Chapter 1

Another day, another new attack would commence. X.A.N.A. simply activated a tower in the Desert Sector and waited for the Lyoko warriors to come to him. He did however, begin researching top secret information, to try and find a new attack to launch for another day.

Yumi sat with her book-bag next to her in the back of her parent's car. She was ready for another day of secondary school and watching out for X.A.N.A. attacks. It had been an odd week. Not a single siting. Her train of thought was cut short as her father said, "Here we are Yumi. You have a good day now."

"Ok. See ya later dad." She got out of the back seat and waved as he drove away. Her black hair swayed in front of her eyes as the wind kicked up. Wearing her usual outfit, she made her way towards the dorms, hoping to catch Ulrich. There was something important she wanted to tell him.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was sound asleep in his room when the scan he had been running through the night erupted in a bleeping sound. Stunned out of bed, he stood up and walked over towards the computer. "What the-?" His nasally voice groaned out. The scan picked out a disturbance from a tower. There was also one unidentified avatar running around in the central hub. It was not of X.A.N.A. origin or a Lyoko security measure. It definitely wasn't one of the guys. "What is that? I've got to tell the others."

Jeremy sprang into action, getting dressed and then heading out towards the courtyard. Within a couple minutes, the whole crew was gathered outside at a bench under the shade of a tree. They could see the main dorms just off to their left. Jeremy and Aelita sat on the bench, Odd sat on one of the hand rails, Ulrich leaned against the tree, and Yumi stood in front of the bench.

Ulrich's eyes darted to the left as he asked, "So… you're saying this thing was neither X.A.N.A. nor a protocol?"

Turning his head, Jeremy answered, "I'm afraid not. He must have entered like you would have."

Yumi threw out her hands as she exclaimed, "Except how did they find out?"

"I have no idea." Odd said, his shoulders shrugging. The first bell rang in the background, startling Odd as he fell of his perch on top of the bench. The others laughed as he landed face first. "Ah, I just can't believe my luck. You know, they should really do something about that. A genius like me could hurt his brain doing that."

Yumi laughed, then said, "Oh yeah, are you sure haven't done that one too many times already?"

The whole group erupted in laughter. "Humph. Just you see." Odd muttered under his breath. The breeze kicked up again.

"So when are we going to deactivate the tower?" Ulrich asked. He glanced off towards the entrance, seeing a car pull up to it. The ride was a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. It was snow white. The passenger side door opened up, revealing a kid. He stepped out and waved goodbye to whoever was driving the car. It sped off as he turned to walk onto the campus.

It could just barely be heard, as he said, "So this is Kadic Academy? What a drag." Ulrich could clearly see him shrug his shoulders. This mystery kid wore a black fedora with a white band wrapping around it. This hid his face fairly well. Shoulder length black hair jutted out from under the hat and was placed in front of his right eye. A messenger bag was also hanging on his right side. He wore a black Avenged Sevenfold shirt with black jeans. Blue and black tennis shoes poked out from under each pant leg. He didn't take two steps before being confronted by Sissy. Ulrich turned his head away at that point.

"I guess we could do it after lunch." Ailetia said.

"Yes! Finally a day I get to eat lunch, maybe even twice if we return to the past!" Odd yelled as he jumped into the air. Ulrich turned back to the entrance, but the new kid was already gone.

"I'll probably just meet him later." He muttered under his breath. The group then separated, hoping not to be late for their first class.

In Yumi's English class, she sat more or less front and center. The second bell signaling the first class to begin rang as a stranger walked into the room. This kid was none other than the one Ulrich saw beforehand. The teacher walked over and moved him front and center in the room. He had a near unemotional look on his face, which was absolutely stunning. She could hear all the girls shifting around, purely in love with this new kid. His eyes shimmered in the light, and his hair was well kept. A defined chin with small ears also complemented his face.

"Tell the class your name." The teacher said to the new kid. The teacher then physically shrank back as he gave her this cold, uncaring glare, as if to say, "You don't think I know how to do that? What's wrong with you?"

He then turned to the rest of the class and said, "My name is Stephan Black. I am a foreign exchange student." All the kids sounded impressed and amazed. "Anyways, I have come from the United States of America." He glanced back at the teacher with a straight face.

The teacher jumped slightly, and then stammered out, "You can sit in that empty desk, next to Yumi". The teacher pointed towards the empty desk on her left. He took off his fedora and walked to desk. He sat down, glancing over at Yumi, and smiled. She smiled back and looked over towards the front.

At lunch, the group of Jeremy, Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich sat at a table alongside a window and away from other people. Ulrich heard light-hearted laughter and turned around. His eyes widened and he gritted his teeth. Yumi was walking down the aisle with that new kid. She was laughing and gave the boy a playful shove. "That's so wrong." She managed to sputter out between laughs. He nudged her and smiled. They walked over to the table with their trays and sat down. Jeremy, Aelita, and Ulrich sat on one side and Odd on the other across from Jeremy. Yumi sat next to Odd and Stephan across from Ulrich.

Ulrich turned towards the smiling face of Stephan. His eyes glared coldly at Stephan when he said, "So… I thought I saw you talking with Sissy earlier." He twiddled his fork amongst his mashed potatoes. Stephan glanced down at the way Ulrich messed with his potatoes, and the smile vanished.

"Well, she was pretty, but within the first few words she said I was ready to punch her in her blathering, conceited face." Yumi glanced at Stephan and he leaned back. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Stephan Black."

"I'm-", Odd started, but was cut off.

"Yumi already told me all about you guys." Stephan said.

Jeremy glared at Yumi as he said, "Oh, did she?"

"Yeah, you're Jeremy the boy genius. She would be Aelita the innocent one." Pointing towards Odd, he said, "You are Odd, the odd, and Ulrich the most badass kid to step foot on Kadic grounds, accept maybe me."

"So how long have you been in France?" Odd asked with his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"Only for about a week. My aunt let me set up one day, explore the city for the next day, then just a few days to get class work aligned and most of it finished. I've pretty much caught up for the few weeks that I technically missed."

Aelita waved her hand through the air delicately as she said, "Tell us about yourself, if you don't mind."

"Sure. Let's see, I love video games and often play hidden gems of games. I don't play sports. I play the piano and guitar. Personality wise, I just don't like beyond stupid people. I hate the kind of people that might have good grades, but lack common sense and/or decency. Oh, and I love Avenged Sevenfold." Hearing him talk, Ulrich heard his voice, which was a warm tenor. He could probably sing too. Also, seeing his defining features under the fedora, he could clearly see that he wouldn't have a problem getting along with girls. Probably why Sissy talked to him when he first arrived. Maybe she would finally leave him the hell alone.

The bell rang for next period and the group dispersed. Planning to meet up in the factory, the students arrived in class, and shortly after asked to go to the infirmary with a sore throat, or stomach cramp. Odd, Ulrich, Jeremy, Aelita, and Yumi all headed out into the woods to get to the factory. Ulrich lifted the heavy, rusted manhole cover and the whole group climbed down the ladder. Each grabbed a skateboard or scooter and rocketed down the sewer system. The stench of the familiar sewer echoed through the hallways. Each teen climbed back up onto the bridge and entered the factory. Oddly enough, when they reached the area with the chords dangling in the air, only four were set up to swing on. The other was already on the other side of the room.

"Someone's already here." Yumi said. She sighed heavily.

"You think X.A.N.A. is attacking the super computer?" Jeremy asked in exasperation.

Ulrich jumped onto a rope. "I don't know, but I'll search the place, you four go deactivate the tower." Odd and Yumi took separate ropes while Aelita and Jeremy shared one. They smoothly landed and each got onto the elevator. It dropped to the control room. Jeremy got off. The elevator then dropped down to the scanner room as the rest left.

"Get ready to be virtualized." Jeremy said as the group entered the scanners. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Odd. Scanner Aelita. Transfer Yumi. Transfer Odd. Transfer Aelita. Virtualization." The blinding flashes of light of entering Lyoko screamed by at breakneck speeds. "Giving you your vehicles now." They were sitting at the entrance to Carthage, better known as Sector 5. Everything was so deeply blue. "You need to head to the terminal so you can then head for the Desert zone." Riding their vehicles, they quickly zoomed over the Creepers guarding the button.

"Shouldn't we stop to kill them?" Yumi asked as she looked over the edge. The shifting floor panels revealed a path to the right.

"Just ignore them if you can." Jeremy said over the COM. They hovered through the entrance and then drifted towards the edge of the elevator. As it passed, they followed after it as fast as they could. They heard it squeal to a halt and watched the door open. Drifting through the bright light to the terminal, they drifted through the wide open space. Data was being stored all around them.

"The data tunnel is open. Move fast enough and you won't have to even deal with the manta rays." Jeremy typed in Ulrich's number to call him for an update. "Ulrich, have you found anything yet?"

"I've searched the whole place. It's obvious someone has been here recently, but there's no one here now. I've even checked the super computer, and there was no sign of damage but someone had been there too." Ulrich explained.

"Ok then, I guess you could get in the room with me in case someone tries to attack me."

Meanwhile, they reached the barren region of the Desert Sector. Still in construction, it looked very empty. The region currently consisted of two towers that Jeremy managed to program into the server. They flew over the empty landscape. Suddenly the first tower went from blue to black. Strangely enough, it wasn't red.

"Jeremy? What's with the black tower?" Odd asked over the COM.

Yumi shook her head as she said, "I knew this was too easy. Look down there!" William stood with his great sword near the black tower. He glanced in the air and saw them. He lifted his other arm, as if to command an invisible militia.

"I've looked through the database, but I haven't seen a single thing on a tower turning black. It could be a glitch in the system. Maybe X.A.N.A. is summoning something from the real world." Jeremy informed them, sweat beading down his forehead. "Uh oh. Guys, you're not alone. Ten tarantulas are surrounding the tower. Plus William."

"Jeremy," Aelita started. "Hate to break it to ya, but we only see William. Maybe it's another glitch." Just then, William's arm lowered. Then, simultaneously, 20 lasers flew into the air after them. Then, a barrage of lasers erupted into the skies. Odd and Yumi's vehicles were quickly shot down, crashing in the distance. Odd was the first to move.

"These are impossible odds, especially if we can't see them." Odd took a knee and surveyed the flat, floating rock they stood on. The tarantulas came into view, their silver bodies shimmered in the distance. Their screams sounded like that of insane asylum patron with a straight jacket. Lifting their arms up, they prepared to finish the fight. But William raised an open hand, signaling them to stop.

He then turned back to the tower and pointed at it. The Tarantulas obeyed, turning and firing on the vulnerable tower. "What is he doing?" Yumi said as she sat up on the dirt. Aelita was already standing, shielding her eyes from the bright 'sun.'

Jeremy spoke over the COM. "If X.A.N.A. wants to destroy it, then it is probably an ally to us. You have to protect to the tower." They began to run forward, but were cut short. William walked around the Tarantula closest to them and pulled up his blade. He charged forward at lightning speed and slashed at Yumi. She jumped into the air and swept his legs when she landed. He jumped up and ran at Odd.

"Oh crap! Shield!" He yelled as William's blade met with the purple circle of Odd's shield. William forced him to his knees, smiling. Then, a loud crash of thunder echoed through the mostly empty air. William froze, his arms twinging. He turned around to see a pillar of black having sprayed into the air. The Tarantulas were bent on one knee, shielding themselves with their arms, all frozen in shock. Then, a black smoke ball dropped down through the pillar towards the tower.

"Guys, I strongly advise taking cover. At that velocity, it's gonna do some serious damage." The crew then ran and took cover behind a rock. William swiped his hand to the right. The Tarantulas began to run away, but it was too late. The smoke slammed into the tower. The impact sent a massive shockwave that was shrouded in smoke. The Tarantulas were knocked off their feet and collapsed into the smoke. It finally slowed to a halt just in front of William, who stared on in disbelief and anger. As the smoke rose into the air, majestically curling like an acrobat, it was obvious that all the Tarantulas were killed by the landing of the mystery object.

A cloaked figure stepped out from the tower. It had a bright blue jacket with white gloves, boots, and hood. The hood nearly completely hid the features of the face. It smirked as it stepped towards William. In its left hand was a about as thick as Jeremy's chest was wide. A large chord was wrapped up in the same hand. A thick, red tassel hung off the hilt. The same sign in the towers was plastered in white on the back its jacket. Also in blue on the hood.

William charged towards it, blade over his head. The figure was completely stoic, blade by its side. William stopped in front of it, with his blade coming down. With its right hand, he grabbed William's hands on the hilt. His attack stopped dead. The blade was pointed directly in the air, still. Using the dull edge, it slammed the blade in William's abdomen. He bent forward. It lifted its left knee up to William's head. His entire body flipped into the air and land on his back. Vision hazy, he rolled to his left to meet the boot of the mystery soldier. His head snapped back to the right and faded away, leaving smoke behind. That was the first time William had been beaten. He was retreating to his new master, X.A.N.A.

The figure slowly turned towards them. In a deep, bass voice, he said, "He is gone for the time being. Deactivate the other tower while you can." Odd and Yumi looked at him strangely, but Aelita understood. He turned his back to them and walked back towards the tower he came out from. She nodded and began to run. Within a few minutes, she was at the tower and shutting down X.A.N.A. The really weird part was that there not another monster for the rest of the area.

Ulrich shrugged his shoulders, saying, "I guess we can just go back to class. How long did that even take?" He glanced at the clock at the computer. "How is it already 2:00 in the afternoon?"

"We've been out too long. We're definitely getting punished for this. Maybe that was X.A.N.A's plan. To keep us out late enough, we have to go back. So he can get stronger." Jeremy punched a few commands into the computer before saying, "Return to the past now."

The whole crew was again gathered outside at a bench under the shade of a tree. They could see the main dorms just off to their left. Jeremy and Aelita sat on the bench, Odd sat on one of the hand rails, Ulrich leaned against the tree, and Yumi stood in front of the bench.

Ulrich's eyes darted to the left as he asked, "So… you're saying this thing was neither X.A.N.A. nor a protocol?"

Turning his head, Jeremy answered, "I'm afraid not. He must have entered like you would have."

Yumi threw out her hands as she exclaimed, "Except how did they find out?"

The first bell rang in the background as Ulrich once again turned towards the entrance to catch a glimpse of Stephan once more. He got out of the car in the same fashion. Walked up to the entrance, and sighed. When Sissy approached him, he pushed past her. "What? He's not supposed to do that."

"What?", Odd said. He looked over at Sissy. "People ignore her all time. It comes by habit."

"Yeah, except the first time, he walked off with her, not push past and ignore her." He started pacing about.

Yumi walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Calm down Ulrich. I'm sure you're mind's just playing tricks on you."

Ulrich looked past her and saw him approaching them. "Then why is he coming towards us? I don't remember him doing that either." Surely enough, he approached the group as if he knew them for his whole life.

He had this really confused look on his face. "How the hell am I back here again? I've already suffered through this once." Everyone froze up instantly at the end of the sentence. He remembers the time travel? But…how?

Jeremy was the first to regain his composure. "How do you know you've been here before?" he asked. This was completely baffling.

"Depends. Is X.A.N.A. still around?" he asked this out loud.

Aelita was next. "No, he been sealed away for a while."

"Good." Stephan breathed a sigh of relief. With other people walking nearby, he motioned them to gather close. "I'll tell you why. I was the figure that helped you in Lyoko."

I've noticed a lack of people reading the rest of the story. So I want to now, what turns you away from this fanfiction? I'm open to change in some areas, and others are explained later in the story. I hope you PM me your honest opinions or leave them in a review, and maybe read more of the story. You just might be surprised.