Disclaimer-izer: Don't owe it, yo…
Don't have much of a summary for this chapter. Just read. Though, I am sorry it took so long to update. I've started on the first chapter to the prequel to this story. Plus, there were other things to tend to, i.e. shooting youth group members with paintballs (grins deviously) and the like. Getting close to the end here!
Code: Lyoko
Mirror, Mirror
Part X: The Deal
Imuy slumps to her knees, her eyes filled with tears and right arm outstretched toward the massive blue and gold dome of energy. She could not hear her own cries or the pleading of the humans around her. Her heart had forced her mind to shut down all her senses except sight. She had tried to run into the glowing dome after it enveloped Dod…or whatever he was. But, several sets of arms had wrapped themselves around her and pulled her away from the dome. She begged them to let her go, but they persisted and now she only had the strength to cry.
"H'CIRLU!" Imuy cries out after many tries. "N—NOO!"
Several lightening bolts strike the dome, and the loud crack from each one causes everyone, except Imuy, to cover their ears.
Atilea's heart sinks as she realizes that this is the end, as she holds back Imuy. Aelita trembles in terror, unable to do anything but cling to a nearby stone. Ulrich and Yumi hold fast to Imuy and stare in awe at the dome, unable to say a single word. Jeremie and Odd watch in horror as the events unfold on the monitor.
Imuy's body gives out and she slumps against the three people holding her. "H'cirlu….no…." she says through her sobs. "Don't leave me!" she pleads, then she buries her face in Atilea's neck and resumes crying.
Atilea can't help but shed a couple of tears herself, as feelings of fear, loneliness, and sadness floods her. Yumi and Ulrich let Imuy go and wrap their arms around each other, while still staring at the dome.
Then, several more lightening strikes hit the dome and a bright flash of light blazes from within the dome. Dust and dirt once again fills the air, making everyone cough and choke.
Then, there is silence. No wind, no loud buzz from the dome, no crackle of energy arcs crawling on its surface. Only the sound of Imuy sobbing against Atilea's neck.
Ulrich and Yumi stare through the falling dirt and debris, trying to see if anything remained of Dod. Then, a silhouette begins to take shape as the air begins to clear. Aelita crawls over to the rest of the group and leans against Yumi and Ulrich. Ulrich squints, trying to see through the dust, to see who or what this silhouette is. Then, the air clears enough and he and Yumi gasp at the sight. A being of some kind stands where Dod once stood. The being is humanoid, standing roughly Yumi's height. He wears a black and brown tunic decorated with pin-wheel shaped swirls and wears a pair of baggy dark brown pants with black boots. His hair is jet black with a dark purple spot on the front and has a matching purple head band. A brown, furry tail begins to flip around catlike on the ground before it raises up and wraps around his waist securely. Two purple wrist bands accent his arms, each with a single black pin wheel pattern on them. He stands perfectly still, only blinking once every few seconds.
Ulrich notices that his eyes are a gray colored and pupil-less, giving him a strange and partially disturbing blank gaze. Then, the being inhales and exhales slowly, then its eyes slowly wanders over the landscape. Finally, it looks down at itself and surveys it's clothing. It frowns and closes its eyes. Then, right before their very eyes, its clothes changes from the simple tunic and pants to a black fighting gi with brown trim that has a single pin wheel pattern on the right side of the gi top. He looks up and the headband colors swap places.
"Whoa. That was…new," Ulrich says in awe and Imuy lifts her head slightly to look at the creature. She blinks and sits up, trembling. The creature sighs slightly it satisfaction and resumes scanning the landscape.
"There are two strong entities nearby," it says finally in a voice that sounds as if two people were speaking the same thing at the same time. It pauses to study its discovery, then resumes. "They are of no consequence. Their power is not a threat to us," it says and turns its head.
"Us?" questions Yumi. Ulrich shrugs and replies, "I don't know. Maybe he's like a Borg." Atilea gives Ulrich a curious look. "What's a Borg?" "Get Odd to explain it to you sometime," Ulrich replies. She nods and turns back to see that the being has turned and is looking right at them.
"There are also three minor powers nearby. They are not a threat," it says and starts walking forward. Ulrich and Yumi freeze and hear Atilea gasp. Imuy blinks and suddenly blurts out, "H'cirlu! Can you hear me?"
The being stops instantly, getting a confused look on its face, as if it didn't know anyone was there. Then, it regains its composure and answers, "There is no H'cirlu. There is only us." "And Dod?" asks Atilea nervously. It pauses to assess the direction from where the question came from, then answers, "There is no Dod. There is only us." Ulrich swallows and asks, "And, um, who are you? Do you, uh, guys in there have a name?" Again, the being turns to the direction of the question. "We are designated as Thadeo," he replies simply.
"Think he's blind!" Aelita exclaims quietly to Ulrich and Yumi. They turn and look at her curiously. "Look at the way he's acting. Especially, when he started walking this way. It was as if he didn't see us here until Imuy said something," she continues. "Well, he seems to be able to walk just fine," states Yumi. "How can he walk perfectly if he can't see?" Aelita pauses in thought. "Well, it's not echo-location or he would have know we were here. Maybe he can sense energy. Or he only move based on where sound is coming from," she replies.
Then there is a rumbling sound coming from behind them. They all turn and look to see several Mega-tanks rolling towards them. Ulrich scoops up Imuy as Yumi and Aelita help Atilea to get out the way. "Geez, we do not need this!" he says gruffly as he dashes behind a rock. He turns and sees Thadeo still standing in the same spot but with a frown on his face. "What's he doing?" Ulrich whispers. Then he feels a pair of hands snake around his neck and a nose begin to nuzzle him. "Don't let me go, H'cirlu," comes a muffled statement from Imuy, as she squeezes him tighter. "Uh, I'm not H'cirlu. I'm Ulrich, Imuy," he replies and she pauses. Imuy lifts her head slightly to see him give her a worried look. "Oh. I'm sorry. I thought…" she starts. "It's ok. Just don't do it again," he replies and gently sets her down on the ground.
Ulrich stands and looks over at Thadeo. The Mega-tanks roll up and stop, as Ulrich begins to count them. "Whoa. Twenty-five. Man, X.A.N.A. did not want to take any chances with this guy!" he says finally. Thadeo assesses the sound that he heard and glances around. "Sound designation: Mega-tanks. Threat level: 2," he says analytically. Three of the Mega-tanks nearest him open up and begins to charge their energy pulse. Then, all three fire simultaneously, hitting Thadeo head on. Ulrich's jaw drops as he sees that the attack didn't even phase Thadeo. Instead, it causes Thadeo to get an angry scowl on his face. "Annoyance level: 10!" Thadeo adds and the tanks close themselves up. Suddenly, Thadeo raises his right hand toward the entire group of Mega-tanks. "Arrow beam!" he shouts and a long, red beam of energy in the shape of an arrow streaks from his palm. The beam hits the Mega-tanks, traveling through five of them, before dissipating. The five tanks explode and the rest backs away. Thadeo balls his extended hand into a fist and says, "Energy Katana!" and instantly a long red blade of energy extends from his fist.
The next thing that happens is a blur. Ulrich tries to follow but Thadeo's speed is too great. The next thing he realizes is Thadeo is crouching on the other side of the Mega-tanks. Then, the tanks begin to explode, one by one, until all are destroyed. "No way… That's…." Ulrich says, but the rest of his words escape him.
Imuy glances up at a very worried Ulrich and wonders if she'll ever see H'cirlu again. "Did you see that?" Yumi asks in awe. Ulrich turns and nods, unable to speak. Atilea braces herself against Aelita and adds, "I didn't see him move! Then, he destroyed them when they were closed! No one has ever gotten through their armor before!" Aelita nods and stares at Thadeo in shock and awe, also unable to speak.
"What now? If he can do that to twenty-five Mega-tanks, just imagine what he could do to us!" Yumi exclaims and begins to tremble. Ulrich steps close to her and wraps an arm around her. She stops trembling but remains scared and worried. "I don't know. There's nothing we can do to stop him," Ulrich says.
"We rule all!" shouts Thadeo, causing the group in hiding to peek out at him. "You are weak compared to us! You cannot stop us! We will destroy all who oppose us, even you!" he continues, talking to the sky. "He must be talking to X.A.N.A. There's no one else who could come close to challenging his power," Atilea states. "Well, yeah, he did kinda make that obvious with that little show of power just then," Yumi says.
"We can't let him destroy X.A.N.A.!" Aelita exclaims suddenly. Ulrich, Yumi, and Atilea turn to look at her curiously. "Why?" asks Ulrich. Aelita looks over at Atilea worrisomely. "Because my sister's still linked to him. Like I used to be. Granted, it's a bit different than the way I was, but the affect is the same. If X.A.N.A. dies, so does she!" Atilea's face pales at the revelation. "I don't want that to happen! I won't let that happen! I've already lost two family members, I don't want to lose another!" Aelita continues.
Atilea smiles and turns away from her sister. "Thank you, Aelita. That makes me feel so… happy to hear that, but we might not have much choice in the matter," she states. Aelita presses her lips together and gives her a hard, determined stare. "Don't you ever talk about dying. We will all survive this!" she says sternly. Atilea hangs her head slightly and replies, "Aelita, it's great that you can think you can do that, but as Jeremie has said, X.A.N.A.'s link is ingrained in my DNA. He may not be able to separate me from him. I know you're trying to be positive, but I'm just being realistic. Sorry."
Ulrich sighs and gently lays a hand on Aelita's shoulder. "She's right, Aelita. If we had the time, I'm sure that Jeremie could separate the two of them, but we don't have the luxury of time now. This Thadeo guy has become a worse threat than all the twins put together, um, no pun intended," he says. "Jeremie has a program that is designed to separate them," Aelita says simply. Ulrich raises his eyebrows slightly. "Yes, he does, but he told me that it is nowhere near being ready to run!" he replies.
"I hate to break up your little discussion, but he's coming over hear!" Imuy states, gently tapping Ulrich's foot to get his attention. They turn to see a scowling Thadeo walking towards them. "You that are hiding, come out now!" he commands. Ulrich presses his lips together and whispers, "I'll go. You stay here." Yumi inhales sharply and grips his arm. He smiles and gives her a reassuring kiss on the lips. "Be careful…" she whispers finally. Ulrich then steps cautiously around the boulder and stares nervously at Thadeo. "I am here," he says. Thadeo tilts his head, analyzing the response. "There are others. Where are they?" Thadeo replies blandly. Ulrich swallows and searches for an answer. "They are still behind the boulder. I am…uh, the spokesperson for the group," Ulrich replies finally. Thadeo regards his answer curiously then becomes disinterested. "So be it, Ulrich. We wish to tell you that you are to leave Lyoko immediately or join X.A.N.A. in death."
Ulrich's mouth drops open. "But, uh, there's a problem. You see, one of my friends is linked to…." he starts. "That is irrelevant. X.A.N.A. will die," interrupts Thadeo gruffly. "We do not care about friendship. We care about ruling all!" Ulrich stares in awe at his cold-heartedness. "But, we have the means to separate them! If you could give us some time before you destroy him…" Ulrich exclaims. Thadeo frowns in annoyance. "No. This is not negotiable. You will comply or you will be destroyed," states Thadeo coldly. "What about Imuy? Surely the half of you that is H'cirlu remembers her!" Ulrich says. Thadeo snorts gruffly and replies, "She is of no consequence. H'cirlu does not exist. Whatever he felt for her is gone. Feelings like that only hinder our work. This discussion is terminated. You have five minutes to leave or you will be exterminated." And with that, he leaps into the air and lands on a platform several feet away, then continues to leap effortlessly from platform to platform across the landscape. Ulrich steps back behind the boulder and Yumi falls on his neck, trembling. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're all gonna die!" says Imuy. "No, we're not. Jeremie, can you get us back?" Ulrich asks.
"Not yet. I'm gonna have to take the scanners offline for a few minutes to fix it, but once they come back online, then I'll start bringing you home," Jeremie replies as Odd sits on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees. "And I shouldn't have to tell you what that means." Ulrich sighs and nods. "Yeah, if we die, we die for good, I remember. Can you bring Imuy back too?" Jeremie glances at the screen and frowns. "Possibly, but it'll take longer," he replies. "Fine. Just do it, ok? I'm not leaving anyone behind," Ulrich says. Imuy glances up at him. "I don't want to go! That place caused Atilea to betray her master! I'm not going to be poisoned by your world!" she states. "Not even to save your own life?" asks Atilea. "I'd rather die next to my master than to end up a weakling like you," Imuy replies coldly and wipes the tear tracks from her cheeks. "You know, H'cirlu wouldn't let you throw your life away meaninglessly," Ulrich says, kneeling down to her. She turns and gives him a dubious look. "How do you know?" she snaps back. He smiles slightly and replies, "Because I wouldn't let Yumi do that. She means too much to me just to let her throw herself away for nothing." Imuy's look softens and she sighs.
I need your help, comes a voice. Imuy instantly gets a happy smile on her face. "Master!" she exclaims joyfully. Ulrich stands and lifts his head skyward. "You need our help, X.A.N.A.? That's hard to believe," he says.
I know that you do find it difficult to grasp, but it is true. I cannot defeat this…Thadeo by myself. At least, now I cannot.
"Oh? Why is that?" Ulrich asks.
Because you destroyed the pods I created for my children. If they were still intact, I could have separated them, but since you took it upon yourselves to destroy the pods without first considering the consequences, I cannot separate them now.
"Well, it's not all our fault. We didn't know Dod could absorb energy like that! If we did, I'm sure we would have done things a little different," Ulrich replies.
Dod overstepped his function, much like my lovely, but traitorous daughter, Atilea. He was driven into a blind rage by you, Ulrich, if I am not mistaken! Granted, I did not expect him to be able to absorb the energy of his brother. Nor, did I expect this fusion of the two to be so…powerful. Again, I ask for your help.
"What makes you think we can do anything against him? We all saw what he did to those twenty-five Mega-tanks!" Yumi exclaims.
You have been able to thwart every attack I have sent at you, save one. Your ingenuity and creativity has held you up to this point. I despite that I have an incredible amount of free will, I still lack the imagination that you have. Even my own children have that aspect about them. I am…a slave to logic, so to speak.
"I don't know about that. You've done some pretty creative things in the past," Ulrich states.
Despite your observations, I still arrived at my solutions from a logical point of view. Even coming to you for help was the last logical step I can take.
Ulrich sighs and crosses his arms. He glances at Yumi and she shrugs. Aelita tries to keep a neutral expression on her face, but her eyes says that she dislikes the idea of helping X.A.N.A. Atilea Shakes her head, not wanting any part of the decision making process. Imuy watches Ulrich intently, trying to read is expressions to get an idea how he will respond. Finally, Ulrich makes up his mind.
"Fine. We'll help, but only under one condition," he states. There is a brief pause before a reply comes.
Condition? Very well, human, state your condition.
"We will only help you if you remove the link that you have with Atilea," Ulrich says firmly. Atilea gasps and gets wide-eyed, unsure if she should be happy or shocked. Instead, she bites her lower lip to keep her cool and not let herself get too anxious, in case X.A.N.A. turns down the condition. "And I mean, for good, giving her the ability to be just like Aelita—her own person," Ulrich continues.
You want me to turn over one of my children in turn for your help?
"That's the deal, X.A.N.A. No compromise. Take it or leave it," Ulrich states.
What makes you think I will not just decline your condition? She would die if I were to be destroyed! A fitting end to a traitor!
"Well, I'm counting on your wonderful sense of survival to make the decision for you. You release Atilea to us, we help you defeat Thadeo. You turn down our request, then you die. Simple and logical," Ulrich says. There is a pause before X.A.N.A gives his reply.
What guarantee do I have that once I release Atilea that you will not simply leave Lyoko to let me battle Thadeo alone with Imuy?
"Well that's easy. We can't run the risk of him getting out of Lyoko. We have to stop him here. This is also the one place where questions will not be asked about things like, why are there suddenly twins of everybody, and how is it possible for an Odd look-a-like to fuse with an Ulrich look-a-like. Our lives become much more simple if we stop Thadeo. Besides, he also wants to rule everything. We can't let that happen," Ulrich replies. X.A.N.A pauses again, considering Ulrich's words.
Very well. You seem to have left me no choice in the matter. I will release Atilea. Atilea, once I release you, there is no coming back, do you understand? You will remain separated from me and my presence forever, until you die a death that is human. I cannot feed you power anymore nor can I raise you up to your intended maximum power level.
"I understand. I'm ready to be human. Completely," Atilea replies confidently and smiles at Aelita. "I'm ready to be the sister she never had and to have her as the sister I never had! Um, no offense Imuy. You were a sister, true, but nothing like what Aelita is to me." Imuy stares blankly at her and then snorts, turning her head away from the group.
Very well, prepare yourself then.
Atilea nods and hobbles to the boulder, bracing herself against it. Then, a soft red glow forms around her and the symbol of X.A.N.A. glows on her chest. She winces slightly as the symbol begins to break apart and dissipate. Then, when the last of the symbol has disappeared, Atilea suddenly tenses up and lifts her head to the sky and a maroon colored vapor begins pouring out her open mouth, nose, and eyes. Finally, the vapor and red glow disappears, and she collapses to the ground. Aelita instantly kneels down next to her, turning her over onto her back. "Atilea?" she asks nervously. Atilea's eye flit open slightly and a smile of joy slowly forms on her lips. "I'm….free!" Atilea whispers happily and feels Aelita give her a gentle hug.
Ulrich sighs with relief and gives Yumi a gentle hug. She smiles at Atilea and watches as she sits up to give Aelita a bigger hug and the two sisters laugh with joy. "How is she, Jeremie?" Ulrich asks. Jeremie snaps out of his daze and runs a quick scan. "Fine, and she's back at full power too! I would have never have thought X.A.N.A. would actually go through with it," he says in mild shock. "Thanks, Jeremie. Now, can you give me the stats on Thadeo?" Ulrich asks, leaving Yumi's side and peeking around the boulder.
Jeremie frowns and shakes his head. "Yeah, but you're not going to like it," he replies. Ulrich carefully walks out into the open and glances around for any sign of Thadeo. "Yeah, well, there's been a lot of things that has happened that I don't particularly like. Except anything that has happened with Atilea. She's actually the one good thing that has came out of this whole situation," Ulrich says and walks over to the crater left behind from where Dod and H'cirlu fused. He kneels down and examines the ground, shaking his head. "Well, personally, I don't like this 'deal with the Devil to defeat a Demon' thing you've got going, Ulrich!" pipes up Odd. Ulrich sighs and stands. "Sorry, but it's a necessary thing to do. How's our five minute time limit?" "You have roughly two minutes left. Do you want me to bring anyone home?" Jeremie replies.
Atilea stands a looks at Yumi, her smile disappearing. "Um, Sis? Could you take Imuy and go elsewhere, please? I'd like to talk to Yumi alone for a minute," she asks and Yumi eyes her nervously. Aelita glances between them curiously and nods. "Sure, but don't be too long. Our five minute time limit will be over pretty quick. Let's go, Imuy," Aelita replies. Imuy nods and allows Aelita to lead her away. Atilea sighs nervously and steps towards Yumi. "I have a confession, Yumi. Now's a good time as any to tell you what happened before Ulrich and I arrived here on Lyoko," she starts and Yumi nods slightly.
"Jeremie, the stats on Thadeo?" Ulrich asks. Jeremie sighs and brings up the information of the monitor. "Well, Dod and H'cirlu both had four hundred life points before they fused," he starts. "Let me guess, the fused version has eight hundred?" Ulrich asks. "No. Apparently, when two people fuse on Lyoko, the resulting persona gains an extra two hundred life points!" Jeremie states. Ulrich inhales sharply and blinks in shock. "Oh, boy. You're telling me that Thadeo has one thousand life points! That's crazy!" he exclaims as Aelita and Imuy near him. "Yes, unfortunately. And I don't think even the combined forces of the five of you, with X.A.N.A.'s help, could stand a chance. Those three Mega-tanks that attacked him did nothing to him! Well, I say nothing. It might as well have been nothing. They each took one life point from him," Jeremie notes. "Oh, well, there ya go! That'll work! We'll just whittle him down one life point at a time! No problem!" Odd exclaims sarcastically. Jeremie glances at him and frowns. "I hope you have a plan, Ulrich, because I have nothing, and I agree with Odd. This deal you made with X.A.N.A…" he starts.
"Was a necessary thing. I don't like it either, but it's too late to change things now," Ulrich interjects. Meanwhile, Yumi looks at Atilea in shock after hearing her confess about kissing Ulrich. "I'm so sorry, Yumi. It was very wrong, bad, whatever else, for me to have done that! I don't have any excuse to try and make it alright. I shouldn't have kissed him, especially after Aelita told me about being alone…" Atilea says, trailing off. "Why?" Yumi asks slowly. "Why did you do it?" Atilea hangs her head and replies, "I…I…" She struggles to get the words out, but they simply refuse to come out. "You've fallen in love with him, haven't you?" Yumi asks. "Yumi! Atilea! Get over here! We're leaving!" Ulrich bellows, startling the girls. Yumi leans around the boulder and shouts back at him, "Just a minute!" Ulrich frowns, wondering what they could be talking about. "We don't have a minute! We have forty-five seconds before Thadeo comes back to finish us off!" Yumi grows wide-eyed. "Oh, geez. Wonderful," she whispers to herself and turns back to Atilea. She gazes at her and sees that she is truly sorry for what she did, but can also tell she still has feelings for him. "Look, Atilea, I can see that you're truly sorry you kissed him, and I forgive you, but promise me that it won't happen again," Yumi says firmly. Atilea looks up at her and nods frantically. "Yes! Yes! I'll never do that again! Just keep me honest, ok?" Yumi nods and places a hand gently on her shoulder. "Sure, even though that is mainly your sister's job!" Atilea blinks and tilts her head in thought. "Yeah, maybe so, but I need all the help I can get!" Yumi smiles and pats her shoulder. "We're still friends, right?" Atilea asks nervously. Yumi nods and replies, "Of course. If you were any other girl, I would have pummeled you by now! But, since you're Aelita's sister and have helped us so many times, things are different. Let's just say I trust you more than Sissi." Atilea sighs in relief and smiles slightly. "Thank you, Yumi. We'd better go. I don't want to be caught by Thadeo!" Yumi nods and the two girls jog towards Ulrich.
I held up my end of the bargain, Human! Do not forget to hold up yours!
Ulrich frowns and replies, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. Now, it is pretty much obvious that our weapons are going to be useless against him, except for maybe Imuy's weapons. Do you remember some time ago when you created a ghost clone of Franz Hopper and almost tricked us into turning Aelita to the Scyphozoa?"
Of course I remember. My memory is not fallible like yours. What about it?
"Can you enhance our weapons to be more effective against Thadeo?" Ulrich asks.
I can, but not as powerful as Imuy's weapons. Lay them on the ground in front of you.
Ulrich hesitates and lays the sword his collected from H'cirlu on the ground, then nods to Yumi. Atilea creates a staff for her sister and hands it to her. Aelita eyes it hesitantly, then takes it. Yumi and Aelita then follow Ulrich's lead. Then, the weapons begin to glow red and lift into the air. Several small sparks of energy flit across the weapons, then the glow disappears but they remain in the air.
It is done. Take your weapons. The human called Yumi, your weapon has the same capabilities as Imuy's. The human Ulrich, your weapon has the ability to release a slicing energy wave and also is able to deliver a powerful energy shock on impact. I could not change it to the katana shape you are familiar with so you will have to make due with that form. Aelita, your staff has become ten times stronger than it originally was. It can also deliver a blunt energy wave and shock on contact. Atilea? No weapon enhancements for you?
Atilea frowns and creates escrima sticks in her hands. "No thanks. I want to do this on my own," she replies with a bit of coldness in her voice.Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita pluck their weapons out of the air and examine them. Imuy frowns at Atilea as she twirls the escrima sticks. "Ok, so what's the plan?" Imuy asks, crossing her arms. "Well, it's been a lot longer than forty-five seconds. Thadeo should have been here by now," Ulrich states glancing around. "I don't think he's coming back. Right now, he's at the edge of the….uh, oh!" Jeremie says. "What? What is it?" Yumi asks. "I think he's trying to get to Sector 5, but he hasn't figured out how to activate the transporter. Strange. Why doesn't he know?" Jeremie replies. "Anyways, you need to get over there quickly before he does! I don't think I have to tell you what might happen if he gets there."
Yumi, Ulrich, and Aelita frown. "Yeah, he can get into the Inner Core and destroy everything!" Ulrich states. Atilea gives him a curious look. "Inner Core? What's that?" she asks. Yumi looks at her slightly amazed. "You don't know?" Atilea and Imuy shake their heads.
I did not give that information to them when I birthed them. Just know that it is the 'heart' of Lyoko and myself.
Imuy nods slowly. "Ok, then the plan is to keep him out of Sector 5 and if he manages to get there, prevent him from getting to the Inner Core," she states. "Sounds good to me," Ulrich says. "Yeah, but how are we going to do that? Just run up on him and attack?" Imuy asks him. Ulrich thinks for a moment then replies, "Well, yeah, maybe. We need to distract him any way we can. That seems to be the simplest answer. Jeremie, got any ideas?"
"No, not really. But BE CAREFUL. The scanner's are still offline, but don't worry. I've almost repaired the materialization program. I will try to slow the transporter up to give you more time to stop him," Jeremie replies. "Is that even possible?" Yumi mutters. Ulrich turns to her and gives her a gentle and reassuring hug. "Of course. Remember, despite how many life points he has, he still has to obey the laws governing them, just like everyone else. Thadeo was created from Dod and H'cirlu. Both of them could be beaten and so can Thadeo," he says to her. She smiles and hugs him back. "Thanks," she whispers to him.
Ulrich then turns to the rest of the group. "Ok. Let's go." They nod and Jeremie remotely drives the vehicles to them.