The elevator doors opened, cranks working loudly and the heavy doors halving off to the sides. William stepped into the lab and searched for the one who called him in. There he was, typing away on the supercomputer as usual.
"Jeremié? Why did you call me in? Do you even know what time it is?"
"I know, sorry," he continued to type as he replied. "Listen, I think I may have found a way to permanently rid you of XANA's codes."
"Oh, yeah? Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" he yawned aloud to prove his point.
"No!" Jeremié almost screamed, causing William to jump out of his tired state. "No..."
He stopped typing and stared at the keyboard.
"I have been working on this program – for you – for weeks. I have been pestered about it for days and nights. I have been led to believe that everything that happened to you back then was my fault. We will run the program now and there will be no questioning."
Bewildered by the outburst, William stood still, comprehending the words. Slightly angered himself, he trudged towards the chair in which Jeremié sat and forcefully spun him around.
"Hey, none of that was your fault – what are you trying to accomplish here by blaming yourself, huh?"
Jeremié stared back at him with furrowed eyebrows, the bags under his eyes more visible than ever.
"I could have warned you about the Scyphozoa before you went to Lyoko. I could have devirtualized you manually at the time. I could have done something – anything! But I didn't. I have every right to blame myself. I ruined your life-"
William grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.
"Get a hold of yourself, Belpois, are you listening to yourself? I'm here, aren't I? You managed to bring me back. That's what counts here, not what happened almost two years ago."
"I know-"
"-Oh, you know, do you? If you knew you would have left this program for a better time, a better day, a better week."
"Sorry-"
"-You know what? I don't think you're the least bit sorry, Belpois."
The pair stayed silent for the longest moment of their lives. William kept his grip on Jeremié's shoulders while Jeremié stared back with faint fear in his eyes.
"If anyone's to blame," William began in a mutter. "It's me," he let go of Jeremié's shoulders and stepped back, watching the hologram of Lyoko.
Clearing his throat and getting up from the chair he was so familiar with, Jeremié made his way beside William, watching the hologram also.
"We're not the only ones who think are to blame," he crossed his arms.
"Yeah?" William muttered nonchalantly.
"There's really a piece of XANA in all of us, if you think about it."
William glanced to his side at him, raising a brow.
"Jeremié, that's a terrible thing to say."
Jeremié's lips curled up slightly at the sound of his former name being used yet again and glanced at William also. They watched each other for a moment with understanding looks. XANA may have infected each of them at least once with its viral poison, but it all ends one baby step at a time.
"Tomorrow, then?"
William sighed and gave him a nod, clasping him on the back as they watched the hologram again.
"Tomorrow it is."