Chapter 9 Left Behind

Hope turned a corner and the metallic beast barreled after her. Thanks to the mobility of the small car, she was able to safely make it down the street. But the monster was much less agile, and turned too slowly. She pressed down on the gas and the car accelerated as yet another explosion went off behind them.
"What makes you think that people WON'T notice the giant monsters and explosions going off everywhere?" Ulrich asked questioningly.
"Oh, they'll notice, alright. But they won't know what's really happening. Well, at least until EMPIRE annexes the city," replied Hope, turning her eyes back to the road. Yumi had stopped crying, but her face was still wet with tears.
"Where are we going, anyway?" she asked. "New York, right?"
"Well, first, I have to take you guys to the airport and then head back to the factory so I can get transferred from here to the base in New York. As well as… steal a copy of the plans for Project Lyoko 2.0. As for the hardware for constructing the devices….I know a guy who knows a guy whose cousin used to work for the Research and Development Department in New York."
Hope turned onto the Autoroute (the French highway) and suddenly a screen under the car's radio flickered to life.
"Attention all EMPIRE personnel. Five children; Jeremie Belpois, Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, Odd Della Robbia, and… an illegal immigrant only known as 'Aelita Lyoko', have escaped from an EMPIRE holding base. They seriously endanger our organization for reasons I am not authorized to release and must be shot on sight by any EMPIRE soldier, operative, or guard. Images of these children are now being uploaded and will appear on your screen," A shady looking man said grimly while holding a few sheets of paper as if he were on a news program. Behind him, there was an odd-looking flag behind him with an even stranger symbol of the outline of a sphere with lines encircling it and a large letter 'E' beneath it.
The Lyoko gang sat in shock as pictures of them appeared on the screen. Hope, her jaw wide open, almost swerved off of the road. Yumi began to silently cry. Ulrich had a flabbergasted expression on his face. Aelita was staring in disbelief.
"No…" Odd said, looking pale.
"This can't be happening," Hope said, pulling into a rest area. (#1 I don't know if they have those in France, let alone on that particular part of the Autoroute, but this is Fan FICTION, remember? ) "This just can't be happening."
She took out a cell phone and began dialing a number. Aelita glanced at a brown radio clipped to Hope's brown utility belt (ugh I can't use that word without making it sound corny… NOT the superhero kind. The REGULAR kind.)
"Um… why do they use that radio if you have cell phones?"
"This is my PERSONAL mobile phone. Most officers don't get paid enough to have their own."
"Talk about an unstable organization," Ulrich said to Jeremie, who nodded. "If they don't get paid well enough, they're going to quit or go on strike or overthrow or impeach or whatever it is they do to your leaders." The gang looked towards Ulrich. Not because they were particularly interested in what he had to say about EMPIRE, but because he said 'your leaders' to Hope. She didn't hear him anyway.
"Hey," she said into the phone, "it's me." A pause.
"Yeah, I know, I know. You didn't… okay. Good." Odd, curious as he was, leaned in a little closer to hear a teenage male's voice talking on the other end.
"Uh-huh. Yeah. Shut up! What? Oh. Of course I did. SHUT UP! Talk louder. I can barely hear you. You are? Oh. Ok. Just make sure you… you did? Alright. SHUT UP!"
The others were wondering who exactly it was she had contacted. It sounded more like she was gossiping with a friend rather than calling a secret underground resistance fighter.
"Are you SURE? No. Yes. SHUT THE SMURF UP! Wait, hold on a second." She took the phone off of her ear.
"Aelita?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"What size clothes do you wear?"
"…"
Everyone looked at Hope. It was such an odd question to be asking at a time like this, but Aelita answered anyway.
"Uh… I don't know."
"You don't… know," Hope said as if she had just said she didn't have a left arm. "She doesn't know."
Hope had returned to her cell phone conversation.
"Okay, I'll ask him." She once again turned around. "Jeremie?"
"What?"
"Do YOU know what size clothes she wears? I mean, you did make that outfit for her, right?"
"Well… no… I got the designs from an Internet website."
"And you don't remember what sizes they were!"
"…No." Hope stared blankly at him. Wow, she thought, The guy's in love with her and he doesn't even know her clothes sizes. Note to self: Make sure boyfriend knows how to buy me clothes.
"Oh, wait!" Aelita said.
"Hmm?"
"Apparently, clothes come with these little itchy tags attached to the inside of them—" Hope thrust the phone at her.
"Here, tell him." Aelita took the cell phone and told the mysterious 'him'. (Sorry, I didn't feel like looking up what girls clothes sizes would be appropriate for her and I'm a guy so how am I supposed to know! lol) Once Hope had the phone back, she turned back around and began talking again.
"Okay. No.. NO! SHUT. UP." Hope grinned after a couple seconds.
"Alright. So you WILL be there, right? Okay. I love you too. Bye." Odd sort of gasped in surprise and immediately averted his gaze out of the passenger window. His heart sank.
"What?"
"…Nothing. Who was that?" he asked suspiciously, with no indication of happiness in almost a dead tone. Although he had a good guess at the answer.
"Oh… a guy. He's helping us. Okay, it's off to the airport. Here's your tickets."
Hope handed them all the tickets.
"Why are you giving them to us now?" asked Yumi as she glanced it over.
"How do you think you're supposed to get to New York? Walk?" Hope chuckled. Yumi was confused.
"I'm confused," she said. "We're not at the airport…"
"Oh, right, sorry! Well, um.. you guys can't really be seen with me for much longer. They're going to start looking for me and wondering where I am… it'd be too dangerous. You guys might have to… you know… hoof it."
"You said we weren't walking," mumbled Ulrich.
"Now, everybody out! I'm afraid I must depart. We shall meet again. You know.. partings are such sweet sorrow and all that Shakespearean crap."
The girl practically shoved everyone out of the car, slammed the doors shut, and drove off.
"I just realized something," commented Jeremie.
"What's that?" asked Aelita.
"We don't have any clothes. Or anything."
"Maybe that's why she was asking me about clothes sizes. They might have more things there in New York."
"I guess you're right," Jeremie said, smiling. They began to start walking, and suddenly stopped.
"Wait," said Odd. "Where's Ulrich?"