Let's go!

Innocent Atrocities

By Gin van Geovanni

Chapter 11

/// KaibaCorp Labs///

"HOW MANY VIRTUAL WORLDS COULD POSSIBLY EXIST AT ONCE?!" Robo-Ky questioned. He was hooked up to about five of the lab's monitors. "WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR HOURS! I'M READY TO DROP!"

"You drop, and I'll drop kick you through a wall!" Amelda snapped.

"YOU'LL DO NO SUCH THING, THE SEARCH WOULDN'T GO HALF AS FAST WITHOUT ME AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"Yes it would; you're not being human is just a convenience, that way, Seto and I wouldn't be doing all of the work."

Seto attempted to ignore their bickering.

"I'D LIKE TO BE REMINDED OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO HELP. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT KITE AND HASEO AREN'T IN THE WORLD, SO YOU SITTING AROUND IN THE WORLD MAKE NO SENSE!"

"Actually, it serves a small purpose." Seto interjected. "If there are people in the other virtual worlds that also reside in or play The World then we ought to be able to contact them. In other words, The World is our home base to meet anyone who has information. And sense Amelda is the best at gathering information for us I have him stationed there."

'I hate it when he has an answer for everything . . ." Robo-Ky fumed. "WELL . . . THE PLAN DOESN'T WORK WELL IF HE'S MOVING AROUND!"

"Amelda, please tell me you have a reason for being so mobile."

"Calm down, I'm just pacing around the Mac Anu fountain; after all you know how much I love standing around." Amelda snapped.

"Do you mind pausing for a few hours; it is obvious that you are making Robo nervous, and now that I'm looking at you, you are making me edgy as well."

"I'm just worried about those two okay?!" Amelda dropped down and sighed loudly. "It was my suggestion that we go through with the transfer, and now look at where it's got them!"

Seto shook his head. "It's hard to deal with right now, but we've got to do what we've got to do, and right now we've got to clear our heads and find them."

"Right . . ."

'So much drama . . .' Robo-Ky thought then he heard a ringing sound in his left ear. "AMELDA YOU'VE GOT AN E-MAIL."

"Who's it from?" Amelda asked in an exhausted tone.

"SOME GUY NAMED JEMEMY BELPOIS, WANT ME TO READ IT?"

"Go on . . ."

"KITE AND HASEO ARE IN A WORLD CALLED 'LYOKO'. THEY'RE BOTH DOING FINE."

"Ask him if there's a way for us to contact them!" Amelda demanded before logging out.

"HOLD ON A SEC." Robo-Ky typed in a quick reply. "THERE, I SENT IT . . . HE SAYS THAT THERE IS, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE. IT SHOULD GO FASTER IF YOU STOP EVERYTHING ELSE ASIDE FROM YOUR MESSENGING CAPABILITIES."

/// Lyoko: Desert Sector ///

"It looks like he got the message." Odd said. "And it looks like Jeremy's going to try and connect them to his own computer so you guys can get out."

Haseo and Azure Kite sighed and looked at each other in relief.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable yet. There's still some things that we have to do on this end, and believe me it won't be easy!"

"We've been through enough crap today to see that coming from a mile away." Azure Kite said Haseo nodded in agreement. "Well, Haseo, you ready?"

"You bet! . . . Hey . . ." Haseo frowned. "You called me 'Haseo'."

Azure Kite looked at him, confounded then he said. "Oh, I called you Haseo because I wasn't sure if you wanted anyone to know your real name or not."

"I suppose that's fair, although I think it would be a bigger help if people knew my real name, y'know? It may come in handy if something happened to my body or something."

"Ah, you're right! What if you've fallen out of your chair and hurt yourself, or your M2D fell off, or your PC's messed up?!" Azure Kite ruffled his hair and began to dash in circles. "What if your real self . . ."

"I'm sure my body's fine . . ." Haseo placed his hand on Azure Kite's shoulder. "Kite, you worry too much about the wrong thing." He laughed.

"Look at who's talking! I'll never live it down if something happens to your real body!"

"Kite, please calm down . . ."

"Uh, guys . . ." Odd said rather quietly. "Not to be rude, but can you wrap it up; we really need to get going."

"Where are we headed?" Haseo asked.

"There's a tower in this . . ." Before he could finish his sentence there was a light thud. Azure Kite had dropped to the ground with his face buried in his hands.

"Kite, what's wrong?" Haseo inquired.

"Ryou . . . if something happens to you . . . it's my fault!"

"No it's not; I told you already, I'm the one who grabbed your hand, so if something happens it's my fault."

"But you're going through all of this because of me!"

"Heh and I'd go through it all over again if it meant spending every waking moment with you." He brushed the knight's bangs out of his face. "Aw, c'mon don't look so sad, if I'm somehow not connected to my M2D that just means I'll be able to spend some extra time with you before going back." Haseo laughed.

"That's not funny . . ." Azure Kite pouted. "Make another bad joke like that and I'll kill you . . ."

"Ha-ha you're right." Haseo laced his fingers with Azure Kite's and began to walk. "And you know something else? That would be the best way to die ever!"

Azure Kite and Odd groaned at the same time. "Which way is the tower?"

"I don't know . . . but she does." Odd indicated to a hill in the distance. There was a girl peering from behind it. She wore a pink bodysuit with a bluish silver belt and wrap around her chest. There was a semi transparent short skirt around her waist. Long fingerless gloves covered her arms all the way up to her shoulders. There were pink markings on her face and her short hair was the same shade of pink as the markings. She had bright green eyes and elfish ears. She waved at the group as they got closer.

Something about her made a chill go down Azure Kite's spine. He looked at her apprehensively.

"What's up?" Haseo whispered.

"Well . . . I just got this strange feeling when I saw her . . . It wasn't a bad feeling . . . in fact something familiar about it . . ."

"Familiar?"

"Well, it's that same feeling that I get when I'm around Aura . . ."

"That means we can trust her, right?"

". . . Yeah . . ."

"Hey Aelita, when did you get here?" Odd asked.

"I got here a few minutes ago." Aelita replied. "I assume these two are Kite, and Haseo, correct?"

"That's correct. Did Jeremy fill you in on all the details?"

Aelita nodded. "Jeremy also told me about Kaiba's plan to bring Kite into the real world which is why they ended up here in the first place. He told me that there could be a way to materialize Kite from Lyoko."

"You really mean that?!" Haseo exclaimed.

"Just like before, it may not work, but it is possible."

"I'm not so sure . . ." Azure Kite said slowly.

Odd's cat ears quirked. "What's up?"

"Well, it's just that . . . the first time we tried . . . this black cloud came out of nowhere and then we ended up here."

"You saw a black cloud?" Aelita and Odd looked at each other then back at Azure Kite.

"Yeah . . . it left this as a parting gift."Azure Kite held up his right arm and unraveled the cloth from around it. The black ring was even darker than before.

"This is bad." Aelita said. "We can't waste anymore time here! We must get to the tower as soon as possible!"

"I'll take the lead, "Odd said. "Then Aelita, then Kite, and then Haseo will take the rear. Got that?" Everyone nodded and headed out. "Which way do we go Aelita?" Odd glanced behind him.

"The tower's to the East, but I have a bad feeling about it so we I think we should take the alternate route due North."

"What exactly do you feel in that direction?" Haseo questioned. "And what was with that reaction to Kite's injury? I know it's bad, but how bad are we talking?"

"I feel something big to the east, and even though we can handle it, that would be an unnecessary use of energy." Aelita replied. "And about Kite's injury . . . the thing that caused it could have been a remnant of our old enemy, Xana. Black clouds or floating masses would appear when he was up to something in the real world. This is the first time an incident has occurred in another virtual world. I have no idea what this means though, especially when we have already defeated him."

"So you guys are like guardians of this world the same way Haseo and I are a part of the guardians of The World."

"That's right; Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and I protect Lyoko. However . . ."

"What do you mean by 'However'? And where are Ulrich and Yumi?"

"They are currently in another sector, and I am curious as to what about you would force what is left of Xana out of hiding . . ."

"Who knows . . . weird things are always attracted to me . . . what I'm curious about is why did Xana choose now? I'm always in The World."

"Maybe he saw an opportunity when you tried to exit The World." Haseo volunteered. "Maybe he became aware of you when we attempted the transfer."

"Did you get that?" Aelita said a bit louder.

All of a sudden, Azure Kite and Haseo could hear a third voice. "That's definitely a possibility."

"I'm guessing you're Jeremy."

"You got that right; can you hear me all right?"

"Yes I can hear you just fine."

"What about you, Haseo?"

"I can hear you loud and clear. What's going on?"

"Well, like Aelita said, there's something ugly to the east, I'll transfer your weapons to you just in case you run into any danger. However, if you keep heading north you may not even need them."

"Thanks!" Haseo took his scythe in both hands and strapped it across his back. Azure Kite could not help but smile a little bit when he held both of his swords again.

"It would be a travesty if you couldn't defend yourself. There is something that I am curious about . . . It is the fact that Xana is quite attracted to you, I wonder why . . ."

"Well, I'm an independent NPC created by The World's ultimate AI in order to protect The World itself. Even so, no one really controls me, I'm free to do what I want give or take."

"You're an independent AI? And you've traveled from one virtual world to another? And to top it all off you could possibly be able to travel into the real world?! No wonder Xana wants you; more specifically he wants your body."

"What does he want with my body?!"

"I'm guessing he wants a body that is not only versatile, but completely inhuman, or at least, that would be the appeal that your body would have to him. He tried to take over Aelita multiple times, however, it's impossible for him to do that now, there's only so much he can do with a human body."

"I hope that is all he knows about me . . ."

"I think that black mark on your wrist says differently."

"That's bad . . ."

"Do you mind filling us in?"

"I have the ability to alter data in The World, it doesn't seem to work here, and then again I haven't tried to do anything. I can also control fire, and travel without the use of portals; but once again, most of these things I can only do in The World, so Xana wouldn't get much use out of my body."

"I think there is more to it than that." Seto's voice echoed through everyone's ears.

"Kaiba . . .? What do you mean?"

"Think about it, if your body can float around all of these foreign places, who is to say that your abilities cannot? What if it simply takes your body a while to adapt to your surroundings? Once that happens, your powers will begin to come back to you one by one. It may not work well for someone impatient, but that would a small price for having the powers in the first place."

"Good point." Jeremy said slowly. "Thankfully you guys are getting closer to the tower; it's just beyond that hill . . . hold on . . ."

"What is it?" Odd said.

"One of the enemies to the east just stopped . . . almost as if the one next to it is meant to retrieve . . . but there aren't that many monsters who can serve that purpose well . . ."

"Jeremy, can you scan the area in that direction?" Aelita asked.

"I'll see what I can do, but I think it still maybe too far away for that . . ."

"If that's the case then one of us should go and check it out!" Haseo said. "Who's it closest to?"

"Well, to be honest, Kite, but that's out of the question."

"Then I'll go!"

"R-Ryou, are you crazy?!" Azure Kite snapped.

"Yes, although this is a small measure if it means keeping you safe." Haseo drew his scythe and smiled. "Just keep saying my name like that and I'll do a whole lot more crazy things for you." He dashed off.

"Idiot . . ." Azure Kite said softly. Then he shouted. "You idiot! You better come back you hear me?!" His shoulders shook. "Now where do we go?"

"Are you sure you don't want to wait?" Odd questioned.

"I'll keep an eye on him; you guys need to get to the tower." Jeremy said.

"We . . . we keep heading north right, Aelita?"

"Correct."

"All right, I'll take up the rear from here on out."

"No I'll do it, you should stay in the middle," Aelita said. "Regardless of strength, you're the one who needs the most protection."

"But . . ."

Odd jumped behind them both. "How 'bout this: I'll take up the rear while Aelita leads. That way Kite stays in the middle, and I can catch either of you if you slip up."

Both Azure Kite and Aelita nodded. Aelita did not climb rather she seemed to float over the areas that lacked decent footing. Azure Kite managed to scale the hill side with ease, as did Odd for their body types seemed to be suited for climbing. Then Jeremy's voice came to them. "Haseo spotted what appeared to be a guardian in the area, so be very careful!" He warned.

"We will, are there any other threats?"

"He said he can't tell yet . . . there seems to be something, but he can't quite make out what it is. It seemed like it was big, but it disappeared before he could get a good look at it."

"Tell him to be careful . . ." Azure Kite said in a fearful tone.

"He's trying to . . . wait . . . he ran into a creeper and a scorpion! He managed to distract the creeper, but the scorpion is headed your way and fast!"

Odd growled. "Great, just great there's and guardian and a scorpion! I can't wait to see which one gets us first!"

"What is the guardian?" Azure Kite inquired.

"It is one of Xana's craftier monsters," Aelita replied. "Not only is it hard to kill, but it can make a clone of whomever it captures. The clone is also near impossible to kill; the easiest way to do it is to draw the two close to each other."

"I see . . . and what about the scorpion?"

"They're big, they're powerful, and by god you don't want to get hit by one. Generally they're covered in armor, but their weak point should be easy to hit."

"What is it?"

"I heard that you ran into a megatank earlier, correct? Remember the eye-like symbol on it?"

Azure Kite nodded.

"One solid hit to that ought to do it in. Aim there when you get the chance."

"Gotcha, I guess the guardians are harder to kill because they're weak point isn't as obvious to find is it?"

"In a manner of speaking, the guardian is a large nearly transparent sphere. There are no symbols of any kind to hit."

"I see . . ." Azure Kite could see a faint orange glow over Aelita that glow became brighter. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her to the side.

"Kite, what is it?"

"Aelita . . . are the guardians any specific color?" The knight asked.

"They're a shade of orange, why?"

"I think it caught up to us . . ." Azure Kite drew both blades and looked around. Odd was immediately on the defensive when he reached the top.

"This isn't good, usually the guardians are more visible than this . . . all I can see is an orange glow, but there's no sign of the guardian itself . . ."

"I don't even see a shadow . . . that is assuming they have shadows . . ."

"They have shadows, and due to their size, it's actually easy to spot their shadow . . . Unless it's hiding within the scenery itself . . ."

As though on cue, Azure Kite felt an odd sensation at his feet. What appeared to an orange fluid crept up his legs. 'What the . . .' before he could react the fluid consumed his entire body and he fell unconscious. Then the orb that consumed him disappeared.

.Chapter 11//End

I just got my wisdom teeth pulled. I'm in pain, but I'd rather be in temporary pain without them than in oral purgatory with them! Anyway, I'm going as fast as I can now that I have the time!

I guess I ought to explain that line with Azure Kite's reaction to seeing Aelita, well sense Aelita was originally suppose to be an AI within Lyoko, and she does have quite a bit of power there I thought it would be fun to play around with her giving off the same vibe as Aura, but then I thought about it said to myself that Haseo doesn't need anyone else to be needlessly angry at. So I kind of cut the moment short. Who knows I may just do a little thing where they meet.