9-6: The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and…Krabs
Sorry it's taken so long to get this one out. I hate school and I was having a little trouble w/ writer's block. But I got a superb haircut and felt so good that I totally rewrote what I had already and this is what I came up w/. You do NOT want to read what I had before. It wasn't pretty.
(((-6-)))
Krelle's eyes emanated an unearthly light as she was carried along tunnels beneath the city. Foundations and barriers all around her cracked from the force of her power. She carried a tsunami at her back and was headed toward the enemies to wipe them out once and for all. The Master's commands were unbending and firm, and despite her repeated failures, she would destroy them this time.
(V)
On the other side of town, the gang was arguing over Dan. Jeremy seemed to be the one most set against it. "No, no, no! We are not going to let him get in our way and that's final!"
Janika's lip curled in a sneer and a feral light gleamed maddeningly in her eyes. "He just junked his aunt's car to help Aelita—who was injured, by the way!—get here and you think he doesn't deserve any thanks, is that it?"
"That's not what I said and you know it!" the blonde kid retorted sounding confident, but he tugged at the collar of his sweater as if realizing he was a little hot.
"We are going to let him come inside," she said very calmly, "first of all because I said so, and secondly because he's not going to remember once everything's said and done. I'm surprised at you, Jeremy. You're just not thinking fourth-dimensionally," she mimicked. The computer genius' twitch came back as he counted to ten to relax.
Now of course Dan was looking at everyone as if they were crazy, but since everything Janika was saying seemed to be getting him into the loop (which is where he wanted to be), he wasn't going to complain. This was way more fun than hanging out with his cousins who would gawk at wild animals that pooped in public.
"Guys, I promise I won't be any trouble. But if you could help me come up with a good excuse for my aunt about her car, it would really help."
Ulrich put his hand on the nervous blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry. If everything works out, you won't need to. Believe me, it'll be taken care of."
"Yeah, Einstein," Odd agreed. "Just let the guy come inside. It's not like he'll do anything wrong if you keep an eye on him."
Aelita was still breathing hard from the overexertion she put herself through earlier with the illusion but she raised her head and said with a touch of anxiety, "Time is of the essence. We have to get inside and locate Talia. Jeremy, have you been able to contact her?"
The boy helped her up and the whole gang began crossing the bridge while he answered. "No…well, sort of. I tried to contact her earlier when we got here, but she's distracted or something. I keep getting all these overwhelming feelings but no solid thoughts and she doesn't reply to mine. It's really kind of disconcerting, if you know what I mean."
"Keep trying, Jeremy. I know you'll be able to get through to her. All my strength is gone. I should be fine once I get to Lyoko, though."
Jeremy dragged Dan off the elevator at the first stop and sent the others down to the scanners. His monitor picked up Talia's bulk immediately in the Mountain Region. He transferred Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich first, then the two other girls.
Dan watched with fascination, trying to figure out whether he was dealing with some extra-terrestrial beings or just a bunch of psychopaths who happened to have some really cool stuff. Either way, this was too good to pass up. He just couldn't figure out exactly where this 'Lyoko' that Janika and the others had gone was.
(V)
Janika and Odd roved ahead of their friends, searching for the girl trapped in the body of a humongous black Krab among the misty peaks.
"She's just ahead of you guys. I still can't get through to her. Don't show yourselves until I make contact or she's liable to blow you guys to smithereens."
Janika was still stinging from their little exchange earlier and smirked as an idea struck her. "Hey Jeremy, you said that you could feel her emotions, right?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"What if you felt a really strong emotion? Think she might notice?"
"You know, you just might have something there, Janika. But I really don't know how I can force myself to have a really strong emotion."
The dark-haired girl smiled. "Looks like Dan just might come in useful after all. Tell him to hit you."
"What?"
"Do you want to contact Talia or not?"
"Well, yeah but—"
"Then do it! You know you'll never get her attention otherwise. You are one of the most monotone guys I've ever met…unless you're around Aelita, and since she's here on Lyoko and you're not, that option's out."
Jeremy slowly answered. "All right…but just know that I'm never going to forgive you for this. I bruise easily."
"Just think fourth-dimensionally, Jer."
(V)
Talia slid down the mountainside as if she was wearing skis. She'd never felt so huge and powerful before! Maybe she was a lab-rat for a secret experiment or something really cool. Too bad Aelita wasn't here. That funny kid would enjoy something neat like this.
She was fast approaching a very steep drop-off that vanished into cloudy nothingness. As the huge black Krab skated toward it, she suddenly pushed off with a spring that made her soar as if she had wings! She crossed a gap and landed on another strip of land, whooping in her mind with euphoria.
But abruptly she felt a searing flash of pain assail her senses. If she'd had hands they would have clapped to her face…if she'd had a face. Was her nose broken? Ouch! Not again! Who was pummeling her to death?
"Stop it!" she cried out, confusion and puzzlement overwhelming her. "Who is doing that?"
"Cut it out!" someone said faintly inside her head. "Dan, I said you can stop now! She feels it!"
That voice…whose was it? "Jeremy? Is that you?"
"Yes, Tal—ow! Knock it off!" her acquaintance from school shouted at someone. He bantered with the person beating the tar out of him for another moment before returning his attention back to her. "Look, Talia, we need your help. Can we count on you?"
"I guess so. What's going on?"
"It's complicated. Just trust me: you're the only one who can help us defeat the Bad Guy."
"Us?"
"I'm still here in reality, but Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, Janika, and Aelita are in that place with you."
"Oh, awesome! Where are they?"
"Turn around and follow the path you're on and you'll find them. They're going straight toward you. Oh, and Talia? Please don't try to hurt them with your lasers."
"I have lasers? Cool!" She began to walk along the narrow pathway toward one of the larger mountains, looking for Aelita and her friends. What were they supposed to look like, anyway?
She noticed some strange creatures just ahead. "Weird. Is that them?"
"Talia, get back!" Jeremy yelled in her head. "Those Krabs are enemies!"
Before she could do anything, the four reddish creatures that looked like her, only smaller, opened fire. Their lasers missed as she ducked and veered sharply, barely keeping her precarious footing on the thin land bridge.
As she watched, four small humanoid figures flew out from behind some rocks and attacked the machines. One boy with a sword sliced at the legs of the hindmost 'Krab', toppling it over. He finished it off with a stab to its bull's-eye and then ran to assist the black-haired girl as she attacked a second with a glowing object like a boomerang. The last two were occupied with another off to one side.
"What's going on?" Talia mused. She didn't want to get left out of all the fun. "Let me see if these 'lasers' work at all."
Experimentally, she focused on attacking that Krab still coming straight toward her. Something 'clicked' into place and a beam of light fired from her 'eye'. The enemy saw the ray of destructive light and tried to scuttle backward, but wasn't quick enough to avoid it.
Talia watched in amazement as the Krab exploded, pieces of it flying in all directions. Some of the pieces lodged in its buddy and took it out of commission as well. The last machine was taken down by an arrow from the small figure in purple as the girl with a long braid distracted it, but Talia sauntered cockily up to them. "Not bad, huh?"
"They can't hear you, Talia," Jeremy explained. "If you want to say anything, I can relay a message to them for you."
"Oh well, tell them that I rock! They'd all be dogfood if I wasn't here. Hey, is that Aelita? What's with the funky clothes? She looks like a ninja or something."
(V)
"Jeremy, where's the activated Tower? There isn't anything around here except mountains," Odd complained. "And if it doesn't show up on the scopes and there aren't any pulsations, how are we supposed to locate it?"
Aelita watched the humongous black Krab come up to them. Talia towered high over the group of 'heroes'. "Jeremy, ask her where she was when she appeared here. She should be able to lead us back there."
They waited a few seconds while the computer's operator communicated with her. Finally he said, "She knows the general direction and she said she can take you guys there in a few minutes."
"Okay!" Odd grinned. "Let's go for a ride!"
Yumi looked heavenward as she muttered, "Just as long as Janika doesn't drive."
"Hey, I got you there in one piece, didn't I?"
"Girls," Ulrich stepped between them. "Just get on board."
Talia knelt down as well as she could and the Warriors flipped onto her back with just a little hesitation. As soon as she started moving, though, Yumi realized that maybe Janika wasn't such a bad driver after all.
She managed to hold on somehow and shut her eyes tightly to keep from getting sick as the giant Krab leaped over gullies of void and traveled straight up inclines at a speed that made her heart feel like it was in her shoes, then when she reached the other side and started down, it felt like it was in her mouth.
Ulrich and Aelita both lay beside her, trying to comfort the moaning geisha, but the two catlike Warriors were standing as if riding a skateboard and hollering with the surge of adrenaline in their veins.
"Nothin' beats this!" the blonde boy smirked at his friend enjoying the ride with him. She winked and shifted her weight as they reached the base of the second mountain and went flying. "We're covering a lot of distance too. That would be really cool if we had vehicles or something here on Lyoko so we could do this all the time."
"Wishful thinking," she said giving him a pat on the back. "I really doubt anything like that would ever happen."
(V)
X.A.N.A. realized something was wrong. His Pawn had taken her orders to heart and was headed toward the factory with every intent to demolish the Warriors as well as everything inside the walls…including Lyoko where he was trapped!
He reached out once more to touch her mechanical mind and alter her thinking. Krelle obeyed at once, throwing the tidal wave behind her to keep it from completely decimating the precious factory and its lab where X.A.N.A. was still imprisoned. The new rules were much more specific in her line of duty and how to carry it out.
Traveling along the base of the river at a rapid rate, she came within sight of the island with its building. Slowing to a stop, Krelle reached out with both hands to become the water, to make it an extension of herself.
Her arms paled as they faded into the liquid rushing all about her. They grew, lengthening incredibly until they were stretched enough to reach inside the factory without her leaving the safety of her element.
The watery arms crashed through glass and stone, tearing into the walls and floor, trying to find a way into the lower rooms. Though sightless, the hands knew where to go and made their way through the boiler room and straight into the lab where Dan was pestering Jeremy.
They turned around suddenly, letting out exclamations of alarm.
Krelle could feel the glow the Warrior gave off. He could remember events that passed and were undone. The other could not. That one was useless, so she ignored him, but the former she seized in her watery grasp, dragging him away from the Master's prison.
He was the one she had been ordered to destroy along with the A.I. in the very beginning. Her orders had changed, but she had found him at last!
Jeremy cried out as he was carried away…
(V)
Dan shook as he watched the kid who was supposed to be making sure he didn't do anything wrong get hauled away by something out of the Twilight Zone or Star Trek or whatever. This wasn't a game anymore.
"Jeremy! Jeremy!" that pink-haired girl called from the computer screen. "What happened? Where did you go?"
Dan stumbled over to the chair on wobbly legs. What if Jeremy had just been killed by that thing? He saw Aelita looking at him with confusion.
"What are you doing there? What happened to Jeremy?"
"I…I don't know. He just…something came out of nowhere and carried him away. It was like huge hands made of water or something."
The girl's hand went to her mouth as she gasped, pain evident in her eyes. "Oh no! Krelle must have recovered and come after us. X.A.N.A. probably gave her orders not to touch Lyoko, so that's why she only used a partial attack. We've lost our only communicator with Talia. Dan, you have to take Jeremy's place at the computer so that we can fix this as soon as possible! He'll be all right if I can just get to the tower in time."
"Whoa whoa whoa! I think I've done more than enough already and you want me to do what?"
"Please, Dan! You're our only hope!"
Sorry to leave off w/ a little Star Wars line, but you know how it is when you pass your chapter deadline about 10 times. And yes, I did make a jab at the new season about the vehicles. Now to lighten the mood: What would you do if you met a beer-swilling cat driving a taxi?