Cat Man Do

by TheArchivis

One of the scanners has a bug and Odd comes back from Lyoko in the body of his digital avatar. While Jeremie tries to fix it, the kids have to pass it off as a Halloween costume. And when XANA gets up to his old tricks, Odd has to defend the school costume party while the rest of the team books it to the Factory to deactivate the tower. Cover art by Kiwi Lee Scipio.

4. Act 3

SCENE 8: GET TO THE TOWER

INT./LYOKO - SECTOR FIVE, LABYRINTH

Ulrich has Triplicated and he and his clones are making a mad dash for the Key. One of the clones gets pinned against the wall, another slams into a column, and the real Ulrich staggers to a halt ten feet away from the Key with a pair of constantly colliding columns blocking his path. Aelita watches and taps her foot from the entrance. Timer reads forty-five seconds.

AELITA
This isn't working and we're running out of time!

ULRICH
If you have a better idea, I'd be glad to hear it!

Aelita summons an energy field and aims at the Key.

AELITA
I think I've got one. Move over!

Ulrich draws his sabre and looks up. Timer reads 33 seconds.

ULRICH
Uh, Jeremie? I think Aelita's about to shoot at me.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Whoa! Aelita, I get that you're frustrated but I don't think there's a reason to kill him yet.

AELITA
I'm being serious. Move out of the way, Ulrich.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
I suggest you do what she says.

Ulrich sheathes his sabre and presses himself against the wall. Aelita throws her energy field and hits the Key, pressing it in and stopping the timer at twenty-four seconds. A hallway leading out of the Labyrinth opens up behind Ulrich and he falls backwards into it. Ulrich gets up and gawks at the depressed Key.

ULRICH
How have we never thought of doing that before?

JEREMIE (O.S.)
I don't know. But we don't have time for stupid questions. Go!

EXT./LYOKO - SECTOR FIVE, THE CELESTIAL DOME

Ulrich and Aelita run out of the hallway into the Celestial Dome. Aelita summons the control panel and starts looking through the firmware for the scanners. Her eyes go wide and her mouth falls open.

ULRICH
Aelita, what's wrong?

AELITA
I think I found the problem with the scanners. Jeremie, do you remember the day that we had those driving lessons?

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Jeremie places his hand on his chin as he looks through the code Aelita is sending him.

JEREMIE
Yes, but what does that have to do with-

Jeremie is cut off by a loud bang from the scanners followed by inhuman screeching. His face goes pale as he gets up from the command chair and walks over to the ladder to investigate.

JEREMIE (cont.)
Oh god no.

Jeremie looks down the hatch into the scanner room and recoils as a laser flies up through the hole and singes his wig. He screams and covers the ladder with the Overboard. He heads back to the command chair and pulls up the Superscan. His monitor starts beeping and flashing red as the Superscan registers an activated tower.

EXT./LYOKO - SECTOR FIVE, THE CELESTIAL DOME

Ulrich and Aelita look up at the sky as they hear the screams and the laser fire and the "OH GOD NO" through the microphone on Jeremie's headset. They look suitably freaked out.

ULRICH
What was that?

Two Mantas emerge from the threshold of the Dome and start firing at Ulrich and Aelita. The Overbike manifests from wireframe and hovers next to the edge of the platform.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Activated tower. Head back to the Forest Sector. Aelita can explain on the way, I have to call the others.

Aelita dispels the control panel and she and Ulrich hop onto the Overbike. They race over to the data flow on the far side of the Celestial Dome and are transported to…

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR WAY TOWER

The Overbike pops out of the Forest Sector Way Tower and attracts the attention of a group of Hornets. The Overbike speeds off into the sector and the Hornets give chase.

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Jeremie opens the cellphone program and selects Yumi's character card.

SCENE 9: WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN?

EXT./ISHIYAMA HOUSE - FRONT DOOR, EARLY EVENING

Yumi and Hiroki walk out their front door dressed like the Bride from "Kill Bill" and Super Mario respectively, escorted by Akiko.

HIROKI
Bye, mom!

AKIKO
You two have fun, now!

Akiko closes the front door and her two children are left outside on the sidewalk by the road. Hiroki waves as Johnny's dad drops him off. Johnny steps out of the car wearing an identical Mario costume. As Johnny's dad drives off, he and Hiroki immediately start bickering.

JOHNNY
Why are you Mario? I wanted to be Mario!

HIROKI
When you called me yesterday, you said that I could be Mario!

JOHNNY
No I didn't! I said that you SHOULD be Mario but my mom already bought me the costume!

Yumi looks in the direction of Kadic with pure misery in her eyes. Her cell phone rings and she digs it out of her pocket to answer.

YUMI (into phone)
Hello?

JEREMIE (O.S.)
I need you to get to the factory. Xana has activated a tower and the whole neighborhood could be in danger if we don't deactivate it soon.

YUMI (into phone)
Are you kidding me? I have Hiroki and Johnny with me right now, what am I supposed to do with them?

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Take them with you. We don't have time to wait.

YUMI (into phone)
Now you're the one that's being ridiculous.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
I know it's nuts, and any other day I would do everything in my power to avoid Hiroki messing with the supercomputer. But if I'm right about what Xana has in store, they need to be somewhere safe. Bring them.

YUMI (into phone)
What exactly do you think is going to happen?

Yumi's mouth falls open and she nearly drops her cellphone. She yells over her shoulder for Hiroki and Johnny to be quiet and runs back into the house.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT./ISHIYAMA HOUSE - DOWN THE STREET, MOMENTS LATER

Yumi runs down the street dragging Hiroki and Johnny along in one hand, the sword from the family's antique samurai armor in the other and her shoulder pressing her cellphone against her cheek. Akiko screams "What are you doing?" and "Get back here this instant!" while Yumi continues to talk to Jeremie on her cellphone.

YUMI (into phone)
I'll get there as fast as I can. Where's everyone else?

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Ulrich and Aelita are already on Lyoko and I can't reach Odd because his cellphone doesn't exist anymore. But I think I have an idea of where he might be...

SCENE 10: COSTUME PARTY

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

Bobby Picket's "Monster Mash" plays in the cafeteria where the school costume party is in full swing. The costume contest is in progress on a catwalk in the center of the room; Millie and Tamia in slightly oversized Daft Punk helmets have just walked off the stage and Sissi is preparing to walk in front of the crowd. Odd stands by the punch bowl on the other side of the room, tapping his claws on the table and looking bored out of his mind. William walks over dressed like Michael Jackson in the "Thriller" music video.

WILLIAM
What up, yo?

ODD
Nothing, really.

WILLIAM
Have you seen Yumi anywhere? Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any of your friends all day. Where are they?

ODD
They… had other plans.

William finally looks at Odd and does a double take once he notices his "costume".

WILLIAM
By the way, that's a sick costume. But, what is it supposed to be?

ODD
It's… from, from my new film that I've been working on. I call it "The Lyoko Code".

WILLIAM
Cool, it sounds French.

ODD
It's supposed to sound Japanese- what is that?

Odd points at the window. He and William look out at mysterious flashing red lights. Yumi bursts in through the door with Hiroki and Johnny in tow and panic in her eyes. She spots Odd from across the room and walks over to him.

WILLIAM
Hey, Yumi! Where've you been? And what's with the pint-sized plumbers?

Yumi ignores William and pulls Odd aside.

ODD
What gives? Aren't you supposed to be taking Hiroki trick-or-treating?

YUMI
There's a Xana attack going on and Jeremie sent me to get you. Let's go.

ODD
Is that what those lights outside were?

YUMI
What lights? There shouldn't be any- Oh god no.

CUT TO:

EXT./KADIC COURTYARD, NIGHT - SIMULTANEOUS

Jim Morales stands outside the door to the cafeteria smoking a cigarette. He notices the red lights and screeching in the bushes and goes to investigate.

JIM MORALES
Hey troublemaker! What's the bright idea?

No answer. The red lights continue.

JIM MORALES
Don't make me come over there.

Still no answer, still more red lights.

JIM MORALES
That does it.

Jim walks into the bushes and gets hit in the shoulder with a laser for his trouble. The laser burns a visible hole in his shirt. Jim screams and runs to the door.

BACK TO:

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

Odd and Yumi talk in a corner by the punch bowl.

YUMI
What lights? There shouldn't be any- Oh god no.

Jim runs in the door and collapses on the ground by the catwalk. The door hangs open and in walks a trio of Creepers. That is our Xana attack this time; there are Creepers in the real world and they are terrifying. One of the Creepers opens its giant mouth and spits a laser at Odd. The punch bowl shatters and everyone except Odd and Yumi runs around screaming.

WILLIAM
What the hell is that thing?

YUMI
Something that'll do you some major damage if you don't get out of here.

Odd aims his wrist and shoots a laser arrow at the fire alarm, sounding the bell and setting off the sprinkler system. The sound temporarily disables the Creepers. Sissi stands alone on the catwalks and screams as her green face makeup begins to run down her face.

SISSI
I'm melting! Melt-ing! AAAAH!

Back at the punch table, Odd has tipped the table over and summoned a shield to block incoming laser fire from the Creepers. Hiroki, William and Johnny hide behind Odd's shield while Yumi crouches down to talk to Hiroki. She grabs him and makes him look her in the eye.

YUMI
Hiroki, listen to me. Big sister has to go do something very important. I can't believe I'm saying this, but listen to Odd and do everything he says.

HIROKI
But what are those things? I'm scared.

YUMI
Nothing I haven't dealt with before. I can handle myself, just stay here.

HIROKI
Let me help you.

Yumi gasps and stifles a shriek as a stray laser from a Creeper knocks Hiroki's hat off of his head.

HIROKI
Actually, I think Johnny needs me. Good luck!

Hiroki runs to hide behind William. Yumi is irritated, but she takes what she can get. She turns to Odd.

YUMI
Can you handle things here? I'm headed to the factory.

Odd salutes Yumi like he's in the Army.

ODD
Cat man can do!

Yumi rolls her eyes and draws her sword and runs out the front door. William gets up from the floor to talk to Odd.

WILLIAM
How are you doing those things with your arms?

ODD
Like I said, it's the Lyoko code. Now get Hiroki and Johnny behind the table!

William does as he is told. Odd dispels his shield and puts a hand on his wrist to aim at a Creeper.

ODD
Hey ugly! I've got a surprise for you! It's laser arrows to the face!

SCENE 11: ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET?

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR

Ulrich and Aelita ride the Overbike down a path in the Forest Sector while still pursued by the swarm of Hornets. Ulrich weaves in and out of laser fire while Aelita fills him in on what went wrong with the scanners.

AELITA
When the scanners send you to Lyoko, the details of your real body are stored in short-term memory. They get recorded when you step into the scanner, and they get deleted when you step out.

Ulrich deflects a laser back at a Hornet with his sabre and nods.

ULRICH
I follow you so far.

AELITA
When Kiwi bit into the wires, he cut off one scanner's access to short-term memory. Without access to data about Odd's real body to connect to him, it defaulted to the avatar template stored in long-term memory.

ULRICH
But why would Xana want to do that? It doesn't exactly help him if one of us has superpowers in the real world.

AELITA
It doesn't. But it also lets Xana bring things from Lyoko to the real world. If you could read the data flow, you'd see that he tries all the time. But since Xana's monsters don't have bodies in short-term memory, the scanners try to access a file, they find nothing, and they materialize nothing.

Ulrich makes a sharp turn to follow the pathway. The Hornets try to follow but one of them slams into a tree and explodes.

AELITA
But now that the scanner is working from long-term memory, it finds what exists on Lyoko and recreates it exactly in the real world.

ULRICH
Hasn't Xana done this before? Like when you came to Earth? Or the day we had those driving lessons?

AELITA
Those times it was a software exploit; it took Jeremie and I weeks to put together a patch. This time Xana did it the hard way.

ULRICH
So what would happen if we tried to virtualize Odd? Could we get his real body back?

AELITA
Doubtful. Without fixing the wiring, the scanner would just register Odd's avatar as his new real body and he'd be stuck like that forever.

Aelita nearly gets hit by a laser. She turns around and throws an energy field at the offending Hornet and destroys it.

AELITA
Speaking of Odd, Jeremie! How are you doing at getting us some backup?

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Jeremie has taken metal sheeting from the factory floor and placed it on top of the ladder to keep the Creepers from getting out of the scanner room. Jeremie is sitting on top of the plate to keep it in place, it jostles and jitters as it gets hit from underneath by laser fire. Jeremie adjusts his headset.

ULRICH (O.S.)
Jeremie? We're almost at the tower. Got any updates for us?

JEREMIE
I called Yumi. She says that she's on her way but she's trying to find Odd.

Yumi walks into the room carrying her sword in one hand. She sees Jeremie sitting over the ladder and looks mildly peeved.

YUMI
Why is the elevator dead?

JEREMIE
I disabled it to slow down the Creepers. Ulrich and Aelita need your help on Lyoko.

YUMI
With no elevator, you're going to need to get up for me to do that.

JEREMIE
The second I get up, the Creepers are going to start firing through the hatch. Can you handle that?

Yumi holds up her sword.

YUMI
I fight these things on Lyoko every other week. I think I'll manage.

JEREMIE
Alright, then. The second I get up; head down, give me the word and I'll start up the virtualization procedure.

INT./FACTORY - SCANNER ROOM

Yumi drops down the hatch and lands on top of a Creeper, impaling it through the back with her sword as she makes contact with the ground. Two other Creepers fire their lasers at her, Yumi blocks one and stabs the other through the mouth up into its Eye. The bad scanner opens up and another Creeper slithers out, only to be cut in half by Yumi. Before it can open up again, Yumi uses her sword to sever the cable connecting the bad scanner to the Supercomputer. Yumi sprints into one of the two good scanners and looks up toward the ceiling.

YUMI
I'm in the scanner, hit it!

The lone surviving Creeper shoots at Yumi's scanner and just barely misses as the door closes. The scanner hums to life.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Transfer, Yumi. Scanner, Yumi. Virtualization.

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR

Yumi manifests from wireframe and lands right next to the activated tower. She catches the attention of three Bloks and about a dozen Kankrelats. Yumi looks out over her opponents and draws her fans.

YUMI
Oh, great.

Yumi throws one fan at a Blok and uses the other to block incoming laser fire. Ulrich and Aelita pull in on the Overbike still pursued by a lone remaining Hornet. As Aelita dispatches the Hornet with an energy field, Ulrich points over at a Megatank rolling up behind Yumi and opening up to charge its laser.

ULRICH
Get ready to roll on three.

Before Aelita can respond, the Overbike roars as Ulrich floors it toward the Megatank.

ULRICH
One. Two. Three!

Ulrich and Aelita leap off of the Overbike as it crashes into the Megatank and explodes in a shower of polygons as it knocks it over the edge of the platform into the Digital Sea. Yumi catches a fan and turns around to greet Ulrich and Aelita as they run up to her.

YUMI
Took you long enough.

AELITA
Same to you.

ULRICH
Hey, we just saved you.

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Quit bickering and get to the tower. I have other things to think about right now.

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Jeremie stands over the ladder holding Yumi's sword and trying desperately to fight off the lone surviving Creeper. After much trying and failing to get in a good cut, the Creeper shoots the sword out of Jeremie's hands and knocks him on his back. Right before the Creeper can finish him off, Jeremie grabs the Overboard from behind the command chair and whacks it in the chin, sending it tumbling back down to the scanner room. Jeremie picks up the metal sheeting and puts it down over the ladder, using loose wiring to electrify the panel and keep it in place.

JEREMIE
That should hold it, for now.

Jeremie sits back down in the command chair and adjusts his headset.

JEREMIE
Hey, Yumi. Where's Odd? Having a superhuman cat man around would be really useful tonight.

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR

Yumi backflips onto the top of a Blok and stabs an open fan into its vulnerable Eye. She leaps into the air as the Blok explodes and throws both her fans at a pair of Kankrelats, destroying them and catching the fans as she lands.

YUMI
Stuck at the school with Hiroki. The Creepers got into the costume party.

SCENE 12: WAIT

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

Odd is still exchanging laser fire with the Creepers while everyone else runs around screaming. Sissi hits a Creeper in the face with a broom and knocks it into the catwalk before Nicholas and Herve drag her out the front door. William shepherds Millie and Tamia behind the overturned table to join Hiroki and Johnny. Millie has taken off her helmet and, following her journalistic duty, has taken out a notepad and pen to attempt to interview Odd.

MILLIE
It looks like you've seen these things before, do you know what they are?

ODD
Get down! Do you want to get fried!?

Tamia pops up from behind the table still wearing her helmet.

TAMIA
She's not going to quit. It'd be best for everyone if you just answer her questions.

Tamia's shiny chrome helmet reflects a laser into Odd's back. Tamia screams and ducks back behind the table. Odd, deciding that this timeline is already shot so he might as well have a little fun, decides to answer Millie's questions.

ODD
I have seen them before. They're called Creepers, and as you've seen, they're real pieces of work. But even if they look dumb, they're really, really dangerous.

MILLIE
But where did they come from? The same place as your superpowers?

ODD
Sort of. You know that old car factory out by the river?

MILLIE
Yeah, what about it?

ODD
There's a secret room underneath the factory, like the Batcave. And in that secret room there's a giant computer with an evil virus called Xana in it. And the computer is so powerful that sometimes Xana causes problems in the real world. And when it does that, I have to go to the factory and go to a virtual world inside the computer to fight it.

A Creeper lunges at Odd's face. He wrestles it to the ground and claws out its Eye, disabling it. He tries to aim at another Creeper on the other side of the room and discovers that he's run out of laser arrows. Odd gets down on one knee and creates a shield big enough to cover his entire body.

MILLIE
Like right now?

ODD
Yeah, but it's usually not like this. Most of the time he possesses real people and gives them superpowers like mine. He has to have possessed you at least half a dozen times by now.

MILLIE
And how did you find- Wait.

Millie holds her pencil in the air and her mouth hangs open; Odd has broken her little mind. William gets up and pulls Millie back behind the table just before a stray laser hits the wall behind her.

SCENE 13: TOWER DEACTIVATED

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR

Ulrich, Yumi and Aelita have narrowed the field of monsters down to two Kankrelats and a single Blok. Aelita is hiding behind a rock and taking heavy laser fire from the Kankrelats. She tries to make her way around and gets hit in the face. Ulrich tries to run over to help her but the Blok hits him with its ice beam and freezes him mid-sprint.

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Aelita's character card pops up on Jeremie's monitor and starts flashing red.

JEREMIE
Aelita! You have just twenty life points left! If you get hit like that again, you'll be devirtualized!

EXT./LYOKO - FOREST SECTOR

Yumi dispatches the last two Kankrelats and places her hand on her temple. She begins to glow a soft white and so does Ulrich's frozen body. Ulrich's body flies through the air and impales itself in the Blok's vulnerable Eye, destroying the Blok and devirtualizing Ulrich in the process. Aelita gets out from behind her rock and runs into the tower.

INT./FACTORY - SCANNER ROOM

Ulrich falls out of a scanner and sees mountains of dead Creeper parts all over the room. Ulrich ignores them and climbs up the ladder only to slam his head into the metal plate and fall back down to the floor.

ULRICH
What the hell, Jeremie!

JEREMIE (O.S.)
Calm down. Aelita is in the tower and this will all be over soon.

CUT TO:

INT./LYOKO - TOWER

Aelita walks onto the lower platform of the tower, each ring lights up as she steps over it.

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

Odd looks visibly uneasy as the three Creepers start closing in on his table.

INT./LYOKO - TOWER

Aelita glows blue and ascends to the second level of the tower.

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

The Creepers charge their lasers and fire all at once. The combined force of their blasts break Odd's shield and knock him into the table. William, Hiroki, Johnny, Millie and Tamia all scream in terror.

INT./LYOKO - TOWER

Aelita lands on the second level and summons a control panel. She enters "CODE: LYOKO" on the panel and looks down.

AELITA
Tower deactivated.

INT./KADIC CAFETERIA, NIGHT

A Creeper hangs over Odd and charges its laser. Right before it can fire, its mouth goes dark and the Creeper goes limp, landing on top of Odd. Odd throws it off and staggers to his feet, followed by Millie running up from behind the table, notepad in hand.

MILLIE
Did you just say that Xana possessed ME?

ODD
Yeah. You, Tamia, Sissi, William, Jeremie, Jim, Mrs. Hertz. I think Hiroki and the Ishiyamas got caught up in it one time. Basically everyone at the school's been caught up in Xana stuff at least once. But you don't remember it.

MILLIE
And WHY don't I remember it?

INT./FACTORY - SUPERCOMPUTER CONTROL ROOM

Jeremie sits in the command chair typing while Ulrich stands next to him.

JEREMIE
We've got to do it.

ULRICH
I don't know. Having someone with superpowers on Earth is kind of useful, and I like the idea of having this thing as a mantlepiece.

Ulrich gestures toward the Overboard and Jeremie facepalms.

JEREMIE
Don't be ridiculous, Ulrich. Our cover's blown out of the water and we need more time to find a way to fix Odd. We have to do it.

Ulrich crosses his arms.

ULRICH
Fine.

Jeremie hits the enter key.

JEREMIE (cont.)
Return to the past now.

A blinding white light emerges from the supercomputer: engulfing the command room, then the outside of the factory, then Akiko Ishiyama talking to a police officer outside her house, then an enraged Millie being pulled off of Odd by Tamia and Johnny while William and Hiroki roll on the floor laughing in the background.

FADE TO WHITE