DISCLAIMER: I do not own Code Lyoko…still.
A/N: And the two-parter became a three-parter. I do too well at this sometimes… Haha, READ AND REVIEW!
Episode 129: Departure (2)
"Odd, thank goodness you finally picked up! I was so worried I wouldn't get hold of you and..."
"I'm here, Marie, don't panic..." he replied dully as he sat down on his bed, Aelita and Ulrich helping him to pack a suitcase as he continued. "What in the hell happened?" he asked as Marie took a deep breath; Odd could tell by her shaky breathing that she had been crying.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure, little brother. Sarah was helping Mom cook dinner and she came back and Mom was passed out on the floor in a puddle of glass; I think she dropped one of her cooking platters when she went down. She's in surgery now; the doctor told me that he thought Mom had a heart attack, and that the scans showed a blocked artery..."
"Marie...oh my gosh...how are the others holding up?" Odd asked frailly as Marie coughed and choked out a slow response.
"Louise and Elisabeth weren't here when it happened, but they met us at the hospital. They're staying strong for Sarah, but I know deep down, they're just as worried as I am. Pauline and Adėle are struggling though. It's not exactly pretty here, Odd..."
"Yeah...I can tell..."
"Sarah needs you here...honestly..." Marie choked back tears as she struggled to continue... "We could all use you here..." she whispered as a tear dripped down Odd's cheek.
"I'll talk to Principal Delmas and see what I can do, okay?"
"Okay. I'll call with any news, little brother," Marie said.
"Okay, sis. Be strong, and I'll be there as soon as I can…" he whispered as he hung up the phone and took a shaky breath, Aelita placing a hand on his shoulder as the others came in.
"How is she, Odd?" Jeremy asked instantly as the others gathered around his bed.
"Not well…" Odd sighed. "She's in surgery now. Marie said she'll call as soon as she has any news."
"You should be there…" William sighed.
"I know, but what about school? I'm already on the edge of passing as it is! If I miss any time…" Odd trailed off, fuming at the situation as Marth looked sympathetically at him.
"Delmas isn't that unreasonable," Ulrich said reassuringly. "If we explain the situation, I'm sure he'll help you come up with a way to work things out…"
The next morning, in the Principal's office…
"Absolutely not, Della Robbia! Your grades are on the edge of horrible as it is, and I'm afraid if you miss any more time from your classes, you will be repeating this year, and I'm not about to let that happen!"
"But, please sir! You have to understand! I wouldn't be asking for a leave of absence if I didn't have a really important reason!"
"Oh? And what reason is so important that you have to leave Kadic this suddenly?" Delmas asked with a stern glare on his face as Odd gulped and began shaking as he looked up at Delmas with genuine tears in his eyes.
"It's… It's my mother, sir. She's taken ill in the hospital in Italy…my sister called me last night in a panic. The doctors said she had a heart attack and they're worried that she may not make it through…she's out of surgery but…" Odd stopped, unable to finish his sentence as Delmas' gaze immediately softened at the panicked boy in front of him.
"I…I'm sorry, Della Robbia, I honestly had no idea what was going on. I may be strict here at Kadic, but never let it be said that I'm unreasonable. I wish you had come to me the moment you found out what was happening."
"I would have sir, but it was late last night when I found out and I was afraid you wouldn't be available or that…" Odd stopped as Delmas waved a hand in front of him as if to clear the air.
"Now, I may be a lot of things, and I apologize if I make it seem as though I don't care about the well-being of the students here, but I can promise you that that is not the case. I'll talk to the Administrative council. This isn't the first time something of this nature has happened to a student. You have my permission to take leave to Italy for as long as you need to help your mother. Just please; keep me informed as to how things are going so the staff here can keep your family in our thoughts. Now, as for your schoolwork…" Odd gulped as Delmas continued, "I will have your teachers transmit your notes and assignments by email so that you can complete your work while you're gone, and your absences will be considered excused, on the condition that you take your exams on the same day as everyone else when you return…"
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, sir!" Odd said gratefully and with a sigh of relief as he jumped up and hugged Delmas, who was taken off-guard as Odd took a step back and plastered an unreadable expression on his face.
"Now, sir, I do have one more request, if it's possible. It's about how I'm going to care for my mom…"
Back in the dorm rooms…
"I hope everything's going okay…" Ulrich said worriedly as he sat on his bed, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall as Marth and Jeremy sat with him. All of a sudden, the door clicked and Aelita walked in, sitting down next to Jeremy as she looked around.
"Odd's still not back?" she asked quizzically as Ulrich shook his head.
"No… I'm a little worried," he admitted. "I know how Delmas can get sometimes. I just hope for once…" he was cut off by the sound of the door opening, and Ulrich's had snapped around to see Odd come in the room, an expression of mixed emotion on his face as he sat down.
"I just talked to Marie again," he started slowly. "The doctors have put Mom in a coma while her body attempts to heal. She's out of surgery, but they don't know how long they're going to have to keep her out while her body rests."
"Oh, Odd…" Aelita said sadly as she put an arm around her friend.
"It's okay, Aelita…" he replied. "As for what I'm going to do…I thought about what William said last night. And he's right; I need to be there, not just for my mom but for my sisters. With my dad being away on military assignment I'm all they've got right now…" Odd trailed off as Jeremy snapped his fingers in front of him.
"Odd, don't you dare feel bad about being gone!" Einstein said sharply, but still with caring in the tone as Odd smiled briefly at the genius. "You do what you have to do; we can handle things here. And I promise that we'll keep you updated on everything that's happening here."
"Guys, you're the best…" Odd said softly as Yumi and William came in to join them.
"Hey, prankster, how are things?" Yumi asked gently.
"I'm headed to Italy to be with my family…" Odd said softly as Marth and Ulrich shared a glance and then looked specifically at Odd.
"We're going with you," they said at exactly the same time as Jeremy and Aelita's jaws dropped simultaneously and Odd just looked at them before raising his eyebrows quizzically.
"Guys…"
"Don't argue with me, Odd," Ulrich shot back. "I'm your best friend, and I've known you longer than anybody. And besides, you've told me that your older sisters all have to work, and I know that Sarah won't be able to do much for your mom once she gets out of the hospital. She will get out of the hospital, Odd," he added when Odd tried to interject. "Which leaves most of the work up to you, dimwit. And that's not gonna happen," he finished. "Hence, I'm going with you. And Marth…I think he sees a lot of you in himself," he pointed out as Marth nodded. "He only wants to help too." At this display of unbridled friendship, Odd couldn't hold back a tear from his eye as he looked up and smiled at his friends.
"You two…thank you…that means so much to me. But truthfully…I knew you would say that," he admitted sheepishly as Ulrich said, "WHAT?" "Chill out, Ulrich, let me finish!" Odd snapped as Ulrich let his shoulders relax. "When I was talking to Delmas this morning, I asked him if I could have permission for one of my friends to be excused to go with me to help me care for my mom and my sister."
"Wait, one?" Ulrich said suddenly as Odd nodded.
"Yes, Ulrich, one. And that's why you're staying here," he said simply as William's eyes widened in shock and Aelita gave Odd a stunned glance. "Listen, I care too much about you to let you throw away everything you've worked for because of me." Ulrich opened his mouth to argue, but Odd stopped him as he went on. "Your grades are the best they've ever been here at Kadic and I'm not going to let you jeopardize that, especially since your father's actually halfway pleased with you for once in his life," Odd muttered as Ulrich mumbled something in agreement. "So I got Delmas to agree to let Marth come with me to Italy. We just have to make sure we do the work while we're over there, and we have to take finals the same time you guys do. But we'll be back. You can count on that!" he finished with his usual cheerful grin as Ulrich ran over and hugged his best friend. Odd returned the hug and Ulrich whispered, "You'd better come back soon. Or else you'll have me to deal with." Odd just chuckled as the two stood up and Marth said, "I'd better run and pack a bag! And call my parents! I know I board here year-round but still; they'll want to know where I'm going!" he chimed as Aelita laughed and he ran out of the Dorm room.
"So, Odd, when does your flight leave?" Yumi asked as Odd pulled out his ticket to check.
"Two hours. I've got Marth's ticket too; Marie paid for the tickets this morning," he explained.
"I'll call my dad," Jeremy added as he pulled out his phone. "He can take us all to the airport," he added as Odd shot him a glance. "What? You didn't think we'd let you go without seeing you off, did you?" he asked as Odd laughed and began to gather his things… (A/N: Yes, Jeremy's dad now has an SUV capable of holding the nine Warriors. Don't question it…)
Ninety minutes later, the entire gang, including Hunter, who Odd had filled in on the way and who had reminded him, "You'd better come back in one piece, and soon; you're a Lyoko Warrior, and our group just wouldn't be the same without you," were gathered at the airport terminal to see Odd and Marth off. Ulrich was the first to hug his best friend, whispering something in his ear before straightening up and turning to Marth, patting him on the back and thanking him for looking out for Odd. Yumi and Aelita each hugged both boys, and Aelita told Odd, "You'd better call. Every day, you hear?" as she let her eyes tear up at the thought of not being able to see one of her best friends, the prankster, one of the people who had been by her side since the very beginning of her time (again) on Earth, for who knows how long. Odd got a pat on the back from William, who broke his usually-stoic features to chuckle and wish the pair well on their trip. Jeremy was next, and the brainiac smiled when he offered his comment.
"Now Odd, I know you…just try not to get into too much trouble while you're gone!"
"Hah! In your dreams, Einstein!" Odd laughed, though giving Jeremy a look that said, "I'll be fine" as he turned to Hunter, who gave a faint smile and simply wished the two good luck as Odd turned finally to Jacob. The purple-clad Warrior walked softly over to Odd and smiled before giving him a warm embrace and whispering in his ear, "Be safe…we'll miss you…" Odd smiled, hiding the expression in Jacob's shoulder before straightening and giving him a pat on the back.
"I will be, buddy. You can count on that," he grinned as the last call sounded for their flight. "Well, we got a plane to catch!" Odd said to the gang as he and Marth grabbed their bags and headed into the terminal towards their plane. "Hasta la vista, amigos!" he called back as the gang waved and called their good-byes to the two departing Warriors, each silently hoping the pair would return quickly as they went out of sight…
Thirty minutes later…
"Bye, Dad!" Jeremy yelled after his father's rapidly departing SUV. He turned back to the gang as they all stood at the gates to the Academy. "Well, shall we head back to our dorms then?" he asked softly as they realized then that they were truly without two of their own tonight…
Meanwhile…
"Finally! I have a chance to strike at the heart of the blasted humans!" XANA cackled in triumph as his three pawns knelt at the foot of his throne. "And make no mistake; I am making sure that they are not squirming their little way out of this one. That blasted feline and his ax-wielding friend are mine at last…"
On the Forest Replika, the Tower lying in the darkened clearing near the central part of the Sector began to glow red as XANA's scarlet eyes lit in fury…
"Just try to stop me now, you little brats…" he laughed mirthlessly as he summoned a welcoming committee to guard the Tower…
Twenty-five hundred feet in the air above the European continent…
A menacing smoke began to slowly wisp out of the air duct leading into the pilot's compartment of the airplane, slowly moving along the floorboards until it wreathed it's way around the pilot's waist.
"What the…? ARGH!" the pilot screamed as he was shocked by a large amount of electricity before falling limp in his seat. XANA just laughed from the safety of his castle as he commanded the spectre to infiltrate the controls of the plane. A moment later, tendrils of electricity began to envelop the plane as XANA took the machine under his control…
"What the…?" Odd yelped as he looked out his window and first saw the plane make a drastic change in course before seeing the thin ropes of electricity surrounding the plane's wings. He turned to Marth with a grim look on his face as Marth saw the exact same thing.
"XANA…" the pair muttered as they said a quick prayer for Jeremy to figure out what was going on and rescue them before something bad happened…
"Oh, no…" Jeremy groaned as he stopped, the entire gang surrounding him as he pulled out his laptop to hear the beeping alarm they had all become accustomed to. Jeremy scanned the screens quickly and let out a gasp of shock when he saw the SuperScan. "XANA's activated a Tower on the Forest Replika," he announced as he tried to scan the latest news reports, knowing that nothing, at least nothing visible, was going on at the Academy or in the city. "Oh, no!" he gasped as he saw the latest reports from the French Aviation Administration. "A plane's just gone offcourse and headed back towards France! The authorities have had no contact from the pilot since the course change!"
"It's Odd's flight, isn't it?" Ulrich said grimly as Jeremy scanned for the flight number, and then nodded slowly.
"Yes…it is…" he said shakily. "I think XANA may try to down the plane and kill Odd and Marth, not to mention everyone else onboard! We have to deactivate that Tower!"
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Jacob snapped back in reply as Jeremy nodded and the gang sprinted for the woods and the Sewer entrance…
Once in the tunnels, the gang grabbed their scooters, skateboards, and in Jacob's case, bike, and took off at a breakneck pace through the tunnels towards the Factory bridge. All of a sudden, Jacob winced as he felt his consciousness invaded with a sudden, piercing vision…
—Future Flash—
"UNGH! JEREMY!" Jacob heard Odd scream as he saw a smoke trail up in the sky above Kadic City and a spiraling, smoking mess of metal plummeting out of the sky towards…the Factory…
—End Vision—
"Hungh!"Jacob gasped as he snapped out of the vision and realized that the gang had made it to the ladder leading to the Factory Bridge. Jeremy just looked at him in puzzlement as Jacob drew in a deep gulp of air.
"I know what XANA's plotting to do…he's trying to crash Odd's plane into the Factory! He wants all of us dead…" he hissed as Aelita gasped and Hunter nodded grimly.
"Then we've got no time to lose, do we?" William said matter-of-factly as the gang nodded sternly and quickly climbed the ladder towards the Factory entrance. They took turns in threes swinging down the ropes to the Lift entrance, Jacob being the last as he landed and sprinted inside the elevator just before Jeremy closed the door. He punched in the code for the Lab, and got off there, running to the computer and slipping on his headset as he called back, "Head to the Scanner Room! We've got to hurry if we're going to save Odd and Marth!" "Not to mention all of us…" he added softly in his head as he prepped the necessary protocols to send the gang on their way…
Transfer Ulrich, Transfer Yumi, Transfer William!
Scanner Ulrich, Scanner Yumi, Scanner William!
Virtualization!
Transfer Aelita, Transfer Jacob, Transfer Hunter!
Scanner Aelita, Scanner Jacob, Scanner Hunter!
Virtualization!
"Please hurry, guys…" Odd thought grimly as he realized the plane was heading back towards France, and cast a reassuring glance at Marth while inside being scared stiff because he knew what the consequences were if the gang's mission failed…
LW94: And so the situation gets grim…I'm making you guys wait for it! Haha!
Next time:
Episode 130: Flight Risk (3)
It's a race against time to save Odd and Marth before their plane goes down and takes the rest of the gang with it…next time, on Code Lyoko: Unleashed…
