Author's Note: I do not own Code Lyoko, etc.
Chapter Twenty-One – Threshold of Destiny
"You can't be serious, Trickster!" Aelita shouted, "You just want to get rid of us this whole time, didn't you?"
"Aelita, it's not like that. I have been on many adventures and seen many things, you kids are better off integrated in your original time streams."
"But…you said…"
Trickster sighed, "Yes, I know what I said and I still believe it, but I have to look at all the options here. Up above, we have hundreds of people dead and dying, Vok'tul are about to pound at our door and my best friend and family are putting their lives at risk. If I rejoin your two timelines together, then the Vok'tul will all disappear and we will be at peace as the timeline resettles."
Sam shouted, "So, that's it? You're going to poof us out of existence, so you can be at peace. That's the most selfish thing I've ever heard."
"Listen, guys, maybe he's right."
"What, Yumi?" Aelita and Sam said in unison.
"Look, we don't belong here. This isn't our time and maybe we'd be happier stuck in the past. At least, there we'll have the boys in flesh-and-blood."
"But we'll be dead, remember? When the timeline changes, this current moment will stay persist. We'll experience our entire lives in an instance, then no more."
"I know this has been an immense learning experience, Aelita. I know there are billions of new rides, adventures, and things to do with hardlight holograms, Sam. Here I have nothing I'd want to do or see. Despite what you may think, I was happy on Earth being the goth girl who stood on her own two feet." Yumi stopped to cry into her sleeve.
Aelita smiled, "Yumi…you still are that same girl who stands on her two feet. That's one of the traits I love about you, you put up this strong front to deal with the world, but you have to remember that you're not alone. I, Jeremy, Sam, Odd, and Ulrich are here for you. Please Yumi, let's stay here."
Trickster said, "If there is one thing I've learned is listen to your friends. They do speak truth, Yumi, but I'm still going ahead with the Rejoining."
"Why? Why do you want this?"
"I've dealt with people long enough to know the value of gratitude. They thank you eternally for saving their life one moment and stab you in the back the next. If I am to spare you of this, would you be eternally grateful."
Aelita looked back on her friends, "Yes, we would be."
He stared into her lovely eyes and sighed, "I don't believe you."
"Why?"
"Because we're human."
Outside of this conversation, only two rooms away stood the three valiant defenders as they waited for the battle that was to come.
"So, Jeremy, do you know anything about what's been planned to get us out of this mess?"
"No, Odd, I don't. But something's telling me, it's better for us not to know."
"Huh? Why'd you say that?"
"He's right, Odd, Trickster has been putting off this strange feeling since we've met him. It's almost like he's not telling us the complete truth or something."
"Well, we've been saying that since we first materialized. We never actually had a long conversation with that guy."
"Because he's been isolating himself in his workshop the past few days."
"Still, you got to give him credit. He's been taking care of our ladies, hasn't he?"
"Odd! I am going to…!" Ulrich's yell was stopped as the clanging of metal on stone echoed down the stairs.
"It seems they're here, guys."
"What was your first clue?"
The first wave of Vok'tul burst through the door. Odd raising his forearms and blasting two of them away, the others rushing past to fell to Ulrich's blade as he spun it around and Jeremy's sword was tarnished with many a Vok'tul, though not practiced as much as Ulrich, he still held his own quite well.
"Guys, keep it up. They're dwindling!"
"I can't tell, Odd! Having too much focus on fighting them!"
Jeremy raised his shield and a pair of menacing claws stuck themselves deep into his defense. He let out a scream as the shield was part of him. With this opening. Another tackled him to the ground, keeping a claw in his ribcage.
Without his right flank covered, Odd focused as much as he could in that gap. Shortly after, he too was on the ground, pinned.
Ulrich swept through toward his friends and sliced down those pinning his friends, but more would appear to keep them down. Other behind him were cleaving at the bulkhead they were guarding. As Ulrich turned, he was rushed by them and made captive in the same way as the others.
The feeling of unrelenting pain coursed through him as the claws remained inside their virtual structure. Ulrich's gaze toward to the door as it was slowly giving way.
Hearing the screams echoing through the chamber, Shelly looked back at the room behind her, wondering if the others could hear as well.
Aelita turned to the door, "They are in trouble. We've got to do something."
"As I said, I'm working on it."
"Trickster, there has to be another way. You're a genius, you should be able to figure something out to end this."
He sighed, "The Rejoining is the safest way for all of us. There is another solution, but it's too risky."
"What is it?" Alicia spoke for the first time this whole conversation.
"Forget it! It will take too much time."
"Trickster, whatever this other option is. I suggest you take it, otherwise I am leaving you."-
"What? Leaving me?"
"That's right. I will go out that door and you will never see me again. I'd rather spend my whole life on the streets than stay at home with a man who's pride and convenience gets in the way of helping three girls."
He bit back his tongue, restraining his anger for the sake of his son, "I…I…"
Gazing at the three girls and back to the control panel, he had reached the threshold of destiny. It was here that he stood frozen, the choice between two paths that will ultimately determine one's fate and one's self.
Aelita turned her back on him, "If he's not going to something, we will. Come on, girls…" She held up her recorder and switched the boys' tangibility off.
Without the pain, the boys walked right through the bulkhead into the Universal Interface chamber where Aelita, Sam, and Yumi joined them.
"Three…girls…they're insane to fight the Vok'tul with nothing, but the few things they have? What I'm I doing?"
"Trickster, you love me, don't you?" Cecilia said as she coughed up blood. Her body was crushed by the rubble of the fallen tower.
"You know I do, but why did you save me? You sacrificed yourself and our unborn child for me? No, this is not right."
She reached for him and he held her hand tight, "It's because I love you, Trickster. Your destiny is yet to come and many things will change. Just promise me one thing."
"Anything, Cecilia, anything."
"No matter what happens to you, never give up on yourself. Promise me."
He desperately held back tears, "I promise, Cecilia. My love, I promise."
"Don't cry, Trickster. You look too sad when you cry. Remember, we will be waiting for you on the other side. Just please don't give up!"
In the other room, the bulkhead was going to give way at any second. The girls looked nervous as they glanced at their boys one last time.
Yumi had her virtual parasol, Sam had her hoverboard, and Aelita had the blasters. Their boys felt the same way they did with their katana, longsword, and blasters. Shelly stood with her cracked armor, unafraid as her weapons readied for battle.
"Guys, I think we have five more seconds before they swarm over us."
Five…
Yumi broke rank for a second to give Ulrich a kiss.
Four…
Aelita and Sam did the same.
Three…
One of the bulkhead's hinges broke free.
Two…
A bead of sweat fell down Shelly's brow.
One…
Odd gulped.
Zero…
The bulkhead opened free as Vok'tul started climbing over one another.
"We're dead." Odd said before something caught his eye.
A brown thing stuck to the edge of the bulkhead door and quickly extended until it encompassed the entire edge.
"Trick Laser Defense!" From each of the emitter from the brown circle shot forth a continual laser that cut through the first wave entering the room.
"What the?"
Trickster walked into the room with a wide smile, "So, we going to fix this or what?"
Threshold of Destiny was a term I came up with watching Iron Man. At the end when he stares at the index cards, that is where I coined the term.