Chapter 4---Problem Solving

The vast emptiness of the factory seemed unusually quiet as Aelita made her way to the supercomputer. Jeremie had wanted to check up on another threat made by Xana via e-mail, and he'd offered her an invite, but... The truth of it was, she enjoyed staying in the real world much more than the emotionless world of Lyoko. Any chance she saw to stay away from the virtual reality was a chance taken. Of course, everything could not be avoided. She'd learned that quickly enough; she was the only one who could deactivate the Towers. Jeremie had called over an hour ago, and she'd heard no word from him, Ulrich, Yumi, or Odd, since. Most peculiar. They usually fill her in when things start to get sticky.

The silence pressed harder the closer she came to her destination. A fluttery feeling soon erupted in her stomach, and not the fluttery feeling she felt around Jeremie. This was much different, the feeling she now knew as nervousness, or fear. A growing fear, which weighed down heavier for every step she took. She started to hum to herself, hoping to lighten her mood, to convince herself that they were all waiting for her on the other side of the--

Aelita could not believe her eyes. Nothing in the real world had been so...fantasy-like...as the scene spread out before her. Yumi, sprawled out on the floor like a princess that desperately needed saving; she had her hand held toward the door, but it fell, as did Yumi's eyelids. Instead of screaming, Aelita gasped at the sight of an enormous snake-- dead, thankfully-- in the corner of computer room. Xana's symbol was glowing a light blue on the top of its forehead, but the snake was definitely no robot. It looked like a thing from one of Odd's horrible comic books, with scales like a dragon. The entire room looked like a scene from a comic book. And the supercomputer itself...! It was completely destroyed. What a mess; what a nightmare! There was...blood...everywhere. That was what she thought the crimson liquid on the floor and walls was, anyway. She thought she heard a scream die in her own throat, but it could've easily been a whimper.

For minutes she stood there, staring at the unbelieveable catastrophe before her eyes. It was worse than a nightmare. It was more horrific than any time she could remember in Lyoko. Where was Jeremie? And the other two boys? Were they still in Lyoko? Aelita's first instinct was to check on Yumi, and she did just that, running over to her friend and shaking her lightly. Amazingly, Yumi appeared unharmed, despite a nasty purple bruise forming on her forehead. "W-what happened?" was the only thing Aelita managed to say.

Yumi stared forward at nothing for the longest time. Aelita began to wonder whether she really was all right, mentally speaking. But then she blinked, and took a quick, deep breath at the sight of her pink haired friend. "Are you...okay, Yumi?" Aelita asked uncertainly. Yumi nodded slowly. She really did look quite a bit shaken up. "C'mon, let's get out of here and you can tell me what happened as soon as you feel better."

Of all the places Aelita thought she would go at a time like this, she never imagined Jeremie's room. She's been in there multiple times before, but never without the blond boy sitting beside her. Now, Yumi was her only companion in Jeremie's room. She helped Yumi onto his bed and twidled her thumbs nervously. Those nerves really were becoming a bad habit.

"Aelita," Yumi choked, half sobbing and still staring ahead at nothing. Softly, but her voice carried more emotion than Aelita had dreamed of feeling. Or wanted to feel. Yumi sounded hurt. "Aelita, he's gone... They're all gone... That awful, ugly creature came from nowhere and...and beat them up-- only them! She wouldn't touch me. She threw me against the wall and I was helpless. But she took Ulrich! And Jeremie, and Odd... Oh, why! Why didn't we see something like this coming?"

"Yumi, calm down," Aelita said, patting her friend's shoulder. "You're not making much sense right now... Um... Maybe you should lie dow--"

"NO! Listen to me, Aelita!" Said girl shrunk back away from Yumi's vehement tone. What in the world was the matter with her? "She was real. That evil, menacing, demonic thing was literally real! I don't know how Xana managed to create a creature of flesh, but... She had that symbol, just like the other robots in Lyoko, but she was no thing of mechanics. She could bleed. She could hurt. God, how I want her to hurt!" Yumi paused and tilted her head sideways. Aelita wisely remained silent. "You were there, weren't you? To have brought me here, you must've seen the cobra! Well, did you?"

"Mhn," Aelita nodded vigorously, slowly reaching for her cell phone. If Yumi didn't start acting right soon... A creature took the boys and a giant snake lay dead in the factory? How could... That can't... Aelita stopped herself from thinking too far and blinked anxiously in Yumi's direction. She had to be okay. Even if Ulrich was taken by some mad creature created by Xana, she was still the strongest girl Aelita had ever met. She couldn't be insane!

"Good," Yumi continued in a milder tone, "because that was Odd's doing. That snake had come from nowhere, yet Odd had the bravery to make some spear out of the chair and slay it. He was amazing. And so was Ulrich, and Jeremie... The she-demon was too much for them, though, after fighting one creature already. I was helpless, and frightened. I could do nothing to help them, Aelita, and you must believe me when I say I would've! I would've had I been able! I swear it!"

"I believe you, Yumi, really," Aelita said, trying to calm her friend down enough to understand her story. The uneasy fluttering in her stomach had only gotten worse. "What happened to them? Oh, please don't tell me they're--"

"Gone. To Lyoko, but not in the way we normally get there. They weren't materialized, Aelita. The creature opened up a portal into Lyoko, right there in front of me, and leaped into it with them all slung over her shoulder. And then, the portal closed, disintigrated. I was left alone, to stew over how easily she'd defeated us..."

The sadness behind Yumi's eyes was enough to make Aelita want to cry. So much to happen in so little time. Gateways into Lyoko? Creatures created by Xana? And she thought she'd seen everything. "We'll get them back," she whispered to Yumi encouragingly. "We just need a plan. Are you feeling okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Yumi stood up and paced across the room several times. Aelita remained seated on the bed. It had Jeremie's fresh scent painted all over, and she liked that smell. Jeremie... What if he was in danger? She shuddered at the thought, and quickly shoved it to the back of her mind. Yumi put a slightly shakey hand to her chin and scratched it thoughtfully. "You can work the supercomputer, can't you?"

Aelita blinked. "Yes, I have before. I suppose I could now, except... Yumi, it looked destroyed beyond repair from the glance I took while at the factory. There was hardware and data chips strewn everywhere. I don't know if even Jeremie could fix that mess."

"But we have to try. There's nothing else we can do." There was a tiredness about Yumi that Aelita found oddly disturbing. To her, it was like the older girl was holding onto a false hope. A hope that she knew was no hope at all, but a rather ornate lie made to look like hope. "We have to try," she whispered again. Aelita knew she was thinking of Ulrich. Had it really been that bad? Were their friends hurt when they were taken? What if Jeremie was hurt? Again-- this time shaking her head defiantly-- Aelita pushed the thought down and back out of her mind. Strong, like Yumi.

"You're right. If trying is the only thing we can do at the moment, then try we must. Where do we start?"

At that moment, the door to Jeremie's room opened with a loud crack against the wall. Yumi wore a snarl on her pretty features, and Aelita didn't think it was because the person standing in the doorway was no one they knew. The vibe he gave off just seemed...evil. The cold wind that blew in from the hall had to be her imagination. But it did make her shiver. "Who are you?" Yumi asked, still holding her emotion like a fragile china doll. That emotion could crack easily at any given moment, unless held and took care of properly.

The boy-- Aelita thought he was a boy, despite his shoulder-length, sun-brown hair, slim figure, and long, black lashes-- flashed Yumi a knowing smile, spreading his arms wide and bowing formally. His every move seemed prince-like, and his manners were perfect- even flattering. But there was an aura around him- an evil aura, black as a raven flying in the night. His voice was like listening to sweet cream and honey. "My name is Avin, ladies. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I know a great deal about computers. I've spoken to Bill Gates many times, in secret of course, and helped out numerous computer companies with viruses and bugs. I know we only just met, but I would love to lend you my services. I'm sure I could be of some help to you."

Before Aelita could say anything, Yumi rounded on him. "I've never seen you before in my life, and I've gone to this school for a while now. Where--?"

"I am a homeschooled student. I come late in the evenings to get my assignments about once a month. Funny how today just happened to be that day, isn't it? I'm sorry, I should've told you that first thing."

Yumi growled and turned to Aelita. She made a dark face and shook her head no, and then mouthed the words deal with Avin later. Aelita shook her head no as well. He said he could help. They were at the bottom of their ropes, and unless some other computer genius their age happened to show up, they needed all the help they could get. Yumi sighed and threw up her hands angrily. Fine. She could get mad if she wanted to.

"We'd greatly appreciate your help, Avin," Aelita said, smiling happily. No one, not even her friends most of the time, had showed her the kind of courtesy Avin was. He leaned down, took her hand in both of his, and kissed the top of it lightly. She retrieved her hand quickly, startled. That was the type of thing people did for royalty, not strangers! She smiled again anyway, hoping he didn't take her sudden shyness as being rude. "I must warn you, though. Our computer is very advanced, so I don't know if you'll have much luck with it."

"I don't mind taking my chances for a pair of beautiful girls like you two. Lead the way."

Aelita and Yumi made their way to the factory in silence, walking a few feet ahead of Avin. Yumi shot mean glances his way every time they rounded a corner, but Aelita felt she was overeacting. Avin had showed nothing but kindness toward them, and despite what her conscience told her, Aelita refused to believe he was evil. Yumi pounced on that thought when Aelita voiced it. "You saw his grin when he walked into the room. You felt that cold air. Don't you dare tell me you didn't. And this computer is supposed to be a secret! What business do we have telling other people about it?"

"He doesn't know about Lyoko, Yumi, just that we have a very advanced computer which needs fixing. You said you were okay, but if you don't calm down, I'll take you back to your house and you can stay there for a while. Resting."

Yumi blinked and stopped walking. Her eyes widened in horror. "My house..." she mumbled faintly. Quickly whipping out her cell phone, Yumi called her parents and waited several seconds for someone to pick up. Avin walked up behind Aelita and rested his chin on her shoulder. She jumped back so far she nearly plowed into Yumi. So much for being calm.

"Mhmm, yeah. No, I'll be home later tonight. Of course I'll be all right-- it's just a movie. Yes, I know... Okay, bye." When Yumi clicked her phone off, she sent another hateful glare at Avin, and continued her walk in silence. Aelita scurried up behind her.

"What was that all about?"

"I'd forgotten to tell my parents where I was. You know how they are. More paranoid than a movie star." Yumi paused for only a second, and then her anger picked up again. "And what are you playing at?" She fiercely nodded her head back toward Avin. "You were nearly making out with him!"

Aelita's eyes widened a fraction. "I was not, Yumi." That was all she said. Nothing more. Let Yumi try to place the blame on her, but that wouldn't work, since it wasn't her fault she had over-protective parents. Yumi didn't say another word until they were in the factory. She suddenly needed to grab Aelita's jacket and pull her into the elevator, quickly telling Avin to wait there until they come back down. "Yumi, if this is some plan to ditch him until--"

"I'm not ditching anyone. I'm trying to keep our secret a secret. And overcome a fear of the room we're about to enter." Aelita saw her gulp right before the door slid open. The scene was exactly the way they'd left it, bloody and ominous. The dead snake still lay in the back corner, and the supercomputer was still destroyed. Yumi shuddered, but Aelita thought she'd be fine. She had good points; how were they going to keep this a secret?

"We don't have time to clean up the place," Aelita mumbled. "And we don't know if Avin is squeemish, or- Yumi? What are you doing?" The older girl was already back in the elevator. Aelita followed suit hurriedly, praying that Yumi knew what she was doing. She really did care about their secret. They just needed Avin's help.

"It's impossible," Yumi said as the elevator descended.

"What's impossible?"

"Keeping Lyoko a secret. Have you ever seen snakes that big anywhere in the world? I know for sure that I haven't. It's impossible not to tell him something. My plan was to make up a story. You got a better one?" Aelita shook her head. "Fine. I'll do the talking." Just before the door opened, Yumi mumbled, "I think he likes you a little too much." What she meant by that, Aelita had no clue.

Avin was still sitting in the floor where they'd left him. He glanced up when the two girls stepped out of the elevator. Without a word, they both motioned for him to follow them. He wisely chose to remain silent. Yumi explained to him something about how the computer had become destroyed in the first place. It was a good explanation, really. A very good explanation. She explicated the snake by telling him it was a science project gone horribly wrong. By telling him the blood and creature weren't real, she kept their secret of Lyoko safe. As long as Avin didn't assume anything else was behind it. When they were all back in the supercomputer room, their new ally immediately set to work, placing parts here and there, mumbling about needing welding tools. "I don't think I've ever seen a computer this...complicated," he said after a while. Aelita had yawned three times. The day had been too long by far. "It's almost as if it were created by other beings."

"Nope, it's really just several smaller computers rearranged and put back together to make a larger one," Aelita said, trying to keep herself awake. Yumi looked sleepy as well.

"But the delicacy and complex patterns inside the... Oh, nevermind. I know how to fix it."

"Of course you do."

Aelita closed her eyes.

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep, only that Yumi was waking up at the same time right beside her. The supercomputer looked as good as it ever had, better even. The room was spotless of snake and blood. Avin was nowhere to be seen. Aelita glanced directly at Yumi. "Do you think...?"

"No," the oriental girl said, "He was only lending a helping hand. I'm glad to be rid of that thing anyway. Whatever he did with it." She shuddered slightly. "In any case, he has helped us out bigtime, but if he's too impatient to stick around for a reward, then good riddance to him."

"If you say so." Aelita walked over to the supercomputer and, without an ounce of hesitation, activated it. A voice, distorted so you couldn't tell if it was high or low pitched, male or female, sounded in the room. It was coming from the supercomputer, and to Aelita's surprise, there was actually a video feedback on the screen. She couldn't see who it was because they were shrouded in black. "AELITA... IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOUR PRETTY FACE."

"Who are you?" Aelita asked, hoping she wouldn't get a reply; that would mean the video feed was live. She did.

"I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT. WHAT FUN WOULD THERE BE THEN, IF YOU KNEW ALL THE ANSWERS IN THE BEGINNING?"

"Then tell me how you know about this place."

"WHY, I--"

The voice was cut off abruptly because the power to the computer was suddenly gone. When Aelita looked around, she saw Yumi with the long power cord in her left hand. Her anger had returned ten fold. "What the hell does he think he's playing at?" She threw the cord to the floor and stomped over to Aelita. The younger girl waited for the outburst. "Avin, or whatever his true name is... He put that on there just to freak us out. Well - I - won't - buy it, you snot nosed little--!" Yumi barely paused, for lack of a better word, "I'll bet he's off to tell one of his rich computer geek buddies about this place. Or better yet, the government! Oh yes, that's all we need now is for the military or the FBI to boot us out of the factory. You know we'd never be allowed near this computer again if that happened. We'd never be allowed to save our friends."

Aelita shook her head. "Yumi, he probably just went home, like you should. It's past eleven. Stop worrying; you're making me worry."

Yumi sighed, very slowly and deeply. "All right. I'm not gonna act like some nervous mother. You get some sleep too, though. Go back to the school and rest. We both deserve that much." Aelita gave her a doubtful look. "I'm serious, okay? I'll go home and sleep, nice and cozy in my bed. I won't worry at all, I promise."

"Okay." The pink-haired girl turned to go.

"Hey, Aelita?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think... Maybe if it wasn't Avin, I mean... Maybe..."

Aelita smiled warmly. "You promised, Yumi."

Yumi lauhged, "I know, I know. I did promise, didn't I? All right, I won't worry about anything. This time, I swear." They both left the computer room laughing and yawning. Sleep would bring troubled dreams of painful tortures, but for now, Aelita could believe that future held something brighter.

-.-.-.-

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. As you can see, they make updates come faster. Happy Thanksgiving!

-.-.-Shaku-.-.-