After eight miserable hours, I had done it. That boy was a genius, I'd give him that. It had taken me far longer than I thought it would to crack the code, but it was worth it. A challenge like that doesn't come along very often.

The first file lay open before me while my computer decoded the rest. With an inexplicable feeling of excitement I began to read:

Diary of Jeremie Belpois, Eighth grade student, Kadic Academy…

Over the next few days I read and looked at every file I had access to. I had everything that this Jeremie had. Diaries, video logs, blueprints, programs, records, access codes, and, most interesting of all, a full journal by a man called 'Franz Hopper'.

I read at first because I was disappointed. All those codes broken, and for what? A fantasy world dreamed up by a computer whiz kid.

But the more I read, the more I came to realize that this was for real. This was no fantasy world, this place existed.

With that realization came determination. I would get there, and I would help those heroic children save the world. They had bourn this burden alone for long enough.

I pulled up a map and found Kadic near the west coast of France. Ignoring the cost, I immediately purchased a passport and one way ticket to France.

The first thing I did when arriving in Kadic was to look at all the children in the yard of the academy. Any one of them could be a member of the Lyoko warriors.

I had planned carefully for this event. I walked into the school and asked the first teacher I met where to find the principal.

After many question and answer sessions I was finally in the principal's office.

(AN: Let's pause to consider the irony in that. It took him forever to get INTO the principle's office.)

"Let me introduce myself." I said to the man behind the desk. "I'm Nathaniel, Aelita Stones' father."

"I'm very pleased to meet you at last, sir. I have wanted a conference with you concerning…"

"It will have to wait." I said, rather sternly. "I need to speak to my daughter immediately. If you could tell me which room she's in I would be grateful."

"Of course, sir." He looked at a file for a moment. "Here it is, room 207. I'll have our gym teacher show you the way."

I followed the bulky man out of the building and into another one. We climbed a flight of stairs and stopped at a door. The man opened the door and said to the occupant, "You've got a visitor, Miss Stones."

Aelita's POV

When Jim said I had company I was afraid that Xana was launching an attack.

I mean, I have no family here on earth, so company had to know about me first. As the stranger walked in I dropped into a fighting stance like Yumi had shown me. I was going to defend myself, but he didn't do anything. He walked into my room and stood staring at me with the strangest look on his face. It seemed to be a mixture of respect and pity.

When I was sure he wasn't going to try to attack I stood up straight and asked, "Who are you and what do you want."

I said it as steadily as I could, but I was scared. It wasn't Xana, but I had no idea who it was.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation. My name is Nathaniel. I intercepted a communications feed the other day and then lost all trace of it. I found it's origin system and hacked my way into it. I read everything about the cause that you and your friends fight for. You've saved the world, and you deserve all the help you can get."

"What are you saying?" I asked, confused.

"Put simply, Miss Hopper, I've come to offer my assistance. I propose a partnership. I don't want to be ruled by a sociopathic computer program, you need the help. I have several things to do. If you and your friends will meet me at the supercomputer tonight I will state my case for all of you to decide."

With that the man got up and walked out.

Omniscient (All Seeing) POV

Aelita was struck speechless.

Not only did this stranger know everything about them and what they were doing, but he was a hacker, a criminal, someone who lived outside the law. Why would he help them.

And more importantly, why should they trust him.

I'll let the group decide, She thought, they need to know about this.