JTLs Code Lyoko Distortions

Episode 87: To Return Or Not

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 is on her bed talking with Jeremie over the phone. "Tomorrow? Are you sure?"

"Yes. The tests work. All of them. I've tested for variations. We can do this. We will do this. And then..."

"And then we turn it off. Forever."

"Yes. In a way that makes it impossible for Xana to come back."

Factory

Yumi lies on the cot in the computer room. "I come back just in time for two attacks and then..." She turns on to her side. "Jeremie must be brilliant." She hugs her legs. "I can't go home. Ulrich, he, even if not in this time line. He saved me. He loved me. He died for me."

What do I do? In a few months I'll turn 18. I'll be an adult.

Continuing to hug her legs, she rocks in place fighting back sleep. When she sleeps, she sees memories. Nightmares.

Elsewhere...

Odd sees Jim by the door to the dorm room. "I can do this. Just need a distraction."

He searches for anything he can throw to get Jim's attention and sees none. "What do I do? Sam always keeps me out too late."

Seeing no way to get past him, Odd has to come up with a different plan. "Plan B."

He comes out from around the corner, limping. "Ow, ow, ow." With every step on his left leg, he says ow. "Hey! Jim, can you help?"

He stands up and turns. "Odd Della Robbia. Do you know what the time is?" He sees Odd's limp. "You're hurt?"

"Tried one too many tricks on my board. Broke it, and hurt my ankle. Give me a hand?"

"Yes, I'll have you see the nurse in the morning. For now, we need to get you up to your dorm."

"Thanks big guy."

Ulrich hears the door open and sees Odd with Jim. "You're late."

"I know. Hurt my ankle while skate boarding. Thankfully," Odd is interrupted by Jim hitting him from behind.

"Hey, what the, Xana!" Ulrich steps back as he sees electricity spark around Jim. "Shit, Xana possessed Jim. Odd, I know you're hurt but,"

"Nope." Odd kicks Jim between the legs. "I was faking. Go!" He leaps over Jim easily, with Ulrich following him.

Xana recovers quickly as Odd pounds on Jeremie's door. "Xana attack! Call the ladies, Ulrich and I got Jim."

"Jim?" He opens the door and sees Odd. "Why do you have Jim?"

Odd points and he sees Jim walking slowly towards them. "Oh, he's possessed. Uh, stop him long enough we can get Ash to the Factory."

The ladies, and Jeremie, make it to the Factory where Yumi is waiting for them. Attack stopped, but Jim and the fight awoke others and a return is launched

Factory

Yumi sits up on the cot. "More memories." The tears flow from her eyes. "If we don't stop Xana we're going to die. Everyone will." She takes her phone out. "Ulrich, I can't let you die." Her finger trembles over his picture.

Kadic Academy

Ulrich stares at a picture of Yumi on his phone. "I won't let you die."

Jeremie, a few rooms down, struggles to catch his breath. "That's it. We can do this." He checks the time. "Damn, I went back too far. It's the night before." He shakes his head. "I don't care. We can do this."

Calling Ash, he waits a second before she answers. "Jeremie, I have an idea."

"What? Ash, I was thinking we shouldn't wait. We should go now."

"And then what? We leave the Super Computer off until someone else finds it?"

He is silent.

"We can delete it. All of it. With another return or two I know I'll remember."

"Remember what?"

"A program to delete Xana and Lyoko. The Super Computer. All of it."

Jeremie hadn't thought of it. The plan is to free Ash and turn the computer off. He never thought of what would happen if someone else found it. "They make him stronger."

"I know but if we delete him then it doesn't matter how strong he gets."

He is silent.

"I'll go now."

"What? No, Ash, this is something we should vote on."

She hangs up on him.

It takes Jeremie a minute to realize what she is planning. "I'm too slow. Ulrich and Odd can catch her." He is about to call Ulrich when he remembers... "Wait, Yumi is there." He calls her. "Ash is coming to the Factory. She wants to launch a return or two. They make Xana stronger but give her more memories. Don't let her do it."

"Why does she want to get more memories?" The ones I have are horrific. I can't have more.

"She says she has memories of a program to delete Xana and the Super Computer. If she gets more she might be able to delete everything so no one can find this in the future and turn it on. Releasing Xana."

That... Is scarier than I could imagine. Someone finds it and releases Xana without Ash being there? No way to stop Xana... The nightmares. "I'll stop her."

"Thank you. I'll get there when I can."

After they hang up, Yumi gets off of her cot and goes up to the Control Room.

Factory

Ash takes the elevator down and sees Yumi in the chair. "Oh, if you could get out, I would appreciate it."

Yumi stares at her, and then back at the monitor. "You want to launch returns."

Ash nods. "I get more memories when we do them." She walks towards Yumi. "Memories that will help me end this."

"So Jeremie said." Yumi stands up from the chair. "He told me to stop you."

Ash takes a step back. "You could. You are stronger and do martial arts. I wouldn't stand a chance against you."

"No, you wouldn't." Yumi steps aside. "Do it. Do whatever it takes to get rid of Xana." And the nightmares. The memories. The future.

"Thank you."

Sitting in the chair, Ash brings up the return program. "Please, let this be the right thing to do."

The white bubble comes up reversing time.

Factory

Ash finds herself back in the Factory. "I timed it right."

"No you didn't." Jeremie grabs the back of the chair and tips it over.

After crashing on to the floor, Ash starts to get back up when Jeremie grabs her by the right arm. "You have to stop."

"No. I, I will remember more." She closes her eyes. "I have to." He holds her down. "Let me go. Now."

His hand grips harder. "No." He keeps his grip as she tries to pull her arm away. "Ash, are you remembering anything?"

She closes her eyes for a second. "No." Her eyes open. "No. Not yet."

"So wait. Wait for them to come. What if one return was," The computer starts to beep. "Xana, he's attacking. I'll call Ulrich and Odd if you call Milly and Tamiya."

Soon...

All make it to Lyoko but the majority are confused.

Ulrich takes the lead. "So there was a return and then Xana attacked?"

"Yes. Let's leave it at that."

"No, Ash." Jeremie, the eye in the sky, exposes her. "Ash has an idea. She gets memories after returns. She wants to launch them until she remembers a program she claims exists. One that will delete Xana."

"Delete Xana?" No. I need him to exist so I can expose him. "We shouldn't do them, right? They make Xana stronger if I remember."

"They do, Milly."

"But it won't matter! I remember the program, use it, he's gone. Please, you have to let me do more. I need to stop him."

Milly and Jeremie are against this for one reason or another.

The rest...

Yumi- We need to kill Xana for good. We can't risk him being found and released

Odd- If we get rid of him maybe Jeremie can figure out where the hell I came from. How I am an AI and yet have a family.

Ulrich- He's too strong as it is. He's possessing people. What if he tries to kill them instead of attacking us? Blackmail us with the life of someone else. We can't risk any more returns than we need.

Tamiya- This is too scary. I know I'd feel better if he were dead. But the returns make him stronger. What if he gets too strong?

Gang goes, fights monsters, save the day.

Factory After Attack

The group is split in two.

Milly, Jeremie, Tamiya, and Ulrich on one side.

Yumi, Odd, and Ash on the other.

"We out vote you. We aren't launching more returns."

Ash glares at Jeremie. "I'll get more memories. Already I can see, something. Some one. Two of them. They look like me but they aren't AI. I don't know who or what they are.

Jeremie is about to continue arguing with her when he gets flashes of memory. "I, I know who they are. Were, will be."

"What? Who?" Ash goes over to him as he leans over gripping his head. "Who are they?"

"Our children. Sanne and... Maya. Twins."

Ash steps back like Jeremie had smacked her. "What!? We, we had kids? But, then, that, they're old. Well, not old old but like, our age."

The rest of the group is stunned. Could Jeremie, and Ash, have really had kids?

I have no memories of kids. Do Ulrich and I not...

Ulrich notices Yumi looking over at him. I can't remember any kids. I guess Yumi and I don't have any. At least, not in that time line.

Ash falls to her knees as more memories flood her.

Mom! Run! They're here!

No, not without you two! Go! I'll hold them off!

Gunfire. Explosions. Screams. Death.

They're safe. We're safe. This time.

Jeremie helps her off of the floor. "Ash, it, I, I mean,"

Ash hugs him. "We have to stop Xana. For good. For our babies."

He hugs her back.

The others are starting to recover from the news of future children. "I, I mean, I guess no more returns? At least until we need them."

"Yes Odd. I know the memories will come but we have to be careful." Ash fights back tears as more memories of a war not yet fought come to her.

Jeremie helps her by hugging her tighter and letting her cry in to his shoulder when she loses her fight against her tears.

The others get on the elevator, even Yumi, so Jeremie and Ash can be left alone.

Paris

Yumi and Ulrich eat at a cafe enjoying the nice weather.

The silence is deafening between the two.

Finally, Yumi reaches across the small table and grasps Ulrich's hand in hers. "I don't have any memories of kids. Do you?" He shakes his head. "They said the kids they had were our age. Does that mean we fight Xana for almost twenty years before, whatever they do, is done?"

"I don't know. Time travel is confusing. The return, how far does it go?"

"At least Japan."

"Farther than that. If it only affected Earth then like, the ISS and other space stuff would be off. Right? Satellites wouldn't be aligned right."

"Maybe. And, how come we remember the ones we do now but not the other one?"

Yumi squeezes his hand tighter. "I've been looking it up. The Kill Hitler Clause might explain it."

"The what?"

She sighs. "You go back in time to kill Hitler before he rises to power. Once he's dead, he never becomes the monster we know. So you don't go back in time to kill him so he isn't killed. What if we, at least one of us, went back in time and killed Xana? But because Xana no longer exists and doesn't become the threat we know now that would mean the person doesn't go back in time. So the timeline... reset itself?"

"It could have done it as many times as it can and we'd never know."

"Exactly. When we do returns now, we get memories, from the altered timeline. I think that, anyways." She laughs nervously. "No idea if any of that is true."

"It's enough to make my head spin."

"Me too." She smiles at him and gets a smile back. "Want to go to the park? Just, away from the Factory. Anywhere."

"Sure, I'd love that."

The two leave the cafe and walk away, hand in hand.

Kadic Academy

Milly has all of her video and pictures involving Lyoko, the Super Computer, Xana, and more on a flash drive. "If they delete Xana before I can expose it all, I lose out on the story of a life time."

She leaves her dorm room glad that Tamiya is busy with a boyfriend.

Her goal is the local news channel. They could have the copies she made. Give her credit for the story of a century. Virtual worlds, quantum computer, and more. She'd skip college and go straight in to the world of reporting. She can already imagine the awards she'd win for this story and more.