Everything For A Price
By. Tate Icasa
Chapter Ten:
Odd stuck his head out of the scanner, gasping.
"I'd forgotten this part."
"Clear the scanners." Tamiya said from the elevator.
"Tamiya, go get Ulrich and Jeremy. Don't tell them what's going on, but get them here."
Tamiya nodded, and left.
One of the scanners opened and Franz Hopper stepped out.
"Their freedom is tied to the super-calculator." He said. "But I wish to be here when my daughter is materialized."
"Milly can press the button." Odd said.
Less than one hour later, Tamiya arrived, Jeremy and Ulrich behind her.
"This better be important, Odd." Ulrich growled.
Odd chose not to answer.
"Milly?" Elisabeth suggested.
"Done." Milly said.
The two closed scanners flashed and hissed open.
Curled inside the bottom of one was a twenty-three year old Aelita. In the other was a twenty-four year old Yumi.
Ulrich's eyes widened and he was instantly at Yumi's side.
Jeremy turned to Odd. "Thank you." He whispered before joining Franz Hopper by Aelita's side.
Yumi's eyelids fluttered and she looked up at Ulrich.
"Ulrich? What happened?"
Aelita opened her eyes, looked back and forth between her father and Jeremy as if trying to decide which one to greet first.
Odd watched them as long as he could, a lump forming in his throat before he left the room.
"Aelita." Jeremy said after a second. "We thought. . ."
She looked at him. "How long?"
Jeremy swallowed. "Five years."
"Five. . .years?" Then she smiled. "Thank you for waiting for me." She embraced him.
Franze Hopper put one hand on her shoulder and another on Jeremy's.
"You have my blessing."
She looked at him.
"Yumi." Ulrich said, almost tonelessly. "We thought you were dead."
"Dead?" She asked sitting up.
He nodded.
"I heard Jeremy yell. He was unconscious."
"Odd got there in time. But he waited. We thought he'd killed you."
"You never forgave him."
Ulrich turned.
"He's gone!"
"I'll go after him." Elisabeth offered and took off.