4-4: Possessed
So sad. Janika lost her collection of Final Fantasy soundtracks in the blaze.
(((-4-)))
Jeremy came up behind Yumi as she was still watching the destruction. "Have you seen Ulrich or Odd?" she asked.
"I thought you knew. They were stuck inside after that rope broke. One of the kids that fell has a broken arm, but it's not too serious. Odd made me go down first carrying Kiwi in my jacket, but he and Ulrich inhaled too much smoke and so did the three others that were with them."
She grabbed him angrily by his collar. "Why didn't you tell me!"
The dark-haired teenager tossed him aside and raced toward the fire trucks. The firemen had placed oxygen masks over the five children. Yumi ran to her friends but Sissy was already at Ulrich's side, holding his hand. He stared up at her as though not sure who she was.
When the fireman took his mask off to let him breathe on his own he said, "Nice necklace."
"This? Oh...uh...thanks," she said blushing. The firelight really made the crystal stand out.
Yumi sat on his other side and leaned close. "Are you all right, Ulrich?"
He tried to answer but started coughing and his eyes bulged. The fireman pushed her away and put the mask back on Ulrich's face. "Please don't make him talk, Miss."
Odd was awake for a moment. Kiwi was curled up at his side. He stared into her eyes and said, "It's X.A.N.A..." then collapsed. He didn't even twitch when she shook his shoulder. At first Yumi thought water from the fire hoses was falling, but then she realized they were her own hot tears.
She overheard one of the firemen talking. "I found another girl on the other side of the building. It looks like she jumped from one of the lower windows during the fire. Wouldn't move. Must be in shock."
The black-haired girl approached him. It was possible. "She doesn't happen to have a long braid, does she?"
The man turned around. "Well yes, as a matter of fact she does."
"She's my friend. Could you please tell me where she is?"
Yumi followed him to the other side of the fire truck where more of the injured kids were being treated by medics. Janika was lying there prone. She was fully dressed, though half her clothes were burnt and her hands were blazed with cracked, blistering skin. She opened her eyes as the other girl knelt in front of her.
"You weren't in your room during the fire, Janika. What were you doing?"
Janika didn't say anything. Her pupils seemed to dilate, changing and reshaping themselves for an instant, and in that split-second Yumi saw that familiar symbol she had learned to fear and hate. A queer smirk flitted across the injured girl's pain-filled face; a gloating smile.
Yumi seized her former friend's shirt and dragged her closer. "I don't know how you did it, but we're not going to let you get away with this!"
She shoved Janika back and stood up. Without another glance at X.A.N.A.'s new tool, she left. She had to find Jeremy and get to the factory.
(V)
"Well of course it's possible. After all, he cloned you before while you were trapped by a Guardian. That might be the case here, but I wouldn't bet on it. X.A.N.A. doesn't usually mimic himself. I think he's too arrogant to use old tricks. There must be something new, some way he's controlling her."
They climbed out of the sewers and ran across the bridge to reach the factory. Yumi was right behind him saying, "It's got to be what happened today. You know, when she blacked out in Lyoko. When you materialized her was she scanned for any viruses or bugs?"
"You guys always are, but I would have to be looking for something specific in order to catch it. I'm sure I still have the record of her transfer on the computer. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what went wrong. Fixing it is the real problem."
The lift dropped to reach the lab and Jeremy punched in the code. They got out and he connected to Lyoko. Aelita stared at him. "Hello, Jeremy. Aren't you normally asleep at this time?"
"Normally, Aelita, but tonight isn't normal. Our dorms were nearly burned down."
"Burned down?"
"I'll explain later, but in the meantime I need you to help me. Did anything go wrong during Janika's transfer back to Earth today?"
The virtual girl did her own calculations and finally answered, "Yes. There was a small bug inside her as she left Lyoko. I am not familiar with its composition. It must be X.A.N.A.'s doing."
"Great, just great. Well, Yumi, it's confirmed: Janika is under X.A.N.A.'s influence. I'm not sure exactly how, but it's happening. Maybe the bug is some sort of mind-control agent. We'd better locate the Tower he activated. I'll virtualize you now, if you're up to it."
"Jeremy, I just saw Odd and Ulrich nearly burned alive. I'm going in whether you want me to or not." Determination was evident in her eyes.
Yumi went down the lift and entered the scanner. She felt the strange virtualizing sensation. When she reformed and fell to the ground there were trees rising up all around her.
"Where's Aelita?"
"I'm here," the girl with strawberry-colored hair came out from behind a tree cautiously. "They are coming."