JTLs Code Lyoko Distortions

Episode 86: Discovery

Author James the Lesser

I do not own the characters (Except OCs) Moonscape does

I reread through this series, my favorite after Code Naia, and just love it. The ending especially. I usually/always wrote a happy ending except for this one. Yes Xana was defeated but there was no more Aelita, Bosh, Sanne/Maya, Odd and Ulrich hated each other, Yumi was in Japan again, so different. The ending happened as it did, this is just a spin off not a continuation of that series. Well, here it is... I am writing this on the fly, no real plans like I normally do. If some thing changes then uh, blame it on the time loop/distortion.

Kadic Academy

Ash kisses Jeremie on the cheek after a date. "That movie was incredible. Thank you for taking me to see it."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I can't help but feel like I saw it already. A memory of it of me watching it. But I feel I was alone the first time. "Did you have any memory of the movie?"

She shakes her head. "No, not at all. You?" He nods. "Then perhaps in the other timeline you took longer to save me?"

"Maybe." Which means... what? "We could have done this a dozen times by now. We failed, went back in time in a way that wiped our memories."

"And each time we remember a little more so we can do even better." She hugs Jeremie. "You make me feel safe. I know to trust you. To trust us. We will do it this time."

He hugs her back and whispers in her ear. "I hope so."

"Okay you two, break it up," They turn and see Milly. "Jim is doing dorm checks so Jeremie better get upstairs."

"Thank you for the warning, Milly." Jeremie smiles at Ash one last time before running for the stairs.

Next Day...

During breakfast, the sprinkler system turns on. Everyone thinks it is a malfunction until... "The fire extinguisher did nothing! Run!"

"Fire!"

The other students are panicking but one is sure it isn't a normal fire. "A fire that can't be put out? Has to be Xana."

"You're right, Odd. It has to be. Everyone, get to the Factory."

The group breaks off from the other students as the fire consumes the cafeteria.

Factory

pillar of fire burns across the bridge from the group. "Okay, is it sentient or does it just sit there?"

"Sentient?"

Odd turns back to Ulrich as he taps the side of his head. "The return made me smart. No idea how or why."

He starts walking towards the pillar of fire when it moves towards him. "It's sentient. Great. I'll distract, you guys get to Lyoko."

"Wait!" Milly is next to step forawrd. "You're better on Lyoko. I'll distract it." And take video at the same time. As long as my phone is on me when we reverse time the video won't disappear. "Go!"

"Be careful, Milly!"

"I will, Ash." I need as much evidence of, this, as possible. I'll make the greatest news story ever with this. "Now go! Before this things splits or something."

She runs towards the pillar and it moves towards her. Backing away slowly, she watches the others stay off to the side until the pillar of fire is past the entrance of the bridge.

With the way clear, the others run around her and get to the elevator...

Lyoko fighting monsters deactivate the Tower just in time to save Milly and a return...

Mall

Ash is with Milly and Tamiya looking at clothes. "Odd picked out my clothes. I don't know how he knew what I would like but he did." She holds up a shirt that is the same color as what Jeremie usually wears. "But I still like buying a couple things myself."

Milly sees it is the same color. "You really love Jeremie, don't you?"

"I do! In this time line or the others, I do."

The other time lines that Tamiya and I have no idea about. "How do you know there are other time lines?"

"We do. Jeremie and I compared memories. He's seen movies before they came out but I didn't. We know it means in a different time line it took longer to get me off of Lyoko." She sees Tamiya texting someone. "Is your boyfriend messaging you?"

"Yes, sorry. We have plans for tomorrow and we're trying to decide on the time and place. I want food first but he, well, it doesn't matter." She puts her phone away. "This is girl time!" With a very scary girl who remembers multiple time lines and worlds. "Speaking of food, who wants cheese fries?"

"I want popcorn." Ash smiles. "It is my favorite."

"Let's go then!" The three hurry to the food court.

Kadic Academy

Ulrich stares at his phone. It has a message from Yumi.

Something weird is going on. I can't explain it. Please call me. Don't worry about time zones I NEED to talk to someone. Someone not here.

He had been staring at the message for nearly an hour. Yumi hadn't messaged him in months. Years. It must be important.

Locking the door so Odd wouldn't interrupt him, Ulrich calls Yumi's phone. "Hello?"

"Ulrich, I, please don't hang up. I know this will sound crazy, because it is crazy. I, I mean, I've been having these memories. But they can't be memories. They didn't happen. But you're there, your roommate, a few others are in them. A, a computer. I can see it but I've never seen it before."

Hearing her almost in tears break's his heart. "They are real. Real memories. From a different timeline from this one."

"What!? How do you know that? Have you been having them?"

"Yes. Jeremie found a computer. The one you see in your memories. We're fighting something that comes out of it. A virus. It possesses things and attacks and we go and fight."

Yumi's silence allows Ulrich to continue. "It has been a couple of months now. We found Ash, an AI, on a place called Lyoko. It, she, might be human. We don't know yet. Jeremie is the computer person with all of this." Hearing her voice again after so long makes his eyes water as he fights back tears. "Yumi, I've seen you. Fighting alongside us. Me. Us. We were more. We, I see a war and machines but I see us. Together. Fighting them."

"I do too." Yumi holds the phone to her chest. "I do too." She hangs up on Ulrich before her sobs of pain and loss can be heard by Ulrich.

Ulrich checks to make sure he hasn't lost connection. "No, she hung up on me. Maybe one of her parents, whatever." Being alone, he lets his own tears fall on his shirt.

Elsewhere...

Jeremie finishes writing down new memories on his laptop. "The virus, in Ash, can be removed. I know it. I just need to remember the program for it." He looks at three names he wrote down.

Bosh

Aelita

Odd

"Three AI. Three tubes. Bosh and Aelita merged to form Ash. Odd... Why wasn't he on Lyoko? Does he even know he's an AI?" Jeremie thinks of calling Odd but... something stops him. "Ash is a merged being. She, I mean, she's a girl. Even if she was merged with a male AI." I hope, we haven't... I can't bring this up to her. "It explains her deeper voice and some of the more, peculiar, aspects of her face." He leans back in his chair. "If only I could remember more."

Next Day

Jeremie is holding hands with Ash as they walk in the woods. "Ash, any new memories? Like, of other AI?" She stops and he squeezes her hand to reassure her. "Does the name Bosh mean any thing to you?"

"Yes. He is, was, an AI. He still exists in a way."

Jeremie leans against her trying to comfort her. "You two merged together. Some how, some way. I don't know how or why. Time travel is too confusing."

"You don't, um, care, do you?"

He steps in front of her so he can look her in the eyes. "Of course not. Ash, Aelita, Bosh, you're you. I never felt like this about anyone before. I know I'm not, uh, smooth like Odd but know that I care for you. I really do."

"That makes me happy." She hugs him. "Besides, if I was more Bosh than Aelita I'm sure the other girls in the shower room would have mentioned it by now."

He laughs a little. "I guess that makes sense." He hugs her back. "After every return I remember more and more."

"So do I." She squeezes him tighter in her arms. "Except they make Xana stronger."

"It is a good thing you remembered that before we did too many."

The two stand in the woods holding each other for a few minutes before continuing their walk.

Japan

Yumi wants to run away. Back to France. "Ulrich confirmed this is real. The memories are real." She looks at her travel bag. "Where would I stay? I can't stay at Kadic." She puts a hand on the bag. "If I stay here I'll never, never," She closes her eyes and sees memories of her with Ulrich.

Fighting Xana, a laser burn on her arm, he protects her.

Together in a boiler room. The heat causing them both to suffer from heat stroke hoping their friends save them.

Machines attacking. Not Xana, no, his machines. They must be. An explosion, screaming, Ulrich protecting her as bullets rip through the air. His voice, telling her to run. Her telling him no. If he died, she died.

"I have to help. I can't let that future happen." She looks at the time. "Mom and dad go to bed in a couple of hours. I can sneak out, take a taxi, and be on a plane before they wake up." They will freak out. I'll leave a note saying I'm going to Tokyo. I can't risk them looking for me in France. "I'll figure things out as I go."

Sewers

Odd is with Milly and Tamiya showing them a short cut to the mall. "And now, even when say classes are in session, you can sneak out." He climbs up a ladder and pushes the sewer cover out of the way. "See?"

"Wow, that was faster than walking on the street." Milly helps Tamiya up. "What do you think? Food court?"

"Sure. If Odd pays."

He smiles. "Oh? If I were on a date I would but you and I didn't work out and Milly always told me no." He winks at both girls.

Tamiya puts her hands on her hips. "I have a boyfriend but you did invite both of us out to the mall. You invited, you pay."

"And I think," Milly sees a car coming towards them. "We're behind the mall no car should be, watch out!"

The three dive out of the way of the car. Odd is first to notice no driver. "Xana!"

Jeremie soon calls the others, a little late for Odd, Milly, and Tamiya. Earth Action, Odd distracts the possessed cars so the others can escape. Lyoko Action, no return needed.

Control Room

Jeremie taps his finger on the arm of the computer chair. "Xana attacked too quickly. He never attacks this soon after attacking."

"Unless he is getting stronger." Ash plays with a flower Jeremie had plucked from their walk in the woods. "Or something happened. Xana is, not weak, but not at full strength. My memories show a far more powerful Xana. Maybe he knows we're getting close to freeing me? When that happens we shut the computer off and never come back."

"That could be it. But why attack Odd? He seemed to be the main target of the attack."

"Because he's the third AI." Ash's words make Jeremie freeze. "Which makes me wonder why Odd is a threat to Xana."

He turns in his chair to face Ash. "So you remember him too?" She nods. "Except he wasn't on Lyoko. He has a family. I had him show me pictures. He's been on Earth for a long time if he is an AI."

"Did you tell him he's an AI?" Jeremie shakes his head. "Oh. Why not?"

"I, I mean, he doesn't know. What if he freaks out? Not that being an AI is bad but he thinks he is human his whole life and then finds out he isn't?" He sees her look. "I can't explain it right. If, I mean, if I found out I was adopted I'd freak out too."

"Being AI isn't bad but it isn't normal either. I understand." He doesn't want to hurt me with his words but it still does. "We should tell him. Maybe it will trigger more memories."

We should but how will he react? "If this goes poorly, it isn't, I, I can't explain it right."

"Odd's reaction doesn't matter. We just need more memories." Ash pulls her phone out and calls Odd. "Hey, can you come to the Factory? It isn't urgent but the sooner the better."

"I can always make time for a pretty lady."

Ash can't help but blush. "Um, thanks."

Kadic

Ulrich sits in his room, alone. His homework sits in front of him needing to be done but is ignored.

When his phone rings and he sees the name he almost drops his phone. "Yumi? Hi, uh, are you okay?"

"Yes, but, go to the entrance to Kadic Academy."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. Please."

He hears a car horn in the background and swears he can almost hear one through his open window at the same time. "I guess."

He stays on the phone trying to figure out what Yumi is wanting from this. She's in Japan. What does she care if I...

As his phone drops to the ground, Yumi waves weakly at him. "Hi Ulrich."

Factory

Odd steps off of the elevator and sees Jeremie and Ash. "So, what's up?"

"Odd, well, um, I have,"

Ash cuts Jeremie off. "You're an AI. Three tubes, three AI. The two that merged to make me, and you."

Odd smiles. "I know. Not a big deal. I'm awesome, what does it matter if I'm DNA or bytes?" Jeremie and Ash are stunned by his response. "I'm guessing you guys just got those memories?"

Ash is happy that Odd didn't freak out. "Well, for a week or so. Odd, any memories that could help us? With my anti virus or why Xana targets you?"

"Nope. Would love to help you, a damsel in distress, but I can't." He sees Jeremie's look. "Hey, I can flirt if I want to. I know she's your lovely lady." He turns back to Ash. "But it explains why I knew what clothes to pick out for you. The other AI, Bash?"

"Bosh."

"Bosh was my best friend. Enough of him carried over in to you that I could see what he would like and pick it out for you. I have lots of memories and while some are scary others are pretty cool. Knowing my best friend and I would compete to see who could get the farthest with..." He stops and clears his throat. "Well, I'll not talk about that in front of a lady. Even if that lady was my best friend in a different time line."

"Yes, well," Jeremie is glad that Odd reacted well to the news. "If," The elevator starts running. "Who could that be?"

Turning to the control panel, Jeremie brings up a camera and sees Ulrich with... "I have no idea who that is."

Odd gets closer to the screen. "Yumi Ishiyama. A grade above us. Don't you have memories with her in them? I do. None of them as fun as other's I've had but..."

The elevator stops and the doors open. "Well? What do you think, Yumi?"

"It's real." She drops to her knees. "It's real. That means the memories are real." The war, the death. It is all real. "We're going to die."

Ash shakes her head hard. "No! We're already farther than we ever were before. I'm on Earth faster than before. We know there is a virus in me and Jeremie will get it out of me. We are going to do this."

"How do you know? The memories. Ulrich yelling at me to run, but I can't. I can't leave him behind to die. Bullets hitting him in the chest. Grabbing him before he can fall, and then a pain in my throat. I know I was shot in the throat. It is the last memory I have."

Ulrich puts a hand on her shoulder. "I remember that too." He shudders at the memory. A nightmare he can't escape from when he sleeps. "We can stop that, can't we?"

"Of course." Jeremie gets out of the chair and walks over to Ash so he can hold her hand. "Once we get the virus out of Ash, we turn the computer off, and never come back here." He turns to the monitor as do the others. "Never."

A/N Not sure how long I'll continue this... I didn't have a road map for this story it just... comes as it comes.