Author's Note: Amen to the weekend. I've decided to be nice and post faster. But this will only last on weekends, I can assure you. Anyway, here is your eagerly awaited next chapter! Mornstar, the brothers can use Lyoko powers in real life, if you missed that part (in regards to your "triplicate" question). Can't wait to see blueprints! Glad I cleared things up for you, Warrior Pixie. Beverly, Vulcan Princess, again thank you for a detour into your mind. And to ulrichxyumi4eva, I have to say, yes you are right. So enjoy it now! Thank you so much for the reviews, y'all! Enjoy!


"What if they're not here? What if this is a trap?" Ulrich hissed into my ear.

I glared at him. "You were the one who thought of the idea. You answer those questions." Suddenly I remembered the nano-technology eye shadow. I took it out and rubbed some on. "Actually maybe I can answer some of your questions." I blinked three times, remembering Clover teaching me how to use it. X-ray glasses suddenly appeared on my eyes. I gazed through them with a frown, scanning the factory. "There's isn't anyone in there at all. Not even Jeremy or Odd."

"What?" Ulrich asked, himself looking at the factory as if he could see through the walls as well. "Then either I was wrong, or..." Ulrich stopped himself. I blinked again, making the x-ray glasses disappear and looked at him expectantly. He gulped. "I just had the worst possible idea."

"Let's go take a look at the factory. Tell me on the way in."

We started across the bridge and jumped on our ropes to slide down to the elevator. "What if those Xana cronies were planning to trap all of us in Lyoko and then, once all of us were in Lyoko, he would pull the plug on it?" I gasped.

"That would explain what Xavier meant, but that doesn't explain where Odd and Jeremy are."

Ulrich shook his head. "Yes it does. Odd is probably trapped in Lyoko right now. Jeremy is also probably trapped in Lyoko. Hopefully they didn't have time to shut it down yet."

"Hopefully," I muttered unhappily, realizing that if this were true, we would have to take action to get them back but that involved going to Lyoko again. "But...Jeremy would never go to Lyoko."

Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "Not voluntarily."

We reached the level where Jeremy would usually sit, manning the controls and scanning Lyoko's virtual landscape for any dangers or threats. We ran inside to find the floor deserted but the computer on. I ran over to it and sat in the swivel chair where Jeremy would usually sit. I remembered what had happened last time I was in Lyoko. I cringed with the pang of pain it brought me. But I forgot about it almost completely when I turned to look at the computer screen.

"Oh my god, they are in Lyoko," I gasped as I saw Odd's card and Jeremy's newly formed card on one of the side screens of the computer. They seemed fine and their life points were also fine but when I clicked on the window that showed me Lyoko's landscape, I couldn't find them anywhere. I placed my hands on my head and shook it. "No, no, no! I can't handle this, I can't! I can't go back to Lyoko and I can't do anything to help. I'm a klutz and I've lost it. No"

Ulrich grabbed my hands urgently. "You fought Xana today. All four parts of Xana and you were awesome. You can do this Yumi, you can! I trust you, I have faith in you."

I tried pulling my hands back. "Easy for you to say. You didn't kill Aelita."

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as I stated plainly what happened last time I was in Lyoko. Ulrich's grip lessened on my wrists and I pulled them back hurriedly, placing them in my lap. I gazed impassively at the screen and watched the blank Lyoko landscape. Then I leaned forward and grabbed the communicator, tucking it behind my ear. "Get to the scanners. I'm sending you to Lyoko."

"Yes!" Ulrich said, running for the elevator. Then he stopped to look at me as the door slid open. "Aren't you coming? It will be hard to find them alone you know."

I sighed and shut my eyes. "I'll come later. You go first." I heard the elevator doors slide shut again and waited a couple of minutes before tentatively starting the virtualization program. My fingers trembled as I typed in the keys. I had only done this once before successfully and I needed to do it again. "Ready?" I asked into the microphone. "Transfer Ulrich...scanner Ulrich...virtualization."

I watched as he appeared on the Lyoko screen. "Which direction?" came his voice. "I'm in the forest region."

"I dunno!" I said exasperatedly, scanning the nearby area for him to see if any unwanted guests had made an appearance yet. "I don't see any of them anywhere. Just start looking."

A little circle of green that was Ulrich started to move. I watched as he ran around the region for a little while. Then I spotted something else moving. "Oh shoot," I swore, gazing at the screen closely to make sure of what I was seeing. "Ulrich you've got company. Lots of company."

"What? Where?" came his confused voice.

I counted quickly. "Twelve hornets surrounding you. Don't you see them?"

"Wha...AHH!!!"

"Ulrich! Answer me!" I said frantically. "Shit!" I pressed a few keys quickly on the keyboard. "Okay, let's see. Automatic virtualization."

"Yumi? Are you there?"

"Yes Ulrich, are you okay?"

"What do you think? Get over here now!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" I reached down and grabbed Jeremy's book of notes that he always kept near the computer. I flipped to where it was marked "automatic virtualization". I skimmed it briefly and type in what he stated I should. "Okay, I'm coming!" I ran to the scanners.

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I landed in a crouch in the forest region. The ground underfoot was green and mossy and trunks of trees surrounded the area. I heard the shot of lasers being fired faintly in the distance. "Hey, I did it," I whispered to myself in regard to getting me to Lyoko. "Now let's see if I can do this without messing up." I ran in the direction of the noises.

After a minute or two of running, I heard a familiar voice. "Impact!" Then a boom followed as a monster exploded. I ran behind a mound of dirt and peeked over the side. Ulrich was frantically dancing away from a shower of lasers. He was fighting in a slightly circular part of the pathway, with rocks lining the edge, looking almost like benches. He sprang off them occasionally to avoid a monster's shot.

Ulrich jumped gracefully into the middle of the circular area and tried slashing at a buzzing hornet in front of him. I saw one come at him from the back. Right as it was about to shoot, I leapt up on the mound of dirt I had been hiding behind and sent my fan whizzing into it. It exploded into little pitiful pieces. I caught my fan and threw it as soon as it touched my fingers. Another hornet was smashed before it could respond.

"Yah!" Ulrich shouted as he plunged his sword into the Xana symbol of one of the elusive hornets. Then he turned to glance at me. "So glad you made it."

"Me too. I've forgotten already how fun this is," I said while leaping three times away from three hornets' lasers.

"Fun? What fun?" Ulrich asked as his sword absorbed some lasers for him.

"This fun," I said while shearing two of Xana's monsters with one flick of the wrist.

"Oh right," Ulrich said, finally finding an opening and taking advantage of it. With three hornets left, we started running on the pathway again. They shot into the nearby trees, creating holes where the lasers hit the wood. We ran in a zigzag so they would never have time to aim properly. Finally I whipped around once and exploded one of them. The other two flew over me and then one doubled back to try to shoot me again. I slid on my stomach to duck from the shots. The hornet again circled back and tried to hit me again. I jumped up and slashed it across the Xana symbol. It exploded before I hit the ground again.

I got up hurriedly as Ulrich smashed the last hornet unceremoniously with his blade. The monster's fragments sprayed in a little firework as he sheathed his sword. "I'm pretty sure they aren't here."

"And I'm pretty sure you're right," I said, gazing at the calm tower directly in front of us. "I'm thinking its time to get out of this dreadful region."

We both ran for the tower.