Posts made by Skyrender

A piercing black light slammed into the network, the resultant particles quickly reforming into a fluid, black form. A luminous blue globe followed from the sky, crashing into the inky black form in a burst of brilliant azure light. A moment later, a slender blue-and-white netnavi took a confident step forward into the bustling concourse that was the Internet City Commercial Area. All manner of navigators and programs darted about their business, presenting a daunting challenge for the newly-mobile Tem. The golden-haired subsystem hesitated for a moment, her sharp blue eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the semi-random movements of the myriad of obstacles that lay before her.

...there!

Seeing the briefest of pathways and seizing the opportunity, Tem pushed forward, nearly diving headfirst into a break in the crowd. The finned navi darted past a group of strolling NormalNavis with uncommon alacrity, slinked through a break in a parade of Mr. Progs with a single fluid lunge, and just barely managed to pivot in time to evade a passing convoy of data cubes apparently destined for SciLabs. A particularly well-worn violet-hued Navi cast a long sideways glance toward the former subsystem as she dove past him into a three-point landing at the foot of the nearest LinkMan kiosk.

”Hah!” shouted an excitable Tem, once again unintentionally vocalizing her internal thoughts, ”A flawless bit of maneuvering, if I do say so myself! Even that purple cretin over there can’t stop marveling at my agility and poise.”

Tem’s “admirer” shook his head and walked away. “&$#in’ weeb pervert netOps,” he muttered, “Internet City’s going to %#$ these days…”

Unperturbed, Tem rose to her feet and tapped her wrist, displaying a list of data for LinkMan’s review. ”Pardon me, sir,” she said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, ”I would like to requisition this list of battlechips, and have prepared a zenny transfer accordingly.”

2x SentinelGun - 3600z
1x Satellite1 - 2100z
2x Untrap - 800z
Total: 6500z

“Stories from the field? Sure, I’m happy to share one or two” began Suien, grateful for the change in conversation as he leaned back in his chair. However, as he mentally ticked through his misadventures, his small smile slowly transformed into a grimace as he realized the distinct lack of any acceptable stories to share.

There was the time he brutalized some heelnavis in front of an elementary school class

There was the time he got drunk and jacked into a broken TV at a bar

There was the time he had that weird… not-date but also not-not-date with Rania and the weird old guy.

There was the time he hung out with two underage girls in a shared bath

There was the time he navigated Rass into an active combat situation while hungover

There was the time he hacked a NetVegas security feed after a night of debauchery

Suien shook his head. “Um…. unfortunately, I think I lead a pretty boring life.” he said, swirling his drink. “That’s part of my professional rut, so to speak. I’ve been mostly surviving overseas through contract work and odd jobs here and there.” After a moment’s hesitation, he continued. “You know, teaching, maintenance work, security system uh.... vulnerability testing,” he said, somewhat unconvincingly.

Taking another sip, he glanced over toward his PET, refocusing his blurring vision. “If I’m being honest, taking care of Rass has been my main concern for the past few years,” he admitted, the words flowing easily from his slightly inebriated state. “I know it’s a bit strange to be tinkering with navis at my age, but I want to make sure that he… they... are self-sufficient and, well... happy. I owe the three of them that much after what happened.”

After another pause, Suien realized his error, “Sorry, four,” he said quickly, “I meant the four of them.”

To: Chips & Candy
From: Tem.SP (smatsumoto@electopiamailserv.com)
Subject: Chip Trade Event
Message:

This feels an awful lot like entrapment, and will not be incriminating myself or my netOp with any admissions of malfeasance. I have, in any event, attached our charitable contribution for your consideration.

Attached chip: WaveArm3Damage: 160 + Piercing + Ground Attack + Chain(2)
Accuracy: B
Description: A special shock wave that can automatically adjust its path to hit up to three enemies.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Special: Chain: This attack will adjust it's path to hit multiple enemies, but it cannot chain-target a previously struck target. If a target manages to get hit more than once by this effect, it is not because the attack targeted it more than once, but due to some other series of events.
Trader Rank: B

It sounds like someone must have the juiciest stories of all! Ah well, it's just fun and games, so I hope you enjoy your new chip and have a spooky season!
-Prose

Suien’s face felt warm, though whether it was from Ema’s attention or the alcohol, he couldn’t quite tell. “Oh, me? Nah, it’s been a while, to tell you the truth.” he responded, conflating drinking partners with romantic partners in his inebriated headspace, “I mean sure, there was a couple.. Okay maybe just one, but… well, you know how it is.”

The dark-haired netOp gazed up at the ceiling for an awkward moment, before shaking his head and adjusting his glasses. “It’s just such a pain to meet people these days,” he said finally, taking another sip from his glass, “I mean sure, you meet loads of people every day, but it’s so difficult to make a meaningful connection. Even if you’re lucky enough to start a conversation, nobody wants to make an effort to meet up again, much less develop any sort of relationship....”

Realizing how inconsiderate his words must have sounded to the cloistered researcher, he quickly backpedaled, “I mean, I really shouldn’t complain about this sort of thing” he said quickly, “really, it’s just that I haven’t really found fulfillment in my professional life like you seem to have, so I’ve been trying to find fulfillment in… well, whatever I can get, really...” He trailed off again before taking another sip. “Er… sorry” he apologized sheepishly, “didn’t mean to be such a downer. I do appreciate the company this evening though. Really, I do.”

Tem’s features hardened at Wrangler’s ostentatious show. "Of all the arrogant, pompous, self-important junk data... who the hell does this twerp think he is?" she thought....

...or at least, she thought she thought. "Wait, did I say that out loud?"

The ascended subsystem blushed in embarrassment and frustration, and bit her lower lip as she once again slammed her palm downward to catch the errant paper, moving quickly but still taking the time to gingerly slide the bounty document off the edge of the counter. “Your concern, is greatly appreciated,” she growled through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at Wrangler as she pushed her body off of the counter. Turning around with deliberate vigor, Tem took off in a huff, making several frustrated - but ironically quite natural-looking - strides away from the bounty booth toward the netportal.

If there was anything owed to Wrangler for assisting Tem in the development of her fine motor skills, this was lost on her. Whirling around as she stepped onto the telepad,, she crossed her arms across her chest contemptuously and shot a particularly sour look toward Wrangler as her body disappeared in a flash of black light.

“Whoa, easy there. Are you…” started Suien, his eyes widening in concern as Ema sputtered and coughed. The dark-haired netOp instinctively leaned forward and extended his arm to support Ema’s body, placing his hand gingerly on her shoulder. This gesture of concern proved unnecessary, however, as the Sharoan researcher seemed to regain her composure with almost uncanny speed.

Quote (Ema)

"Sorry. Feels like I got punched in the chest. Did I drink it wrong?" said Ema, clearing her throat in between sentences.

“Oh… ah, no, don’t worry about it,” he said, quickly moving his hand to the back of his neck and scratching it sheepishly as he sat back down, “Truth is, I’m not exactly what one might consider an expert on the topic. The bottle is at cask strength though, so the proofage might be a fair bit higher than what you’re used to.”

Glancing toward the newly-arrived half-empty bottles of Sharoan vodka that Karen had brought in, Suien paused. Then again, maybe not, he thought.

“Anyways, I’ve heard it’s best to take it slow and enjoy the experience. Enjoy the aroma, let it linger on your palate before swallowing, allow the flavors to develop a bit before taking another sip,” he said, gently swirling his portion of the amber-colored liquid in the commemorative glass and lifting it to taste, “try to distinguish the flavors of peat, citrus, maybe a little caramel...” Suien trailed off as he noticed that Karen had already poured and downed her shot in a single gulp.

Shaking his head, he smiled. “Or, you know, just toss it back and let it ride, I guess,” he said, taking a long sip of his drink, “Seems like you’re both no strangers to booze anyways, so far be it for me to try to prattle on about the ‘right’ way to drink.”

Having at last settled into an acceptable stance, Tem rolled her eyes at Wrangler’s folksy platitudes and dawdling manner. “‘Little lady?’ I beg your incredible pardon,” she scoffed, instinctively lashing out with her “inner” voice, “Perhaps if you weren’t spending your scant system resources on sounding like a slack-jawed yokel, you wouldn’t actually be one.”

With that, Tem attempted to snatch the newly-printed paper from the countertop, but only succeeded in brushing it to the side. Frowning deeply, she groped around the counter, struggling to pick up the sheet of paper. Motherboard &%$&ing fine motor control,” she thought as she slammed her palm down onto the paper, scrunched it up to retrieve it, and unceremoniously uncrumpled it to review its contents. Her icy blue eyes darted back and forth as she reviewed the viral list, pursing her lips in thought.

“The Dynamite viruses,” she said finally, pressing the now-crumpled paper down onto the counter in front of Wrangler with perhaps a bit too much force, “We should be more than capable of… as you say… ‘wrangling’ at least a few.”

A piercing black light slammed into the network, the resultant particles quickly reforming into a fluid, black form. A luminous blue globe followed from the sky, crashing into the inky black form in a burst of brilliant azure light. A moment later, a slender blue-and-white netnavi took a tentative step forward into the sweltering Netfrican netspace.

Narrowing her eyes and glancing around the area, Tem found herself somewhat surprised at the spartan nature of the bounty store. Her gaze shifted downward toward the ground as she mentally mapped out a path forward that avoided any unstable-looking patches of network terrain.

All right. Good. I can do this. I’m a genius, after all.

A few seconds later, she started out, taking stable - albeit somewhat mechanical - strides in a meandering path toward the bounty counter.

“Greetings, Mr. Wrangler,” she said, placing her hands at her hips, “I would like to peruse a Normal Network bounty list.”

As Tem waited for Wrangler’s response, she fidgeted uncomfortably. Wait, this isn’t… no, maybe..., she thought, moving her arms conspicuously to a crossed position at her chest, then back to her hips, then finally left them dangling awkwardly at her side.

...still no, none of this feels right. What does one do with their arms normally?

Tem blinked. TempoMan’s courteous response and prompt service caught her completely off-guard. Despite her syrupy tone, she had expected some sort of pigheaded comment from the cobalt-blue shop navi and had taken the liberty of preparing a number of cutting retorts in advance. When no such comment came, she found herself staring at TempoMan instead, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

Catching herself, she quickly shifted her body and pushed off the counter with a stumble. “I, uh… thanks,” she muttered, her upper body swaying as she managed a small wave, “I’m sure we’ll be back before too long.”

As she turned away and started walking toward the exit, the former subsystem felt warmth in her face, the corners of her lips drawing upward into an involuntary grin. Touching her cheeks with her gloved hands, Tem furrowed her brow in contemplation, which, surprisingly, failed to suppress her smile.

That’s… new. she thought, as she initialized a jack-out command and disappeared in a stream of black light.

Remaining Signature Points: 420

Rass.EXE

Sync Buster

One consequence of the developmental trend toward more humanoid NetNavigators is the emulation of the organic brain within a computerized framework and the consolidation of these processes into a single centralized processor. The result is an immense improvement in an operator’s ability to interact with and understand their navigator, at the cost of a certain degree of efficiency only obtainable from traditional CPU processors.

Most operators welcomed this change. After all, it’s a lot easier to talk to a tiny human than a desktop tower.

That said, one downside of this development is that most mass-produced navis are bound to a single processor that issues commands from the electronic brain which translate into action. Many navis seek to overcome this weakness in a variety of ways. Some navis are designed to boost processing speed far beyond human levels. Some navis utilize intricate programming to string together a chain of hyper-efficient command sequences.

For Rass, the solution is simply to have four brains and make them work together simultaneously.

By streamlining various processes within the Rapid Assimilation Synthesis System, Rass and his subsystems are capable of creating a parallel process within the body, shortcutting common processing roadblocks and dramatically increasing the efficiency of his actions. For this particular command, Rass maintains control of his body to evade and fire while another subsystem simultaneously optimizes the energy output from the fusion core. The result is an extremely fast charge/discharge cycle, albeit one that sacrifices a certain degree of control. Externally, it’s not a particularly flashy maneuver - the only evidence of its activation is a brief flickering of Rass’ bodysuit from black and pink to totally white.

Technical Version:
Dodge (40 cost)
Charge (40 cost)
Trap Activated Attribute (Trigger: Rass makes a Charge Attack): [Rass gains a buster charge (40) after resolution of buster attack, Set New Trap Activated Attribute (Trigger: Rass makes a Charge Attack): [Rass gains a buster charge (40) after resolution of buster attack]]

[i]Simplified Description:]/i]
Dodge (40 cost)
Rass gains a buster charge. The next two times Rass make a charge attack, he gains a buster charge after the attack. (3x Buster Charge = 120 cost, counts as a trap until the third charge attack)

160 Cost, 4TC


Subsystem Hack

Rass’ “summoning” abilities can be traced to the ichorlike fusionist protoplasm that makes up his body. However, the protoplasm itself is simply a medium for his subsystems to control. This ability allows any of Rass’ subsystems to temporarily exit the fusionist protoplasm and enter any object on the battlefield in a burst of colored light. In so doing, Tem, Argo, or Ishamel can temporarily “fuse” with any object with the field - hijacking its structural data and allowing it to move according to their whim. The visual effect of this ability is that the targeted object will turn Blue, Green, or Red depending on which subsystem is currently inhabiting it.

Telekinesis (80 cost)

80 Cost, 2TC

Fusion Force

Rass slams one of his limbs into the network, briefly fusing with it and sending one of his subsystems through the network toward a given point. Once there, the subsystem releases a signal into the network, prompting a command to “fuse” with all targets within a given radius. Though actual fusion with the network is impossible, the signal will nevertheless draw inward all entities within a ((3 panel)) radius from the point.

Ground Type Attribute
Pull x2, Nova 4 = 80 cost, 2TC


Supporting Protoplasm

Subsystem Hack

As an entity comprised of the same fusionist protoplasm as the main body, the Supporting Protoplasm can similarly fire off one of Rass’ subsystems to temporarily “fuse” with any object with the field - hijacking its structural data and allowing it to move according to their whim. Again, the visual effect of this ability is that the targeted object will turn Blue, Green, or Red depending on which subsystem is currently inhabiting it.

Telekinesis (80 cost), 2TC


M.A.S.S.

Soul Fist: Savior Flash

The mega-ultimate of fighter has adopted the legendary Soul Fist as his chosen battle style. Unable to fully grasp the philosophy of the vaunted art, however, the M.A.S.S. sees the Soul Fist as the use of dominating brute force to simply overpower a target. As such, Mass' version of MeleeMan's signature style relies on little more than sheer speed and strength to shatter his opponent's body and spirit. The Savior Flash is the first such technique, and begins with Mass channeling the majority of his system resources into destructive energies, manifested in a brilliant crimson aura. These volatile energies can be fused with any other attack, increasing the power by a significant amount. As soon as sufficient power is corrected, Mass teleports to a more strategic position (usually, in Mass' case, point-blank range) and prepares for battle.

Buster Charge x2 (80) + Teleport (80), 4TC

A piercing black light slammed into the network, the resultant particles quickly reforming into a fluid, black form. A luminous blue globe followed from the sky, crashing into the inky black form in a burst of brilliant azure light. A moment later, a slender blue-and-white netnavi took her first wobbly, uncertain steps into Suitachi’s online navi shop.

Tem frowned, her focus entirely on staying balanced in this unfamiliar body. She flexed her fingers on her right hand experimentally - first individually, then all at once - before suddenly tightening them into a fist. Instantly, a small display burst into existence next to her right arm, containing a list of navi components and a note from Suien. She sighed with exasperation as she read the hastily-typed communique.

Tem, tbh I’m a lil buzzed rn. I figured out the SP stuff, but I trust u to do shopping 4 Rass. Stay out of trouble and return to PET if u rnt feeling good

Well at least gesture commands seem to work she thought, closing the window with a snap of her fingers, Honestly, when I told Suien I wanted to practice my movement subroutines while the main body was still in stasis, I was hoping for a slightly less… public… debut.

Looking for all the world like Tempoman’s intoxicated booth-babe, the former subsystem stumbled over to the storefront. Leaning into the counter for support in an unintentionally alluring way, she waved down TempoMan with her free hand.

“Greetings, TempoMan.EXE, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” she said in a bright, chipper tone, “I am in the market to procure a number of upgrades and was hoping that you might be able to assist me.”

Buster Upgrade 7: 7000
Buster Upgrade 8: 8000
Phasing Shot: 1500
Navicust Expansion 1: 1000
Navicust Expansion 2: 1250
Process Upgrade 11: 1100
Process Upgrade 12: 1200
Process Upgrade 13: 1300
Process Upgrade 14: 1400
Process Upgrade 15: 1500
First Armor x5: 12500
Fast Armor: 5000
Process Edit: 140

Total: 42,890Z

Suien paused, mulling over Ema’s words. Sure, every minute he spent in Sharo only increased the risk of complications vis-a-vis the Sharoan government. Sure, he was currently in a government - or at least government-adjacent - research facility with connections to Sharoan Black Ops. Sure, he had just strong-armed a Sharoan scientist into downloading and preserving a viral anomaly presenting, at least in part, a global catastrophic risk to networked society.

On the other hand, chicks and booze.

He glanced thoughtfully into the air before turning to Karen. “Honestly, I’m not on any strict itinerary, since I wasn’t sure how long this job would take. I flew out here in a bit of a rush and didn’t plan for any accommodations - figured I’d play it by ear,” he said, getting up from his chair and walking over to his duffel bag, “I know how fickle research servers can be, and I didn’t want to do a rush job that ends up compromising whatever it was that you were working on. Worst case, I had planned to just lay out a travel pillow and continue working through until I finished the debugging process.”

A moment later, Suien returned, holding the Glen Nanska gift set under his arm. “Suffice to say, I’m not really in any rush - just need to make my way back to Electopia in the next day or so,” he said, unboxing the garishly-decorated bottle and setting the two commemorative whiskey glasses between him and Ema. Taking in the black-and-gold design of the label, Suien smirked. “Your sister has a point. A lot of this stuff is pretty overpriced,” he remarked, uncorking the bottle, “Still, it’s the only place you can find certain promotional releases from distilleries. It’s kind of stupid, really.”

As he poured a dram for Ema and pushed it forward, his eyes locked with hers for a lingering moment. Regaining his composure, Suien continued quickly. “I uh… was a little surprised though. Figured most people who have traveled internationally have at least some experience with duty-free shops,” he said as he poured a measure of the golden-brown liquor into his own glass.

Suien was about to take a sip when he realized he had forgotten Karen. He paused for a moment, set the glass down, and started to stand. “Um… this set only came with two glasses. I think I saw a kitchen on the way in - should I grab another?”

Supporting Protoplasm (SP)

Element: Normal

Subtype: Summon

Overview:

The fusionist protoplasm is the mysterious substance that comprises Rass’ body. In addition to forming and reconstituting itself to generate objects across the battlefield, it is also one of the only known substances capable of allowing simultaneous processing of multiple electronic impulses. This latter function was primarily utilized by Rass’ subsystems to temporarily take control of portions of the protoplasm and independently execute movement, scanning, and energy transformation subroutines. In essence, the protoplasm operated as though it were a shared “body” for all four systems, with all the benefits and drawbacks it brought. Indeed, while Tem believed that a spare body could be encoded with core data from one of their subsystems, she later discovered that, like the other subsystems, she was bound to the fusionist protoplasm as though it were her own body data.

However, by converting the SP base into raw body data and reintegrating it into the fusionist protoplasm itself through a programming backdoor utilizing the “signature program” interface, Suien was able to dramatically increase the overall volume of the protoplasm. Through this minor feat of ingenuity, Suien Matsumoto was able to give the trapped subsystems something they had all, at some point, desired:

Freedom.

By ejecting a large clump of fusionist protoplasm sufficient to create a humanoid form, Rass can generate a fully autonomous body controlled by one (or more?) of his subsystems. Initially, however, only Tem is able to manifest herself fully within the Supporting Protoplasm. Perhaps with some way of adjusting the body data to suit the capabilities of the remaining subsystems, Argo and Ishamel may have a similar opportunity…?

Appearance:

Technically, the Supporting Protoplasm is a black, humanoid, featureless mass of fusionist protoplasm. However, it may take on the characteristics and appearance of whatever system is designated as the “core” at the time. The Supporting Protoplasm’s default core system is Tem, the bossy female tactical subsystem who traditionally did the thinking for Rass, Argo, and Ishamel. Prior to being fused with the others, Tem was the version 1 prototype for the Sharo-produced Tempo series netNavi, from which TempoMan.EXE was ultimately derived. As such, she possesses a similar look to the small, cobalt-blue shop navi.

Tem stands slightly shorter than Rass, roughly at a 5’5” human equivalent. However, the combination of Tem’s aristocratic poise and Rass’ submissive slouching makes her seem somewhat taller – an illusion exacerbated by the large, blue fins that adorn either side of Tem’s helmet. Tem sports a white bodysuit with a gold trim around her wrists, torso, and thighs. Thin, cobalt blue armor surrounds her chest, pelvic area, hands, and boots, and Tem’s navi insignia, essentially a blue orb with eyes, is emblazoned upon her chestpiece. Tem’s body type is slender, but with undisputedly womanly proportions (much to the surprise of Argo and Rass). Her skin is somewhat pale, but not unhealthily so. Piercing cerulean-blue eyes and a long blonde ponytail complete the ensemble, giving the tactical subsystem a physique that is, at once, athletic and relatively comely.

Personality:

Tem has always been sharp, arrogant, and demanding – qualities that have, if possible, only increased since gaining her own body. On the other hand, Tem seems to have gained a slightly higher measure of respect for Rass, possibly as a result of her time spent as his sole subsystem in the Sharo Experimental Server. Thus, while she hasn’t given up on her goal to eventually become the core system, the newfound freedom seems to have at least temporarily satisfied this desire. Tem also seems to tolerate Suien’s occasionally questionable behavior more, although she still will not hesitate to voice her displeasure at his lapses of judgment. Tem’s defining characteristic, however, continues to be her strategic and manipulative nature. Indeed, thinking several moves ahead and processing a wide range of data to find the optimal solution has always been her forte.

While Tem’s personality hasn’t changed much, the transition from being an “inner voice” to a fully-autonomous entity capable of interacting with the outside world is not an easy adjustment. Used to making snarky remarks and snippy comments about the situation from within the fusionist protoplasm, Tem has discovered firsthand that old habits die hard. As a result, she is still prone to, among other things, giving vicious backhanded compliments and loudly criticizing the “incompetent” actions of virtually anyone she meets.

The largest unforeseen variable in Tem’s calculations is her new physique and its effect on male netNavis. While her first instinct is to simply use this feature another strategic element to be used in the pursuit of her master plans, Tem often finds herself flustered at the attention given to her by others.

Rass, and to a much greater extent, Argo, are also having a difficult time adjusting to Tem’s newfound “assets,” but for very different reasons. Rass has found himself feeling a bit of separation anxiety for his missing tactical subsystem, and has had to adjust to handling his own diagnostic functions which were previously handled by Tem. Argo, meanwhile grapples with the fact that his fellow subsystem, – who he had teased, taunted, belittled, and generally made an ass of himself in front of – is actually an attractive female. This, in turn leads to Argo taking almost an awkwardly overprotective stance toward Tem, acting in many ways like something between a jealous ex-boyfriend and an overzealous older brother.

“Equipped” appearance:

TemSoul - Due to the large amount of time working at internally synchronizing with each other (and perhaps, some vestigial data from the soulcross research that ultimately generated the Fusionist Protoplasm) Rass and the subsystem inhabiting the Supporting Protoplasm can “soul unison.” Characteristic of the early-version soul unisons, the Support Unit is placed into a catatonic state and reintegrates itself into the Fusionist Protoplasm. Its energies are then transferred to Rass, who undergoes a physical transformation.

While in TemSoul, the pink coloring of Rass’ protoplasm retreats into the core, leaving his body jet-black. Over the fusionist protoplasm, however, Rass gains cobalt blue boots and armor that covers his hip, torso, and hands. His normally-pink helmet becomes a matching blue color, with a pair of fins jutting outward and upward from the sides. Despite being called a “soul unison,” however, Rass does not undergo any sort of synergistic transformation or boost in power, given that the Supporting Protoplasm is inextricably bound to Rass’ own body in the first place.

Buster Appearance:

Tem extends her arms, revealing mid-range buster units on the palms of her hands. Though she does not use them often due to the limited generator output of the SP module, she is capable of firing off bursts of blue-and-white energy.

Supporting Protoplasm (SP)

Element: Normal

Subtype: Summon

Overview:

The fusionist protoplasm is the mysterious substance that comprises Rass’ body. In addition to forming and reconstituting itself to generate objects across the battlefield, it is also one of the only known substances capable of allowing simultaneous processing of multiple electronic impulses. This latter function was primarily utilized by Rass’ subsystems to temporarily take control of portions of the protoplasm and independently execute movement, scanning, and energy transformation subroutines. In essence, the protoplasm operated as though it were a shared “body” for all four systems, with all the benefits and drawbacks it brought. Indeed, while Tem believed that a spare body could be encoded with core data from one of their subsystems, she later discovered that, like the other subsystems, she was bound to the fusionist protoplasm as though it were her own body data.

However, by converting the SP base into raw body data and reintegrating it into the fusionist protoplasm itself through a programming backdoor utilizing the “signature program” interface, Suien was able to dramatically increase the overall volume of the protoplasm. Through this minor feat of ingenuity, Suien Matsumoto was able to give the trapped subsystems something they had all, at some point, desired:

Freedom.

By ejecting a large clump of fusionist protoplasm sufficient to create a humanoid form, Rass can generate a fully autonomous body controlled by one (or more?) of his subsystems. Initially, however, only Tem is able to manifest herself fully within the Supporting Protoplasm. Perhaps with some way of adjusting the body data to suit the capabilities of the remaining subsystems, Argo and Ishamel may have a similar opportunity…?

Appearance:

Technically, the Supporting Protoplasm is a black, humanoid, featureless mass of fusionist protoplasm. However, it may take on the characteristics and appearance of whatever system is designated as the “core” at the time. The Supporting Protoplasm’s default core system is Tem, the bossy female tactical subsystem who traditionally did the thinking for Rass, Argo, and Ishamel. Prior to being fused with the others, Tem was the version 1 prototype for the Sharo-produced Tempo series netNavi, from which TempoMan.EXE was ultimately derived. As such, she possesses a similar look to the small, cobalt-blue shop navi.

Tem stands slightly shorter than Rass, roughly at a 5’5” human equivalent. However, the combination of Tem’s aristocratic poise and Rass’ submissive slouching makes her seem somewhat taller – an illusion exacerbated by the large, blue fins that adorn either side of Tem’s helmet. Tem sports a white bodysuit with a gold trim around her wrists, torso, and thighs. Thin, cobalt blue armor surrounds her chest, pelvic area, hands, and boots, and Tem’s navi insignia, essentially a blue orb with eyes, is emblazoned upon her chestpiece. Tem’s body type is slender, but with undisputedly womanly proportions (much to the surprise of Argo and Rass). Her skin is somewhat pale, but not unhealthily so. Piercing cerulean-blue eyes and a long blonde ponytail complete the ensemble, giving the tactical subsystem a physique that is, at once, athletic and relatively comely.

Personality:

Tem has always been sharp, arrogant, and demanding – qualities that have, if possible, only increased since gaining her own body. On the other hand, Tem seems to have gained a slightly higher measure of respect for Rass, possibly as a result of her time spent as his sole subsystem in the Sharo Experimental Server. Thus, while she hasn’t given up on her goal to eventually become the core system, the newfound freedom seems to have at least temporarily satisfied this desire. Tem also seems to tolerate Suien’s occasionally questionable behavior more, although she still will not hesitate to voice her displeasure at his lapses of judgment. Tem’s defining characteristic, however, continues to be her strategic and manipulative nature. Indeed, thinking several moves ahead and processing a wide range of data to find the optimal solution has always been her forte.

While Tem’s personality hasn’t changed much, the transition from being an “inner voice” to a fully-autonomous entity capable of interacting with the outside world is not an easy adjustment. Used to making snarky remarks and snippy comments about the situation from within the fusionist protoplasm, Tem has discovered firsthand that old habits die hard. As a result, she is still prone to, among other things, giving vicious backhanded compliments and loudly criticizing the “incompetent” actions of virtually anyone she meets.

The largest unforeseen variable in Tem’s calculations is her new physique and its effect on male netNavis. While her first instinct is to simply use this feature another strategic element to be used in the pursuit of her master plans, Tem often finds herself flustered at the attention given to her by others.

Rass, and to a much greater extent, Argo, are also having a difficult time adjusting to Tem’s newfound “assets,” but for very different reasons. Rass has found himself feeling a bit of separation anxiety for his missing tactical subsystem, and has had to adjust to handling his own diagnostic functions which were previously handled by Tem. Argo, meanwhile grapples with the fact that his fellow subsystem, – who he had teased, taunted, belittled, and generally made an ass of himself in front of – is actually an attractive female. This, in turn leads to Argo taking almost an awkwardly overprotective stance toward Tem, acting in many ways like something between a jealous ex-boyfriend and an overzealous older brother.

“Equipped” appearance:

TemSoul - Due to the large amount of time working at internally synchronizing with each other (and perhaps, some vestigial data from the soulcross research that ultimately generated the Fusionist Protoplasm) Rass and the subsystem inhabiting the Supporting Protoplasm can “soul unison.” Characteristic of the early-version soul unisons, the Support Unit is placed into a catatonic state and reintegrates itself into the Fusionist Protoplasm. Its energies are then transferred to Rass, who undergoes a physical transformation.

While in TemSoul, the pink coloring of Rass’ protoplasm retreats into the core, leaving his body jet-black. Over the fusionist protoplasm, however, Rass gains cobalt blue boots and armor that covers his hip, torso, and hands. His normally-pink helmet becomes a matching blue color, with a pair of fins jutting outward and upward from the sides. Despite being called a “soul unison,” however, Rass does not undergo any sort of synergistic transformation or boost in power, given that the Supporting Protoplasm is inextricably bound to Rass’ own body in the first place.

Buster Appearance:

Tem extends her arms, revealing mid-range buster units on the palms of her hands. Though she does not use them often due to the limited generator output of the SP module, she is capable of firing off bursts of blue-and-white energy.

Rass:
-3 Speed Upgrades (5000+10000+15000z = 30000z)

Level:
18 -> (-6) > 12

Hey GNA-types,

Just wanted to let you know that the infection has been resolved to the client's satisfaction and the experimental servers appear to be operating within expected parameters.

-Suien Matsumoto

As his PET’s speakers emitted a ding, signifying the safe return of Rass and company, Suien breathed a sigh of relief. His fingers flew across his keyboard as he initialized his menagerie of diagnostic and scanning apps, setting them all to work on detecting any lingering system anomalies in his unconscious navi. As a multicolored array of progress bars adorned his display, plodding along at a painfully slow rate, the dark-haired netOp gradually came to the realization that, for better or for worse, there wasn’t much more he could do for Rass for the next few hours except sit and wait.

Quote

"I need a drink after this..." murmured Ema in response, though the grin on her face never seemed to leave, as Karen flashed a thumbs up. "Thank you so, so much, Suien, it's such a relief that this is done."

Relaxing back in his chair, Suien smiled wearily in response. “Likewise, I really owe you a lot for going along with our idiotic plan. Seriously, thank you for being so accommodating,” he said, “at the very least, let me buy the first round. Or, uh…”

Suien paused, eyes scanning the room in vain for a clock. “I’m not sure exactly what time it is, come to think of it. If the bars are closed, there’s a decent bottle of Netopian whiskey from the duty-free store in my bag,” he offered, gesturing to the metal doorway to the living area he had awoken in, "Either way, I'll clock out with the GNA and leave it to you. If you'd rather me get out of your collective hair, I can do that too. I just need a ride back to the airport."

--**--Real World--**--

“Shine… oh, that’s right, you stepped out for the second encounter,” replied Suien, his attention so captured by the unfolding battle routine that he did not immediately notice Karen’s presence, “While we were in the process of eliminating the second set of viral signatures, we encountered some shining panels on the network. Unlike the holy panels endemic to Netopia, these panels didn’t seem to have any damage reduction properties. Rather, when Rass and Argo were standing on them, they somehow allowed both of them to, ah, simultaneously materialize within the same area.” Reclining slightly in his chair and bringing his hand to his chin, Suien continued, still staring at the monitors ahead of him, “Initially, I wasn’t sure what exactly to make of it, thinking it was perhaps a quirk of the system. Based on what we’re seeing here, however, it looks like the amalgam was responsible for generating those panels.”

As the brushlike amalgamate generated a ring of shimmering panels, Suien nodded. “Right, there it is,” he noted, leaning forward and activating his PET microphone, “Rass? Argo? Are you seeing what we’re seeing here? The shine panels are online. Do what you can to get all three of you on the same panel. Assuming those panels work the way I think they do, you should be able to establish direct contact with each other.”

“Once Rass and Argo are in position, it should be as simple as triggering a Replication Integrity Scan, grabbing onto the Amalgam as its Twins viral aspect manifests, and transmitting a Jack-Out signal from these PETs. Easy as one, two...” began Suien, swiveling in his chair to his side and finding himself, unexpectedly, face to face with the younger Ezarith. Suien blinked in momentary confusion as he looked back and forth between Karen and Ema, his voice trailing off as a fleeting impure thought flashed involuntarily across his mind.

...good genes, I guess.

Finding his voice, Suien cleared his throat, addressing the (not-so) newly-arrived Karen, “Ah, hello. Karen Ezarith, I presume?“ he asked, somewhat guardedly, looking toward Ema for any cues as to whether her younger sister could be trusted. Finding none, he continued, “Suien Matsumoto. I’m the GNA contractor your sister called in. To get you up to speed, Ema was helping me jack into both of her system ports, and I was just finishing up cleaning out her network when… uh…”

Suien regretted his phrasing the instant he heard the words leave his mouth. Quickly composing himself and hoping his face wasn’t as red as it felt, he continued. “A… anyways, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

--**--Rass.EXE--**--

KitTem bristled as she watched the amalgamate raise its sword to attack. The tactical navi instinctively braced her body for a blow that… surprisingly, never came. The blue feline tilted her head inquisitively to the side as the Amalgam shifted in front of her into some sort of mutant paintbrush and set to work, generating a small ring of shine panels around the battlefield. Looks like Argo managed to pull it off, somehow she thought, visibly relaxing as she rose to her feet and gave her body a little shake, Still though, if we’re not executing the battle routine, I suppose there’s not much for me to do than turn up the charm.

With that, KitTem meandered over toward the shine panels, tail raised high and curved in a disarming arc. As she reached the shimmering terrain feature, the feline navi flopped on her back, her tiny azure paws adorably waving through the air. Thaaaat’s it, come to kitty, she thought, glancing toward the amalgam before resuming her social roll, Yeah, that’s right, I’m just a poor sad helpless kitty with nowhere to go! Oh, if only there were some big strong…

Tem’s thoughts trailed off as the taut, muscular-framed “Melee Bros” suddenly materialized on the shine panels next to her, Argo’s gauntleted fist held expectantly toward her feline body, mere inches from her paw. Caught in a compromising belly-up position, the tactical navi stared blankly at the newly-arrived Argo in surprise and disbelief.

Oh, for %$&$’s sake…

--**--Argo.EXE, Moments Earlier--**--

Quote (Suien)

“Do what you can to get all three of you on the same panel. Assuming those panels work the way I think they do, you should be able to establish direct contact with each other.”

“Hah, got it, Suien!” affirmed Argo, flexing his arm and discharging a burst of steam from his gauntleted fist in the process, Get the thingy onto the thingy! Easy enough… whoa! Argo stumbled and staggered as he waved his gauntleted fist-eyes around, opening his own enshrouded eyes in a panic, “Damn, I know I said ‘see with my fists,’ but Ishy, you’ve gotta keep things steady here! How does MeleeMan see anything with this stupid visor?”

THE PRECISE MECHANISM UTILIZED BY MELEEMAN IS UNKNOWN. responded Ishamel, struggling to stabilize his ocular sensor on Argo’s wildly flailing knuckles, HOWEVER, BY ADJUSTING THE ANGLE OF YOUR HEAD UNIT, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT MAY BE MITIGATED.

“Huh, so I just gotta… move like this and kinda… look down? asked Argo, standing up straighter and tilting his head back as he looked downward toward his nose. The effort caused the MeleeCrossed navi to thrust his chest out in what could roughly be construed as confidence as he moved toward the shine panels. Argo made it about three steps before shaking his head and shutting his eyes, “Forget it, that ain’t gonna work. Ishy, I’m gonna keep my right extended. Make sure you keep your uh… eye… open.”

With that, Argo thrust his right fist outward and re-enabled Ishamel’s video feed, just in time to see the Amalgam paint its luminous circle across the battlefield. Frowning momentarily as he saw the familiar glitchy metool materialize on the panels, he quickly realized his rudeness and burst into a large, exaggerated smile. “Oh, uh, thank you, fellow… bro!” he shouted, waving at the amalgamate with his left hand. As the burly navi stumbled his way forward, he awkwardly crossed the threshold of the shine panels, suddenly appearing before KitTem who was, as much as Argo could tell, in the middle of adorably derping on the ground. The azure feline’s paw was extended upward, poised to nearly touch his own outstretched fist.

“WHOA! Tem?! Sorry, didn’t see you…” shouted Argo as he tried to stop his forward momentum mid-stride. The burly navi stumbled and tripped, toppling forward to his knees, bracing his fall with his left hand, and…

--**--Together--**--

As Argo’s fist gently collided with KitTem’s paw, the two locked eyes for a moment that felt, to the two former subsystems, uncomfortably long. Though it was nearly impossible to tell between Argo’s visored visage and Tem’s furry features, an astute observer might have noticed the slightest blush on each of their faces.

Suddenly, the peppy, childlike Rass burst onto the scene. “Yes! KitTem and uh… Argoyle-ish guy!” he cheered, tromping onto the shine panels and interrupting the intimate moment, “It’s great to see you both getting along! The power of friends will see us through to the end!”

KitTem broke away first, swiftly rolling onto her feet and arching her back, hissing at Argo in an agitated burst of unfortunately incomprehensible babble. “KitTem! Tem! Tem! KitTem!” she yowled, Y… You clumsy oaf! You nearly flattened me! Why the hell are you holding your fist out like that anyways? You look like a Dominerd with a gland problem!

Argo scrambled backward onto his feet, hand still extended outward. “Wha-whaaaat are you doin’ Tem?! Just because you look like a &$&in’ cat doesn’t mean you have to act like one!” he shouted, “Were you askin’ that thing for belly rubs or somethin’? Geez, have some dignity!”

As the pair bickered back and forth, “Trainer Rass” stepped forward to address the amalgamate. Extending his arms in a welcoming gesture, he spoke. “I don’t know what kind of Battle Monster you are, but you look really strong!” he said, the simpleminded optimism of his cross form overriding any apprehension he ordinarily would have felt, “If we stand as one, there's nothing to fear, and if we work together, we’ll escape from here!” Accentuating his point, the peppy would-be youth pumped his fist into the air and extended his hand to the smiling amalgamate.

The sudden movement caught Argo’s eye and, realizing that he had spent the last thirty seconds trying to argue with a cat, cleared his throat and stood next to Rass. Extending his hand to mirror the pink-shirted navi, he nodded, “Uh… yeah! What the kid said!” he grunted, forcing a smile, “Come uh… come be bros with us!”

SeraphimCross Rass
1: Move self and decoy onto shine panels
2: Battle Monster: Argoyle (create decoy “BTMN Trainer Rass”)
3: Fistbump MeleeBros
Decoy: Beckon Amalgam onto shine panels near Rass/KitTem/Argo

MeleeCross Argo
1: Move self over onto shine panels
2: Fistbump KitTem
3: Beckon Amalgam onto shine panels near Rass/KitTem/Argo.

(Turn Splice)

--**--Real World--**--

As Argo’s enraged outburst echoed throughout the laboratory, Suien felt himself tense up, turning his attention away from Ema to the monitor on Argo’s side. “Ohhhh no no no no no,” muttered Suien, whirling in place and hunching over his PET, “Argo? What’s wrong? Is everything okay over there?

AFFIRMATIVE, OPERATOR SUIEN MATSUMOTO, was Ishamel’s robotic reply, SYSTEM ISHAMEL HAS REACHED A SPECIAL EVENT FLAG WITH SYSTEM ARGO

Suien’s brow furrowed in confusion and concern. “Wait, Ishamel? What do you mean 'special event flag?'" he demanded before shaking his head, "Nevermind. Look, can you just put Argo on?”

NEGATIVE. COMMUNICATIONS UPLINK TO CORE UNIT ARGO HAS BEEN DISABLED. RESOLUTION OF SPECIAL EVENT MUST BE THROUGH SUPPORT SYSTEM ISHAMEL TO MAXIMIZE EMPATHY POINTS. I HAVE A PLAN

Em…. Empathy points? Ishamel, I don’t care if you have a plan, this isn’t a game!” shouted Suien, his fingers flying across the PET keyboard, “Ishamel? Ishamel?! ISHAMEL!”

--**--Argo.EXE--**--

The heavily-breathing Argo glared off toward his discarded helmet, the viral amalgamation all but forgotten. Beads of sweat appeared on his heavily furrowed brow as he glowered and fumed.

CORE SYSTEM ARGO, began Ishamel, uncharacteristically apologetic despite his robotic monotone, SYSTEM ISHAMEL DID NOT MEAN TO IMPLY THAT YOU WERE WEAK. ON THE CONTRARY…

“Shut the &%$# up, Ishy, I ain’t talkin’ to you!” pouted Argo, “Maybe you’re right though. You sure as &%$% don’t know how to talk to me. You don’t understand %$&$.”

Ishamel didn’t say anything to Argo in response, but a moment later, a large chat popup window burst into existence near Argo, within full view of the Amalgamate. However, rather than the typical communications interface he and the other subsystems had been using, this one appeared more… vibrant, almost cartoonish, with a myriad of UI adornments that were not immediately decipherable. Despite the ornamentation, however, the screen was dark, with no discernable person on the other side. Argo’s frown deepened as he glanced downward toward the buster cannon on his left arm. “I know I’m gonna regret asking, but the $%&$ is this, Ishy?” he demanded.

Ishamel again had no response, but Argo heard a familiar voice booming from the display.

Quote (MeleeMan)

“Come along, ARGO there is much more to be done yet!"
(Source: “Melee and Rass Take to the Streets”)

MeleeMan - or rather, what appeared to be a highly-stylized approximation of MeleeMan - faded into view on the new display. As opposed to the burly, hulking frame of the original, this MeleeMan was slender (though still somewhat muscular), with an angular, clean-shaven jaw and a small mouth twisted into a wry grin. A slim-fitted burgundy dress shirt with the top two buttons undone replaced the original’s skinsuit, and this Electopian facsimile wore, inexplicably, a flowing, gold-trimmed black cape instead of a trailing black jacket. The familiar stone-gray helmet/mask combination completed the ensemble, though this MeleeMan’s helmet was more closely-fitted and sleekly-stylized, looking more suitable for a masquerade ball than a battlefield. The bishounen bruiser stood in an aloof pose, body faced perpendicular to the camera, with his arms crossed across his chest.

Argo frowned so deeply it overpowered his glare, pushing his eyebrows upward in the center of his face. “Ishy…. what the HELL do you think you’re doing?!”

“Whoops, voice emulation diagnostic test… la… li… lu… le… lo….” was “MeleeMan’s” gruff reply, sounding uncomfortably similar to the original MeleeMan despite his new Electopian redesign. As he spoke, “MeleeMan’s” body did not move an inch - rather, only his mouth moved in loose synchronization with his words, which in turn appeared transcribed in a text box at the bottom of the display. “Yeah, this is MeleeMan. I don’t know this ‘Ishy,’ but I’m here for you, bro.”

Argo looked taken aback, shocked both at Ishamel’s audacity and the sheer absurdity of the situation, “You’re &%$&in’ me. You can’t trick me! That’s you, Ishy! I’m… ninety seven percent sure of it!”

“I said I don’t know any Ishama… any Ishy!” shouted “MeleeMan,” his image instantaneously changing to a dynamic, yet equally unmoving pose, his daintily-gloved hand pointing accusingly toward the camera, “I am MeleeMan! Your best bro!”

With that, “MeleeMan’s” image shifted back into the aloof, crossed-arm pose. “You know that lame friend of yours? Rass? Well I’m the MeleeMan from his memory data or something. Nerd stuff. Anyways, I heard that you, my best bro, were having some problems, and I thought I’d help you with some fisting!”

Argo shook his head. He wasn’t stupid enough to fall for this charade. This was Ishamel talking through that weird algorithm. He was seventy percent sure. “Alright, fine. Thanks, ‘MeleeMan,’ but I got this under control.” he said, halfheartedly playing along. With extra vitriol, he added, “My idiot subsystem was just spoutin’ some bull%$#& about how I’m afraid of bein’ weak. Which is absurd. Because I’m awesome.

“MeleeMan’s” image changed again, which saw the navi looking upward contemplatively with a gloved finger tapping his cheek, “Oh, that’s too bad. Your subsystem sounds like a pretty chill bro.” he said. Argo rolled his eyes as “MeleeMan” continued, “But I’m sure he’d tell you that you’re not weak. Not at all.” The image shifted once more, with “MeleeMan” now adopting a rather glamorous pose that showed off his slender arms while a sparkle effect flashed on the display. “You’re a real man, like me.”

--**--Real World--**--

Suien stared, flabbergasted at the scene that was rapidly unfolding on Argo’s side of the monitor.

”I… have no explanation for this,” he said, to nobody in particular.

--**--Rass.EXE--**--

“Are we being ignored? I f-feel like we’re being ignored” said Rass, glancing upward toward the sky for any sign of guidance from Suien, “That means we’re okay, right? S-Suien’s telling us to keep doing what we’re doing?”

Hmm… yes, I suppose a lack of communication from Suien could be interpreted as a grant of mandate. mused Tem, as she warily regarded the skittish amalgamate, Though I suppose an equally valid interpretation is that he’s preoccupied with Argo… or with little Miss Ezalith up there. Regardless, we’ve had decent fortune following your proposed course, so I will continue to do so. Lead away.

Rass nodded, taking a cautious step forward toward the amalgamate. “Well… I think he’s still n-nervous around us,” he said, “Is there anything we can do to… I dunno, make him more comfortable? Show him that we’re the s-same?”

Tem glanced upward from Rass’ chest. Rass, we’re not the same. Clearly that creature could be classified as a “fusion” of different entities, but it looks like it doesn’t have complete control over the viral signatures amalgamated to its chassis. As such, its data structure seems to be perpetually in flux. We, by contrast, are relatively stable, and have limited ability to shapeshift to accommodate our component parts, she said, Assuming for the moment that we wanted to emphasize our nature as a “fusion” of different entities, our options are limited. In fact, since we don’t even have a graphic model override handy, I’d say that we have no options to change our shape… except…

Tem trailed off, apparently realizing something. Rass was about to poke his chest when he heard her make a deep and resigned sigh. “Except what? D-Did you think of something?”

There…. There’s a way, she said finally, Rass, make another appeal to that thing. I’ll access that... gamer dork’s battle data and provide a demonstrative exhibit.

--**--Argo.EXE--**--

“....Look, ‘MeleeMan,’ I… get what you’re sayin’, but I’m tellin’ you, I’m super strong! I don’t need your help for nothin’ at all,” said Argo. The former subsystem was still only half-convinced that this was the actual MeleeMan, but had nevertheless seemingly abandoned the majority of his acrimony, “I mean you…. or uh, MeleeMan... doesn’t take crap from nobody. You don’t need to worry about people thinkin’ you’re weak.”

“See, that’s where you’re all mixed up,” replied the helmeted hero, “You’ve gotta act tough in front of your enemies, but it’s okay to let someone else watch your back every once in a while. You’ve gotta trust your friends. Trust is like a dramatic cross-counter in the tenth round! It goes both ways!”

Argo didn’t quite get “MeleeMan’s” analogy, but nodded anyways, “So… you’re sayin’ I ain’t gotta prove myself to Ishy and Tem and Rasshole? That I can trust them to not… leave me?”

“Of course! There’s nothing more manly than trust!” shouted “MeleeMan,” shifting to his dynamic pointing pose, “When you’re staring down hundreds of foes, you’ve got to trust your friends! For example, when I’m pounding some dude, I can’t be looking out for someone trying to take me from behind! That’s why I’ve got someone like Rass to beat off anyone who tries! Me and Rass are bros, y’see? Just like you and Ishy. Best bros. Man bros.”

Argo looked like he wanted to say something… or rather, five somethings…. but shook his head instead. “Right, okay,” he muttered, “Thanks, MeleeMan. I’ll think about it.”

“Hah! I told you! I’m your best bro! Heck yeah I’ve got your back!” laughed “MeleeMan.” The fabulous fighter’s enthusiasm was so infectious that even Argo couldn’t suppress a small grin. Suddenly, “MeleeMan’s” image shifted into a particularly alluring pose. “And don’t worry!” he said, “Because we’re best bros, I’m gonna enter you!”

Any semblance of a smile from Argo’s face disappeared instantly. “Say what now?”

“Maybe that’s not what I’m trying to say. What I’m saying is I’ve been inside you all…this… time!” the display zeroed in on “MeleeMan’s” face, punctuating each of his last three words with a dramatic zoom, complete with action lines.

As Argo recoiled in alarm, he felt something shift inside of him. EMPATHY THRESHOLD MET. SPECIAL GIFT UNLOCKED. shouted Ishamel, as the crimson buster rifle on Argo’s left disappeared and was replaced by Argo’s burly arm.

The former subsystem’s eyes widened as he felt his internal processor overclocked itself, accessing the treasured M.E.L.E.E. subroutines and integrating MeleeMan’s data with his own, a crimson aura began to flare up around his body. Suddenly, Argo’s metallic green armor exploded off of him as his muscle mass dramatically increased, the heavy plates falling to the network with a dull thud. After a few moments, the only remnants of Argo’s armor were his boots, helmet, and gauntleted fists. Argo smirked as his remaining armor pieces started to glow white hot, emitting a rapidly-brightening light that lit up the immediate vicinity. A blinding flash later, Argo’s helmet and fists took on the stone-gray appearance akin to the original Meleeman’s.

“Oh good, communications are back up! Argo?! If I’m reading this correctly, it says your optical sensors are being impaired by your helmet. Is everything okay? Can you see?

“Bwahahaha! I don’t need to use my eyes to see where I’m goin’! After all, real men…” a crimson flash erupted as Ishamel burst into Argo’s gauntlets, each gaining a single mechanical eye on the knuckle, “...SEE WITH THEIR FISTS!”

--**--Real World--**--

Watching from his vantage point, Suien watched as, at the same time, a burst of protoplasm erupted from Rass’ body and slammed into the network a short distance away from the fusion navi. With a cheery victory fanfare, the remaining protoplasm shifted and tightened into a small animal form as Seraphim.EXE’s battle data overwrote Rass’ own. First, a quartet of lithe, furry paws, next, a lofty azure tail, and finally, a feline face with triangular ears and beady black eyes. A flash of blue light later, KitTem appeared, fully materialized onto the network, and idly licked a paw as she seated herself next to her “trainer.”

A moment later, Suien’s face appeared on a monitor beside KitTem, “Tch, finally. I’ve managed to get you both connected after Ishamel's stunt,” he said, “Listen, I’ve got a few rough ideas on how to get you all out of here, but you’re going to need that thing’s help.”

“There are two problems that we need to solve before we can get all three of you out of there.” explained Suien, glancing over at Ema for reassurance before continuing, “The first problem we need to solve is how to get everyone’s synchronization rating to maximum. Fortunately, I think that your new friend might have a method of doing just that… and it’s a trick you’ve seen before, too.“

Quote (Not long ago…)

With both Argo and Rass holding back their firepower for the moment, Suien got through the role of coordinator once again, and had both of them stand on the glowing paneling. Immediately after both of them entered the area, the other received a surprise in the form of an exact copy of each other on both sides appearing.

“Rass, Argo, you need to convince the amalgamate to open up those weird shine panels around this sector!” said Suien, ”If we can consolidate all three of you onto the same set of panels, that should provide us with a centralized location for us to zero in on with a jack-out signal. Get that done, and I’ll work on the next phase of the plan out here.”

--**--Rass.EXE--**--

Both Rass and (Kit)Tem heard Suien's directive, though with the S.A.S.S. engaged, neither was entirely sure how to approach carrying it out. Tem, in her blue feline form, stared blankly upward toward Rass. "KitTem! Tem Tem KitTem!" she yowled, after a moment, as if to emphasize the limitations of her present configuration.

Getting the hint, Rass cleared his throat and addressed the amalgamate as he gestured toward KitTem, “Ah... hail, fellow adventurer! We have traveled across the land, searching far and wide for someone who understands the power we have inside!” he announced, cheerfully taking a step toward the creature, “I know with you and me, we can fulfill our destiny and be together forever!”

Great, I forgot that Rass’ higher cognitive functions are impaired in this form, thought Tem, her feline eyes narrowing judgmentally, If all he’s going to be doing is spouting empty platitudes, it looks like I’ll have to take matters into my own paws this time.

With that, KitTem sidled up against the amalgamate, purring as she bunted her catlike body into the creature’s legs. She feigned affection as best she could, allowing the velvety fuzz of her fur to lightly tickle the amalgam’s legs as she meandered around. Suddenly, she leaped away, looking forlornly into the distance as though searching for something. The small feline darted around, with mounting panic, as she attempted to pantomime a search for her missing “other half.”

Alright you cluster of junk data, help the little kitty out. she thought, as she pawed the air helplessly, ...and I swear, Argo, you’d better not screw this up…

--**--Argo.EXE--**--

QUERY CORE SYSTEM ARGO: OPTIMIZATION OF CHARISMA COEFFICIENT REQUIRES GENERATION OF A DESIGNATION FOR THIS COMBAT CONFIGURATION. GENERATING OPTIONS… COMPLETE. OPTION 1: “ISHYBROS” OPTION 2: “ARGOBROS.” STATE YOUR PREFERENCE, CORE SYSTEM

“Nah, those names are undynamic as hell, Ishy,” quipped Argo, smirking as he discharged a burst of steam from his gauntleted hand, “but I like the way you think, ‘Bro.’ Keep thinkin’ on it while we pound…. er… negotiate this fool into dust - I’m sure we can come up with somethin’.”

“Argo, Rass initialized his SeraphCross, which means that… uh… you’ll be doing most of the talking this time,” said Suien, “Remember, you need to get him to make a batch of those shine panels

“Hah, seriously?! Tem’s in that kitty form?” laughed Argo, “She hates that %$&$. Why’d she want to do that?”

“I imagine it’s because she thought it’d convince the amalgamate to see her as a friend.” replied Suien wryly, “I mean, that’s why you and Ishamel decided to go into MeleeCross, right?

Argo bristled. “Fine, fine. I got this. Hey, uh…. Friend!” he announced, extending his hand in a friendly gesture, “As you can plainly see, we’ve got uh… a lot of different parts inside of us! We need your help though - have you seen a uh… a doofy kid and a blue cat anywhere around here? I need to find them, but I don’t see them.”

Argo made an exaggerated show of looking around, before placing his gauntleted hands together in an ameliorating gesture, “If you can make it so I can see those two twerps, I can help us all get outta this weird place. Be a bro, will ya?”

--**--Real World--**--

Quote (Not long ago...)

From the back of his head, a small blob-shaped antenna also sprang out, just as the entire area flashed an eye-blinding bright green. An astute observer might have noticed that the transformation made the Navi look very much like a Twin-series virus, known to plague the Netopian networks. In the green skies, the repeating words from before disappeared, replaced by "BOOT SUCCESSFUL" for a couple of seconds before dimming out into the blank void of before.

Swiveling around in his chair, he turned to address Ema. I think you had mentioned before that only a Navi with a high synchronization rating could reconstitute and escape this system.” he said, adjusting his glasses as he spoke, “My plan is twofold - first, we'll use the shine panels to get Rass and Argo’s synchronization to maximum. Then we'll boost the amalgam’s synchronization rating by forcing out the Twins viral aspect. Based on what I can tell, the Twins are what allow the amalgam to survive in two places at once, and there seems to be a relationship between the Replication Integrity Scan and the Twins aspect manifesting itself. Thus, if we can trigger a jack-out signal the instant the Twins manifest themselves, that might get everyone’s synchronization level to a high enough point to get everyone jacked out at once.”

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms, a single index finger anxiously tapping his bicep as he glanced sideways toward his PET, glancing between the dual screens and Ema. “All I need is a means of triggering a Replication Integrity Scan. That’s the best I could come up with…. what do you think?” he asked.

Finish Turn 1

3: Pep talk.
4: Activate MeleeCross - +1 Action, Type Change to Fire/Melee (Melee Mastery/Bash) to demonstrate kinship
5: Ask .Amalgam to create “shine” panels

3: Activate SeraphCross - Type Change to Normal/Ground (Preserver/Tectonic Shift) to demonstrate kinship
4: Battle Monster: KitTem (create decoy “BTMN Trainer Rass”)
5: Ask .Amalgam to create “shine” panels

Hey there. I’m working on getting a portfolio of object chips together, and I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve got a Timpani chip for sale. 3600z seems like a fair price.

-Suien

*attached: 3600z