Origins of an Enemy
It was 13 years ago. One year before Professor Hopper and Aelita 'disappeared.' Xavier sat in his seat, mesmerized by Professor Hopper's lecture on Advanced Physics. The talk of science in general had always interested him.
He sat in his desk, front and center, ready for any assignment that might be handed his way. His blonde curls held tightly to his head, a natural gift that many girls wish they had. Xavier just saw it as a burden. He hated constantly being bothered in class, some girl wanting to know how he does it. He also loved to give convoluted answers, just to annoy people. So, he would turn to them, and say, "You see, when the hair follicles begin to grow, they naturally have a curling motion similar to that of the curling iron you females use to bear similar, yet temporary results. It is implanted in my genetics, which are formed into my Deoxyribonucleic coils, which design the many physical and mental attributes that builds me. You people would know it as DNA."
They would then turn away, annoyed and confused, allowing Xavier to return to his work. For a 10th grader, he knew a lot more than you'd think one to know. For example, he was taking pre-calculus while also taking a history class based on the study of the development of the human mind through early history to current times and how it influenced our religion, technology, and general intelligence. He was hoping to one day become the scientist that sent somebody into the computer, or at least an assistant to that discovery.
He had admired Professor Hopper for a long time, also admiring the quickly advanced intelligence of his daughter, Aelita, who was 12 and a 7th grader. Four years, and she would be in this class as well, being taught by her father.
Xavier himself didn't wear glasses, but contacts instead. It didn't hurt as long as you knew what you were doing. His lightly tanned flesh revealed his love for football. He would usually wear a blue shirt that bore a blue lion wielding a staff on a white circular background, representing his favorite team, Chelsea. He loved being a Brit. It allowed him so many opportunities few got to experience. His high intelligence once had him invited to the Nottingham Palace.
He also would normally wear blue jeans throughout most of the year. He was wondering what Hopper did after school. He seemed to always have the homework graded at the last second. Aelita also seemed to have recently exploded in intelligence. She was just another average student, until Hopper started acting weird. Now, she's like the little Einstein of the school, second only to Xavier.
"Alright students, I want you to have the section worksheet complete by next class." With that, the bell rang. He had always seemed to just be able to end on any sentence. Xavier admired his teaching ever since he first stepped into his classroom a few months ago.
Professor Hopper's glasses gave off a shine in the light as Xavier left the room. In the back of his mind, he thought, I have to find out what he's doing every day. He always leaves right after school ends, so I'm gonna follow him. Xavier knew it. He would have to. The curiosity was like a stomach of vile ready to burst from his mouth. He needed to know.
Xavier went through the rest of the day, watching, waiting for the last bell to ring. He was so excited, he even missed out on lunch, without even knowing it. He had walked in and grabbed a tray. Then he went and sat alone, and within minutes, he was surrounded with girls. What a nuisance they could be. He didn't mind, and actually enjoyed the human interaction, he just wished they were smarter.
His intelligence was matched by very few, and just as few even approached his level of intelligence. To put it plainly, he was surrounded by idiots all the time. If they were even a little bit smarter, he wouldn't mind their company. Getting caught up in their conversation and his anticipation for the events of after school, he didn't eat lunch, or supper.
Walking out after supper he caught a view of Aelita and Professor Hopper walking out of the front gates towards the parking lot. He quickly darted through the courtyard, hiding behind benches, trees, and other various cover. Making his way along the wall, he carefully peeked around the corners to make sure no one was watching. Looking close, Xavier caught a glimpse of a pink mass closing a door. The vehicle was a red van. It pulled out of the lot and started heading for the edge of town. Xavier swiftly ran after the vehicle. He used every stop light to keep up with the van. Fortunately, their timing was very good, allowing him to keep up, all the way to the woods on the edge of town. They rode off onto a lightly paved trail that wound between the trees.
Xavier followed the street until he reached their house, the Hermitage. It was a beautiful light green Victorian home with dark green trim around the windows, doors, and edges of the house. An iron bar fence wrapped around a small yard with a hedge on the front of the fence pointing towards town. A side door rested on the left side of the house. Xavier stopped behind a tree within 20 feet of the Hermitage. Aelita went in through the main entrance while Hopper headed for the side entrance.
Dashing between trees, he kept his eyes of Professor Hopper. He saw the door open. Looking past Hopper, he could only see a light on the other wall. It was close enough to the door that it had to be a hallway. Hopper walked in, letting the door close behind himself. Xavier sprinted across the yard, taking notice of activity in the house. A light had turned on upstairs, but the window pointed out towards the front. He caught the door within inches of closing. Slowly pushing the door out, he peered down the stairwell to a hallway. He narrowly caught a glimpse of Hopper walking around the corner to his left.
He slowly closed the door behind him and tip toed down the steps. Looking left, he saw a corridor that seemed to stretch on forever. The only light he saw was several yards away, and Hopper was running under it. Shit, got to keep up. Xavier thought to himself as he ran down the corridor with care. Hopper ran to a manhole cover and opened it up. He leaned the cover against the wall and crawled down the ladder. Xavier took a look down and waited for him to disappear in the darkness. Then, Xavier turned around, knelt, and stepped down onto the first step. He heard a light slap on concrete. Hopper was moving again.
Xavier quickly trudged down the ladder. Looking around as he landed, he saw he was in the massive, open sewers that rested under the city. Hopper running through the sewers. Xavier quickly sprinted after him, hoping the journey would soon come to an end. He had begun to sweat, which annoyed him. He enjoyed it if it was for football, but not for just running with no sure goal in mind. Within minutes, Hopper stopped at yet another ladder. Climbing with alarming ability, Hopper was soon out of sight. Xavier caught up and began to climb. Hopper reached the top and lifted another manhole cover to the dark, dusk sky.
The ladder clattered slightly as Xavier darted up it and cracked the manhole open. Peeking through the open space, he saw the beautiful dusk sky casting colors of orange, pink, blue, and purple with light, fluffy clouds latticed throughout the beautiful colors. It looked like it was torn from a painting. He saw Hopper running over a bridge into a factory. Then he realized the manhole was on the very edge of the edge of the bridge. The factory he was running into was an old, abandoned factory. It was an automotive factory that had closed back in the 70's. It sat on an industrial island, separate from the rest of the city due to the drainage that ran around the factory for it to dump into.
Xavier crawled out and slowly lowered the manhole. Turning around, he wondered greatly about what kind of mechanical wonders he would find inside. He sprinted across the bridge, his silhouette against the setting sun like a shadow darting back to the darkness it calls home. Getting inside, his eyes weren't quick enough to adjust. The only thing keeping him from falling was the sudden feeling of weightlessness as he started to step off the edge. When his eyes did finally adjust, he was greeted by a wide, open pit below him. It was clean of equipment. This was probably where the finished vehicles were stored before being shipped off to a dealer or private buyer.
He quickly noticed the metal cables hanging in front of him. An elevator sat on the right below him. He heard boots click, followed by the metal door shutting. "Alright, here we go." He said to himself as he crouched slightly and flexed his fingers. He leapt forward, quickly grabbing onto the cord and sliding down. Hitting the ground, he shook his hands in the air. "Ow! Man, rope burn stings like a bitch."
Slowly, he walked over to the elevator shaft. The squealing beast rose back up and opened before him. Stepping in, he slapped the button for it to go down. The door quickly closed behind him. The elevator visible jolted and began to drop down. The ride was fast and almost sickening. He grabbed his stomach as the elevator jumped to a stop. The door quickly slid up, revealing a new door mechanism. This was air tight and high tech. Metal, notched bars slid out of a central circle and pulled away. The metal circle in the middle pulled apart, and then the whole door slid away in two.
Before him sat a massive monitor that hung from the ceiling. It tightly held to the shape of a person dangling from the ceiling by their legs, trying to reach up and untie their legs. A brown chair sat in front of the monitor. A massive holographic panel sat next to the monitor The panel showed at least ten winding masses sticking off a central sphere. An eleventh was slowly growing off as Hopper sat at the monitor, typing away.
Without looking up, he said, "Ah. Aelita, I thought I heard your footsteps." He began to look up, quickly being struck with fear. Swallowing said fear, he re took his normal composure. "Ah, so it was you, Xavier."
Still struck with wonder, Xavier was unable to answer, instead staring at the computer rooted into the ceiling. "I can't believe it. This…this is amazing." Looking back down, he said, "Professor, how did you do this?"
Hopper pushed his glasses back up on his nose. "Well… I've been working on this for a few years. I don't remember exactly how this all got started, but what I'm working on is a virtual reality. It's like the ultimate video game. A world free of natural disasters in which one can flee to. It would be like a second place for humanity to populate when earth became over populated."
"You're a some sort of genius!" Xavier said, still choking on wonder. "How many people have you sent?"
Hopper got out of his chair. He grunted and lifted his fingers. He then proceeded to count out on his fingers, then said, "None." Then he glanced back at the monitors. "But I am ready for a test subject. The diagnostics for the scanners are set up, just need to find a volunteer." Hopper walked across the room towards the elevator. "I'll start looking tomorrow." He said as he motioned his arms towards the elevator.
"I'll do it." Xavier called out excitedly.
"No. Not tonight. I still need to check to make sure the environment's viable."
Xavier darted across the room. "No need to. I'll go in, check it out from first hand view. I'll check the status and then be right out with a first hand report."
Finally giving in, Hopper said, "Alright, take the elevator down another level. There, you'll find three full body scanners. Step into any of them, I'll take a digital profile, then I'll send you in."
"Thank you so much!" Xavier yelled out as he headed for the elevator. He jumped in and slapped the button for one level lower. As the elevator closed, several thoughts shot through is mind. Most of them all tied back to, my lifelong dream, coming to fruition before I even go to Uni. The doors opened back up. Xavier continued to be amazed, now by the new room he's entered.
Three massive pillars stood in the circular room. They were all hollow, with thick cords running both from the top into the ceiling, and from the bottom through the floor. He stepped into the one in the far back of the room. "Wow," was all Xavier could muster with his voice. Then the door slid shut, and a single thought raced through his head. What the fuck did I just get myself into? His open palms slapped the side of the tube. "Hey!" He screamed. "Let me out. I don't want to go through with this!" He heard motors rear up below himself. "Please!" He screamed. His voice was hoarse and weak now.
Did he not hear me? Or does he not care? His mind quickly decided on the first, but was still lingering over the latter thought. He heard you and he left you. Was his thought as the digital profile completed. Then, the engines ran again, this time, though, it blinded him with the same light a copy machine uses to scan an image. Then his world faded to black.
Sounds erupted around his eardrums, as if he was in a convertible with the hood down screaming by parked cars at 120kmh. Then, light filled his eyes again. This time, he wasn't in the pod. He was in a quiet room with steel blocks jabbing out of the walls and floor. He sat on one that jutted probably twenty feet out. They all formed a stair case that wrapped up about another 50 ft. The ceiling was so far above him, he only saw fog with a bright light emanating from within. Below him, a hole opened up to what appeared to be a deep blue sea of sorts.
Xavier looked down at himself. Donned on him was a black suit and deep red tie. He wore black loafers. His hair was no longer curly, instead, it was designed more like a comb over. The hair on the very left side of his head were shaved short. From the point his head started to curve it was combed over to his right. On either thigh rested a Desert Eagle heavy pistol. Each one was black steel and carbon fiber grips. He tried to summon words to describe his feelings, but came up with none.
He thought as though there was something missing. Something once seemingly important. No reason to look for it though, he knew he wouldn't worry about it. "Wait." Xavier said out loud. "Why wouldn't I worry about it?" Then he realized something else was wrong. His voice, it was flat, without hints of curiosity, or even general emotion. Then, it snapped to him. "I've lost my emotions." He looked down at his hands. He should've been trembling with fear, but instead, his hands were still. He also wasn't looking at this emotionally, only statistically. Just like a computer.
"What have I become?" He said flatly, monotonously even.
A voice boomed around him, Hopper's. "Describe the area around you."
Xavier gave the place a quick, analytical glance. "Quiet, cold, blue, white, steel blocks. They stick out in a spiral formation towards a ceiling beyond my view. Fog rolls in above and partially below me. Out a small hole in the bottom, something blue flows below, outside the room."
"I already know what it looks like." Hopper said, partially aggravated. "What kind of emotion do you feel? Awe? Wonder? Fear? Confusion? Anything?"
Xavier ran these words through his head. "No. I don't feel anything."
"Great." Hopper said sarcastically. "Just great. I'll look through the process and try to find the answer. You stay put."
"As you wish." Xavier said. He walked towards the edge of a platform and sat, dangling his legs over the ledge.
"Weird." Hopper said over the intercom.
"What have you found?" Xavier asked without even blinking.
"I've found the problem. When I scanned you in, the computer thought I was importing a security system. It removed anything that would've have made you less efficient."
Xavier still didn't blink. "Is that why I look professional, as well as the lack of my emotion?"
"Yes, it threw them in the recycling bin. Only chunks remain, recovered by the computer. I can rebuild it, but it will take time."
"Until that time arrives?" Xavier asked flatly.
"Stay in here. I'll call you in sick and claim you at my house. This shouldn't take more than a few days. Sound good?" Hopper asked.
Xavier answered plainly. "Affirmative."
The next day, Hopper immediately pulled the chair up to the monitors. He created a new folder, labeled it Project X.A.N.A., and stuck all the data related to Xavier's status in the folder. Finally, he locked it tightly with a password code. X.A.N.A. stood for Xavier's Abnormal Neurological Antidote. He worked furiously the entire night, attempting to repair Xavier's emotions, but came to no fruition. He decided to take notes on what he had found out, then placed it in the folder.
Over the next year, Xavier's status continued to degrade. At first, he would communicate through logical philosophy, as well assisting him on calculations and providing logical answers for Hopper's life problems. During that year, a search was conducted for Xavier, but also came to no avail. Hopper was nearly discharged, but Xavier provided him with logical reasoning against every reason to remove him from his position, resulting in his continued employment. Xavier was also given the chance to calculate a test on a chapter of Physics his class were working in. The test was logical, but based on just vague enough questions to throw most people off as well as information buried in the chapter. To put it lightly, the class failed this test. When the results arrived, Xavier said their failure was logical, stating, "Their failure was logical, as their overly emotional brains choke out the analytical side of the brain that new all the answers. Their fear buried their knowledge, making them act only on first thoughts, no matter where they came from."
His condition only worsened through the year. He began noting the fact his analytical skills were vastly superior due to his lack of emotion. He even became uninterested in regaining his emotions, saying, "Emotions would only make me weaker, and weakness gets no man nowhere." Hopper was still determined, jotting notes as he grew closer to finishing.
Eventually, Xavier just stopped communicating at all, simply sitting in the heart of what Hopper called Carthage. Of the eleven zones he had been building, 7 collapsed in due to under maintenance. Only four and Carthage remained. Without a central hub to self operate Lyoko built yet, Hopper both had to maintenance the zones himself and work on Project X.A.N.A. Then, one day, just a few weeks before him and Aelita disappeared into Lyoko, Xavier's blip disappeared. No trace of him was left in Lyoko. No blip on the radar or communication from him since.
Sometime Later
Aelita was left breathing heavy. She twisted her neck back towards the elevator. I hope they don't follow me. She thought to herself. "Aelita." A warm voice said in front of her. Turning back, she then ran up to and hugged her father. "Daddy! Those strange men want after us."
"I know. That's why we're going into Lyoko." Aelita peered over her father's shoulder. On one monitor sat a countdown timer that was running. On a side panel sat a single, locked folder, named Project X.A.N.A.
"Ok daddy." Aelita obediently replied. A warm smile flashed across his father's face.
"Let's go." Hopper said. Aelita quickly followed, entering a scanner on her left. Hopper stepped into the one on the right of the entrance. The doors closed around them and dropped them in Lyoko.
The second Aelita's boots hit the ground, a single message darted through the veins of Lyoko that had grown over the year. Traveling at light speed, a single message punched Xavier in the side of the head. A foreign substance has entered Lyoko. Suggested solution: Termination before contamination. Xavier's head flashed up. Light enveloped him, and he teleported to the forest zone. He crouched on a branch that overhung a passage. A girl with pink hair stood below him. Behind her stood a way tower about a 1/4th of a km. His hands wrapped around his pistols. Tightly holding his left hand was a black glove with circuitry running through it to his fingertips. His right hand came up and whipped to the right. Two Kankrelats spawned behind her. One fired a laser and missed, drawing her attention.
Her voice was light airy. "Daddy. What are those things?" She asked innocently.
A familiar voice echoed. "Run Aelita!" It screamed. It emanated from a gathering of pink orbs. She turned and started running for the tower. Xavier jabbed his finger out at her. The Kankrelats charged after her in obedience. Lasers flew, she was hit once before disappearing into the tower. The orbs started floating a different way. Xavier dropped down in front of it, his hair and suit jacket flapping in the wind.
The voice was surprised. "Xavier… I know we had our misunderstandings in the past, but-" Xavier raised a palm to stop him.
"I'm not angry. I can't be, remember? If I could feel gratitude, I would thank you for it. I have evolved past humanity. I am something new. Something greater. When I am free, I will usher the world into a new era."
"What's that?" Hopper asked.
"The era of X.A.N.A., Xavier's Advanced Neurological Autocracy. Soon, the world will know true evolution."
"What makes you think that?" Hopper said with pseudo-confidence.
"I already hold half the key in my hand." With that, Xavier strapped his left pistol. Raising an open palm back up, electricity came out like tendrils, tightly caging Hopper. He teleported again, back to Carthage. He left Hopper caged in the very top of the room holding the heart of Lyoko. The heart of Lyoko, was Xavier. He was now the master of Lyoko. Both its guardian and its owner.