Chapter 1
(Alex first person)
Many would ask how this started. What is the beginning? After all, XANA had been defeated for six years now. He was gone, for good this time. So what happened? Where did it all go wrong?
It could be easy to say our story was over. We had defeated XANA, but a story is not finished from the conquering of a conflict, but it needs a happy ending first – a happily-ever-after.
The computer did not stay off forever, of course. It all started our senior year when Jeremie was doing some 3D modeling for his robot to compete in that year's robo-wars. Next it was Odd who needed it, when student loans his freshman year of college weren't cutting it, and he needed some extra money.
Then it was a spiral, and it would continuously be turned on and off, until, eventually, we just left it on. I got used to the adverse effects turning off the computer had on my body, just losing my breath eventually.
I suppose I should start with the major life events since then, now.
We had all gone on to different colleges, and, though our homes were miles and miles away from each other, we still met up every break, right back at the lab.
Jeremie had found a way to spawn monsters, giving us the opportunity to use Lyoko like a playground, a way to get our minds off of the stresses of college.
Jeremie, Aelita, Crystal, and I had all gone to the same college in France, near Jeremie's home a couple of hours from our previous school. Aelita and I had informed Jeremie's mother that our parents were not busy people, but we were, in fact, orphaned, and so she accepted us with tears in her eyes like the children she'd never had.
Ulrich and Yumi had chosen their college together in Germany. Odd followed their lead.
Peter and Angel also chose the same college. William, who had had no college plans, decided he'd rather be with friends, no matter what, and went with them.
Yumi was right, forever ago, now. There really was nothing that would stop us from being friends.
Junior year of college, Odd crossed paths with Samantha Knight again, and, convinced that it was destiny, married her just a few months later with Ulrich as his best man. Of course, we couldn't hide the computer from Odd's new bride. This newfound secret life of Odd's seemed somehow romantic for Samantha, and the two of them fell deeper in love.
I suppose I should get this out of the way now. Samantha had an interesting property while on Lyoko. She was dressed in full black, and her only attack was three inch spikes that extended from both hands and two inch spikes that extended from the front and back of her feet, making her essentially useless from a distance, but what was unique was her ability to phase. Lasers would pass right through her so long as she consciously thought about it, but she would also phase through enemies while doing so, meaning she could not both phase and attack, simultaneously.
It was Jeremie's idea. After college, all of us lived with our parents for a year, saving up as much money as possible. Then we bought the factory. This was not difficult, as the land and building were cheap from being abandoned so long, plus given that Jeremie and I were both Engineers. All of our money put together, plus a little from the computer, was enough to buy our little island and remodel it into a brilliant house. Two immaculate floors, living rooms the size of homes in their own right, enough bedrooms so if every couple had two children, every room would still not be occupied, and behind an eight foot portrait of everyone in the living room, the old elevator that went down to the lab. Aelita and Crystal essentially forced Jeremie and I to straighten up the old lab, fixing the wires to where they no longer hung from the ceiling, and straightening the scanner room so that cords and things weren't strung everywhere.
The top floor that the bridge led into was turned into a garage, or, at least, a good portion of it. At the other end of the bridge was a large gate and the bridge was made to be raised.
Then we worked together as a family. We earned money together, invested money together, and we became rich, or, at least, it certainly felt that way. We had anything we could've wanted: Cars, electronics, VIP treatment. None of us were, or are now, I suppose, rich on our own, but with the money we made together, we felt untouchable.
Was that why this happened? Was our arrogance our downfall?
I suppose I'm getting off track. Let me continue.
We kept using the computer, and still will, once all this gets sorted out. It's too glorious in nature.
That's not what caused this, though. I don't want you to think we brought this upon ourselves. There was nothing we could have done to avoid this.
Or maybe there was.
Either way, there's no sense in mulling over our options now.
But that is not the happy ending, just another development towards a higher conflict, a rising action towards a greater evil.
Let's start from the beginning.