Chapter 10
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
9:11 AM
Math Classroom
"…and this leaves us with a simple quadratic equation to solve," Mr. Songer explained. Now I enjoy math, but what we were covering was a little basic, and it was difficult to keep my mind from drifting to the Skid. We were just finding points of intersection on a second dimensional graph. The chalkboard had a nice, simple drawing with clearly labeled points. The Skid was fully 3D with moving parts, contact surfaces, and virtual engines and forces, all working together. There was almost no comparison.
Mr. Songer started another example and I thought about Brittany. At this time of day, she would be in History, actually learning something. I let out a small sigh.
The last few minutes of classes ticked slowly by, but eventually, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. I packed up my things and stood up with the rest of the class. "Don't forget to study for the quiz on Monday," Mr. Songer called out his last instructions.
I stepped aside to let Alyssa out, and I Hawk came over to me. "Wow," he said. "After working on the Skid with you and ANAX, seeing everything that goes into it, this stuff seems like child's play!"
"It is child's play," I told him. "Did you forget how old we are? We're only in a 9th grade level course."
"True, but isn't Kadic more advanced than other schools?"
"I guess, but it doesn't really make a difference," I said, smirking.
"Hey," Tennent cut in, "it may seem easy to you guys, but I can barely follow what's going on!"
"And whose fault is that?" Hawk asked him.
We stepped out into the hallway. "Probably the school's," Tennent said with a grin. "If I'm not learning the material, it must not be taught well enough!"
"Then how come I manage the assignments?" Alyssa asked?
"Um… Okay, I give up," Tennent said, tossing his hands in the air. "Maybe I should study more often."
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
9:25 AM
High School Building Hallway
Brittany hurried out of her History classroom and out into the hallway. It wasn't very long trek to the main school building, only about a hundred yards, but she didn't want to be late.
On her way out, a girl that she didn't know very well crashed into here. It was Holly Stones. Hardened from her Lyoko battles, Brittany hardly reacted to the collision, but Holly slipped to the ground.
Holly wore her brown hair in a somewhat unusual fashion, with clothing choices that seemed to match. Like Brittany, she preferred purple.
"Sorry," Brittany apologized and held out her hand to help her up.
"It's okay," Holly said in a flustered tone. "I shouldn't be in such a rush.
"Hey, don't I have some classes with you?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah," she replied. "History for one."
Brittany winced. That was pretty awkward; they had just come from the same class and she didn't even realize it.
Holly continued, "And my next class is Math. I think we may be on the same schedule."
"Why don't we walk together?" Brittany suggested. It hadn't taken long for her to get tired of being alone in her classes, and maybe it was time that she found someone to hang out with. Part of her wasn't comfortable about reaching out to someone not in the Lyoko gang, but she figured that ill consequences were unlikely.
"O-okay," Holly accepted.
The two girls talked on the way to their next class, and the discomfort soon faded. They passed the Lyoko Warriors and Brittany gave them a wave.
"Aren't those your friends?" Holly asked.
Brittany nodded.
"It must be tough being on a different schedule."
"It's not so bad," Brittany smiled. "We still share adventures together."
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
1:21 PM
English Classroom
School was very monotonous today. It had been almost a week since any XANA activity, and I was itching to see the results of the calculations I had started running last night in my research on the Skid.
I found it easier to concentrate in English class, because even though it's such a convoluted language, I'm more or less guaranteed to have need of it. By 9th grade, I was competent, but I could always use improvement.
After some time had passed, I noticed a sound that had been growing louder and louder, like the whistling of the wind. I hadn't paid any attention to it earlier, but now it was starting to overpower Mrs. Thompson's quiet voice.
I didn't suspect that anything was out of place just yet. Heavy winds weren't unheard of.
Mrs. Thompson continued the lecture, but as time went on, she was basically shouting to be heard over the noise.
When class was over, my friends and I took a look outside. The sound was the wind, blowing so hard that all the trees were bent steeply against the force.
"You don't see that every day," Tennent said idly.
We walked down the hall and tried to open the door to the schoolyard. By "tried," I mean we opened it, and the wind blew it back in our faces.
"I can't remember ever seeing winds this strong," Alyssa told us. "Don't you think something weird is going on?"
"Maybe," I said. But I wasn't convinced. We knew XANA could make it snow, but wind was entirely another thing. In addition, an attack like this wouldn't seem to fit in with his master plan… at least as I understood it.
"We'll know in a minute," I continued as I pulled out my laptop to check.
Hawk, Sean, Tennent, and Alyssa gathered around to watch me screen. I opened the SuperScan and it rapidly flicked through the Towers on Lyoko. The alarm began to sound and the program zeroed in on a Tower.
"Oh, that's just great," Sean complained. "Just what we needed."
"I'm still not convinced that this wind is XANA's attack," I said.
"Well we need to get to the Factory either way," Alyssa pointed out.
"Since we don't know the attack, shouldn't we leave a few of us behind to watch the school?" Tennent asked.
"Good point," I said. "Volunteers?"
"I'll stay," Tennent said.
"Me too," Alyssa added.
"Hawk, this'll be your first trip, so we don't want to leave you behind," I said. He nodded.
"I'll call Brittany," Sean pulled out his phone.
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
1:31 PM
The Schoolyard
"Help meeeeee!" Holly screamed as she hung onto a tree branch that was being whipped about by the ferocious wind.
"I'm coming!" Brittany shouted back.
The two girls had just finished their French class and were on their way to Gym. When they left the building, the wind was bad, but it didn't seem dangerous. In the middle of the grounds, it sprung up suddenly with a force stronger than a tornado, pushing them around.
Brittany herself was clinging to a bench, but she didn't know how much longer the weight would be enough to keep her from flying out with the wind. The tree that Holly was hanging onto was mainly decorous. It didn't have very deep roots. Even as Brittany was thinking this, the tree gave a great lurch, as if it would break.
"Hurry!" Holly shouted.
Keeping her eyes on the tree, Brittany gathered her focus and let go of the bench. She used the momentum of the wind and pushed off of the ground so she could grab the tree. The weight she added caused the tree to visibly weaken. "Uh-oh," she muttered.
Slowly, she inched her way up the trunk. "Grab my hand!" She called out to Holly when she was close enough. Holly reached out and swatted at Brittany's hand. After a few tries, she latched on.
"Gotcha!" Brittany yelled. "Now we have to-" A sudden burst of wind sprung up and blew her hair in her face. Brittany heard a squeal as Holly was ripped from her grasp. "Holly!" She screamed.
Her body was nearly sideways, but she looked "down" to see Holly holding on to her ankle. "Don't let go!" Brittany ordered.
In the same manner that she had ascended the tree, they scaled down. "The wind isn't so bad this close to the ground!" She told Holly. Here, gravity actually pulled stronger than the wind, and they rested in the soil while Brittany kept a death grip on the tree's trunk.
It was calm enough now that she felt the vibrations from her cellphone ringing. Some part of her had known that this couldn't be a natural occurrence and that XANA had to be behind it, but it wasn't until now that she was really able to think clearly about it.
"We need to get inside!" Brittany shouted out.
"But how?!" Holly asked.
Good question
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
1:43 PM
The Lab
"Brittany's still not answering," Sean said worriedly.
"She's in a bit of a situation," ANAX told him. "I've located her by her cellphone; she's in the middle of the school campus, about 32.4 meters from the nearest building."
"We've got to go and help her!" Sean exclaimed.
"We wouldn't have time," I protested. "The fastest way is to deactivate the Tower, and we can't risk going in with any fewer Warriors, especially not with this being Hawk's first trip."
"I'll tell Tennent and Alyssa about Brittany," ANAX said to us. Sean managed to calm down a bit. "Thanks," he said.
"Now get down to the Scanners. I'll transfer you."
Hawk, Sean, and I turned around and walked into the elevator. I hit the down button and the door closed.
"Ready?" Sean asked Hawk as we descended.
He didn't answer. I looked him over and realized that he was shaking.
"I'll be fine," he said at last, gulping.
"Don't worry," I told him. "You're atoms are blown apart in an instant. You hardly feel a thing."
"Not helping," he immediately replied.
The elevator stopped and the door opened.
"Ready or not, it's time to go!" Sean said as he jumped out and ran into a Scanner. Hawk and I took up our positions as well."
"Transfer, Sean… Transfer, Sammy… Transfer, Hawk," ANAX announced.
"Scanner, Sean… Scanner, Sammy… Scanner, Hawk," the doors closed and I caught a glimpse of Hawk closing his eyes tightly.
The process started and I relaxed my body. The air twisted around me and I lost consciousness before I heard ANAX's final announcement.
"Virtualization!"
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
1:45 PM
Main School Building
Alyssa and Tennent huddled together with the rest of the students in the building. Due to "inclement weather" school had been cancelled. Delmas's voice could be heard over the speakers constantly. The students in the Science and High school building were accounted for, as well as the staff in the Admin building. Only two students were missing: Brittany and Holly Stones.
"We have to go out and find Brittany!" Tennent argued.
"But we have no idea where she is," Alyssa countered. We might get ourselves blown away!"
"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Tennent demanded.
"We wait," As she was saying that, her phone rang. She answered it to find ANAX on the other line.
"Alyssa," ANAX greeted her.
"What do you have for us?" she replied. Tennent rolled his eyes.
"I've confirmed that the wind is XANA's attack. He's linked a specter in series to connect to an experimental facility. He is using some prototype technology to control pressure drops and rises and artificially create wind.
"Also, Brittany is in trouble. I can give you her location by her cellphone…"
After grabbing the longest rope they could find in the utility closet, Tennent and Alyssa snuck off to the north exit. "ANAX said they'd be right around the corner," Alyssa informed Tennent. "We've got enough rope, right?"
"It's all we've got," he answered. "It'll have to be enough."
I tied the rope securely to the lockers and turned to Alyssa. "I need you to make sure that the rope doesn't slip. I may also need you to help pull us back in. Can you do that?"
She nodded confidently. "Good luck!" she said.
Tennent opened the door and braced himself against the blasting gusts. Feeding the rope out carefully, he worked his way to the center of the Schoolyard. He quickly sighted two figures clinging to a tree. He tried yelling to them, but the wind was just too loud and they couldn't here him.
He looked down at what rope remained and realized with a bolt of fear that there might not be enough.
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
1:57 PM
The Mountain Sector
I landed solidly onto the purple ground and noticed that Hawk had just made the best first landing of all of us, despite his nerves. In our defense, he had much more warning than we did, though.
Hawk stood there for a moment, flexing his fingers, and moving various joints.
"This is incredible!" he exclaimed after a moment.
Hawk was dressed in a mostly brown, hybrid-type armor. A feather-like pattern of darker brown rippled across his suit. Some sort of pack clung to his back, and I noticed his hairstyle had been accentuated so his fluffy bangs resembled wings even more clearly.
He admired himself and after a moment said, "I think I look pretty good!"
"What about weapons?" Sean inquired.
"I don't seem to have any," Hawk said. "But I'm sure I do somewhere…"
"Check the pack on your back," I suggested.
He reached behind his head and pulled out a long, silver staff, Mary Poppins style. "Cool! A bō staff!" he exclaimed as he began spinning it around.
"Now let's get moving," Sean said. The Tower was already in sight.
"Hold on a second!" I snapped my fingers. "Sean, what do you notice about Hawk?"
"He's on Lyoko, so what?"
"Seriously, look at him," I insisted. Hawk was clearly confused.
Suddenly, Sean gasped. "His eyes! His eyes are glowing!"
"I thought so!" I said aloud.
"What are you guys talking about?" Hawk asked.
"Your eyes!" I said again. "They're glowing like mine and Sean's are!"
"How can this be?" Sean asked.
"I'm not sure…" ANAX replied vaguely. "I'll look into it."
Something seemed weird about ANAX's answer. I couldn't put my finger on it, but his tone was… different.
"Awesome," Sean said. "Now can we please deactivate this Tower? Our friends are in danger, need I remind you?"
"Right," I said, shaking my head and clearing my thoughts. "Let's move."
We skipped our vehicles this time and sprinted straight for the Tower. "You better get used to handling your body fast," I said to Hawk, or you'll be back at the Factory faster than you intended."
He didn't respond verbally, but he nodded.
As we got closer, two Tarantulas crept out from behind the Tower, setting up a defense.
"Is that all XANA has for us today?" Sean complained. "He's really been such a pansy lately… blowing wind at us and sending us only two old monsters!"
I didn't like it. I immediately suspected a trap, but I couldn't think of anything beyond the obvious of the Scyphozoa capturing me. But Sean was right; XANA's behavior over the past hour had been really wimpy. Perhaps he was just playing with us.
"Ok, Hawk, these are Tarantulas. They can be dangerous to someone who doesn't know what they're doing. Watch how Sean handles one, and we'll let you take the other," I said.
The Tarantulas opened fire the second I finished speaking we scattered to avoid the lasers. Hawk had a decent reaction speed.
Sean ignited his whip and shot forwards, snapping it at the monsters' feet.
Still dodging the lasers, Hawk bolted across the Tarantula's broadside, a stupid move. A bolt hit him and he collapsed to the ground.
I rushed toward him and the Tarantulas stopped firing. Confused, I stopped in my tracks as well. The monsters seemed to stare at Hawk for a moment. Sean used this to his advantage and wound the laser in his whip around a Tarantula's snout, splitting its weak point.
The remaining Tarantula opened fire on Sean, removing its focus from Hawk. Things were getting weirder, and I didn't like it.
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
2:03 PM
The Schoolyard
"BRITTANY!" Tennent yelled with all of his might. He had struggled towards the girls for several minutes. The wind was blowing him towards them, but at a dangerously fast rate, which meant he had to regulate his speed. Crosscurrents interfered as well, making it difficult to maintain balance.
Brittany, who had had her eyes closed and face in the dirt, finally looked up and saw him, just about six feet away.
Tennent gestured to the rope, showing that it was all out. Brittany nodded and summoned the last of her strength. She lifted herself and Holly against the wind so that they were pinned up against the tree. Tennent stretched as far as he could, shortening the distance between them.
Working together now, Holly and Brittany prepared to jump. Then their moment came. For a brief second, the wind lapsed as several currents canceled each other out. It wasn't much of a break, but it was enough that when the pushed off with their legs, Tennent grabbed them and pulled them into reach of the rope.
"Thanks for the rescue!" Brittany shouted. "Great timing!"
"The pleasure is mine!" Tennent yelled back. Holly was too stunned to say anything.
Using his phone, Tennent alerted Alyssa that they were ready to be pulled in. Thanks to her help, they made it back to the Main building and collapsed on the floor.
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
2:05 PM
The Mountain Sector
Hawk jumped into the air, drew his bō, and slashed downward at a Tarantula. I watched it change from a silver solid to a blue plasma as it came in contact with the monster. It was cleaved clean in half and mustered only a weak fizz as it died.
With the way now clear, Sean raced into the Tower like Brittany's life depended on it. For all we knew, it did.
"Great job!" I complemented my friend. "You learn really fast."
"Thanks-" his response was cut off by a screech that I knew all too well. The Scyphozoa!
I tried to warn Hawk, but before I could do or say anything, something hit me from behind. At first I didn't realize what it was. Then I saw a creature detach itself from the mountainside and lumber towards me. It was some kind of rock monster!
It shading blended perfectly with the Sector's landscape, which made it hard to see. It appeared to have two large legs protruding from a generally circular body. It was about five feet tall, and maybe eight feet across. It looked like a rather simple monster; I didn't see any teeth, lasers, claws, or any other instruments of doom attached to it.
I wasn't given any more time to think about how to fight it. It pounced on me and I lashed it with my claws, but it hardly seemed to notice. I fell to the ground and jumped me again, this time clamping me between its feet and crushing me with its body. I was immobilized!
Then the Scyphozoa appeared on the scene, flanked by two Slythers. This is it, I thought. I'm done for.
To my surprise, the code-sucking monster slinked right by me without a second glance. It took me a moment to realize what was going on. It's headed for Hawk!
Hawk was paralyzed too, but not by a rock monster. The sudden appearance of both the Scyphozoa and Slythers after a seeming victory must have frozen him in fear.
"ANAX!" I eked out. "Do something!"
I saw the frames of a few Droids appear in the air, poised to land around Hawk, but the Slythers literally jumped up and tore them apart before they had touched the ground. The Scyphozoa snatched Hawk up in its tentacles.
I struggled desperately and tried to get free of my captor. He wasn't budging.
The Tower faded from red to white, and Sean stepped out the Tower. He looked around in shock. Sean, however, is much more stable than Hawk and recovered quickly. He sprinted over to me and jabbed his sword into the rock. XANA's minion screeched in pain, and as it spasmed, I struggled free. From my new position, I could see its Eye on the underbelly. I slashed it with my claws and then sprinted towards Hawk. "Send more Droids ANAX!" I yelled.
"I can't!" He sounded flustered. "I don't have enough resources!"
"What do you mean? What have you been doing?"
I was out of time; the Slythers were upon us. I dodged the first attack from its tail by rolling to the side. This gave me a good position to use my Lyoko Power of leaping to try and cut the tentacles. In hindsight, this was a poor decision. The Slyther threw out its claw and caught be dead-on. I was flung backwards with a gaping hole in my digital envelope. The last thing I remembered was sailing off the edge of the platform and towards the Digital Sea.
I woke up in a Scanner. I saw that Sean had fallen out onto the floor. We had failed… again.
Thursday, October 18th, 2057 AD
2:49 PM
Sammy and Hawk's Dorm
The wind died the moment that Sean deactivated the Tower. Half an hour passed before the firefighters declared that it was safe to return to normal activities. Apparently they had pinpointed the "malfunction" in the experimental lab. School was still cancelled for the rest of the day.
So there we were, in my dorm, retelling the events.
"Wait…" Brittany said. "So what actually happened? Hawk doesn't have the codes in him that XANA can use, right?"
"To be honest," I answered, "I have no idea what happened. I don't know what XANA got or what he achieved.
"It's possible that the vDNA alone created from virtualization is enough for XANA to generate a new Sector. But I was under the impression that that only worked because it was augmented with the energy from the Core of Lyoko…"
I paused for a moment, thinking of how that could work. "Anyway," I said at last. "ANAX is running some calculations. Hopefully we'll know more when he's finished."
"Do we need a return in time?" Sean asked.
"No one got hurt," Alyssa said. "And the damage to the school was pretty minimal, so I don't think so."
"Plus I think we've given XANA enough satisfaction for today, huh, guys?" Tennent asked us forlornly.
Author's Notes: So. What did XANA get from Hawk? Why did the Scyphozoa go after him in the first place? What do you think of Hawk as a character? How do you like the character development for Holly? I'd like to know!
Now I have a test this Monday, so I doubt that I'll be able to work any more on this until after that. I do have a test that Thursday as well, so I would be happy with getting the next chapter out by this time next week. It's gonna be really exciting though! I've been waiting for this chapter for months!