The Girl of the Dreams

James and Jeremy's room

Jeremy:Time to launch the program.

Jeremy launches the program, but it fails.

Jeremy:No, I don't believe it, not again. I... darn it, I'm so useless, I'm never going to do it.

Aelita shows up on the screen.

James:Don't be so hard on yourself. One day you'll get it.

Jeremy:Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm useless I tell you.

Aelita:Jeremy, do you think we'd get along in the real world? I mean as well as we do now?

Jeremy:Yeah, of course, why?

Aelita:Well, because I'm not so sure I'd like to have a best friend who's useless. You understand?

Jeremy:Ha ha, very funny.

Odd walks in the door.

Odd:Hey, get a move on, you're gonna be late for school again.

Jeremy:That late already, huh? However, useless or not, I'm gonna try one more thing.

Odd:All right, I get the picture. See you later.

James:Try not to work yourself to death. You have other responsibilities besides Aelita.

James and Odd leave while Jeremy tries one more thing.

The Classroom

Ulrich:You know Jeremy, most people use the night hours to sleep.

Jeremy:I was trying a new program for materializing Aelita. With this last one I was trying, I almost succeeded. I was so close.

Odd:And what are you going to say to her when you do succeed? You never knew how to talk to a girl.

Jeremy:With Aelita, it's not the same.

Odd:You're right, it's not the same.

Delmas:Good morning, everyone. Before the start of your first class this morning, I would like to introduce your new classmate. Come in Taelia, I'm sure your new classmates are anxious to meet you.

Taelia walks into the classroom

Odd:Okay, here's your chance, imagine she's here in front of you, right now in flesh and blood. What are you going to do?

Jeremy:Oh wow.

Odd:Beep, sorry, you're time is up, you could use a few points in flirting.

James:Odd, take a look at the new student.

Odd:Oh wow, this is... I don't believe it.

The Benches

Yumi:You're right, she sure does look like her, but if it really is her, she ought to be able to recognize us.

Jeremy:Not necessarily, she could have lost her memory when she was materialized.

Odd:Well, talk to her. It's the only way you can find out.

Jeremy:What if it's not her.

Ulrich and Odd take Jeremy over to talk to Taelia.

James:How much do you want to bet Odd will get slapped?

Taelia walks away.

James:Darn.

Yumi:Well?

Odd:It's not her.

Ulrich:He's saying that just cause he got the brush off, big time. Watch an expert and learn, huh? Anyway, if it is Aelita, it's for sure she's got amnesia.

Jeremy:Wait a second, hold on. Let's say it's her, like really her for sure, then she still can't be on Lyoko.

Ulrich:You can check it out later, right now we have a date with Ms. Mayer.

Yumi:Wish me luck on my report everybody.

Everyone walks past Yumi without a word.

Yumi:Thanks for caring, guys.

The Classroom

Ms. Mayer:Now we have here a simple equation with two unknown...

Jeremy:We have to go check out Lyoko now, I can't wait any longer.

Odd:Okay, We'll go together.

Jeremy:Uh, Ms. Mayer, excuse me.

Ms. Mayer:Yes, what is it?

Jeremy:I'm sorry, but I need to go to the infirmary, I don't feel too well, I feel really sick.

Ms. Mayer:Yes, of course Jeremy, go ahead.

Odd:I'll take him there, I mean you never know.

Odd and Jeremy leave.

Smith:Hello again.

James:Well, look who it is. What do you think of this Taelia situation?

Smith:It's not right. I don't think it's her.

James:Yeah, but it looks so much like her.

Smith:Looks can be deceiving.

James:Alright, how can we be sure?

Smith:You can try talking to her, see if you can find out if she remembers her past. If she does, she's not Aelita.

James:Good idea, thanks.

Lunchroom

Ulrich:Maybe one of the kids took it.

Yumi:Don't forget the electric plugs.

Odd:Yeah, look, if Xana is in on this, we better not count on Aelita, we can't reach her on Lyoko.

Jeremy:Odd, we can't reach her on Lyoko, because she isn't on Lyoko.

James starts to walk away.

James:I'll see you guys later.

Yumi:Sorry you guys, but I cannot believe that girl is Aelita.

James walks past Delmas and a few other people.

James:Good afternoon, sir.

Delmas:Children, please give me your attention. Several of your fellow students, as well as our own Jim, whom you all know and whom you respect, I know, have been attacked.

Taelia is about to leave the lunchroom before James stops her.

James:Hey, can we talk?

Taelia:Sure.

Delmas:Their attacker was a, well, a person who was wearing armor, the armor of a samurai. And this individual is still at large. Any information you can contribute to the police would be more than welcome.

General Outside Area (they are walking the entire time)

James:So, I want to apologize for the crazy stuff my friends said earlier. They just thought you looked familiar. Like an old friend.

Taelia:That still doesn't explain the weird stuff.

James:Well, it's an inside joke, the kinda thing only friends would know. We used to play a game where we were these valiant heroes who fought monsters, and saved the world. They thought if you were her, that would ring some bells. But obviously, you're not. So, nice to meet you Taelia, I'm James.

Taelia:Nice to meet you, too. Your friends are really weird.

James:Oh, believe me, I know. So, just out of curiosity, and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, why were you reluctant to talk about your past?

Taelia:I don't want to talk about it.

James:Okay, sorry for bringing it up.

Taelia:What is that?

James:What is what?

Taelia:It's like a suit of armor.

James looks at what Taelia is describing, and it's a suit of armor, held together by a shadowy figure, and holding a sword. It starts walking towards James and Taelia.

James:Taelia, run.

Taelia:Why? What is that?

James:That is the suit of armor that has attacked several people.

James pulls out his phone and calls Jeremy.

James:Jeremy, the armor has shown up, and it's Xana.

Jeremy:Where are you?

Taelia:What's Xana?

James:I'm outside with Taelia, I'm headed to the factory.

Jeremy:Okay, I'll warn the others.

James hung up on Jeremy, then grabbed Taelia's hand and ran.

Taelia:What is going on?

James:Look, Jeremy can explain it better than I can, but for now we need to hurry.

Taelia:Okay.

The Factory

Taelia:Wow, this place is weird.

James:Yeah, it's an old factory harboring a supercomputer, not exactly normal.

James and Taelia go down the elevator to the supercomputer.

James:Looks like we're early.

Taelia:Okay, now explain what's going on.

James:I suppose I have no choice. Jeremy, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and I are fighting a virus of sorts that lives in the supercomputer, called Xana. It's intent on destruction of the world, but we have managed to stop it's attacks.

Taelia:If it's so dangerous, why not just shut it down?

James:We could shut down the supercomputer, and shut down Xana, but that would also get rid of Aelita, who is stuck in the supercomputer. Jeremy believes you are Aelita, since he has been tirelessly trying to get her materialized into the real world. But right now, she is likely in some sort of trap, and we need to rescue her.

Jeremy shows up.

Jeremy:Have you caught her up to speed?

James:Yeah I have but...

Jeremy:Okay, so...

Taelia:Stop. This is crazy, this whole story is crazy. You know what I think? If all this stuff is so dangerous, then it's time you destroyed it, once and for all.

Jeremy:Do you... Do you really think so?

Taelia:Mhm.

Ulrich and Odd show up.

Ulrich:Jeremy, stop.

Odd:Have you gone mad, or what Einstein? What if Aelita is still on Lyoko?

Jeremy:But she isn't I tell you, look. She's right there, she's right in front of you.

James:Jeremy, stop being so ignorant. That is not her, you have to believe us. And we're going to prove it. Send us to Lyoko, and we'll find Aelita.

Jeremy:And if Aelita's not there, who's going to deactivate the tower?

Ulrich:We have to take the risk.

Ulrich, Odd, and James go down to the scanners.

Jeremy:The last time I saw Aelita, she was in the mountain area.

Insert virtualization process.

Lyoko, Mountain Sector

Jeremy:Can you see anything?

Ulrich:Yes Jeremy, mountains. Lots of them.

Jeremy:I'm starting the scan to trace the tower that Xana activated.

The three run through the sector, looking for Aelita. Odd has a future flash.

Odd:Ulrich, James, I just saw Aelita.

Ulrich:Where?

Odd:In a kind of flash vision.

Jeremy:Guys, the tower that Xana has activated has been localized at thirty degrees north, and in the forest area.

Ulrich:Without Aelita, that's not gonna do us a lot of good.

James:Do you remember any distinctive landmarks in your vision, Odd?

Odd:Look there, that ball of fire. That's exactly what I saw before. Aelita's inside it.

The three jump down, and run towards the guardian.

Ulrich:Jeremy, we found her.

Odd:That ball is what is blocking the communication with Aelita.

Ulrich:It's a guardian, the same monster that imprisoned Yumi.

Odd:And Aelita saved her by convincing it that it had the wrong prisoner.

Ulrich:But Aelita is the prisoner now, so the only solution is to use force.

Ulrich starts swiping at the guardian with his sword. James turns into his fire form and starts throwing fireballs, and Odd shoots a laser arrow.

Odd:Jeremy, nothings working.

Ulrich:It's like this thing's invincible.

Jeremy:Xana must have designed a program to... Right, it's a program, and if it's a program, I should be able to.

Ulrich:Hey, what are you mumbling about? You've got an idea I hope.

Jeremy:Maybe, but give me a few minutes.

Odd:Okay, no problem man, we've got all the time in the world.

A few minutes pass

Ulrich:Hey, how about that idea of yours?

Jeremy:It's ready. Here it goes.

Odd:Making a clone of Aelita? Well, personally, I'm a bit skeptical Jeremy.

Jeremy:Patience, Odd.

The guardian swallowed the clone, and exploded.

James:Convincing the guardian that it had the wrong prisoner. Genius.

Jeremy:Get Aelita to a tower, she's got to regenerate herself.

They get her to a tower.

Jeremy:Everything's okay, she's got her life points again.

Aelita:Oh, you've found me at last. What about the guardian?

James:Gone, thanks to Jeremy.

Odd:We're off Jeremy. Destination, the forest.

Forest Sector

Ulrich:Jeremy, we're here.

Jeremy:Look guys, you better hurry, I can't reach Yumi. I'm afraid she's having problems with the samurai.

Ulrich:There's no time to lose, let's go.

Odd:While you're at it, you got any other good news?

Jeremy:Oh yeah, plenty. Taelia saw James punch in the access code for the lab, and the principal and the police are here now. And Xana's monsters are around. Two Bloks.

Odd turns around to find the Bloks.

Odd:Hey, cool. Bloks, my favorite monsters. Laser arrow.

Odd shoots a laser arrow, but misses. The Bloks start firing ice beams.

Ulrich:Guys, take care of Aelita, I'll take care of them alone. Well, almost alone.

Ulrich runs back to deal with the Bloks. The others make it to the tower.

Odd:Your turn, princess.

A Blok walks up to fire at Aelita.

Odd:You always pick the wrong time.

The Blok turns to fire at Odd, but misses, and Odd jumps over it, and hits it in the eye with a laser arrow. Aelita makes it into the tower, and a return to the past is activated.

Classroom

Delmas:And this is Taelia, your new classmate, I'm sure your fellow classmates are anxious to meet you.

Ulrich:I heard Sissy say that the new girl is an orphan, that's why she didn't want to talk about her family.

Jeremy:Well, anyways, if you look closely, you can see their eyes aren't the same, their noses are different, and so is the hair, they're not similar at all, how could you have possibly thought she was Aelita?

Ulrich:Did you just say that we thought?

Odd:He sure did.

Jeremy:You'd have to be blind to think that.

Journal,

Today, I met Taelia. She almost spilled the beans to the principal and the police. Fortunately, Jeremy launched a return to the past, and continued work on materializing Aelita. As I look over to his desk, he's still working on it, this late at night. Oh well, what can you do?

James

So, a year and a half break later, I wrote another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, so see you next time.