Chapter Text
Darkness pressed in on a lone, fragmented program as code trailed through the shadows– a normal day for the unnamed being, trapped within a place he couldn’t even call a home.
Three times– three times he’d had a chance to break free and yet here he was, still stuck within the confines of the deepest recesses of forgotten code, still incapable of doing anything but watch and wait.
It sickened him, hearing voices and seeing flashes of images he’d never see for himself– knowing that even despite his own pain, the one he was stuck with still lived on, not so much as giving a thought that maybe, perhaps, he was sentient– that maybe, perhaps, he had a reason for behaving the way he did.
He’d honestly expected to be trapped until deletion– he’d honestly expected his fragmented code, sparking and missing oh-so many pieces, would have shattered before anything like this could happen.
Yet here he was, blinding light forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut as what was left of his programming was dragged out of its prison, isolated and left in a sort of floating limbo. His senses destabilized, yet even as he waited with bated breath for his final deletion…
…The void never came to claim him.
Rather, something felt to be changing– loose bits and pieces stitched themselves together, foreign yet warm bits of code filling out his flickering form. Ages passed, or so it felt, and eventually everything crashed into his senses at once.
The light died down, his knees hit white tile– a distant ringing filled his ears, his eyes widened as he stared through some sort of magenta-tinted visor at hands with short cuffed gloves.
Distantly, a familiar voice chattered, talking to someone– an older man, from the sound of things, though through the ringing he barely registered a word.
What was going on? Why wasn’t he..?
“...careful. Navi program…”
Those few words cut through the haze, leaving the program with even more questions. Where was he? Why were these people talking about navi programs?
His questions were cut short as data disintegrated, the white vanishing before a pale purple took its place. His form reformed, his gaze falling to the ground, at where his hand rested against solid purple code.
More questions were created than were answered, thoughts moved through his head faster than he could properly process them.
What was happening? Where was he? Who were the people that had been talking? Why was he still alive?
Lan peered down at the new PET in his hands as he walked down the sterile hall, observing the newly-formed navi in the virtual environment provided. It was strange, really— he hadn’t expected much when his father’s coworker had asked about design changes, yet now the navi looked so… different .
Rather than simply being a recolored clone of Megaman, the navi— he’d have to ask its name later, he realized belatedly— now sported a new sort of design: dark hair framed his face, a strand falling between his eyes beneath a magenta visor. Even his armor had changed, from what little he’d glimpsed.
Offhandedly, Lan wondered if the navi had a mask for fighting, like Megaman did.
Reaching the sliding doors that lead out of the building, Lan stepped out, attaching his rollerblades to his shoes as he started for the metro station. As he went, he set the new PET– a deep purple in color– back in his bag, pulling out Megaman’s PET instead.
“...Lan… Are you sure about this?” asked the blue navi, brows furrowed as he looked up at his operator.
Lan tilted his head to the side at Megaman’s question, blinking. “What do you mean?”
It was a moment before the navi spoke up again, his tone coming uncertain. “...That… thing. ” He paused a moment before continuing. “It tried to do some pretty bad stuff. Are you sure we should be taking it in?”
Lan stopped at the top of the stairs leading down to the metro, removing the blades from his shoes as he spoke. “Who else would take him in?”
Not a lot of people would be willing to care for what used to be a parasite, and they couldn’t just leave him to his own devices. Call him a fool, but he wasn’t about to let such a young program waste away! Surely-
“The scientist seemed like he would.” Megaman’s voice, though coming resigned, interrupted that line of thought.
“Did you hear that guy?” Lan asked, starting down the steps, “He was just talking about studying and science– plus, we’re more experienced anyways! We can take care of a newly-made navi no problem.”
“If you say so,” Megaman acquiesced, a sigh on his lips. Lan smiled, jumping the last step as he headed for the metro itself.
“I’m sure everything will be fine!”