7-5: Blue Eyes

If anyone has ever seen "Tomb Raider," Janika has a braid kind of like that. I didn't like the movie, though. Too cliché. Even I could have written a better script than that! (and I stink at writing movies)

(((-5-)))

Bloktra covered her ears quickly as the loud sirens blared and bright flashing red lights lit the gym. She hunkered down, searching for the source of the noise. Children everywhere were screaming in fright and exhilaration, and then, just to add to the chaos, the sprinklers went off! All dresses and suits were drenched in a matter of seconds.

Ulrich grabbed Yumi as Bloktra was distracted and dragged her into the crowd, though he nearly slipped again on the icy floor. Her hair was a mess and her dress clung wetly to her body. He didn't waste time to admire her outlined figure (well…maybe just for a second or two) but guided her though the throng of wildy screaming teenagers.

Then a strange chill entered the air. The falling water fell harder, more painfully now. The brown-haired boy nearly slipped and went down as small bead-like things littered the floor. He reached down and picked one up, staring at it confusedly in the flashing lights.

"This is hail! How on earth did it get here?"

Yumi glanced back and spotted a pair of glowing eyes in the semi-darkness. At least Bloktra hadn't seen them yet.

The falling hailstones grew larger and more ragged. The Japanese girl jerked as one struck her shoulder. More of them were falling now and other kids were screaming from pain, not hysteria.

Jeremy was suddenly standing beside them. "I take it you met our new enemy?" he questioned.

"Only for a moment," Ulrich replied. "I'm pretty sure she's the one responsible for the dogpile back there on the dance floor and this interesting weather we're having indoors! We've got to reach Lyoko and get rid of it. Where are the others?"

"Janika went to get Odd and Aelita's waiting for us by the manhole. I think it's her fault the sprinklers went off. I didn't even know we had any in here!"

(V)

The dark-haired girl glanced nervously around as she entered the administrative building. Where was the fire alarm anyway? You'd think they'd be everywhere, but nooooooo! She ran down the hall and finally spotted one…next to the detention room!

Principal Delmas was sitting inside at what was normally Jim's desk looking through a pile of shredded papers. There was no way she could sneak past to reach the alarm without getting spotted by him.

Odd was also there, resting his chin on his hands and glaring murderously out the window. If she could just attract his attention—

"Did you need something, Janika?"

She saw Odd jerk his head around as she was found out. The teenager swallowed her nervousness and walked boldly forward.

"Uncle Gene, I'm afraid you have the wrong person. It was me. I let the dog into your office."

She stopped right outside the door as he was just rising from his chair, an expression of anger mixed with astonishment on his face. Then her hand came up and she yanked the handle on the fire alarm before turning and sprinting down the hall.

The principal was after her in half a second as lights flared and sirens echoed through the building. Luckily there were no sprinklers inside. Odd took off too, still not quite sure why she had risked her neck to save him.

Once out the door, he saw everyone over at the gym yodeling about being all wet. Then the door flew open again and Janika crashed into him.

"I lost him by squeezing between two snack machines, but he'll figure out I came back this way any second! Let's get out of here!"

He got to his feet and went after her as she headed for the trees in the park. Aelita paced there fretfully.

"Where are Jeremy and the others?" she wondered, worried. "You don't think that Pawn has…?"

"No, I don't. Janika, stay here with Aelita. I'm going to go make sure they got out of the gym. Stay here," he repeated with a glare at the obstinate girl.

He started to turn, then his eyes took on a strange farseeing look. In less than a moment his Anticipation was gone and he was back in reality. He gripped Janika's shoulders tightly, evidently shaken.

"Ulrich's in trouble!" he shouted into her face. "Yumi will try to help him and end up hurting him instead!"

(V)

Almost everyone was out of the gym. Jeremy stood by the exit Ulrich and Yumi had used and stared through the painful rain of hailstones at the Pawn. Millie's pigtails had come out and her hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Her glowing blue eyes had focused on him where he stood.

"Who are you?" he called over the wailing sirens. He had to get information out of her, even if it was just a little bit.

She came forward until they were only a handful of meters apart. "Bloktra." She seemed confused. "You are not a warrior, and yet you are. I see it in your eyes. I will spare your life if you do not hinder me."

"What do you want with us?"

"My master has sent me to destroy the warriors, and I shall. If you try to stop me I will destroy you as well. Do not tempt me." She narrowed her eyes.

"That's not what I asked," he said stubbornly. "What do you want?"

It was a dangerous question. To ask an Artificial Intelligence that hadn't even been human for one day whether it wanted anything at all could either hurt it because of the physical lack of computer programming it had been created with or help separate it from its sovereign because of its newfound freedom of choice.

Bloktra stopped, her eyes slowly fading to a more somber hue, though they still glowed slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was still trying to say something when the doors burst open and Ulrich skidded inside.

"Jeremy, get out of here!"

Her eyes fell on him and turned dark and menacing once more. The small hailstones falling from the ceiling doubled and tripled in size, coming down like rocks. Jeremy glared at the other boy in frustration, wishing Ulrich had waited one more minute before interrupting.

As the brunette kid grabbed his friend's arm to haul him away, he slipped on the ice underfoot and went down, dragging Jeremy with him. Ulrich saw Bloktra cup her hands to catch the falling hail, and she reshaped it into a deadly-looking shard.

"Die, Warrior!" she shrieked, red hair flying wildly. She drew her arm back and cast the shard of ice straight at him in one smooth motion.

Ulrich jerked aside as quickly as he could, but not fast enough. The thin knife of ice struck his arm, tearing through the flesh. He couldn't keep from crying out in unmasked pain as the ice buried itself deep in his forearm, almost going clean through!

Just then, Yumi came through the door. She heard his stifled cry and saw the blood dripping down Ulrich's arm, then rushed to his side.

"Ulrich!" she called out his name desperately.

Jeremy motioned for her to take him outside and she tried to help the moaning boy to his feet.

"Don't think you can get away that easily!" Bloktra screeched over the fire alarm as she fashioned a new ice-dagger. The three teenagers stood poised before the Pawn, not sure whether to move or not.

And then Janika caught her around the waist from behind and smashed Bloktra to the floor. She fell heavily under the dark-haired girl's weight and stayed still, the hailstones becoming rain again. Odd ran across the gym from the other entrance to Ulrich.

"Whatever you do, don't take that icicle-thingy out of—"

He came up short as he saw Yumi dropping the shard of ice that she had extracted from his arm.

"You idiot!" he yelled at the Japanese girl. "You just cut his artery by removing that!"

It's true! There was a girl in my class who pulled a broken piece of glass out of her leg and it cut her artery. Now for another poll! Who do you think would be the best actor to play Ulrich if CL was a real live movie? It has to be a real person who has already played in at least one movie. Best suggestion gets the next chappie dedicated to them!