A Strange Presence

There are many models and beliefs on what fate is. It could take me years to list them all. Some people say that there is no such thing; that things happen because people want them to. Others say that it's destiny.

People also say that time is something that can given, taken, easily lost, and never be returned. But some think time is something of an illusion. That it can be manipulated and used. But my idea of fate is a healthy mixture.

My example of fate is this: a tree. The base and roots of the tree are all things' and creatures' ancestors and deeds. The limbs that separate from the trunk are the different nationalities and religions that have split the tree. The branches and bubs that grow are you and I, us here people.

Our ancestors have influenced our lives, thus we grow in the general direction that they set for us. But thanks to our own choices, we can choose our own route to grow.

However, certain things happen that can hinder or change the course of our lives. If fate were a tree and we the bubs, then an uncontrollable element could come sweeping in and ruin, help, or destroy all we've done in life. For this time period, a great flame was heading forth to end countless many lives. However, something else was also approaching…an unstable variable that be cause to much joy or sadness.

(A/N) I know some of you are wondering what this has to do with the story. I just have to ask you to be patient for a little while longer. Your questions will be answered.

Ulrich stood where he stopped. His inertia had carried him a fair distance away from where his copy had been destroyed. He was still crouched over from sliding to a halt.

Slowly, he straightened himself. The glow of his body faded and disappeared as though it had never been there. As it did, a wave of severe exhaustion washed him away. With a groaned sigh, he let himself fall onto his back, breathing hard.

-

The world was in a state of global panic. The start of the fear was from the message that had been sent worldwide only a half hour ago. The best hackers and computer programmers in the world couldn't remove the message; much less understand it. Next, the spontaneous storms and catastrophes that had sprung up with little to no warning.

As quickly as the storm had sprung up, it settled back down. The clouds faded as the lightning lost its intensity. The windstorms lost their momentum; the typhoons moved away from land and were lost at sea; the earthquake halted instantly. But the strangest effect happened then…

The factory abruptly lit up like a beacon. The light blazing forth shot high into the sky and into space. All the people in the entire hemisphere of the planet could see it. Then, slowly, it too faded. The horrible destruction that had wreaked havoc on the globe was now at an end.

However the message remained and continued.

1:42 minutes

Materialization Imminent!

-

A collective sigh escaped the gathered friends. It was incredible to them: almost to the point of being unreal. Their friend had just shown an unbelievable amount of power and strength that they couldn't even fathom.

Jeremy, quick to recover, instantly set about reclaiming the scanners. Though Ulrich had won, he was still trapped.

"You knew he was going to do that," Aelita said. "Didn't you, Yumi?"

Her small smile could've been mistaken for innocence. But in her mind played a series of clues and facts that she could never have accumulated. "Just a hunch," she said modestly.

"Well," Odd said with an all-too-familiar grin. "I know I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when he gets out of there. In case you didn't notice, he was talking to you when it started."

"Ulrich," Jeremy said quietly. "We have a problem here."

-

"You…could've fooled…me," he said, looking around him.

The landscape was suddenly covered in thousands, no, tens of thousands, of monsters. He could only stare at them in disgust. There was a healthy mixture of every kind of monster Xana ever had surrounding him, including the copies that he'd just destroyed. However there were noticeably more copies than any other.

If they could've, all the monsters would've have a sadistic grin on their face. This pest may have some hidden and all-powerful strength inside him, but it was no longer present. Lightning fast calculations informed them that even if he could've brought it out again that he wouldn't be able to sustain it. The toll it took on him was just too much.

"Don't look so stunned," all the X-Odd said in unison. "Did you really think that our master would let you go that easily?"

"The thought…did…cross my mind," Ulrich panted from his sitting position.

The monsters, whether humanoid or digital, readied for an attack. Laser cannons and spheres were powering up. It was almost like thunder in Lyoko. Ulrich didn't bother trying to stand; he knew he couldn't move in time anyway.

"Move, Ulrich!" Aelita's voice cried. "You'll be deleted if you don't."

"I can't," he said. "Too tired." He watched helplessly as the deadly beams made ready to fire.

Just as the lethal weapons were about to be unleashed, the monsters suddenly flinched. As one they turned to stare off to the right and into the distance. The lasers instantly powered down and the monsters turned. It was almost as though they were getting ready for a new adversary.

Ulrich glanced off to where the monsters were staring out of curiosity. Then, with a subtle snap, a green-blue figure appeared next to him. Grabbing Ulrich's shoulder, the figure yanked him into a tight bear hug.

Lights exploded behind his eyes as a jolt of electricity raced over his body. Weightlessness consumed his body. He felt a befuddled sensation of flying through the air at incredible speeds.

Then, unexpectedly, gravity returned and his eyes cleared. Dazed slightly from the strange events, Ulrich dropped ungracefully to the ground. Quickly glancing around, he found himself at the base of the Polar Region Tower. Then he saw the figure. It was a boy that he'd never seen before in his life.

The boy had dark hair that was unusually long, but strangely familiar. His face had three, thin blue stripes stretching from his jawbone to midway up his cheeks. His clothes were a dull green and blue trimmed shinobi shozoko, and a bo was strapped to his back by a length of cloth. He wore no footwear; he stood bare foot before Ulrich. The boy's eyes were a bizarre mixture of green pupils and yellow irises.

"Who are you?" Ulrich asked as he tried to rise to his feet. "How'd you get here? What do you want?"

"To get you outta here," the boy snapped. Pointing at the tower, he continued, "Get in there and enter 'Master Code: XANA.' That will activate the Time Reversal Program automatically. I'll stall those monsters…Now get going!"

"But what about the program Jeremy found?" Ulrich asked.

"That program," said the boy with loathing. "That is what created those copies!"

He closed his eyes momentarily. Then, as he opened them again, his image wavered for a second before he vanished with another quiet snap. Ulrich stared at where the boy stood only seconds ago. There was something very familiar about that boy. His face, attitude, and even voice sounded very much like…

Pushing the thought from his mind, Ulrich struggled to enter the tower.

(A/N) Shinobi Shozoko is the Japanese name for a ninja uniform. A bo is six-foot long staff used by ninja and samurai alike.

For those who are interested: our mysterious new fighter has the ability to teleport.