Sector Five
The entire team was in this sector today as Aelita gathered data before the Mantas came out.
"What about the Mantas?" Jeremy questioned. "How are we doing?"
"Looks like they'll be hatching real soon." Ulrich replied.
"Judging by the size of this nest, we're going to have some big, bouncing babies." Odd added.
"Alright, that's enough for now Aelita." Jeremy stated.
"Just a little longer." Aelita stated. "We've never been able to access this much data."
"Aelita, I don't mean to overstep my bounds, but sometimes it's best to get as much information as possible before pulling out." Jim reasoned. "There'll be more opportunities another time."
"Alright." Aelita stopped interfacing. "Control is yours once again Jeremy."
"Not a second to soon because they're here." Yumi informed.
The Mantas were flying over to the group.
"Don't worry, I got things under control." Jeremy declared. "Your vehicles are coming right up."
The vehicles appeared around the walkway.
"Alright, get the let out everyone." Odd stated.
Everyone got on or in their vehicles with Aelita hopping into the Overbuggy's passenger seat. The Mantas then began firing on them as they sped away.
"The tunnel will be opening soon, so just hold out for the time being." Jeremy informed.
"No problem, Einstein." Odd flew back to the Mantas. "I'll entertain the infants for a moment." He managed to get well above the pod and targeted a specific one before angling downward with a spin. "Laser Arrows!"
He fired a barrage and managed to nail one of them taking it out.
"The tunnels are open, and the Mantas shouldn't follow you inside." Jeremy informed.
The group sped into the open tunnel together while the Mantas pulled back.
Computer Room
"There we go." Jeremy stated. "The data analysis is running."
The rest of the group came out of the elevator.
"What exactly does that mean?" Jim asked.
"It means that I could end up finding the anti-virus from this batch of data you all managed to retrieve." Jeremy informed.
"Finally getting rid of this stupid virus once and for all." Odd stated. "That would be great."
"Well, we should probably head on home everyone." Jim was looking at his watch. "Any later, and none of us will be able to function properly tomorrow."
Kadic Academy
Odd had walked Aelita back to her room.
Before she entered, Aelita turned to look at him. "Odd, do you think the data we found will have the answers?"
"Einstein seems certain." Odd smiled. "Even if it doesn't, we'll go back as many times as it takes to find it."
"Yeah." Aelita smiled back. "One day, I'll be real."
"Aelita, you're just as real as any of us." Odd put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't think any differently, okay?"
"With you, I certainly feel real." Aelita nodded. "Well, night Odd."
"Good night, Princess." Odd returned.
What neither of them noticed was Sissi who had been peeking out her doorway.
She now closed it while holding a recorder. "This time, I caught them."
Morning…
Everyone had woken up with Odd and Jeremy awakening to a station telling them it was Tuesday. Yumi had gotten ready and headed downstairs only to be grilled by her father on why she was out so late last night.
Odd was walking through the halls alone when Sissi stopped him. "Oh Odd, I believe I have something quite interesting for you to listen to." He raised an eyebrow. "There's not a lot of music, but the words are quite interesting."
Science Class
Odd was currently talking quietly with Ulrich and Jeremy.
"She tapped the whole conversation." Odd stated distressed.
"What does she want exactly?" Jeremy asked.
"She wants in the group." Odd replied. "She wants me to explain everything, or she'll go to her father. Usually, I'd have come up with something, but I never expected her to have evidence."
"That sounds like Sissi given everything we've experienced from her." Ulrich informed.
"Excuse me you three." Ms. Hertz declared grabbing their attention. "Do you mind if I teach a class here?"
"Oh, sorry ma'am." Ulrich stated. "We weren't thinking."
"Well, maybe you'd like to think now Mr. Stern." Ms. Hertz fixed her glasses. "Tell me, what are the mass and moles of two Oxygen atoms?"
"Is it… 20." Ulrich tried.
"Not even close." Ms. Hertz scolded. "It's 32 grams per mole." She crossed her arms. "What's the principal of photosynthesis?"
"Well, isn't that how plants eat?" Ulrich questioned.
"That answer would suffice at your average academy, but here it only earns you half a point." Ms. Hertz informed. "It is the synthesis of Oxygen from plants possessing chlorophyll placed in light."
She approached him. "If I were you, I'd take up extra tutoring sessions with young Jeremy; otherwise, your grades will begin slipping like they were before such sessions. To further improve your odds, I'd actually listen to my lectures as well."
Ulrich hung his head with a sigh. "Yes, Ms. Hertz."
Courtyard
Jeremy, Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich met up outside to further discuss the Sissi situation.
"Couldn't we get Jim to confiscate her recording?" Aelita asked.
"Only if she bust it out during his class." Odd sighed. "The guy has sway, but Sissi's the daughter of the person with the most sway in the school. If Jim tries any other time, we put the only authority on our side in hot water."
"That's where we don't want him." Jeremy added. "He's been building himself up as a more outstanding teacher."
"Since we can't get Jim to handle this, I think I got an idea of my own…" Ulrich alluded.
Gymnasium
Ulrich's idea was to give Sissi a martial arts lesson while Odd and Jeremy went to retrieve the recording. The only problem was that the recording wasn't there because Herb and Nicholas had it.
Sissi had managed to outsmart them. When they refused to give up anything, she ended up taking the recording to give to her father. Fortunately, a Return to the Past was initiated before she could even leave the room.
Kadic Academy: That Morning…
Odd and Jeremy had awoken to the exact same alarm causing them to share alarmed looks.
Yumi's Home
Yumi was coming out of her room confused when Hiroki confronted her. "Yumi, what's going on?" He was whispering. "I didn't hear or see anything remotely like the incidents you've told me about. Why did you guys initiate a Return to the Past."
"Hiroki, I'm being completely honest in that I have no idea." Yumi stated. "As far as I know, most of my friends were dealing with a situation we hadn't got the chance to tell you about. Unless Aelita and Jim decided to do it, this is unprecedented."
Hiroki studied his sister a good minute to determine if she was lying. He ultimately saw she wasn't. Ever since this Xana situation began, before he knew, Hiroki always got the sense she was lying to him. Now, she was back to being truthful.
"Alright, just keep me posted." Hiroki then gave her his best, hopeful smile. "By the way, when do I get to go back to Lyoko?"
"Only when you're absolutely needed." Yumi declared protectively before walking away. "Now, get ready for school."
Hiroki crossed his arms and sighed. He wanted to help, but to his knowledge, as much as they've told him, nothing Xana related has come up. Even then, he knew he'd only be called in on extreme emergencies.
"Still, disobeying their wishes won't make me a Lyoko Warrior full time." Hiroki shook his head and walked back to his room. "I just got to be patient and prove myself like Odd said."
From there, Yumi circumnavigated her father to get out of the house as soon as possible.
Kadic Academy: Courtyard
Odd, Aelita, and Ulrich had met to discuss things while Jeremy went to Jim to explain everything that was happening.
"Einstein didn't program a return to the past, and it seems like no one else among us could have." Odd stated.
"How else do you explain Tuesday starting again?" Aelita asked.
"Without anyone, that we know of, initiating this, there could be a serious problem on our hands." Odd stated. "After science class, you and I will be going to the factory with Jeremy. If anyone can figure this out, it's him."
"At least now we have a second chance with Sissi." Ulrich stated.
He went up to her and preempted her meeting with Odd.
Science
Since they were back in time, Ulrich decided he might as well catch Ms. Hertz's attention since he did know the answers to the questions.
"Well, maybe you'd like to think now Mr. Stern." Ms. Hertz fixed her glasses. "Tell me, what are the mass and moles of two Oxygen atoms?"
"It's 32 grams per mole." Ulrich replied.
"That's right." She was shocked before becoming firm again. "What's the principal of photosynthesis?"
"It is the synthesis of Oxygen from plants possessing chlorophyll placed in light." Ulrich recited.
"Hm." Ms. Hertz smiled. "Seems your sessions with Mr. Belpois has helped you be a little more attentive in my class. Keep up the good work."
Factory
Ulrich approached Sissi from the angle that Odd and Aelita think they are virtual people while selling his worry about them. As she did that, Jim, Odd, Aelita, Ulrich, and Jeremy were in the supercomputer's room with Jeremy and Aelita trying to figure this out.
"Say Jim, has repeating the day done anything to improve it for you?" Yumi asked.
"Honestly, I kind of wish this all happened a couple days ago." Jim coughed into his hand. "There were some pranks I could have looked forward to avoiding. Now, it's just your standard day for me. Maybe I've had a little better luck in getting a good breakfast in."
"Hey Einstein, you got any clue on why this is happening yet?" Odd asked.
"Well, it could be Xana's doing." Aelita offered.
"It's likely, but we'll know the cause in just a minute." Jeremy voiced. "I'm running a scan to ascertain the truth." He then got it. "Oh boy, looks like Xana took control of our going back in time through that data we snagged. He boobytrapped it."
"Why would he do that?" Aelita asked.
"I don't know, but another is launching now." Jeremy stated. "I'm launching a scan to search for an activated tower." A tower pinged. "There it is. Xana has launched an attack, but it isn't tied to the data meaning this is separate from that."
At that moment, a Return to the Past was initiated.
That Morning… Again
Yumi had to explain to Hiroki what they found out before speeding out of the house. As for the boys, they went back in science with Ulrich doing what he did the day before with the same results. The only problem is that they had to disregard Sissi in favor of Lyoko.
Mountain Sector
The warriors were virtualized into the sector.
"Alright, the activated tower is on the second plateau to the North." Jeremy instructed. "Sorry guys, but there isn't enough resources to bring up the vehicles meaning you'll just have to go on foot."
"No sweat." Ulrich stated. "It'll be like the good old days."
"While you guys attend to the tower, I'm going to try and regain control of jumping back in time." Jeremy informed.
"Good luck Einstein." Odd stated. "As for the rest of us, it's time to move out!"
As the group moved together, there were no monsters about.
"This is too quiet for my liking." Jim stated. "I know I'm still relatively new, but Xana usually sends out his monsters quickly, right?"
"Yeah, that's usually the case." Yumi affirmed.
They then heard the wings of some Hornets.
"Looks like you two spoke too soon." Odd stated. "Ulrich, you and Jim need to get Aelita to the tower. Yumi and I will deal with them."
"Guys, on your right." Jeremy spoke up. "Take that path and jump. There's a pathway below, and it'll bring you closer to the tower."
"You don't have to tell us twice." Ulrich stated. "Come on, you two."
Ulrich, Jim, and Aelita ran for the edge and jumped.
With Odd and Yumi
"Alright, we got two swarms." Odd declared. "One for me, and one for you."
Yumi nodded. "Got it."
Odd then teleported behind the combined swarm. "Hey Xana, I hear your mother was a basic calculator. Come and get me!"
He teleported once more before running prompting the swarm to break as Yumi drew her fans. She charged in while blocking or flipping out of the way of shots. She then took out a hornet with her fans.
Kadic Academy
Being unable to find Odd, or anyone part of his group, Sissi had gone to her father with the evidence. He was more impressed with the earbuds, but the message did get him to try calling Jim into the office to explain this.
With Odd
Odd threw up his shield to tank some shots as he tried to figure out the best time to attack. It wasn't long before three hornets took off after Aelita. This prompted Odd to take his shot. He teleported into the air and aimed.
"Laser Arrows!" Odd fired off two shots managing to nail his two remaining Hornets. "Jeremy, three Hornets just broke off to go after the others."
"Understood." Jeremy stated.
With Jim, Aelita, and Ulrich
"Ulrich and Jim, you should prepare for company." Jeremy warned.
"I think I see those bugs now." Jim declared. "Ulrich, take Aelita and run to the tower." He drew his staff and began charging electricity. "I'll try to hold them off."
"Got it Jim." Ulrich declared.
The pair sprinted while Jim fired off a shot nailing one of the Hornets and leaving him with two.
"Ulrich, you and Aelita need to hurry." Jeremy declared. "Xana has just started the countdown to another jump in time."
With Odd and Yumi
Yumi kept on flipping and blocking shots until a stray one hit her hand sending the girl to her stomach. A Hornet got in close, but Odd fired off an arrow destroying it. The remaining two nailed Yumi.
"Odd." Yumi managed before being devirtualized.
"Odd, you can't concern yourself with these Hornets." Jeremy stated. "Go give Jim a hand in buying Aelita time."
"Understood." Odd stated before jumping.
With Jim
"Come get some ya bugs." Jim declared as he fired off more electricity.
"Jim, javelin throw!" Odd shouted.
The gym teacher saw Odd running his way, so he threw his staff taking out one of the hornets. Odd then teleported into the way, caught it, teleported to the side of the bugs, and threw it through them finishing of the last two. Jim caught his weapon as Odd landed on the ground.
Super Computer Room
"If only I had more time to find a solution." Jeremy declared.
Yumi joined him. "Chin up Jeremy because you're about to get another day."
That Morning… Once More
Jeremy and Odd woke up feeling fed up with this repetition; however, they didn't realize that something was different. Sissi was being possessed by Xana and now heading towards their room. Beyond that, there was a problem with Aelita.
"This is awful." Odd immediately called in the other warriors. "Guys, Aelita is still on Lyoko. Get to the factory. Einstein and I will meet you there." The door opened to reveal Sissi. "Wait, this isn't how this happened."
Sissi spoke in a different voice. "You two will not leave."
"That's because she's not completely Sissi." Jeremy stated in realization.
Odd realized it as well and acted. "Get to the lab!" He lunged forward managing to wrap his arms around Sissi's waste and tackle her out of the room. "Go! We need you in the lab more than I need you here!"
Jeremy took the chance to book it out of the room. He was already around the corner, still running, as Sissi managed to plant her feet on Odd pushing him clear off her. It was at this moment that Herb and Nicholas came around another corner.
"There you are." Sissi stood up. "Take this simpleton somewhere you can hold him. I have important matter to attend to." Odd wasn't about to wait around for that, so he was booked in a completely different direction from Jeremy. "Get him!"
Mountain Sector
Aelita was currently facing down a red monster with a large, clear dome and multiple clear tentacles. "Odd. Odd help me!"
It managed to levitate her with its tentacles and make her glow red.
Supercomputer Room
Ulrich, Yumi, Jim, and Jeremy came down in the elevator.
"Odd's currently keeping a Xanified Sissi busy, so we got to deactivate…" Jeremy noticed what was going on with the screen. "Oh no, what's wrong with Aelita!?" He took a seat and began interfacing." He looked back at the others. "Get to the scanners. Xana's got another new monster, and this one is stealing Aelita's memories!"
The group did not need to be told twice as they ran back into the elevator.
Mountain Sector
The trio appeared near Aelita with Yumi throwing her fans at the monster forcing it to let go. Jim ran over and helped Aelita, who was disoriented, stand. Ulrich stood before them with his sword drawn forcing the monster to escape.
"Guys, Xana's just started another jump back in time." Jeremy declared. "We may have to do this all over again on a much shorter time restraint."
"I'd rather not living this day a fifth time over Jeremy." Ulrich declared.
"We need to make it to that tower." Yumi voiced.
"First, we'll have to get through him." Jim declared.
They all looked to see a Tarantula blocking their way. As they approached, Jeremy was trying a code that came to mind in hopes of stopping a jump back in time.
"Alright, Jim and I will take it down." Ulrich declared. "Yumi, you then get Aelita to the tower."
"Guys, I've done it." Jeremy celebrated as Jim and Ulrich charged the monster from either side. "I've stopped Xana's control over our Returns to the Past."
Jim charged up some lighting and flung it at the monster. While it damaged it, Tarantulas were stronger than to be felled by one blast. It did draw his attention allowing Ulrich to cut its limbs off before shoving his sword through its chin destroying it. Aelita and Yumi then ran on.
With Odd
Odd had ran into the forest chased by Sissi. By this point, they had lost Herb and Nicholas. The former was currently gaining ground when Odd noticed her recorder on her waist. He decided to take care of that as he stopped and charged back at Sissi tackling her again.
"You won't be needing this." Odd declared.
He grabbed the device and slammed it against the ground with all his might destroying it and the tape. Then Sissi grabbed Odd and threw him into the ground. She stood over him ready to stomp Odd out. Fortunately, her eyes returned to normal.
Odd breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Princess."
"Oh no, my recorder." Sissi had noticed the destroyed pieces. "Wait, why am I out here?"
Courtyard, Later…
"That thing was just stealing my memories." Aelita stated.
"Yeah, seems Xana wants something inside of you." Jeremy stated. "The question is, what?"
"Don't forget, that's not our only problem." Odd stated. "Our Returns to the Past will only make Xana stronger from here on out meaning we got to use them as an ultimate, last resort."
"We hear you there Odd." Yumi stated. "Fortunately, Sissi doesn't remember a thing, so another return to this morning wasn't necessary."
"From here on out, the next rounds are going to only get tougher." Ulrich voiced.