It's the middle of the night, I'm bursting with creative energy, and I've played this game one too many times. Tis my only excuse. Just a reason to be cute and funny. Enjoy.
Odd stood in the middle of the intersection of forest sector paths and sighed. "Now which way?" he asked curiously. After a few seconds of silence he turned to Ulrich, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Jeremy?" Ulrich shouted. "Jeremy, can you hear us?"
"Yeah Einstein, we're a little lost here!"
"Do you think something's happened to him?" Aelita asked, looking worried when Jeremy failed to respond.
"I'm sure he's fine," Yumi said, giving Aelita a reassuring smile. "Xana probably just cut off our communication."
"Yeah," Odd said, nodding. "I bet he's just-hey, did you hear that?" Odd asked suddenly, one of his cat-like ears twitching.
"Hear what Odd? "Ulrich asked, but his question went unanswered as Odd turned and took off down one of the paths ahead. The others exchanged confused looks, then hurried after their runaway friend. When they caught up with him, he was standing just outside a large round area of land, a confused look on his face. One look at the clearing and the others quickly found out why.
Lying out in the middle of the path were a bunch of giant flat rectangles, each with a pair of little legs. They seemed to be lying in some kind of pattern.
"What are they?" Aelita asked, watching the rectangles with wonder. The others were less impressed with the display.
"He's not," Ulrich grumbled, resting his forehead against his palm. Yumi nodded slowly, also recognizing the familiar pattern.
"He's not what?" Aelita asked. Just as she finished asking, she was startled to see one of the rectangles closest to her suddenly leap to its feet. Its front was decorated with two curly number nines, with a pattern of hearts covering its front. The rectangle seemed not to notice the group as it spun around and began to head for the four piles of rectangles further away.
"Look!" Aelita said, pointing to the rectangle's back. "It has an eye of Xana!" And sure enough it did, the rectangle's red back was indeed covered with a large white eye. This fact didn't seem to bother anyone else though.
"Interesting," Ulrich said, watching the rectangle scurry over to one of the four piles. It then spun around and jumped backwards, landing on the pile of fellow rectangles heart side up, causing a few little 'oof's from the rest of the pile.
"Looks like Xana finally found a way to defeat us," Odd said shaking his head. Beside him Yumi nodded.
"Let's just try and find the tower on our own," she said, turning and heading back the way they had come.
"You're just going to leave them?" Aelita asked, sounding shocked. "But they're Xana's!"
"We know," Odd told her, tossing an arm around her shoulders and leading her away. "But what can we do? Once Jeremy gets into a game of Solitaire, there's no talking to him until he wins."
Meanwhile, Xana sat in his little computer hideout, cackling to himself as all evil geniuses do. All evil geniuses that finally defeat their most hated enemy anyway. And Xana knew that he had finally accomplished his goal this time.
Through many hours of observation he had learned of the intelligent human's weakness for the game of Solitaire. And after much plotting he had conceived a most brilliant way to use this weakness against him. And now he had as much time as he needed to take over the world.
After all, it could be a while before the little human genius realized that Xana had so wisely given him a deck of cards that was missing a three of spades.