Terror in the Titanium Mines
Synopsis: Sissi is stolen away into the Titanium Mines when she follows a mysterious hooded figure that she perceives as her mother, who died in a horrific car accident when she was very young. XANA, on the following day, sends a message to the Warriors about this and they despite the graveness of the situation, they suspect XANA is setting up a trap for them…
Chapter 1--Midsummer's Eve
Sissi had been sitting on her front porch watching fireworks until she viewed a hooded figure, poking her face out from behind the trees.
"Who are you ? What do you want ?", she asked, curiously. The mysterious cloaked figure then started running and inquisitively wanting to know who the woman was, she followed after her. Strangely, the woman looked incredibly like Aimee, her beloved mother, who died in a horrific car accident when she was only a little girl. She even smelled of jasmine, sandalwood and rose petals.
"Mama, I'm coming to be with you.", she thought to herself as she followed the woman who continued running into the rural streets of Paris not too far from the Delmas estate.
As she fled into an ally, Elisabeth followed her and looked around for her. Apparently she had disappeared as unusually as she had appeared when she had first seen the shadowy figure.
"Mama ? Where did you go ?", she asked. Suddenly, the woman came out from behind her emerging from a swirling vortex, pulling her in with her. Before Sissi could scream, she was pulled into the vortex with her.
Chapter 2--Plunged into Devastation
"Where am I ?", Sissi mumbled upon waking up. She had no time to process her surroundings since a leather strap whipped against her back, causing her to whelp out in pain.
"It's best not to talk too much. Don't worry, I'll help you get through every horror you will encounter.", a young, beige skinned girl with long black hair and almond-shaped scarlet eyes said. Sissi would soon learn the name of this girl was Teena. What she didn't realize was this girl, as innocent as she looked, had a very complicated past and at one point and time had been XANA's personal concubine.
The mines, though opulent in every jagged metallic nook and cranny were craggy, dingy, and ominous. The heat was nearly unbearable and the smell was terrible.
"Just ignore the stench. Eventually, like everything else, you'll become numb to it.", Teena advised. It was difficult to breathe enough in this atmosphere so Sissi spared her breath as much as she could in the hostile environment. Like Teena, she would be working to dig slag out of the mines for eternity. But she had done no wrong. She wondered why she was in this predicament to begin with. She didn't curse her bad fortune, however. She knew sooner or later her friends would come for her and most importantly she would be in the arms of her loving boyfriend, Odd, once more.
A few seconds later, certain footsteps could be heard coming in their direction. It was XANA, face-to-face with Teena.
"What is going on here ?", Sissi wondered to herself. It was as if the two knew one another. XANA sneered at Teena and slapped her violently.
"Serves you right, you ungrateful whore.", XANA spat. Teena snapped at him.
"I'd rather be stuck here than being chained to you anyway. Who'd want to be stuck to you for all eternity ?", she snarled. XANA stroked her back amorously.
"You've done more than your share though, my sweet little coquette. You brought me what I wanted.", he said, grasping Sissi's wrist violently and jerking her away. Sissi's chocolate eyes filled with bitter tears.
"Why ?", she mouthed to Teena, who smirked slyly at the adolescent girl and returned to her work in the mines, not missing a beat. Sissi understood that the relationship between the two was definitely more obscure than she would've ever imagined.
"You'll be far more comfortable in my castle, my flower. One as ravishing as you will surely perish in those terrible mines. Do not worry, I will take care of you.", XANA said. Sissi didn't believe the despot's lies for one moment. Just as usual, he would lock her up, throw away the key and come for her only when he felt 'compelled' to do so.
"Odd…I wish you were here to rescue me.", she prayed, as tears silently rolled down her silken cheeks.
Chapter 3--An Elaborate Rouse
The following day, XANA sent a vision to the other Warriors alerting them to Sissi's capture and they must come to Lyoko by nightfall to free her.
"We have to get her out of there ! If she stays there too long, it's likely she will suffocate.", Odd stated, gravely. Suzanne knew that Odd's observation was correct. Like any other mine, the air quality was worse the lower their levels were in the virtual realm, though they were connected by different strata of rocks and crystals.
"And we will. But I feel XANA's vision is a trap for Aelita.", Jim added.
"It probably is, but we have no choice.", Jeramie said. From a previous mission to Lyoko, Jeramie initiated a crystal that allowed them to travel between physical, digital and temporal realms. All they had to do was think of the place they wanted to travel and the trans-dimensional crystal would transport them there.
Jeramie leapt through the singularity first, coming across Sissi in the Titanium mines. He could've sworn that she'd be cooped up in his castle but there she was, hale and healthy but saddened that she hadn't found her mother like she had planned. She explained what had happened and Jeramie fell for it, hook, line and sinker. The guise of Sissi soon fell and he was faced by Teena, who used her ability to shape-shift to decieve him.
"I have the boy and the crystal, my Prince.", she said, keeping him at bay with electronic cuffs that were immovable. Jeramie struggled while he was delivered to him with no troubles.
"Lord Umbra will most certainly be pleased. My dear, I have altogether judged you wrongly. You will soon have a most handsome reward.", XANA stated, stroking her face gently and kissing her cheek. She cackled lightly.
"Now that is more like it, dearest.", she agreed. But, oddly enough, this had been a plan to help her out with the rest of the Warriors, who had gotten stuck between realms and found themselves in a place they didn't recognize. But they had a feeling that something was going on without their knowledge. Somehow, they'd be able to get back home in no time.
Teena had been able to distract XANA and pull the crystal from his grasp.
"You bitch !", he swore at the top of his lungs, trying to lunge at her with his spear, missing her completely as she flipped over his head, disappeared, snatched Sissi, reappeared and then opened the portal with a blink of her eyes. Unfortunately, Teena was caught by XANA's grip as she passed the crystal back to its rightful owner. Angrily, he threw her into his cell and looked at her sternly. He would teach her a lesson later. For now, the crystal was gone, the Warriors had escaped and Lord Umbra would be most displeased with his defeat.
Chapter 4--She Sacrificed Herself For Me
"I thought she was an enemy, but I never suspected she'd be so helpful.", Sissi said, still in shock.
"Who was she, anyway ?", Taelia questioned, curiously.
"Actually. She has a long, sordid history, according to the dossiers I accessed on her from tapping into Lyoko archives.", Aelita began. Everyone wanted to hear this.
"She was the princess of a distant virtual realm, the firstborn daughter of two sovereigns. She wanted to take over my family's virtual kingdom, wanting to find out its weaknesses, but she was sent to the mines following an error.", Aelita stated, sadly. Everyone was in silence until Herve piped up.
"Will we ever see her again ?", he asked, meekly.
"I do not know. At least we got Sissi out of that hell beside the Volcano sector.", she confirmed. Sissi hugged her and the others, thanking them for their assistance. She still didn't understand why Teena would've sacrificed herself for Sissi's sake. Not everything was laid out before her in black and white as she would've wanted it to be so she decided to simply accept it and go on, realizing that it wouldn't be the last time that she would be seeing XANA or Teena.
Chapter 5--Teena's Rescue From the Titanium Mines
Meanwhile, Teena was chained in the Titanium mines and was being pulled along by a chain gang that would be heading down to the lower, hotter levels of inferno to dig and pick for titanium until she dropped dead from either exhaustion, perspiration, or simply suffocation. She had gone through so many changes in the last few days that she wondered if she truly deserved the punishment that she was about to receive. After all, she had been deceitful, but she had been a harlot in the past. She had never loved XANA. The only reason she had been his concubine was to gain information about Aelita's realm and assist him in overthrowing Lyoko, acting as his Queen once the royal family was eradicated. Of course, she never realized that she had a conscience. She began to like Aelita and her family and knew continuing the charade she was performing so stupendously must come to an end. She wondered if redemption existed for a woman like herself. It didn't matter anyway. Whatever power she had used before in helping that young adolescent human escape had been lost. It was always around this kind of environment that her abilities waned or disappeared completely. She was already exhausted from her fight with XANA earlier and didn't know if she could continue to the lower levels without falling over from the heat.
"If this the way it ends, I accept it, even the burden of my sins.", she thought to herself as she continued to drag herself along, barely able to keep her eyes open.
Teena's eyes fluttered and her world became black. It seemed that death had come for her until she felt the cool splash of water upon her face. Surprised, she sputtered a bit, not expecting the afterlife to welcome her in such a strange way.
"I'm still alive, aren't I ?", she stated obviously, nonplussed. However, she was thankful that these mysterious cloaked figures had rescued her. She had absolutely no clue as to how they had snuck into the mines to begin with without being spotted by the centurions, guards and various other sentry as well as task masters that kept the slaves moving along their appointed rounds. The group revealed themselves. It was the Warriors. Before Teena could say another word, Jeramie spoke.
"I'm here to transport you home, Teena.", he said, almost reverently.
"And XANA won't be able to follow ?", Nicholas asked. Teena was about to ask that herself. It touched her heart to see these youngsters so concerned about her state of mind and wellbeing.
"Technically, no. Without the crystal there is no method of him reaching her again.", Aelita answered, with encouragement. Teena felt tears well up in her ruby-colored eyes. No one had ever shown her this length of compassion before. It was the first time she could ever said that she had true, sincere friends. Not knowing if she would ever see them again, she granted them with a royal jewel from her pendant.
"Should you need me for anything at all, I will find ways to move universes to attend to you.", she said to all of them. It was a profound and unbreakable vow, one she meant. She knew her past had been erased and now she was a new being, one with a happier, healthier life in front of her.
Chapter 6--Starting Anew
Before Teena left with Jeramie to her home-realm, she begged forgiveness from everyone she had wronged.
"You are already forgiven, child. There is nothing we wouldn't do to help a fellow comrade.", Suzanne said as she hugged Teena gently, stroking her hair tenderly. Teena had known her mother in the past, but this pure-hearted woman seemed to be a mother to everyone she touched. Her energy was so incredibly warm, soft and serene. With tears streaming out of her eyes, she smiled, knowing everything would be fine from this point on.
"Then I am truly blessed.", Teena said, her ruby eyes still brimming with tears. She never realized that it would be so difficult to wish all her newfound friends farewell but she was certain that somehow they would be reunited at a later time. Tearfully, she said her goodbyes to each of them, thanking them for all of their help, and most importantly, their forgiveness. She had learned to forgive herself finally, and now, at last she could move on toward a more brilliant future.
After saying her final farewell to Jeramie, she hugged him one last time before he used the trans-dimensional crystal to teleport him back to the unknown sector of Lyoko and then back to Earth.
"'Til we meet again.", she vowed as his hand slipped from her grip. Teena continued to her kingdom in Hayden where the Haydenites waited her triumphant return. She had no prince to rule her kingdom with her, but someday she had a feeling that love would come her way again and this time, the love would be requited, pure and without boundaries.
Epilogue
Through the royal jewel that the Warriors had received from Lady Teena, they were able to glimpse somewhat into her life. She had recently married a gentleman by the name of Tello and they were now expecting their first son, Prince Tehran. Back in Lyoko, XANA had been regaining his strength and planning on how he was going to reel Sissi back into his grasp. For now, he was being punished for his failure and Umbra was going to give him one more chance to prove himself to him. What Umbra didn't know is that little by little, XANA was loosening Umbra's mental grip upon him and one day he would collaborate with the Warriors to bring his untimely end. But for now, he would continue with the pretense of being Umbra's toady.
It had been difficult for Sissi to accept her mother was gone forever after seeing an apparition of her in the ally so long ago. It was just as real to her in her dreams as it had been in reality. She shivered, hugging herself from the cold. Her butler, Lionel, placed a light blanket around her.
"Still missing your mother, miss ?", he said, intuitively.
"How did you…", she began, but he stopped her.
"I know how it feels to lose someone you love. Aimee too, was a beloved friend of mine and when I heard she was gone, well, I almost thought I couldn't go on with my life. But then I knew I had you to look after and keep your father's affairs in order.", Lionel confessed. Sissi turned to hug the tall, gallant, mustachioed gentleman. Like her other servants, he was very down to earth and understood Sissi's heart best of all.
"Glad to know I am not alone.", she breathed as she sunk into the overly-sized comfy chair on the porch and drifted into a deep sleep. Gathering her up into his arms, Lionel brought the young lady back in from the chill of a strangely cool summer's eve.
Delicately, without waking her, he tucked her under her covers, kissed her forehead and then left the room, without making a sound. As Sissi dreamed, she felt calmed by what Lionel had told her. She was indeed blessed by the myriad of friends she had and she knew that they would never leave her side. Whatever happened, the Warriors would stick together and continue fighting until evil was at last, vanquished.
The End