Lead Me to Light

Owens

HeatMan awoke from standby acutely aware that he was in a different PET from normal. (When had he gone into standby mode? He couldn’t recall.) The network space looked no different from any other PET, but something felt off.

Sight failing to establish an error, he turned to his other senses, the ever-reliable diagnostic mode — ah, yep, there it was. The PET was a different model, and its IP address landed in Choina. Either the team had decided to upgrade their security measures on a whim, or he was somewhere far from home.

He activated the PET’s cameras, hoping to get a view of where the device sat in the real world. It was a room he had never seen before, comfortable yet bland, with not a personal belonging in sight. It gave the impression of a hotel, but could just as easily be the room of someone who lacked an interest in worldly belongings. He wouldn’t judge.

No one could be seen or heard from his limited perspective. This fact above all others convinced him that he was in a new, unfamiliar place; the rest could be explained as technical oddities done out of desperation by his team to escape the clutches of Nebula. However, a room this pristine could not exist in a world riddled with SoulNet — and certainly not when occupied by seven people.

Somehow, HeatMan had been separated from Lan. This fact did not bring panic as much as it did curiosity. Sure, he was worried, but only about how Lan would hold up. He was confident in his own ability to withstand anything; there was no situation that wouldn’t work out in the end. More than anything, he wanted to know what was going on.

Light crept in from the window, yet there was no noise from the room itself. HeatMan saw one way forward for getting more information. He blasted a blaring alarm from the PET’s speakers.

“Goooood mornin’!” he shouted gleefully. “Time to start the day!”

+++

Lan jolted upright from a deep slumber. His chest heaved up and down, and sweat dripped from his forehead. Beside him sat his blanket, cast side in a big, wrangled ball.

He sat on the floor of his apartment’s sole bedroom, a pillow and a spare blanket making up his sleeping space. The actual bed in the room had been evacuated by the time he awoke, leaving him alone. From the other side of the bedroom door, dull footsteps could be heard. It was, by all measures, an ordinary day for this household.

Lan, however, began his day in distress. This, too, was not out of the ordinary. His breathing slowed as he took note of his surroundings, but did not yet dip to its usual level. As soon as he reached full awareness, he reached for his PET, kept right beside his pillow.

“Hey, I—” he paused to wet his mouth, dry and sticky. “—I had a nightmare. It was MegaMan again, and he uh, he had me in some sort of torture chamber! And…”

He rubbed his eye, struggling to adjust to the bright light of the PET. The screen danced before him, its actual contents impossible to parse. “…Well, I don’t remember the rest. But it was really scary! And I think he’d actually try it!”

cinnamononions

What woke up Rei was a violently loud greeting from his PET. Startled, he practically jumped to sit up. Damnit, had he fallen back asleep after his alarm? How much was the clock?!

He scrambled for the small nightstand aside his bed, grabbing his PET to check. The clock wasn't even 8:50 yet.
"There is no need to be so loud first thing in the morning", he scolded.

And his navi- why did something about her- him- feel odd suddenly? His name was... Rei eyed the name displayed on the bottom of his PETs homepage. Heatman, of course. He must have been still groggy to forget something like that.

With his free hand he scrambled for another item on the nightstand - a cross necklace placed on top of the book he'd been reading. Routinely he placed it around his neck. Only then did he set down the PET to his lap to stretch his arms a little.

"Was there a particular reason to wake me up so ruthlessly? It's merely a fourteenish minutes past the alarm..."

Rei wasn't the type to waste time before getting up. He stood up, stretched his tired arms some more, and took his PET to his desk. With notebooks, library books and scattered about copies of documents, it was the one place in the room that held some sense of identity.

As far as Rei was concerned, nothing about today was out of the usual. His schedule shouldn't be exactly packed, and he could take his time with getting prepared for the day.

Still shaking off some latent sleepiness, Reis thoughts slowly cleared up to recount what needed to be done.
"I hope I need not to remind you of your your own errands down the Undernet today"

When Celestra next came online, it quickly registered to her this wasn't the PET she was familiar with. Just a few looks around her were enough to fill her with an odd sense of unfamiliarity.

Where was she - and how had she ended up here?

Trying to gain a better understanding of the situation, she tried to navigate towards the devices settings and technical specifics.
Something was very off. The model was atleast twenty years out of date.

It was clear Celestra had been separated from her human - wich was the least of her concerns. More urgently she wasn't willing to get stuck in someone elses PET.

Before Celestra could do any more inspecting, she was faced with the owner of the PET. A panicked child had suddenly picked up the device and began rambling about things completely foreign to her. His feelings of anxiety were overbearing, reverberating even to her digital space.

She did not know how to deal with children.

One of the boys words had stood out to her - Megaman. Wasn't that lad quite famous? She'd definetly heard of him. Even fought him at Nebula, hadn't she?

As Celestra tried to take in the situation, she had a realization. This had a chance of not being all bad. She licked her lips - an FMian at her core, who was she to refuse others fear when offered on a silver platter?

"Calm down", her voice was stern but calm, "you merely had a bad dream. You can worry about it's implications later, right? You've barely woken up from poor sleep, you're in no state to fear for your future... lets get up and focus on the day for now"
Her golden eyes faced him with confidence. She tried to get a better look at her temporary operator. Brown messy hair and a big brown eye that looked ready to cry. A mysterious bandage covering half of his face, implicating tragedy of some sort. And the boy didn't even look older than 13 at most. Oh, this would be a gold trove of suffering wouldn't it?

But trying to gain information would have to wait. She had to handle the situation at hand first if she hoped to gain any leverage.

Owens

HeatMan was taken aback by how comfortable this human was with his presence. No strange looks, no confusion, only the annoyance of a rude awakening. In isolation, there were a number of explanations for it. It was early, and a half-awake person could fail to notice anything. Or maybe this human was the type to take things in stride, and never question what was in front of him. HeatMan had met plenty of people like that.

The state of the desk cast doubt on that theory. This person was clearly well-read, possibly even taking notes in that journal of his. A researcher? Teacher? Librarian? Whatever the occupation, this type of person loved asking questions. Why would he miss what was right in front of him?

There had to be something else going on. Getting the silly ideas out of the way first, HeatMan stuck his arms out in front of himself — yep, definitely his own arms, not some other navi’s. But did the human see him that way? He could ask, but that didn’t seem like the most productive way of doing things — not without making himself look crazy. Instead, he decided to go along with it until he had a grasp on what was going on.

“Yeah, sorry, my schedule’s turnin’ up blank,” he said with a shrug. “What’s on the docket for the day?”

The Undernet, huh? He wasn’t expecting a prissy-looking kid like this to get his hands dirty. One more thing to pique his curiosity.

+++

Lan took a deep breath, the pace of inhaling and exhaling measured, practiced. As his eyesight adjusted, he was met with the sight of a dog whose fur resembled the night sky. For just a moment, the navi felt unfamiliar. Then again, his dream had been vivid, and there MegaMan had been residing in his PET. He simply had to adjust to reality.

MegaMan was no longer his navi. Although Lan missed him, his current navi was trustworthy and there to help. This was the reality of the situation.

“Get up… of course…” Lan pushed himself off the ground, shifting his weight onto his knees, then finally standing up. A wave of fatigue nearly knocked him over again, but he persevered. He walked over the dresser, piled with half-folded clothing in a variety of sizes, set his PET on top, and began digging through it.

“Oh, by the way. I saw some people in Nebula uniforms walking around town last night. Do you think they’re here to cause trouble?”

cinnamononions

Rei reached for the small minifridge beside his desk. Living like this, his options for breakfast weren't exactly varied. A can of iced tea and a convenience store sandwich, that should get him through the day until noon.

Hearing Heatmans response, he placed down the sandwich, then placed both his hands on the desk to lean down. Now doubtful, he gave his navi a judgemental glance.
How did he suddenly not remember such simple things? His navi had quite the independent nature, right..?
For some reason, he immediately doubted that very memory. Where had he gotten that idea? From a dream? Maybe he hadn't slept as well as he thought.

"The HeelNavi at Undernet 4", Rei sat down and leaned against his chair, "he was willing to buy some BugFrags off our hands again. Don't you usually check around the Under BBS, too? Check for any requests that are easy money, or any fools easy to scam and whatnot. The usual."

He talked of petty crime with complete casualness as he began digging into his breakfast.

+++

Celestra followed the humans struggle to get up in silence. Not exactly a morning person, was he?

He also seemed to find nothing strange about the weird navi suddenly in his PET. What was up with that? She wasn't meant to be here, why wasn't he noticing that?!
The situation was becoming only more baffling.

While the boy dug through his clothes, Celestra got an excellent chance to better evalute her surroundings. A dimly lit, crammed room. In the background appeared to be what looked like multiple sleeping places. Footsteps could be heard outside. Something was giving her the impression of this kid not having exactly the best living conditions.

What really surprised her though was what the kid asked next. Nebula?
What an odd coincidence, it seemed in no instance could she escape that name. It also further confirmed to her that where-ever she was, it was no longer the same point in time and space.

"You better keep an eye open. I'm certain they're plotting something if they appear here."

She was brimming with curiosity to understand the situation here, but asking too many questions would only make her more suspicious. She could deduct something though - Nebula as she knew it was rotten. They would never be up to anything good.

Owens

Well, that was unexpected. This new human was a far cry from Lan Hikari, a kid almost too preoccupied with doing the right thing. Contrary to this man's pristine appearance, his hands were stained with blood, or would be if he continued down this path. It reminded HeatMan of his original operator, the reason he was created in the first place. Perhaps fate had brought him somewhere his skillset could be useful, somewhere he was needed. (What about Lan?)

Nonetheless, he was here, and he had a clearer idea of what was going on. This person, for whatever reason, saw no difference between him and whatever unscrupulous navi he typically possessed. HeatMan wanted nothing more than to ask why, and how, and a thousand other questions, but he knew he wouldn't receive answers from someone who saw no reasons to ask questions in the first place.

He supposed the first step in deciphering this mystery was to lay all his hards on the table. "Alright, I'mma be real with ya," he said, placing his hands on his 'hips'. "I'm not your navi. I dunno what your usual is. There's somethin' strange going on here."

It sounded ridiculous when said out loud. HeatMan wondered if this original navi was something of a jokester.

+++

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too!" Lan said, nodding his head with vigor as his hands continued to tear through the mess of clothing. "Every time I see Nebula, something bad happens!"

He rushed to change his clothes, donning his normal apparel in no time at all. Despite his urgency, he was careful not to disturb the amulet that hung around his neck.

Once he finished getting presentable, he grabbed his PET from the top of the dresser and faced the navi inside. His navi. An odd feeling formed in the pit of his stomach -- unease. From the knowledge that Nebula was right around the corner, naturally.

"I told the others about it, but they all said not to do anything unless we know for sure they're causing problems! Something about putting ourselves and our location in danger. Well, I think we should put a stop to it before anything bad happens. What do you think?"

cinnamononions

Rei practically froze upon hearing 'his' NetNavis baffling statement. He gave him a long, puzzled look, but didn't say a word. A doubt that had lingered in his heart all morning threatened to surface to his mind. For once, Rei was completely speechless.

He rushedly finished his breakfast in total silence.

He then finally spoke up: "Surely, you jest. You're the NetNavi registered to my PET, no? But... if you give me a moment, I'll give your silly doubts a thought". He flashed 'his' navi a bright smile and got up.

He walked across the room to grab some clothes from his closet for the day. A neat and coordinated outfit as always. The time it'd take for him to tackle the endless buttons of those clothes was sure to give him the time needed to think.

Was that navi being serious? But- Heatman had always been his navi, right? No other way did it feel 'right'. Heatman had to be lying, and yet...
Something felt strange, he couldn't deny that. But he couldn't remember things ever being otherwise- what could he remember at all? Recollections felt hazy, like a photograph altered but you're not quite sure how. Any attempt of recalling what his NetNavi should be like only gave him a headache, worsening with every question. It was like something didn't want him to remember the truth. He wasn't sure what to believe.

A while later Rei returned to his desk to better negotiate with Heatman. As if having drawn new found confidence from a set of clean clothes, he appeared more collected now.
He sat down on his chair with legs crossed, hands on his lap, firmly maintaining eye contact with Heatman.

"I may as well entertain your claim for a while. But what proof do you have? Either my memory betrays me, or you're pulling a miserable prank you'll dearly pay for"
Ah- was there some reason he wouldn't believe his navi would be honest with him-? Doubting him somehow felt natural. It'd always been strained inbetween them, hadn't it?

+++

Despite being something of a pawn to Nebula herself, Celestra couldn't deny Lans words.
"A real harbringer of bad news, aren't they...." she muttered.

As the boy prepared for the day, Celestra took the moment to assess the situation again. Curiosity and hunger motivated her decisions, encouraging her to entertain this act for a while longer. She had a hunch sticking around this boy could turn out worth a while. The priority of escaping this strange place was being quickly forgotten on behalf of the allure of misery to feast on.
She decided to take another look through the PETs user information while the boy wasn't looking.

'Owner: Lan Hikari'. Celestras eyes shrunk in shock.
Well, well, well.... even she had heard of that name and the reputation it carried. Looks like her hunch was right. This had to be a golden opportunity of some kind.

She quickly closed the window when she noticed the PET being lifted.

'The others?' She'd clearly have to assess for some background information to get on track of the boys- Lans- situation.
Of course, he was already rushing to solve problems that hadn't even happened yet. It tracked - the Lan she knew of was a pain in the ass for UnderNet navis like herself.

And what a bright opportunity to see what she could gain that heroism presented.

"Hn.... we could always go on a patrol to make sure we're safe. Now, nothing reckless of course. We'll just be taking a quick look", she suggested, "I don't want you endangering yourself either"

Celestra was taking a completely different kind of approach than she would with Rei. Different personalities, different lies that work to get into their hearts.

Owens

“See, that’s the thing!” said HeatMan vigorously. “I’m registered to your PET, but that doesn’t mean much. Navis get switched out all the time! You wouldn’t say a piece of malware is supposed to be there just ‘cause it showed up one day — not that I’m malware!”

Already HeatMan was getting a sense for what kind of person he was dealing with. Condescending and self-assured, with a smile fake enough to make a mannequin blush. Not the type who would easily admit to being wrong. This guy reminded him a bit too much of Regal to be comfortable with him.

Yet, surprisingly, he was willing to listen. Whether he would truly entertain the idea was another story, but it gave HeatMan the space to form an argument. The hard part would be finding solid evidence.

“Okay, well, I don’t know a thing about you. Your name, what you do for a living, zip. And I’m sure you know jack about me, too! For some reason or another this feels normal to ya, but surely it’s weird not to know anything about your own navi!”

Why was this person so quick to believe his own navi was telling lies? Was he that certain of himself, or simply mistrustful?

+++

“There’s no way they would let me do that, though.” Lan skipped over the request for more information on who these others were, not even registering the inquiry. After all, he spent every second with these people; why wouldn’t his navi be familiar with them? “You know they won’t let me outside by myself. ‘It’s just not safe!’ Well, neither is letting Nebula run around!”

He cracked the door open and peeked outside, placing his PET where Celestra could also see. A small boy with messy hair and a redheaded adult sat on the couch before them, heads in their own PETs. Neither noticed the door open.

“I just don’t know what to do!" Lan said quietly to his PET. "No one wants to risk going outside for a patrol, but it’d be dangerous to go by myself! Is there a way I can convince them?”

cinnamononions

Rei tilted his head. Undeniably, Heatman had a point. Could his navi really have gotten swapped out at some point - and in a way where he wouldn't remember? In a way where his memories went along with it, too?
It sounded outlandish, and yet, the more Heatman spoke the more he felt his doubts affirmed.

"It's true, my memories are oddly hazy today. And you acted so unfamiliar with our routine, too..." he sighed.
He closed his eyes to consider his options. He didn't want to believe it. If Heatman hadn't been his Navi for the last year, then who..?

It was then that Rei got an idea for how to test Heatmans theory. He reached for the Battle Chips in his pocket to skim through his deck. Glaring through them was damning: ElecBlade, DarkSword, Barrier100, Anubis... none were chips optimized for a fire element Navi.

After some hesitation, Rei chose to believe Heatmans words. It felt wrong to, but he couldn't shake off how tilted things felt. Something wasn't adding up, and Heatmans claims were his only clue.

"I fear you may be on to something. Choosing to believe you, for now that is, mayhaps we should start with the basics. Like introductions! My name is Rei Tao. I hope my PET provides a pleasant hotel until things are corrected!"

+++

Celestras suggestion was immediately shot down by Lan. Perhaps fearing a syndicate like Nebula, these people were either cautious, or otherwise protective of the boy.
Still, she wanted to understand more of the situation she'd been whisked into. She had to know more about the Lan she now served to know where his weaknesses laid. And there was no easier test than danger.

When Lan opened the bedroom door, Celestra was eager to see more clues to his living situation. She peeked from the PETs corner, curious ears perked up as she tried to take a good look.
Multiple people she didn't recognize, idly wasting their time. None of them looked related.

Celestra carefully considered Lans words and enthusiasm to help, trying to deem what would be the best course of action next.

"It's true anyone could be in danger if Dr. Regals soldiers are in the vicinity..... and exactly because of it you're just sitting ducks if you all stay here", she contemplated, "are you sure none of them would join you? You just need to get one person to agree to come with you, that's all. Your friends understand the importance of prevention, right?"

She was merely hazarding a guess. She didn't know anything of this instance, or this Lan, or of how dangerous Nebula was here. Relying on one of the boys friends being more reckless or heroic like him was but an assumption. All she could do was gamble on the fickle human heart.