Experimental Flames

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Chapter One: Creation of Lyoko

16 years ago

The sound of a car had alerted a long black haired man that his wife was home. He had only one interest these days and that was working on his creation, the first human robot who was as close to human as anyone had ever gotten. The robot would be able to go through every function possible, except obvious ones such as sex, urination or removal of any waste, nourishment; and it would lack such emotions, like the ability to cry. He thought his project was genius though, he being Erik Li Xanari, a famous (in government conventional) scientist and engineer.

He hadn't named his project, but knowing his wife was home, had also alerted him that she had company, Erik's good friend Franz. They had been partners in few projects and never kept secrets since they worked in the same exact field, for the same exact people. The only thing Erik ever cared about is that Franz had a six year-old daughter, and Erik's wife didn't get pregnant in the years they've been trying.

Erik was putting the finishing touches on his creation when she came in. Her name was Christine Hart (She had kept her maiden name for obvious reasons, unlike Erik, but much like Franz taking his wives maiden name).

"Chris, Franz; I've done it!" He had a bit of a grateful look on his face, his slightly tan face that held not just his long, curly hair, but also his bit of beard.

"You-You finished her?!" Franz said astonished. He never thought Erik would get it done, he didn't want him to get credit for something he thought was amazing.

"Oh, yes. I've been working for months, years even, planning this entire…" He couldn't finish, he had no words for it.

In that second Erik had brought Franz to his work station, a small area in his house, he even worked in his basement sometimes but Christine yelled at him several times for it. There was a girl in the room though, well, not a true girl. She had pale skin and was dressed in a complex looking dress that a Victorian-porcelain doll would wear, for she looked almost exactly like one.

She was swinging her legs on the edge of the desk, her robotic electric blue eyes staring at her small school girl shoes on her feet, she only looked over to Erik when he entered the room, dirty blonde hair in bundles of curls behind her.

"Erik!" Christine said, seeing this creature. "How on earth…" She shook her head and walked over to it and the robot now moved it's head to look at the girl. "She's beautiful, really."

"Oh, Aelita's out in the car, I have to get her, she has to see this." Franz said.

"Why is she here?" Erik walked over to his wife as the robot got off the table.

"I had a call from Anéta to pick her up, she had an important lunch with this girl she knows, something about a job offer and she said she really wants it."

Franz left to get his daughter while Erik was watching the robot, well, Christine was the one following it as she explored. She didn't even look very old, nine at the least, she looked utterly perfect, and Erik was so very proud with his work he was still smiling even as Franz brought his pink haired daughter in who just seemed to run off and jumped on the couch to sit there.

"What are you naming her?"

Erik shook his head. "Nothing really comes to mind."

Christine moved to the kitchen to make some coffee, and tea (for Aelita and her). Erik and Franz move from the front of the house to a table in the kitchen that the robot was at for the moment, Erik was waiting for her to backtrack and go sit by Aelita but she stayed in the kitchen and Aelita came over for her tea, sitting next to her father.

"Aelita…pick a name." Erik said while putting his hand under his chin and giving a sigh as a few cups touched the table.

".Hm…" Her eyes gave a bit of a movement away from the table, and to a picture on the wall. "Yoko…like that girl on the news."

"Yoko?"

"Yes…Yoko, from the news…" She gave a look when she moved back to look at Erik. "I met her once…she gave me candy."

Erik gave a laugh. "Alright…I guess we can use it."

"Why not name her Li, it is your middle name?"

"Your middle name is Li?" Aelita said with a smile.

"Yes, it is, hun." He gave his own smile again. "Li and yoko"

"Lyoko." Franz said aloud which made something click in his head. "Yes, name her Lyoko…it's not much of a name…but…it's perfect, she isn't human."

Erik gave a nod. "I'll call and tell them what's going on then." He got up and left the room to go to the living room and Christine just took his seat looking sick. She looked at the so called "Lyoko," this robotic creature …

It was a few years later when Erik had a bit of an interview with the public, half of them not believing for one second that this person, who looked as real as any human, was a robot (they had to set up so many things, to make sure she truly worked perfectly). No one believed in until Erik had taken off a plate on her arm that he wires and an electric disk under it. Many were shocked, and Erik even lied about it's actual name so people didn't know what they were actually planning on doing with Lyoko herself, she was as smart as any computer and was going to program one for Franz and him…and they hoped to god no one would find out about it, because if someone did…they'd be taken and have their memories erased.

Erik thought this girl was one of his greatest achievements still, until the computer was finished which they (Franz and him) decided to build at an old factory that wasn't too far away from Franz's house actually, there was also a tunnel they found out that lead there. They were going to program all of this with her help, and possibly name it after her…but that wasn't the problem…they programmed it, but the government was of course interested since they hadn't talked in days about what had gone on with his robot.

The government was onto them, and it was time for Franz and his family to split and for Erik and his wife to get out of town also. They couldn't get caught, they wouldn't take on the fact of the idea of being done so.

It was one day though, when they came, and Aelita had been afraid of what was going to happen her…and to her family itself. She cried as she was pulled away by her father, her mother being taken by another…Franz had taken her to the factory in a sudden chance of freedom, Erik wasn't important in any way to him, he just wanted out of this place.

He sent a program, and did nothing to worry about this robot, who had been at the factory for what seemed like months, she had kept reliving her days and felt as if the more she had been, the smarter she became, and the more she was realizing what was going on.

Franz set the program, and had taken his daughter and himself to this place, this Lyoko world. Erik just happened to come by, he wanted his robot, he wouldn't leave without his greatest project ever. He saw the computer though, he saw how the world showed someone was on Lyoko…and he wouldn't have Franz gain anything for it.

He grabbed his robot, and went into the same scanner, he didn't know why the same, but the others were closed and he didn't think much…he would want to deal with what was going on but he left his wife, he left his entire life to get to this place…this other world. With his creation.

Six Years Later

The world just seemed to simply shake under Christine's feet. She had gotten out of France for a few years, and was now moving back with her son…her son who she knew she couldn't keep for what had gone on. She didn't know how she even had gotten pregnant…she didn't want to after Erik left her, and what she wanted was to see her husband again. With him gone though, he never really existed in her world.

She met a man named James Dunbar one day, he worked for the company she had finally gotten a job at, the one from those six years ago. She had to pay so much for her mistakes, but it was worth the entire situation of marrying James and keeping her son and him in France. Staying together for what felt like too long to the young boy.

His dark eyes flicked as he had awoken on the forest floor, he didn't remember how he had gotten their but he knew he had been dreaming of his past again. William knew his truth, on why Xana had taken him, on why Xana was so infested with taking Aelita and how Erik's jealously brought out his reasons for wanting to get rid of Franz…Waldo…whoever he was.

William picked himself up and headed back for Kadic in the early mists of the morning. It was a Sunday and no school gave him time to sort out all of his ideas, all of his dreams and nightmares.

He would never tell Yumi, or Jérémie, or any of those people who he really was. He only knew from his dreams though. How Xana…was Williams real father, and even with his entire history, of his entire past, had he ever, besides the time he was possessed, realized such things. Realized such memories.

Erik Li Xanari…was Xana.
William was Xana's true son.
And everything Xana had ever done, had been to get rid of those who would against his ideas of getting rid of Franz and Aelita.

Christine bought a house with the help of James when William was at least seven. It was probably the many days before the accident of William and the roof. No one knew how he had gotten up there, but he had fallen off in an attempt of "flying" or so he had been saying. He wanted to fly to his father.

Christine never knew what that meant, and she never would of understood it since she understood so little. Especially her pregnancy and what had happened to her late husband.

"William…" Her voice was speak and Williams answer would always be a rude one.

"He's not my father!"

"William!" Her voice would scold him. "I know that. He's all we have to get through these times…"

"No!"

"You have to listen to him, to everything that he says. You can't just go off and do things like this…it's how people get hurt…"

William pouted and his mother gave a smile, he also thought he was just so cute when he did so.

"Really…I need you to do so…"

"I want to meet…my real father."

"I don't…" She sighed. "I can't…I don't know how to find him…or where he even really is…" Christine wasn't lying though. She knew where he was in a way…but she didn't know if she could go there and find him, or if it was even that simple of a task. "One day…William…one day you'll see him…if he comes to you, or you go to him."

That was just a memory he didn't want to remember though. He broke his arm that day; and it was also when he would do anything to get to his real father, and not have his father come to him. Although, getting Yumi's trust was a hard thing…but after everything that had happened, he didn't know what to do about the others though. Aelita didn't trust him either…and he knew Ulrich hated him…he didn't have anyone's trust at this moment, but he didn't know about Odd or Jérémie, and they probably cared so little for what happened.

William only headed back to his room and would stay there for the rest of the day until he figured out what he could do…when in truth he knew there was nothing. He just wanted some explanation for why his father took his robot and him…and turned himself into some failed experiment that only had one thing in mind. Whether it be jealousy or revenge. Or even just another moment for Erik to be with William…forever, like Franz wanted for Aelita.