As ever, for Mari-musume.

Rockman and all its characters do not belong to me (nor does the name 'Cossack.') Emdee, Bit and Gamma are mine, so no takie unless you ask first.

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Press the Green Button
by Shimegami-chan
w w w . shimegami . com / ichijouji
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"That's a shame. I was hoping I could find some use for you, but it seems we must part ways after all." A gleam shone in the scientist's brown eyes.

"You wouldn't dare."

"wouldn't I?"

He removed a cylinder-shaped object from his pocket and advanced.

The Hikari family, unaware of the urgency of their situation, were busy having a spirited reunion as they walked back to the bookmark, as though they hadn't seen each other that morning at breakfast. The circumstances were extreme, of course, but that certainly wasn't dampening Netto's mood. He bounced between his brother (who was trying to compose a vidmail to Blues) and his father (who was inspecting his oldest son with great interest as the natural Navi encoded the file). Neither of the other Hikaris were able to devote much of their attention to Netto, and he eventually grew sulky and calmed down, attempting a pretense of responsibility. "Now it's time for us to determine the cause of the accident."

"Yes, it was definitely rather strange. I know my calculations were correct," Yuuichirou replied.

"Plus, you would have thought Cossack-hakase would have aborted the transfer once he knew something was wrong," said Rockman.

The trio reached the bookmark that led back to the Science Lab PC, but the link had gone black and dead. "That's weird," Netto observed. "It was working before."

Yuuichirou glanced at the blue-jumpsuited boy. "Can you reach Emdee?"

"No." Rockman frowned, bringing a control screen up in the air in front of him. "My last message went unanswered, my queries came back no-response."

"Strange."

"I hope nothing happened to him. What if he went into the Undernet?" Rockman was the most aware of this Area's close proximity to the Net's underworld, as well as its ability to cut off connections with the upper Cyberworld. He looked worriedly at his father.

"I would hope he would have more sense."

Rockman thought it best not to mention Emdee's keen sense of loyalty and duty. If Netto was willing to run headlong into the Undernet (something Rock had talked him out of not ten minutes ago), Emdee would probably be on the fourth level by now. Fortunately, Yuuichirou was too distracted to consider the possibility for long, asserting that Emdee was far too logical to have assumed the worst and gone in unprepared.

Besides, that was nothing compared to the jolt that went through him when his videomail to Blues came back undelivered.

If we can't reach Enzan, we can't get out. Dread filled his stomach, along with a sense that all was not well back in the real world. No Emdee and no Blues? I could try to contact Roll, but if she were to get hurt...I get the feeling we're in a lot of trouble here....

"Rock? Is something wrong?" Netto looked at him worriedly. Rockman splayed his hands in front of him and grinned nonchalantly. "Nothing! Just thinking to myself!"

The brunette didn't look convinced. Rockman sighed--he wouldn't have been either. Netto was exceptionally good at reading his twin's emotions.

Blues...where are you?

"God DAMN it Blues! Where the hell are you!?" Enzan yelled, lunging for his PET, just a split-second too late. Bit laughed, enjoying watching the young Net Agent fish under the humongous machine for the red device. "Blues!"

"Sorry, kid." Bit sounded more apologetic than his countenance implied. "He's fried. Nothing you can do."

Enzan inspected the terminal, attempting to restart it by hitting it with the flat of his hand. "What did you do?" he hissed.

"Concentrated ion burst," the scientist replied airily. "You'll need to format it to get it going again. Plus, I severed the Internet connection, just in case you brought friends."

"You coward. How many people are you going to kill before you get your way?"

"Oh, you dear boy." Bit's smile was manic, condescending. "Who said anything about killing? I'm just volunteering you for our lovely experiment. You'll probably survive as stray data."

"Not interested," Enzan replied grimly, tossing the PET to the floor.

"Too bad." Bit sprung with the reflexes of a cat, catching Enzan's wiry arms with his strong grip. He wrestled the yelling boy to the floor, holding him down until Enzan's struggles subsided. "Giving up? That's great, less work for me. Gamma, turn on the converter, would you? ...Gamma?"

"Did your plan of cutting off the Net involve locking your Navi out too?" Enzan sneered.

Bit smiled toothily. "Too bad, he can get back in using a special upload. I don't need him anyway, I can take care of a brat like you by myself."

"You don't seem very appreciative of the guy who's keeping a secret that could get you arrested."

The scientist froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Enzan's smirk radiated his confidence, "that maybe you should treat your Navi a little more nicely, seeing how he's the only witness to your crime. And was so kind as to provide me with a full confession, which is almost certainly in thirteen peoples' inboxes by now, just in case anything should happen to me."

"...I can't just kill you here, then, so be it!" Bit growled, wrapping his hands around Enzan's neck. The boy began to struggle again, not anticipating the sudden attack, and choke in the scientist's grip.

"Mahito-kun, stop!" Gamma's voice blared from the mother computer's speaking, halting Bit's movements for a split second. Enzan managed to draw a single laboured breath.

"You sold me out," Bit cried, his voice rising. "I can't believe you! Weren't you the one who wanted me to be like Father? I finally get somewhere and you sell me out to a bunch of kids!?"

"Mahito-kun, you're killing the boy!" Gamma pleaded. "Please stop--I don't want to have to call the police--"

"I will," another voice said coldly. "Rise, Cossack, and leave him be. Your father wouldn't want this."

Bit glared angrily at the speaker from which Emdee's voice had issued, above which a video screen turned itself on. "And what would you know? You've gained just as much as Hikari!"

"When Yuuichirou-kun was Cossack-hakase's intern, I found him to be a kind, respectable man," Emdee said quietly. "Yuuichirou-kun studied under him from when I was created up until his death, and never once did I find any of the character flaws in him that I have observed in you. I have continued to evaluate you, but you have never become the kind of person he was."

"Shut up!" Bit screamed, lunging for the console. Enzan sat up and crawled into the corner, looking for something to protect himself with. Gamma looked taken aback at Emdee's cold words. "It's too late now, isn't it!? Hikari's dead and it's my fault! So what!? It's about time he stopped hogging all the glory! My father was the greatest scientist that ever lived, and he...he..."

"Your father was a great man," Emdee agreed. "He died too young. I was very sorry to see him pass."

"Don't talk like you have real feelings!" Bit yelled. "That was my father's...his..."

"His project," Blues supplied, looming over Gamma with his arms crossed. "Cossack-hakase never lived to see the experiments in Navi AI take root."

"He got all the credit," the scientist seethed. "For my father's work, he got all the credit! No one even remembered the Cossack name!"

"That's not true," Gamma protested. "All the important people remembered what your father did for Navi research. Everyone at Science Labs, they remember."

"Would you rather have seen his project die unfinished?" Enzan asked quietly.

"Shut up, you little brat! You don't know anything..." Bit's expression was unreadable, his eyes masked by chestnut bangs.

"You had a lot of potential...Mahito-kun..."

Cossack's head shot up and he leveled his gaze at Emdee. "Hikari."

The labcoated Navi sidestepped, allowing Yuuichirou's grim countenance to be seen behind him. "I knew your father as both a partner and a friend. He would have been unhappy to see you like this, blinded with anger, lowering yourself to attacking a child to gain your ends."

His rage spent, Bit fell to the floor on his knees. "Hakase...I..."

"I should have recognized your ambitions," Yuuichirou continued, his expression solemn. "Instead I was too caught up in the experiment to even notice that the way I treated you had become a problem. I'm afraid I'm still too used to seeing you as the child who visited his father at the Labs. You are a scientist in your own right, and you deserved every measure of my respect. For both your father's sake and your own. I am sorry for that." The Hikari twins had come to stand protectively in front of their father on the screen, shielding him from the deranged young intern.

"Choose, Cossack," Enzan said quietly. "Your next words may determine your future in this town."

The last vestiges of Bit's shock dissolved and he supported himself on his hands, staring at the tiling of the floor. "I...what have I done...?"

"Toasted your career, for one," Netto growled. His twin clapped a gloved hand over the brunette's mouth.

"Repair the converter, Mahito-kun," Yuuichirou said gently. "You and I will work this out. There's no need to involve the police on my side."

"And young Ijuuin...?" Emdee glanced pointedly at Enzan, whose neck was red with strangulation marks.

The young businessman shook his head. "I will trust Hikari-hakase's judgment. However, if you ever come near me again, I will probably have you arrested."

"I understand," Bit said gratefully. "I'll bring you back, Hakase, and we can talk...and...I'm sorry..."

The bespectacled scientist's eyes were wary, but a genuine smile graced his lips. "Me too."

-to be concluded