#nettoverse

The other navi definitely had his face, but certain other details were different. He had the same orange gloves and boots, but his bodysuit was a plain black compared to his own dark orange. He also wore a full orange helmet, with a white antenna on both sides and short tufts of dark artificial hair poking out at the back. All the same, the Hikari family crest rested on the front of his helmet, the sides, and on his chest. But perhaps the biggest (and most curious) difference was that the other navi had brown eyes.

Hub's eyes.

"Whoa...!" The delayed shock finally struck Megaman, and he jumped in surprise. "Who are you? Why do you look like me??"

"That's what I wanna know!" said the lookalike, seeming oddly less surprised than Megaman figured he should be, and far more excited. "You're a Netto too, right?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Ah, wait, you go by Lan, don't you?"

Megaman's eyes widened slightly at the use of his real name, and he forced out a rather unconvincing laugh. "I dunno where you got that name from, but you're looking at the one and only Megaman!"

The other navi's eyes lit up in a surge of excitement. "No way! You go by Megaman too??"

Megaman deflated slightly. "Y-Yeah...? Is that name common around...wherever we are?"

"Sorta," said the other Megaman, "But in my case, I'm not usually a navi."

"Aaaaand you lost me," said Megaman, his brows furrowed in confusion, and brought a hand to his chin. "Hey, wait. If you're really another me, then...were you made the same way?"

The other Megaman shrugged. "I dunno, did you and your Rockman fight an ancient net entity that grants people's wishes by warping reality?"

Megaman merely blinked in silence.

The other Megaman grinned sheepishly, rubbing his hand against the nape of his neck. "Guess not."

Megaman let out a small sigh and shifted into a sitting position. "Normally I don't like to talk about when I was made. But, weirdly enough, I feel like I could talk to you about it because you remind me of more than just...well, me. You kinda remind me of Hub, too."

The other Megaman tilted his head with curious interest, moving to join him on the ground. "Who's Hub?"

"He's my operator. He's kind of shy and quiet, but he's a really nice and friendly kid. He's also really smart and focused!! Without him, I never would've stood a chance against World Three or anybody else!"

"Hey," said the other Megaman suddenly, "Just, out of curiosity, are you and Hub...twins?"

Megaman's eyes widened. "I...how'd you know?"

The other Megaman gave a weak smile. "Normally, I can be pretty clueless about a lot of things. But, if you're me, and you're a navi, and you were made, then...I think I understand."

Brown eyes locked with green.

"You were the one who had HBD, weren't you?"

Megaman gulped, but it was more of a phantom reflex than anything else. "...Yeah. When we were born, Hub turned out perfectly healthy, but...I wasn't so lucky." He shook his head, as though to ward off any negative thoughts. "But Dad didn't wanna give up on me. He worked day and night, trying to incorporate my DNA with the Navi Project to bring me back. And eventually, right around Hub's 10th birthday...there I was, all finished and ready to meet him. We've been together ever since: stopping netcrime and making the world a better place for humans and navis to live peacefully." He tilted his head downward. "I just wish we weren't always separated by a screen."

A silence hung between the two orange navis. Neither was entirely sure what to say next.

"...Are you mad at your dad?"

Megaman looked to his counterpart. "For what?"

"For doing that to you. Did he ever make you feel...inferior? Like you were just a backup of the real Lan?"

Megaman's brow raised. Where was this coming from? "Not...really? I mean, for a while I couldn't tell Hub who I was even though I really wanted to, and it was kinda hard to keep it secret, but other than that...Dad always seemed to think of me as Lan. I mean...I feel like I'm the real Lan. Never really had any reason to doubt myself."

The other Megaman hummed flatly. "Gotcha."

Feeling a sense of concern, Megaman side-eyed his counterpart. "Is...is your Hub okay?"

The other Megaman gave a solemn nod. "His name's Saito, actually, but he also goes by Rockman. And...he wasn't okay for a while, but I didn't know it at first. He'd been building fences around his true feelings and keeping them hidden, so I never knew just how much he was hurting." He brought a hand to his chest. "He was so scared at first when the entity switched our places. I had to keep reminding him to breathe just so he wouldn't pass out. I could tell he was really excited to be human and getting to just, live, y'know? But he felt like he didn't deserve it, like he'd stolen my life from me. Like he'd stolen Saito's life."

He looked back to Megaman, though the melancholy on his face had given way to vigor, and his brown eyes shone with it. "But after everything we've been through together, especially on Torishima...I feel like those fences are finally gone, and me and Saito are closer than ever! Brothers, no matter what!"

That smile was infectious, and Megaman couldn't help himself. "Yeah...just like me and Hub! Nothing can stop us, 'cause no matter what, we're always connected!" He then sighed defeatedly. "I just wish one of them was here now, they could help us find a way out of this place."

"I guess we better go find the others then."

Megaman did a double take. "Others??"

"Yeah! You didn't think we were the only ones here, did you?" He stood up and gestured for Megaman to follow him. "C'mon!"

The two walked for some time, though exactly how long, Megaman wasn't certain. For all he knew, time may not even exist in this endless white void. But, soon enough, they came upon a growing crowd, and Megaman's eyes widened.

An entire group of other Lans, or Nettos, or whatever they called themselves, stood amongst each other. They were either chatting, laughing, or just looking around in excited confusion. Some were navis, just like him. Others seemed to be completely human. At least one of them even appeared to be a girl.

Netto Megaman slung his arm around his shocked counterpart's shoulder. "We still don't really know where we are, but since it just seems to be other Nettos and Lans here, I've been calling it 'the Nettoverse'! Pretty cool, huh? It's like something out of a superhero movie!"

His mind spinning faster than he could keep up with, Lan Megaman shook his head.