A Boy and His Stove Part 9-2

"Really Mr. Terry, I'm sorry! I'm so-so-so-so-so-so-so-sorry! I didn't mean to let a bad Navi get me, I-"

"And I've told you a hundred times that sorry doesn't cut it, you moron! You botched our mission, and now we're gonna pay the price for it! I hope you're happy!"

"Aw, Mr. Terry..."

"SHUT UP! Things are bad enough as it is, and I don't need your whining to make it worse!" Terry shut his PET off so he wouldn't have to deal with DynamoMan's blubbering, and set it in his pocket while he strolled down the underground base's sinister dimly lit hallways. He was glad he did so, because now DynamoMan couldn't tell just how shaken up he was at what was to come. 'Useless Navi!' Terry thought, trembling slightly while a wave of nausea thrashed around in the pit of his stomach, 'You were supposed to be an upgrade from SparkMan, not a downgrade! Now that you blew our mission to hell... who knows what the boss will do to us?!"

While he approached Takuma Saisei's "war room", Terry felt his legs grow weaker while he reflected on his past experiences prior to throwing in his lot with the terrorist cell. From electronics shop assistant, to underground Netbattler, to petty Netcriminal... While he gradually became more of an unpleasant person after being disowned by his grandfather, it was still an enormous leap to take for a two-bit punk like Terry Jomon. A leap that he seriously, seriously should have thought about before joining the Omega Initiative: petty crimes like mugging, thievery, and intimidation were pretty easy to do with minimal consequences if caught. But when you're carrying out jobs like spreading widespread electrical mayhem across Elec Town for a primitivist nutcase of a terrorist... serious netcriminals like him, Wily, and their ilk were far, far less forgiving. People like them want to send the world to hell, a process that's harder when your lackeys botch jobs and let the feds stomp all over them. And when you're aiming that high, you can't afford to keep around detrimental idiots around for that long. No, you had to get rid of them permanently...

Terry soon found himself right outside the War Room, indicated by two impressive olive-green tapestries lining the walls surrounding the enormous door, each of which was decorated with an enormous black omega symbol. And standing at the front was none other than Saisei's right hand man Yahoot, who had his arms folded as he grinned ever-so-slightly at the approaching Terry.

"Mr. Jomon, just in time for dinner, I see." Yahoot remarked stoically. Trying his best not to shiver too much, the pale-in-the-face Terry nodded curtly.

"Yeah. Uh... is the boss..."

"Expecting you, yes." Yahoot confirmed, "Mr. Saisei was hoping to discuss the results of today's mission with you over a nice plate of traditional Yumland curry. And now that you are here, I see no reason to keep Mr. Saisei waiting."


Before Terry could protest or stall a bit, Yahoot opened the door, revealing Mr. Saisei seated at the head of a long, curved desk. From the War Room, Terry could hear a somewhat relaxing, if sinister song that was being performed by a group of Net Navis broadcasted on a large monitor above Mr. Saisei's head, with Mr. Saisei's personal Navi KomusoMan providing the haunting melody via bamboo flute.

"Ah, Terry!" Mr. Saisei greeted, his powerful voice laced with a friendly tone, "Please take a seat over here! We have much to discuss this evening." To Terry's misfortune, Mr. Saisei pointed to the seat directly across from him.

"Well, looks like it's too late to run." Terry swallowed down another nervous lump as he stumbled his way into the War Room and took his seat across from Mr. Saisei, who was looking quite dashing in a charcoal suit. Terry however refused to look Mr. Saisei in the eyes and decided to stare down at the ornate oak table, not even paying attention when Yahoot approached the table, produced a platter seemingly from nowhere, and placed a plate of delicious-smelling curry and rice under his nose.

"Ah, it smells delicious, Yahoot!" Mr. Saisei praised before trying a spoonful of curry from his own plate after Yahoot set it down, "And the taste... oh, it's to die for! Have you tried this yet, Terry?"

"I'm not hungry." Terry mumbled, pushing his plate of curry away.

"Really now?" Mr. Saisei responded, cocking an eyebrow, "If memory serves, you are always the first of us to clear your plate. Where on Earth has your appetite gone, Terry?"

Terry didn't reply, but his eyes nervously shot from side to side. 'Oh come on! You know what the issue is! Just go ahead and punish me already! Oh god, I hope it doesn't hurt too bad...!'


"Mr. Jomon appears to be quite distressed, Master Saisei." KomusoMan pointed out, the Navi band's music having stopped abruptly, "The way he sweats, the way he glances across the room like a panicky shrew... there is discord deep in his heart. That much is certain."

"Really now?" Mr. Saisei asked quizzically, "Well what seems to be troubling you, Terry?" But before Terry could respond, Mr. Saisei's eyes beamed as he was hit by a realization. "AH! I suppose it has to do with your performance evaluation, is that correct?"

"Uh... well..." Terry then sighed. What's the use of lying when your terrorist boss is sitting right in front of you. He gave a resigned sigh and answered with a rather meek "Yes..."


"Ah... I see." To Terry's surprise, Mr. Saisei resumed smiling in his kind, fatherly way. And he was terrified: What would he do now? Would he calmly kill him with a smile on his face? Suddenly fly into a rage and beat him like a speed bag? But all Mr. Saisei did was shake his head and chuckle a bit. "Terry, I am your ally! Your brother-in-arms in this war against Net Society! There is no need to fear me! The fact that you would be terrified to report back to me after a job well done... that is quite a shame."

"Wait... a job well done... that's what you said, right?!" Terry asked in disbelief, his stomach unclenching considerably. Mr. Saisei's answer was a nod.

"Of course, Terry! You proved the might of the Omega Initiative to the denizens of Elec Town! You showed them that we are unflinching in our cause, that we are not to be trifled with! You performed your role admirably!"

This... was the last thing Terry was expecting, to be honest. He remembered his time working under his grandpa, where the slightest slip-up, the tiniest mistake was grounds for an earful from the old man. He expected far worse, at least having a finger broken considering what he had seen with the criminal circles he ran with. But Mr. Saisei was... congratulating him. It was an alien sensation, and yet satisfying all the same. "Well... thank you! Seriously!" Terry answered his boss before letting out a huge sigh of relief, "But... well, my stupid Navi got himself deleted! And thanks to him, we couldn't keep that Virus generator running as long as we could all because that bonehead-"

"Terry, relax." Mr. Saisei scolded gently, "Your Navi's deletion does not change the fact that the test run was a complete success. We now know for a fact that the generator program works, and that when broadcasted can generate hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Viruses over a signal's radius! The fact that you weren't caught en route to the testing grounds, the fact that you weren't apprehended afterwards, and the lack of Net Officials knocking on our door are all signs that this was a job well done. So feel free to celebrate, my boy! In fact... Yahoot!"

"You need not ask, Mr. Saisei." Yahoot replied coolly as he produced another platter seemingly from nowhere, this time with two wine glasses and a bottle of champagne resting on its surface. He set the glasses near both Terry and Mr. Saisei, popped the bottle's cork (To Terry's annoyance it was done the boring way, with no rocketing cork and the jet of liquid that accompanied) and filled them to the brim with the vibrant yellow booze. "Drink up, gentlemen."

"Thank you very much, Yahoot!" Mr. Saisei thanked Yahoot before turning to Terry and lifting his glass. "Well now Terry, how's this for a celebration?"

"Pretty good, Mr. Saisei. Pretty good." Terry replied with a chuckle, now completely convinced that Mr. Saisei didn't bear him any ill will. With a slight grin on his face, he and Mr. Saisei clinked their glasses and took a sip. Mr. Saisei gave a content sigh, but Terry's... was a bit more vulgar.

"OH CHRIST!" Terry dropped his glass on the table and spewed a fountain of champagne from his mouth. While his drink spilled all over the table he continued to sputter and spit, desperately trying to erase the fizzy drink's surprisingly strong taste from his mouth before grabbing a hunk of curry and devouring it. After a few more handfuls the taste was eliminated by the spicy curry's more pleasurable flavor, and Terry was at ease once more.

"I take it you're not a fan." Mr. Saisei stated with a hint of whimsy in his tone. When Terry let his actions sink, he blushed a deep red while Yahoot grimaced and shook his head in a disapproving manner.

"Yeah... I'm really sorry about that." Terry apologized, shame clear in his voice. Mr. Saisei simply laughed it off and stretched before scooping up a spoonful of curry.

"No need to apologize, Terry." Mr. Saisei responded before pursuing a more important manner. "Now as far as I'm concerned, the first phase of erasing Net Society has passed without a hitch! Which of course means that it's time we moved on to phase 2. Yahoot!"

"Yes sir?"

"How is the analysis of MegaMan's data coming along?"

'MEGAMAN!' That name alone made Terry's blood boil. Just the mere thought of that stupid blue Navi made Terry want to punch something. Even if his grandpa disowned him, it wouldn't have happened if that stupid Navi and his brat operator didn't ruin everything! The way he lost that tournament match, and his grandpa disowning him in front of a crowd of spectators right afterward... as humiliating as it was, it made it all the sweeter to know that MegaMan was under the thumb of the Omega Initiative. To think that he'd join the group that would avenge his loss to that idiot...

"MagicMan finished a few minutes ago, actually." Yahoot responded cooly before trailing off. "MegaMan... I knew during my days working under Lord Wily that he was a powerful Navi... but things have changed considerably since our last encounter. Last time, a shot of Life Virus energy was all MagicMan needed to bring MegaMan to his knees. But to think that he could withstand Cybeast possession! Cybeast possession! Perhaps if Wily sought to capture him instead of try to delete him, we would already be in an age without this putrid Net Society holding us back."

"Well, that is just one of many mistakes Wily made during the World Three's heyday. Suffice to say, we shall improve off of where he went wrong." Mr. Saisei stated icily, "But anyway Yahoot, now that MegaMan's code has been analyzed, would you be so kind as to send him off for further testing with the next chance you get?"

"It shall be done, sir." Without missing a beat, Yahoot hauled both platters away as he made his way back to his quarters. After Yahoot took his leave, Terry slouched back in his chair and sighed before taking another bite.

"So Mr. Saisei, what's next for me? You want me to go out and install more of those Virus generating programs?"

"That won't be necessary." Mr. Saisei responded curtly, "I don't need to risk making any unnecessary movements. We know that the programs work, to plant more and more is unneeded, reckless, and highly counter-productive." Mr. Saisei then shifted in his seat and began to lecture Terry almost like a school teacher. "You see Terry, the telltale sign of competent revolutionaries is that they can achieve the great change they seek in the fewest moves possible. To bring the change this world needs, we only need to make several decisive moves. Every action I supervise gives the Net Police and the Officials another opportunity to strike us with a crippling blow, and the last thing we need to do is sabotage our good efforts by acting foolishly. Now if you will excuse me..."

'Well that makes sense, I suppose.' Terry shrugged, as Mr. Saisei's logic was pretty sound. He noticed that Mr. Saisei was hastily typing a message into his PET, which only took a few seconds. He then put away the PET and faced Terry with a small smile on his face.

"Now Terry, what I want you to do is to relax and celebrate a job well done! Lounge about at your leisure! It will be some time before I require your services again."

'Well, no complaints here!' "Thanks, Mr. Saisei!" Terry whipped out his PET, shot out of his chair, and began to head back to his quarters before remembering something that he felt Mr. Saisei would be interested in. "Oh, Mr. Saisei! You know what exactly happened when I had DynamoMan plant the Virus Generator?"

"What?"

"That Lan Hikari brat tried to stop me!" As expected, that genuinely surprised Mr. Saisei, who raised an eyebrow in response.

"Did he now? Was he the one who deleted DynamoMan?"

"No, that was ProtoMan. You know, the Net Navi of that twelve year old official, Chaud? Lan's got this stupid-looking stove Navi now. DynamoMan was stomping on him before that stupid ProtoMan bailed him out!" Yes, it was an embellishment. But Terry sure as hell wasn't about to admit that DynamoMan was on the ropes after StoveMan began to fight back.

"My, how the mighty have fallen." Mr. Saisei remarked, his tone surprisingly a bit solemn despite the spiteful words. "But thank you for telling me, Terry. It appears that he was only as powerful as MegaMan was after all."

"Serves that little brat right for ruining my life!" Terry cackled nastily, falling silent when he heard the sound of footsteps make their way towards the War Room.

"Ah, that must be Mitsu." Mr. Saisei remarked as the footsteps grew louder. "My dear Mitsu, how are you on this fine evening?"

"Doing GREAT, Mister Saisei! Buzz buzz!"

'Oh great...' Terry rolled his eyes when the approaching woman skipped into the room. Standing right next to him was his fellow Omega Initiative member Mitsu, a petite, pale brunette of a woman dressed in a set of black jeans and a rather gaudy yellow T-shirt with a bee emblem emblazoned on the front, while a yellow and black striped jacket was wrapped around her waits like some sort of makeshift belt/skirt hybrid. He hadn't known her for long, but her grating personality was already driving Terry off the deep end.

"Glad to hear, Mitsu! Glad to hear, indeed." After the formalities, Mr. Saisei's eyes took on a more serious glint. "Now I trust that you are up to speed with current events?"

"A-buzz-solutely, Mister Saisei!" Mitsu confirmed with a salute, causing Terry to cringe, "Terry tested the Virus Generator, which means that we're gonna move on to Phase 2, buzz buzz!"

"You're right on point, Mitsu!" Mr. Saisei replied before letting out a booming laugh. "Now, the appointed date is approaching quickly. I trust you can do what must be done for the sake of our revolution?"

"A-buzz-solutely!"

'Stop... PLEASE stop...'

"I'd take on the whole WORLD to get revenge against our toxic Net Society! Buzz buzz BUZZ! Trust me Mister Saisei, those rich jerks won't know what stung'em, buzz buzz BUZZZZZZZ!"

"Good, good!" Mr. Saisei praised with a nod. "Now, away with you Mitsu! You will need all the time you can to make sure things go without a hitch!"

"Roger, Mister Saisei! The Animal Avenger Mitsu signing out, buzz buzz!" And with that, Mitsu ran out of the room, arms stretched behind her like an airplane while buzzing like an idiot. Terry simply shook his head and sighed while staring into his hands. 'That girl's mental. Absolutely, positively MENTAL... What in the world does Mr. Saisei see in such a nicompoop? Though I suppose I'll be finding out soon... you better not screw this up, Mitsu!'