In Lyoko
The hand was followed by an arm, then a shoulder. The globe of red light yielded a foot and a leg, still with no clue as to who it was. The other arm and leg soon followed. The feet swung crazily until they found solid ground. Once they were planted firmly, the arms flailed wildly looking for something to grab hold of. The edge of the globe appeared to have solidified slightly, allowing the hands to grab hold and pull the head from within. Ulrich gave a little gasp, it was Jordan! Only it wasn't fully Jordan. He looked the same, same blond hair and stature. He was dressed in black, so his skin looked colorless. The black shirt was skin-tight; the black pants were tight, ending with black boots. The black cape he wore was adorned with gold buckles. When he opened his eyes, they saw only black. The whites around the eye weren't there. "AT LAST! I HAVE A BODY OF MY OWN. NOW I WILL TAKE AELITA AND INDEVRIGO. ONCE I HAVE THEM IN MY GRASP, NONE WILL STAND AGAINST ME!" He exclaimed. Verdana laughed, surprising everyone. "Dude, cut it out with the CAPITAL LETTERS. It really messes up what you're trying to say, not to mention it ruins the effect." X.A.N.A./Jordan looked up at her with such anger, that if he could have, he would have melted her into a puddle. "AND YOU STOP CORRECTING ME! THAT MAKES ME LOSE MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT." He retorted. Verdana rolled her eyes. " Do you understand what I am saying, or do I have to say it in another language? Tipo, corte él hacia fuera con las MAYÚSCULAS. (Spanish) 花花公子, 裁減它以大寫字母。(Chinese) Dude, besnoeiing het uit met de HOOFDLETTERS. (Dutch) Type, coupe il dehors avec les MAJUSCULES. (French) Geck, Schnitt es heraus mit den GROSSBUCHSTABEN.
(German) Dude, περικοπή αυτό έξω με τα ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΑ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΑ. (Greek) Tizio, taglio esso fuori con le LETTERE MAIUSCOLE. (Italian) 男、切口それ大文字と。(Japanese) 멋쟁이, 커트 그것 밖으로 대문자에. (Korean) Gajo, corte ele para fora com as LETRAS IMPORTANTAS. (Portuguese) Dude, отрезок оно вне с ПРОПИСНОЙ БУКВЫ. (Russian)" With each language, the look of anger on X.A.N.A./Jordan's face grew. "STOP MAKING FUN OF ME, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!" he replied. The others looked on with amazment. They had no idea that she could speak so many different languages. "Get to the tower, I'll hold him off." She whispered as loud as she dared. She needn't have bothered, X.A.N.A./Jordan was too wrapped up in himself to have noticed what she said, even if she used a bullhorn and shouted into it. The rest of them began edging ever so slightly toward the tower. "Here's the deal. I've got to take you back to where you came from. You obviously aren't going to make it easy for me. I don't intend to harm myself in the battle. This is a problem because your creatures have just disappeared and I know that you will cheat if we fight being to being." She said bluntly, just laying down the obvious facts. -- Please oh please fall for it!-- she thought furiously. It had worked before, about a lifetime ago. She almost let herself fall into the memory. -- He was standing there, stunned look on his face…No! I won't think about that. That was then, this is now.-- she jerked herself out of the memory with startling suddenness. "…that is of no consequence. The point you have made was well noted. It seems I was right in taking precautions…" There he went, rambling on and monologing. She hated to listen to this, but it was the only way for them to unknowingly let her in on their plans. She stopped herself again from falling into the memory, the memory of her greatest triumph…and her greatest failure. She had been so close, only to have fallen so far. Clearing her head of any thoughts that would distract her, she forced herself to listen intently to what he was saying. It was only through years of practice on Drongar, that she managed to stay awake. "…have no worry, my minions are well hidden far from here. They will come when they are called, but not unless I wish them to. The only thing that can stop me is you and Aelita. And I fully intend to destroy that threat. I need Aelita for the obvious, but you…you are something else. I do not understand why you do the things that you do. How is it possible that you cannot hate, nor do you wish to fight when there are innocent bystanders around?" She had deduced all the information that she needed, and had zoned out, deliberating with herself about if the plan would actually work. She jumped slightly when she realized he had addressed the last statement to her. "Well you know what they say, 'Hate only hurts the hater, not the hated.' I prefer to hurt you in any way I can, not harm myself by just hating you. As to the second, I would rather not harm anyone that is not involved. Puts me in mind of an African proverb I once heard. 'When elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.' That may not be exactly what that meant, but that's what it means to me." He took up his monologue once more. "You humanoids are so strange to me. You share the fighting, yet you are extremely stingy when it comes to giving your life for the sake of others. I know, what would a virus know about that? Aren't all of them stingy, self-centered maniacs? I believe that I…" His eyes grew wide. Verdana looked closely, but still no whites. "I don't believe it! You got me monologing again. This will be the last time! Now I will squash you beneath my fist!" Verdana appraised the scene with a jaundiced eye. It would have been a good place to fight, but not when he had things under his control; ones that would come at the merest thought. "…NOW IT IS YOU THAT WILL LOSE!" Apparently, when he was excited or under stress he reverted to his capital letter speak. "On the contrary, it is you who loses X.A.N.A." Both of them jumped. Verdana leaned around X.A.N.A./Jordan. It was Aelita speaking. She smiled smugly at him and entered the tower. He whipped around and stared at Verdana with hate filled eyes. Well, it wasn't the eyes themselves; it was more the expression he had upon his face. She gave the appearance of shrinking before his gaze, although her mind was working furiously to analyze the situation and find a way out. "THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU CATCH ME IN ONE OF YOUR TRAPS, INDEVRIGO!" he roared at her. He advanced menacingly. Meanwhile, Aelita was rising up to the second level. She put her hand on the screen, but instead of giving her name, it said ERROR. She thought as quickly as she could, trying to figure out what to do. On the outside, things were going just as well; Verdana was in big trouble. -- Why hasn't the tower deactivated yet?-- she thought desperately. She had put her life on this gamble, and so far it wasn't working in her favor. Her new friends were taking care of the monsters, who seemed to have lost the ability to transport after X.A.N.A. brought them here. X.A.N.A./Jordan had unsheathed his sword and had made several clumsy thrusts at her, which she had dodged with ease. -- Is he really that much out of practice? I remember he was an excellent swordsman.-- Things were looking dire, she was out of arrows, out of the assortment of sharp things she had, and an energy ball was too risky. She took a quick glance around her as she dodged another horrible swing. In a flash she understood. He was driving her to the edge, the void of doom!