Chapter 2: Emily LeDuc
Alice rolled down her sleeve as she watched the others run off to class. She looked down and read the note. She raised an eyebrow at it and showed it Xanatos. "Er, so Franz is the big bad wolf here. I guess it is a good thing I am rolled under the name of 'Alice Muto' instead of Hopper. But what can Emily tell us?" Alice asked, hoping he might have some kind of a clue.
"You're asking me?" Xanatos asked with raised eyebrows. "You're the one who spends her life traveling from world to world. If anybody would know anything about this, it would be you! Have you never gone to a world where Emily was more than just… a random person?"
Alice scratched her chin as she reached for her bag. "Hmm…I can check my log book. I've been recording all of the different worlds I"ve been to. Who knows…I might re-visit a world…" Alice grabbed her laptop and opened up the log. She did a search for any mentioning of Emily.
"Well, I've run across a world where everyone was the opposite gender„,But Emily was just someone named Eric who was badgering Ulkina, er Ulrich, into going out on a date with him. Then there is one where she did help Jeremie once with the Supercomputer, but her memory was erased by the return trip." Alice told him. She sighed and put the computer away. "Well, I guess after class we can go talk to her. Do you need to use my laptop to enroll here? I guess you better become a student here."
When Alice entered the classroom, Aelita was sitting at her desk staringly dreamly at Jeremie's back. However, she glanced non-chalantly towards the door when it opened, and her eyes widened. She quickly motioned for Alice to step back outside the classroom. "Jer," she said quickly, "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."
She stood up, slipped outside and gave Alice an 'are-you-crazy' look? "Have you forgotten what I said already, Diane?" She blinked and rolled her eyes, "I mean… Alice. Look, Franz can *not* know you are here right now. I don't care what you have to do. Stay *away* from him, and that means do *not* go to his class, where he could easily be staring at you for at least an hour."
Alice turned pale after hearing footsteps and quickly pushed Alice into a closet. "Stay there for now. Don't move until Emily comes for you." Then she closed the door and cheerfully said, "Father! I was just to the bathroom. I'll be to the class shortly" Her voice was bright, happy and full of adoration. Either Aelita was a really good actor, or she truly loved her father. The two of them headed off in opposite directions
Alice tried to argue with her before she got shoved in, but Aelita ignored her. Alice listen until she heard the footsteps die down. She sighed and sat down on a nearby box of floor cleaner. "Did she honesty think that I would allow Franz to stare at me? I had the sick card all ready to go…" Alice glanced down at her watched and sighed. "Great… Now I'm going to get a detention for playing hookie from his class! He knew there was a new student about to start today with him. I guess I better find Emily now instead of after classes. Now where could she be…?" Alice mumbled to herself.
She stood up and dust off the white power of the cleaner. She reached for the Handle at the same time that it turned. Panicky, she looked around for some place to hide. She spotted a trash can and jumped in. She told herself not to look at what smelly thing she was on. Alice glanced over the rim of the can to get a good look at who was opening the door.
"You weren't thinking about leaving the closet, were you?" Emily stood there, a smirk across her friendly face. She brushed the hair out of her face and straightened her glasses. "Seriously Diane, if… I mean… Alice, secrecy is very, very important right now. Dark Moon assassins are everywhere. Revealing yourself to the Kadets a little while ago was ridiculously dangerous. For now, steer clear of letting anybody know who you really are.
"Also, I really hope you are as good at science as you have claimed to be, because you are going to receive personal science-teaching by resident genius Aelita Stones. She managed to convince Franz that having the new science genius in a science class with all the normal kids would be a waste of time. Also, don't just fool-hardly trust anybody. Me and Aelita suspect that somebody in the Kadets is actually working for Dark Moon. Also," Emily reached out and pulled Alice into a hug, "it's good to have you back."
"I…what…huh? Wa-HEY!" Alice tried to talk before Emily gave her a hug. Alice pulled back and look at Emily like it was the first time she ever seen the real Emily. "Alright, I'm going to need the Reader Digest version here. Who are these Dark Moon Assassins? How did you guys destroy XANA? Who exactly are the Kadets? The Lyoko warriors of this world? How in the heck did you get involved into all of this? And why is Franz the wolf here?
"I've never been to this world before! I need some real answers, I need to know what am I facing here in this world! If XANA did not force me here, than what evil-loving person or group is coming after me this time?" Alice spewed out of her mouth at high speed. Alice was fed up with everyone acting like she was the crazy one. "And also, why is everyone calling me Diane? Who was she, anyways?"
Emily looked at Alice with pitying eyes. "Because that is who you are… Don't tell me the weirdnesses messed with your head too Alice Hopper. The world has actually become very complicated and complex. That was just your cover name, in the same way that Franz Hopper is his cover name. Diane Schaeffer… I remember you, even if you do not. Both you and Doodle. This… is actually the world that you were originally sent away from. You're home."
"No…no I can't be…This can't be…but the barrier XANA placed…Jeremie's eye…Diane…I'm Alice! That's the official name on the adoption papers! But you know Doodle….no, I-I don't believe you! Now please! Tell me the honest truth! PLEASE! NO MORE MIND GAMES! I've suffered too much, loss so much…" Alice look incredulously at Emily, spewing whatever came to her mind. She shook her head no and slowly backed away from her. She tripped on a broom and fell to the ground.
Alice grabbed her head as she tried to cope with what was happening around her. "This must be another XANA trick! I just can't…it can't be! Home…can I really be back home? After who knows how long, could I really be back? Could it finally be all over?" Alice mumbled to herself, not knowing who to trust anymore here on this world.
Emily's face fell at Alice's excitement. "Alice… Please don't get over-excited. It's… it's not as good as you might think. You see, to most people in this world you do not exist. You… thought you saved us from XANA… and in a way you did, but… She winced, "He wanted to do more than keep you from your world forever, he wanted to erase you from existence, to make it so that even if you ever returned to your world, you would never know it.
"There are a few people who have been waiting for your return, but mostly you have been forgotten. I don't really know how to say it, or how exactly it worked, but XANA did something with his supercomputer as he died. This you knew, what you didn't is that you weren't the only thing effected.
"The world itself was rewritten, transformed into its own dimension that started shortly after XANA was destroyed. You see, nobody who died before the supercomputer went hay-wire could come back to life. You know this rule as well as I do. For all of us, we awoke in this dimension with the other feeling like a dream. For those who decided it was nothing more, it faded like any dream will, until they remember nothing. Over time, this has happened to practically everybody, and that other dimension never existed."
"A few people, however, do remember it. I am the only one on your side who does, and have been waiting for your return, in order to set things right. Aelita… wasn't willing to let the dream go, and thus remembers vague pieces of it. That's why she knew to send you to me. The only others who know are Franz Hopper and the Dark Moon organization. Both want you dead. Reason is that somehow you can undo this dimension and bring the true one back. In that one, Franz was seconds from death. It means the moment you go back, he will die. As much as he may care about you, he doesn't want to die for you.
"Dark Moon rules this world, and they aren't going to be happy about your arrival either. They want to stay in command. But don't fool yourself into thinking this world revolves around you, regardless of the fact that all of us are waiting for your return. The Kadets have been fighting against Dark Moon, because they want revenge for XANA being destroyed. As soon as the Kadets are out of the picture, they plan on creating a brand-new one. This, you see, was XANA's plan. A way to remove you from existence, and revive himself. You couldn't return because he was still preparing it for the day that you did. If you are here now, that must mean that he thinks he is ready to destroy you himself. That means, the Kadets are going to die today."
Alice looked up at Emily as she listen to the fate of this…no her world. Alice knew that if this was XANA, this was way too elaborate of and attack. Too…grand, to many places for errors to exist. Deep down, Alice could feel the happiness finally break into her heart at the thought of her journey being over. Alice slowly stood up and faced Emily.
"So, hang on…let me just check that I'm hearing you right. This is my home world, just..different from the fall of XANA. So people don't remember their past self and think their old life was a dream? Well, that would explain why the other warriors, or Kadets are they called now, did not recognized me right away until I showed them my photo. And this Dark Moon group…they actually WANT XANA to come back? They want a murderous, evil AI that wants to rule over all of humanity to RETURN? Are they nuts, or did their power go to their heads?" Alice paused as everything fell into place in her mind.
"And so now, because I can set thing back, both Dark Moon and XANA are going to attack and come after me? Well, I'm use to XANA attacks by now. He has tried on each world I have visited to kill me. That is what XANA told me when he first threw me into the portal to the void between worlds. He wanted some other version of him to do what he failed to do. And the others…we HAVE to warn them of the impending attack. Not to mentioned Xanatos. He came from another world as well. He..well…I'll let him tell you about himself. He said he was going to become some kind of a worker here to stay close as we tried to figure out what was going on around us."
Alice smiled as one final thought went thought her mind. "I get why this Dark Moon people and XANA want me dead, But why would Franz? He is-er-was my Adopted father. He saved me from a terrible fate from the orphanage. He gave me a purpose in life, a place to call home. HE always was happy to see me and to be around me. Why would he want me DEAD? What happen to my sweet Professor?"
"The other Kadets didn't recognize you, period. To everybody except me, Aelita, Franz, and Dark Moon that other world did not exist. And… in all honesty… it is my belief that when XANA gets recreated it'll be an upgrade of the original, meaning simply that this new XANA will be the same old XANA that sent you away. Your first opponent will be your new one, except much improved. Dark Moon seems to think they can control him. After all, this new world so that they think they did, except that none of that stuff really happened. As Aelita told you, XANA is currently dead, but we are unaware of when Dark Moon will finish upgrading and reviving him.
"Franz Hopper is still really sweet and charming. In most ways he is about the nicest person one could ever meet. However, as I tried to explain, somehow you are supposed to destroy this dimension. In other words, get *your* world back to being… well… your *original* world. When that happens, it'll revive where it picked up… and Franz will finish dying. The fact that he is on this new world means that he gets to live. Therefore, me and Aelita expect one of two things. Either… you end up redeeming your old world and Franz dies, or this new world becomes the real one because you die. According to this logic, one of you is going to have to die. Franz… doesn't want it to be him.
"As for the Kadets, they worship Franz Hopper. I am worried they might report this strange occurrence to him. Avoid the Kadets at all costs, as being around them could easily lead to your death. Though… your being here means they are in danger. It could very easily mean XANA 2.0 has finally been created."
Alice sighed as everything fell into place. "I guess I should of know that of Franz. He never loved me as much as he did Aelita. She was the angel of the family, while Doodle and I were just lucky to have a home. Whatever she wanted, she got. Deep down, I always knew he loved her more than me. I guess he rather be with Aelita than watching me live. He must of forgotten our pact.
"I promised him that if something ever happen to him that I would keep her safe. Aelita never knew that I had it all set up, when XANA was dead I would return back to being 24 and adopt her. It would make us an official family once more. I would play the part of a once falsely accused prisoner who found a girl who was without a family that was just like her long-lost sister." Alice sat down on the box of cleaning solution again.
"But how could the others forget me? Jeremie always enjoyed my help in coding programs for Lyoko, using my Administrator access to pull what ever we needed. Ulrich and mine sparing matches in the woods with wooden swords. Helping each other get better at controlling them. All of those shopping trips and spa days with Yumi, how could she forget all of the thing we would gossip about.
"And Odd… how could he, above all, forget me. He promised me he would remember me always, to keep me close in his heart. He…he.. kissed me before XANA could pull me away. He said he would wait for me, that he was an idiot for not figuring out sooner what my heart knew all along. How could he just forget me…just like that?" Alice placed her hands on each side of her head, as sadness creep over her. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes at the lost memories she held close to her heart.
"Those memories are what kept me going through my journey. The knowledge that they were all waiting for me. I just can't believe that XANA would do something this. He filled me with false hope that here, at least, was not only XANA free, but finally at peace. The war was suppose to be over. The hope that when I did return, I could have my family of friends back and we could move on with our lives." Alice sighed, looking at her feet as she talked. Alice stood up and faced Emily, a look of determination on her face.
"I may not know what to do. I may not know if I like the idea of Franz wanting me dead. But I am certain that I can't just let XANA and this Dark Moon group get away with what they have done. I'm here to help set things right, even if I do not know what that is. So, what is our next move here Emily? I'm ready to continue the fight."
Emily's face fell. "If… if it's any consolation, it's not like the purposefully chose to forget about you. I tried to explain it… more like a dream. The dreams you believe really happened always haunt your mind, but the bad or complex dreams float away like a fog. The moment they decided it had been nothing more than a horrible dream, it disappeared like smoke. Somehow… XANA designed the world to work that way."
"Me… I was the only one who refused to give up that dream. I'd rather not talk about it, but there were some things in that version of the world that I was *not* willing to dismiss as dreams. As for your pact, it is my belief that like me Franz Hopper has forgotten nothing. I think it has more to do with being able to look after Aelita himself without worrying about XANA, and wanting that more than allowing you to watch over her.
"Strange as it may be, in this world, he has no responsibility over whatever happens with XANA. As such, he isn't willing to die for something that is no longer his fault. Basically, you are going to end up killing him. He simply wants to… you know… not let you kill him. I'll be honest. Everything I've learned has been either from Aelita telling me what she can still remember, or spying on Franz Hopper or Dark Moon warriors. From what I can tell, all of this has something to do with Lyoko.
"In other words, somehow it can all be undone." Alice pulled out her notebook and began to draw in it. "Imagine us like a straight line like this: —. That is how time is supposed to work. However, Lyoko has altered that so that it goes more like this: - —, and a second branch/world has been created. Somehow you can snap time back the way it was, destroying everything that happened here and making *this* the bad dream. Sadly, it would mean you were doing here what XANA did to your world.
"Everybody who is in this new one will be killed, destroyed, wiped out as if they had never existed. However, we will have our world back, and Franz will be once again dead. Aelita… who has miraculously managed to get her father back, will become an orphan. The Kadets will be gone… but your friends and your Odd will be back. You have the ability to choose which world exists. In other words, you need to decide which world is better, and which one should die. Either way, what XANA has done is made the deaths of billions be on your conscience. No matter what happens, billions will have to die, and you have to pick which ones. The mind games you mentioned… those have only just begun."
"Dreams…XANA always been good at manipulating those. I swear I can't count the number of times he has given me nightmares of the night Doodle died. I guess they allowed the dream to fade, as I let the nightmare fade as well." Alice shook her head at the sad thought. Alice listen carefully to what Emily was describing this new alternate timeline. Alice nodded her head as the situation came down onto her shoulders.
"So…he finally done it. I'm going to be a murder no matter what I do. Either I bring back the world I left, or I let the new timeline run it's course and willing enter death's embrace. No matter how I look at it, XANA has won. There is no way that I'll ever be free of 'what if' questions. I'll always wonder if I choose the right path for the world. That kind of guilt will haunt me for the rest of my life…. DAMN IT XANA!"
Alice shook as she talked, her anger at the AI grew within her. She released some of her anger by punching the wall. She made a hole on the wall with her fist. Tears fell in a stream down her face for the lives that are now in her hands to choose. Their fate are up to her, a lowly former orphan that was falsely place in jail for ten years only to be forced to choose what to do. She forced herself to stop crying and to shake off the pain in her hand for punching the wall.
"If I'm going to choose, then I have to see what makes this world different from the old one. I can't just sit here and ponder the fate of people I have never meet. I know you guys want me to avoid Franz and the other Kadets, but I still have to see this world for myself. I need to see the difference to know what is the right path, if there is one. Yeah, I guess it is time for the mental games to begin…" Alice said, walking over to the door.
Emily sighed quietly. "I suppose your are right. I never got attached to anybody here, because I had been kinda hoping that your arrival would bring back everything that I no longer have. Just know this," she narrowed her eyes. "There are some people who would do anything to keep you from changing the world, and they aren't going to take risks, knowing you have that kind of power.
"At the same time, there are people like me who would be willing to do anything to bring our old world back. Everybody who remembers will try to use you in one way or the other, so trust nobody. Aelita… the only one who belongs fully to both, she is the only one from this world you can really trust. Do whatever you need to do, and make whatever decision you have to make… And good luck. Next time we meet, it is possible that we will not be friends." Emily turned and walked away from the room, not glancing back for a moment. Having returned to her home world, Alice was now totally and completely alone.
