Chapter 4
If you can't get someone out of your head, then maybe they're meant to be there- Anonymous
Aubrey's eyes were now squeezed shut as she tried to pretend that the situation wasn't real. The vines had reached the ground and began growing towards her, not only getting longer but thicker as well.
Ring, ring, ring- "H-hello?"
"Aubrey, are you okay?" It was Jeremy.
"They're on the floor heading towards me."
"Just stay calm. Odd just got devirtualized so I'm him sending over in a second. He might be a bit mad though..."
"I think I can handle it.. Besides, I'm pretty safe from his wrath in here!" She tried to joke.
"But not X.A.N.A's"
The small girl visibly deflated. "Right. Yeah."
"Hold on, I'll call you back in a second." Jeremy said as he quickly hung up.
A few moments later Jeremy called again and Aubrey answered before her phone even had a chance to ring.
"He's on is way, but he's really mad. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to break down the door."
"Oh!" She squeaked. "Well, that's good I guess. Who's he mad at?"
"Both of us. Me because I didn't tell them you were in trouble and you because you told me not to. The others don't know yet though."
She let out a breath. "That's not so bad..."
"I'm going to tell them."
"What?! Why?"
"They need to hurry up. How are you? Still okay?"
The vines now completely covered one half of the room and she could of sworn they were growing faster and were sparked with more electricity. "Umm... do you want me to tell you or send you a picture?"
"Picture."
Aubrey gulped and while still keeping the call up, snapped a picture of the room and sent it to Jeremy. She couldn't capture all the details, but it still gave him a pretty good idea of what the place looked like.
"Oh my god! That's worse then I expected. Aubrey, whatever you do don't touch any metal and stay back against the wall. One touch of that might just kill you."
"A-already d-done."
"Okay. I'm sorry, but I have to go again. Odd will be there in a minute."
"R-right. Bye."
Aubrey scrolled through her contacts again, and her eyes landed on her mom. Oh god, her mom. She couldn't stand losing another child, it would kill her. And what about her dad? Would he be strong enough to coup for both of them if Aubrey die- didn't make it here? Should she call and say goodbye?
No. She had to believe that she was going to be okay. If she called her mom then she might have another panic attack, and it was only a few years ago that she had stopped having them, not to mention that if she even had the slightest reason to believe that Aubrey wasn't safe she would bring her back to America no questions asked.
Suddenly, she heard rapid knocking on the door. The brunette let out a small terrified scream.
"Aubrey, is that you?"
She knew that voice! "Odd! Don't touch the door handle, you'll get electrocuted!"
There was a frustrated growl. "WHAT THE HELL AUBREY! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL US THAT YOU WERE IN TROUBLE!? SOMEONE WOULD HAVE COME TO GET YOU!"
She let out a gasp and pressed herself further into the corner. No one had ever been so angry at her before, and it honestly terrified her. Tears began to stream down her face.
"And then what? You can't get in and I can't get out. The best option was letting you all go and try to deactivate the tower."
"You still could have told us!" He argued back, calming down slightly. Emphasis on slightly.
"That would have just been a distraction!" Her voice croaked on the end revealing to Odd the fact that she was crying.
"No, it would have been a motivation. You're our friend Aubrey, we want to protect you."
She let out a deep breath eyeing the plants once more. They were almost there, just two feet to go and then they would cover the entire room, including her.
"Thank you Odd. I want you to know that I appreciate it, and this isn't your fault. It's not yours or the others or anyone else's."
The boy on the other side of the door paled. "What are you talking about?"
"The vines. There almost here. I'm sorry." Her voice was faster now and it almost sounded like she was pleading. "I'm so sorry."
"Aubrey! You're going to be fine, please!"
One foot.
She choked as she tried to speak. "Tell everyone I'm sorry and if they ever feel like its their fault I forgive them."
"TELL THEM YOURSELF!You're going to be fine, so tell them yourself..."
6 inches.
"If you ever meet my mom, tell her I love her and I never meant to be the reason she lost both her children. Same to my dad too."
"Aubrey please!"
"Odd-"
The vine was about to touch her shoe. This was it, this was the end. A strange feeling of acceptance washed over her. It would be okay, she would be with her brother now and he would take care of her and then they could take care of her family together.
"Tower Deactivated."
Aubrey, please be okay.
"Return to the past now!"
Everyone was back on the bench again laughing at something Odd had just said. Abruptly, they all stopped and Odd lunged forward, pulling Aubrey into a tight hug.
"Don't ever do that again!"
She looked up puzzled. "Umm... I thought it was a funny joke but if you don't want me to laugh-"
"Oh my god. I forgot you don't know." Odd whispered.
"Know what?" She asked confused, then squeaked as she was pulled away from Odd and wrapped into a hug by Yumi and Aelita.
Ulrich's phone rang and he quickly answered without taking his eyes off Aubrey. "Hello? Yeah Jeremy, she's okay. I know, we'll bring her over. Bye."
As soon as he hung up, Aubrey was pulled from the girls and to him as he wrapped her into the tightest hug of all. She let out a squeak and blushed. Despite that, she gently wrapped her arms around him and hugged back.
"Uh, as much as I love hugs and all, why are you all suddenly acting like I just came back from the dead?"
Ulrich loosened his hold but still held her as he looked her straight in the eye and told her the words that she would come to dread the most. "There was a X.A.N.A attack. You almost died."
"W-what?! I did?"
"Yeah." Odd answered. She looked over at him and Ulrich's arms tightened around her once again. The blonde teen looked pale.
"Did I say something to upset you?"
Odd nodded, looking as though he were in pain. "You said goodbye."
"Oh." She was silent for a moment, having no idea what to say. Yumi looked pale, Aelita gasped and Ulrich was hugging her backwards to his chest. He felt like throwing up. The thought that he had almost lost her as quick as he met her scared him. He didn't know why X.A.N.A had targeted Aubrey, but he knew that the stupid program was going to pay.
"I'm sure that it was for a good reason." Aubrey added lightly. Ulrich scowled.
"There's never a good reason unless your absolutely sure. Have a little more faith in us, yeah?"
She looked up at him while blushing and smiled. "Yeah."
A little while later, they all arrived in the factory. Jeremy shot Aubrey a relieved look when she walked in, and in return she smiled gently at him in an I'm-okay kind of way.
"So what happened?" Aubrey asked once they'd all gathered around the super computer. Since Jeremy seemed to know the most, he began by telling Aubrey that there had been an attack and everyone had rushed over to the factory while she was in the bathroom. (They looked guilty for that.) He was alerted of an activated tower on Lyoko, but he didn't know what the attack was until Aubrey had called him. Apparently, she'd gotten locked in the bathroom with rapidly growing vines charged with electricity that were slowly filling the room and if they'd touched her she'd have died of electrocution. She had told Jeremy not to tell anyone so the Lyoko Warriors wouldn't get distracted (they glared at her) and then Odd finished by saying when he got there she was crying and the vines were about to touch her so she'd said goodbye thinking she would die. He had only heard silence when the return to the past was launched, hence why he hugged her as soon as he found out she was okay.
"Whoa." Aubrey whispered, looking down at her hand that had apparently gotten burned. It was a lot to take in.
Jeremy turned to the rest of the group. "With your permission, I want to do a scan on Aubrey so she'll remember the returns to the past. I won't send her to Lyoko, but she'll remember all of X.A.N.A's attacks. Is that okay?"
Aelita was the first to agree. "That's okay with me. She deserves it after what she's been through."
Odd was next. "Yeah! That way she'll remember all my heroic deeds better!" Though his voice was light and joking, Aubrey knew that there was more to his agreement then that reason.
"Okay." Yumi said simply. They all turned to Ulrich who looked conflicted.
"As long as she doesn't go to Lyoko." Ulrich finally agreed.
"Okay. Why don't you guys bring her down to the scanner room and I'll get the program ready. Take the one you see straight across from the elevator."
"Alright." Aubrey agreed, and together the five of them got into the elevator and went down to the scanner room.
Once the doors opened, Aubrey was surprised by what she saw. Three large, yellow, metal cylinders formed a triangle against the walls of the room. They looked narrow, but just wide enough to comfortable fit one person inside.
"So these are the scanners?" Aubrey breathed in awe. The others chuckled at her.
"Yeah. Come on, the one you want is right over here." Ulrich placed a hand on her back and walked her over to the scanner, then instructed her to get inside.
"And this is safe?" She asked again, bitting her lower lip.
"Of course. We wouldn't let you go in if it wasn't. You'll be fine, and we'll see you in just a minute." Yumi placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at the younger girl, then gave her a light push into the scanner.
"I-I'm ready Jeremy." Aubrey called shakily.
"Okay. I'm starting the program, it'll take about a minute or so, so just be patient."
The last thing Aubrey saw before the doors closed was all of her new friends smiling at her and waving encouragingly.
Once the doors closed, Aelita let her smile slip. "Is it just me, or does it seem like X.A.N.A's been targeting Aubrey lately?"
Yumi nodded. "It is a bit strange. First with the gas and now the plants? I mean, when I was devirtualized and I went to the lab, Aubrey was sitting no where near Jeremy yet instead of going after him the gas went straight to her. Jeremy wasn't affected at all, but he should have been the target like he usually is in that situation."
"And then the electrified plants. Nobody was affected but her, not to mention that it was so slow, it was like he was torturing her." Odd added.
"You don't think he's going after her because she's our friend, do you?" Ulrich asked hesitantly. Was X.A.N.A just using her to get to them because she was defenseless and they weren't?
"It's a good theory, but I don't think so." Aelita decided. "If he wanted to use her to get to us, then he would have possessed her or made a polymorphic specter, not attack her straight on."
There was a small thump from inside the scanner, but the doors didn't open. The four teens in the room rushed over to it alarmed.
"Jeremy, shouldn't that program be done by now?" Ulrich yelled, pressing his ear to the side to listen for any signs of Aubrey.
"It should, I just ended it. Did she not come out?"
"No, the scanners still closed. What's going on?" Aelita asked, scared.
"I don't know, hold on a minute. I'm going to get her out."
Meanwhile, things weren't going so well for Aubrey. It had started off simple, she stood in the scanner as a light moved up and down over her body, scanning her. But then the lights got more intense and overwhelming and she suddenly felt herself fall forward, overwhelmed, and passed out.
Flash
"What ah, what does a X.A.N.A attack look like?"
Flash
"Umm... does-" She paused as the plants grew longer, now almost half way down the wall. "Does umm, do long vines packed with electricity bursting through the small window of the girls bathroom I'm in and when trying to escape getting electrocuted by the door handle count?"
"...Are you alright?"
"Uh, my hand is burned and I think there's a cut on my face but yeah, I'm good." There was a loud spark and crackle from one of the plants. "...For now." She added
"There's an activated tower on Lyoko and the others are on their way to the factory now. Are you going to be okay on your own?"
Flash
She was terrified. Absolutely terrified. There was no way for her to defend herself in the small room. All that filled the tiny space was a toilet in the far corner, a sink, a mirror and some paper towels. She took a deep shaky breathe and felt a sting on the side of her face. Letting out a yelp, she raised her hand to touch the spot and hissed at the stinging pain when she did. Lowing her hand, it was covered in blood.
Flash
'Someone help me.'
Flash
"Just stay calm. Odd just got devirtualized so I'm sending him over in a second. He might be a bit mad though..."
"I think I can handle it.. Besides, I'm pretty safe from his wrath in here!" She tried to joke.
"But not X.A.N.A's"
Flash
There was a frustrated growl. "WHAT THE HELL AUBREY! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL US THAT YOU WERE IN TROUBLE!? SOMEONE WOULD HAVE COME TO GET YOU!"
Flash
"Oh my god! That's worse then I expected. Aubrey, whatever you do don't touch any metal and stay back against the wall. One touch of that might just kill you."
Flash
"No, it would have been a motivation. You're our friend Aubrey, we want to protect you."
Flash
"Thank you Odd. I want you to know that I appreciate it, and this isn't your fault. It's not yours or the others or anyone else's."
The boy on the other side of the door paled. "What are you talking about?"
"The vines. There almost here. I'm sorry." Her voice was faster now and it almost sounded like she was pleading. "I'm so sorry."
Aubrey began to open her eyes. She was curled in a ball lying on the floor of the scanner and the doors were still closed.
"I remember." She whispered to herself in awe. "I remember everything."
Another wave of pain washed over her and she let out a cry gripping her head, falling into unconsciousness once again.
Flash
"Come on Aelita!" A little brunette called to her older neighbor. "Let's play a game!"
Aelita looked like she was about 13 or 14 at the time and the smaller girl was only 4 years old. However, they seemed like the best of friends.
"Sure Aubrey, what kind of game do you want to play?"
"Let's see who can find the prettiest object in the forest!"
"Okay, do you want to ask your brother if he wants to play too?"
Her nose scrunched up. "No, he's going hunting with dad later. Come on, let's go!"
Flash
"Dad, do we really have to go?"
"Yes sweetie. We're going to live in America for a while, okay?"
"What about Aelita?"
Her father looked down at her sadly. "Why don't you go say goodbye to her? I'm sure you'll see her again someday."
"But I don't want to leave her!"
"You'll make plenty of new friends in America."
"No I won't! Not like my big sister!" She ran out the door.
Flash
"Aelita! Daddy's making us go away to America and we might not come back! He says I have to make new friends!" The little girl sobbed, running into the pinkette's arms. The older girl looked shocked.
"You're moving?"
"Uh-huh! I don't wanna go though!"
"It'll be okay, we'll meet again someday, I promise."
Flash
The brunette girl now looked slightly older now, probably around 6 or 7 years old. She was sleeping in her bed, but she was so pale and unhealthy looking that she almost seemed dead.
"Will she be okay?" A beautiful woman with long dark hair asked the doctor next to her. He sighed.
"Physically, she is okay. Mentally however, the guilt is tearing her apart. In order to protect herself, she's erased most of her memories from the age of four to before the accident of him so it doesn't hurt so much to think about."
"Oh my baby girl." The woman whispered. "Will she ever get those memories back?"
"I don't know."
The second time Aubrey woke up was when the scanner doors were opening. She tried to lift her head, but it still hurt so instead she stayed on the ground and waited for someone to come and get her.
Footsteps rushed towards her.
"Aubrey! Are you alright?" It was Aelita and also the same voice from her newly aquired memories.
"Yes." She croaked, still not moving. She felt two sets of hands left her up, one grasping each of her arms. Her knee's buckled, but quickly arms wrapped under her shoulders, stabilizing her at each side. Yumi stood in front of her looking worried with Aelita next to her, so it must have been Odd and Ulrich holding her up. The elevator doors opened and Jeremy rushed in, sighing in relief when he saw her but then looking worried once again.
"Aubrey, what happened?" Jeremy asked quickly. Her mouth felt dry still, so she held up a finger for them to wait. They did so still staring at her, and after a minute she began to talk.
"I remembered. I-I remembered being locked in that room with the vines a-and I remembered Aelita before..."
"Before what?" The pink haired girl asked carefully.
"Before I left for America and before you were on Lyoko! We were neighbors! I was four and you must have been fourteen and you were like my big sister! I-I can't believe... you promised we would see each other again. I guess we did, huh?"
Aelita closed her eyes for a moment, looking as though she were concentrating. As soon as her eyes snapped open she was rushing over to Aubrey and placing her hands on the girls shoulders.
"That little brown haired girl from my memories, that's really you?"
"We used to try and find the prettiest objects in the forest." She whispered.
Aelita pulled Aubrey from Ulrich and Odd and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe it, she'd finally found someone from her past that was familiar and that she was able to physically touch. It was like a dream come true.
"Sorry I didn't realize sooner." Aubrey laughed teary eyed. "Something happened and I erased my own memories of that time."
"What?"
"I'll tell you later. I just can't believe it."
"Me either." Aelita gushed, wiping her face. "You've grown so much."
"Really? You look like you've hardly aged at all."
"Sorry to interrupt, but what's going on?" Yumi asked.
Aelita grabbed Aubrey's hand and looked at their japanese friend. "Ten years ago, before I was put in the super computer, I lived next door to this little girl with brown hair and big honey colored eyes. We used to play together and although I was ten years older and more of a babysitter, she was my best friend. Then one day she came to me sobbing and saying that they were moving to America."
Aubrey squeezed her hand. "That was me."
The group silently gaped at them. Who would have thought that Aubrey and Aelita knew each other ten years ago and that they apparently lived near each other in the woods?
"Hey Aubrey, where's your brother, Simon? That's his name, right? Does he go to Kadic?" Aelita asked with excitement.
The girl froze. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh God. That's right, Aelita knew Simon. She was just as much family to Simon as she was to Aubrey. She could feel Ulrich's gaze boring into her back as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to hold back tears as she took a deep breath.
"Simons dead Aelita, and it's all my fault."
