Unleashing Valor

By: Tellemicus Sundance

The Storm's Arrived

It started as a common fall rain. But the wind picked up, thunder and lightning tore through the skies, hail and rain pelted all those unfortunate to be caught out in it. The weather service that'd been monitoring it all afternoon was stumped on this freak storm. It held all the ingredients for a hurricane or tropical storm, minus one thing: location. But they were fast to issue a storm warning to France.

In the factory, Jeremy and Aelita were staring at the effects the storm was having on the city. Everything that wasn't fastened down somehow was blown away by the typhoon force winds, including cars. Windows were being smashed by debris and the winds alike. Some homes were even torn to pieces, starting with the roofs. All electricity was down; whether from falling power poles or a problem at the generator it didn't matter.

The factory was no exception. Holding tightly onto each other, they pushed themselves back down the service hatch. Shivering against the rain and wind, Aelita glanced up at Jeremy as they descended into relative safety.

"How can we warn the others?" she asked loudly over the wind. "Without the electricity?"

"I don't know!" he called back. "We'll just have to hope that they'll figure out that something is wrong!"

Ulrich slipped through the manhole and pulled the cover firmly back into place. Checking that it wouldn't be blown away, he was quick to climb down. At the foot of the ladder, he found only a trio of skateboards.

That confirmed his suspicions. Jeremy and Aelita were at the factory. A gut feeling told him that he was needed there quickly. But the trip was going to be tricky; the sewage was rising fast in the rainwater.

The wind was pelting the hail and rain into her sides with unholy force. Yet she fought against it. Holding one hand out in front of her to block the rain from her eyes, she used the other one to feel her way through the darkened woods.

Grunting in aggravation and exertion, she slammed her hand into the umpteenth tree trunk she'd encountered. Ducking around behind the tree, she let out a sigh of relief. Leaning back she fought to take her first decent breaths since starting this journey through the woods.

It's lucky I know these woods so well, she thought bitterly. Or I would be hopelessly. Pushing herself from her small cover, she continued her journey.

The Hermitage seemed no worse for the wear in the typhoon that was on the rampage in the city. Inside the room that had once been the living room, a hunched figure was sitting near a fire.

Wrapped in a series of blankets, the person tried to remain as relaxed as possible. For in this storm, anything could happen. He would need a clear mind to be able to handle the changes.

Glancing at his old, beat up watch, he saw that it was nearly time to go. Ten minutes, he thought. A feeling of butterflies in his stomach consumed him as his fingers twitched uncontrollably.

Forcing his own fear down, he picked himself up. It was only his sense of duty that propelled him to turn around and further into the ruin. Lowering himself steadily into the basement, he glanced around. Nothing appeared to be out of place.

Good, time to set up.

Walking around the stairwell, he crouched down and opened the secret hatch. He dropped into the secret chamber without hesitation. It had taken him the better part of four days to find this hidden chamber, but he did. His sensei had been correct…

The chamber was small. No bigger than an average bedroom. Yet what was inside was of indescribable value to him. This meager room held a computer that he knew was connected directly to the supercomputer in the factory and it held a single scanner.

Time to go.

On Lyoko, all was peaceful. The only thing that could prove that there even was a disturbance was a trio of towers that were glowing red in the Desert Region. The sand dunes and wind beaten rocks were offered little cover to the scorching heat and blinding sun.

With a slight humming-buzz sound, three trios of Flying Mantises appeared in the air. They separated and flew on silent wings towards their assigned positions. To the common observer, no one would've noticed anything different about the monsters. But there was something different.

The Xana eye upon each of the Mantises was noticeably different. It was smaller and almost seemed weaker than it had ever appeared before. A person would have to look long and hard to see it, but it was there.

Silently peeking over a large rock outcropping was a Tarantula. It didn't try to join the Mantises. It just watched them with moderate interest. What was going on now?

Xana watched with righteous fury as its monsters obeyed the orders of another.

(Author's Note) Well, this was a feeble attempt at getting back into it. Though it is noticeably longer then the last few, I'm disgusted that I have to end it like this. But there are very specific thing I want to happen in the next few chapters, and it would partly spoil my surprises if I let them out too soon. Wouldn't it?

So, what's happening now? Ulrich and Yumi are on their way to the factory, Jeremy and Aelita are waiting for help to arrive, a freak storm is tearing up the country, and a secondary link to Lyoko is being utilized. Wow, that's a lot of things to happen in one chapter, huh?

Please continue to update. I'll continue to write/rewrite as soon as possible.