Chapter LI
"Good evening."
Avery stood behind a podium that had been set up in one of the larger multi-purpose rooms at the compound. Members of the media sat, poised with their microphones and cameras, rapt with attention as she stole a fleeting glance at the packet of papers prepared by her employ.
The kids' parents, as well as Jim, were all situated at the back of the room. The remained stoic, staring straight ahead. She noticed Jane and the rest of the Emerson family had just made their way into the room, finding the empty seats by the parents.
"As you may be aware," she continued, facing straight ahead, "the President had issued a statement about holding a press conference tomorrow to declassify some documents." She paused. "Unfortunately, we here at the CIA thought it would be best if he didn't, as the White House hadn't been given clearance to receive the full facts behind the information they wanted to disclose.
"How do I put this lightly?" She moved a lock of hair behind her ear. "We, as a civilization, have avoided a great danger."
She half-expected a reaction from the press, but they remained silent, focusing all their energy on her. She continued:
"We have been given permission by the French authorities to release this information to the public, as everyone has a right to know: Decades ago, a virtual world was created in an underground facility, located within the Parisian metropolitan area. With this virtual world, came an artificial intelligence — one that, due to no one's understanding, became sentient and focused on one thing: Taking over the world.
"This AI, XANA, had a connection to Lyoko, the virtual world. It would activate a tower within Lyoko, using it as a beacon of sorts to facilitate attacks in the real world. These attacks were usually localized to Paris and its surrounding cities, sometimes encompassing the whole of France. However, a few attempts to wipe out all of humanity were conducted — such as asteroids, nuclear attacks, chemical bombs…" She stopped herself, glancing for a brief moment down at the papers, rifling through them. "Teenagers found this lab, and, by extension, Lyoko, taking it upon themselves to fight XANA without the adults responsible for them knowing. They even made a friend, Aelita. This young lady was trapped within the supercomputer for a decade, and they brought her to Earth by way of extensive hard work and a scanner — which was, as we're aware, the only way to access Lyoko and fight XANA's monsters.
"They fought for three years, both on Lyoko and Earth, eventually coming to stop a robot army that XANA had been building to enslave the human race. They rescued another friend of theirs, William, a new recruit to their team who had been possessed by the AI and was trapped for about six months. Thinking XANA had been defeated, they shut down the supercomputer and moved on with their lives. That is, until a couple of months ago, when XANA came back."
An audible gasp rippled through the crowd. There it was: The reaction she'd been expecting.
"This meant," she continued, louder now, trying to quell the burgeoning questions as everyone attempted to speak over each other, "that they would keep fighting." The crowd quieted. "They gained two — eventually, three — new members of their group, bringing them to a total of nine. They dubbed themselves Lyoko Warriors. With help from the man who had created Lyoko — Aelita's father, Waldo Schaeffer — they came closer to finally defeating XANA once more, this time for good. Until, the Men in Black learned of their resurgence. Which meant we had to step in.
"Now, I know what you must be thinking: Why would agents here in the United States get involved with such international affairs? Well, two of the Warriors are citizens of our country, for one; second only to the fact that the Men in Black are heavily concentrated here, with smaller factions throughout the world, operating silently, in pockets. It was their initial goal to harness XANA's code and use him as a destructive weapon, starting a form of technological warfare that would surely end the human race.
"However, what we didn't know at the time, was that XANA had taken control of the head of the Men in Black. It was done so well, in such a stealth-like manner, that a tower hadn't even been activated. And we're still unsure as to how that was possible. This led to an infiltration of the Men in Black's headquarters, ending in an incredibly dangerous fight that turned fatal. One notable death is Xander Emerson, a Massachusetts native and son of the MIB's Second-in-Command, Liam Emerson. Xander was killed in battle, having thrown himself in front of one of our young heroes to protect her from gunfire."
She paused again, taking a deep breath.
"Intelligence reports so far have indicated that XANA was, in fact, defeated; the Director of the Men in Black, Vivian Greene, was pronounced deceased as soon as the AI left her body. He — XANA — had worked his way in like a worm, encompassing her to such an extent that there wasn't any trace of humanity left." She motioned discreetly to Agent Collins, who stood off to the side. "These teenagers were instrumental in assisting the authorities in the defeat of not only XANA, but the Men in Black. Through a fluke in the virtualization program, the powers they gained on Lyoko have been imprinted into their DNA, manifesting in the real world. Please." She put the papers down, giving her full attention to the audience. "Allow me to introduce them."
Sebastian nodded to Jeremie, indicating for the group to file out and take their places behind the Director.
"Jeremie Belpois."
Jeremie gritted his teeth, trying not to appear apprehensive as he walked out into the spotlight. He took solace in the fact that his parents were there to support him.
"Odd Della Robbia."
Odd, in an attempt to act cool and make himself look confident, sauntered out and stood next to Jeremie, flashing a large grin to the members of the media.
"Ulrich Stern."
Ulrich tried his hardest not to hunch over or stuff his hands in the pockets of the suit he'd been given, as he stepped out and took his place next to Odd. He would've rather been anywhere else than parading about in front of the entire world.
"Yumi Ishiyama."
Closing her eyes and exhaling, Yumi held her head up high as she passed Sebastian, taking her place next to Ulrich. She gave his hand a quick, subtle squeeze, hoping no one would notice.
"Aelita Schaeffer."
Aelita wasn't the least bit happy they'd used her given surname, but she didn't make a fuss. Trying to keep her expression neutral, she swiftly walked across the stage and stood next to Yumi, trying in vain to avoid eye contact with the media, and her parents.
"William Dunbar."
William sucked in a breath, a brief flashback of when he'd been introduced to society at the Bal playing in his head as he came to a stop next to Aelita, trying not to loosen the green tie around his neck.
"Elisabeth Delmas."
Sissi grumbled internally about how she hated being called Elisabeth, but wouldn't let anyone know as it really wasn't that important. She took her place next to William, smoothing out a wrinkle in her dress and attempting not to fidget.
"Giana De Luca."
Similar to William, Giana remembered the time she'd been introduced into society at the Bal, taking note as soon as the thought entered her head that this wasn't at all the same. She instructed Vega to go forward, stopping once they reached Sissi. She turned to face the people with their flashing cameras, mumbling praise to the dog and telling her to settle on the floor in front of them.
"Nico De Luca."
Exasperated, Nico ran a hand through his hair before walking out into the spotlight and stopping next to his sister. He faced forward like the rest of the group, trying his hardest to hold a neutral expression.
"They are heroes," Avery continued, "and should be recognized as such." She waited a moment as the members of the media applauded, flashes still emanating from their cameras. "There will now be some time allotted for questions."
A short reporter pushed through the group, holding out her microphone. "This is for one of the kids: How did you feel when you initially discovered the supercomputer? What were your thoughts?"
Avery translated the question in French so everyone was on an equal playing field. The group gave each other sidelong glances, mumbling down the line, eventually coming to the decision that Jeremie should be the one to answer. He stepped forward, now next to Avery, whispering a response in her ear.
"I was afraid at first," she said in English, translating. "I didn't know what it was doing in the factory, and for a brief moment, I thought I'd dreamt the whole thing. But then I met Aelita, and knew I had to get her out of Lyoko and into the real world, should we have any hope of destroying XANA." There was a pause. "Obviously, as you know, it wasn't as easy as we'd imagined."
The reporter nodded. "Thank you."
Another stepped forward. "Aelita: How did you feel when you found out you lost ten years of your life?"
William whispered the question in the girl's ear. She gasped, shaking her head. "Tell them I don't want to comment," she said softly, in a rush, taking a step back.
He nodded, taking Jeremie's place next to Avery but leaning into her microphone. "No comment," he said in English.
The reporter blanched. "But—"
"No comment," he repeated, forceful.
"Alright." He switched tactics. "William—"
The boy's expression darkened. "No."
"What was it like when your friends rescued you?" he shouted, in a rush. "How did it feel to be free?"
"I said no." William turned on his heel, reclaiming his spot between Aelita and Sissi.
Another reporter stepped forward. "This question is for the Emerson family, if they're here—"
"They will not be taking any questions," Avery interrupted, firm.
"Director—"
Her gaze hardened. "That's final."
Yet another reporter shouldered her way through. "This is for the group: Can you demonstrate your powers?"
"They will not," Avery responded, not bothering to translate. "Not here." She checked her watch. "Any further questions shall be directed to my assistant, Sebastian Collins, and will be answered in a timely manner. That will be all."
She swiftly walked off and exited through a side door, beckoning for the kids to follow. Their parents, as well as the Emerson family, quietly stood and exited through the back of the room, not wanting to call attention to themselves.
"I think that went well," Jim commented, once they were all situated in Avery's office again. "Relatively speaking."
"So, what does this mean for us?" Nicole questioned. "For our children?"
"As it is nearing the end of term," Jean-Pierre started, "I don't see a reason for them to return to Kadic until after the holidays. Hopefully that will allow some time for the excitement to die down." He paused. "I've left Suzanne in charge, and I have the utmost confidence she is doing a splendid job."
Avery nodded. "Agreed. International authorities are still doing a sweep to locate any sign of XANA, but the data so far is showing he's been eliminated. If you can all hold on until after the new year, we can arrange for a shutdown of the supercomputer in France." She eyed the Schaeffers. "Switzerland should be unplugged as soon as possible."
"I'll let my employees know," Franz responded.
The Director read something on her tablet. "Xander's services are set for this coming weekend, after the completion of Hanukkah. There are bound to be protests, given the nature of his death…" She put the device down. "Although the President isn't too happy with me right now, he did offer to lend some Secret Service agents to assist us in staking out the area. To keep you safe."
Ulrich leaned forward in his chair. "We're all going?"
"Jack requested it," Giana replied, distant. "Since we were there when it happened."
"Do we… have to?" Odd asked.
"Out of respect, yes," his mother pressed.
Sebastian chose that moment to burst into the office. "Ma'am—" He noticed the rest of the group. "Ma'am, the President is requesting your appearance in his office immediately."
"I already told him that was out of the question," Avery shot back. "We already said what we needed to say to each other."
"No—" Agent Collins sank down into a chair, fidgeting. "He's requesting you and the children."
There was a long pause.
"He is demanding that they demonstrate their powers."
"Do we… have to?" Aelita piped up, wary.
"Out of respect," her mother started, standing, "yes."
"Mr. President," Avery greeted, neutral.
"Ah." The man shook her hand. He turned his attention to the kids, addressing the group in French: "Welcome. First, I'd like to start off by extending my sincerest gratitude toward you for your services. You all did a tremendous job saving the world — however, I am deeply very sorry to hear about your friend."
"He wasn't our friend, sir," Nico responded, without missing a beat.
Giana elbowed him. "What my brother means, is…" She took a step forward. "Thank you."
"Anyway." The President came around from behind his desk, stopping to lean against it. "I've called you here because I'm interested in seeing your powers in person. We have obtained the footage from the CIA's training sessions, at the discretion of Director Paulson; however, I'm sure your parents are also curious to see what their children can do."
Avery narrowed her eyes. "Sir, these kids will not be used as military weapons. We've made that abundantly clear during our last phone call."
"I'm aware." His expression softened. "Has it been confirmed if the process will reverse itself once the supercomputer in France is shut down?"
"We're not sure," Franz responded. "The data from previous scans after their powers first manifested claim otherwise — my team in Zürich is almost positive that their abilities have been written into their DNA, as Director Paulson explained during the press conference. The safeguards in place malfunctioned somehow, and even after we were able to fix them, their powers are still here."
"Hm." He nodded. "Right. Well. If you'll please follow General Cameron, we'll make our way to a training ground to begin the process."
A woman in a military uniform stood at attention, wearing a neutral expression on her face as she beckoned for the kids and their parents to follow. Avery and Sebastian, at the back of the group, exchanged a glance, wary.
"Again."
The President leaned forward, watching with intent as Odd's shield flickered, bullets bouncing off it from several members of the military.
The boy, however, looked about as frightened as his parents felt. He wanted to let his guard down, but had to remain strong otherwise he'd be killed. Flashes of their fight with the Men in Black played in his head, and he felt weak, sweating.
"Stop!" Marguerite ordered. "That's enough." There was a brief pause. "Sir."
Avery nodded. "She's right, sir. Let's move on."
"Alright." The man motioned for the gunmen to stop. Odd, wary, dropped his shield and ran from the training field, collapsing into a chair between his parents. "The siblings are next, then we should be done."
"I can only sense oncoming danger," Nico asserted. "I don't know how you want me to demonstrate that."
"Fair." The man bit his tongue. "My apologies. Please, Miss De Luca." He motioned to Giana. "Demonstrate your powers for us."
Begrudgingly, the girl stood and walked to the center of the arena, facing the group with a neutral expression on her face. In an instant, she disappeared completely, an audible gasp rippling through the adults. A glance passed between her parents; they had heard of her powers through Avery and the medical staff, but hadn't witnessed them first-hand.
It only lasted about two minutes before she flickered back into view, wiping a hand across her brow. "Sorry," she mumbled, reclaiming her place with her family and the dog. "I'm still weak from surgery."
"That's quite alright," the President replied. "Thank you." Casting a fleeting glance down at his papers, he nodded once before straightening up. "I greatly appreciate you taking this time to demonstrate your powers for myself and members of the military." He paused a beat. "Although we certainly will not be calling upon you to use as weapons, as most of you are not citizens of this country anyway — please be advised that we will be keeping a close eye on your activity while in the United States. Do not, under any circumstances, use these powers for malicious intent." A Secret Service member whispered something in his ear. "That will be all. One of my assistants will show you out. You're free to return to the CIA. Director." He gave Avery a curt nod. "Always a pleasure."
She returned the gesture. "Glad we could help, sir."
