Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the animated series, Code Lyoko. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: There will be further disclaimers as the story progresses, but mention is made to a person actually living, and nothing in this story about this person should be construed as being factual.
She lolled her head as she looked out the window of the bus, watching the scenery flash by. The view out the window was almost bucolic, a sea of green with little dots of white here and there. Animals grazing, birds flying about, farmers going about their chores, all blissfully ignorant of the passing traffic on the roadway.
Aelita Stones watched as the world flew by, almost mesmerized. Although her looks would indicate otherwise, this young girl had only lived in the world for around a year and a half, and had never seen much beyond the school where she attended. Before that, she existed in another world, a world generated by a computer.
Around a month ago, Aelita had signed a contract to perform with the pop group, the SubDigitals, as a DJ/mixer. The events surrounding her signing were monumental, and almost fatal. An evil computer program, XANA, had tried, and very nearly succeeded, in killing her and her friends. It was only by a miracle that they escaped.
And that miracle was her father, Franz Hopper. Stones was not Aelita's real family name, it was Hopper. She had believed her father was lost, somewhere in the vast digital network; but he had somehow learned of the plot to kill her and her friends, and rescued them all.
Since then, it was school, rehearsals, saving the world a few times, then back to school. Never time for, or with, her father; at least, not until she left a few hours ago. Franz Hopper had somehow managed to appear on the street corner close to the studio Aelita had left from, and somehow managed to speak to her on her cell phone. He told her she was beautiful, and they would talk when she got back.
Daddy, I would have chucked the whole thing to spend time with you again, Aelita thought as the miles rolled past, London, the SubDigitals, Lyoko. All of it, just to be with you.
Across from her was another young girl, Elizabeth "Sissi" Delmas. Sissi was Aelita's traveling companion on this trip, though not by either girl's choice. Aelita and Sissi weren't exactly friends; Aelita and her friends were regularly hounded by Sissi, and she seemed to think that she was somehow better than everyone else, especially Aelita.
Aelita had no idea that she would even have a companion on this trip. If she had, she definitely would have picked someone else. And, while Sissi didn't mind going to London, the circumstances that gave her the opportunity were not that pleasant:
"Elizabeth," her father had told her, "your grades are inexcusable. You may think you have immunity from failure because you're my daughter, but I can assure you that you do not."
"But daddy, I've been trying as hard as I can, but I can't get any study time, not with Miss Bubblegum Crisis screaming in the middle of the night!"
"I happen to know that Miss Stones has settled down quite nicely over the past few months, and I've also been talking to your teachers. Elizabeth, you don't even try to hide the fact that you're not paying attention in class! You sit and read your teen magazines in each period, and then stroll out like you did the teacher a favor by showing up! Well, that is going to stop, now. You are extremely close to failing, young lady. If you don't do something to improve your grades, I shall be forced to return you to the eighth grade. Not only that, I will remove you from this school and place you somewhere else, somewhere that will give you the structure you need to turn yourself around."
"You don't mean..."
"Yes, I do. I have spoken to Aunt Rita at St. Ursula's already, and she assured me she would have no problem accepting you as a mid-year transfer. And, she knows enough about you not to be fooled by your little ploys."
"Yeah, Aunt Rita would," the girl said to herself.
"However," her father continued, "you are not at the failure point yet. I have spoken with your French teacher, and she has agreed to accept a report from you as extra credit."
"Oh, really?!" Sissi exclaimed, excited at this chance of salvation.
"Yes," was the reply, "I want you to accompany Aelita Stones when she leaves for London to perform with the SubDigitals. I want you to write a report, in the form of a newspaper article, about Miss Stones and the concert. When you return, you will present it to me for publication in the school newspaper. Additionally, I have made arrangements with the local TV station to have you present your report during one of their evening news broadcasts. Jim Morales will be joining you and Aelita on the trip, and he said he would help film the video you will need for the TV presentation."
Sissi was stunned. All she could think is, "I'm doomed."
"There will be no self-aggrandizing Sissi," her father continued, "you will write and present an accurate recollection of what happened, and offer no personal commentary of events or the people involved. If you do, you may as well pack your bags, for your next stop will be St. Ursula's."
"But, Daddy..." she tried, but he cut her off.
"I mean it, Elizabeth. I have put up with your attitude for far too long. The world does not revolve around you or your desires. Now, go get packed for your trip."
Now, the dark haired girl sat across from her nemesis, staring at a blank page in her notebook. She had a lot riding on this assignment, and for better or worse, she would have to come through.
While the two French girls sat towards the back of the bus contemplating the path that Fate had set before them, Jim Morales sat just behind the driver, regaling the man of his days as an over-the-road trucker in Canada.
"And let me tell you somethin'," he said, "that ice up there can be pretty slick! Friend of mine lost his rig in a patch of black ice on a hairpin mountain turn, and it was mid-summer before we found it and his body."
The driver, Simon, just nodded his head as he mentally increased the level of his crap filter.
Jim Morales had a unique quality, his mind could actually multitask. While he was spinning tales about his past to the driver/head roadie/soundman, he was also thinking about the conversation he had with Principal Delmas before he left.
"Jim," Jean-Pierre had said, "I know that you're going to London to spend time with your nephew, but I also want you to keep an eye on Aelita Stones and Elizabeth for me."
"Sure, no problem," the PE teacher had replied.
"While I don't think there will be any trouble," the principal continued, "I have a bad feeling. When I spoke with Sophie, arranging to have Sissi accompany them, the woman seemed a little unnerved, like something traumatic had happened and she hadn't totally gotten over it. Now, it may be a father's overactive imagination playing tricks on him, but I'd feel better if someone I knew and trusted was there in case of trouble."
"Well, gee, Mr. Delmas; I never knew you trusted me that much..."
"Of course I do, Jim! Just not with electricity."
The principal had also told Jim about Sissi's report, and the fact she would have to present it on television afterwards, and would need some video to accompany her report. Which reminded him...
"...and that's how you tame a wild pig," Jim's mouth had finished, "well, I need to take care of a couple of things, so I'll just let you drive."
Jim got up and made his way to the back of the bus while Simon breathed a sigh of relief.
Jim walked past the girls to the back, where he had stashed a carry on bag. He rummaged around for a bit until he found what he was looking for, a video camera. He took it and walked back, stopping when he got back to his place behind the driver. He sat down and brought the camera to his eye. Looking through the viewfinder, he set the focus and the brightness/contrast so the two girls he was recording looked more natural.
"Say, you two!" he said, startling the both of them out of their daydreams, "why don't you talk a little. You're supposed to be on this big adventure together, and you're both acting like the other has the plague!"
Aelita turned and looked at Jim for a moment, like he had just gibbered at her in some unknown language. Sissi just glared at him for a moment, before turning her glare to Aelita.
"Sissi, it's not going to look good on TV if you look like you're about to throttle Aelita," Jim said.
"It's not her I want to throttle!" Sissi fairly well shouted, "if I thought I could get away with it, I'd strangle my father!"
"I'm sure he'll just love to hear that," Jim said, "I'm recording. C'mon, make nice. It won't kill either of you."
Both girls looked at Jim, then at each other, then sighed in resignation.
"Just help me out here," Sissi finally said to Aelita, "the sooner we get this done, the better off we both will be."
The mall was bustling with activity, typical for this Sunday afternoon in London. People rushing about to get their shopping done for the day, while others took their time and gazed longingly in store windows, wishing and dreaming. A young boy and his mother were walking to a department store to buy some clothes when something caught the boy's eye.
I was a little bug like thing, with what looked like a potato for a body and little mechanical legs. The potato body had what looked like a target superimposed over a peace sign painted on it, and a single, red eye in front. It scuttled about, walking up to shoppers and looking up at them, before scurrying off to repeat the performance over again.
"Mummy, what is that?" the boy asked his mother.
"I don't know, Timmy," was the reply. The woman looked around for a bit, then saw a display in front of a bookstore. The bugs seemed to be congregating there, and she saw there were two people with what looked like remote controls standing by.
"It's nothing to worry about," she told her son, "just some kind of publicity stunt, I think. I guess there's a new movie coming out soon, and they're trying to get people excited about it."
"Can we got over and look, mummy?" the boy asked.
"No, not today. I'm sure they'll be here for a little while yet; maybe we'll see them next week."
With that, mother and child continued on their way. Over at the bookstore, the bug things kept up their act, drawing people to the store and the display hanging in the window. In the display, there were more bug things walking back and forth, and behind them was a banner with pictures of the bugs and other creatures and large print that read, CODE XANA.
