Disclaimer: Don't own Code Lyoko…
WARNING! HUGE CHAPTER!
Note: Author's ramblings at end of chapter, if you're the kind to read that sort of stuff…
Code: Lyoko
Mirror, Mirror
Part XII: A Sister's Love
Atilea stirs in her bed and sighs. She rolls over on her side, trying to get into a comfortable position that will cause her still racing mind to calm down and let her sleep. She grunts in frustration and tosses back the sheets, then sits up. Atilea glances at the clock and groans upon seeing the time. "A quarter till three. Geez, I've got to get to sleep," she mumbles, running a hand down her face. She begins staring out the window and up at the stars. The night was especially clear tonight and Atilea loved to look up at them, despite only being in the real world for only a short time. She slides out of bed and walks to the window to open it. She leans on the window pane and gazes up at the innumerable stars. A small smile forms on her lips and a gentle, cool breeze blows in, causing her hair to rustle slightly. Then, the scent of the flowers on the ivy fills her nostrils and she glances at the now closed blossoms on the vine. Everything was different at night. Smells, sounds, feelings, everything seemed more… pronounced at night. Atilea reasons that maybe it was because all the typical distractions of daytime living were silenced and that allowed the body's senses to fully take in things.
Atilea's gaze returns to the stars and her eyes follow the long band of stars that represent the edge of the galaxy. Then, her thoughts begin to dwell on Ulrich. She smiles as the image of him sprinting in front of her to protect her from Dod's laser arrow. She giggles to herself as her mind shows her the time the two of them started completing each other's sentences. Then, her mind leads her to the kiss she gave him in the scanner room. Atilea hugs her arms and closes her eyes, smiling. Then, she shakes her head and forces herself to remember her promise to Yumi. Atilea sighs, then her mind leads her to Imuy's sacrifice. Atilea's smile fades as her mind replays the memory of the moment she first saw Imuy lying motionless at Thadeo's feet. Atilea's brow wrinkles with sadness as she opens her eyes and gazes out across the forest landscape. A gentle breeze blows through the trees, rustling the leaves slightly. Her mind falls on the image of X.A.N.A. lifting Imuy's lifeless body and carrying it away. A tear begins to well up in her eye as a sudden wave of loneliness hits her. She was the last one. The last one of the created twins. Well, technically, Thadeo is Dod and H'cirlu merged, but all that they were as individuals was gone, and now, a new entity, Thadeo, exists in their place. So, in essence, they are gone also. She was the last of the twins, but she was free of X.A.N.A. Free to live her life like she so chooses to. That has to count for something, right? But, this loneliness, will it ever go away? Sure, she has Aelita as a sister, but in all honesty, she's not really a true sister. All that she is, all that she feels, is nothing more than a copy of Aelita. But, ever since she arrived and began to truly feel things for herself, those copies of feelings began to change. They changed into her own feelings, her own emotions, and her own love. They grew and changed, and she noticed that she began to rely less and less on the experiences planted in her from Aelita, but to rely on her own experiences. Like, feeling guilty when she forced herself on Ulrich and kissed him. Then, learning the true meaning of love from none other than Imuy.
Atilea pauses and wonders why she had never truly recognized that type of love before, but it was there before her every time Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, or even Imuy put themselves in harms way to protect the one they cared about. Could she ever show that kind of love for someone? To lay down her life to save someone else's? Did she have the capacity to do to that? Atilea rubs her arms gently and sighs deeply. She'd like to think she would lay down her life for someone special. But can she do it when the time comes for her to take that step? Imuy did. She died for her master X.A.N.A. and for the love of H'cirlu. Aelita once told her that there wasn't a love greater than that of someone who would willingly lay down their life for someone else. Could she die for Aelita, or Ulrich, or Yumi? Does she really love and care for them enough to go that distance?
Atilea shakes her head to clear it of all the questions that is beginning to flood her mind. She looks up at the stars again and smiles. The stars were so beautiful to look at and it always seemed to sooth her. She starts to sigh, but it turns into a yawn. Atilea closes the window and returns to her bed, pulling the sheets to her neck. She didn't have time to wonder if she would fall asleep, for as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.
A few short hours later, Atilea wakes to the sound of rain. She shuffles underneath the sheets, curling into a ball, then she glances over at the clock. Fifteen past ten. Atilea yawns and finds the sound of the rain falling to be a surprisingly effective sedative. She starts to drift back to sleep, but a sudden crack of lightening and the resounding boom of thunder jolts her awake. Atilea sits up wide-eyed with her heart racing. "Oh, geez…" she mumbles as she tries to calm her body down and lays back down. A low rumble of thunder causes her to turn her head and look out the window, which is now slightly fogged around the edges. Atilea sighs and finds that her sleepiness has left her for now. She slides out of the bed and walks to the window, then begins watching the rain fall. A flash of lightening in the distance catches her eye and she watches it arc across the sky in its zig-zaggie pattern. A rumble of thunder rolls through the house a few seconds later and Atilea shivers slightly in the now cooler air of the room. She'd never seen the rain fall with her own eyes and found it fascinating to watch, but thunder and lightening, that was different. She enjoyed seeing the lightening arc across the sky and to hear the gentle rumble of the following thunder, but when she is rudely awakened by a loud crack and boom, well, that is something she could live without.
A yawn escapes her lips and the warm air from her mouth fogs the window up more. Atilea smiles and giggles as she writes her name in the fog. Then, after the feeling of childishness leaves her, she wipes her name and the remaining fog away with her hand. She sighs and wipes her hand on her pajama leg, then resumes watching the rain. Two distance arcs of lightening mesmerize her and the resulting thunder fills her ears as the rain begins to fall harder. Another yawn escapes her lips and Atilea begins to feel the sedative-like effect of the rain take hold of her once more. She turns and glances at the clock, then over to her bed, and finds the decision to either climb back into bed or remain up a very hard one to make. Then, a loud crack and boom startles her and she instantly makes the decision to stay awake. "Definitely do not want to be woke up by that again!" she says to herself and walks over to her bed to make it up.
Afterwards, Atilea shuffles through her clothes to find something to wear. She finally decides on an olive green, contour fit, v-neck shirt and a pair of hip-hugger jeans. She then selects a set of undergarments and heads to the bathroom to shower. Twenty minutes later, Atilea returns to her room and sets her pajamas down on the bed, then finishes drying her hair. Then, a knock on the downstairs door causes a smile to appear on her lips and she slips on her flip-flops. Atilea drops the towel on the bed next to her pajamas, then heads downstairs to answer the door. She peeks out and sees Aelita with a large, pink umbrella standing with a soggy Jeremie along with Ulrich and Odd behind them, both with their own umbrellas. She opens the door and Aelita, Ulrich, and Odd closes their umbrellas.
"Hey, Sis!" Atilea says cheerfully, then a disgruntled grunt from Jeremie draws her attention. "What happened to you? Where's your umbrella?" Atilea asks as he gently pushes past her. He mumbles something incoherent and plops down hard in a chair as water begins to drip from his jacket. Atilea stares wide-eyed at him and blinks. Aelita stands her umbrella next to Ulrich and Odd's, then whispers, "A sudden gust of wind tore his umbrella up." Atilea lets the remaining three in and eyes Jeremie nervously. His glasses have fogged up and have droplets of water all on the lenses but he seems to not care. "I tried to cover him with my umbrella but it's not quite big enough," Aelita finishes, whispering to her sister. Atilea nods slowly and glances at the floor where a small puddle has collected underneath his chair. "Let me get you a towel," Atilea says to Jeremie. He pulls his glasses down slightly to see and frowns up at her. He mumbles something resembling a thank you then shoves his glasses back up. Atilea gives him a strained smile and heads upstairs.
Once upstairs, Atilea enters the bathroom and grabs a couple of the largest towels off the make-shift towel rack. She turns and jumps upon seeing Ulrich standing behind her. She lets out a squeak of surprise and nearly drops the towels. "Ulrich! You startled me!" Atilea exclaims and he giggles at her. She frowns playfully at him and throws a towel at him. He catches it and gives her a big smile. "Sorry, but I thought I'd help. Jeremie's umbrella not only tore, but it was torn from his hand! And that was, um, roughly half way here," he replies. Atilea chuckles and grabs another towel off the rack. She hears him sigh nervously and turns to look at him. His smile had disappeared and a faint frown has replaced it. "But that isn't the only reason why I came up here," Ulrich says quietly. She feels her heartbeat quicken and her face become warmer than usual. "I wanted to talk to you about… you know." Atilea drops her eyes and leans against the plastic shower door gently. "The kiss…" she whispers. "I'm sorry, Ulrich. I shouldn't have done that. I—I know that it was wrong to kiss you! I'm sorry!"
Ulrich smiles warmly and steps towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know, and I accept your apology. You're still relatively new to this world and I give you the benefit of the doubt… this time," he replies. Atilea looks up at him promptly and sees that he is smiling. "Yumi told me that you apologized to her already. Just promise me that you won't kiss me without permission, ok?" Atilea looks at him, trying to decide if he is being light-hearted or something else. Then, he draws her into a hug, taking her by surprise. "You're a good friend and I like you as a friend," Ulrich says to her and withdraws. "You're a wonderful sister to Aelita and an incredible fighter. You've also have a big heart." Atilea opens her mouth to speak, but her words die in her throat as it begins to tighten. He smiles warmly and chuckles. "Promise me that you won't beat yourself up over this, ok?" he asks. Atilea swallows to moisten her throat so she can speak. "Ok, Ulrich, I won't, and thank you for forgiving me. I won't ever kiss you again as long as I live!" she replies finally. His right eyebrow flicks upward. "Well, you don't have to go that far. Just don't do it while Yumi and I are together." Atilea looks into his eyes and shakes her head. "You two are going to be together forever!" she exclaims. Ulrich chuckles and exits the bathroom. "Yeah, maybe. Really depends on what the two of us decides to do once we graduate," he says as Atilea jogs to catch up with him. "Oh, come on, Ulrich. I know that the two of you will work things out so you'll be together," Atilea says. Ulrich smiles at her and nods. "Maybe." Atilea gives him a curious look. "Maybe? Don't you want to be with her?" she asks. "Well, yeah, but if it turns out that the career she chooses puts a strain on our relationship, then there's only one right answer. You have to understand, I love Yumi and I want her to be happy. I want her to follow her dreams and do what she wants to do. I don't want to get in her way," Ulrich replies and pauses to glance out a window. Atilea feels her heart drop. "Ulrich, don't talk that way! You two are perfect for each other! I know that you're going to find something to do together! I don't want you two split up!" Ulrich turns and chuckles at her, then bonks her gently in the face with his towel. She blinks in shock for a minute, then gets a strained smile on her face. "Geez, relax, Atilea. You act as if we're graduating tomorrow! That's not for a while yet! There's plenty of time to see how things turn out. Until then, Yumi and I are going to enjoy each other!" he says. She nods and says, "Ok, sounds fair, but please tell me you didn't just hit me in the face with that towel?" Ulrich gets a devious look and replies, "Yep! And guess what?" He bops her again in the face. "Ulrich Stern…" she starts. "I did it again!" he says and takes off down the hall. She growls in playful anger and takes off after him.
Once downstairs, Atilea sees him stop and hand Jeremie his towel, then stand behind him, eyeing her victoriously. Atilea frowns and says, "Oh, sure. Run and hide behind the soggy, wet genius! Chicken." Jeremie glances up at each of them. "What? What's going on? I want out of this!" he says in a mixture of nervousness and defensiveness. "Relax, Jeremie. It's not everyday you get to be the human shield!" Ulrich replies. Jeremie gives him an appalled look. "No! No! I don't want to be a human shield! Leave me alone!" he exclaims and covers his face with the towel. "Well, Ulrich is about this close to having that rematch he promised me! And I don't care who's here!" Atilea exclaims defiantly while holding up her hand with her fore-finger and thumb an inch apart. Odd glances at her and raises a dubious eyebrow. "Rematch? What kind of rematch?" he asks. "A pillow fight rematch," Ulrich replies and pulls a chair up. Odd tries to contain a chuckle, then states, "Good luck." Atilea gives him a disproving glare and replies, "After I mop the floor with Ulrich, you'll be next!" She hands her towels to Jeremie and he takes them gladly.
Atilea pauses and asks, "Wait, why aren't you guys in school?" Jeremie takes his glasses off and sets them down to dry his face and hair. "Because the power company's sub-station got hit by lightening. But not only that, the roads are flooded and the truck carrying the replacement equipment can't get through. So, Principal Delmas just let school out until they can get the power back on," Jeremie states and drops a towel on the puddle underneath his chair. "Oh. And where's Yumi?" she asks, sitting down next to Aelita. "She's stuck at home. Her street is under water," Ulrich replies. Atilea nods and pulls her feet out of her flip-flops, then crosses them Indian-style. "So, you guys decided to brave the rain and come visit me?" she asks, propping her head in her hand. Aelita turns and smiles at her. "Something like that. Actually, Jeremie wanted to go to the factory and upload a program he wrote that will monitor Thadeo and let us know when he breaks free of his, um, tomb," Aelita says. "Yeah, if the disk isn't ruined from the rain," mumbles Jeremie. He reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulls out a plastic CD case. He rolls it over in his hands, examining it thoroughly. "Seems ok, but I won't know until I try to run it."
"Odd and I just came along so we wouldn't be bored," Ulrich says and Odd nods in agreement. Atilea shakes her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you guys walked in the pouring rain. I would have stayed inside," Atilea says. "Well, I need to get this up and running as soon as I can," Jeremie replies and replaces his glasses. "And I better get going. Aelita, if you want, you can stay here. Odd and Ulrich can come a keep me company." Aelita gives him a sad look. "Are you sure? You might need my help," she says. Jeremie gets up and steps over to her, then gives her a quick kiss on the cheek. "No, that's ok. I can handle it. Really. Spend some time with your sister," he replies, giving her a gentle smile. She sticks her bottom lip out playfully, causing him to chuckle. "Wanna take my umbrella?" she asks. Jeremie's smile disappears and he steps back. "No thank you! I'll pass. I'm still soaked. A little more rain isn't going to kill me," he replies. The sister's glance at each other, then Atilea states, "I think he just doesn't want to be seen carrying a pink umbrella!" Jeremie purses his lips and replies, "No, that's not it!" Ulrich smiles deviously and says, "Oh, leave him alone! If he doesn't want to use an umbrella when it's offered to him, that's his choice. Odd, I'm going to get my 'brown' umbrella. Would you like me to bring you your 'dark purple' umbrella?" Odd catches onto his joke and replies, "Sure, Ulrich, that would be nice! You know, I just love my 'purple' umbrella!"
"Ok, that's enough. Leave him alone," Aelita says as Jeremie shoots the pair an angry glare. "Jeremie, ignore them. Just go and load the monitoring program up." Aelita stands and follows him to the basement stairwell. "I'll look around here for another umbrella for you, Jeremie," Atilea says and he turns to nod at her. As Ulrich and Odd retrieve their umbrellas, Aelita gives them a warning glance. "Behave, you two. I don't want to have to tell Yumi and Samantha that you were not playing nice," she says as they walk past her. Ulrich and Odd turn and give her an innocent smile. "Ok, Aelita. Have fun, you two!" Ulrich replies. Atilea leans around her sister and eyes Ulrich deviously. "And when you get back, prepare for war, Ulrich!" she says, brandishing a small pillow at him. Ulrich just smiles and nods slightly, then he and Odd turn to follow Jeremie. "She has no idea what she's getting into, does she?" Odd asks. "Nope. Not a clue, but that doesn't seem to have stopped her," Ulrich replies.
Later that afternoon, Atilea finds herself alone again in the Hermitage. She curls up on the couch and stares blankly out the living room window. After the boys returned from the factory, Jeremie and Aelita left to go work on his science project. Ulrich got a call from Yumi, letting him know that her father wanted to get to know him better. He left shortly thereafter to try and forge his way to her house. Odd left after he did, saying that he had to go and check on Kiwi. She had watched them go, sad that she didn't get to pelt Ulrich with a pillow and that she was once again alone. Atilea sighs and rests her head on the armrest of the couch. It wasn't the most in-style couch in the world, but it was the most comfortable. She didn't realize that she had been lulled to sleep by the rain until she started dreaming of a talking dandelion, upon which, she shook herself awake and rolled over onto her back. She stares up at the ceiling and sighs again, wishing that she had someone to talk to. "I guess I could always talk to myself," she jokes to herself, then giggles. "No, that's a sign you're going crazy!" Atilea says chuckling and gets up off the couch. She slides on her flip-flops and heads upstairs to her room. Once there, she glances around and decides to finish reading the book on archeology that Aelita had checked out of the library for her. She discovered that archeology had began to fascinate her and wanted to learn more about it. Atilea kicks off her flip-flops and picks up the thick book, then lays down on her back on her bed, sliding her feet under the sheets. "Let's see, where was I?" she whispers and looks for her bookmark.
Meanwhile, Ulrich leaps over an overflowing puddle and glances up to see Yumi's house in front of him. He sees movement in an upstairs window and smiles, knowing that it was Yumi watching for him. He walks up to the door and closes his umbrella, then knocks. "I'll get it!" comes Yumi's muffled voice through the door and hears someone running through the house. Then someone shouts scoldingly at her, "Yumi! Don't run through the house!" Yumi opens the door and replies, "Sorry, Mom!" She turns and smiles big at him. "Hey, Baby! Glad you could make it!" she says and gives him a hug and a quick kiss. Ulrich smiles and stands his umbrella and takes off his wet and muddy shoes before entering. Yumi leans close to him as he enters and whispers, "My dad's been stuck here all day. He wasn't able to go to work due to the road, and he's been a bit on edge. I tried to get him to mellow out as much as I could before you got here so he wouldn't slam you hard with things." Ulrich nods nervously and replies, "Well, at least I have your mother in my corner if things get too dicey." Yumi giggles and leads him into the living room. Ulrich smiles and waves at Mrs. Ishiyama as she comes out of the utility room. She returns his smile and heads upstairs, carrying a basket of clean clothes. "Hiroki! Come and fold the towels!" she says and knocks on his door. "Aww, Mom! Do I hafta?" Ulrich hears him ask. "Yes, you 'hafta'. Yumi has company and is going to be talking to your father. Now, go, young man!" is the reply. Ulrich smiles inwardly, then glances over at Yumi. "Are you sure you didn't ask me to come over just to get out of doing laundry?" he asks her. "Maybe," comes a reply from her father. Ulrich turns as sees him sitting in his recliner looking up at him. Yumi blushes and says defensively, "No, I didn't! I—I just thought this was a good a time as any for the two of you to, um, get to know each other." Mr. Ishiyama snorts in disbelief but Ulrich sees a sly smile creep onto his face. "It's true! I didn't know when you were going to have another day off, Dad!"
"Uh, huh," her father replies blandly, lifting his newspaper up so that it hid his devious smile.
"But, Dad, with your new position at work…" Yumi starts but stops when Ulrich touches her shoulder.
"Yumi, he's just messing with your mind," Ulrich states, catching onto her dad's behavior. Yumi glances at Ulrich, then over to her dad. Mr. Ishiyama holds back a snicker and drops the newspaper. Yumi blushes and says, "Dad, you promised you'd behave!" Mr. Ishiyama raises an eyebrow. "No, I didn't. I never said 'I promise'. Besides, it's a father's prerogative to embarrass his daughter in front of her boyfriend. Ulrich, would you like to see some of Yumi's baby pictures?" Yumi's jaw drops and Ulrich presses his lips together to prevent a laugh from escaping. "Actually, your wife showed me a few already," he replies. Yumi whips her head around to look at him, appalled. "What! When!" she bursts out. "Um, when I was over here talking to your mother. You had gotten up to go to the restroom and your mom pulled out some baby pictures after you left the room," Ulrich replies and tries not to giggle. Yumi's face first turns pale then goes beet red. She turns away and hides her face in her hands. "Oh, no…." she mumbles and Ulrich glances over at her father. A huge smile is plastered on his face as he watches his daughter squirm in embarrassment. He folds the paper and sets it in his lap, then says to Ulrich, "Have a seat, Ulrich. I'm sure you've guessed by now that I have a few questions for you." Ulrich nods and takes a seat then looks up to see Yumi slide down next to him, still red faced.
Two days went by without incident. Now, it was Friday and Atilea lays on her bed with her second archeology book. It is around five in the afternoon and her stomach begins to growl. She glances at her tummy and frowns. "Don't you start that again," she says and runs a hand up under her pink form-fit tank top subconsciously, then pats her stomach. Atilea resumes reading and begins to play with her belly button. Atilea had originally wanted to be outside trying to clean up all the vines and trim all the overgrown hedges around the Hermitage, but due to the heavy rain earlier in the week, the ground was still muddy and dotted with large puddles of rainwater. But now, all she did was read in her books, not that she minded. The ancient civilizations here in the real world were fascinating to read about. She especially liked the Ancient Egyptians and their pyramids.
Then, Atilea begins to notice that her inactivity is catching up with her, evidenced by a large yawn. She shakes her head, trying to fight off the sleepiness that is threatening to overtake her, then resumes reading. However, the sleepiness Atilea tried to fight off wins. The book she held falls gently on her stomach and her head rolls slightly to the right. Atilea didn't know how long she dozed off for, but was awakened by something gently pressing against her shoulder. She opens her eyes sleepily and sees Aelita come into focus. A smile forms on her lips and then a yawn escapes her mouth. "Morning, Sleepy-Head," Aelita says playfully and jiggles her shoulder again. "Morning?" mumbles Atilea and sits up. She places her bookmark in the book and closes it. "Not quite, Sis. It's just about twelve hours too late for morning," Atilea states and wipes her eyes with her hand. "What are you up to?" Aelita smiles and slides down onto the bed with her. "Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to come and see my favorite sister!" she replies innocently. Atilea pauses and looks at her and notices that she is hiding something. Atilea blinks in disbelief and asks, "Um, thanks, but, uh, what's really going on?" Aelita tries her best to look genuine and replies, "Nothing! Why?" Atilea stretches and yawns. "You're hiding something. Believe me, I know. What is it?" she replies and gives Aelita a self-assured look. Aelita presses her lips together, fighting the urge to tell. "I can't tell you. You'll just have to wait and find out. But, my job was to run interference and keep you distracted. So, make my job easy, ok? Please?" she replies and gets a guilty look on her face. Atilea looks at Aelita, wondering why she was sent to distract her. "Maybe. Just tell me, is Ulrich waiting to jump me?" Atilea asks. Aelita pauses at her question, then realizes what she is actually asking. "Um, no. I heard about your little rematch the two of you had yesterday, and from what I hear, you had enough pillows in the face to last you a while!" A look of relief washes over Atilea's face and she smiles, relieved. "Well, that's good. Who gave you the post-fight commentary? Ulrich?" Atilea asks. "Yumi did. A play-by-play of sorts. From what she said, the two of you got pretty intense and a couple of times, up close and personal," Aelita replies and raises an eyebrow. "Well, it got up close and personal only because he would cheat and grab my pillow with his hand!" Atilea states defensively. "Granted, it was never stated that doing that was illegal, but still, I call it cheating!" Aelita giggles and says, "I'm surprised that your giggling didn't get the best of you." Atilea gives her a playfully accusing glare and replies, "Well, yeah, I was able to control my giggling unlike a certain sister of mine, who shall remain nameless." She pokes Aelita in the ribs playfully, causing her to jump and squeal. Aelita covers her ribs with her arm and fights back laughter. "That was one of your tickle-spots, Sis!" Atilea says sitting up farther, then pokes Aelita in the belly. Aelita squeaks and giggles while covering up her stomach. "That was another one! I know every one of your tickle-spots, Aelita, even the one's that are a bit more private. Jeremie might be interested in knowing where those are!" Atilea playfully threatens and Aelita snaps her head up to look at her, her face beet red. "Don't you dare!" she exclaims at Atilea. A devious smile crosses Atilea's face and Aelita raises a finger at her. "Remember this, Sis, you were created to be like me, therefore, you have the same tickle-spots I have!" Aelita says defiantly. Atilea giggles and covers herself with her bed spread. "Hiding under there won't save you!" Aelita says confidently and giggles deviously. Atilea peaks over the bed spread and grins with equal deviousness. "Well, this seems to be leading us into a massive tickle-war!" she says and sees Aelita raise an eyebrow.
Then, a knock on the door catches their attention. Aelita instantly pops up from the bed and rushes over to the door. She cracks it and Atilea gets a suspicious look on her face. She slides out of the bed and sneaks up behind her sister. "No, you can't come in yet! She's, um, not decent yet!" Atilea hears Aelita whisper to who ever is on the other side of the door. She gets a shocked look on her face and glances down at herself. "Yes I am! What's going on, Aelita?" she exclaims. Aelita jumps and slams the door closed, then turns and leans against it. Her face is red and she has a big strained smile. "Nothing! Go back to bed!" Aelita replies quickly. Atilea frowns and says, "No! I want to know what's going on!" Aelita presses her lips together tightly and shakes her head. "I can't tell you! Now, get back in that bed!" she states commandingly. Atilea raises her eyebrows and replies, "No! This is my house too and I deserve to know what's going on in it!" Aelita crinkles her nose and bites her lower lip. "Not this, you don't! Now, get back in bed before I put you in it!" Atilea grows wide-eyed, then gets a defiant look on her face. "Are you threatening me, Sis?" she asks and steps closer to Aelita. "No, that's a promise! Now, go!" Aelita replies and pokes Atilea in the ribs causing her to twist away and giggle. "Don't! Stop! No tickling!" cries Atilea giggling. "Then maybe you shouldn't have tickled me first!" Aelita replies and chases Atilea back towards the bed while tickling her. Atilea bursts out laughing and bumps into the bed, then turns to see Aelita give her a gentle shove that sends her falling backwards onto the bed. Aelita instantly grabs Atilea's pillow and smacks her in the face with it. Atilea gets a challenging look on her face and sits up, but Aelita tickles her again, causing her to fall back down on the bed, laughing. Atilea curls into a ball on the bed and Aelita steps back, smiling down at her victoriously. "Stay put. I'm going to pick out some clothes for you to wear," she states and walks to the foot of the bed. Atilea stops laughing and crawls on the bed to her sister. "What's wrong with what I've got on?" she asks, peering at Aelita as she roots through the clothes. "Nothing. Stay put," comes the reply. Atilea starts to slide off the bed but Aelita looks up at her and gives her a stern stare. "Stay!" she says strictly. Atilea freezes then replies, "I'm not Kiwi! You can't command me like that!" Aelita presses her lips together, trying not to giggle, then tosses a light blue contour-fit, v-neck shirt and a pair of khaki pants that are cut above the ankles at her, hitting her in the face. "Here, put these on," Aelita says and stands. Atilea pulls the blue shirt off her face and glances at the clothes and then up at her sister curiously. "Why?" "Because I asked," Aelita replies. Atilea gives her a contrary look. "No, you didn't! You just threw them in my face and said put them on." Aelita sighs and smiles. "Please put them on, my sweet, adorable sister!" Atilea tries not to giggle, but fails. "Now you're just sucking up! Goofy!" she says and stands, setting the clothes neatly on the bed, then sighs and peels her pink tank top off and drops it on the bed. Aelita turns to the door and starts to leave, but turns to her sister and says, "Promise me you'll stay in here. I'm going to go and get… something for you." Atilea smoothes the new shirt down against her body and glances from mirror to her sister. She sighs and nods. "Fine. You win." Aelita smiles and slips out of the room. Atilea changes her pants and surveys herself in the full length mirror. "I guess this outfit is okay looking. Still, I don't know why she made me change," she mumbles to herself. Then, the sound of Aelita entering the room catches her attention. Atilea spots the plastic bag she holds and smiles curiously. "Here, I bought you some new shoes," Aelita says and sets the bag on the bed. She pulls out a shoe box from inside and opens it, revealing a new pair of white cross-trainers. Atilea smiles and walks over to her. She hugs her sister and says happily, "Thank you, Sis! You didn't have to do that!" Aelita returns the hug and smile. "No I didn't have to, but I wanted to. It's not everyday I get to buy my sister something!" she replies. Atilea sticks her lower lip out humbly and says, "You're gonna make me cry!" Aelita giggles and states, "Oh, don't do that! Try them on!" Atilea nods and gently shoves the box over to sit down on the bed. She slides the shoes on and laces them up. She stands and admires them. "Oh, they're so cute on you!" Aelita squeals gleefully. "Really? You think so?" replies Atilea. "Thank you, Aelita! I love'em!" The sister's embrace, then Aelita says, "Ok, one last touch." Atilea gives her an inquiring look as her sister reaches once again in the bag and pulls out a small box. Atilea looks at it dubiously and takes it from her hesitantly. She blinks in mild shock and asks, "Perfume?" Aelita nods and replies, "Yeah, it's my favorite. I hope you like it, like I do." Atilea opens the box and pulls out the bottle, then takes the cap off it and sniffs it. A smile creeps onto her face and she says, "I like it! Thanks!" Aelita smiles happily at her and watches as Atilea sprays her wrist and neck once. "I am curious, why are you getting me all dressed up for?" Atilea asks. Aelita sighs and replies firmly, "I told you. You're gonna have to wait and see. Can you wait…" She glances at her watch. "…for about five more minutes?" Atilea sighs and replies, "Well, you've kept me in the dark this long, I guess five more minutes isn't going to matter much. Fine, I'll play this by your rules this time!" Aelita smiles and says, "Ok, I'll come back to get you in five minutes. Try and find something to entertain yourself until then!" Atilea rubs her tongue against the inside of her cheek and replies, "I'll get my hair fixed little better while your gone." Aelita nods and smiles, then turns to leave.
Aelita bounds down the stairwell and glances around the room, seeing Yumi finish setting up the chairs around the large, make-shift table in the middle of the room. Jeremie lounges with his laptop as Ulrich and Odd sit at a smaller table with a chess board between them. Kiwi lays at his master's feet, sleeping. Yumi glances at Aelita and smiles excitedly at her. "Does she suspect anything?" she asks quietly. Aelita nods and replies, "Well, she knows something's going on, but doesn't know what. Is everything ready?" Yumi nods and says, "Pretty much. I'll wait and pour the drinks later."
"Ha, HA! Trogdor strikes again!" shouts Odd victoriously. Ulrich looks at him, annoyed. Yumi chuckles and walks over to her boyfriend and wraps her arms around his neck from behind, looking at the game. "I wish you wouldn't yell that every time you take one of my pieces! And.. and since when did you play chess this well!" Ulrich asks. Odd gives him a humble smile and replies, "Oh, well, I, uh, just asked Jeremie for a few pointers, that's all." Yumi suppresses a giggle and Ulrich gives Odd a dubious look, then glances over to Jeremie. Jeremie looks up from his laptop and shrugs. "He asked me to show him how to play, that's all! I didn't know he had any natural talent in playing the game!" he says defensively. Ulrich turns back to Odd and sees him shrug and tap his temple with a finger. "I guess I inherited my dad's great military mind!" he says humbly with a huge smile on his face. Ulrich sighs deeply and stares at the board. "This is so not fair. I think the only person I can beat now is Kiwi!" he says and frowns. "Well, I don't know about that. From the way you've been playing, Kiwi could beat you!" Odd comments, then receives a sharp glare from Ulrich. "Just finish it quickly!" he snaps through gritted teeth. "Um, it's your move, Ulrich," replies Odd. "You want my help, Sweetie?" asks Yumi, trying not to laugh. "No, if I'm gonna lose, I might as well lose by myself, and spare everyone else the indignity of it all," Ulrich replies and moves a pawn. "Ok, but you can't say that I didn't offer my help," she states and kisses his cheek. Aelita walks over and glances at the board. She watches them each make a move, then frowns. "Oh, come on, Odd. Just finish him off quickly, like he asked," Aelita says and moves Odd's King's Rook, putting Ulrich in checkmate. "It's not nice to just toy with him like that," she finishes. Yumi clasps a hand over her mouth to stop a laugh from escaping. Ulrich's jaw drops and looks up at Aelita, appalled. Odd looks up at her and silently shushes her with a finger over his lips. Ulrich closes his mouth and his gaze turns into a miffed glare. "Aren't you supposed to be keeping your sister occupied?" he asks accusingly. Aelita smiles and blushes, then replies, "Um, not anymore! It's time for me to go get her!" Ulrich frowns and watches her leave quickly to go upstairs. "Alright everybody, let's get ready to surprise her!" Yumi says excitedly and releases Ulrich.
"This is silly. I can't believe you talked me into wearing this thing!" Atilea says, with arms stretched in front of her. Aelita smiles and guides her now blindfolded sister down the hallway. "Trust me. This is the only way!" she replies and helps her sister turn a corner. "Fine. Just don't let me run into anything that has sharp corners, ok?" states Atilea. "Ok, but be careful now. The top of the stairs is right in front of you. Let me get in front of you so you can hold onto my shoulders. Take it easy going down. I don't want my only sister to fall and break her neck on the stairs!" Aelita says and squeezes past her. Atilea sighs and feels for Aelita's shoulders, then let's her lead her down the stairs. Once at the bottom, Atilea lets out a sigh of relief. "Can I take this off now? I can feel it messing my hair up!" she asks. Aelita giggles and says, "Sure, go ahead!" "Finally! I'm definitely more sympathetic towards the blind now," Atilea says and reaches up to take off the blindfold. She carefully peels it off, not wanting to muss her hair. Suddenly, once she looks up, everyone yells in chorus, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" Atilea steps back in shock and her jaw drops open. The room has been decorated and a large make-shift table stands in the middle of the room with party plates and napkins. She glances around the room, speechless, and sees everyone smiling and clapping. "I… I… uh, don't know what to say…" she says finally. "But, anniversary? What kind? I'm sorry, I guess I just don't know…" Aelita wraps an arm around her and replies, "Today marks the one week anniversary of when we first met!" Atilea turns to her sister and smiles, fighting back the tears of joy, then embraces her sister. "Oh, thank you! Thank you very much!" she says. "But, um, you do realize that the first time we met, I wasn't exactly the nicest person?" Aelita giggles and pulls back to look at Atilea. "Yeah, I do, but, um, we did meet a week ago today nevertheless," she states. Atilea feels a tear roll down her cheek and promptly wipes it away, then turns to look at the rest of the group. "Thank you, guys! I appreciate it!" she says and sees a bit of movement behind Odd. Then, Kiwi pokes his head around his master's leg and yips. Atilea gets wide-eyed. "Kiwi? What's he doing here?" she asks. Odd gets an innocent grin on his face. "Um, he needed walked," he replies. Yumi walks up to Atilea and hugs her. "Thank you, Yumi! I did not expect anything like this! Whose idea was this?" Yumi giggles and replies, "You probably can guess. It was Aelita's idea." Aelita turns and looks at her blushing sister. "You didn't have to do this!" she says and Yumi steps back a step. "I'll be back!" she says and leaves to go into the kitchen. "I can't believe you kept this from me!" Atilea says to Aelita. Aelita smiles and replies, "Well, that's why they call them surprise parties! Surprise!" Atilea smiles and hugs her again. "Big goof-ball. Thank you!" she says happily. Yumi returns, carrying a large white box and sets it on the table. Odd's eyes widen as he anticipates seeing what is in the box. Yumi glances over at him. "Odd, no!" she says sternly. He gets an innocent look on his face. "What? I didn't do anything!" he says defensively. "You had that look in your eye!" Yumi replies firmly and motions for him to step away. "But… but… I always have this look!" he stammers. "Yes, I know that, Odd. And I know what usually follows that look! So… no!" Yumi says and shoos him away again. "But I…." Odd starts but get interrupted by Ulrich. "Odd, just leave it. There's no point in arguing with her," he says. Yumi turns and smiles at Ulrich. "Well, I'm glad you've learned that little lesson before we get married, Ulrich! You're pretty much already prepared once you get that down!" she says giggling. Ulrich's face goes blank and blinks, no knowing how to respond. A few chuckles sound and then Ulrich finally replies, "Maybe, but remember, I do know where you are ticklish at, Yumi!" Yumi's eyes widen and she shakes her head. "Don't you even go there, Ulrich," she warns and sees him smile defiantly at her. Yumi turns to Atilea and motions her to come over to her. Atilea walks over as Yumi opens the box and reveals a cake inside decorated with the words "To A Special Friend From Your Friends" in red icing on top of a layer of white icing. Atilea glances up at Yumi and smiles happily. Yumi returns the smile and hands her a knife and a cake spatula. "You get to cut the first piece!" she says and gets one of the party plates for her. Atilea smiles nervously and cuts a neat square from the lower right corner, then places it gently on the plate. "Ok, your job it done, Sis. Now go and enjoy!" Aelita says and takes the knife and spatula from her. Atilea looks a bit bewildered as Yumi hands her the piece of cake she just cut. "Ok, sure," Atilea replies and turns to find a seat.
Forty-five minutes later, the group sits in a circle, laughing and joking together. Aelita and Atilea giggles almost constantly as Jeremie watches his girlfriend enjoy herself. Odd shovels another bite of his fourth piece of the vanilla and chocolate swirl cake into his mouth. Ulrich and Yumi tease him about going behind Samantha's back and gorging himself. Kiwi, despite the noise in the room, settles at his master's feet and falls asleep. Atilea looks up and notices a pink box on the couch behind them. "Hey, isn't that the box I gave to you? Well, actually, Yumi went and got for me after I saw it in a memory flashback," she says and Aelita turns to glance at it. "Yes, it is. I…. wanted to open it with you and show you what is inside later tonight, after everyone had left. No offense to you guys," Aelita replies and the others nod in understanding. "No problem, Aelita," says Ulrich. Aelita looks over at Jeremie and gives him a puppy-dog look. "You're not upset are you, Baby?" she asks sweetly. He smiles and shakes his head. "No. Whatever is in that box is your business. I can understand why you'd share it with your sister before me," he replies and pats her thigh. Aelita smiles at his reply and winks at him.
Atilea then stands and takes a nervous breath. "I want to thank you guys for all this again. I just don't have the words to fully express how mush this means to me. You guys are…." She pauses for a moment to get her emotions under control. "…You are the best family I could have ever asked for. I don't think I could ever pick such a great group of friends if I had all the time in the world. I…" Her sentence gets cut off by a beeping from Jeremie's laptop. The room grows silent, except for the beeping and Atilea feels her heart sink. Jeremie frowns nervously and walks over to the couch where he sat it down. He closes his eyes and exhales deeply, then opens the lid. He opens his eyes and a look of despondency covers his face. Ulrich sighs and stands. "I don't have to ask what that means. I know already. Yumi?" he says somberly. She hangs her head and sniffs, then takes his hand. Odd stands and disturbs Kiwi. He looks down at his faithful puppy and smiles weakly. Kiwi looks up at his master and cocks his head slightly to one side. "You're a good puppy, Kiwi. I want you to stay here and be a good dog, ok?" Odd says and kneels down to pet him. Kiwi seemingly picks up on the seriousness in his master's voice and gently nuzzles Odd's hand, then sits down obediently. Jeremie feels Aelita slide a hand across his shoulders and hugs him gently. He closes the laptop and glances at her. He sees in her eyes a pain that she is holding back. The two stand and turns to the rest of the group.
Atilea stands in the middle of the room with tears running down her cheeks. She clenches her fists and hangs her head. Why? Why now? It wasn't fair! Why did it have to be when her and her friends were having such a good time? It wasn't fair at all! Then, a hand gently touches her shoulder and she looks up to see Aelita in front of her, smiling weakly. "It's time, Atilea. Let's go," her sister says quietly. Then a feeling of desperation and exasperation floods her. "Please, please tell me we are all coming back…" Atilea says almost despairingly. The room remains silent for what seems like forever before Ulrich answers her.
"There is no guarantee, Atilea. All I can promise is that all of us will do our very best to get the job done."
But his answer didn't give her the comfort she thought it would. "I don't want anyone else to die…." she whispers desperately.
"Neither do we, Atilea," he replies and lays a hand gently on her other shoulder.
Atilea instinctively reaches back and grabs hold of his hand. "Promise me that none of you will die," she states, almost demandingly.
Ulrich glances at Yumi, over to Aelita, then to Odd and Jeremie, then finally resting his gaze back on Atilea. "I wish I could, but I can't. There has always been that risk of not coming back ever since we first stepped into that factory. But, if laying down my life is what it takes for the rest of the world to live in peace, then so be it. I am prepared to do that."
Atilea finds his words hard to hear, but knows that he is confident in them. She nods and turns to him. A strangely calming smile rests on his face and Atilea feels her confidence rise in her.
"We don't have much time. Let's go," Jeremie states melancholic. He takes Aelita's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. She turns and nods, returning the squeeze. Then, the group heads quietly to the basement.
Once at the factory, Jeremie sits quietly at the computer monitor, waiting for the elevator to take the rest of the group to the scanner room. Then, the doors open and the group exit the elevator, silent. Ulrich and Yumi exchange glances and smiles at each other slightly. "See you on the other side, Babe," he whispers to her. Yumi winks and whispers back, "You better believe it, Baby." Atilea watches them and hugs her arms. Odd turns to Ulrich and gives him a thumbs up. Ulrich smiles at him and returns the thumbs up. Aelita closes her eyes and concentrates, trying to control her emotions and to focus on the task at hand. Atilea glances at her and wants to go over and hug her, but doesn't want to interrupt her sister. Then, the three scanner pod doors open, startling her.
"Ok, Ulrich, Yumi, and Atilea, you're up first," comes Jeremie's voice over the p.a. system. "Odd, Aelita, you're after them."
Ulrich and Yumi nod and step into the scanners. Atilea glances at herself and then at Ulrich. She hesitantly steps into the scanner. The doors close on her and she closes her eyes, secretly wishing she could just runaway and not have to face the prospect of….
Her thoughts are interrupted by the sensation of falling and she instantly opens them in time to prevent herself from landing badly. Atilea looks up to see Ulrich and Yumi standing up with their back to her. Yumi turns and glances at her as she stands, smoothing her Lyokan shirt down. "We're all here, Jeremie," Yumi states and turns back around. Atilea glances around and sees that they are in the ice sector. She steps towards Yumi and Ulrich, glancing between them. She sees that Ulrich has a serious and intense look on his face. Yumi fidgets with one of her fans. Then, the sound of Odd and Aelita phasing in behind her catches her attention. Atilea and Yumi turn to see Odd and Aelita stand. "Ok, we're here, Jeremie. That's all of us. Unless you'd like to join us!" Odd quips, trying to lighten the mood. Jeremie frowns and replies, "No thank you. I've already done my tour of duty on Lyoko, and one was more than enough!" Odd shrugs and says, "Suit yourself. I guess we'll have all the real fun!" Atilea looks at him and says, "I'm glad you can be lighthearted in any situation, Odd. Me, I'm almost a nervous wreck!" He smiles and states confidently, "Well, the way I see it, we're the good guys, and the good guys always win!" Odd's quirkiness makes her giggle slightly and she notes that his goofiness has begun to relieve her of some of the worry and nervousness she felt before.
"Ok, where is he, Jeremie?" Ulrich asks, drawing her attention to him. Jeremie looks curiously at the screen. "Um, well, he's still in his 'tomb', as it is aptly named. I designed the program to detect any breaches in the outermost layer of the tomb. It seems as though a crack has formed in it," he replies. "But, um, it's only a couple of inches long and is much more like a hairline fracture rather than a big break. At least, that is how it is right now. Who knows how long it will remain that small." Ulrich's left eyebrow flicks up quickly and he grunts in thought. "Look, why don't you and Atilea go and check it out. Odd, Yumi, and Aelita will hang back and watch your backs," Jeremie states. "And furthermore, I've made sure that the materialization program won't give us any trouble this time! If anything happens, I'll be able to bring you home safely."
Atilea glances around at her friends. "That, um, does include me, right?" she asks nervously. "Of course. Why couldn't it?" Jeremie replies, taken slightly aback by her question. "It's nothing towards you, Jeremie. I just need a lot of self-reassurance right now. Thanks," she says. Aelita steps over to her and wraps a comforting arm around her waist. "Besides, Aelita would kill me if I let anything happen to you!" Jeremie comments and Aelita smiles deviously. Atilea chuckles and feels more relaxed. Ulrich turns to her and half-smiles. "You ready?" he asks. Atilea nods and joins him. Then, Ulrich turns to Yumi and instructs, "Stay back far enough so you won't be spotted if anything should happen, but close enough in case things turn really ugly." Yumi nods, then leans into him, planting a kiss on his lips. "Be careful," she says after withdrawing. He smiles and nods. "You don't have to tell me that, Dear. Odd, maybe, but not me!" His comment causes her to giggle and the two kiss once again, then he and Atilea take off across the landscape.
"Yumi, I'll have the vehicles waiting in standby for you if you end up needing them," Jeremie informs. "Thanks, Jeremie. I have a feeling we may need them," she replies. Aelita fidgets nervously as Yumi turns to look at her and Odd. "You ok?" Yumi asks her. Aelita looks up at her and Yumi can see concern in her eyes. "Promise me you two won't let anything happen to my sister," Aelita says, trying to cover up her despair. Yumi looks at her, first in shock, then in compassion. "Hey, we're a team, right? We always take care of our own!" Odd pipes up cheerfully. Aelita smiles at him, feeling mildly better. "You think something's gonna happen to her, don't you?" Yumi asks finally. Aelita's smile disappears and is replaced by a saddened frown. "Not necessarily her, but I just can't shake the feeling that something really terrible is going to happen," she replies. "Oh, come on, ladies, relax a bit, will ya?" Odd interjects. "All this could turn out be is just a checkup mission. If it turns out that this Thadeo character isn't anywhere close to busting out, then we'll just go home for another day or so. Stop being so gloom and doom. That'll give you an ulcer." Yumi and Aelita exchange blank glances with each other, not knowing how to respond to Odd's statements. "Besides, we need to go. Ulrich and Atilea needs us to watch their back," Odd finishes. Yumi sighs and nods.
Ulrich peers over the edge of the cliff and sees the huge dome still standing. Atilea gently leans against the right side of his back and peers over at it also. "Looks exactly the same way it did when we left it here," she whispers. "Yeah, except that there is a fracture in it somewhere. I don't feel comfortable climbing down the cliff this close to the dome. We should circle around to the far side and go down there," Ulrich says motioning to the opposite side of the ravine. Atilea nods and says, "Good idea. That way, if one of us falls and makes a loud noise, there'll be less of a chance that Thadeo could hear us. Though, I'm not really sure how well he can hear through all that." Ulrich turns his head and almost bumps her head, due to the fact she is so close to him. "Me either. Then there's the other way he uses to track us. Not sure exactly what it is, but I'm sure all that rock and ice puts a big damper on it. Let's go," he whispers, then backs up, but instantly collides with her. "Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have been that close to you," Atilea apologies quickly. "It's ok, but I have noticed that you have been really close to me as we traveled here. Is something wrong?" he asks. Atilea flushes and begins to avoid looking him in the eyes. "I, uh, just….just, um wanted to be close by. You know, in case you needed me, er, my help," she replies. Ulrich frowns at her and she feels a sharp pang of guilt. "Atilea," he starts, then let's out a heavy sigh. "Please don't lie to me. For one, you're terrible at it. Furthermore, I can see in your eyes the truth of why you've been following me so close," he finishes. Atilea steps away quickly and replies, "I'm sorry, I… I…. don't know why I do the things I know are wrong. But, I do have a bad feeling, like something horrible is going to happen." Ulrich surveys her and sees her lower lip tremble. "I believe you when you say that. Atilea, you don't have to lie to me, ok? Just tell me the truth," he says with a bit of firmness. Atilea nods and replies, "I know, but I just seemingly can't control my feelings… towards…."
Her sentence gets cutoff by a sudden tremor in the ground that causes the two to instantly turn and look at the dome. Then, after a couple of seconds, the tremor stops. "Jeremie, what was that?" Ulrich asks. Jeremie sits up at attention and stares at the readings on the monitors. "Uh, not sure yet. Hang on for a second," Jeremie replies and starts a scan. "Felt like that came from all directions," Atilea notes and looks hard at the dome, trying to see if there is any damage to it. "You think Thadeo did that?" she asks Ulrich. He narrows his eyes and shrugs. "Not sure. Only way I could think he'd cause that is if he were tunneling his way out through the ground as opposed to going through the dome," he replies. "We gotta get down there now and check out the dome. No time to circle around now if that was him." Atilea nods and asks, "You want me to go first?" Ulrich glances at her then shakes his head. "No, I'll go first. You stay here and let Yumi and the others know what happened if they don't all ready. Then, you come down and let them stay up here to watch our back, ok?" he replies. Atilea nods and watches as Ulrich begins his decent.
Once Ulrich reaches the bottom, he begins to inspect the dome. "Jeremie, where's that fracture at?" he asks quietly. "It's half way around to the other side, about three feet up from the bottom. Apparently, that bit of seismic activity didn't bother it too much because it didn't grow any at all," Jeremie replies. "I'm still not sure where the epicenter of that tremor is, so be careful. If Thadeo did cause it, he could be closer to escaping than we thought originally." Ulrich nods and walks carefully around the dome until he reaches where the fracture is. He examines it and frowns. "Not much to it, is there?" he says. "No, not really. It seems to be a surface crack only. It isn't deep at all," Jeremie states. "What could have caused it?" Ulrich asks. "I don't know. It doesn't display the typical spider webbing effect of an impact. It's almost as if the rock was heated until the crack formed," Jeremie says rubbing his temple. Then, Atilea walks around the dome to him and smiles weakly at him. He glances up at her and returns her smile. "A heat fracture. There's nothing in Lyoko to cause that. And it's sitting in the middle of a huge glacier. How much weirder can this get?" Ulrich muses and reaches out to touch the surface of the dome. Then, he stops as he feels heat radiating from the dome. "What the…?" Atilea notices the perplexed look on his face and kneels down next to him. "Hold your hand out over the dome like this and tell me if you can feel the heat rising off the dome," he says to her. Atilea gives him a perplexed look, then stretches her hand out. A look of shock crosses her face. "No way…" she says in awe. Then, Ulrich turns and looks at the ground around him. "Jeremie, quickly, give me the temperature reading of the dome!" he says, with a bit of franticness in his voice. Jeremie raises an eyebrow at his request, but obliges. "Whoa, what's going on here?" Jeremie says as the result pops up on the screen. "Ulrich, the surface temperature is reading 51.6ºC / 125ºF, but the core temperature is upwards of 146.11ºC / 295ºF! I think Thadeo is trying to melt his way out!" he states. Ulrich grows wide-eyed and an epiphany hits him. "The ice… that's it!" he mutters. Atilea turns and gives him a curious look. "What? What's it, Ulrich?" she asks. He turns to her and says, "You don't see it? The hot exterior of the dome is affecting the ice!" Then, the light clicks on in her head. "Of course! The ice breaking apart and then colliding back together is causing the tremors!" she exclaims. "No wonder it felt as if the tremors were coming from all over!" "Is that even supposed to be possible?" Ulrich asks. Atilea shrugs and replies, "Why not? I can freeze the water into ice." She raises her hand and siphons a small amount of water from the nearby sea. Then, she brings it between her and Ulrich and freezes it. Ulrich glances at it, but overlooks the shape she formed it into. "I don't see a reason why it can't go the other way as well," Atilea finishes. Ulrich looks off to the side in thought. "But on such a grand scale? I would have thought Dr. Hopper would have built in some sort of restrictions on that sort of thing," he states. "Well, apparently not since it's happening. We need to get out of this sector," Atilea states and holds her small ice sculpture carefully. Ulrich glances at it again and raises an eyebrow. "A dandelion?" he asks. Atilea shrugs and smiles. "I can't just make a random ice ball. Sorry. But this proves my point. Here," she replies and hands him the ice dandelion. He takes it hesitantly and she reaches out and gently touches it with her finger. The ice dandelion instantly reverts back to water and splashes over his hand and onto the ground. "See?" she says. Ulrich glances at his wet hand and then up at Atilea. Then, he reaches up and wipes his hand on her cheek, catching her by surprise. Her jaw drops and gets a shocked look on her face. "Oh, you just did not…" she starts. "Later. We have to inform the others of this disturbing discovery," Ulrich says, cutting her off and walks past her.
After hearing the news from Ulrich and Atilea, Odd asks, "So, what's his plan? Destroy the entire sector just to free himself? That doesn't make much sense. There'd be nothing left for him to be on." "Thadeo seemingly has the ability to move between sectors without having to use the passage towers. All he'd have to do is just shift himself from this sector to another once he's free," replies Ulrich. "So we let him destroy the sector and face him on another?" Yumi asks. "Yeah, basically," Ulrich states simply. "But this sector would be, well, ruined!" argues Yumi. "Lyoko's been in worse shape that, Dear. Remember the whole 'running out of power' bit when X.A.N.A. took over a criminal to steal a nuclear battery for the computer?" Ulrich points out. Yumi mulls over his answer and concedes. "Besides, I'm sure Jeremie has the means of restoring the sector," Ulrich finishes. "Wow!" Odd chirps. The group turns to look at him. "You, like, actually won an argument… with Yumi!" Odd states in mild amazement. Ulrich and Yumi give him a slightly appalled look. "Out of all that I have said, that is the thing that amazes you the most?" Ulrich asks. An innocent look forms on Odd's face and he replies, "Well, yeah." Ulrich's expression goes blank and he says, "I have no idea how to respond to that." "Well, I know for one thing, we need to get out of this sector before Thadeo destroys it," states Atilea. "She's right. Jeremie, where's the nearest passage tower?" asks Ulrich. "Not too far. Due north," replies Jeremie. "Right, let's go, every—Hey, where'd Aelita go?" Ulrich asks, noticing Aelita is no longer with them.
Aelita finds herself standing just inside the cave where she was held captive in. She begins to tremble as flashbacks of what happened flood her mind. I have to do this. I have to face… what he did, she thinks to herself. Aelita walks in and glances around the cave room. Then, she walks over to the spot where she was… trapped against the wall with nowhere to go. Well, not really trapped. More like, frozen with fear. Then, a voice rings throughout the cave.
"Aelita?"
Aelita realizes that her sister has found her, but remains silent. Instead, she kneels down on the spot.
"Sis? Are you alright? We were worried about you. You shouldn't have up and disappeared like that."
Aelita closes her eyes and hears her sister walk up behind her. Still, she does not answer.
Atilea looks at her sister in compassion and realizes why she is here. "Aelita, I know why you're here, but we don't have that much time. We have to leave now," she says, kneeling down next to Aelita and wraps an arm around her, suddenly feeling very protective of her sister. "And believe me when I say this, I will make sure he pays for anything that he did to you." Aelita shakes her head. "It's not you burden to bare, Atilea," she says and sniffs. Atilea presses her lips together and pauses for a second. "I don't care. You're MY sister and I'm not going to let anyone mistreat you! Besides, aren't we supposed to help each other in times of trouble? Let me answer that for you: Yes! You're my sister and I love you and I want to help you through this. Please don't push me away," Atilea says. Aelita hangs her head and sobs. Yumi enters the cave and sees the two holding each other. "We have to go now! I'm sorry, but the heat from the dome is growing and causing the glacier to break up more dramatically now," she states, feeling bad that she interrupted them. "Just give us a second longer, please, Yumi," replies Atilea. Yumi sighs and replies, "Sure. But don't take too long." Then, she turns and exits the cave. Ulrich looks at Yumi as she exits the cave. "I take it that they are in there?" he asks. She nods and crosses her arms, with a sad look on her face. Ulrich notices his girlfriend's demeanor and asks, "What's wrong, Yumi?" She sighs and walks over to him. He wraps his arms around her, letting her simply lean against him and not press her for an explanation. Then, the two pink haired sisters exit the cave, both with a determined and confident smile on their faces. "Feeling better you two?" he asks half-smiling. The sisters smile and nod. "Good. Then we can—"
A sudden explosion from the dome cuts Ulrich off and sends the group flying from the shockwave. Ulrich manages to position his body so that Yumi lands on top of him instead of the hard icy ground. The group crashes to the ground and Ulrich opens his eyes, seeing Yumi's scared face nose to nose with his. "Yumi, are you—" he starts, but gasps when the sky above them is filled with debris. He grabs a hold of her firmly and rolls over on top of her. She grunts from the sudden switch, then gasps as she realizes what he is doing. "Ulrich, no!" she blurts out, but it was too late. Ulrich yells in pain as several pieces of debris strike his back sharply. Odd holds his shield up over is head, trying to protect himself from the falling debris, but he begins to feel it tax his energy. Suddenly, a dome forms over the group and Odd glances up to see Atilea standing over Aelita, with hands raised. He drops his shield and stands, amazed. Then, he hears Yumi call out to Ulrich. "Ulrich! Ulrich! Answer me, please!" she begs and gently shakes him. He finally stirs and groans. "Oh, Baby! Why? Why did you do that?" she exclaims frantically. Ulrich lifts his head slightly and gives her a small smile, then kisses her nose. "Just… wanted t… to protect you," he replies and grunts in pain. She looks up into his eyes and smiles, then wraps her arms around him and pulls him back down to her as she plants a kiss on him lips. "A-hem!" comes a voice. The two look over and see Atilea and Odd looking at them side-long. The two blush and Ulrich painfully rolls off Yumi. "Oh, geez, that hurt!" he states and Yumi sits up. "Thank you, sweetie," she whispers, but feels as if that isn't enough to truly thank him. He smiles and nods, then stands painfully. Then, he reaches down and helps her stand.
Atilea drops the dome after the last of the debris stops falling. A cloud of smoke and thick water vapor hangs where the dome once stood. Then, an angry yell resonates across the area. "Oh, crap. He's free…" Ulrich states. The smoke and vapor clears, revealing an enraged Thadeo standing in the midst of the remains of the dome, his eyes glowing an angry red. Odd stares in awe at him, no knowing what to think. "Ok, I think it's safe to say he's very, very teed off!" he whispers. "Dang, he's also uglier than what you guys described him as!" "Quiet, Odd!" Atilea chides quietly and elbows him in the ribs. "He'll hear you!" Odd clamps his mouth shut and watches Thadeo intensely.
"You are here! We know you are! We can see you! You. Will. All. DIE!" bellows Thadeo, causing the group to gasp. Thadeo closes his eyes and concentrates. Suddenly, he opens then, sending a fiery red beam outward towards them. Atilea instantly raises a section of ice in front of them as the rest dive to the ground. The beam strikes the ice and blows it into tiny pieces. Atilea freezes in shock, then feels a pair of hands pull her to the ground as the remainder of the beam passes on over them. Atilea gasps as Thadeo suddenly appears above them in the air. "Oh, geez, MOVE!" she yells and grabs her sister's arm. Thadeo slams into the ground feet first just as the group scatters in the nick of time. Thadeo's impact creates a crater and several large cracks in the ice travel outward from the crater. Thadeo looks up and glances around to each of the group members. Ulrich and Yumi draw their weapons as Odd and Atilea turn to protect Aelita. Odd cocks his laser arrow launcher as Atilea creates a long, sharp pole in the air, ready to throw it at Thadeo, should he charge them. Aelita sits on the ground trembling in fear.
"Ok, on three, we all hit him at the same time," states Ulrich. His friends nod in acknowledgement. Thadeo smirks and grunts in defiance. "You can try, but we have extensive technical knowledge of techniques and how to counter them. We can stop you even if you attack at the same time!" pipes up Thadeo confidently. "You have to be bluffing! All you're doing is trying to stall us just to give yourself time to recuperate from exploding out of the dome and that eye-beam thingy!" returns Ulrich sharply. Thadeo grunts in anger and narrows his eyes. "Ok, ready guys?" Ulrich continues. "THREE!" he yells and Thadeo instantly crosses his arms in front of himself. Simultaneously, Yumi throws her fans as Odd fires several laser arrows while Atilea launches the sharp pole at Thadeo. Ulrich super-sprints towards Thadeo, his katana raised and ready to strike. Thadeo prepares to grab Ulrich and throw him into the line of the pole, but Ulrich suddenly dives and rolls up behind him. Thadeo turns his head just as Ulrich stabs his katana into his back. Thadeo yelps and flinches, allowing Yumi's fans and Odd's laser arrows to find their target. Ulrich yanks his katana out of Thadeo's back and super-sprints away just as Atilea's sharp pole collides with Thadeo's side. The force of the collision sends him flying sideways and into the cliff face. Ulrich sprints around to Odd and Atilea. "Great job! Let's pour it on'em!" he appraises and sprints towards Yumi. Atilea smiles in his direction and raises her arms out to each side. "Odd, you might want to get Aelita and get the to of you away. You know, for your own protection and all," she says and turns her gaze to a slightly disorientated Thadeo climbing out of the debris. Odd nods and grabs Aelita. She squeals in surprise and sees that Odd is carrying her. "Odd?" she asks. "Sorry, Princess. Request of your sister! Looks as if she's got something special in mind for Thadeo!" Odd replies and glances back to see Atilea begin to pull up chunks of ice from the ground. Then she begins to break them apart into smaller pieces. Ulrich and Yumi watches her in interest as she begins to spin the now razor sharp shards of ice around her body. "Whoa, cool!" Ulrich says and a smile creeps onto his face. "Can you do that?" he asks Yumi. Yumi turns to him and shakes her head. "No… I can't. Why?" she replies skeptically. "Um, no reason. Just thought I'd ask. Be great if the both of you could do that. Really would help out a lot," he answers. She frowns and states, "Well, sorry, but I'm not as powerful as her." Ulrich looks at her, unable to tell if she is upset at his comment or not. "I didn't mean to compare you to her like that, Yumi," he says. Yumi sighs and nods. "I know. Sorry if I sounded mad. I'm just nervous, that's all," she replies.
Thadeo regards Atilea's technique with mind fascination. "What do you hope to accomplish with that?" he asks with a notable amount of condescendence in his voice. Atilea smiles defiantly at him and replies, "Just watch…" She reaches her left hand behind her and her right hand in front of her, then in one swift motion, she reverses the places of her hands. The spinning cloud of ice shards sudden rotates around her and flies towards Thadeo. Thadeo's eyes widen as the thousands of razor sharp shards flies towards him. Atilea smiles victoriously as Thadeo foolishly raises his arms in front of his face to block the shards. Then, the first of the shards collides with him and Thadeo yelps as they dig into his skin. Then the rest of the shards begin to pound at his arms and he fights to keep them up. Yumi and Ulrich glance at each other, knowing what the other is thinking. Then, the couple takes off towards Thadeo. "Keep those things coming!" Ulrich bellows at Atilea. She nods and turns to Odd. "I need you to bust up some ice for me! Get Aelita to help you!" she instructs and Odd nods in agreement. Thadeo buries his head behind his arms farther, oblivious to Ulrich appearing behind him. Suddenly, the pain of Ulrich's katana once again piercing his back hits him, causing him to raise his head above his protection. Then, one of Yumi's fans smacks into the side of his head. Ulrich jerks his katana out of Thadeo and dodges a few wayward shards as he scoops Yumi up into his arms. He sprints the two of them around to Atilea and Odd, then gently sets Yumi back on the ground. "I wish you'd warn me before you scoop me up like that. One of these days, you're gonna give me a heart attack!" she jokes. He smiles and says nothing, then turns to see Thadeo fall backwards. Atilea nods to Odd and he stops shooting a large ice chunk near him. Atilea drops her hands and starts panting. "Wonder how much damage that did?" she asks and tries to catch her breath.
"You took away fifty of his life points," replies Jeremie. "He now has 650 left." Odd gets wide-eyed and looks over at Atilea, impressed. "Wow! She did all that with just one attack?" he exclaims. "Um, no, not really. Sorry, Odd. It appears Thadeo sacrificed 300 of his life points just to get out of that tomb he was sealed in," states Jeremie. "Uh, no offense, Atilea. Your attack was impressive, nonetheless," he continues. Atilea smiles and straightens up. "Thanks, Jeremie," she replies. Then, a pained grunt from Thadeo catches their attention. They see him straighten up painfully with numerous shards protruding from his body. He groans and closes his eyes to concentrate. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, the ice shards disintegrate and the tears in his fighting gi instantly repair themselves. "Whoa, ok, that wasn't cool!" Odd exclaims in awe at this new technique. "Hmm, he sacrificed another 50 life points to expel all those shards. Interesting," Jeremie states, rubbing his chin in thought. "That may be, but he still has enough strength and power to take us out!" says Ulrich. "Anymore neat little tricks hidden up your sleeves, Atilea?" he asks her. Atilea tilts her head slightly in thought, but doesn't have any time to really formulate anything before the sound of Thadeo charging them catches their attention. Ulrich scoops up Yumi and Atilea and sprints out of the way as Odd scoops up Aelita to get her out of an enraged Thadeo. Thadeo skids to a stop and turns towards Ulrich and his group. Yumi glances back to see Thadeo gaining on them. "Ulrich! He's getting closer!" she yells and Ulrich narrows his eyes in concentration, trying to make his body move faster. He veers towards the cliff wall as an idea pops into his head. "Just like when Dod chased me!" he whispers with a sly smile on his lips. Atilea sees the cliff wall drawing nearer to them and gets a worried look on her face, not knowing what he is up to. Similarly, Yumi buries her head in his neck, not wanting to see when they run into the cliff face. Ulrich glances back and sees Thadeo closing in. Suddenly, Ulrich leaps up and runs straight up the wall, Atilea gasps and looks down to see a very surprised Thadeo slam headlong into the cliff wall. Ulrich continues to the top of the cliff and finally stops. He gently releases Yumi and Atilea, then turns to look down the cliff. Thadeo lifts his head painfully off the ground where he had fallen backwards. Then, Odd and a rather sullen Aelita joins them, riding the Overboard. "Hey, great job, Ulrich! I wouldn't have thought he would ever fall for that one!" Odd praises and lands. Atilea notices her sister's behavior and starts to ask her what is wrong, but a grunt from Ulrich catches her attention. "We need a place to hide and formulate a plan of attack. This 'flying by the seat of our pants' type of attack isn't gong to work for very much longer!" he says. Yumi nods in agreement. "Jeremie, we need our vehicles!" she states and Jeremie touches a key on the keyboard. Ulrich watches his Overbike materialize next to him. Yumi steps onto her Overwing as it finishes materializing. Aelita reluctantly steps back onto the Overboard with Odd and Atilea glances between Yumi and Ulrich nervously, wanting to ride with Ulrich but not wanting to make Yumi think bad of her. "Well, pick one, Atilea! We need to go!" Ulrich states with a bit of hurriedness in his voice. She sighs and climbs on with Yumi. Then, the group takes to the air.
Thadeo stands and rubs his head. He grimaces as the memory of Ulrich tricking him into running into the cliff wall runs through his mind. "Ulrich will not fool us into doing something like that again," he murmurs and glances up at the top of the cliff. "Where are they? We cannot sense their… hmm, they are no longer in this sector. So, they wish to play hide and seek with us? Very well, we will play this game, but they will lose!" Thadeo states and leaps to the top of the cliff.
Meanwhile, in a cave somewhere in the desert sector, the five friends sit together, trying to think of a feasible plan. "Geez, I'm glad there isn't true weather on Lyoko! I mean, we went from on extreme to another! From an ice filled wasteland to a hot, barren desert! Had there been weather here, my body would be taking a beating!" Odd says. "Well, fortunately, temperature shock wasn't programmed into Lyoko," replies Yumi. "Or, we'd have to listen to you whine and complain about it!" "Odd, focus, please," Ulrich says and Odd gives him a sheepish grin, then nods. "We need a plan before Thadeo finds us. Jeremie? Aelita? Atilea? Yumi? Anyone? Just to let you know, I have nothing!" Ulrich says. "Sorry, Ulrich, I don't have anything," replies Jeremie sorrowfully. Yumi just shakes her head and grips her boyfriends hand tightly. Aelita just sits silent, staring at the ground. Atilea presses her lips together and lets out a heavy sigh as her heart begins to race, knowing that there is only one technique she hasn't done yet. She closes her eyes and fights back tears as she turns her body away from everyone. Ulrich sees her turn and gives her a curious look. "Atilea?" he asks. He hears her inhale and exhale heavily. Aelita slowly turns to look at her sister and gets a worried look on her face.
"There…. there…. is one last technique I have…. that will definitely take out Thadeo…" Atilea states with notable pained realization in her voice. "Only I was given this….. None of the other twins had it, only me. It is a… kind of finishing move."
By now, everyone was listening intently. Only Aelita and Ulrich saw that there was something wrong.
"I have the ability to gather energy equal to double that of my life points, then release it in a… big bang of sorts," she continues, now with sadness mixed in with the other emotions. Ulrich narrows his eyes slightly as he listens. Yumi then realizes that Atilea is not wanting to share this. "Wow! That sounds pretty cool!" pipes up Odd, oblivious to the heavy atmosphere that has taken hold of the cave. "That would like do, what, 600 points worth of damage?" Then he notices that the others aren't as enthusiastic about as he is. "Why, uh, haven't you mentioned this before, and um, why…. aren't you guys… happy?" Atilea closes her eyes tighter and tries to get her words to come out of her mouth.
"This…. This…isn't just a finishing technique, is it?" Ulrich asks quietly. Atilea shakes her head. Aelita feels her heart sudden sink to her stomach.
"It's…. a self-sacrificing move," Atilea manages to say finally. The cave room falls silent as everyone absorbs the news. Atilea doesn't turn to look at them but knows that all their eyes on her. She bends her legs and hugs her knees.
"NO!" shouts Aelita. "That is not an option!"
The group turns to look at her, surprised by her outburst. "Aelita…" starts Yumi but she shakes her head frantically, not wanting to hear what Yumi has to say.
"There HAS to be another way! There HAS to be!" Aelita exclaims. Atilea presses her lips together tightly and looks at her sorrowfully. "Sis….please," she says. Aelita looks directly into Atilea's eyes and replies, "You promised! YOU PROMISED ME! You can't break it!" Atilea frowns and states, "No, I didn't promise anything. I just said I wouldn't scare you ever again by almost dying." Aelita stares back at her, unable to say anything further. "Furthermore, there isn't any other option left," continues Atilea. "No! There has to be another way!" bellows Aelita as her eyes begin to fill up with tears. Atilea glances around the room at the others. "Believe me, if there was another way, I'd gladly do it, but…" Atilea starts but gets cut off by another outburst by Aelita. "NO! STOP IT!" she explodes. "Aelita, please," says Yumi, trying to get her to calm down. Yumi slides over to her and she falls into Yumi's arms, mumbling over and over something about not wanting to be an orphan again. Atilea feels her own tears trail down her cheeks as she watches her sister cry in Yumi's arms.
"Sis…." Atilea manages to get out. Aelita instantly leaves Yumi's arms and collapses into her sister's. Ulrich gently taps a very uncomfortable Odd on the shoulder and motions to him to leave the cave with him. Yumi looks up at her boyfriend as he stands quietly. "Stay, Yumi. They may need you," he whispers to her and she nods.
Atilea cradles her twin sister and gently rubs her back as tears stream down her cheeks. "I love you , Aelita. You're the best…." She pauses to regain a bit of her composure back, then continues, "….Best sister I could have ever asked for. Atilea feels Aelita tighten her grip she has on her waist and fights back the urge to break down crying too. "You've given me…. so much. A new life with new meaning and new friends. I wouldn't trade it away for anything in the world! Thank you for my life, Aelita," she says, laying her head gently against Aelita's. She then looks over to Yumi and smiles through her trembling lips. "Yumi, I don't have the words to properly thank you for everything, from the clothes and the hair brush to the incredible display of forgiveness. Promise me you'll take care of Ulrich, ok?" Yumi fights back her own tears and nods, unable to speak. Atilea smiles and looks down at her sister. "Aelita, I have to go now…." She whispers. A muffled 'no' comes from Aelita and Atilea glances up at the ceiling, knowing that there is now only one way to get Aelita to release her. "Forgive me, Sis," she whispers and raises a hand. Yumi gasps as Atilea gives Aelita a quick chop with her hand on her neck. Aelita groans and Atilea gently lays her now unconscious sister on the floor, crossing her hands neatly on her chest. "I'm sorry I had to do that. You didn't give me much choice, Sis," Atilea says remorsefully and tenderly kisses Aelita's forehead. As she stands, Atilea turns to Yumi and says, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Yumi stands before her, not knowing how to react. "Please, don't try and stop me. I don't want to have to hurt you." Yumi reluctantly nods and Atilea smiles weakly at her. "Take good care of my sister, ok?" Atilea asks as tears once again roll down her face.
Thadeo lands on a plateau and surveys the immediate area surrounding him, searching for any signs of the humans. "They have to be here in the desert sector. We have searched the other sectors, save the fifth sector, and they are nowhere to be found. But, we will find them in the end!" boasts Thadeo to himself. "Then, they will pay for the indignity that they inflicted on us!" With that, he leaps into the air.
Ulrich watches Atilea's face crinkle in sadness. She turns from him and closes her eyes tightly. "I… have to go…" she whispers. He frowns and replies, "Atilea, please tell me you aren't going to do what I think you're going to do." She turns and starts to say something, but her words die in her throat. "Um, I hate to interject like this, but Thadeo's in the sector with you!" states Jeremie. Atilea grits her teeth and clinches her fists, then looks at Ulrich hard. "Odd, I want you to keep Ulrich out of my way!" she commands without taking her eyes off Ulrich. Ulrich gets wide-eyed and Odd looks up at her surprised. "I… I'm sorry, I can't do that. I hate to say it, but Ulrich is better than me here on Lyoko. He'd get past me for sure," Odd replies. "Just do your best. Jeremie, where is Thadeo?" she asks. "I'm not letting you go alone!" pipes up Ulrich. Atilea blinks and starts to respond, but he cuts her off. "We're a team and we fight as a team! I won't let you run off and do something rash! As you said, that is a finishing move, a last-resort tactic. It's not the end yet!" Ulrich says firmly. "If you go, we ALL go!" Atilea stares slightly wide-eyed at him. "Uh, if you guys wait around long enough, Thadeo will come to you!" interjects Jeremie. "Which would be considered a bad thing, I might add." "Not necessarily. We can lay an ambush for him," states Ulrich quickly before Atilea can say anything. "Odd, go get Yumi and Aelita." Odd salutes him and smiles, then turns to jog back into the cave.
"Um, Ulrich?" Atilea asks sheepishly. He turns to look at her. "Yes?" Atilea fidgets nervously and presses her lips together, not wanting to do what she plans. "I, uh, want you to know that I have to protect my friends…." she starts, trailing off. Ulrich raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "Well, so do the rest of us," he replies. Atilea inhales and exhales deeply, trying to work up the courage, then says finally, "Not this time…" Ulrich starts to ask her what she meant by that, but jumps out of the way of a stream of ice shooting from her hand. He turns and sees the ice form a barrier over the cave entrance. Odd suddenly appears behind the ice and starts banging on it, trying to break out. "Hey! What's the big idea, Atilea!" shouts Ulrich at her. She turns shamefully to look at him and replies, "I had to. I have to protect you guys." She steps towards him and raises her hand. "It'll melt , don't worry. I'm sorry, but this is the only way I can see to finally defeat Thadeo…" she states with tears rolling down her face. Ulrich grits his teeth. "No, it isn't! Listen to me!" he says. "I'm sorry…." she stammers and shoots a stream of ice at him. He sprints away in time and stops by the cave entrance. "Atilea, open this cave! Now!" he demands as Odd and Yumi watch through the thick sheet of ice. Atilea shakes her head and releases another stream. This time, Ulrich is a little slow and the ice catches his arm, pinning it to the side of the cave. He struggles to pull his arm free, but with little success. Atilea drops her head and hand, then turns her back to him shamefully. "Forgive me, Ulrich, but…." she starts but her words trail off. Then Atilea takes off running across the desert to look for Thadeo. Ulrich watches her run away and grits his teeth. "ATILEA! DON'T!" he shouts after her, but she ignores his words. Ulrich then returns to the task of freeing his arm. "Jeremie, can you do something?" he asks. "No, sorry, Ulrich. You'll just have to find your own means of escape," replies Jeremie. "Fine. Whatever. Just tell me where Atilea's heading, so when I do get out of this ice, I'll go and get her!" Ulrich says as he draws his katana with his free hand. "Oh, I hope this works…" he mutters and raises the katana to strike the ice holding his arm.
Thadeo lands and scans the area. Then, something catches his attention. "Hmm, there is something… different here. What could it be?" he mumbles and begins to concentrate on the immediate area. After a minute more, Thadeo frowns in dissatisfaction. "There is something different here, but we cannot figure out what it is. This bothers us." He begins slowly walking forward, carefully scanning the area. "It is too quiet. Why?" he mumbles. He glances up at the top of the small cliff next to him and narrows his eyes. Then, he turns to scan a dune several feet away. Suddenly, the sound of something landing behind him catches his attention, but before he can turn to see what it is, Thadeo feels a pair of arms loop under his and up around to the back of his neck. Then, he feels a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around his waist tightly. Thadeo struggles against his attacker, but can't quite reach them. "Argh! Get off us!" he bellows, then he feels the legs tighten around him and the arms holding him draw up tighter, pressing his head forward as they also pull his arms and shoulders backward. "No! I won't! This time, you're gonna get some of your own medicine, Thadeo!" comes a voice from the attacker. Thadeo pauses, analyzing the voice. "Aelita? Our queen? What the…?" he sputters in shock. "Humph! You wish! Try her very angry sister! I don't know what you did to her, but you're gonna pay!" Atilea replies gritting her teeth. Thadeo grimaces in anger and tries to break her hold on his arms. "You. You are the most annoying of them all! We will destroy you!" he exclaims. He reaches back to try and grab her head, but she easily dodges his attempts. Thadeo growls in increasing anger and begins to step backwards. Atilea begins to gather energy and closes her eyes. This catches Thadeo's attention and he pauses. "What? What you doing?" he asks. Atilea smiles and a tear rolls down her cheek. "You'll find out soon enough!" she replies defiantly. He grunts and resumes walking backwards. "Whatever you plan, it will fail. We are invincible!" exclaims Thadeo. Atilea snorts in disbelief and continues to power up. Then, a golden aura forms around her and Thadeo, causing him to stop again and look at himself. "Wha--What is this!" he exclaims with nervousness in his voice. Atilea just chuckles in defiance, which causes him to growl in anger. "We said, get off!" Thadeo shouts and slams Atilea into the cliff face. She yelps in pain, but refuses to release her hold on him. Atilea groans and tries to keep focused. Thadeo grunts in annoyance and again slams Atilea against the cliff face. She strains against the pain and clinches her eyes together. "I'm… not letting go!" she says and Thadeo tries to reach back to grab her. "Get off!" he bellows and slams her a third time against the cliff. Atilea cries out in pain, but she still clings tightly to him. Then, the golden aura brightens and Thadeo glances at himself. Then, he detects the magnitude of the power Atilea has collected. "Wha—NO! That's impossible!" he shouts in shock. "Believe it, Thadeo! This time, you're NOT walking away!" Atilea exclaims boldly and continues to draw more power. "Y—You fool! Do you realize what you are doing!" Thadeo asks. Atilea tightens her grip and replies, "You better believe I do!"
Ulrich sprints as fast as he can across the landscape of the desert, desperately trying to find Atilea. "Jeremie! Where is she?" he asks. "Just keep going in that direction! She's straight ahead and Ulrich, Thadeo is there with her!" Jeremie replies, nervously wiping his sweaty brow. Ulrich grits his teeth and lurches forward, trying to push as much speed out of his legs as he can. Then, up ahead, he sees Thadeo stumble out from behind a dune. Ulrich notices he is flailing strangely and sees a golden aura around him. "What th…?" Ulrich whispers. Then, Thadeo turns and Ulrich sees Atilea clamped to his back. Ulrich gasps as he realizes what is going on.
Thadeo suddenly realizes this measly human female has become as strong as him. "N-No! This cannot be!" he exclaims wildly. "But it is!" Atilea replies confidently then sees a dust plume racing towards them. "Ulrich? Oh, no…" she whispers. Thadeo turns and also sees the dust plume. "Go back, please, go back!" she pleads in a whisper to Ulrich. "The one called Ulrich! Good! With him here, you would not dare release your power!" Thadeo states boldly. "Don't bet on that!" hisses Atilea. Ulrich sprints up and stops short of the two. "Atilea!" he exclaims. "Get her off us!" Thadeo yells. "Shut up! You're not in any position to demand anything!" pipes up Atilea. "Ulrich, how'd you get out? Wait, never mind that, you have to get away from here! If you're caught in the blast, Jeremie may not be able to bring you home!" Ulrich narrows his eyes. "I'm not leaving without you!" he replies. Atilea feels her heartbeat quicken. "It's too late, Ulrich. I'm beyond the point of no return. Go, now, please!" she pleads. Ulrich clinches his fists. Thadeo struggles again, trying to grab her, but she moves out of his reach. "Jeremie, can you bring her home?" Ulrich asks. Jeremie glances around the monitors. "Um, I can try, but with as much power as she collected, it'll be difficult," he replies. "Jeremie! Don't you dare!" Atilea exclaims. "If you do, I'll never…" she continues but stops when she feels that her maximum power has been reached. She turns her head toward Thadeo and says, "This is it, Thadeo. Your end has arrived!" Ulrich gasps as the golden aura begins to flare wildly. "As I said before, you're not walking away from this one!" Atilea then turns to look at Ulrich and he sees two tears roll down her cheeks. "This is for my sister Aelita and the man I love!" Ulrich then feels the energy in the air begin to swell. "No…" he whispers. Atilea smiles at him lovingly as tears flow from her eyes.
"I love you, Ulrich Stern. Good-bye."
Ulrich feels as if time slowed down drastically. The explosion begins with a flash and he instantly turns and sprints away, with the resulting boom and energy release following mere inches behind him. He sprints across the desert, desperately looking for any kind of shelter. Then, he finally spots a very short drop-off ahead of him. Ulrich dives behind the drop-off and presses himself tight against the face of it. Dirt and dust billow over the top of him and he turns his face to the wall to protect himself.
Odd solely stares out the ice wall and taps his fingers against it impatiently. "Man, wish this thing'd melt faster!" he states. Yumi glances at him from her seat next to a sullen and distant Aelita. She starts to say something, but stops when she feels a faint tremor in the ground. "Whoa…." Odd says in awe and Yumi stands to join him. The two see a bright flash followed by a giant plume of dust and smoke. "I felt tremors in the ground," Yumi informs him and Odd begins to feel the tremors in the ground also. "So do I…wait, they're getting stronger!" he replies. Suddenly, the entire cave gets hit with a shockwave from the distant explosion, causing the three to fall to the ground completely and the ice wall to crack severely. Yumi tries to crawl to Aelita, who is balled up on the floor. Odd rolls out of the way of a falling chunk of the ceiling. The cave continues to shake and Aelita starts crying out in fear. Yumi manages to reach her and wraps her arms around her. Then, silence suddenly fills the room. Odd lowers his arms from in front of his face and sees that the ceiling isn't going to drop anything else at him. "Yumi? Aelita? Are you alright?" he asks, rolling over onto all fours. Yumi coughs a few times before answering. "Yeah, we're fine. How about you?" she replies. Odd stands and walks over to them. "Peachy. Jeremie, what was that?" he asks. Jeremie stares confusedly at the monitors that have suddenly gone haywire. "Um, I have no idea! Whatever it was, screwed up the visual sensors. I can't tell what is going on! Looks like I'm gonna have to restart several of the quantum computer's processes before I can tell you anything," Jeremie replies. Odd frowns and helps Yumi stand. "Wonderful. Please tell me that the materialization program is hunky-dory," Odd says. Jeremie glances at the last monitor that still has any discernable information on it. "Um, I'll get back to you on that, Odd," he replies grimly. "Yippee-skippy. In the dark. Again!" Odd replies then glances at the ice wall and sees how damaged it is. "Hey, Yumi! I think we can break it down now! Look!" he exclaims cheerfully and points to the ice wall. Yumi glances at it and smiles. "Finally. Something that has went our way for once!" she states in relief.
Ulrich pops his head out from under the thick layer of dirt, dust, and miscellaneous debris and gasps for air. He inhales and exhales deeply several times before climbing the rest of the way out of the rubble. "That was not fun…" he mumbles and dusts himself off. Then he stops and turns around back the way he came. "Atilea!" he exclaims and hops up on top of the drop-off, then takes off toward where he was forced to leave her and Thadeo. He sprints most of the way there, but upon seeing the massive crater in the ground, he slows down to a stunned walk. "Oh, my gosh….." Ulrich blinks in dismay at the sheer size of the crater and stops at the edge of the crater. Then, he looks down into the crater and sees a bit of black and red cloth sticking out from under a mound of dirt. His heart begins to pound as he leaps over the edge of the crater and makes his way toward the bottom of it. "Atilea… oh please, oh please, oh please, be alive…." he whispers. He stops short of the mound and stares at the cloth. It was definitely sticking out from the mound and it was Atilea's uniform. Then he glances around for any signs of Thadeo. Upon seeing none, he returns his attention to the mound. Ulrich swallows nervously as he almost forces his body to kneel down next to the mound. He begins to move the dirt and his fingers touches flesh. He freezes for a split second, then begins to dig frantically. Soon, he uncovers Atilea's face. Her eyes and mouth are closed, her pink hair almost brown from all the dirt and dust, and her once rosy cheeks are now scraped up. He instantly unearths the rest of her and pulls her free of the dirt mound she laid in. He cradles her in her arms and brushes the dirt from her face. "Atilea?" he whispers to her. "Atilea, please answer! Give me a sign! Anything!" Then, her body flickers and becomes transparent slightly for a second. Ulrich gasps as his arms become visible through her body during that time. "I've seen that before! When Odd and Yumi switched bodies for a day!" he mumbles. "Atilea! Atilea! Can you hear me?" he asks.
Nothing. No movement, no nothing.
"No… No… please, no…. Atilea!"
Silence.
"Atilea…. Why? Why did you do it?"
No reply.
"Atilea…."
Ulrich realizes that tears have begun to fall from his eyes, dropping onto her face and rolling down her cheeks, collecting dirt as they go. Then, a tear lands on her eyelid and Ulrich thinks he sees it flit slightly. He stares at her intently for any movement at all. Then, his shoulders sag with sad realization.
"Atilea…" he says and lays his head gently against hers. Then, he hears what sounds like an inhale and pulls back to look at her face. Ulrich sees that her mouth is open and puts his fingers in front of it to feel for any air movement. Then, a small amount of air hits is fingers.
"Atilea! Atilea! Please answer me! Can you hear me?" he asks frantically. Her eyelids part so slightly that Ulrich can't even see her irises. Her mouth closes and her body flickers again. "Oh, no…." Ulrich states dreadedly. "Please, Atilea, give me a sign, please," he pleads quietly to her. Her eyelids part further apart and she stares up at him. A tear from Ulrich falls and hits her in the forehead and she tries to take a breath, but he can tell it is extremely hard for her to. She tries to smile, but she doesn't have the strength to make it complete. Her lips tremble and the smile disappears. "Oh, Atilea, why? Why did you do it?" he finds himself asking again. Atilea tries to smile at him again and tries to lift her hand up to his face, but her body flickers again, causing her to drop her hand. Ulrich gently takes her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
"So……. tired……." Atilea finally manages to say. "Why…….. you……. still….. here?"
Ulrich shushes her and replies, "Don't talk. Just rest. I'll get Jeremie to take you home." She closes her eyes and exhales roughly. "Just hang on, Atilea. Please, hang on." She inhales just as roughly and turns her head to lay it against his chest. Then, a noise from behind him catches his attention. Ulrich whirls his head around, hoping not to see Thadeo behind him. He lets out a sigh of relief when he sees Odd, Yumi, and Aelita at the edge of the crater looking in awe at him and the crater. Then, Aelita spots him holding Atilea and takes off down the side of the crater towards them. "ATILEA!" she screams through her sobs. Yumi and Odd take off behind her. "ATILEA!" Aelita shouts again and Atilea stirs against Ulrich's chest. She opens her eyes slightly in time to see Aelita come bounding into view. Ulrich looks at Aelita as she kneels down across from him. The sister's eyes meet and Atilea tries to smile up at her sister, but her lips begin to tremble again and the smile disappears. Aelita looks up at Ulrich and sees that he's been crying. He sees her eyes ask him to hold her sister and he gently shifts Atilea from his arms to hers. Atilea groans weakly and grimaces slightly. "I have to tell you…." he starts, but gets cut off by a groan of pain from Atilea. The group looks at her as her body flickers once again, but this time, it stays transparent longer. "Never mind. You just saw it," Ulrich finishes sadly. "We need to get her back home now!" Odd sighs heavily and hangs his head. "Jeremie doesn't know if the materialization program is still running or not," he states, trying to contain his emotions. Yumi steps back a couple of steps and plops down on the ground, unable to speak. She feels tears well up in her eyes as she sees Atilea's body flicker. "None of us may be able to go back yet!" Odd finishes. Ulrich grunts in dissatisfaction and dismay. "Jeremie! Please tell me you have some good news!" Ulrich states. Jeremie looks up at the screen in front of him and replies, "Uh, ok, I do, but I also have some bad news." Ulrich sighs and runs a hand down his face. "Fine, good news first then," he says. "Good news is, I have your stat screen back up and running. Also, the bio-locator is, um, functional. Not quite up to full potential yet, but good enough to let me know where you're at and if anything else shows up near you. Another bit of good news is that I've scanned all the sectors and it looks as if Thadeo is gone for good. But…" Jeremie pauses as his eyes remain on Atilea's life point indicator. " Can you get us home?" asks Ulrich before Jeremie can continue. Jeremie glances over at a monitor to his right. "Maybe. As long as nothing else blows up big enough to knock out the sensors and scanners again, but it's gonna have to be one at a time. The system's still reeling from the shock of the explosion. I can't risk trying to bring more than that right now. Sorry."
Ulrich nods slightly and says, "Well, Atilea's barely alive. So, I guess that's a bit of good news from our end, however, her body is… well, flickering similarly to when Odd and Yumi's body did when they were switched." Jeremie grimaces at his report. "I was afraid of that," he says sadly. Ulrich's shoulders slump farther down. "The bad news, Jeremie. Tell us, please," he requests solemnly. Jeremie presses his lips together, trying to figure out the best way to tell him. "Um, Atilea…. She…" he stammers. Aelita lifts her head and says, "Jeremie, please, tell me!" Jeremie closes his eyes and turns from the screen. The sound of his girlfriend's voice makes him dread telling them even more, but he sees no easy way to break the news to her. "Aelita, your sister… she….she….only has one-half of a life point left," Jeremie finally manages to get out. The group falls silent and stares at Atilea. Aelita looks into her sister's partially open eyes and sobs. Atilea tries to lift a hand to touch her cheek, but fails. Aelita catches her falling hand and presses it against her cheek for her. A tear rolls out of Atilea's left eye and she tries to smile up at her sister once more. "I have no idea how that happened. I've never seen anything like it before. Usually, a life point is a whole number, but this…. This completely throws that rule out the window!" Jeremie states.
"Aelita……..I……..love……you……sis……" Atilea strains to get out. Aelita nearly looses her entire composure as she hears her sister's weak voice. "No! Don't talk! Please, save your strength, Sis!" Aelita finally says. "Jeremie! Please! Bring her home!" Aelita pleads. Jeremie turns back to the screen and types in a few commands. "She needs to be brought home!" comes his frantic girlfriend's voice. "I will try, sweetie, I will try! Give me a minute!" he replies. Aelita looks back down at Atilea. "Hang on, Atilea, please, hang on! Jeremie will get you home and then we'll finish that cake and then we'll go see Dad and Mom together! Then….then…. I'll spend the night with you like I promised yesterday and tomorrow we'll go to town together!" Aelita's vision blurs from the tears falling from her eyes and Ulrich feels Yumi wrap her arms around his waist from behind him. He hears her sob quietly against his back. "Please, just hang on, sis!" Aelita pleads and Atilea's body flickers again, this time much longer than before. Aelita begins to get frantic again. "No! Please! Hang on! Don't leave me! Jeremie! Do something!" Jeremie wipes a tear from his eye before it has a chance to roll down his cheek. "I'm trying, Aelita!" he replies. Then, he gets the visual representation of Atilea's digital DNA up on the monitor. One look, and his heart sinks. "Oh, no…" he mouths. "No…. it can't be….." he whispers in utter sorrow. Aelita calms down again and gently brushes a couple of strains of Atilea's hair out of her face. "Hang on, Sis, just a little longer," she says. Atilea gasps, trying to draw a breath as her body flickers once more. "Yeah, hang on, and….and I'll show you how to beat anyone in a pillow fight!" Ulrich says. Aelita chuckles slightly and wipes a tear from her sister's eye. Atilea strains to turn her head towards him, then gives him a smile. Yumi peeks over her boyfriend's shoulder and says, "Then, me and you'll gang up on Ulrich!" Atilea smiles as she looks at Yumi with tears continuing to fall. Odd pokes his head in and says, "I'll let you give Kiwi a bath!" Ulrich tries to hold back a chuckle. "Odd, be serious…" Ulrich says and gently punches his friend's arm. Then, Jeremie's solemn voice penetrates the atmosphere. "I….I…..have more bad news….." he stammers. "Her….Atilea's digital DNA…. it's been…..fractured." He pauses to regain his composure. "I…. don't know if I can bring her back." The group falls silent, unable to respond to the news. "But, you can fix it, right?" asks Odd. "Fix it how? I… I… don't have a magic wand I can wave over the computer and repair her DNA. Whatever she did, fractured her DNA. I don't think there is a way to repair it!" Jeremie replies. "But you have to try!" exclaims Aelita. "Can't you just overlay a copy of her DNA over it and fix it that way?" asks Ulrich. Jeremie shakes his head and replies, "I don't know! And if I did, I don't have a sample of her DNA to use." The group remains silent for a moment, then Yumi sudden gets an idea. "Hairbrush…" she says. "What?" asks Ulrich turning his head to look at her. "The hairbrush I gave her! That new one my Mom gave me that I never used! I gave it to her! It should have some of her hair in it!" Yumi says excitedly. Aelita looks up at her hopefully. "Jeremie, you could re-constitute her DNA with it, similar to what you did to me when I disappeared after the return to past that time you materialized one of my hairs!" Aelita adds. Jeremie ponders the idea for a moment, then nods. "It's worth a shot. Why not?" he says. "I'll run and go get it. Where does she keep it?" Aelita thinks for a moment, then answers, "On the dresser next to the old closet, I think." Jeremie hops down from the computer chair and says, "Ok, got it! Be right back as soon as I can!" He removes the headset and heads toward the elevator.
Several minutes later, Jeremie carefully places a single, pink hair in a test tube into the scanner pod. He closes the door and heads back up to the control room. "Ok, here it goes!" he states as he puts on the headset. "Hurry, she's not going to last much longer!" exclaims Ulrich. Jeremie begins the process and pulls up a display of the hair's DNA. He studies it and frowns. "No, that's not the right one! This one still has the markers from X.A.N.A. in it!" he mumbles. "Hey, this could take a while! I have to find a hair that matches her current DNA set! The one I tested is one from when she was still linked to X.A.N.A. and won't work!" Aelita frowns and looks down at her sister. "Fine, whatever, Jeremie. Just do what you have to, but please hurry. Atilea's fading faster," Aelita says. "I'll do my best, but I really could use some help with this," Jeremie replies as he carefully selects the next hair from the brush. "Bring me back, Jeremie. I'm not doing anything here," Odd says. "Ok, Odd. Hold on. This could be rough," says Jeremie and brings the materialization process. Soon, Odd and Jeremie begin testing each of the hairs in the brush. As Jeremie gets more and more wrong DNA sets, he begins to get frustrated. Soon, they are down to the last hair in the brush. Odd carefully places it in the test tube and sets it in the scanner pod. "Um, that's the last one, Jeremie," Odd informs and watches the doors to the scanner pod close. "Let's hope it is the right one this time. If not, I'm not sure what to do next," Jeremie states and begins the DNA analysis. The display pops up and he begins to compare the DNA strands. A smile creeps onto his face as he confirms that it is the same. "YES! We have a winner folks!" he shouts in excitement. Aelita smiles in relief and looks down at Atilea. "Hear that, Sis? We've found a DNA match! We can use that to fix your broken DNA!" she says happily. Ulrich gently pats Yumi's hand comfortingly and she rests her chin on his shoulder. "Ok, now let's see, how to get her DNA to splice itself back together…." Jeremie says, thinking out loud.
A few minutes later, Jeremie frowns in frustration at the monitor. "Why aren't you working!" he complains and bangs his fist down on the arm rest of the chair. "Jeremie, I think we're losing her!" exclaims Ulrich. "What's taking so long?" Jeremie grunts and replies, "I don't know. It's not working. Her fractured DNA refuses to splice back together." Aelita begins to rock her sister and says to her, "Please, you've got to hang on a little longer! Don't give up now! Jeremie will figure it out and then your DNA will be put back together and then we can go home! Think about home, Atilea! Think about the Hermitage, your bed, about the dandelions you love, and…and…think about the beauty of the sunset…." Atilea somehow manages to open her eyes and give Aelita a smile. Aelita sees the smile and says, "Yes! Yes! Remember that first night we sat on the porch of the Hermitage and gazed at the stars!" Atilea gets a sad look on her fading face and reaches up to touch Aelita's cheek.
"I…..love…….you…… Aelita…….Take……..care…….of……Jeremie……" she strains to say. Aelita shakes her head and says, "Don't talk! Save you energy! Jeremie will fix it!" Atilea closes her eyes and rolls her head against Aelita's chest. "Too……..late……..Told……..you………it……was……a…… self sacrificing…….. deal." Aelita shakes her head harder. "No! We can save you! Just hold on! Don't give up!"
"Good…bye….Aelita…"
And with that, Atilea's body fades away completely. Aelita begins to breath hard and pulls her arms to her chest. "No…. No….please….no…." she says. Then she breaks down crying. Ulrich feels Yumi's tears hit his shoulder and closes his eyes. He hangs his head as tears begin to fall from his own eyes. Aelita curls into a ball and sobs loudly. "NO! ATILEA! NO! PLEASE, COME BACK!" she cries out. "Don't leave me……." Jeremie hangs his head and removes his glasses to cover his eyes with his hand. He slams his fist hard against the arm rest in anger and frustration with himself. Odd leans against the wall in the scanner room, hugging his knees. Jeremie looks up at the screen and gets ready to clear the DNA from the computer, then stops. Maybe, just maybe, there was one last hope…. Jeremie wipes his eyes free of tears and replaces his glasses, then begins to type away at the keyboard. This is the last chance to save her. As he tries to get the DNA to respawn Atilea, Ulrich and Yumi gather in a huge hug around Aelita. The monitor flashes a huge red error and Jeremie shakes his head. He restarts the process and the same error pops up. Jeremie growls and tries again. Same result. "NO! So close!" he yells after a fourth try fails. "Come on! Give us a break! PLEASE!" Jeremie exclaims angrily. After the seventh failed attempt, Jeremie's heart and hopes drop. He clears the screen and shakes his head, not knowing why it isn't working. He did something similar to this before when Aelita was deleted that one time. It worked then, but why not now? He hangs his head and holds it in his hands. Then, he looks up at the screen and brings up the DNA strand again. He saves a copy in the protected section of the computer, then opens a channel to Ulrich.
"I'm so sorry…. I couldn't bring her back….. I'm so sorry," he says mournfully. Ulrich glances at Yumi then at the still crying Aelita. He swallows, trying to get his throat to loosen up so he can speak. "You did your best, Jeremie. You always do," Ulrich says. "Then why does it feel like I haven't? I couldn't save her! I tried and tried and tried, but I failed every time!" Jeremie exclaims as his emotions begin to overtake him. "This is one of those hollow victories, just like last time! It's not fair! We're the good guys! We're not supposed to lose even though we win!" Odd states as he enters the control room. Jeremie looks over at his blonde and purple haired friend and replies, "I know what you mean, Odd. Ulrich, are you ready to come…home?" Ulrich looks at Yumi and she nods, as a fresh tear follows a tear track down her cheek. "Bring Aelita home first. She's gonna need you, big time," Ulrich replies and slides away from Aelita and around to Yumi.
Author's thoughts/ramblings: First off I want to apologize for the EXTREME wait period between this chapter and the last one. It was mainly due to my ahemlaziness, but also I've been getting ready to go to Manchester, England on a mission's trip with my church.
Secondly, I want to say to those of you who don't exactly like long chapters—sorry. This is the nature of my beast, so to speak. I had so much to pour into this, that it, well, you know already. You've read this chapter. Unless you skipped to the very end first. Then in that case, that's cheating! Ok, maybe not, but it could ruin the chapter for you.
Thirdly, I wanted to give you a small insight to another reason why this chapter took sssoooo lllooonnggg to write. I was torn about the fate of Atilea, whether to keep her around or… you know if you've read the chapter. It was a hard one to make, but I made it and I haven't looked back. For those of you who are Atilea fans—please don't lynch me. I brace myself for the potential onslaught, but I beg you to be kind! (Smiles innocently and a halo appears over head)
Lastly, I will try and get the last chapter up before I leave for England, but I've found that it's pretty much an up in the air deal with these sort of things. I'll do my best, but no promises. Until next time…
Oh, and.. TROGDOR COMES IN THE NNNIIIIIIIIIGGHTTT!