Silence. The most blood curdling sound Aelita has ever heard. The only audible noise was the artificial wind carrying dust through the virtual atmosphere. The monsters and X.A.N.A., inside a Kankrelat's body, leered at the team for what felt like centuries. He could wait forever if he wanted to. He had all the time in the world. Jeremy overheard the whole conversation, but the hostile A.I. unfortunately jammed communications.
X.A.N.A. knew that the technology-apt student will eventually figure out the true activated tower, the one that allowed him to control the nukes, was in a replika Lyoko. The boy must be dealt with at some point.
Everybody exchanged terrified glances with each other. Aelita stepped forward and knelt in front of the dog-sized creature. "We'll do whatever you ask. Please, just don't hurt anyone."
The Kankrelat shifted it's optical lens. "We detect a pleading tone in your voice, Aelita. Has your brief time with the humans on Earth actually given you...feelings?" There was a very slight hit of curiosity in X.A.N.A.'s monotone voice.
She stood up, her hands at the sides of her clear skirt. "I'm not answering that. It turns out, I was always a human who was trapped here for ten years with you." She gave a cocky smile.
Though X.A.N.A. 'enjoyed' having an emotionless personality, he wanted to experience the sensation of laughter more than anything right now. He wanted to tell her everything about Franz Hopper, just to see her reaction. But holding his tongue had benefits in the past. "You're hubris and smug personality clouds you, Aelita. With time, we'll make you feel pain. We can promise you that as much as the impasse we have just...agreed upon."
Ulrich holstered his swords and stepped over to Aelita's side. "Hang on, we didn't agree on anything yet. We have some questions first."
The Kankrelat briefly glanced at Ulrich before continuing to stare at his sworn enemy. "Ask." He said grimly.
Taken aback by this simple statement, the boy recuperated quickly. "What have you done with William?" The newest member of the warriors immediately fell victim to X.A.N.A.'s influence, and his friends have tried to get him back ever since.
"The one you call 'William' became most...disagreeable. We dropped him in the digital sea. He was expendable to begin with."
"YOU WHAT?" Yumi shouted over Ulrich's shoulder, making him and Aelita jump.
X.A.N.A. repeated, "The one you call 'William' became-"
"That's not what I meant you idiot!" She was about to chuck her fans at the monster, but Ulrich gently put his hand on her wrist.
"Idiot? We merely answered the question you asked." X.A.N.A. didn't seem to understand human customs when speaking to eachother.
Yumi decided to drop it, knowing it was pointless arguing with a computer program. "What do you want us to do?" She asked glumly.
"We will devirtualize you back into the real world. The first step will commence once you have arrived." He started with Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich, turning into a wire frame of their avatars before vanishing. Aelita was left behind, surrounded by hundreds of monsters.
"We could devirtualize you now, Aelita. The scanners are in use." The program mocked.
"Please don't" The pink haired girl asked calmly.
"Don't take us for a fool, Aelita. Everything leads back to you. You're the most important thing in the world."
"I'm not a thing, I'm a human being!" She replied, raising her tone. Unfortunately for her, anger was lost on X.A.N.A.
Finally, she devirtualized. Her scanner doors slid open with her friends waiting for her. Aelita took a sharp intake of breath. She was no longer wearing her normal purple dress. She was still in her pink jumpsuit she dons on Lyoko. In fact, everybody was still in their Lyoko attire.
No one dared to speak a word, though their looks of disdain said more than enough. The elevator ride to the computer lab was quiet. The doors slid open, and Jeremy's face was a mixture of relief, fear, and confusion.
"What happened? Why are you guys dressed like that?" He asked wearily.
The Eye of X.A.N.A. faded in on every monitor in front of Jeremy. "We can answer that, human." His voiced cracked through the speakers.
"What did you do to my friends?" Jeremy demanded.
"We made them better."
"What? Are they still on Lyoko? Are they polymorphic specters?" He cleaned his glassed with his red sweater before putting them back on.
"Interesting name to give our extensions. Childish. We'll prove it. Odd, fire an arrow into Aelita's foot." The pair's back stiffened, like trees before a storm.
"I'm not doing that! You're crazy!" Odd folded his pawed arms.
"Then we will fire a nuclear missile." The four computer screens flashed images of warheads still nestled within their underground silos.
"Do it Odd!" Ulrich pressured the kid.
He defiantly continued to fold his arms. "No! Apocalypse or not, I'm not shooting my friend in the foot!"
In the background, X.A.N.A. counted down in a menacing doomsday voice. "6...5...4..."
"Odd! Just do it!" Yumi pleaded.
Aelita's green eyes looked into Odd's. "It's okay Odd, really." She said softly.
"3...2..."
Odd pointed his wrist at her right foot. "I'm sorry!" He quickly said just as he fired a laser arrow.
Everybody flinched at the sound of the searing laser-tipped blade tore through the middle of Aelita's foot. She cried out and collapsed to one knee. Smoke and blood began to pour out of her wound like magma from a volcano. Tears streamed down the girl's panicked face as she attempted to pull the hooked arrow out of her foot. Though it was especially hard to watch, Jeremy knew it had to be done.
Odd though, was still in shock. He knelt down in front of her and started apologizing. "Aelita, I'm so sorry! Really! I mean, uh, I was pressured ad X.A.N.A. was gonna blow up and please! I'm sorry!"
Thorough her choked cries, Aelita managed to say, "Odd...please...it's fine." She lied. The pain was unimaginable. She felt the hooks of the arrow ensnaring her metatarsals. The small pole in the back of the arrow stuck out of the ripped flesh and latex jumpsuit.
"Interesting. It seems that with this one, Earth is more important than 'friends.' We are...intrigued by your performance, Odd."
Yumi faced the computers, which returned to show staticy images of the Eye. "You're a real monster, you know that?"
An awkward silence filled the room, though Aelita's shuddered gasps were faintly heard. "No data available." He took another pause to process his new slave's physical state.
"Process completed."
Aelita stood up. Her foot was miraculously healed and the arrow was gone. But she didn't smile, not even a smirk. Everyone looked at the screens with awe.
"There are our programs you materialized with. We control your weapons and abilities at will. And yes. They are very real. So try to muster some small flicker of enjoyment while doing this. William certainly did."
The thought of her former friend brought tears to Yumi's eyes.
Jeremy took off his trademark headset, knowing it was pointless now. "Enough with this small talk X.A.N.A. What do you want? For us to blow up the super-computer? Destroy the academy?"
"Now you narcissistic fools. Go to the home of Franz Hopper. We will tell you more once you arrive." And just like that, the computer monitors flickered off. Jeremy pressed the power button repeatedly, but it seems like the A.I. was in full control now.
No one could fight the feeling of defeat. It was humiliating, confusing for some. How could their arch-enemy win? Just like that? Why did he want the Lyoko Warriors to have their powers? Why go to Franz's home? These were all questions that begged answers nobody wanted to hear.