Disclaimer: I do not own Code: Lyoko

Hello! Chapter 14 right at you!

The Beginning Part 2

-000-000-000-

Jeremie looked at his bunch of flowers Juno had left. He saw Odd and Ulrich's in the middle with Aelita's pink rose between them. All the flowers had tags on them in the tight loopy cursive that the small flower shop in the city used. It was a rather rag-tag bunch for a bouquet, since every flower was a different type. Well, that isn't true. There are a few repeats. But all generally different.

All of them had tags. All of them except for a single stem of white oleander flowers. Now, Jeremie was not a person who knew what different types of flowers meant. But he was bored as hell and spent the better part of the day finding all the types of flowers and figuring out what each meant. Aelita's rose obviously meant love and happiness. Ulrich's lily meant keeping unwanted visitors away (even though Juno had delivered it), and Odd's own flower meant respect…which was ironic because he was sure Odd did not respect him very much. Sissi's flower was a peony, sadly meaning it was an aphrodisiac.

The white and tag-less oleander meant protection. Jeremie wondered who had added it to the bunch. Maybe someone just forgot to add the tag. Or the florist added it as a discount…after all, the owner was a good friend with his 'old partner Jim' (who when questioned had rather not talked about it). Speaking of which, Jim's flower had actually been quite different. It was a…spike flower and meant pity.

Not that he took pity on me when I ran that damn cross-country route.

Jeremie plucked the soft pink rose from the vase and leaned back in the hospital bed. He made sure he did not upset the IV port on his arm in the process. Lifting the rose to his face, he inhaled deeply. The soft scent of sweet forever engulfed his senses. Despite the rose's wonderfully calming effects, Jeremie still shifted a bit in his bed.

Stupid diabetes. Stupid disease running in the family. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Jeremie was getting frustrated. When did the doctor say he could go?

"A few days to get used to taking insulin, okay? We don't want you dying right after you leave our doorsteps!"

Right. Let the boredom continue.

Then a thought struck Jeremie that would give him about three hours worth of things to do.

Yumi told me to check my phone! Jeremie scrabbled to get to his cell phone, turning it on and finding a text from the super computer and Yumi. The news at first made him itch to leave and get to his rightful position at the computer. The second text stopped him.

Jeremie, if you go to the super computer today, Aelita will hang you and Aisu would laugh while you died. Stay and rest, we can handle it. After all, we have a genius and an A.I on our side. What can go wrong?

Jeremie sighed. If something, anything went wrong he would blame Aisu. The mouthy and arrogant A.I just…rubbed the wrong way to Jeremie…just oh so similar to Juno.

Juno and Aisu together…that must be the definition of hell. Jeremie almost shuddered. Why did Juno have to be so right about everything, be the savior when they failed to fight in the real world? Why did Aisu have to be there to mock his wrong decisions, make them right, and then destroy any defense Xana laid? It made him feel incompetent! And both of them made him feel out of control.

And Jeremie Belpois was a control freak. So Juno and Aisu made him feel like a weak and worthless child who did not stay at the top of his class and save the world on a weekly basis. Jeremie Belpois WAS at the top of his class and saved the world on a weekly basis! So why did he feel so…immature…so juvenile next to them?

Maybe it was because Juno was better at computer programming and math. Maybe it was because Aisu knew the the same amount about the super computer but still fought on Lyoko. And it annoyed him. He was the Einstein! Not Juno…or Aisu!

So no matter how many times Odd may say 'she isn't that bad' to either of them or Ulrich agrees on something Juno said…Jeremie refused to let his rightful position up. After all, it was Juno who came to school three weeks in, and Aisu who had not been there since the beginning.

Juno was late to be an extra of the team by over a year.

Juno was a loner who demanded to be left in solitude.

Juno was a Goth that only looked coldly at all who passed her.

Juno was terrible at trusting people.

Juno was always finding something better about her than everyone else in the group.

So why? Why trust Juno? Why trust Aisu? Where were they when they needed the support? Jeremie could guarantee that Juno and Aisu had been absent from all disasters that had come up until recent times. So…

Where was Aisu when Xana took control of the wolves that nearly killed Ulrich?

Where was Aisu when Xana tried to blow up the city?

Where was Aisu when Odd nearly drowned?

Where was Aisu when Aelita needed her memory back?

Where was Aisu when William was taken over?

She was not there. Aisu was not there for them. So why did the others suddenly think that she was the most amazing thing that ever happened since the super computer dragged them into this whole mess? Jeremie thought he could trust her about as much as he could find the cure to all cancers. And considering he was no miracle worker or even doctor, he doubted that he could trust her.

And this was the reason Jeremie was so bitter towards the quiet Juno and arrogant Aisu. Why was he even thinking about them anyway?

Jeremie sighed softly, fingering the pink rose before gently setting it back in the vase.

-000-000-000-

Aisu was the last to enter the depths of sector five. Aelita had gone in first and Aisu had mentally started the three minute count down. She whispered the time out loud, just an extra precaution to make sure not to lose the slippery and evasive numbers.

Then, with a startled yelp, Odd pin wheeled his arms. His toes and the balls of his feet hung off the edge of the hallway. Because after the corridor ended…there was nothing.

The room they had sprinted into was actually rather bland for Xana's tastes, according to Aelita. The room was large and square. The walls had a few ridges spaced unevenly in them, just wide enough for someone to balance on before attempting to clamber up to the next ledge. A few round beams crisscrossed from one wall to the next, all barely suitable to stand on. It seemed possible to grab on with your hands, but to try to hold them would be near suicidal. The floor, however, seemed to be the most dangerous. What would be the floor was an empty pit with a mere ten rectangles to land on first.

Aisu threw a glance at Odd. He stood side-by-side with Yumi as they looked for Xana's creatures. Ulrich was next to Aelita to make sure she would not get hurt. Aisu looked up and down the strait walls but could not see the key.

2:55 remaining.

"Our best bet is up, right?" Odd asked. Aisu looked up to the ceiling. That was over a two hundred feet! Aisu could jump thirty feet…forty if she had enough inspiration. How was anyone supposed to get up there?

2:40 remaining.

Yumi was the first to jump on a rectangle in the void. It wobbled uncertainly and it drifted over a few feet from the momentum of Yumi's jump. With a startled yelp, Yumi hit the deck and lay on her stomach to gain her breath. Aisu took a side long glance at Ulrich who had looked horrified for a few seconds. Ulrich super-sprinted and jumped on the nearest platform to her. His jump was a bit more graceful as his platform only floated a foot or so. He leaned towards Yumi, platform raft sinking down a bit the direction his weight was centered.

"Yumi, are you okay?" she climbed to her feet shakily. She wobbled a bit between her left and right foot to get used to the odd way they raft-like platform moved. Odd gave the rafts a small look before leaning down and waving his arm through the abyss. He frowned.

"There's…nothing."

"What did you expect?" Aelita asked.

"Water or something." Odd replied. Yumi and Ulrich nodded.

"Look at the platforms Ulrich and Yumi are standing on. The air beneath it acts like water." Aisu explained. "Ulrich and Yumi 'flailing' on one of these 'rafts' is similar to standing on a stiff platform in a common swimming pool." Yumi and Ulrich glanced at her when Aisu had said flailing, but did not answer otherwise.

2:25 remaining.

"The only way is up, right?" Aelita said. Nobody spoke a word but they all nodded. "Aisu, can't you jump on one of the beams?"

Aisu looked at her like she was crazy before saying "if the cross-beams were twenty feet lower and in a better position than where they are at this moment. I would have to try for a ledge."

With that idea shot down, Odd jumped on one of the rafts with enough forward momentum to push it across to the other side of the room. Aelita leapt as well and Aisu took the last raft. Their motion was minimal, but the platforms still slid. Aelita and Aisu did not even waver. Aisu glanced at the nearest ridge on the wall. It was far too high of a jump for any of them, even she herself. Aisu would probably be able to brush it with her fingertips, but would not be able to cling to the edge and clamber up.

"Who wishes to be thrown?" the warriors gave Aisu a long look that gave an impression that she was indeed crazy. "The only way to get to the ridge is to be thrown. None of you can jump as high as it. Even I cannot reach such a hight."

Ulrich backed away, saying he would rather not be thrown again. Yumi looked skeptical. Odd…actually took the offer. Aisu lightly landed on his raft cupped her fingers together.

"Are you sure this will work?" Odd received a green-eyed glare in response. "I see." He carefully planted one foot onto her slim fingers. Her hands did not move an inch, giving them the appearance of a cream colored marble statue. Odd subtly glanced at her. She did not look too strained from his weight.

"Get on with it." Aisu said. "We have two minutes and five seconds to find and get to the key." Odd grimaced and shifted his full weight into her hands. They dipped a bit on accident, but then Aisu's hands nearly fell from beneath him. This feeling was short lived, however, as Aisu shoved her hands up with enough force Odd shot straight into the air. Odd swung his arm and depended on his claws to sink into the edge of the ledge that his palm had grazed. The extensions of his fingers did not fail him and Odd was saved the fate of free falling off the ledge and into oblivion.

Odd swung himself up and over the side, looking relieved he had made it. He gave quick thumbs up to signal Aisu was ready to throw another warrior.

"Do it again!" Odd shouted. The remaining warriors blinked. Odd's ecctatic smile lit up with the thrill of the throw. "Who's next?"

"I guess since nobody is volunteering, I will pick…Ulrich." Aisu stated. He blanched. "If you do not get over here, I will drag you here." He hid a grimace and took a long and dangerous jump over. Odd managed to catch him when he got near to the ledge, and helped pull him up.

"You're crazy!" Ulrich shouted, very, very scared of his current height. Aisu did not look up to acknowledge his predicament. Instead, she motioned for Yumi to jump over. Yumi was caught by Ulrich, and Aelita helped up by Yumi so after.

"Ready for the hardest part?" Aelita's head popped up from above the edge as she crawled to her knees. "Ready to catch me?"

"It can't be that hard. You aren't that heavy." Yumi stated. It was obvious the others agreed.

"But unlike you, I have a rather large sword which I am reluctant to leave behind." This made the group above her grimace. "When I jump, someone catch my wrists."

"You can jump this high?" Odd enquired. "Impressive."

"That is why you are catching my wrists. I cannot jump as high as to grab the ledge." Aisu backed up to the very edge of the raft. Then she sprinted the few feet to the end before driving her leg into the air with the opposite arm to help. For some strange reason, Ulrich was immediately reminded of Juno doing a bicycle kick, although he did not know why.

Yumi and Ulrich leaned over the edge of the ridge to catch her wrists. Odd, noticing how far the two were stretching, grabbed Ulrich's ankles and Aelita did the same for Yumi. As Aisu stretched her arms towards the two's waiting hands. Yumi latched onto her wrist, refusing to let go. Ulrich tried to do the same, but missed.

Aisu looked down, suddenly wishing it was Odd who had tried to catch her other wrist. Aisu lay flat against the wall, toes pointed down in her sandels while the left arm of her kimono fell down to bunch around her shoulder as she presented her wrist which Yumi held. Yumi started to slide foreword and Ulrich stretched to grab Aisu's other wrist. She stretched to meet him and together they pulled her over the side and to safety. After shifting to a sitting position, Aisu glanced to the next area to grab.

1:58 remaining.

"There's another ledge I can throw one of you on. Who volunteers?" Ulrich looked sick. Apparently, looking down had caused some nauseated feeling to arise.

"Not me…" the samurai muttered, spellbound at the sight of an endless stretch of empty, gapping space where the floor should be. Yumi pulled him away and he sank to a sitting position.

"You should stay on this level." Aelita consoled. Ulrich looked shaky as if he suddenly thought the entire idea of his friends going higher was ludicrous. Odd waved him off and glanced at the A.I expectantly. After a glance at the next ledge (which was only about thirty feet this time), Odd shrugged.

Aisu beckoned for the remaining group members to gather around and one by one stepped into Aisu's laced fingers thrown sky bound to the next ledge. There they paused. Aisu could not throw all of them anymore. Odd was too heavy and Yumi was too tall. Only Aelita could be thrown to the beam above.

1:20 left.

Aisu laced her fingers. Aelita looked at her. "You're throwing me again?" Aisu let all weight sink to one knee and cocked her head. "What do I grab onto?" The crimson and black streaked A.I rolled her eyes with mild amusement.

"Aelita, I have thrown you over sixty feet already. What difference is getting you twenty more feet into the air?"

"Aelita, you're going to grab onto that beam, okay?" Yumi told her. "You can do that right?" Aelita looked a little anxious at the thought of catching a four inch pole.

"If you fall, we can catch you." Odd told her. Aelita did not look comforted. Apparently the thought of falling had not crossed through her mind, and Odd had just brought up this terrible possibility. Aelita shuddered and then glanced at Aisu. The green-eyed girl was seemingly adjusting her large sword to a better position to jump. Aelita really knew Aisu was listening to the conversation intently.

"Aelita, if you do not step into my hands in five seconds I will grab your shirt and throw you up there without preparation." Aelita would have turned a satisfying shade of red if they were in the real world. Hesitantly, Aelita placed one foot into her connected hands. Then she put a hand on the A.I's shoulder and crouched.

"On the count of three?" the pink-haired girl asked. Aisu nodded.

"One" Aisu said and crouched low, making sure she could counteract any balance problems.

"Two" Aelita whispered, tensing for the jump.

"Three!" Aisu sprung up and launched Aelita high in the air, a foot away from the pole. Aelita reached out with both hands and managed to grab on with one. Yumi and Odd rushed beneath her, but Aelita was secure. She pulled her other hand to grab the bar and painfully pulled herself up to straddle the bar.

Without another hesitation, Aisu took another long jump. With a slight angle and a flip, Aisu landed on the bar perfectly balanced. Aelita glared at her from her bad position. She took the mistake of looking down, and she swayed. Ulrich was looking up at her, a blurred look of worry set on his features. Odd and Yumi were still waiting to catch her. Then she saw the abyss of nothing but darkness with a pinpoint of light on the other side. It had to be a reflection from Ulrich's unsheathed swords.

…Unsheathed?

58 seconds to go.

There was a red burst of light and Aisu jumped a split second before it touched her feet. She landed much more unsteady this time. I looked down again. Ulrich was dodging red lasers as the creeper advanced towards him. Odd and Yumi were currently handling two of the damned creations at the same time.

The fourth had a much trickier place. It was on one of the ledges that the pole led to. And the main targets were Aisu and Aelita. The creeper that started shooting at the two. Aelita was close to powerless at the angles she was at and Aisu was not much better. Unsheathing the large cleaver sword would practically be suicide—there was no way Aisu could counteract the balance issue then. Aisu then did the only thing she could honestly think of.

The spiral on her left hand lit up one straight line at a time as she held her left hand out and put two fingers of her right hand just above her wrist.

40 seconds.

"Zerstörende Kunst fünfzehn, Feuer des Hasses!" The incantation of the chant she had used so long ago when Xana had forced her to stay in the real world was shortened considerably. She could only hope that Ulrich had not heard her call.

Her entire hand glowed with a red mask of light. There was flash of burning crimson as red energy was thrown at the creeper in a spray of crackling fire. The light splashed the torso and legs of the creeper and it raised its head back and moaned it what must have been pain. When the round cranium of the monster came back down, however, there was an ominous red glow in its mouth. It fired.

Aisu let out a hiss of pain as her left leg was hit. She knew that was about ten life points down the drain. Her now sore leg slipped out from beneath her and for one scary moment the team thought she would fall. She would have, except for her left leg wrapping around the pole. There, hanging from her left knee, swung Aisu…crimson halos of hair, sword slipping from her back, green eyes burning, and lips soundlessly mouthing words she did not even know. Aelita slipped from the beam and caught herself.

The bar shook.

The sword fell.

Aisu spread her hands apart and then flung them towards each other. They passed by the opposite hand as though both were missing a high five. Then she pulled her hands apart again and flung them in the direction of the creeper. The burst of light started as a spiral. Somewhere between that spiral and the end result of an exploding creeper, the red energy almost turned into an arrow that hit the target right on.

There was cheering from below her. Aisu climbed back on the bar and dragged Aelita to her feet. Aelita squeaked in surprise as Aisu ran to the ledge at the end of the pole, making Aelita stumble haphazardly behind her. They made it, Aelita eventually being tossed on the ledge before Aisu stepped on the blue ridge.

30 seconds.

Aisu jumped to the next bar alone this time. Aelita stared up at her, wondering what made the bright haired girl leave her behind. She stepped a few feet so the ridge was no longer beneath her

"Aisu!" Aisu looked down at her from her position.

"Twenty seconds!"

What happened next was so indescribable. Aisu turned her head as they heard a blast issue from a monster. It caught her shoulder, and Aisu fell, twisting through the air. She reached out to grab the edge and for a moment it looked as if she was saved.

Her fingers only grazed it. Aisu fell, so close to the wall it was ironic. Past the red hair that was almost completely obstructing Aisu's view, she saw Aelita look over the side and down at her, eyes wide. It hurt to look. Avoiding the sparkling blue gaze, Aisu turned in the air and disappeared from view.

There were a few seconds of utter silence. Aelita counted down the time in her head.

Ten, nine, eight, seven…

There was no sign of the emerald-eyes A.I. All must be lost for her. Who knew where the pit led? The virtual sea?

Six, five, four…three?

All of the sudden, the lighting changed. The ridges started to sink lower and lower so gain access to the ground. A pathway opened by Ulrich's ledge. And even more amazing than that, was the bottomless pit. Floors were rising from its depths. And on one of those platforms in the middle was a large flat sword with a cloth wrapped handle.

Even more amazing was a person sprawled out on her stomach, her head to the side and her right hand stretched out as if to reach for something. Red lips were parted slightly and the A.I's fingers on her other hand were slack. Aisu's eyes were closed and her hair spread around in twisted patterns.

"Aisu?" Aelita spoke. There was a lack of response. "Aisu!" Nothing.

Aelita jumped down and rushed to her. Tentatively, she touched her shoulder.

Nothing.

A gentle shake.

Only them a hand tightened on the grip of the hilt. Her other hand pulled into a fist. She groaned and rolled onto her back. Her hand flopped onto her stomach. Aisu's eyelids parted to show emerald eyes, slightly dulled with a winded look lacking any focus.

"Aisu?" They blinked and then met the blue eyes of Aelita. She coughed.

"Ow…"

"What happened?"

"I hit the key…" she sat up, legs crossing in front of her. She tried to get up and swayed dangerously. Aelita steadied the girl.

"The…key? Odd asked, eyes wide.

"The key—" Aisu groaned, rubbing her winded chest. "It was down there."

"It was down? Not up?" Odd asked, exasperated.

"You okay?" Ulrich asked, helping Yumi down from her much shortened ledge. Odd jumped down next to him.

"I hit the platform when it was going up when I was in a free fall." She rubbed her chest. "Damn…that really hurt." Aisu finally straitened and took a deep breath of digital air. "We need to go." She swayed over to the place where her wrapped sword had risen and grabbed it. A steadying breath.

"Are you sure you can go?" Yumi questioned. Aisu did not look at her. One split second later, however, she was next to Ulrich, waiting to go.

-000-000-000-

Aelita glanced at Aisu again. She discreetly rubbed her chest again. Why was it that Aisu felt pain as if it was in the real world, rather than just the short sting of Lyoko? Why was it so similar?

Aelita saw Odd glance at the A.I. He missed her rubbing her collarbone, but he knew that she was not completely okay. There was still that winded look in her eyes and her posture was a bit less straight and intimidating than usual. Now her shoulders were pulled foreword just a fraction and there was a small curve to her back as if it would somehow let her chest be relieved of pressure.

As the team of warriors reached the end of the corridor, they were met by a ledge and a dead end. Ulrich saw Aisu look down.

"And we are doing what at this moment?" she enquired.

"Waiting." Yumi's blunt return held no answer for the forever learning A.I.

"Waiting for what?"

"This!" Aelita grabbed Aisu's arm and yanked her over the edge to land on the elevator which sped away without stopping. When they were deposited at the corridor leading to the Skidd, Aisu yanked her arm back before realizing how rude that gesture must have been. She quickly apologized for it in a hurried 'sorry' and sped away in the lead.

-000-000-000-

I wonder what's going on at the super computer right now. Jeremie thought wistfully. He had concluded that someone had probably hit the key even without too much trouble. But there was still the one twist in the problem.

Who was going to initiate the launch from the super computer?

Oh right.

Nobody would be able to. Did anyone (specifically that annoying A.I) even think about that? Not likely. Not likely at all. Jeremie checked his laptop to see if he could get into the super computer network access. Nothing. He was barred from watching their progress.

Where would the replika base be? Under the vast ocean? In a foreign country? An old abandoned warehouse? in a company building?

Jeremie had yet to find out. Jeremie would also place every last cent of his money to bet the group on Lyoko had barely made it to the skidd. And After that…it still came back to the issue of the launch. Nobody was there to launch the skidd. Not unless Aisu left someone behind. But then again…nobody else knew how to launch the skidd. Even Aelita occasionally forgot the correct order of the code's complex system. Was Aisu going to do the launch? Doubtful. She would kill to be there.

I would kill to be there.

But not even a sour mindset could let him know what was happening in the computer. Jeremie typed furiously, trying networking codes, firewall hacks, software breakers….anything! Nothing. Nothing but a blue pop-up window with clear print spelling 'Submarine Software Updated'.

Wait…what?

Jeremie clicked the message.

Jeremie,

I have updated the Skidd in several ways. I have added another pod to the group, increased the torpedo accuracy, introduced more artillery to the pods, and updated the shield layers, created an in-computer launch, and gave the pods more battery life. I hope that these updates come into effect by the time you get to the super computer.

Aisu

Now that explained so much. That explained why Aisu was going on with the mission without him. Why she was risking so much.

But….

But is the risk worth it?

-000-000-000-

Aisu stepped lightly onto the newly designed pad that would transfer them all to their respective places on the skidd. She had made her place the very farthest place from the edge.

"What gives? There were five places before. Why are there six?" Odd exclaimed, stepping onto the pad as well. He skipped across to the one next to Aisu. It was true, where before there were four smaller pads set around a larger fifth, there were five smaller pads circled around the larger sixth creating a bit of a flower look.

"I redesigned them so that if we get William back—"

"When we get William back." Aelita interjected. Aisu frowned but continued anyway.

"When we get William back, he will have a place to stand and get transported as well." The team nodded in understanding. Then a note-worthy thought crossed Ulrich's mind.

"Hate to ask this guys…but…how are we getting transported to the skidd without Jeremie?" Ulrich's voice sounded doubtful as he and Yumi stepped on. Ulrich took his place by Odd, Yumi next by Ulruch. Aelita leapt on, going to the very center pad. All of the warriors gave a long look at Aisu. Aisu simply stood there, eyes looking up at the high ceiling above her. Then she opened her mouth and spoke in commanding voice:

"Transfer: Skidd mission."

In a rather brilliant flash of pure white light, all five of them disappeared.

-000-000-000-

Wow. Late. VERY late. Well, the pole result is in. Most of you were wrong! All but one! Well…because I want to keep my age a secret, I won't say my actual age…I'm sorry!

Here we have a nice…filler…chapter.

Ehhhhh…it isn't so great, I know.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!