Annihilation and Devastation
A Code Lyoko fanfic inspired by the movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. When XANA illegally opens the portals between the kingdom of Lyoko and the planet Earth, the Lyoko Warriors have to pool together and stop him, this time more than ever!
Chapter 1—It Has Begun !
It was a typical day for students back at Kadic and at Paris Academy. Another school year was beginning at both facilities and students were walking in a steady pace to their next class of the day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and there was a gentle wind despite balmy temperatures. Yet, the Lyoko Warriors felt a shift although it was incredibly subtle. From wherever they were, the Warriors stopped what they were doing. Jeramie, who stopped writing his current program for accurate stellar calculations, sent out an alert via computer to everyone's communicators. Meanwhile, XANA had already begun breeching the portals between Lyoko and Earth and sending for his Deletion Armada. The Armada was vast, skilled, deadly, cunning and quick. No one would see these masked creatures coming, because they could blend into their surroundings, taking upon any form they wished. Already the take-over had begun, and unsuspecting human beings going about their daily errands had simply disappeared from existence, not knowing whether they were alive, dead, or somewhere in-between.
Eventually, the skies began to turn ominous and the sun was obscured from view. The air around everyone was electric and cold, not at all calming and serene as it had been before. The Armada had infiltrated the entire globe in mere nanoseconds, choking off one human life to the next. The Warriors had assembled as quickly as they could, knowing something was horribly wrong. They didn't have time to chat, they had to transform before it was too late. XANA was up to his old tricks, under the thumb of Umbra once more. It wasn't too much later that the Warriors had met, and started to track down the Armada as it spread. It had to be cut off before XANA was dealt with. It wasn't what the Warriors had wanted at first, but the Armada was the main problem. XANA would have to be fought later. It would take all of their effort together, which would drain a lot of their energy, but love was the glue keeping them united. Nothing could ever break that bond even if they were about to suffer the wounds, bruises, gashes and slashes of battle.
Chapter 2—Let the Combat Commence
Seeing that their situation would be an arduous one, their combat attire had transformed to accommodate them in this situation. The armor was lightweight and formed to the body, but it was comfortable for motion. It absorbed impacts and was impervious to enemy attack. Jeramie had formulated the algorithm for this new armor, and it would serve the Warriors well.
The Deletion Armada looked like normal ninjas at once glance, and transmuted from liquid to solid to gas in milliseconds. Taelia, who had been gifted with goggles that could track the movements of the androids wherever they were from one transition to the next, gave the Warriors the word of when to strike and when to yield. But, soon she was hit by a rather unexpected chain from one of the droids. The chain wrapped around her neck and flung her into a clutch of trees into the distance. She was able to get up though, since Nicholas had found another method of locating them. Through vibration, he could sense their movements along the ground and struck the androids in the third eye, their vulnerable spot. Deletion droids were fading left and right, but the people they had removed from the earth hadn't returned. Something more sinister was going on here, and the eerie electric laugh of XANA (followed by a deeper, more sardonic laugh of his puppeteer, Umbra) was heard rumbling through the clouds like thunder.
It was Odd's fear come to life again when a lightning bolt nearly struck him. It took the form of his worst enemy, Thunderia. Jim placed his hand on the trembling lad's shoulder.
"She's just another one of XANA's monsters. If you need me to protect you from her blasts, I'll use my rod to shield you. No fear, Odd.", Jim said, with a smile and a playful wink. Thunderia raised an eyebrow, wondering what they were talking about and began to fight them both. The others were met by new creatures that XANA had sent. Looking like a cross between a vulture and a great white shark, these "terrors" were apt to rip anything they came across to shreds. Luckily the armor the Warriors had could withstand anything. The battle had only reached a climax, but it was far from over.
The terrors were harder to destroy than the previous Armada, which could continuously be generated at the whim of XANA. He wasn't growing weary of sending out troop after troop, but he dreaded meeting the Warriors face to face. Something deep within him told him he wasn't going to be successful for long, so he'd better enjoy the moment while he could. Soon, there would only be the Warriors and himself. No other humans would exist on Earth. The Warriors couldn't be everywhere at once, and they knew that. Yet, they continued fighting even if they realized that it was pointless. They wouldn't give up until they had reached the edge of the physical realm and met XANA. They didn't know he was only partially responsible. The real nemesis was Umbra himself, but they would deal with him soon enough.
Chapter 3—Battered, Bruised, but Still Fighting
Terrors still came and went, Thunderia had been defeated as well as the other harlots that tended to follow XANA, doing whatever he bade them to do. One by one, terrors fell and the Warriors were able to walk across the gap between reality and the virtual world. The edge of reality was a mystical, bizarre, eerie and fascinating sight, but none of them could really appreciate it as much as they wanted to. Their ulterior motive kept them in motion.
What the Warriors saw next they never anticipated. The architecture of Lyoko had changed quite a bit since their last return trip there. There was desolation, death, and nothingness. The area was void except for the strange constructs that were littered among the landscape. It seemed the environment moaned in pain from the ravage it had suffered. XANA, sword unsheathed from the shadows, stepped out from the fog and laughed manically.
"At last the Warriors arrive. A bit too late for the salvation of humankind though.", XANA stated rather flippantly. XANA could care less about the fate of humankind. He only wished to dispose of the Warriors quickly and be done with it.
XANA charged at them with a mighty yell, bringing his sword down in a barrage of flames and smoke. Even though he was just one entity, he was ridiculously powerful and the Warriors had to be cautious. Their armor might have held off other attacks from the creatures that XANA had unleashed, but it still was no match for the sword he wielded. Not expecting a group attack the fifteen Warriors linked hands and chanted, weapons hovering above the ground. Each weapon took aim, fired and struck XANA's symbol. What he said next took them all by surprise.
"I am free at last from his influence. I am my own entity once more.", XANA said before fragmenting down to dust and particles.
"What did he mean by that ?", Odd questioned, looking at Emily, Jeramie, Herve and Mrs. Hertz for answers.
"I fear someone else is truly pulling the strings here.", Emily said, and she didn't know how right she was.
Chapter 4—Last Battle
Sissi was slightly uncomfortable when XANA dissipated, and she hid her vision from seeing him disappear. She started to cry, shivering as she did so. Odd stroked her hair and tried to assuage her sorrow. Her grief was short-lived when Umbra made his entrance. It was nothing short of terrifying, but surprisingly the Warriors were unnerved. Together, they could face anything, no matter how ghastly it was.
"I am surprised you have made it this far. You have done far better than I even anticipated. To make this a fair battle, each one of you will spar against me. The only way to win…is to defeat me.", Umbra said, bearing a toothy grin. He fought the women first, not because of chivalry but because he thought they would be weaker. The first opponent was Aelita, and she braced herself for the worst to come.
One by one the ladies were defeated and only the men were left. The eldest Warriors were left for last out of "respect", if Umbra even knew what the word actually meant. There were only a few Warriors left to fight against the master of chaos himself.
He was far too cocky and self-absorbed to realize the Warriors had pooled their energy and faith with Jim and he could feel it resonating within him. He even had a glow around him, an aura of iridescent colors. He knew he wouldn't be alone in this final battle, but he was the only one that could finally put an end to all that had befallen Earth. He was, perhaps, the only hope they had left. And with what little energy they had left they prayed together in complete serenity.
Jim felt stronger than he had ever been in the past. He could hear all of the thoughts of his friends, and most importantly, his family.
"Dad, we're with you. We believe in you.", Emily's heart said, warmly.
"I love you, James. Don't believe any of the lies Umbra says. They are simply brambles to your subconscious…", Suzanne warned. Each projection of thought was heard loud and clear, and Jim knew what he must do. Twirling his bo, he took a fighter's stance, and waited for Umbra to make the first move. With a fresh yell, red eyes burning like fire, Umbra charged at the Lightning Warrior.
The fight started with a gargantuan surge of power that seemed to make the whole land lurch as Umbra took advantage of the shadows surrounding what was left of Lyoko. Every last landmark was in ruin, and the whole realm seemed to be weeping. It was very difficult to see it as well as the battle itself. Jim was getting knocked around harshly and bleeding from the mouth. He didn't let a little blood stop him and waited for Umbra to make a hasty charge once again. Using one of many lightning attacks, the charge seemed to affect Umbra greatly even though he didn't seem affected by physical blows. Raising his hands to the heavens, he called upon the storms help to infuse him with all the electricity he could possibly muster. With the love and support of his family and friends, nothing could conquer his willpower to succeed and triumph over evil.
Crack ! Loudly the energy crackled, pop, fizzed and sizzled in Jim's hands before firing a large lightning sphere into the symbol of Umbra's chest. Before Umbra could even duck or react, the light overtook him and pulsated. It became intensely bright and exploded much like a supernova. In a shimmering, fading speck, Umbra was nothing more than particulate and a figment. Then a rather calm sounding voice was heard.
"I should've known my greed would've led me to this. Franz had always warned me of this in the past. I never listened, and now I regret it. But at least now I am free from my vice, and perhaps, I can have another chance, should the Divine Spark allow it.", Hashid's soft spoken tone stated, with an obvious sense of relief and release.
"You've been delivered from that, my friend. I'm sorry it had to come to this.", Jim said, feeling tears building up in his eyes. Though he never knew what type of man Dr. Umbra had been, he mourned the man's death, as did the other Warriors. Umbra had never seen this kind of compassion before, save from his old friend Franz, who had now reappeared to join the Warriors and meet his daughter again for the first time. It was a very touching moment and it eased the turmoil he was feeling. Serenity overcame him before he ascended into the afterlife. Only heavens knew what would become of him now, but at least he had proven at his core, he had good within him.
Epilogue
Jim had been praised by his friends for reverting everything to normal, though he humbly said he hadn't done the deed himself. He was right, because it had been the effort of everyone's faith that had been the redemption of one Dr. Hashid Umbra.
The world was restored, as well as the people in it. Lyoko too, had returned to its original state and the Lyokoians were freed from their oppression and bondage. Though Lyoko was a perfect world, they would always have to be under the watchful eye of Jeramie as well as the rest of the Warriors. They would have their own problems in the everyday world of reality, but they would always be prepared to sacrifice their schedules in the wake of souls reaching out for help. The Warrior line would never shrivel and die. It would continue to grow and flourish, assisting all (good or bad) that required a push in the right direction. Of course reality would get in the way sometimes but it never impeded them from dashing into action when called.
The End