3-6: Enter Blind

What a pity. And they were so close, too.

(((-6-)))

Odd landed neatly on his feet and looked over at his friends. They had fallen to the ground and lay in a heap several feet away, moaning.

"Guys? Oh man oh man oh man!" he rushed over. "I saw the lights glare, but my sunglasses helped block it. Why did you have to take them off!"

Ulrich squinted and looked around. "Everything's dark."

Janika held her head and stood up unsteadily. "At least the pain is going away." She stumbled and fell to the ground. "Odd, could you help me?"

The panther-like boy took Janika by the arm and did the same with Ulrich. His eyes didn't hurt anymore either. "Jeremy, do you think you could try to debug us so we can see again? Hey Einstein, where are you?"

(V)

Jeremy heard his friends, their voices pounding incessantly against his brain with severe backlash. His eyes were like glassy marbles. But he had to answer them, tell them what happened.

"The lights," he said through gritted teeth. The two words had to be ripped from him. He could hardly stand it! "They're—" He couldn't finish. His head was going to explode!

The blonde boy slid to the floor, his headphones coming off.

No, the coordinates for the return trip...if there was one. His hand felt the keypad and with scattered thoughts and pieces of memory he managed to place the right ones in. Hopefully...

(V)

"Jeremy!" Odd repeated. His friend was silent. "Not now! I sure hope he's okay. Where is Aelita?" He tried to scan the horizon, but everything beyond a few yards was indistinct. "Hey, I think I see something. Aelita, we're over here!"

The virtual girl changed direction and came closer. There was a monster on her tail, a big one. Probably a Krab. It had fallen behind, but wasn't being shaken. Odd could hardly tell which was which until they were practically right in front of him.

"What's wrong?" She had never seen her friends behaving so...tired in Lyoko. Especially with a battle at hand.

Odd let go of his friends. "Draw your weapons. I don't know if I can take it down, but we'll have to trick it into thinking we can."

Ulrich and Janika did as they were directed, he drawing his saber and she a pair of ninja stars. Aelita reached them finally. She didn't completely understand what was happening, but at Odd's order, she took cover behind them.

"Aelita, tell me how to dodge this thing. I can't see it very well." She gave her affirmation as he charged forward.

The Krab powered up its laser and fired. Odd dove to the left and rolled, crouching on all fours. A laser arrow clipped his enemy's foreleg, but there was hardly any damage done. At least he knew where the doggone thing's head was now, but he couldn't see the symbol unless he got even closer.

Aelita called out a warning just in time and her friend managed to evade again. He leaped to his feet and converged on the metal creature. It powered up a third time and this time did not miss. The force of the blow threw him to the ground. With agonizing slowness Odd rose weakly to his feet. Spots of white flickered across his foggy vision and his ears were ringing, making everything worse.

The Krab was coming closer. It aimed straight at him, ready to impart the final stroke, when Odd suddenly raised his arm and fired into its glowing eyes. It was like plugging up the barrel of a gun and pulling the trigger: the Krab's metallic body shuddered as it exploded from the inside out.

He heard Aelita scream just as another beam struck. Janika was lying on top of her two friends, protecting them. She took a hit in the back, her skin sparking. A Block had come out of hiding and had its sights set on the helpless ones.

No sooner had Odd stood up to assist them than Janika's throwing star pierced the Block's eye, nuking it. He ran over and helped her up.

"How did you do that? I thought you couldn't see."

Her feline ears twitched. "I heard its joints as it moved. I knew it was looking straight at us, so its vulnerable spot would be directly in line with me. Since the land is pretty flat hereabouts I had no trouble with the terrain." She stared blankly in his direction. "I'm not completely helpless. Now are we just going to stand here or what?"

See! See! Janika's good for something. I want reviews and you won't read the last chapter until I get them!