Running up to, and shoving through another doorway, Odd and Aelita screeched to a halt inside, catching breath.
"That was wet and wild, huh?"
Eying him with a humored wrinkle of her nose, they then froze when the light in the hallway vanished, leaving them in an unexpected void of darkness.
Skin crawled and startled breaths left their lungs as lightning struck something nearby, producing a flash, and then the crackling roar of thunder rolling through the air outside.
"...Right, uh, hold on."
Both of them fished out their cell phones, and upon the screens illuminating, they shined them at the other, squinting at their faint, ghostly appearances.
"Lets keep going. Should be around the corner here."
Shining both of their phones at the surrounding walls, they then began an apprehensive wander down the hallway, wet shoes squeaking on the tile floor.
Odd smiled as her hand settled onto his shoulder, keeping her in tow behind. Then, within moments, after turning the corner into another pitch black tunnel, a familiar door appeared several paces ahead.
"There."
Wandering towards it, the hair on Odd's neck and arms rose with alarm as the door slowly opened before them, only to then relax as Ulrich's face appeared around it.
"About time you guys showed up. Heard you coming."
"Are the lights on in the tunnel?"
Peering around the doorway, Yumi's phone screen then turned to illuminate the three of them.
"No. Sewers are fine though. Just checked."
"Did you get a hold of Jeremy?"
"No, and its starting to bother me. He always has his phone on."
"Guess we'd better go meet him, huh?"
"You think? Not like we've been flying blind or anything."
Trading expressions between the four of them, they then began moving through the boiler room, which was eerily quiet, and Yumi pulled open the door to the tunnel beyond, leading the way into the tunnel in a single-file procession into the narrow, curved path underground.
Less than a minute later, another door swung open, and all four heads peeked out into the sewers. Beyond, the dim gloom of night and smell of canal water greeted their senses as they made for their scooters and skateboards hidden nearby.
"Don't normally come here at night, huh?"
"Kinda creepy."
"Try spending a night in the factory alone. I bet that's an experience."
"Jimbo did, remember that?"
The four of them traded interesting looks from the memory as they stood upon their vehicles.
"Did he talk about it?"
"His memory got wiped, so even if he'd rather not, he couldn't anyway."
"That's a shame. Knowing him it'd make for some great stories."
After a period of rolling through the sewer tunnels, the quartet arrived at the end of their travels, dismounting and crowding around the ladder to the bridge above their heads.
"Right, so who wants to go first?"
Turning his head to the others, and then noticing that the three of them already had a finger pressed against their noses, he shook his head.
"...Okay. I get it."
Swiftly climbing up the ladder, he then slid the man-hole cover open, and was promptly greeted with numerous drops of rain from the ensuing storm.
Yeah, I'm ready to be done with today's weather...
Crawling out, he crouched down low and watched as Yumi appeared, kneeling beside him. Seconds later, Odd's head appeared, causing Ulrich to stand, keeping his head low.
"We need to get off this bridge as soon as we can. We're out in the open!"
Heads rising from an ominous rumble above, a distant flash illuminated some of the clouds above, and seeing Odd appear on the ladder below, Ulrich and Yumi then shifted into another separate sprint across the viaduct.
Watching them disappear to the other side, Odd grunted as he pulled himself out, and then turned around and grasped Aelita's hand, helping her up as she hurriedly stepped out.
"Just like before, you ready?"
Responding with a nod, they both turned and began running across the bridge under the rainfall, coming to a halt safely underneath the roof of the factory moments later.
Odd turned around, and stuck his tongue out at the relentless weather outside, and after waiting a few moments, as Ulrich and Yumi slid down the cable, he was greeted by the rumble of thunder.
He chuckled, and turned back around, watching as Aelita cautiously slid down it afterward, and then leaping and sliding down the cable himself.
Joining the others on the floor of the factory, he stood beside Aelita as the metal door of the elevator noisily lifted upward.
"Maybe we'll finally find out what's going on around here." Yumi muttered.
"Tell me about it. Jeremy can't answer his phone, we're having wonderful spring weather, Xana seems to be playing with electricity like normal..."
Stepping inside the elevator and pressing the down button on the panel, the brunette then watched as the other three eyed him with quirks of eyebrows.
"We get it Ulrich, life is rough when you're saving the world."
"Glad you understand."
"Its rougher when you're feeling the grumps."
Eying Aelita's cheeky smile after her statement, his head then turned as the door slid shut, and the elevator car began descending down the shaft.
"In all seriousness guys, be ready for anything down below."
Hold their silence among the noise, not sure what to expect, baited breath was held and released as they slowed to a halt several stories underground. Watching the complex door twist and unlock next to them, their eyes rose up towards Jeremy, who was pattering away on the keyboard of the supercomputer.
Looking at Odd with a spike of heartache, Aelita watched his face grow pensive and serious, both of them well aware of the implications from earlier.
"Hey, Jeremy!" Yumi called out, stepping forwards and leading the others into the room.
He turned around in the seat, looking somewhat surprised to see all of them.
"Uhh, Hey."
"...Hey? Do you have any idea what's going on outside?" Ulrich snapped.
"Yes, Ulrich, I do."
"It's Xana. No doubt about it." Yumi added, watching as Ulrich stepped up beside her, pointing at Jeremy.
"Is there a reason you wouldn't answer your phone earlier?"
"The battery is dead." He said flatly, and then looked over his shoulder when the supercomputer displayed there was an activated tower.
"Look, you guys should get to the scanners. I'll virtualize you all when you're ready."
He turned to face the supercomputer again, and resumed typing, and the four of them exchanged another round of confused expressions and silent scoffs, before turning back towards the elevator in an awkward silence.
Behind them, Jeremy turned in the chair.
"Aelita."
She paused, breath held as she stood still.
"Wait until I virtualize the others, and then you can go."
Right, he doesn't know. But he will soon. This is going to be tough.
Continuing inside the elevator, she looked over as Ulrich slammed the up button on the control panel with his palm, and her eyes flitted back to the door lock as it closed and locked in its complex fashion.
Waiting until the elevator began to rise upwards, the brunette teen then turned around and looked at his other three friends.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one that noticed..."
"We all did." Aelita mumbled.
"Since when does Einstein let his phone go dead?" Odd questioned.
They all looked at the door when the elevator slowed to a stop, and Yumi huffed.
"Look, we'll let him virtualize us right now, but if it gets weird on Lyoko, don't hesitate to devirtualize me."
"Stick with me then." Ulrich grunted, watching as the elevator door opened.
They gathered in the center of the room, and after giving each other a nod, separated into individual scanners.
"We're ready, Jeremy." Yumi spoke.
Aelita sat herself on the floor hatch in the middle of the room, and watched as each of the scanner doors shut and activated, waving to Odd for a fleeting moment just before his scanner shut.
This is going to be really tough. How do I tell Jeremy its over, and then just start going out with his friend? There's no way he will handle that well. Even if its better for me.
A sigh then left her lungs.
At least I hope it'll be better for me. I sure hope Odd is serious about how he feels and what he said.
Jeremy's voice came over the intercom, and after a few moments, the three scanners opened again. Rising to her feet, she stepped forward into the scanner Odd was previously in, shutting her eyes.
I guess I have to keep trusting him. He hasn't let me down yet...
Taking in a breath, she lifted her chin upwards.
"Ready, Jeremy."
