*faints* Ohmigod I got reviews! I'm so happy! ^.^
That last chapter was awesome! I feel so awesome for having made that.
Now!
Chapter 11: Investigations – The Supercomputer
Anxiously, I watch Rixon stumble out of the cafeteria. I hope he'll be okay; he seemed a bit out of it. He said he was fine… I don't know. Something about this is nagging at me; could it be because of Rixon? I have no idea why it would be though. All he did was tell be he was fine. I don't think he is, especially with how strained he sounded when he said my name.
The thought makes me blink, perplexed. My brow furrows. "Something wrong, princess?" I don't get a chance to answer when the bell rings, calling us to class. The five of us return our trays before heading to class. Yumi heads off towards Poetry as the rest of us turn into the History class. We take our seats – Jeremy beside me, and Odd and Ulrich behind us. About halfway through the class period, Odd leans forward, keeping a wary eye on the teacher. "Hey, Aelita, what was that about earlier?"
I glance back at him, replying in a whisper. "What was what about?"
"You know, earlier at lunch. After Rixon left. You seemed a bit freaked out about something."
"Well…it's just…I never introduced myself to him."
"So what? Neither did Ulrich. Or Jeremy," Odd reasons.
"I know that, Odd, but that's not what's bothering me."
"Miss Stones and Della Robia?" The teacher's voice pulls our eyes to the front of the room. "Is what you have to say to each other so much more important than learning? Why don't you speak up, so we can all hear, hm?" Instead, the two of us clamp our mouths shut and focus on our books. The teacher seems satisfied. "Good. Now, back to our lesson." He turns back to the board, writing as he speaks about the Napoleonic War. We remain silent until the bell finally rings, signaling the end of class.
As we leave the room, heading for our next class, Odd starts up the conversation again. "So…?" When I look at him in confusion, he clarifies, saying, "What's it that's bothering you about Rixon?"
"Uh…I forgot," I lie. Thinking about it, I realize: if I tell them, they'll probably freak out, especially Jeremy, and it will be over nothing. There is no point in worrying them over such a trivial thing. Besides, maybe he heard my name from another student. That is most definitely it.
~Code Lyoko – Ratchet~
I should be in my dorm, talking to Clank. So why am I wandering in the forest behind the science building? I can't think straight…I feel like someone has forced a thousand needles into my brain. My head spinning, I press my back against the nearest tree. My claws dig into the dry bark, causing it to crack. I lean my head back, letting the rays of the sun peeking through the canopy shine on my face. My mouth hangs open just a little bit as I pant. I don't understand what's happening. Am I having an attack? Why is it acting up now?
I can't say that the pain spreading through my body is entirely unexpected. I bite my tongue to keep from screaming as my knees buckle beneath me. I stay on the ground for a long time, unable to move, barely able to breath. Time passes in an agonizing, blurry haze of bright lights occasionally marred by shadows.
"You have to promise you'll be careful, not ask questions, and stay out of the way."
"Deal!"
Just as I believe it might stop, a new wave of burning pain seizes my body. I realize how vulnerable I am right now. Anyone wandering around might see me, and I have no idea if my holo-guise has remained intact. For now, all I can do is wait.
When I finally open my eyes, the sun is sinking beneath the horizon. I can't seem to remember when I lost consciousness, if I even did, that is. Taking my time when I finally decide to get up, I look over myself. No sight of fur. Guess I got lucky. I wonder how long this luck will last. I slowly begin to stretch, gradually ridding my muscles of the soreness that made me stiff. An awkward twinge in my tail makes me freeze in place again. 'Orvus, please, not again…' For a few minutes, I don't allow myself to move, afraid to bring on another attack. As the swiftly falling sun falls below the horizon, engulfing the world in a dark, moonless night, I finally permit myself to relax.
I let out a long sigh, letting my mind wander a bit. I should probably find Clank. Why on Earth did I wander over this way?
Sewer passage…why is it always sewers?
I blink away the dull headache that comes with the strange thought. Sewer passage…hm…west… I turn to where the sun had set and begin walking. I don't walk but a few cubits before stopping. I crouch and set my hands on the ground, combing through the grass with my fingers until I feel a metal disk. So that's it…
As much as I hate sewers, I can't give up on my curiosity. I remove the disk and slide down the ladder, not bothering to replace the cover. I'll do it when I get back. Close by, I see something. Closer examination shows them to be three skateboards and a folded scooter leaning against the wall.
He unfolds a scooter, but seems a bit unnerved.
"…isn't here."
I've seen this before…but not?
He looks to me, but I give him a quirky smile. "You go on ahead. I can catch up." …keep my distance…
I start walking again, still heading west. It feels like some sort of…internal compass or something guiding me; a thread pulling me to where ever I'm going. I don't recognize anything – not clearly, anyway – but I walk almost with a type of purpose. Like I actually know where I'm going, even though I haven't a clue. I'm sure I've never been here before. I remember every sewer I've been through, and I know I would remember this one.
Eventually, I stop. There's a large hole that leads to outside, but it's barred. I'm not going that way. Looking to my left a bit, I see the ladder. Mounting it, I end up on an old bridge. No one is around. Perhaps this district was abandoned some time ago; it sure looks like it. I can't see the school when I look east. I wonder how far I am from it. Looking right, west, I see a really old building.
I'm guessing this is the factory…mentioned earlier…looks like one…
Releasing a sharp sigh, I head towards the factory. The stairs are gone; four ropes hang from the rafters. One could easily use those to get down.
…done this before…some sort of routine...anomalies…
I lean hard against a support beam, trying to focus. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. And, yes, I actually do know how that feels. It's not fun. Eventually my eyes regain focus; the pounding in my head lessens to a dull throb. I wait a while, just resting. I'll just close my eyes a moment; then I'll continue.
…why is it…acted like this is such a strange thing? …something to do with the anomalies? …doesn't make sense. How…know what to do…somehow immune to time travel? …highly unlikely...the connection?
When I again open my eyes, the sun is high in the sky. I'd judge it to be about noon local-time. I rub my eyes and comb my nails through my hair, tugging a bit harshly at the roots. It relieves the headache only for an instant. Finally, I glance around, remembering "yesterday." I'm still in that factory. For some reason, the elevator is the only thing to interest me. It looks really old. The door is dented; it's scratched and stained and rusted. I step inside, the thread returning and pulling me to press the button. I look up, a bit shocked as the door closes and the elevator moves down. Imagine that: it actually works.
I don't know what I should have expected to see, but it certainly wasn't this. There's a large computer, complete with hologram setup, in the room. Wires of different colors are tangled behind the monitor. Like the rest of the building, it's old, but it still seems to function. The hologram turns on as I step out of the elevator.
"What is this?"
No time…scanners…start up…
Forcefully, I blink away the headache trying to dull my senses again.
What if…comes…? Possessed by…won't stand a chance!
Warn us…tower…
"Do what you need to…" 'Who? Who is this tormenting me?!'
...no idea…getting in to…
Hurry…trouble…
'What is this plaguing my mind?'
~Code Lyoko~
"You gonna eat that, princess?" I slide my tray over to Odd, too worried to eat my lunch. He immediately sets to wolfing it down.
"Hey," Yumi says quietly, looking at me as I set my chin on my hand. "Are you okay?"
"Hm?" I glance at her. "Yeah…"
She obviously doesn't believe me. "Out with it. What's wrong?"
I sigh. "Have you seen Rixon?"
The others shake their heads. "Not since yesterday, at lunch." I frown. It shouldn't worry me; maybe he's with the nurse. He did look pretty sick yesterday; he was really pale. I do hope he's alright. The others chat, talking about recent events and, of course, X.A.N.A.'s activity.
"Jeremy?" I ask when there is a lull in the conversation. "Would you come with me to see if Rixon is in the infirmary?"
He looks up from his computer. "I was planning on heading to the Factory to do some updates, but sure. We can do that first." I smile gratefully, and we take our leave.
Once at the infirmary, I tap the door gently. The nurse, Yolanda, opens the door. "Aelita, Jeremy." She sounds a bit surprised to see us. "Is something the matter?"
"Not with us, miss," I reply. "Is Rixon alright?"
She blinks. "I don't know," she says kindly. "Why?"
"Oh…it's just…he didn't seem very well yesterday. I thought he might come to the infirmary."
She shakes her head, a bit miffed perhaps. "I haven't seen him at all."
"Oh…okay…thank you, miss." She smiles, welcoming us as we turn and leave. "Where is he…?" I think out loud.
"Maybe he's in his room," Jeremy suggests. I nod. Together, we head up the stairs to the boys' dorms. Rixon's room is next to Odd and Ulrich's, at the other end of the hall.
I tap three times on the door. "Rixon?" I knock again when receiving no answer. "Rixon? Are you alright?" I open the door slowly to reveal a room empty of living persons. "Where could he be?" He wasn't in class earlier; I hadn't seen him on the school grounds when we crossed from the nurse's office to the dormitories.
"Aelita? I really should head to the factory."
"Go ahead," I say. "Maybe he's in the classroom already. I'll check there next; ask around."
"We'll find him, I'm sure. Eventually."
Eventually…
~Code Lyoko – Jeremy~
Ulrich decided to come with him. He would do anything to avoid math class. Besides, what if X.A.N.A. attacked? Someone would have to be sent to Lyoko right away.
Ulrich takes Jeremy's hand and helps him up onto the bridge. As they walk to the factory, both are silent, thinking. The passage had been open when they arrived at the entrance in the forest. There wasn't any sign of work being done in the sewers, and their boards and Jeremy's scooter were left untouched. It couldn't be X.A.N.A.; he was inactive for now. It made no sense, and that was cause for worry.
"What do you suppose happened to Rixon?" Ulrich asks as they slide down the ropes. "He staggered out of the cafeteria yesterday like he was drunk, he wasn't in class today, and his room is empty."
"I wonder about that, too," Jeremy replies. "Maybe he just went for a walk or – …where's the elevator?" He presses the button to call it up. "Weird."
"Glitch maybe?"
"No way." Jeremy shakes his head. "First the passage is open, and now the elevator isn't here. Someone else was here." Or is. Neither voice the thought, stepping into the elevator as its door opens.
"So…what's this update about?" Ulrich inquires, pressing the button to take them down.
"Just a bit of editing here and there. I plan to enhance the Superscan's accuracy, and see if I can find a faster way to program your vehicles. You know, stuff like that." Ulrich is, of course, thankful that Jeremy gave a simple explanation instead of going into all of those specifics like he is prone to doing.
The elevator stops, the door sliding open slowly. "I might want to see if I can update your Lyoko forms as well, maybe add some stuff if I have the ti– Hey!"
"Rixon!"
The boy turns to them, green eyes clouded and confused. His voice, when he speaks, is quiet. "You…" Suddenly, he falls over in a dead faint.
Okay! That's enough!
*falls over*
I wrote most of this with a headache. You guys better believe I love you.
This was four and a half pages…
I'm sorry, but I can't come up with a constant schedule…I'm going to try for two updates a month for now. They may increase…eventually.
Anywho, I'm tired and the document manager decided it was going to mess up on me. Time to write another chapter. I wonder how to start…
Please review and keep rockin'
~Foenix Nightshade~
