"Aelita! *cough* Get to the tower quick! *cough cough* Three Kra.. Krabes ahead…"
"Jeremie? Jeremie?!"
"Don't worry princess, we'll get you to the tower safely, then you can just make the problem go away." While it was rarely that simple, Aelita knew Odd was trying to use their trump card, the return to the past protocol, to keep her from worrying too much about Jeremie.
"Thanks Odd," she said, smiling. "Now let's go."
The elf took off toward the glowing structure in the distance. An explosion alerted her to the Krabes Jeremie had warned about. Another explosion, this time followed by a scattering of data told her that her friends were taking care of the threats. Suddenly, the ground shook with a disorienting rumble, knocking the warriors off their feet as one Krabe tumbled into the digital abyss.
"What was that?" Ulrich asked as he deflected the final foes laser fire back at it and down the recharging gun barrel, causing it to overload.
"*cough* Another tower *ugh* has been activated."
"Glad to have you back Einstein, but how's that possible?" Odd questioned. "The one we're headed for is still sending off the trademark XANA glow."
"Don't.. *cough* don't know, but just keep…" This time the quake was strong enough to break pieces off of the pathway and, as a result, Odd had to be devirtualized by Yumi's fan before he could reach the void below.
"Dammit. *ugh* A third XANA tower." Yumi cocked an eyebrow.
"I thought there were only two towers per sector."
"There are," Aelita replied. "The first two were in this sector, the desert, but the third.." A violent ripple-like motion swept them all to the ground again. "And now fourth, are in the forest sector."
"Well, how are we going to deactivate them all?"
"You're not," Jeremie supplied. "I'm bringing you all back in. The situation has continued to escalate on this end and I'm already in the sewers monitoring you from my laptop. The scanner room is safe and secure though, so when you arrive, take the access conduit behind Ulrich's scanner to the-"
"Jeremie?" Aelita called as the group disappeared. The boy genius found his voice again and it boomed through the com-system as they stepped out of the chambers.
"Sorry, Odd tripped into me."
"Hey!" came the indignant yell.
"Anyway, we're here and waiting."
"We'll be there, soon, Jeremie."
"Now that everyone is here, we can begin," Jeremie said, his voice echoing strangely through the concrete pipes. "About an hour ago, XANA unleashed an attack on the factory itself..."
"But wouldn't that be putting the supercomputer at risk?"
"Let me finish, Odd. The attack was one that had obviously been planned for long in advance. Passwords and lockdown codes had been changed, certain files moved, and all without me noticing. When the time arrived, everything went off with out a hitch. The supercomputer's power supply, a small nuclear reactor, is housed about 150 feet below the computer itself. XANA. Using the influence it gained from multiple towers, opened up ventilation conduits between the reactor and almost everywhere else within a half-mile, then flooded them with radioactive steam. Some of those vents went to the control room, which is why I couldn't contact you for a while. Others reach as far as the school, but I activated the fire alarm as soon as I realized what was going on, so most everyone should have escaped."
"If you were at the console when the steam came through…" Aelita said, leaving the ending hanging.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, but I got out with just a few burns and managed not to breathe any of it at all."
"Jeremie! You of all people should know that nuclear radiation in any amount is dangerous! We need to get you to a doctor. Then we can decide what to do about XANA."
"Sounds like a plan," Yumi said from by the wall. "But if the whole above-ground is covered in killer fog, how're we going to get away without having to go through it?" Jeremie poured over his laptop, images of what he was seeing reflected off his glasses.
"Using my link to the supercomputer, I can direct power to the automatic locks that seal parts of the sewer during a threat. We can follow the pipes and come up in Kadic Park, where the Mist hasn't yet reached." His glasses suddenly glowed red as an alert shown onscreen. "But we're going to have to hurry; I'm loosing control over some of the factory's functions. Apparently, XANA has continued to gain towers and influence now that we're not there to stop it."
They all rose, with Jeremie in the lead, and started down one of the tunnels. They had only gone twenty feet, however, when Jeremie stumbled and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"I guess *huff* the Mist did more damage *huff* than I thought." Yumi frowned as Aelita helped the boy to his feet, an arm around her shoulders.
"The nurse probably already left campus, but my mom has a doctor in town. She might not take us, though, since it's not a clinic."
"It's better than nothing and definitely a start," the pinkette replied.
Several blocks away, in front of a pet store, the group came up into an empty town by route of a manhole.
"Whoa," Ulrich said, turning on the spot, "where is everyone?"
"Evacuated, I guess," was Yumi's response.
"Hey, I know where this is!" Odd said excitedly, pointing at the shop's sign. "It's the store that I buy Kiwi's food from! So we're in the middle of..." he closed his eyes in thought," Baker Street between 5th and 6th."
"That's great Odd!" Yumi said to the obviously pleased boy. "The doctor's office is on Baker and 3rd, closer to Fontenay Station; this way." She set off down the street with the others following quickly. Several agonizing minutes later, the group arrived in front of a small building bearing the simple name 'Bourg'.
"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Yumi said disappointedly, peering through the shop's glass front door. Hearing a crash, she turned around to find Ulrich standing before a shattered display window.
"Then knock louder," he stated as if that was an explanation. "Worry about the morality of it later, Jeremie needs help." After the gang entered the store, they set the barely conscious techie in one of the waiting chairs. "Grab a generic first-aid kit and check for some burn salves. It should say something like Topicure on it." They had only been searching for a few moments when a loud chirping noise caught their attention. Groaning, Jeremie pulled his computer over into his lap.
"Uh, guys," he started, eyes widening in horror, "we need to get out of here. Now." Aelita walked over to see what had scared him so badly. A bright orange warning stood out in the middle of the screen.
SATELITE CONTROL COMPROMISED: LSR-3/ LSR-4/ TNDC-001
"Pack up what you can," Aelita said as she put several first-aid kits in a bag. "We've got to leave the city as soon as possible." Yumi nodded and did the same, having seen the message over Jeremie's other shoulder.
The group was only a couple miles from the doctor's office when a laser beam cut through it and destroyed a few cars parked outside.
"Everybody, run!" was the frantic and unnecessary shout Odd gave when he saw it. They all continued to do so for several blocks as a second beam laid a path of destruction down a nearby street.
"Aelita," Yumi called over the pounding foot steps, "If the first two satellites were lasers, what was the third one?" As if in answer, the sound of klaxons joined the din of burning air and explosions. Turning back, the group could just barely make out three objects falling from the sky. "Aelita?" Yumi questioned again fearfully.
"TNDC, it stands for Tactical Nuke Deployment Control. Get in the sewers!" The last sight the warriors had of their beautiful Paris was that of a winter sunset before the light consumed everything.