Why? Why did her past always have to return, when she least expected it? XANA, her creator, was gone, dead… how could he send a message to Mira?
She clutched her head in her hands, groaning. She didn't usually let such emotional turmoil engulf her, but she was aware that keeping it bottled up could result in her insanity. Artificial though she was, she was still a human. XANA revealed that even he, or rather as she later found out, she was once human.
Those first days came back to her, the whole reason she was set on making her mark on the world. No imbecile like Mira and her pesky gang were about to stop her.
Even so, the images came back to her, and she couldn't stop them from playing like a movie in her head…
The voice came first. It was always teaching her, feeding her information incomprehensible to normal human minds. She absorbed the data hungrily, always eager to learn more, to know how to survive.
It went like that for a long time. Then the voice got impatient. It went silent, and put something in her. After that happened, there was an explosion of knowledge in her head. If she could have, she would have rocked back and forth, sobs issuing from her, but she didn't yet have the physical capabilities. The information hurt, it hurt her so much…
After what felt like years, she finally got over her shock and absorbed the entire lot of it. She knew things that would make Albert Einstein envious… things that would make people scream with agony if they knew. Her mind became cold and calculating, since that was the only way to survive the onslaught of information.
She understood every component of XANA and its former home, Lyoko. She knew how the towers worked, every tiny detail of the surge of energy into the real world. She understood XANA's intention for her. She did not mind it.
At least, not at first.
She slowly became aware that she was becoming part of the concept of solidity. A new world of sensations overcame, and soon she realized that she was curled up in a fetal position, within a tank full of sickly green liquid. She finally opened her eyes for the first time, able to notice every little detail around her.
The only thing regarding her was a strange eye, which showed up on every computer screen in the room. She already knew what it was: XANA, the multi-agent system that had engineered her body.
He had enhanced it quite a bit, making her physical capabilities far from normal. She later became aware that the sudden, excruciating burst of data in her head was the insertion of a computer chip's data into her brain. As her body had still been developing, she did not yet have the willpower to stop the information from entering her mind. Now she had will, and she had another of her silent conversations with her maker.
Normally, she simply sent him a flow of thought, but she wanted to be able to form words.
My purpose in this world is wipe out the natural humans that so trouble you, is that it? she asked.
He sent her a message of affirmation. She was not satisfied.
If that is so, why did you give me a will?
Sudden danger, threat, anger with her.
You gave me the knowledge. You have no one to blame but yourself. When will I be able to leave these confines?
An image of the sun setting seven times appeared in her head.
The growing process was sped up. How old is my physical body, by normal standards?
13. The number was actually its voice this time.
Do I look odd, for most humans?
Again, a message of affirmation. It sent an image, of a crowd of natural humans, most of which had shades of black, brown, blond, or red hair, with blue, brown, gray, or green eyes. Then an image of her own appearance, showing long messy snow-white hair and yellow eyes.
Is this meant to intimidate my future opponents?
Affirmative, the voice growled.
Say something else, will you?
XANA was taken aback, she could tell. Being a computer program, it didn't mind doing the same thing over and over again.
She withdrew into her own thoughts, not wanting to converse any longer. XANA attempted to intrude into her mind, but she blocked his tendrils of thought easily, deflecting them without trouble.
So, only one month, and she was already a teenager. She found that, because of her will developing much later than her intelligence, she was shocked by her subservience. She, possibly the most powerful human in existence, was going to be used by a virus. Did she want that?
No. She wanted to be the one who had servants. Her perfect white teeth were shown in a feral smile, and her eyes flashed. XANA was a fool to think she would obey it.
Still… she had to be careful. If there was anything XANA was not, it was stupid.
Anger. Confusion. Disappointment, all attributes that radiated from her creator. She was still absorbing information, finding out as much of the current world as possible, when she sensed its anger.
She sent it a question, and received a picture almost like a movie, those things that played moving footage. She saw the interior of Lyoko, watching while William, XANA's other servant, attempted to dump Aelita Schaeffer into the digital sea. She smirked slightly; XANA was looking for Franz Hopper, this she knew, but she also knew exactly where the computer genius was. She was choosing, for the moment, not to give XANA the information. How could it not know? It had been so very simple to find him…
Can I actually use my body now? she asked, irritably.
XANA didn't send her any answer, except that the tube slowly drained of green liquid. Stella breathed in, her lungs taking in air that wasn't from a breathing tube. She stepped out, enjoying the new sensations she was capable of feeling. A thousand different odors tickled her nose, sounds came from everywhere. Before, she was only ever capable of receiving thought, so using these senses was… eye-opening, to say the least.
She spotted clothing; learning about modern culture told her that it was not wise to appear in public without proper garments. All they were was a pair of faded Bermuda shorts and a shirt that said ACDC. She pulled the garments on.
She looked around, seeing what she wasn't able to see before, trapped within the tank. There were pipes overhead. She decided it was time to test her physical abilities. She jumped up, easily grabbing one of the pipes. Hanging from it, she wasn't really sure what to do next, and she simply let go, falling into a crouch.
She thought she heard a snigger from behind her. She twitched her ears, sending out thought tendrils. She sensed XANA's impudent servant, William, behind her.
"Be careful; I didn't engineer you to be a monkey."
She turned around to face him. She realized that she wasn't overly tall; this natural human was a few inches higher. She sized him up, analyzing him, and knew at once why XANA had decided it needed a servant like her instead. However, she did not show contempt, merely murmuring, "Master."
She knew this would make him happy enough, and so risked adding, "Does that boy's attitude affect you while you speak through him?"
"Somewhat. His mind is actually quite amusing, however. Full of thoughts of his beloved Yumi."
She stared at him, as a picture of Yumi Ishiyama popped up in her mind. She knew all about the Japanese girl, including her feelings for Ulrich Stern. She smirked, pushing her tendrils of though forward until she could sense William's true mind, trapped within XANA's darkness. She will never love you, she said to him, enjoying the denial and anger that surged through him. Fool.
She retreated to find XANA-William staring at her in anger. "I did not tell you to speak with him directly."
Ignoring this, she said, "I need a name."
She had wanted one ever since discovering that humans named their children, in order to make them seem more unique. She wanted her name to be something that stood out. She was perfectly aware that XANA would not like it.
"You want a name," XANA-William corrected. "You do not need one, and therefore will not get one."
She wondered why XANA had teleported William here, when it would only distract Belpois and his gang and lead them to it.
"Good question," XANA-William responded. He took his Zweihander, and promptly stabbed himself. She could still feel XANA's presence.
What will you call me, then? she asked.
The multi-agent system didn't give it much thought. Since she was something new, it simply called her, '001'.
001 took an instant dislike to the name. She knew what common names of natural humans were, and liked how they sounded. There was one in particular that she favored: Cynthia, though for her it seemed a tad too… cute.
William came again, several times. He taught her the basics of combat, which was really a waste of time. She had practiced simulations in her mind before finally being allowed out of the tank. She pretended to be a worse fighter than him, not wanting XANA to fear her and, therefore, give him an initiative to destroy her. 001 wanted nothing more than to leave and begin her own journey, but she knew that XANA had to be crippled first.
She began working, whenever she could not sense XANA's presence. This was normally when he was focusing on battling the Lyoko warriors, since he had to be in command of his monsters and William. He had returned one day, furious because William had almost slipped from his grasp.
001, meanwhile, was constructing an explosive, which would hopefully destroy the supercomputer that was here and ruin any chances of XANA finding her once she left. Making it was easy enough, even from the somewhat meager supplies within the lab. The problem was when she would detonate it.
001 had no intention of dying, and so wanted to be well clear before the explosion hit. She made it a timed bomb, but knew that XANA could just activate a tower on the Replica to stop the detonation.
So, with her calculating mind already working, she formulated a plan.
Jeremie was pulling another all-nighter. He knew that Aelita would be worried about him and berate him in the morning, but the Skid's shields needed updating. After their last trip to the Sector Five Replica, he didn't want to take any chances.
He sighed, adjusting his glasses before typing in another equation. He was just on the brink of powering up the shields, when an alert showed up on the holoweb system.
"Huh?" he muttered, clicking on it. "What's this?"
It quickly turned out to be the location of another Replica, and the scans showed that XANA had had a lot of activity there. He had activated towers almost every day, for some unknown purpose.
Jeremie frowned. He hadn't just picked up on this Replica by chance. Someone had sent him the coordinates. He knew that it could be a trap, just to lure the Skid in, but they'd have to risk it. The Replicas needed to be destroyed.
Who could it be, though? He wondered if maybe it was Franz Hopper… shrugging, he marked the spot on the holoweb, before closing the window and returning to the Skid protection program. They would investigate the Replica tomorrow.
Stella smirked. So far, her plan was going perfectly… and XANA didn't have a clue.
"So, let me get this straight," said Yumi, folding her arms. "We were going to test the Skid's shields today… but now we're going to go destroy a Replica instead?"
Jeremie nodded. "That's pretty much what I said."
"You know, Einstein, you've been changing your mind a lot lately," commented Odd. "Maybe you should stop pulling all-nighters."
Jeremie rolled his eyes at the irrepressible blond. "I can't sleep, Odd. The more I do, the more time I give XANA to counterattack."
"Well, I don't see the harm in checking out the Replica," Aelita commented. "We need to destroy them, after all."
Jeremie beamed at her, getting that back flip in his stomach- the one he always got when Aelita agreed with him.
"I agree," said Ulrich. "Might as well get it over with."
"What's with all the doom-and-gloom Ulrich?" asked Odd. There was a grin on his face that suggested he was about to say something unnecessary. "Just cuz Yumi still insists that you guys stay friends…"
"ODD!" yelled Ulrich, getting redder in the face than a tomato. Out of the corner of his eye, Jeremie saw Yumi blush too.
"Just get to the scanner room," he said, feeling slightly amused by the scene.
Odd and Ulrich were still bickering as they headed for the elevator, and Odd said to Ulrich, "I heard you muttering in your sleep the other night…"
Jeremie smiled slightly at Ulrich's loud protest.
"All right, guys," he said, attaching the headset to his ear. "Ready for this?"
"Ready Jeremie," said Aelita.
"Okay then. Ladies first." He paused then. "You okay, Faustina? You've been a little bit quiet today."
Faustina's voice- tough, but also tired- replied, "I'm fine, Jeremie. Let's just get this over with."
"You're as cheerful as Ulrich," grumbled Odd.
"Knock it off, Odd," said Jeremie. "Transfer, Yumi. Transfer, Faustina. Transfer, Aelita… Scanner… virtualization!"
Aelita landed as lightly as she could, turning to her two female companions. Yumi wore what she had worn for quite a while- the dark red fighting suit, decorated with pink flowers here and there. Faustina wore her more recent outfit as well- a light blue suit, complete with a small, darker blue sheath for her rocket dagger. Not that Faustina really needed it, of course. Her dirty blond hair was up in a blue clip, held there quite firmly. Aelita winced at seeing Faustina's icy blue eyes on her; they briefly turned into XANA's symbol.
This didn't alarm Aelita. Ever since the brief fusion that Faustina had been an idiot to attempt… her eyes did that sometimes, when she was in a bad mood.
She looked around, noticing that they were in Sector Five, as Ulrich and Odd materialized above them. Aelita was forced to duck away in order to avoid having them fall on top of her.
"Alright, the elevator is waiting," said Jeremie.
"On our way, Jeremie," she replied. She noticed Odd sidle up to Faustina as they ran.
"So," he said casually, the mischievous grin on his face. "Were you sore when I was talking about Ulrich and Yumi?"
All he got in response was an elbow in the gut. Odd doubled over, wheezing, while Faustina scowled at him. "That's in the past, Odd," she snapped.
Odd started running again. "You're right," he commented. He winked at Faustina. "You've moved on now, haven't you?"
"You could say that…" Faustina murmured. Aelita heard the pain in her voice, and decided to intervene.
"Odd, Faustina's been through enough without you bugging her about love interests," she said. Once Odd shrugged and ran on ahead, Aelita muttered to Faustina, "We'll get William back, Faustina."
They had arrived at the elevator; Faustina's eyes flashed the symbol again. "We'd better," she growled. "I've just about had it with… her."
"It, Faustina. How many times do I have to tell you?" asked Aelita, rolling her eyes. "XANA made the full transformation into a multi-agent system. Any humanity it had before is gone now."
Levels whizzed by while they were on the elevator, until they disembarked and made it to where the Skid was docked. Aelita stood on the middle portal, while the others took their places on the other four panels.
"Ready for teleporting?" called Jeremie. "Here we go."
The five of them vanished, reappearing within the unusual submarine christened the Skidbladnir by Aelita and Faustina. The two had insisted upon it, stating that whenever Faustina came over to Aelita's house, Franz would read the books about it to them. Aelita directed the Skid out into the digital sea, on their way to the Replica. Little did she know that they would change the future that day.
001 sensed them on their way; it wouldn't be long before she could put her plan into action. She probed them, sensing their minds- though she recoiled from the cold and hardened mind of Faustina. She couldn't help it; that girl was even more 'messed up' than her. Why she even had friends was beyond 001. She was also partly afraid because she felt a sadistic side to the naturally born girl. A side that enjoyed pain… a side that was a remnant of XANA, she now realized.
She smirked; it would, she admitted, be interesting if she fought that girl. She wasn't sure who would end up surviving. However, she couldn't waste time playing games. They were arriving at the Replica now, and it was time to begin.
Odd would never admit it, but he felt a little seasick as the Skid docked at a tower. They were in a mountain Replica, and the pairs for teleportation had already been chosen: he, Aelita, and Faustina would be going to destroy the supercomputer, while Ulrich and Yumi would stay behind on guard duty.
"Teleportation!" called Jeremie, and Odd held his breath while he vanished. Next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a pine forest. He breathed in the tang of the trees, before following Faustina and Aelita into the forest.
"Where's the complex, Jeremie?" asked Aelita.
"It's underground," Jeremie replied. "Hang on a second while I download the schematics."
The three of them stood there. Odd tapped his foot, impatient to begin. Aelita was still, calmly waiting for Jeremie to reply, while Faustina stood rigid, anger flashing in the form of XANA's symbol in her eyes.
"It's here," she hissed. "And it's incredibly angry… and afraid. But not of us. Of something… else." She groaned suddenly, cradling her head in her arms.
Aelita looked at her, concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked. She brushed some of her pink hair behind her ear.
Faustina looked up and glared at her. "I'm fine," she growled. "XANA's just active is all." When Aelita opened her mouth to say something else, she added, "And don't start rebuking me for doing what I did! What's done is done."
"Cat fight!" crowed Odd.
"Knock it off, you guys; I've got the layout," said Jeremie.
"Great; where's the entrance?" asked Faustina, hiding any more discomfort. Odd took a close look at the girl, but her eyes were the usual ice blue. XANA's symbol no longer flashed there. She looked a lot calmer, almost normal, but… Odd knew that she had learned how to hide her pain.
"Just a few feet away from you, actually. It looks similar to the entrance to the sewers back in the park at Kadic."
Aelita was already pulling off the cover. Odd came over next to her and peered down into the entrance. "Huh," he said, folding his arms. "Doesn't look like much."
"Wrong, Odd," said Jeremie. "This place is enormous; you'll need me to guide you."
Odd shrugged, thinking that he could probably find the way on his own. Still, he followed Aelita and Faustina down the ladder without complaint.
He was surprised to find himself in a hallway, lit up by electronic lights up ahead. The hall stretched away in either direction, and Odd was only just able to make out the ends of the tunnel. Gulping, he realized that he was wrong, but as always, he would never admit it.
They were in the lab, and XANA knew it by now. She knew that he'd sent monsters to attack the Skidbladnir, but 001 could still feel XANA's presence. She also sensed the presence of Odd Della Robbia, Aelita Schaeffer, and Faustina Warblin.
001 walked through the hallway, holding the bomb loosely in her hand. She was calm; XANA was not yet aware of what she was planning, since she wasn't in his sight yet.
That point was coming up. Soon, she'd be in his full view, and he'd know that she was planning to cripple him.
Not that there was really anything he could do about it.
She turned into the supercomputer room, easily disabling the security measures with a thought. She attached the bomb to the interface, setting the time for ten minutes. Long enough for her to escape, not long enough for XANA to activate a tower and get rid of it.
She turned around again, to find its eye all over. Rage that was not her own pulsed through her, and she sensed him activating a tower.
Her lips parted in a snarl; there was no way he would be able to deactivate that bomb… unless…
Just like that, William materialized in front of her.
"Huh?" yelled Ulrich, as his Katana swept through nothing but air. "I know William was right here!"
"He seems to have disappeared," Yumi called from where she was fighting off two tarantulas. "Don't worry about it; we've got bigger problems!" She yelped as a laser hit her in the leg.
001 didn't hesitate. She ran forward, somersaulting over William easily, just as he was about to lunge with his Zweihander. It threw him off balance, and she delivered a kick to his backside as she was coming down. He flew into the wall, crumpling to the floor for a while.
She ran for it, knowing that she had minutes to escape the complex. She heard footsteps behind her, and whirled around in time to see William slash at her. She side-stepped smoothly; it was almost too easy. She laughed chillingly when she saw the shock on William's face.
The next move she made was to karate chop right into a nerve bundle on the arm that held the Zweihander. It clattered to the floor, while William's arm hung limply at his side. She grabbed his throat with her other hand, lifting him up into the air.
001 sent an electrical shock pulsing through XANA-William, paralyzing him. He glared at her through drooping eyelids, and she eyed him with cold disdain.
"Did you really think I'd let you control me?" she hissed. "Well, think again! I will have a name of my own, and my name will be known. I already have it picked out: Stella Zireau."
With those words, she threw him against the wall without much effort; still conscious, he slumped to the floor, unable to move thanks to the shock he'd received. She took hold of the Zweihander on the floor, throwing it so that it stabbed him in the heart.
She watched him spark like crazy, shaking her head. "Goodbye, XANA," she muttered. "And good riddance."
She headed for the exit once again, relieved that she no longer thought of herself as 001, but instead as Stella.
Faustina was concentrating; XANA seemed to be distracted, which was perfect for them. Jeremie had just told them that there was an activated tower, but for now that wasn't a big deal. They were heading for the supercomputer room, hoping to destroy it. Faustina had had to use her double-bladed weapon to send Aelita back to the Replica, so that she could deactivate the tower.
She paused at one hallway, were she thought she heard a moan. Glancing to the right, she was shocked to see William on the floor, sitting upright against the wall. His Zweihander was embedded in his chest, and he was slowly dissolving away.
"William?" she whispered. He looked up at her, surprise flaring in his XANA hooded eyes. Faustina glanced further down the hallway, where she thought she saw someone run around a corner.
"Hey!" she called, but the person didn't stop. She looked back at where William had been sitting, but he had already dissolved.
"Faustina!" She turned to see Odd waving at her from the main corridor. "Are you gonna stand there all day?"
In answer, she ran over to him. "Just shut up, and let's go."
"Right behind you," he replied. He glanced at her. "By the way, what were you doing over there?"
Faustina sighed. "Nothing. I just thought I saw something… that's all." Still, she couldn't help but wonder what XANA-William was doing there- and just who was good enough to beat him with his own weapon?
"Hey- the tower's been deactivated," said Jeremie. "That's odd… I guess he wasn't targeting you. Anyway, the computer room is up ahead."
Odd got there ahead of me, but froze in the doorway. I tried to push past him, but he blocked the way.
"Umm… Jeremie?" he said, sounding nervous. "Not for nothing, but there's a bomb in here. Right in front of the supercomputer."
"WHAT?" cried Jeremie. "Clearly, someone wants XANA gone just as much as we do."
Faustina remembered the person who'd run from her, but opted out of saying anything about them. Instead, she suggested, "Well, maybe we should just let the bomb take its toll, huh? Jeremie, get us out of here; we've only got three minutes."
"Uh… okay, but it'll take some time."
Faustina closed her eyes, tapping her foot. Apart from spotting the mysterious person, the trip was not all that exciting.
Stella stared, on a hill some distance away. She knew that she could simply disappear after this; XANA would never find her.
"Five… four…" she murmured.
Faustina breathed a sigh of relief as she and Odd rematerialized inside their Nav-skids. "Talk about a close one, Einstein." The bomb had had three seconds left, when Jeremie was finally able to pull them back. Sure, she might act tough, but even she didn't like being blown up.
"Well guys, mission accomplished," he said; everyone was back on board the Skid, and the Replica was vanishing. "Time to head home…"
Stella opened her eyes again. She was breathing surprisingly hard, as though she'd just run a marathon. She noticed that she was now leaning against the wall, and was trying to suppress a wave of nausea that enveloped her.
She shook herself; reliving and accepting her past was difficult, but the rewards were great. She would no longer be dwelling on her memories, and she'd be able to focus on the here and now.
"Got a migraine?" someone asked quietly. She stiffened, hatred welling up in her, as well as a desire to eliminate that voice. She looked up, noticing the black-haired girl flinch as she met her eyes.
Mira's emerald eyes flashed in a challenge. She stared at Stella, tilting her head to the side. Stella returned the stare, putting no emotion into the look. Eventually, Mira turned slowly and left, probably heading to fill her needs for food and water.
Stella straightened up. She whirled around and strode away in the opposite direction, wondering how much Mira had seen. One day, she would get what she wanted- and she would take care of Mira, just as she'd taken care of XANA. Her creator. The one who originally named her 001.