Tifa & Yuffie

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Dr Hikari went over to see what Chaud had to show him. What he saw astonished him.
"Protoman, are you sure this is right?!" The look on his face said everything, clearly this was the work of the enemy.

Lan didn't understand, who had promised him? "Megaman, don't just stand there! Fight back! He'll delete you if you don't stop him!"

Megaman recoiled back as the Navi shrieked in fury at him and Lan.
When he fired the blaster, Megaman was shocked out of his emotional daze, he jumped away, his instincts telling him to fight back... to destroy the enemy, but he couldn't. In fact he would follow that to the letter he would destroy the enemy... and the enemy was NOT this Navi.
"Please, stop this!" he pleaded, looking the Navi in the eye. "We don't have to fight like this! I'm not deceiving you!" Tears trickled down his cheeks... why was he crying? Was it because the Navi was so mistreated that he was upset... or something else? Did he feel so close to this Navi because he looked so much alike to himself? No, it was something else. "Believe me, I can't just stand by and let any Navi... any PERSON suffer what you're suffering," he persisted, trying to convince the stranger to stop. "I won't fight you... delete me if you feel you have to, but I refuse to fight back! I couldn't cause you any more pain than you're already enduring..." He let his stance loosen in surrender. "I'm sorry Lan, but I won't fight him..." he stood, staring at the taller Navi, eyes filled with sorrow. Sorrow for the Navi and sorrow for what he was going through.
"I can't imagine how much pain you must be going through right now... but we can help you! We can fix this! Why should you trust someone who will only help you if you destroy another? I don't want to have to fight you... let's stop this before it's too late!"

[Tifa Lockhart]

Alphaman didn't seem to be hearing Megaman at first, continuing to fire his blaster, agitated more and more every time the Navi dodged his blasts.
"You don't have to fight back for me to delete you!" he yelled, the blaster changing into a rather fearsome looking sword.

"Positive Dr. Hikari,"[/i] Protoman replied as the professor came to view the readings he'd got. "The Navi's power levels are higher than even megaman's, but they've been rigged to be that way in a fashion that is chronically overloading their central systems."[/i] His expression was dark, though he hadn't experienced it himself, he could imagine the pain. "Its like trying to force too much water into a container, it strains the container until it breaks. Not only that but this Navi is also lacking crucial data of other varieties as well."[/i] The malice that burned behind Protoman's visor was unfathomable.
"The most interesting thing is this though,"[/i] the Navi brought up a second graph, this one labeled "MEGAMAN" at the top, "that data taken from Megaman? I think we can safely say it was used to create this Navi... haphazardly. I dont think the poor construction was an accident."[/i]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Dr Hikari was simply dumbstruck. This HAD to be the work of the Darkloids and their allies, who else would be cruel enough to create a Navi with the intention of making it suffer, just so it will destroy another to be -supposedly- saved from such pain?
"We can't just let the Darkloids continue to create tortured Navis like this... and we can't let them create any more clones! This kind of power at the enemy's disposal spells out 'big trouble' for the whole world. If they can create these super-clones of Navis, who's to say what other sorts of things they could do?" he concluded.
"We need to stop this... even if this Navi was created to destroy Megaman, it's being FORCED, which means it doesn't have the will to actually harm him without meaning. If we let this fight continue or let the Navi escape, the energy overload will destroy it, slowly and painfully. It will only become more desperate and more violent. We need to stop this battle now and help this Navi... it may be the only way to stop the Darkloids' plans from being realized."

Megaman was amazed, no Navi he'd ever known had both a blaster AND a sword already! They either had one or the other... this Navi was clearly not any normal one.
"We don't have to fight! Stop this, you'll only cause yourself more pain if you continue to push on when your systems aren't complete!" he said, his voice now growing shaky. "I'm begging you, please stop before it's too late!" Megaman tried to warn the Navi of the danger he was putting himself in... without a complete data system, fighting too much could completely destroy him and Megaman didn't want to just stand by and watch this Navi die.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Despite Megaman's pleas for the fight to stop, the desperate Navi in gold and black charged, his cries of anger dulled now more to desperation. As he charged towards the blue Navi he raised his sword, eyes burning like desperate coals. He HAD to destroy Megaman, it was his only chance to end the pain.

"Perhaps i should intervene,"[/i] Protoman said urgently, looking as though he were about to leap out of the PET with his anxiety.
"No Protoman, that Navi is insecure, he might make good on his threat against ourselves and the other scientists if we pressure him," Chaud cautioned. "Megaman has to try and handle this on his own." His own voice was stiff with fear.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

"MEGAMAN MOVE!!!" Lan shouted, almost tempted to look away, for fear his friend should sustain damage, or worse...

Despite Lan's call, Megaman stood firm, and did not move. He spread his arms wide as if he welcomed the hit, ready to almost embrace his defeat.
"So be it..." he murmured, his voice calm yet it belayed a defiant tone. "Delete me then... GO ON AND ATTACK!" he challenged, the sympathy in his eyes fading to a look of fearlessness, a look that defied deletion, a challenge to death itself.
"I won't stop you."

Lan was shocked.
'WHAT?! He's going to just lay down and accept defeat? Just like that?!' he fell silent... he wanted to order Megaman to move, but he couldn't find the words. 'he can't... just give up...'

[Tifa Lockhart]

The other Navi didn't seem to be slowing as Megaman made his challenge, but at the last second Alphaman stopped dead, the tip of his blade virtually touching Megaman's helmet.
"H-How can you--?" he gasped, confused by the gesture the other Navi was making. "You're... you're..."
The sword dropped, and Alphaman stood, awe and confusion in his expression. "I don't... understand..." The confusion grew deeper, as if he really couldn't fathom what Megaman was doing.

"It's actually working... Megaman's getting through to him!"[/i] Protoman exclaimed, sounding surprised for once.
"Quick Lan! Now's the time for Megaman to promise to help." Chaud called over to Lan.

But they'd never get the chance. In the same moment Alphaman had recoiled from Megaman with a high-pitched shriek of sheer agony, the intensity of the pain obvious as he clutched his head, sparks jumping off of every inch of him as he pulled away from Megaman and dropped to his knees.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Megaman jumped as his opponent suddenly cried out in pain, as the Navi collapsed to the ground, he felt fear well up inside him.
"H-hey! Dr. Hikari, what's going on?!" He knelt down next to the Navi. "What's happening to him?!" Megaman still couldn't understand why he felt so panicked at the Navi's outbreak, but he knew to trust this feeling. He knew he had to help this stranger.
"Dr. Hikari, do something!"

"What's happening?! Dad, look! his energy levels are going Haywire!" Lan held up his P.E.T, showing a set of meters meant for judging an opponents status. The energy meter was rapidly rising and falling in an uneven pattern and several other systems were failing from the sudden fritz.
"What can we do?!"
"It must be the missing data, his systems are struggling to remain online without all the data needed!" Dr. Hikari concluded as he examined the stats on his son's P.E.T. "The only way we can help him is if we can stop this fit! I can't repair his systems until they calm down, and it could be too late by then!"
"Dr. Hikari, please do something!"[/i] Megaman sounded frantic now, his eyes wide with fear.
"There's nothing I can do, Megaman!"

Megaman was terrified, even if he didn't know why, there was still no way he would let this Navi slip... he had to help him somehow.
"Come on, hang in there! There must be some way I can help you!" Megaman took a risk and braved the energy sparks created by the overload to hug the stranger around the shoulders "Stay strong, we're with you, we can help you! Just hang on! Please, don't let go!" Megaman realized now that he was crying again, this time more so than before. He was desperate... he HAD to save this stranger, something in his heart didn't want this Navi to disappear.
He stayed close to the stranger, even as he felt the energy sparks raising his power levels to dangerous heights, risking overload himself.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Alphaman was completely blinded by his agony until he felt arms wrap around his shoulders. His eyes opened then, filled with surprise. The Navi he'd just tried to destroy was trying to help him. Alphaman was unable to comprehend what Megaman was saying, but he could tell easily enough that the other Navi was trying to draw some of the power off of him... and that was dangerous for him to do.
Even though Megaman's destruction was the one thing that could guarantee himself an existance with Luke, free of pain, he couldn't bring himself to let it happen.
"G-Get away, from me!" he yelled, swaggering to his feet and throwing Megaman as far from him as he could manage in his troubled state. "I don't need your help!"
It was then that the computer like voice of the network said Alphaman logging out and the black and gold mystery vanished, the last visible thing was his tainted eyes burning with confusion and pain.

"Are you alright Alphaman!?" Luke asked in a panicked voice as his Navi reappeared in the PET, the last thing he'd wanted was to lose Alphaman so soon.
"I'm fine," Alphaman replied, though he stood hunched and clutching his arm as it seethed with pain, bits of data seemed to flow from the region like blood. "But i failed... we should go back... try and convince them for more time."
"Of course," Luke said, making a break for the front entrance, hoping to get out before security came looking.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Megaman fell back as the Navi threw him off, hitting the floor quite hard. He took a moment to recover, not standing up fast enough to stop the black and gold Navi from logging out. "Wait, please!" Megaman tried to stop him, but the stranger escaped him. Megaman had no choice but to return to his P.E.T
"Sorry Lan, he got away..."[/i] Megaman appeared on the P.E.T screen, looking quite worn out. The energy sparks from the stranger had first made his energy rise dangerously high, but in the aftermath he'd lost a lot of energy from it and was left quite weakened.

Lan scowled and took a deep breath.
"Megaman..." he began, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! You could have gotten deleted! What were you THINKING?!" he yelled, clearly upset that his best friend had just put himself at such a risk.
"You're hopeless sometimes!" he finished, sighing.
"Sorry Lan... I just..."[/i] Megaman cut off, unable to find the right words to describe what happened.
"You two quit fighting and listen up!" Dr. Hikari was now tapping at the main computer's keyboard. "That Navi hasn't just changed locations, he's left the main network. That means, he's gone into a P.E.T. He's not a Darkloid he has a Net-Op! What's more, that Navi was jacked-in INSIDE the Sci-Lab building... in short, His Net-Op is still here, and we need to catch him!" he instructed.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Chaud, Lan, you've got to find that guy before he get's out! We can't let him get back to the Darkloids!"[/i] Megaman said, urging Lan and Chaud to get moving. "There's no time to loose, he could get away!"[/i]

Lan didn't hesitate a moment.
"You got it! let's go Chaud!" He opened the door and stood in the doorway to wait for Chaud. "Which way? Sci-Lab's so big, how will we find him?"
Dr. Hikari turned to face Lan and Chaud. "The Net-Op would have had to have used one of the lesser terminals in a remote area of Sci-Lab, if he was in the main area, we'd know, which means he'll probably be somewhere in the North end. Head there as fast as you can, we can't risk him escaping."
"got it!"
"Protoman! You and I should alert the guards to take up stations around the building, if he get's outside, we'll need them to be there to try and stop him or at least be able to tell us which way he ran off to!"[/i] Megaman suggested to his friend.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Chaud turned to follow Lan out without another word, keen to catch this net-op for reasons of his own. What kind of low-life would use a navi that badly constructed in battle? It was immoral and unforgivable.
"Do it, Protoman," he said when Megaman suggested having guards wait at the entrances.
"Consider it done," Protoman replied, excusing himself from Megaman's side as he departed to relay the relevant information.

In the meantime Luke's escape was not going so well, the lockdown Alphaman had instigated had locked a lot of the doors leading to his way out, and logging into the network to unlock them was risky now, especially with Alphaman in such a bad state. This meant Luke found himself turning down unfamiliar corridors.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Megaman went to join Protoman, but found himself struggling to stand, as it was, the energy sparks from before had sapped a lot of his strength.
"Sorry protoman, I think you'd best go on your own... as much as I'd like to go with you," he said, trying to catch his breath.

Lan instantly headed out into the corridors, he knew Sci-Lab well, his father had shown him all the rooms and halls years ago, and he knew the quickest routes to and from anywhere.
"This way! We'll head to North End by Central Command, that's the quickest route!" he called back to Chaud.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Chaud nodded, following after Lan. He knew Sci-lab well, but he would never know these halls as efficiently as Lan, who spent nearly every moment of his free time here for some reason or another. At least if he wasn't home eating anyway.
"Careful with that arm Lan!" he was just cautioning when something in a side hall caught his eye. An unfamiliar boy running towards them, and in his hands... a gold and black PET.
"Lan! Got him!" he called, making a sharp turn down the hall.

When Luke spotted the other net-op coming towards him, he span, knowing he would not have far to run back the other way, but he could not be caught.
"Quick Luke!"[/i] Alphaman encouraged him as Luke ran, panting, down the hall.

Protoman hesitated for a moment when he saw his friend in such a poor state, but he knew he had to get the place locked down outside ASAP.
"Take it easy Megaman," he said in a voice filled with the closest thing to emotion you would get from the solemn Navi before he hurried off.

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

"I know, I know!" Lan replied as Chaud repeated to take it easy with his arm. When Chaud suddenly spotted the kid, he skidded to a halt and doubled back.
"So..." He raced down the hall after the boy, "YOU'RE the one who's operating that Net-Navi!" Lan ran as fast as his legs would carry him, with Chaud just a short way ahead of him. "Chaud, I have an idea!" Lan called out. knowing the kid would hear him if he said out loud, he wrote it on a message through the P.E.T. "Check your P.E.T!"
[There's a T-junction up the hallway, both other directions have security blast-doors, if they're closed we can catch him there] that was the most detail he could fit in one quick message. He hoped Chaud understood what to do.

[Tifa Lockhart]

"Sounds good to me," Chaud replied once he'd read the message Lan had sent him. He knew that the kid would have nowhere to go no matter which way he chose to go.
Which Luke was about to find out the hard way. He reached the T section and skidding around to the right, panting heavily as he desperately tried to escape.
To his dismay, he was met with a heavy metal door, and he knew they were right behind him.
"Can you hack it Alphaman?" he asked desperately, looking down at the PET.
He knew the answer instantly. Alphaman was still hunched, sweating, and clutching his arm that still leaked data, one of his eyes squinted shut in a wince.
"S-sorry... Luke."[/i]
With that Luke turned as Chaud and Lan came around the corner, backing himself up against the door, clutching the PET protectively.
"You cant take him!" he yelled defensively. "They promised me i could keep him! I don't care what you say!"

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Lan caught up with Chaud and held his shoulder with his good arm to hold him back.
"Relax, kid we're not gonna take your Navi... we want to help you AND him," Lan explained, panting heavily after running so far.
"He... he's right! We don't want to hurt you, we just want to talk to you. I didn't hurt your Navi before... and I stand by that. I won't harm him"[/i] Megaman now spoke, though he had to pause between words to catch his breath. "Please let us help you! Stop running away for just a minute."[/i]
Lan nodded agreement, and looked the boy in the eyes.
"We can help your Navi and we wont ask you to hurt another to do it, but it's up to you to LET us help you." Lan let go of Chaud, knowing he wouldn't appreciate being held by the shoulder.
Now that he was closer, Megaman could sense the Net Navi present in the P.E.T the boy was holding. Energy levels were reading low and he was losing data, presumably. 'That's the last thing he needs when he's already missing so much as it is,' Megaman thought, it was quite clear that neither of them -him or the stranger- were up for another fight; and knowing Protoman, he wouldn't fight unless there was danger to be fighting.