Yumi, Odd, Ulrich and Aelita sat on top of the great red sandstone walls that surrounded the plateau where Arcotopolis sat. Their vehicles were parked a short distance away. From where they were, they had a good view of the city. It looked the same as it had when they had first seen it; big, with just the slightest hint of long-gone greatness. The tall, gray pyramids that were the city's buildings looked as dark as ever.
Rem's artificial night was dissipating, and the first sunrise that the desert region had ever seen before and the last one it would ever see again came into being. They had all agreed that it hadn't been a pleasant change when Rem had shrouded the desert in night, but the virtual daybreak that they were seeing now just seemed to make the entire adventure worth it.
They had been sharing their stories of what had happened to them in the city. Jeremie, who at this time was sitting in what was left of the computer chair, able to talk to them, nearly burst out laughing when they told him about the dream influence, and how Yumi and Ulrich had found romance while Odd had found a rock which he thought was his dog.
One person wasn't happy, though.
"Aelita," Yumi said, concerned, "What's the matter? You should be happy that we made it, right? Why do you seem so sad?"
Aelita gave a deep sigh.
"We made it out, Yumi." She said softly. "But what about the Lyokans, the people who lived in that city? I never told you what Rem told me."
Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and Jeremie waited. They hadn't really thought about what had happened to the original inhabitants, and now they felt really guilty.
"Rem killed them all. Think about it! It was a disaster!" Aelita continued. "The Bubble made time inside pass faster. We only discovered the city when night on Earth began, and when we did, the city had already been abandoned for two hundred years! Since, while the bubble still existed, there was a century inside for every day outside, it means that Rem's invasion only happened two of our days ago!"
Aelita's friends remained silent, while the horrible truth of what had happened sunk in to them. "We could have helped! We could have prevented this from happening!" She said tearfully.
They sat there on the ledge, looking at the city, their imaginations acting up again. In their own minds, they heard screams, explosions, and the cries of the people as they were brutally hunted down.
Then they heard a real scream. But not a human one.
Yumi, Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita jumped up, looking for the source, while at the same time readying their weapons, for it was a scream they had heard before.
"Mantas." Yumi said. It was all she needed to say.
At least twenty mantas were flying in from over the horizon, shadows against the rising sun.
"Get ready." Jeremie said.
But the mantas didn't approach them. Instead, they flew over the city, circling high overhead.
"What are they doing?" Aelita said.
Then the mantas opened small hatches on their undersides, and hundreds of mines started pouring out. They made no effort to fly, but instead dropped right into the city, exploding on whatever they impacted. The mantas kept up a relentless rain of mines, and the effects were obvious. The explosions rocking the city toppled buildings, smashed the roads, and flames jumped high into the air. It was an appalling sight. Soon there was nothing left but ashes and rubble.
"But why?" Yumi said, still looking at the remains with Odd and Ulrich. They didn't notice Aelita hop on the overwing and fly off for the nearest tower.
"Rem destroyed Xana's army." Ulrich said. "He nearly took whatever it is that Xana wants from Aelita's memory. Xana's not taking any chances that some of the nightmares survived."
They watched as the mantas flew over the other horizon, screaming in triumph.
"I guess Xana doesn't want anything to do with the City of Whispers anymore."
-----------------
Jeremie heard Aelita's request to be materialized from the tower. He entered Code: Earth, and Aelita stepped out of the scanner. A few moments later, Jeremie heard the other's requests to be materialized also. The four of them came up to the lab, unhappy and downcast looks on their faces.
"Guys," Jeremie said, "Before Xana destroyed the ruins of Arcotopolis, I downloaded all the information in the library. I thought that maybe some of the Lyokans' knowledge could help with making the anti-virus. But I found something else."
"Forget it Jeremie." Aelita said. "Whatever it is, it can't be important right now."
"Its important all right. Come over here and watch the video I found."
They went over to the supercalculator screen, and Jeremie brought up a window, which began to play the video he had found in the library files. In it, a tall, virtual and disheveled looking man with brown hair and glasses began talking. In the background, he could see a wall with several windows, through which the city could be seen, flames and smoke rising in many places. This is what he said.
"Good evening. I am high minister Racnor of the ruling council of the Arcotopian Republic, making what I believe will be the very last entry in the Arcotopolis archives. For several weeks now, an enemy from beyond, which slipped through our shield undetected, has put the city under siege. Now, Rem and his army of Nightmares has finally broken in.
The city burns even as I speak. The Nightmares are rampaging through the streets, while our civilians run in terror and out troops fight on uselessly, knowing that they have no hope of winning. The only safe place left to us is the citadel, where I and much of the populace are now. Already though, the Nightmares are banging at the gates of the citadel. This is a dark day for Arcotopolis."
The man paused. Up till now, he had been talking darkly, like a man doing a final duty before he died. But now his voice changed.
"But there is hope for us. We have built a ship, capable of crossing the digital void, much like the one that brought our ancestors to Lyoko, and we have loaded every surviving man, woman, and child into it. In it, we will escape undetected, and Rem will never know that we escaped.
I bid farewell to Arcotopolis now. It is too late to save our city. But we will find a new home. That I am assured. And if anyone from beyond ever sees this tape, then I hope that they will remember the glory that was our city. So long, and good night."
The screen fuzzed out.
"End of tape." Jeremie said. "Did you see that, Aelita? Rem said he destroyed them all, but he was wrong. And that was only days ago, for them as well as us. They're out there right now, flying through the void, toward a new home. They escaped, Aelita."
For the first time in a long while, Aelita smiled.
"Thanks, Jeremie." she said, wiping a tear away from her eye. "I... I needed that."
------------------------
The first thing Ulrich noticed was the sky. It was the pale orange that was the usual color of Lyoko's desert region. He got up, and looked around him. He was back in Arcotopolis. The tall, gray pyramidal buildings rose high and silent above him. The streets were empty; no sign of his friends, or even of Nightmares.
"What the heck?" Ulrich said to himself. "Wasn't Arcotopolis destroyed?"
He definitely remembered the mantas bombing it. Yet here he was. The last thing he remembered doing was going to sleep on Saturday night, the night after the Lyoko mission. It occurred to Ulrich that he must be dreaming again. He prepared himself for the creature's inevitable arrival.
But there was no metallic clanking and the approach of a sleek, black Krabe. Instead, he heard the Whispers. They sounded the same as always. Source less, quiet, and incomprehensible.
But something different was happening now. The Whispers didn't sound sad or frantic, like they usually did. Instead, they sounded happy. And as Ulrich listened, he began to be able to pinpoint individual voices, which had been impossible in reality. The Whispers were becoming louder too. As Ulrich continued to listen, he became certain that he could understand them. The Whispers were actually voices now. "The only thing that's missing is the actual people." Ulrich muttered.
And with those words said, they were there. There was a bright flash of light, and all of a sudden, he was not in ruined, abandoned Arcotopolis. He was in Arcotopolis as it had been before the invasion, when people had actually been there.
Ulrich stood, looking around in astonishment. The streets were crowded with many virtual people, dressed brightly, laughing and talking among themselves. The buildings were no longer dark and bombed out. They had returned to a bright, golden, polished color, reflecting the sunlight. The sky was blue now, as a result of the bubble's color.
There was a festive atmosphere in the air. Balloons were floating everywhere. In the distance, he could hear someone playing a lively tune on the flute. Stands were lined up on the streets, selling things and providing entertainment. This was obviously a great celebration in progress, and Ulrich felt like he was in paradise.
But he had no time to wonder what they were celebrating, for someone was waving to him through the crowd. It was Yumi, dressed in her Lyoko garb, which fit right in with the costumes of the other people around them. Odd, Aelita, and even Jeremie were right along side her, smiling.
Ulrich ran over to them eagerly, and as he linked arm in arm with Yumi, the five friends walked off into the crowd.
"By the way, what is the celebration about?" Ulrich said.
"Hail the heroes, defeaters of Rem and saviors of the city!" Someone shouted as they passed by, and the cry echoed around the crowded square, cheers going up as they went by.
"That answer your question, Ulrich?" Jeremie said.
Ulrich smiled in his sleep. His nightmares were gone at last.
THE END