheer misunderstanding on either side, or just merely preferring to be against the law for mere enjoyment in the first place. Whether or not they actually understood that he was part of the law enforcement from Sharo, another country altogether, did not matter.
Several minutes later, he saw the destination- a small red-bricked home in a relatively small neighborhood near the larger city.
Hesitating slightly- he almost wished that he had just used his net saver status to merely email the owner of the home- he pressed the doorbell. A quick search of the residents that lived there had revealed a possibility of discovering what he was after, though, even with him unable to locate any photographs. Unfortunately, his telekinetic range was still the same somewhat short distance as ever, so he could not see anything from Sci-lab. For some odd reason, he had not wanted to see into the house even when in range, though.
He frowned as a child's voice rung out unintelligibly, followed by quick, light footsteps that ran toward the door. Raika managed to not step back as the door then opened boisterously, revealing a black-haired child around eight-years-old that was hauntingly familiar- the same face had looked at him for a short while before in the virtual reality, not only in a mirror, but from that very standpoint as someone else.
The child's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Raika regretted slightly that he had not adorned civilian clothing, but that would have caused questioning from his Netopian superiors at Sci-lab.
"Daddy didn't do anything," the child protested, his face set in a scowl.
Raika managed to fight an impertinent response, more due to that the child seemed more like the one that he had attempted to be at one point then the defensive statement itself. He supposed that it was interesting that the child called the man that lived in the home his father, though, and hoped that it was actually positive.
"I do wish to speak to him, but I do not mean any harm," he stated quietly, attempting to use a stoic tone that he had spoken with many times before with impatient civilians that wanted a solution right then, and utterly did not think that the military could help the correct way.
The child set his face in a sterner scowl, possibly wondering if he was actually to be obeyed, but then finally turned around, leaving the main door of the home wide open. Raika could see into the home, and though the floor of the entryway was clean other than a slightly rumpled rug, he was pleasantly surprised to see a few toys on a small table near the door, as well as on the floor of the rec room to the left. Perhaps the child (and another, he hoped) actually lived there, and even permanently, after all.
He then forced himself to quickly mentally search the house, very glad that his hearing for his immediate surroundings worked while he did. There indeed was another child there that looked identical to the one he had seen at the door, playing with a few car toys at a plastic track formed of components that could snap together, with a several toy dogs nearby. The layout of the home seemed the same as the one in the virtual reality, also, which seemed rather odd. From what he could tell from a few descriptions and the few video chats, Henry and Nathaniel's home in Brightland was completely unalike, a different country notwithstanding.
Raika did not have any more time to deliberate as footsteps sounded from beyond the entryway, to reveal the same somewhat older black and gray haired man that he had thought he had known in the six non-existent months with Searchman.
"Yes?" the man, Ken Denjo from the records Raika had searched through, asked directly.
He did not seem to be unperturbed, but slightly curious and calculating at the same time. Clearly, the man did not know him, though. Raika was slightly disappointed, even though he knew that it was very much impossible for the man to remember him in the first place. It was still more than slightly perturbing that he- not to mention, the two younger twin boys- actually lived in the same place that he had supposedly once known, though.
Raika steeled himself for rejection before he spoke. "I apologize for the intrusion," he started. "However, I was wondering if I could speak to you about a few topics. I do not mean to be long."
He went on that it was not for research of any kind, but mere curiosity of not only the two boys, but the man himself. Perhaps several people had even attempted to fain friendliness before due to the dual physical nature of the twins living in the home, and hoped that the Mr. Denjo would not think that he was merely another paparazzi stereotype.
Mr. Denjo's eyes narrowed, but then he eventually nodded. "For only a short while," he consented. "Toji and Yoju can attend, but no photographs of any kind, including from your navi."
Raika nodded. "Yes, sir," he agreed.
Finally, he was allowed inside the entryway. Mr. Denjo closed the door, then stooped down briefly to straighten the rug before Raika stepped further from the doorway. He then called the two boys in the home, his voice sounding somewhat friendly.
The black-haired twins appeared, the one that had answered the door still holding a toy truck. The other held two flat small stuffed dogs with long black ears. One of the dogs had what looked like plastic wings attached to a sewn on blue shirt.
They all followed the man to a small living room with a couch. The boy with the truck ran and plopped straight onto the left edge of the couch. The other one followed more slowly before he sat down, but held a small smile as he raised the two dogs- Pound Puppies, if Raika remembered the name correctly from a few civilian homes that he had been in- and thudded them on his brother's shoulder. The other twin begged for the other dog, which was quickly relinquished.
Mr. Denjo turned to Raika on his right side. "The one on the left in the blue shirt is Yoju," he said quietly. "The other, in the green and blue striped shirt, is Toji, the older one. They are my children, and I am very proud of their accomplishments."
He spoke with pride in his voice. Raika was quite glad that the man seemed to actually like them, as he once supposedly had to him and Searchman when in those forms, created by their unusual PETs in the fake reality. Of course, like all of the other forms that they had created, including Henry and Nathaniel, there had seemed to be a certain hidden time limit that they could be held within the form before they separated from it and the forms were left by themselves in human form, even if they had been created to be a navi.
The forms had no memories of what Raika and Searchman had done, but somehow had all of their skills, the queer power included. The man had accepted the two memory-less twins then, and thankfully, still seemed to accept them now, though he had known them for much longer. Also, of course, the boys would have their own years' worth of recollections.
He still had no idea how the forms still existed outside of the virtual reality, though, including since certainly he nor Searchman had done any such thing with their merged PETs. He did not know, nor his navi, but had theorized that somehow whoever had run the virtual reality had coerced their decisions somehow to match the created forms to existing people outside of the computer simulated program. Neither of them knew if there would have been more if the reality had allowed to run longer, either.
Raika glanced at the twins again, who were now having their two puppies fight each other in the air, punctuated by some genuine laughter. The truck was on the other side of Yoju, the one that Raika had "been." He wondered if either of them also at least somewhat acted like himself and Searchman, as Henry and Nathaniel seemed to do. The other and taller brother there seemed to always have a calmer and wiser demeanor in general, as Searchman did.
Raika then briefly looked at the rest of the room. The layout was quite achingly familiar, and he was a bit surprised that he actually somewhat wished for the time that he was there- a "parent" that actually liked him, and a safe place to hide. By then, Henry and Nathaniel had been sent to another home a few provinces away, as officials from Sci-lab had mistakenly labeled them as enemies. He and Searchman had received a few emails from the two also amnesiac brothers for aid in various situations, which they had been able to solve without ever returning to their original forms. The two brothers had thought even thought them to be kind strangers then, instead of the somewhat suspicious relationship they had now. Of course, he and Searchman had not told them of their origins in the virtual reality.
Raika managed to stop his reverie, then saw a familiar blue mark on the wall above a small electric piano.
"Where did that stain come from?" he asked, hoping that his voice merely sounded curious.
Surprisingly, Mr. Denjo laughed a bit. "You're not the first to ask about it," he chuckled. "Some even say that an alien came down from another planet and attempted to fight some viruses, leaving the mark there. But no, it actually just came from some paint from a project the boys were doing a while ago. They, nor I, knew that it was permanent, and somehow, it accidentally on the wall after one of them had tripped over something that another neighborhood boy had left on the floor and had somehow never been sent back to them. But I do not blame them for it. I saw it happen, and it was just an accident. So that mark is there, and had been there for about three months now. I just have to repaint it, that's all."
Raika frowned inwardly. The same type of incident had occurred with him and Searchman in the virtual reality- the mark almost in front of him seemed to be the same one that he had seen then, with even the left side have a similar slim mark that slanted in the same direction.
He then turned back to Mr. Denjo. "So they are adopted?" he asked, hoping that the question was not considered too intrusive.
The man raised one eyebrow slightly, his face serious again. "Not many ask about that," he stated stoically. "Of course, many that still live in the area know about it, since they knew that my late wife was not pregnant- our children had grown by then- but most that come to see my two boys automatically assume that I am related to them genetically."
"Did they come from the foster home?" Raika questioned.
Mr. Denjo frowned. "Of course they came from there," he said. "Where else would they come from? I certainly did not pick them up from the moon." Unlike his alien remark from earlier, the latter statement was definitely not light-hearted.
Raika felt his face redden even so slightly, even with practice with speaking with temperamental civilians. "I apologize, sir," he said quickly. "I did not mean to accuse you of anything illegal."
The black-haired man nodded. "I would hope not," he added, his face slightly accusing. "My two boys here even look something like my family, so most just think that they got their looks from me. I did indeed get them from the home. I was not looking for anyone to take, but was playing with some of the children, and helping out, as my wife and I, and all of our children did when they were still here. The attendants there said it was even more helpful than fostering them, for some reason. But no, we did not actually adopt any of them before these two, even with several unofficially, but with permission, staying at our home for a bit before they were either sent back to the home or another one somewhere else. These two have been here for almost their whole lives- nearly all of their eight years."
Raika nodded, a bit absent-mindedly. So far, the man seemed to have the same personality as he had in the false reality, even though he seemed a bit less reclusive and surprisingly defensive of him and Searchman as he had been there. Perhaps it even had to do with keeping the twins for a much longer time period. It was also the same as with Henry and Nathaniel, with being adopted when they were much younger.
"So you actually accept them as they are?" Raika then asked.
Mr. Denjo frowned again. "I do not know how someone could be so dense as to not," he countered. "They are themselves as individuals, not just two look-a-likes that need to be photographed in television stations and such as some strange people seem to think."
"I do not think that of them either, sir," Raika quickly stated.
He quickly looked at the two young boys again, who were now playing a game of attempting to put a puppy on top of the other before the other did. Interestingly, Toji, the twin that Searchman had "been", seemed to be winning so far.
Raika quickly switched the conversation to other topics, including how the two brothers got along (very well, according to Mr. Denjo), to their academics (both did well, but Toji did slightly better, but Yoju did not slack in his efforts at all). Mr. Denjo or the foster home also did not know where either of the boys had come from, though he assumed it was from somewhere in Netopia. He also told a bit more about himself, and Raika was surprised that his current employment was the same as it had in the false reality. Both boys also put in some answers, with Yoju being a bit more talkative than Toji.
Yoju had put both puppies on Toji's head with his brother chuckling some, when Raika hesitated before his next question. He had wanted to ask something about the topic, and here they all were together, with Mr. Denjo, even with some reluctance to the strange foreign visitor, answering his queries.
"I was wondering about something," he stated quietly. "This may not apply, and I apologize if it does not."
"Get on with it, then," Mr. Denjo stated seriously. Raika noticed that even the two boys had stopped playing and were looking his direction, still holding the two puppies.
"Are they both able to do anything . . . odd?" he asked, wincing inwardly as the evasiveness. "Perhaps something that others generally are not able to do?"
Mr. Denjo frowned. "I don't see how they could, if no one could do it."
Raika wondered at the answer for a few seconds. Of course, no one, including an adoptive parent, generally would tell about any unusual abilities that their children had, especially to an unknown uniformed stranger. It could be even that the two boys had some power of some sort, and even had managed to hide it, unlike Henry and Nathaniel did with their own adoptive parents.
He then wondered a bit at his resolve, even though he had thought about a demonstration beforehand, if it would be needed.
Raika took out his PET, quite glad that at least his telekinesis was much better than his definite lack of lightning mastery. "Something similar to this," he stated, hoping that Mr. Denjo would not call any authorities of any sort. Of course, Searchman could most likely aid in any escape needed, but he would prefer that nothing needed to be done at all. "I ask that you not report this to anyone, including to friends, neighbors, or otherwise."
He carefully held his PET in his right palm. Slowly, it began to rise, then spin in the air, like he had done with the pencil for Henry and Nathaniel. Raika then stopped the whirling, then carefully mentally lowered the small device in his palm before pocketing it again.
"I can do a few other things, but for the most part, I am not very proficient," he added, embarrassed that he would seem that he could do nothing else, and perhaps even that the telekinesis was merely a con of some sort.
Mr. Denjo's face was stoic, and he was silent for a short while before he spoke. "You say that you came alone?" he asked seriously.
Raika nodded. "This is certainly not for any research or commercial production," he assured him. "I did not come here for information to repeat to any others, including to any officials. The same is for my navi."
"So you're with the net police, are you? Sharo, isn't it?"
Raika nodded again, surprised that someone from Netopia knew of the official uniform for net police officials from another country, but some civilians that he had met before also had, including in other countries that did not border Sharo, or like Netopia, were on a different continent entirely.
"I came alone, for only my own interests," he said firmly. "I am not on any assignment about your children or your family."
The man spoke again, his face still holding none of the friendliness that he had shown somewhat earlier. "I still wonder why you are interested in this matter," he stated, "or why you would specifically ask me about it in the first place."
Raika cringed slightly, but of course a caring parent or guardian would ask such a question. "I did not learn anything about your family through the military, net police, or otherwise," he said. "Nor do they know anything that I know, or suspect, either. I also would prefer to not reveal the source where the knowledge came from currently."
"So they don't know about your supposed power, either."
Raika managed to not hide an outward wince in time. "It is . . . a questionable matter," he stated cautiously, but with his embarrassment rising. "The odd power is not quite yet revealed if it is there in its entirety, or if it is to stay, nor do I know of the actual definite source-"
"Do you actually have it?
Raika nodded. "Yes, but-"
"Show us something else," Mr. Denjo demanded. "But with something of ours this time."
He stood and grabbed the remote from a small table near the television. Raika briefly wondered if the device had actually been broken more than once by one of the twin boys that were still quietly watching him.
Raika accepted the remote, and caused the device to move higher in the air, as well as flipping it vertically as well as horizontally.
"Turn on the TV," one of the two boys then said after the device was in his gloved hand again.
"Hush," Mr. Denjo chided.
Raika saw Yoju frown, but he merely slouched against the couch, putting the puppy he was holding on his head.
"Well, turn on the television," Mr. Denjo then stated. "But without the remote, and while I hold it."
Raika did so, glad that the system was one that he was familiar with. The twin boys laughed as a show came on, thankfully without too loud of a volume, displaying a flying dog that suddenly careened into an unexpected dive to avoid a hang glider.
"Turn it off now, using the remote without touching it."
Raika winced inwardly, managing to hide his outward reaction that time. No one in the virtual reality had ever learned about his and Searchman's queer power besides Henry and Nathaniel, and yet, here was someone else that he had willingly showed it to and was asking about it. The man had willingly kept him and Searchman hidden for a time, though, until they had been separated from the identical created forms, and then he had accepted the memory-less boys before they had left.
Still embarrassed about the display, Raika turned toward the television, which currently had the dog attempting to avoid several fast-moving cars and a bus after the fall. He easily turned the system off, and the screen faded to black.
He then lifted a few more items at the man's request, including a few couch pillows. The two boys laughed in delight, but their foster father's were still serious.
"I'm actually starting to believe you're not some faker," Mr. Denjo stated, his voice still stoic as he put the remote down beside him.
"I'm not," Raika again assured him.
Mr. Denjo's face turned a bit more serious. "I would think that the net police- and military- would be interested in such an ability," he said. "Certainly they would not allow someone to roam free like you are."
"They . . . actually are not aware of it," Raika admitted. "I was actually on assignment for something else, but I have already finished that."
He knew as to what Mr. Denjo was referring to, though. As he had thought about and talked to Searchman discreetly many times before, of course the military would not allow him to merely go about his duties as usual if they knew about the odd power. If they were suspicious enough, they would even attempt to rid the power from him, and certainly Searchman, a military navi that had definitely not been created with it.
"So the net police don't know about your ability," Mr. Denjo bluntly stated. "And I still do not know why you happen to come here, of all places, in another country entirely."
Raika did not manage to hide another small blush on his cheeks. "Again, I am by myself. Also, I actually do not know the reason why you chanced to be nearby where I am temporarily stationed."
He knew the reason in the virtual reality, but of course not outside of it. After all, Henry and Nathaniel were definitely in another country.
Mr. Denjo huffed a bit. "Probably Sci-lab, if you're with the net police. That's near enough."
"They do not know about any abilities there either, sir. I am merely interested in any with the power possibly connected to the source I mentioned earlier. I have actually found two others- also siblings- with it, but I am not sure if they are connected to your adopted kin or not."
The man frowned. "So you won't tell about this mysterious source," he said slowly. "And you won't tell me where you got this power, either. But I actually may believe you about this supposed nonsense."
He then turned to the two look-a-like boys. "All right, show him something. Nothing too wild, though. I don't want another lightning horse galloping down the street and scaring the neighbors and more police showing up near our house."
Yoju laughed again, and even Toji had a small smile on his face. Both of them held out their hands, and lightning- single stranded, unlike what Henry and Nathaniel had displayed- appeared, on their palms. The lightning them jumped into the air, formed several child-like pictures in succession- a jumping chair; a circus with three clowns on a high wire; and six flying puppies that looked similar to the ones that they were both still holding. They then launched the puppies into the air, doing wild flips and whirls, and even bouncing on two walls and on top of the television before causing them to come back to their hands.
"We can do some other things, like looking into other rooms and stuff," Yoju said seriously, and Toji nodded.
Mr. Denjo shook his head. "Not now," he said.
The twins were playing with the puppies again- still holding them- when Mr. Denjo spoke to Raika again. "So now you know about my two boys' abilities," he said quietly. "I would certainly hope that you would not tell anyone about this. I won't be telling anyone about you, either."
"Yes, sir," Raika agreed. "Also, my navi is able to do some things, possibly from the same source that I can."
He was not quite sure that he actually wanted to tell about Searchman, but the man had trusted him enough to show what he apparently wanted to keep secret from at least most other people about his adopted children.
Mr. Denjo raised an eyebrow. "A military navi doing that sort of thing? I wonder about that."
"I assure you, that neither he or I had invited that power in any way."
The conversation soon ended, with Mr. Denjo surprisingly giving him his contact information for more questions. The twins waved their puppies at him- Yoju with a frown on his face, and Toji not smiling. Perhaps they were just as suspicious of him as their adoptive father, even though they had clearly enjoyed his small "display" of his weak power. Raika did not blame them at all- the situation was strange enough as it was.
Raika was soon let outside again onto the porch, and he reluctantly watched the front door close, hearing quick footsteps run away from the entryway.
"I still wish I had more information," he muttered in ancient Sharian.
Searchman's voice answered. "So do I, Raika. However, more information was given this time than I had anticipated."
Raika nodded before quickly heading toward the direction of Sci-lab again. Of course, he would most likely have to either discover someone else actually connected to the creation of the virtual reality, or a location of one of the labs for ones such as him and Searchman itself before he could know a sufficient amount of information. Both sounded quite unattainable, though, especially after the failed attempt before he had somehow ended up with both him and Searchman's merged PETs. He supposed that at least he had been somewhat successful Netopia, though, as he had managed to discreetly gather more information without anyone discovering another self-assigned mission so far, though.
Raika sighed as he typed more on his laptop for a school assignment. He supposed that it was quite lucky that no one in Sharo had mentioned putting a tracer on what he searched on it, as well as his PET, so he did not have to worry about that. Searchman had also done a brief scan for something of the sort, thankfully coming up with nothing.
He then frowned, pausing in his typing. It seemed utterly ridiculous that he even think such a thing, not to mention to ask Searchman about it. Of course, no one else in the military most likely had to worry about hiding the fact that somehow, their navi that just "chanced" to be assigned to them was actually their sibling that had gone missing years earlier. He briefly checked the information from that, also, but it seemed just the same as others that he had been shown before- the creation and training of the navi, based on multiple others created before; the fact that the navi was going to be partnered with an unskilled youth; and other such normalities.
A bit more than an hour later, he was finished with the assignment. Raika then took out his PET again, the one that he was more familiar with rather than the one that just appeared to be mostly empty besides the strange illusive program that had been set up beforehand, and searched through the programs and other such files. A few minutes later, he frustratedly looked at the small screen, having yet again discovered utterly nothing else useful.
Searchman looked at him intently. "There could be some sort of key code that would trigger hidden information," he suggested.
Raika nodded, sighing slightly. Of course, he had no idea of what any password set by a very potential enemy of some sort could be. There was also the small chance that he and Searchman could be controlled in not remembering critical parts, including in the virtual reality itself . . . He cringed slightly in remembering that he had actually done that to himself a few times in the "reality", so that his reactions in severe situations would be much more authentic. Remembering again the critical information at the set time, of course, was never delightful in itself, to say the least.
Raika scowled as he turned over the PET, fingering the barely noticeable initials SM, standing for sub master. It was quite strange that no one, including in Sharo, had not even noticed the letters yet, especially considering how many times he had labored to hide them from plain view in the false reality. What was stranger was that according the virtual reality, he only had the second highest form of the merge PETs. The master ones would still be out there, and could very much be potentially to control both him and Searchman . . .
The alarm for cyber invasions sounded suddenly, both in the audible and red light forms. Raika was startled a little bit before swiftly putting away his PET, and berated himself for his inattention.
"What are the orders?" Raika asked his navi as he stood up.
Searchman responded, just like any other mission. "You are to go to the main lab immediately for another cyber invasion."
Raika nodded, glad of something that at least he could hopefully prove his competence, despite all of the negative feedback he had received about the virtual reality and his reluctance to tell a sufficient amount about it, Sci-lab included. Less than ten minutes later, though, he was heading out of the building toward a store, following a large enemy navi that he had let escape from Sci-lab firewalls.
Raika scowled slightly as he ran past a several buildings to come to the one that he had been ordered to. The navi he had just been battling apparently did not want to battle against Sci-lab's defenses anymore, but chose to return to a small store business that Chief Keifer had stated had problems with that navi before.
He approached the entrance, where there was a security guard and presumably the civilian owner of the store. Raika quickly pulled out his PET, showing the net saver three-dimensional emblem.
The guard stepped from the doorway. "Hurry with your duty," he urged. "That navi has caused a whole lot of trouble before."
Raika nodded, then went through the entrance to the main office, thankful that he was left to battle alone than be belittled needlessly by the civilian. He jacked Searchman into the portal closest to the door.
The navi, one built with heavy armor, scowled. "You're back again?" he spat. "I was hoping that I could have some peace in my tasks for a change."
Raika frowned slightly, but did not give in to the taunting. Instead, he slot in a battle chip so that his navi was armed with a faster type of rifle, as he had had trouble with the speed of the navi in Sci-lab. He wondered a bit at the sheer chance of fighting yet another speed-based navi again, but did not dwell on the fact.
Raika slot in two more chips, one for a wider range for the rifle. His navi was able to hit the enemy with the left side of the beam, and the opponent was thrown backward onto the tiled flooring. Quickly, Raika typed in a single command on his PET. Searchman fired again, and the other chip, another add-on to the rifle, appeared in a wide circle that soon formed into smaller strips that latched the opponent onto the floor. The thick ropes were different in that the navi also could not heal himself, but also could not land any attacks on the rope from both contact and distance weapons. There were various loopholes for all of the restrictions, but Raika hoped that this particular enemy would not discover any of them.
Fortunately, the opponent stayed still and Searchman was able to render him unable to attack back due to a large portion of stats gone, and soon the enemy logged out. Raika frowned- he had hoped to discover more about the navi, to say the least, but he supposed that at least the enemy would not be attacking the store quite soon, unless they found a way to quickly heal somehow.
He was about to log his own navi out, when there was a familiar rush of pixels in the area in the cyber realm, nearby a pillar. The bits came together to form a larger navi than the one that Searchman had just defeated. Raika frowned at the unexpected enemy, but Searchman raised his rifle and fired, with no effect as the beam merely bounced off of the navi's thick armor and quickly dissipated.
Raika slot in a few more powerful chips, but the attacks again did not hit the enemy. He frowned, suspicious, then quietly in ancient Sharian, asked his navi to perform a scan around the area of the navi. Less than thirty seconds later (and a few chips that did not need Searchman's interference), the answer was verified with a strong shield around the navi that was absorbing the attacks.
Raika then slot in more chips, and with those, along with his natural warp ability, was able to actually hit the navi. Searchman raised his rifle again and was about to attack, when three more pixel showers emerged in several areas in the sector. The first one that appeared quickly raised an arm and hurled a lightning ball that collided with his navi, sending him flying to the ground. Another formed his arm into a powerful blaster that further degraded Searchman's armor, with small bits hurling into the air around him.
Grimacing, Raika jacked out his navi, knowing that he could not stand against so many at once. He was glad that at least his navi was not permanently damaged, but on the computer screen that had been left on by some employee, the four navis there were causing much destruction, including not only demolishing pillars and wall, but the floor, also. He was then quite surprised, when they just stopped, and appeared to log out.
Explosions then sounded around them; Raika whipped around to see a splintering wall from the main door. To his horror, not one, but four figures were visible in the wide hallway beyond the door. He quickly ducked through the side door in the room to come to a smaller hallway, hearing a small ping from his PET, signaling a message.
"The dimensional area has been activated," Searchman reported quietly. "However, there are also more materialized enemies nearer Sci-lab, which are being dealt with. Back-up cannot come to the scene immediately."
His navi then hesitated, the continued. "Raika, I have an idea," Searchman spoke up.
Raika quickly looked at his PET screen, noticing that his navi's tone was unusually hesitant.
"Go on," he said. Perhaps his navi meant something that could be managed without jacking him in.
"I do not usually wish to use sheer force, but-"
Raika frowned intensely. "I do not wish you to basically sacrifice yourself in a meaningless attempt to win a battle," he interrupted.
Surprisingly, Searchman shook his head. "This is not something that was attempted in the reality," he went on quietly. "However, it might- or at least there is a small chance- that it could work."
Raika blinked, not having expected anything about the virtual reality that sometimes he very much wished that he could just forget. He was glad that at least no one else was around them currently. The business was also small in that navis would not be stationed at the security cameras. Of course, his navi could easily take care of any odd footage that would occur, but he did not like having to do so without a viable- and preferably legal- reason.
Searchman began again, even with Raika doubting slightly about whatever plan his navi had, even though he had trusted him before. "You know that we can both emerge in the human realm, and even with our own PETs, now that we have the merged devices. However, that would leave no navis to attack. If we attempt to create a form with the program available on the PETs, it had shown in the reality to become it's own being later on. I . . . perhaps thought that if we somehow temporarily divided ourselves manually from our original selves to create a navi form at the same time, that we could easily win the battle with our own PETs. Before I was logged out, I sensed the power on those navis. It would be quite difficult to defeat them with just one navi."
Raika winced hugely, wondering at the logic of the very queer notion that Searchman, his faithful navi, had stated, but nodded instead. He then quickly ran into a small room nearby and jacked out his brother from his PET. He flinched, not yet used to seeing the serious gaze in the younger form (though still older than him) nor the human that should have been there much before then.
He then handed Peter Searchman's PET, retrieved his own despised personal one, knowing that the building did not stand much of a chance with the other powerful enemies nearby. Raika watched his navi close his eyes, then nodded slightly at the PET in his hand.
"Copy complete," he said, turning to Raika, his gaze serious as ever.
Raika looked mentally at the Searchman's PET's screen to see a very familiar tall green-armored navi there. He then winced, but looked at the empty screen of the cream device that he held, wondering how Peter had completed such an impossible task, and how he could possibly do the same. He did not truly know that if his brother was even actually thinking as himself currently. He also did not know if Peter had created something (he almost could not think of the familiar navi as Searchman, even though his brother, as a human, was standing right next to him) that would, like the other forms they had created in the reality, gain their own conscience and not even remember anything about their own pasts. Perhaps he would forever lose Searchman, and even Peter, maybe somehow pixelating out of existence by the form that had managed to horde his own life force . . .
He was somewhat jolted by Peter's voice, sounding as sane as ever. "Do yours," his brother insisted, the timbre of the voice still unfamiliar even though it was the one that he trusted more at the moment than if the "Searchman" spoke from Peter's PET in his hand. "It helps if you think of it as a separation, not something that would utilize your existence."
Raika blinked, but knew that his brother was again referring to his severe dislike to being any sort of navi. He stared at the small screen on the PET in his hand and attempted the impossible feat, knowing that somehow, it could be done, since Peter had already done it. Part of him also hoped that somehow he would not be stuck as a navi somewhere, feeble and mostly stripped of his own stats as the fake copy raged through the internet, and his chief uncle would be futilely looking for both him (as a human) and the navi Searchman, while their true forms were gone forever-
He then gasped as his mind was full of a navi's mentality, able to think and process thoughts much faster than a mere human ever could. He could see the inside of a green-walled PET, and still despised it, yet at the same time, he could also see the strange multi-colored navi- himself- from the viewpoint of himself as a human. He was weak- he knew that his mere human self could never be even close to his strange navi's form, and briefly allowed himself to dwell on the fact that he knew several times that he had thought that he had done all that he could in a mission, including this one, both physically and strategically, but there had actually been much more that he could have performed better, even simple steps. He wondered how Peter- then as Searchman- could stand knowing much more than he could, and stay silent. He knew more of his exact physical weakness and how it compared to his much more powerful navi frame.
At the same time, though, he was still stuck in the PET's green walls, never to escape from the practically cage, unless his weak, pathetic human form released him. Navis were never appreciated much unless they followed a human's orders, especially in Sharo, where there was absolutely no tolerance for lone cyber beings. He and Peter had actually deleted several lone navis before, under the orders of the military. Even PET-based navis, though, were never congratulated for their efforts; instead, their human operators untruthfully claimed each victory as their own. Never would a navi, even a higher-stat one that followed a human's orders quite well, be known for their achievements. Only the humans would ever be allowed to have any sort of praise such matters.
He was in two places at once, nearly unable to bear the double placement He despised that fact more than anything currently. He could continue to see his own faults that his own human self could do better, yet did not, and yet other things that simply his weak human self would never be able to physically achieve. Humans could only move so fast, after all, even with literally a navi's mind.
It was currently much, much worse than just having been temporarily a navi in Sci-lab. He was still a human, but stuck as a despised cyber being at the same time, always seeing two places at once, knowing those two places at once, yet still was one person- the human even more so- at the same time . . .
"Raika, I apologize," Peter spoke up.
Raika blinked, somewhat brought from his tumultuous thoughts, hearing that his brother's voice was a bit strained. Guiltily, he managed to look up from himself on his PET to see his brother beside him. His navi self not only saw that, but still also was in the same spot, even though he as a human had looked away. He knew both at once, and still despised it.
However, Peter, too, looked a bit haggard, but somehow seemed better than Raika felt currently. Of course, Peter was usually a navi in the first place, so he would be more used to the navi's mentality, and other strange occurrences that might happen with a navi. There were a few actual duplicate battle chips in his PET holder that he had used on his brother a few times. Currently, he wondered how he could have inflicted such an atrocity on any person, cyber or not, but also knew that the effect had been only temporary, and was strangely enough, for two cyber beings, not a navi and a weak human that only attempted to use their navi's skills well enough. For some reason, he could function as both at the same time- he could think separate thoughts, but yet knew thoughts, emotions, and senses from both simultaneously, yet could almost not handle the process of it somehow.
"It will only be for a small while," Peter went on, his voice softening slightly. "If we are able to manually create a duplicate of ourselves without the programs of the PETs, then we should be able to undo it, also, without any threats of losing control of the created copies. However, what I said was still true, even with cross fusion."
Raika nodded slightly at the queer words (to say the least), and knew, even with the inner turmoil from being a navi and a human at the same time, that the idea seemed to make at least some sense. Quickly he handed PET his extra synchro chip, very much failing to not notice that his navi self watched it at the same time (even though he as the navi technically could look away . . .) Since the last time that he had used his own original chip, Sci-lab had quite recently dictated that all cross fusers were to carry two synchro chips at all times, in case one became damaged, due to the extreme limited amount of cross fusers and that Lan's had become damaged in another country. The second chip would help in the current situation, of course, though that had definitely not been the reason. He hoped that no one would discover that another PET had used the extra one he had, though Peter's navi skills could certainly help with that.
He handed Peter several battle chips, witnessing himself doing it at the same time, with his current navi in his PET self knowing exactly how the chips felt through his human gloves, even though his cyber self in the PET that Peter had held utterly nothing at the same time. Wincing slightly, he then inserted the cross fusion chip, with his navi self cringing while Peter inserted his other one. The transformation commenced, and Raika winced as he was, at the same time, in the human side of the cross fusion as the controller, but also for the now lesser navi witnessing side.
He almost wished, insanely, that navis could be in the restoration program while cross fusion was enabled so as to "lose" his same, but still separate, navi self for a while, but the chip was only created for navis outside of any program installed in the PET, though other programs could still be open.
Somehow, Raika managed to focus enough to run toward the enemy, though his "navi" self was less attentive at the still unfamiliar feeling of being the navi during cross fusion. It was certainly one of the few times that he was battling completely battling on his own- literally, in this case. He had battled with a few other navis at his military school, including on missions where the net op had become unable to battle for some reason, and sometimes without a PET, using only other devices.
This time, though, he was both the navi and the human- only him in a situation where the partnership was supposed to be critical for both. Any mistakes here were doubly his own. He supposed that at least he literally could not undo the cross fusion for lack of partnership in the fusion.
Raika managed to sprint after the cross fused Peter in the hallway, wishing that his navi model had been created with the same standards as Searchman; Peter was running at a swift pace, but his own navi form was struggling to keep up. The virtual reality had revealed that his stats were not low at all, but Searchman's, for whatever reason, had been created to be higher and more powerful in general.
He then was a little frustrated when Peter slackened his pace slightly, allowing him to catch up. Part of him was grateful, but he also felt irritated that he could not keep as fast of a pace as his current human and navi partner, even though he somewhat knew that it was not his fault.
His navi's side of thoughts began to wander again about the virtual reality and battles of hiding; he managed to force it to the upcoming conflict while his human side wondered how he was able to do it fully apart from his true form. The enemy, known by gleeful laughs and sounds of destruction, loomed ahead in view.
As briefly planned by Peter (Raika had attempted to plan, but Peter had seen his inability to think more at the time just after the separation), they first attacked simultaneously with lesser chips, to bring their opponents together and to hold them that way, even though they were strong in stats. They then formed the strong rifle with a basic quadruple program advances.
As the fourth chip was used, Raika managed not to gasp in sheer horror at the power that he held. One wrong move; one incorrect mistake in judgment, including that the enemy would not forever be held by the lesser chip traps, could result in failure with the sheer power of the force he was somehow able to handle by no other means than was he had done, as Peter had. He was a little disgruntled that he had never been able to perform a program advance with Searchman above three chips. There were even program advance combinations that simply were too strong with "just" three, and they could not either be formed at all, or even contained with just him and Searchman.
But with just himself, as a human and navi, he could do both. Somehow, Peter had been correct about that, including that they could both separate themselves in the first place. With him in a literal perfect synchro by default, he could use any number of chips in a program advance until the power become too much for his navi's frame to control. Using "only" four would result in extreme damage if the target was not hit, but if it did, the enemy would not be attacking any time soon.
With somewhat managing to keep his fear of forever being trapped as a navi somewhat at bay in both his human and navi minds, he launched the powerful beam at his enemies at the same time that Peter did. Part of him wanted to instantly run toward the side of the room in case of any reflecting attacks, but Peter did not, and so Raika stayed. If there was a chance that Peter would perish with the current attack, then he wanted it also.
In less than three seconds, less time that his human side could escape (and he knew it fully well, just as he also knew that his navi's self and current cross fusion form could), the program advance reached the four enemies. Raika stared straight at the bright beam, then it disintegrated. To his disgust, all four navis merely logged out instead of having been deleted, but at least he had seen that they were definitely quite damaged.
He lowered his rifle, the urge to flee vastly diminished at the retreat of the enemy. Raika looked to his left to see that Peter had already had undone the battle chips, with his arms at his sides.
Peter then undid his cross fusion, and easily caught his own PET. Raika then swiftly undid his own fusion, embarrassed slightly that he had not done it at the same time. They then ran towards the room they had created their navi selves in. He, as his navi self, was quite glad that he was merely in the PET again instead of the cross fusion, Raika slightly wished that he could be in the fusion just a bit longer, to have the stats that it provided, instead of knowing exactly how slow he was while he watched from his PET's screen. He still could not truly think as well with the double forms, but at least they were both in the same area, in a way, even with one in the PET.
They reached the room without incident. Peter handed Raika Searchman's PET, as well as the borrowed chips; Raika did the same with his own device. He looked forlornly at the navi on the PET screen, wishing that he could know that there was a powerful and skillful navi there, but it was only himself- and he knew it all too well, seeing himself from both sides, and despising it.
"Undo the separation," Peter instructed. "It should work the opposite way as the separation did."
Raika nodded, truly hoping that there would not be another of himself and Peter in Dentech City (or worse, Sharo) at some point. Cloning of humans in his own country was just as illegal as it was for humans, and both were considered equally guilty of going against the law and were treated as such.
Somehow, he managed to force himself to focus on the separation- and then, it was done. The navi's thoughts- every bit of himself that had fully been integrated into a higher ability navi was instantly gone, to leave himself as a weak human. The force hit him as a full blow, and almost completely overwhelmed, he sank down to the tiled flooring on his hands and knees, dimly hearing the PET clattering to the floor beside him.
For a few seconds, he could only think of the fact that he was somehow not in two places, as two beings, but still one person at the same time. There was only one viewpoint; he blinked a few times, and even attempted to mentally search his PET, with nothing there but a small unoccupied space. He was gradually aware that Peter was shaking his shoulder.
Still rather numb, he managed to look upward at his brother. "Those PETs, perhaps even ourselves . . . are not meant to do this," he stated, wondering at the truth of the idea even though he had deliberated about it aloud.
He almost could not think of his PET (Searchman's, actually, and also his true own) as his at the moment, even though he had not used the device for both the separation and the undoing of it. The originals had been created, not from the military, or from a mere manufacturer somewhere. His navi self had been created by those who had created the devices, as well as all of the abilities. Perhaps they even included the skill to separate themselves at some point.
His brother's voice was only slightly more confident. "I do not know, but I am at least glad that the process at least seemed to go well."
Raika wondered at the latter part of the statement, as his mind was still reeling with the horror of the separation, even though it was very much tempered with huge relief that was somehow now just beginning to filter through his senses. He was not a navi- even with his weak mind, he knew it, and at that moment, was quite glad that the PETs had proved many times of easily being able to switch them between their navi and human forms, seemingly without any repercussions, even in the reality.
"I should return to my navi form," Peter spoke up. "I would do it myself, but unfortunately, the program never has worked for one that means to turn theirself another form available."
Raika nodded, sitting up (standing seemed to difficult at the moment, even without weakness, according to his human physical abilities. Somehow, he managed to jack in his brother into the room's cyber system, and then out again, as Searchman in the green device. His navi's cyber form standing there was almost not enough for reassurance that nothing would occur with the separation and reuniting that they had both just done. He was almost sure that Searchman would fade away in pixels from the process alone . . .
Ten minutes later, Searchman had restored the security camera's systems to their regular activities (with the purposeful hidden information of the previous half hour), and had convinced Raika to move from the building. He winced slightly, even though the guard outside had already been sent a notice of the enemy's retreat.
Raika then felt slightly guilty- and he knew that Searchman did, also. While the report had not been quite truthful (including that the four enemies had decided to retreat on their own after he had attacked some with regular cross fusion) and he knew that there was quite a chance of definite repercussions from that, he wished even more that he did not need to use the practically insane idea of separation again.
He walked along sidewalk again, thankfully bare of random people, with a security camera that was obviously not working as it was hanging limply from it's post high on a pole above him. Raika stopped slightly.
"Do you think that somehow whoever created our navi forms knew of what we did?" he asked, a bit hesitantly. The idea was almost ludicrous, of course, but there were the master PETs that were most likely owned- and even used- by someone else.
Searchman's voice came, sounding confident, but Raika knew that his navi was did not appreciate the topic. "I do not know," he stated. "However, I do not know anything we could do about it, especially with no safe contacts for it."
Raika nodded, once again heading for Sci-lab, wondering how much anyone that knew of the originals of the virtual reality would want to use him and Searchman for tasks either of them would not want to accomplish, even without knowing about it.