Chapter 10
Silent city lights
The elevator doorway opened, revealing exhausted, wet and injured Aelita, accompanied by drenched George and Travis. Streaks of blood dripped down her neck from where Aether grabbed her and many burns and bruises covered her body. Everyone inside the lab observed her, shocked that in spite of her deplorable state she still stood, or rather wobbled, on her own feet.
Jeremy looked at the trio with his arms folded and eyebrows slanted. He knew that Aelita would have to go and try to stop the storm and she could get dinged up in the process; yet he did not expect to see her in a shape this bad. That caused his temper to flare a bit. Did Travis and George fail to ensure her safety like they promised?
"Uh... hi, Jeremy," George said as he walked forward a little bit, his shoes sloshing from being drenched in water. "We're back."
"How are you? And what the hell happened to Aelita?!" Jeremy asked, clearly outraged.
"We had to do the whole save people and be a hero in the middle of a thunderstorm, but... you should have seen Aelita out there, she was amazing!" George said, trying to calm the teen down.
"You look so beaten up!" Jeremy said as he turned his attention towards Aelita. "Are you okay?"
"Well... a little cold and wet, and a bit sore but I'm okay," Aelita said with a smile, trying to lighten Jeremy's mood.
"Let me see if we have a towel in the med room," Sissi said as she walked off.
Awkward silence fell. Yumi and Ulrich stood behind Jeremy, worried that he was about to explode in anger. Both knew that Aelita had ran herself a little too hard tonight, but they also knew that whenever Aelita did fight, she pushed herself to the limit... to Jeremy's dismay.
Sissi came back with a bundle of towels she gathered from the medical area of the lab and handed one to Aelita, Travis and George.
"What exactly happened?" Sissi asked, breaking the silence.
"Aether projected an electrical version of himself from the storm, a very powerful Polymorphic Specter. He would not let me neutralize the storm," Aelita said as she covered herself with a towel.
"But fortunately our little Aelita here managed to stop him before anyone got hurt," Travis said, wiping water off his face.
"So that's what that was!" Jeremy said as he unfolded his arms. "Earlier I spotted a strange power spike from the tower activated in the Sky Sector. That must have been Aether."
He looked at shivering, wet, and bruised Aelita. Tension left his body, replaced with compassion for the one whose heart was bigger than anyone else's.
"I'm glad you are alive!" Jeremy coughed up as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "Uh... Jessica, can you look at Aelita's wounds?"
"Yeah, sure." Jessica said. She walked over to the other side of the lab and opened the door to the recently built infirmary. "It's a good thing we got that added, isn't it?" she said as she turned on the light. "Wait Aelita, I gotta find some bandages."
"Okay," Aelita responded. She turned to look at Ulrich. "How was Lyoko after I left?"
"We managed to destroy the Hydra. I had to crash my Navskid into it. I hope that we never see another thing like that again." Ulrich said with tension.
"Guess this all means Xervix is still a threat?" William asked.
Jeremy nodded. "Unfortunately. I knew locking him in the Volcano sector would be only a temporary solution, but tonight proved that in order to end this, we need to take this to the next level. Xervix is developing new tactics to override the program that imprisons him."
"We did not see Xervix though." Yumi added. "Just Aether."
"Maybe Aether is trying to force our hand?" George asked.
"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked as he looked towards the agent.
"From what I've gathered, Aether doesn't like Xervix and vice versa. Maybe Aether is trying to replace Xervix? Or have us destroy him?" George said.
"If that's the case, where did the Hydra come from?" Sissi asked.
Jeremy placed his finger on his chin as he pondered. "We know when Xervix first arrived, he created all these new monsters and the Titans. However, when I created the lockdown program I limited his power. He must have built it up over time and released it at once."
"Think he has a new Titan then?" Travis asked. "Maybe one we haven't seen yet?"
"It's possible. I don't really have a way of scanning for new Titans. Trying to detect a new Titan would be like trying to detect when a Kankerlat moves." Jeremy said.
The computer screen bleeped as Puck's image popped up. The A.I. looked out towards the others through the webcam.
"Did Aelita make it back okay?" Puck asked.
"I'm fine, Puck. A little wet and bruised, but fine." Aelita assured him.
That was when Jessica emerged from the infirmary, inviting her in.
"Time to clean myself up. Be right back!" Aelita added as she stepped inside and shut the door.
"That's good. What are you guys talking about?" Puck asked.
"Our friend Xervix," Ulrich said. "And how to stop him."
"What about the program you used to destroy Xana?" Odd asked Jeremy. "It worked, didn't it?"
"NO!" Jeremy said as he turned quickly to look at the others. "I can't... I won't use it again."
"What are you talking about?" Sissi asked.
"Back in the day Jeremy devised a program which deleted Xana. It was completed with help from Aelita's dad," Ulrich explained. "It was the last time we ever saw him alive."
Jeremy closed his eyes as he tried to forget the pain he caused Aelita. He promised to save her father and set him free... and he failed.
"I barely got that program to work because there was not enough energy," Jeremy said quietly as he glanced at the door to the medical room, "and it did not work how I wanted."
"That was when Waldo Schaeffer... I mean Franz Hopper... sacrificed himself to destroy Xana?" George asked.
"Yes." Jeremy sighed as he lowered his head. "I don't want to ever come back to that."
Sissi walked out from behind Odd and William and approached the nerd. She walked up and placed a hand upon Jeremy's shoulder in concern.
Puck watched the entire scene unfold. A hint of remorse fell over him as he realized that Aelita wasn't the only one affected by the death of her father.
"Guys, I'll be right back... I'm gonna check on something," Puck said. His screen quickly beeped off.
Jeremy removed his glasses and stretched his neck a bit. "I... just can't do that to her. It's too soon. I can't hurt her." Jeremy said as he looked at the door to the infirmary.
Sissi turned and looked back at Jeremy as he stared at the holomap in sorrow.
"It's OK Jeremy..." Sissi assured. "We will figure something out."
Yumi glanced over at Ulrich and patted him the shoulder.
"I'll check on Aelita." Yumi said as she kissed Ulrich on the cheek and walked towards the medical department.
After Jessica and the other American agents joined the gang on their quest to destroy Xervix, the United Nations gave the team funding to not only upgrade their equipment, but also add a small room to the other side of the lab.
The room was only a few feet long and several feet wide. Inside were three beds, a life support system, a ventilator, a defibrillator and other medical supplies and equipment.
Its construction was possible when it was discovered that the lab was actually built in a larger room with the other parts sealed off with metal walls that encased it. It was Jeremy who located the blueprints of the factory online and discovered multiple other sections of the factory that had been sealed off by either Waldo Schaeffer or by the original owners of the facility.
Aelita stepped into the brightly lit infirmary and shut the door. She sat down on a bed and removed the towel.
Jessica walked over to her while putting on a pair of disposable gloves.
"OK, let's see what you got."
"There are some cuts on my neck and wrist and I got shocked quite a few times with the Savior armor on. I think it protected me from most damage." Aelita said as she checked herself out. "Have we got any dry clothes in here?"
"Let me see..." Jessica turned over to the cabinet and opened it. "Nope, sorry, we don't have any."
"I guess it can't be helped." Aelita said as she watched Jessica come back to her. "Was Jeremy worried when I was away?"
"Oh, he was worried all right," Jessica said as she reached out for bandages and a bottle of disinfectant she had already prepared. "But he also knew you would be OK."
"I hate worrying him so much," Aelita admitted.
She rolled up one of her sleeves, revealing many cuts and scrapes. Jessica sprayed a little bit of disinfectant and lightly wiped around the wound with a piece of gauze.
"You know that you had to do it and Jeremy understands as well, I'm sure." Jessica said. "And would you really be okay if that storm hit the city?"
Aelita shook her head as she glanced to her left. She knew Jessica was right; perhaps she was overthinking the entire situation. She did the right thing in stopping Aether and the storm, but she did not like to constantly put Jeremy in worry. When Jeremy would get worried, he would act without thinking through, to the point of even purposefully putting himself in harm's way. Like that time he used the Return to the Past program to increase his intelligence and ended up passing out in his room from massive stress. There were multiple times when Jeremy would begin to act paranoid from the events that were happening, and they usually involved Aelita and her safety.
It was a constant fear of Aelita's that someone close to her would be hurt because of her.
"You OK?" Jessica asked.
Aelita glanced back towards the older brunette. "Yeah, just thinking."
"Thinking of how you got this bad of a birthday?"
"No... it was great and all, as it was my first birthday in quite a while." Aelita said, smiling.
"Plus, you're rich." Jessica added as she put a large band-aid on a wound on Aelita's arm.
"I'm still shocked about that. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with all this money..."
The door to the med bay opened as Yumi slid inside silently so that she wouldn't disturb the others.
"How are you doing? All patched up?" she asked rather joyfully.
"Not yet", Jessica said. "Thankfully, no stitches needed."
"Good. Oh, I got one idea about money. Put some aside for college." Yumi remarked.
"That's obvious." Aelita said as she tinged a little when Jessica rubbed more alcohol on another wound.
"Or maybe when this is all over, we could go on a nice vacation someplace warm and tropical and all..." Yumi said, trying to lighten up her friend.
"That would be nice." Aelita said as she held her left arm for Jessica to wrap in a bandage. "But, uh, Jessica... I'm still a little concerned about having an identity now."
"Why is that?" Jessica asked as she picked up a pair of scissors and cut the remaining tape off so that the band-aid sat firmly in place.
"What if someone uses it to find me? Mal-Tech came close and almost succeeded."
"That's why we took care of the information." Jessica said.
Yumi looked up at Jessica in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"When we discovered Aelita's birth certificate, social security number and the deeds and accounts, we seized them at the source and moved them to a secure location," Jessica explained. "It's all hard copy, too, no software involved for someone to hack into. Plus, to access the bank accounts, we put the money in a special program Interpol created a few years back for people in witness protection programs. To withdraw money, the person enters a password, uses their finger print authorization and a retinal scan. Plus, you have to fly to the bank, which is located in Switzerland, and have your protection agent with you."
"All that to get money from my account?" Aelita asked, confused. "I guess it's all to prevent someone from trying to steal my money."
She got off the bed, her soaked shoes sloshing loudly.
"Looks like you will need to get some of that money anyways, You need new shoes." Yumi suggested.
"And new clothes." Jessica added.
Aelita took the bottom of her shirt and wrung it out as water poured out of the shirt. "Yeah, I would agree."
"Listen, guys. We will eventually need to find a way to destroy Xervix completely." Jeremy said after a moment of silent mourning for Franz Hopper. "But his coding is so intricate, it makes finding a code to remove impossible. His coding is like a large knot, remove one strand and you can unravel the whole thing."
"And that's gonna take a while?" William asked.
"Sadly so," Jeremy admitted.
"Why don't you guys just walk into the volcano sector and destroy him?" Travis asked.
"For some reason I can't materialize anyone there. It's the same problem I had with Sector 5 when we discovered it." Jeremy said.
Suddenly, the computer beeped as Puck's picture appeared once again on the monitor.
"I may have a clue about how to determine whether there is another Titan or not." Puck announced proudly.
"Oh, finally some good news... this is more exhausting than Jim's classes!" Odd joked.
"What did you find?" George asked.
"Nothing, except some pulsations." Puck said.
"What's a pulsation?"
"A pulsation occurs when a tower is activated. Basically, they are what happens when a program accesses a tower and creates a feed of data and energy." Jeremy said.
"Only problem is that we can't track the pulsation to its source." Odd said. "We tried once, but it flowed into the digital sea."
"Then how does the Super Scanner work?" Sissi asked in confusion.
"The Super Scanner detects the pulsations. By detecting the flow of data and energy, the scanner detects which tower is activated." Jeremy said.
"And there's no other way to detect it?" George asked.
"Man, you guys are idiots..." Puck said. "He just said it doesn't work the other way."
George shook his head. "I was just making sure. So, what is it?"
"I wasn't sure what it was at the time, but I am now. When I arrived back on Lyoko, I noticed something." Puck said as a second window pulled up next to him.
He displayed a graph which showed bandwidth usage. At the beginning it was small and stable. Towards the middle of the graph, data influx became erratic and violent, then wavered off again.
"What's that?" George asked.
"Traffic readings from Lyoko. Whenever power or data is moved from one location to the next, such as, say, while creating a monster or activating a tower, data is relocated and power is adjusted to meet the needs for transfer and existence of a new monster or the tower." Jeremy said.
"That's the pulsations you mentioned?" George asked.
"Yeah. More or less."
"Right... and when I arrived on Lyoko I sensed something. It was like a pulsation, but very violent." Puck said. "Much more powerful than normal."
"A pulsation?" Aelita said as she emerged from the infirmary with Yumi and Jessica, now covered in many bandaids on her arms and legs. "I remember those. Your heart always sank when you felt them. What's going on?"
"We're discussing whether there is another Titan or not." Sissi said. "And how to detect it."
"Anyway, I looked into it and found these." Puck said as he pointed at the high peaks in the graph.
"Could that be the Hydra being created?" Travis asked, placing his towel next to his jacket.
"No, this was an hour before I arrived." Puck said. "And the power level wouldn't be near as big."
"What does that mean?" Ulrich asked as he glanced over at Jeremy in confusion.
"The only way the power usage would spike that hard is when there is another intelligence inside the computer similar to Aether and Xervix." Puck said as the graph highlighted the peek of the power spike. "To confirm it, I would have to look up the coding of the computer to see if there was an additional code for a new Titan made inside of it. It will take some time."
"How long?" Sissi asked.
"A few days. Maybe weeks." Jeremy said. "But I'm already busy with finishing touches to the Navskids, weapon upgrades and two more vehicles." Jeremy said. "And even with Puck's help it's going slow."
"You mean, I do all the work while you watch JonTron." Puck said.
"I listen to it in the background." Jeremy protested.
"YEAH, RIGHT!" Puck stuck his tongue out, squinting one eye. "But Jeremy is right, even with both of us working in shifts it's harder than hell."
"I'll help you," Aelita said. "After all, I know as much of the Super Computer as you two."
"Now that might work. And as for the power spikes in creating new monsters, I may have an idea." Jeremy said.
"What's that?" George asked.
"A long time ago I was working on a program that could read the activated towers on Lyoko. I tried a similar program that could detect activity inside Lyoko. I could tweak it and combine it with the Super Scanner to show us spikes in the computer's power and usage." Jeremy said.
"Informing us if a new Titan or something is created?" Yumi asked.
"Exactly."
"And in the meantime we can figure out a way to get into this Volcano sector to take out Xervix, right?" Jessica asked.
"And when we do, it's bye bye Xervix, Aether, and Mister Titan number 1!" Odd said.
"I'll start right away," Jeremy said as he turned around and walked towards the computer.
Ulrich pulled out his cell phone and took a quick glance at it. "But, uh, Jeremy... it's 1:30 in the morning."
"And we have classes tomorrow, remember?" Yumi said as she looked towards the blonde haired boy and back at Ulrich.
"I'll be there, don't worry. You guys should get going though." Jeremy said.
Sissi quickly looked up at the ceiling as she heard the distinct sound of thunder rumbling outside. "Is it raining outside?"
George looked at Sissi as he held his hands out, his clothes still damp from the rain outside.
"No, it's snowing..." he said sarcastically.
"We'll drive you guys back home so you don't have to walk in the rain." Jessica said.
"Oh my god, thank you!" Yumi said as she smiled. "It's so awesome to have friends with a car. I always hated walking home in the rain and snow."
"The only problem is I have enough seats for 3 other people so I will have to make multiple trips." George said.
"I absolutely need to get home before my parents flip." Yumi said as she glanced at her phone.
"Yeah, same here... it's getting late and I got class tomorrow," Ulrich said as he glanced towards Travis.
"How about we take you two home, and William?" George asked.
William looked at Yumi and Ulrich. "If that's OK with you."
"I don't mind." Ulrich said as he glanced at Yumi. "Do you?"
"Not at all." Yumi smiled as she glanced at her boyfriend.
George nodded as he glanced over at the others. "We'll come back for the rest later."
Travis nodded as he looked towards Jeremy and Aelita. "Are you two staying the night or going back to the dorm?"
"I need to get to work on figuring out how to detect activity from Xervix, so I'll probably stay." Jeremy said as he sat down in front of the computer again.
Aelita glanced at her boyfriend, a little discouraged. She wanted Jeremy to get some rest and not overdo it. In the past he would constantly stay up late and work on program after program. She also remembered how exhausted Jeremy was from working so late at night and how he would start to fall asleep in class and get sick easier.
She felt so guilty because she knew it was because of her. She wanted to be free and lead a normal life, but she also wanted to spend time with Jeremy, to show him that it wasn't always about working on some program or device. Aelita wasn't trapped inside the computer still, she was here, standing right before Jeremy.
"See you guys in a bit." George said. The elevator door shut in front of him and rose up a level.
Odd glanced at the others, all that remained now were Jeremy, Aelita, Sissi, Jessica and him.
"Happy birthday, Aelita." Odd said.
"Thanks Odd," Aelita said as she placed a hand up to her chin and smiled. "Uh... Jeremy, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Jeremy stopped clicking on the computer as he turned and look at his girlfriend. "Sure, Aelita."
"Um... In private?"
Jeremy looked at Aelita in confusion. "Yeah, of course." he said as he stepped down from the computer chair.
Aelita turned and walked towards the medical room with Jeremy in tow. She turned and winked at the others, who looked at them in confusion.
Aelita shut the door behind her and turned to face Jeremy.
"OK... um..." she started, struggling to find the right words, but Jeremy interrupted her.
"I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Aelita said as she stared at the blonde boy in confusion. "For what?"
"You are mad and I must have done something wrong for you to pull me aside and all... so I'm sorry." Jeremy said sheepishly.
"Mad? About what?"
"I was a little too upset about you coming back wet and injured... But I wasn't upset at you. I was just angry that this all happened on your birthday."
"I'm not mad," Aelita said as she looked at Jeremy, baffled. "But I am concerned. I don't want you to fall into old habits again."
"What old habits?"
Aelita looked at her clueless boyfriend. "When we were fighting Xana, you would spend your entire free time working on programs and trying to help us defeat him. And I remember that you were always tired and had barely any time for anything else, for your parents, for the others." Aelita said as she took Jeremy's hand and looked into his eyes. "And for me!"
"But if I don't get started on my work, we will lose pace against Xervix and begin to struggle dealing with his attacks!" Jeremy said as he put his hands on Aelita's shoulder. "What if things get worse and this was only the beginning?"
"And what about you?" Aelita asked. "Do you remember how sick you would get from exhaustion?"
Jeremy looked at the floor as he remembered the times Aelita spoke of. He remembered how aggravated he would be when he would not sleep at all for days and still had classwork to do.
Aelita bit her tongue as she realized that Jeremy felt bad enough about his old work habits. She intended to remind Jeremy about how she felt when he would seal himself inside his room or the computer lab and ignore everything and everyone. Aelita remembered how alone and alienated she felt when Jeremy wasn't around. Fortunately, Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd realized what she was going through when she first came to Earth and helped Aelita through some of her hardest times.
She still felt confused about Jeremy's actions. At first she thought he was mad at her, then she wondered if Jeremy was hiding something. But the more Aelita wondered about what Jeremy was going through, the more she worried. There were many times Jeremy would work himself to sickness and Aelita felt incredibly guilty for it.
"Jeremy." Aelita said, gathering her boyfriend's attention. "I know Xervix is a threat. But I really don't want you to go through that again. I don't want to go through that again."
"I never knew." Jeremy said as he glanced to the left and back at Aelita again. "I mean... I had no idea I was putting you through all that."
"I know it was to try and stop Xana and save me, but I just remember how bad it was for not just me, but you...You're the one I'm most concerned about." Aelita said as she held Jeremy's hands. "Let's try to find some balance in this. Let me help you."
"You'll help me?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes. I know a lot about programs and coding after all. You don't have to do everything on your own."
"I guess that would make sense." Jeremy smiled.
Aelita smiled back as she pulled her boyfriend in for a quick kiss. For some reason, being in Jeremy's presence made her feel much better. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she felt relieved and energized from being this close to Jeremy. It was almost healing.
Jeremy pulled back. "So... how about we go back tonight and get some sleep and tomorrow we will come in after class and work on a few things?"
Aelita nodded in agreement. "That works for me. Can we try that new Mexican restaurant and bring the food here? Taelia said it was good."
"Sure. It would be good to work on a full stomach after all."
The pair opened the door to the medical room as they rejoined the remaining members of the team, who were waiting for a ride back home.
Odd glanced over at his two friends who were emerging from the medical room.
"Everything OK?" Odd asked, concerned.
"We are fine. We just had to work something out." Aelita said as they walked around to the computer chair.
"Yeah. We're gonna come back tomorrow after class to work on the computer together." Jeremy said.
"Whoa... really? Usually when something happens on the computer, your like a kid at Christmas and want to figure out whats going on as soon as possible." Odd said, quite shocked at his friend's attitude.
"I'm afraid it will have to wait till tomorrow." Jeremy responded.
"Oh thank God!" Odd said with relief as he put his hand on his forehead and looked up at the ceiling. "I remember when you used to do that stuff all the time... and how angry you would be. You were worse than the Angry Video Game Nerd. Which reminds me, I need to text Yumi and let her know to watch those." Odd said as he pulled out his cell phone.
"She's not gonna watch them tonight," Sissi added as she glanced down at Odd.. "She's probably gonna just go to bed."
"The Angry Video Game Nerd takes precedence over sleep." Odd said.
Sissi shook her head as she decided to let Odd do his thing and just go with it.
"Odd, it's not a big deal if she doesn't watch one show." Jessica said.
"What are you talking about?" Odd asked as he sent the text. "If more of the world watched guys like AVGN, there would be no war or suffering. You're young, you will understand some day."
"I'm young? Odd, I'm older than you!"
"Physically yes... but mentally, no." Odd said as he walked over the fridge to grab a drink.
Jessica glanced over at Odd and then leaned over so that only Sissi could hear her. "He is such a child, isn't he?"
"Oh, you have no idea." Sissi said, folding her arms.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to go home and take a shower and collapse." Aelita said as she looked at her still soaked clothes. "And change into something dry."
"Yeah, remind me to get some dry clothes for people to wear in case this happens again." Jessica said.
"Honestly if you had a car, we could have left a long ago." Sissi said.
"Hey, why don't you have a car over here?" Odd asked after sending the text to Yumi.
"Well, it's kinda... embarrassing." Jessica said.
"What was it?" Odd asked.
"Do you really wanna know?" Jessica asked. Odd nodded as he grinned. "Too bad, because I'm not telling anyone."
"I know!" Puck grinned.
"What? How the hell do you know?" Jessica asked angrily.
"I'm an A.I. on the Internet. In case you can't figure that out, it means I know a lot of people's secrets without even wanting to know."
"If you say anything, I'll delete you." Jessica said, growling at Puck.
"I'm an A.I. On. The. INTERNET!" Puck said. "You can't delete the Internet."
"Oh trust me, I will find a way." Jessica said.
"So Puck, what happened?" Odd asked.
"Odd if Jessica wanted you to know she would have told you." Jeremy said.
"It's not bad as in she messed up... it's just interesting really." Puck said.
"PUCK!" Jessica grunted loudly.
"Oh come on, tell me, Puck! Come on." Odd pleaded.
"ODD DELLA ROBBIA!" Jessica shouted. "I'll END YOU!"
"You know what? I'll save it for next time." Puck said as he smiled. "I'll reveal it when you least expect it."
"Ahhh come on," Odd said.
Jessica straightened her glasses as she loosened her tight stance. "Puck, next time you come to Earth, I'm gonna drop kick you into something."
"I'm sorry Officer Hillsabeck, it's just that, for one I like being an asshole and two, you're cute when you're angry."
Jessica flinched and blushed as she reacted to Puck's comment. "Did I just get hit on by a A.I.?"
"Happens all the time around here." Jeremy said as he put his arm around Aelita. "Right Aelita?"
Aelita smiled and tilted her head. "Usually that means the A.I. is really human... at least that was the case last time."
"There's no way I'm some nasty human." Puck said as he folded his arms.
Jessica felt her pocket vibrate as her phone went off. She answered the phone and quickly hung up. "George is back from dropping the others off and waiting." Jessica said as she breathed in relief.
"Alright, we better go." Sissi said as she walked to the elevator.
Aelita turned and waved at Puck. "Bye Puck, see you tomorrow."
"Take your time." Puck said as he waved back before the screen finally went black.
The elevator door closed on the group of people as the lights to the lab finally flickered off.
Lyoko
The Volcano Sector
Volcanoes in the sector billowed and raged with virtual energy that constantly attempted to rip the sector in half. Constant flow and power of the volcanoes kept the virtual world from destruction. In a sense, the sector was an exhaust and regulation section for Lyoko.
Aether landed on the ground next to the entrance to Xervix's lair. His wings folded into the sides of his arms as he walked into the hollowed out remains of an old tower. After stepping a few feet, Aether came into the main hall and spotted his master and the newest Titan.
Typhoon was flipping through the different holo screens as he processed different information on the kids in order to learn more about his new enemies.
Xervix sat on his throne.
"Ah... So Aether returns after all," Xervix said, glaring at the Titan as he approached.
Aether sat in a kneeling position as he folded his wings in and stood up. Aether quickly glanced over at Typhoon and back to Xervix.
"You sent it, didn't you?" Aether asked.
Xervix tilted his head in confusion.
"That giant leviathan that cost us the attack and failed to destroy the children."
"Your plan was destined to fail from the start." Typhoon said as he continued to look through the holo screens.
"So YOU SENT IT!" Aether shouted.
"The Hydra was not meant to destroy the children, but to gauge them on their strengths and weaknesses," Typhoon said as he watched a video of Ulrich fighting.
Aether turned to face Typhoon in confusion.
"You used the energy from Xervix to test the children?" Aether asked as he turned to Xervix. "Is this your newest Titan? A fool?"
Xervix looked towards Typhoon and back at Aether. "Yes... I gave him permission."
"So you were the one who ultimately cost us an opportunity to destroy the children!?"
Typhoon slowly lowered his hands as the holo panel and finally turned to look at Aether.
"Your plan was convoluted and faulty to begin with."
Aether quickly turned towards Typhoon in anger as he bared his teeth.
"You believed you could overpower the children with sheer force and numbers?" Typhoon said as he stood unfazed in front of Aether. "The children have capabilities and potential to overpower all of your monsters. Which is precisely what they did." Typhoon said as his single eye stared at Aether. "On a side note, your plan to use a storm to destroy the city was also pointless and uncreative."
Aether growled loudly as he opened his hands, revealing his talon like hands.
"It was erratic and reckless. It was illogical," Typhoon continued.
Aether suddenly let lose a loud blood curdling scream as he sprang forward towards Typhoon. The angry Titan held his right arm out as he attempted to grab the throat of Typhoon.
As soon as Aether was close enough, Typhoon reached out and grabbed Aether's arm. Typhoon proceeded to flip Aether over his back and slammed the bird man to the ground. He placed his foot on Aether's face and forced the birdman to the ground.
"You believe that your plan to destroy the children, to kill them, was sufficient enough to the goal at hand?"
"What else is there besides killing them?" Aether asked.
Xervix slowly stood up from his throne in anger. "WE DON'T WANT TO KILL THE CHILDREN!"
Aether looked towards Xervix's direction in confusion.
"We need the girl and the boy to use the System. If you kill them, then all is lost!" Xervix said as he pointed at Aether. "What we need is for the children to learn from their choice, to learn of the errors of their mistake, and to see why they have made the wrong decision."
Typhoon slowly looked up at Xervix as he listened to the plan that his master was laying out in front of him.
"Once they have learned that the path they have chosen will lead to them losing everything that matters to them... once their spirit is broken... we will show them that they are the true destroyers and not us!" Xervix said.
"And once they are broken and their world is lost, they will be easier to control." Typhoon concluded.
"Control?!" Aether shouted as he banged his fist on Typhoon's foot. "You want to control them?"
Xervix sat down in his throne as he glanced down at the pair of Titans.
"You see Aether, the children are the key to all of it. And if the children were to die, then we would lose everything, our plan, our goals, all of it would be lost. And we would lose our bid to rebuild this planet."
Typhoon raised his foot, releasing Aether from his grasp.
Aether slowly stood up and stared at his master. "That's your plan?"
Xervix nodded as he stared at Aether.
Aether lowered his head as his shoulders shook. Finally, after a few moments he glanced up at Xervix in anger.
"THAT WAS WHAT COST US THE LAST BATTLE ON EARTH!"
Xervix was taken aback by the sudden outburst of rage.
"You have completely lost all reason, haven't you?" Aether asked. "What of Tartarus? Chaos? And Atlas? Our fallen brothers? Were they just pawns to you?"
"Of course they were!" Xervix retorted.
Aether glanced over at Typhoon and approached the Titan.
"And what of you? How do you feel about that statement?"
Typhoon turned to look at Aether and made eye contact with him.
"We are created to help fight the children, not created to live... It is our role, our place in this world. It is only logical."
"Is it logical or insane?" Aether barked back as he slowly turned to look at Xervix. "If that is the case, then I want no part of it."
"REMEMBER WHO YOU SERVE!" Xervix yelled.
"I WOULD RATHER DIE THAN LIVE AS YOUR PAWN!" Aether shouted back as he walked towards the exit.
"Aether?" Xervix asked. "Where are you going to go?"
"I am leaving."
"Then return the monster creating program and I will let you live."
Aether said nothing as he continued towards the door.
"Be warned, then. If you step out of this lair, then you will become my enemy." Xervix said. "This is my world, my realm... and there is nowhere for you to hide in this world."
Aether stopped just before he stepped out of the tower. He slowly looked over his shoulder and stared at Xervix in anger.
"Just remember, I still have control of the monster creating program." Aether said as he turned and walked out the door. "And I will fight back... and I will destroy you."
Aether leapt into the air. The Titan was gone within a few seconds.
"Are you sure you want him to leave?" Typhoon asked as he turned back to look at Xervix. "I mean, with the power to control the monsters..."
Xervix sat down as he sneered. "Yes of course."
A light emitted from the throne as a blue light shot up and paused right in front of Xervix. The light spread out at the top of the light and formed a flat service with several objects protruding from the top of it, forming a chess set.
"You see, Typhoon... We are once more playing our dangerous game... A game of chess against my adversaries."
Xervix stood up and walked towards the chess board as a white piece moved forward.
"In chess the pawns go first. And we have made our move."
Typhoon walked towards the throne and observed the chess pieces moving. The pieces were dark blue and robin's egg blue. Some of the pieces were twisted and warped while the bright blue pieces resembled the Garage Kids.
Xervix pointed towards the king on the opposite end of the board. It was rounded with a slender body and clothing and hair to match Aelita.
"On one end we have Aelita." Xervix then spread his hand out to show the other pieces that sat on the back row. "And these are her protectors."
"And the other side is us?" Typhoon asked.
"Correct." Xervix said as a piece closer to Xervix moved first. "And we have made our first move. But we have moved one of our pawns."
"Aether?"
"Indeed, my friend. Aether will draw the children off of us and keep them busy while we prepare our own forces, our new Titans, by studying the equipment and abilities of the children and their American friends." Xervix said as he placed his hand on his bone like chin. "We must have Aelita and Jeremy alive. We are running out of time, Aelita has transcended to the Savior form... we must act fast before the Guardian arrives."
Xervix touched the queen piece on the holographic board. "I will give you all the information regarding the System and all its specs and information so you can create a plan."
"How could the children win? How could they claim checkmate?" Typhoon asked.
"When that ridiculous boy created the program to lock me in here, I created one of my own, to keep them out." Xervix said as he gripped the Queen piece that resembled Jeremy. "The only way to attack me directly is to remove the code. To do that they must activate towers in the other sectors and subsectors as well."
"So by locking you in..."
"They locked themselves out." Xervix grimaced with a dark twisted smile.
"But Aether runs the possibility of being destroyed or running rampant and causing problems for not just the Earth, but Lyoko as well." Typhoon observed.
"And the children will attack him and destroy that fool..."
"Which will draw them away from us."
"That is why in chess the pawns go first... to die for their leaders." Xervix concluded.
Ishiyama Residence
The rain continued to pour down heavily as the black Mustang pulled up slowly to the front door of Yumi's house. The street lights slowly buzzed on as lightning flashed off in the distance. It was almost as if life was returning to the area. The Mustang pulled over to the side as it came to a halt. Inside the vehicle, a dome light came on as the rear passenger door opened.
"Here you go Yumi, and no charge for the ride." George said as he placed the car into park.
"Thanks, George." Yumi said as she unbuckled her seat belt.
"Ulrich, are you staying here the night or heading back to Kadic?" George asked.
"I better head back to my dorm, I have class in the morning." Ulrich said as he also unbuckled his seat belt. "I'm just gonna walk Yumi to the door is all."
Ulrich took his jacket off and handed it to Yumi. She smiled as she placed the jacket over her head, keeping the rain from drenching her.
Yumi stepped out of the car and waited for Ulrich to get out. She draped Ulrich's jacket over his head as well. The pair of teens quickly ran to the door as thunder rolled in the distance.
"That was a good birthday party." Yumi said with sarcasm.
"Yeah... but I still think Aelita enjoyed it." Ulrich said as he took back his jacket, the fabric drenched from the rain.
Yumi looked at Ulrich as she pondered about Ulrich's actions earlier on Lyoko. Why was Ulrich pushing himself in danger during the fight? And why did he fight the Hydra high in the air if he was incredibly afraid of heights? His vertigo always got the better of him.
"Hey, Ulrich? Is everything alright?" Yumi asked.
Ulrich looked at Yumi in confusion. "Yeah... What do you mean?"
"Back on Lyoko, you really seemed to be... reckless. You just rushed headlong into a fight and did not think of consequences."
Ulrich looked at Yumi as the rain poured even heavier than before.
"I just did not want anyone to get hurt."
"But what about you?"
"I know I was reckless... but I was worried that if I did not do something at the time, someone might get hurt... or die."
Yumi walked up and placed her arms over Ulrich's shoulders and wrapped them around his neck.
"It's sweet that you care but nothing is gonna happen. And if it does, then I'm sure the rest of the group will step in to stop it in any way possible."
Ulrich nodded as he looked into Yumi's eyes.
"So don't worry... And please don't do that again." Yumi said with a smile.
"Ok... I'll try not to."
Yumi pulled Ulrich in closer and kissed him slowly, trying to reassure her boyfriend that everything would be okay. After a few seconds, Yumi pulled back to see Ulrich open his eyes and look at Yumi.
"That was for earlier." Yumi said as she pulled Ulrich in and kiss her boyfriend once more. "And that's because I love you."
Yumi released Ulrich as she slowly walked towards the door. She slowly turned and looked towards her boyfriend, who stood at base of the steps smiling at her.
"Goodnight," Yumi said as she pulled her key out of her pocket.
"Goodnight, love you." Ulrich said as he smiled and waved at Yumi.
"Love you too, hero." Yumi said as she turned and opened the door to her house.
Ulrich turned around with a smile on his face as he walked down the steps. He felt a swell of joy rush through his body. He felt as if he was on top of the world.
He walked over to the car as he turned to watch Yumi walk inside her house and shut the door. Hesmiled as he finally opened the car door and sat inside in the back seat. Ulrich turned to look forward as he grabbed his seat belt and clicked it on.
"I'm gonna say, Ulrich..." George started.
"Huh?"
"You two give Aelita and Jeremy a run for their money in terms of campy relationship stuff."
"What? We're young." Ulrich said in his defense.
"Oh wait till I get a girlfriend and I'll show you how it's done." William said, crossing his arms.
"When you do, let me know. I'll give you some notes." George said.
"Notes?" William said. "You're single."
"Because I'm looking for the one. THE ONE!" George said.
"And who's that? Keanu Reeves?" Ulrich asked.
"No..." George said as he turned the Mustang on the right, "The one to marry."
Travis glanced forwards as he watched the Mustang turn down the road to Kadic.
"You... wanna marry Keanu Reeves?" William asked.
"NO!" George said in anger.
"Sure, sounds like it." Travis said.
"Oh now you're chiming in?" George asked in confusion.
"Well... yeah."
George shook his head as he pulled up to the front gate of Kadic and unlocked the door.
"Here you go, assholes," The tall American said as he put the car in park, unlocking the doors.
As she arrived at her house, Yumi walked in from the downpour as she shook some of the water off her clothes. She slowly and quietly walked into the front room of the house.
The house was silent and dark with the exception of a few small lights peering in from the outside darkness. A brief flash of lightning illuminated the interior, giving the glimpse of what the house looked like in the daytime.
Yumi removed her shoes and placed them next to the door. She moved quietly as she thought her family was asleep and did not want to disturb them. They were always worried when she was out late and did not text or anything. However when the world finally learned of their exploits, they understood just a bit more.
Yumi took two steps forward when the room was suddenly illuminated. A bright light flashed on as the warmth of a home crept back in. Yumi turned fast to see her parents.
Takeo and Akiko stood in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen and stared at their daughter. They were silent and motionless as they looked upon their oldest child who froze in the middle of the room.
Yumi breathed shallow as she pondered what she should say or do. The feeling of dread shot through her body as she pondered what her parents were thinking. She could tell from their stance that they were not happy.
"Do you know what time it is?" Takeo asked, finally breaking the silence.
Yumi finally snapped to reality as she reached for her phone, only to see her phone had died and was unresponsive. "I know, very late."
"Exactly 2 am." Her father said lightly.
"I- I'm sorry!" Yumi said as she changed her posture and lowered her head.
"Where were you?" Akiko asked.
"We had to do the whole save the world deal." Yumi said.
"You should have called. We were so worried with the storm and you not responding." Akiko said.
Yumi looked up at her parents. "I know, and I'm really sorry... but you have to understand that this is what I need to do."
"What? Keeping us up worrying?" Takeo asked. "Worrying that you might be hurt or might not make it back at all!"
"No, I was-"
"It doesn't matter," Takeo cut her off. "Why does it have to be you? Why cant someone else do it?"
Yumi stared at her father in confusion.
"You're a teenage girl, you have other things to worry about. Saving the world shouldn't be one of those things."
Yumi thought about what her father said. She knew that no matter what she said, the only way that she would get the point across to her parents was to get a little offensive, which may disrespect them.
"Then who?" Yumi asked. "Who should do all this?"
"Look honey," Akiko said as she placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, "Yumi has her reasons for doing this and quiet frankly we should try to understand."
Takeo looked at his wife and tried to calm down as he nodded in agreement.
"We may not like it but we understand," Akiko said. "We just want you to have a normal, teenage life. Not going out and becoming a Jedi on the computer."
Yumi shook her head as she realized that her parents were right. This was the first attack since the gang revealed their existence to the world. And Yumi should have realized that things would be very, very different now that her family knew what was going on. She should have taken precautions and explained to her parents that there would be times she would have to fight. But she did not want them to worry about what might or might not happen.
"Was Ulrich with you?" Takeo asked.
"Yes."
"At least there is some relief." Akiko said.
Yumi looked up in confusion.
"Ulrich's a nice boy." Akiko said with a faint smile. "He's always looking out for you."
"But still, Yumi...We can't be worrying about this all the time." Takeo said. "Especially your mother."
"Why?"
"That can wait for another time." Akiko interrupted as she walked forward. "Just... Next time you have to do this... let us know ok?"
"Yes, I understand." Yumi said as she looked at the floor. "I... I don't want to scare you."
"Yumi..." Takeo said as he walked over to his daughter and hugged her. Yumi felt her fathers grip tighten, a sign he had been extremely worried.
"But you have to understand. We want what's best for you, and that includes your safety and your health."
"Were we mad? Yeah, we were. Were we scared with that storm raging outside? We were horrified." Akiko said as she slowly walked over towards her daughter. "But the important thing is you're here and safe."
"You don't need to worry much longer. We decided we're going to end this whole thing soon." Yumi said. "We can't do this any longer... Especially Aelita."
"Poor thing." Akiko said. "What happened?"
Yumi shook her head as she looked towards the floor. "She had to fight worse than all of us and she came back wet, exhausted, and injured... Nothing major, but I can see it's wearing her down."
"What's going to happen when you guys finally stop this thing this...Xervix?"
"We will probably go back to having normal lives." Yumi said with a smile.
"And Aelita?" Takeo asked.
"As for her, I don't know."
"Whatever happens, shes got you as a friend. And you guys will figure it out." Takeo said. "In the meantime though, consider this a warning. Next time let us know when you're busy."
Yumi nodded as she looked at her parents.
"We just want to know if you're alright." Akiko said.
"I will," Yumi said as she hugged her mother. "I need to get to bed and get some sleep. I got class in the morning."
Yumi reached out and hugged her mom who also returned the same hug back. She smiled and patted Yumi on the back as the young girl wished both her parents a goodnight and proceeded upstairs.
"Yumi?" Takeo said, stopping his daughter in her tracks. Yumi looked down at her parents as her attention was drawn. "Remember, what we said here tonight."
"I will," Yumi said as she bowed at the top of the stairs and walked to her room.
Akiko turned and looked at Takeo as she breathed a bit through her nose."I think that went well" Akiko said.
"I wanted to say more, but... the problem is, the whole superhero thing... I honestly don't know what I can do or say." Takeo said as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I don't want anything to happen to her... but still..."
Akiko walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder. She knew what he meant, they were in a position that not many parents had gone through. They also knew that they had to be strong and be there for their daughter. Even though the fate of the world may be in her and her friends' hands, she was still their daughter and they had to put her safety first, before anything else... Even the world.
Kadic Academy
The black Mustang pulled up to the main gate as the rain continued to pour. The rain fell even heavier and steam lifted from the hot ground.
The rear passenger door opened and Sissi, Jeremy, Aelita and Odd stepped out of the car. Aelita wrapped her arm around Jeremy's as the other ran around to the front of the car.
The passenger side window rolled down to reveal Jessica's face. She looked towards Odd. Her eyes flinched from the rainfall.
"Thanks for the lift guys." Odd said loudly.
"No problem, Odd." George said from across the driver's seat.
"Does Jim know you're coming back this late?" Jessica said.
Odd glanced behind him real quick as Sissi led Jeremy and Aelita up to the awning so they could get out of the rain.
"No, but by this time he should be asleep. We had passes off campus tonight anyways." Odd said, turning back to look at Jessica.
"If you got any problems let us know, okay?" George said.
Odd threw his thumbs up in acknowledgment.
"See you later guys." Jessica said as she rolled the window up.
Odd stepped away as the Mustang pulled away and headed towards the gate. As the car drove off, the young kid ran up to the awning where the other three waited for him.
"Can we get out of this rain, please?" Aelita asked.
Jeremy slowly opened the door to the inside of the main campus. The large metal doors squeaked loudly; the sound echoed through the empty hallway. The interior of the school was dark, only a few small lights were on; the inside of the school was completely quiet.
"Okay, let's go. Sissi said as she lead the way."
"What do we do about Jim?" Jeremy asked.
"Ulrich texted me earlier." Odd said as he glanced at his phone. "He said Jim is out cold and had already did his little patrol round earlier... We have at least 2 hours until the next one."
"Let's get going then." Aelita said, shivering. "I'm ready for a warm shower and bed."
Jeremy took Aelita's hand; he slowly led the exhausted girl up the stairs. The girl's shoes sloshed loudly as she walked; she desperately tried to walk as quietly as possible.
Odd and Sissi followed short behind them; they cautiously walked up the stairs. They knew that even though Jim had finished his rounds for the night, he had no problem busting them over something like staying out late and being up so late. And even though Jim was aware that they were in fact superheroes, he made it perfectly clear that he still expected the kids to attend classes and follow the rules. If the gang had to step out, they would have to let him know what they were doing and at what time they would be back.
The gang slowly walked up to the second floor of the building, which was the girls' floor. The doorway to the floor was brightly illuminated by several lights, yet silent as a grave with the exception of the sound of rain and thunder outside.
"This is our floor." Sissi said as she turned to face the others.
"Care for me to walk you to your door?" Odd asked as he held out his hand.
"Normally I wouldn't mind but I'm beat, Odd... So just say we did, okay?" Sissi asked as Aelita and Jeremy walked past them.
Odd lowered his hand in disappointment as he glanced towards Sissi. "Can I ask you a question?" Odd asked.
Sissi glanced around quickly and looked towards the young boy with all of her attention.
"It's just... we've been dating for a few weeks, and I'm still not sure where we sit as far as a relationship and all. I just..."
Odd stopped as Sissi placed her fingers over his mouth. The shy teen glanced up at Sissi in confusion, only to be met with her warm, loving smile – a smile she rarely ever gave out. Ever since Sissi joined the group, she acted more like a big sister than Yumi at times. She acted more like a friend and less of the old, pain in the side Sissi that the gang was used to. And even Odd, who made it a ritual to poke fun at Sissi, realized he stopped teasing her. Sometimes Odd would even wonder if this was the same Sissi he met years before.
"Odd, I think we're going well. You know that you're my first true relationship in a long time, and you brought out the best in me." Sissi said as she removed her finger. "Plus, I like spending time with you and you know I had a crush on you."
"You did?" Odd asked.
Sissi blinked in confusion. "Hey! Were you listening to me when we were in America and getting ready to fight Xervix and I told you about all that?"
"Yeah... I forgot about that. Sorry."
"It's forgivable. You were fighting monsters and all," Sissi said as she placed her hands on her hips. "But besides the point..."
"So then are we boyfriend and girlfriend?" Odd asked nervously.
"I'm not sure if I'm ready for the L word like the others, but I do care about you." Sissi said nervously herself. "Maybe I just need more time."
Odd smiled as he took the girl's hand in his to help garner her attention. "When the time comes, why don't you say it?"
Sissi smiled as she winked at him. "Okay. Deal."
And with that, Sissi leaned in and kissed Odd on the cheek. As soon as her lips touched Odd's cheek, her face flared bright red; she noticed Odd's was as well.
Sissi pulled back as she stared at Odd. She wanted to show him her feelings for him. But was it right of her to show him now? Especially with all that they had going on with Xervix? Sissi wanted to, but knew it would distract Odd from where he was needed. She had to wait, and like she told Aelita, the fun is in waiting.
"Goodnight Odd." Sissi said quietly.
"Go... goodnight." Odd said, still shocked by the kiss.
Sissi turned and walked down the hallway. She could hear Odd do a little dance behind her as he ran up the stairs. The noise gave Sissi a quick smirk as she walked over to her room. Sissi's room sat right next to Aelita's. She could hear everything that went on in the room and could hear when Aelita had her nightmares.
Jeremy and Aelita stood outside of her room. Aelita leaned up against the wall with Jeremy standing next to her.
"Everything good?" Aelita asked.
"Everything's... fine," Sissi said with a smile as she opened her door. "Goodnight guys." Sissi said, entering her room.
"Goodnight, Sissi." Jeremy said as he turned back towards Aelita.
"I never thought I would see the day." Aelita said.
"What day?"
"Sissi Delmas... in love with Odd Della Robbia."
"I thought they were just friends." Jeremy admitted.
Aelita glanced over at Jeremy and looked right at him with the same expressionless stare as when she mentioned their two friends.
"Yeah... right." Jeremy said as he could read Aelita's mind and realized she was right. The way they acted and the way they were always hanging out and flirting with each other was an obvious sign that the two were in love.
"Kinda reminds me of me and you." Jeremy said as he put the palm of his hand up against the door.
Aelita paused for a minute as she leaned up against the door. "Which one's trapped in a computer?" she asked as she looked up at her boyfriend with a smirk.
"I would say the way they tip around the idea that there's a relationship and haven't truly realized how they are acting." Jeremy said, fixing his glasses.
"Yeah. But which one was trapped in a computer?"
"Odd, I think." Jeremy said. "He's trapped in his own world."
Aelita giggled as she turned and unlocked her door. The door slowly opened, revealing her dorm room. The room was pitch black with the exception of an alarm clock on the wall and a night light that sat next to her bed. A brush of cold air swept out of the room and brushed past the two teens, causing Aelita to shiver a little.
"Oh man, I can't wait to hop in the shower!" Aelita said as she stepped into the room and flipped on the light switch on the wall.
"So... did you have a good birthday?" Jeremy asked as he followed her inside.
"Yeah, I did. Aside from the whole attack and fight." Aelita said as she walked over to her dresser and began pulling out a change of clothes.
"I know that it shouldn't have ended that way." Jeremy said.
"Yeah, same here."
Jeremy walked over and sat on Aelita's bed. He picked up the Mister Puck doll and placed it off to the side as Aelita walked over to the bed in front of Jeremy and stood in front of him. The blonde looked up at his girlfriend and smiled.
Aelita looked exhausted and tired from the earlier events. Her clothes were still damp, with several cuts and scrapes in both her skin and clothes. Many wounds were covered in bandaids. The young girl looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.
"You're tired." Jeremy observed as he placed his hands on Aelita's.
"Yup." Aelita agreed as she closed her eyes a bit.
"Maybe I better go and let you sleep." Jeremy said as he stood up and kissed Aelita quickly on the lips.
"But I don't want you to leave."Aelita said with a sheepish, exhausted smile.
"I know, but we have class in the morning, we have to get some sleep." Jeremy said as he looked towards Aelita's bed.
"Oh alright, fine." Aelita joked as she squinted her eyes shut and stuck her tongue out in a childish manner. Jeremy smiled as he stuck his tongue out as well.
"I'll come get you in the morning, OK?" Aelita said with a smile as she walked up and kissed her boyfriend lightly on the lips.
"And I will sleep in my bed and not program anything tonight." Jeremy said, reminding her of the promise he had made earlier.
"You better not." Aelita said with a stern look on her face and waving her finger back and forth.
Jeremy sighed. "Yes, mom."
Aelita walked up and hugged Jeremy as she smiled and breathed in his smell.
"I love you." Aelita said with a content smile.
Jeremy looked down and placed on hand on Aelita's head and the other at the base of her spine.
"Love you too."
Aelita released Jeremy. As the young blonde walked towards the door, Aelita walked over towards her dresser and pulled out a towel as she prepared to take a shower as soon as she could.
"Goodnight Aelita." Jeremy said with a wave.
"Goodnight Jer-Bear" Aelita joked.
"Jer-Bear? Man, women sure do think of the weirdest nicknames," Jeremy said as he shut the door behind him.
As soon as Jeremy left, Aelita laid out her pajamas and sat on her bed for a minute. So much happened tonight and it was unbelievable. The birthday, Aether's attack, and now the cell phone in the park which she decided not to tell Jeremy, concerned he might take it too seriously and insist he work through the night. The girl sighed as she thought to herself. What did it all mean? Was there more work to be done or were these new threats that had just recently emerged?
Just how much did they know of the Super Computer, The System and her parents?
Moments later, warm shower water poured on Aelita's sore back. She looked down at the drain as small streams of reddish water washed off her wounded body. She removed the bandaids so that she could put on fresh ones a little later.
She could feel her entire body ache. Her back was tense and stiff and her neck cramped and stung with dull pain every time she looked around. Aelita wrapped her hand around her back and felt a searing, burning pain from one of the gashes that Aether had inflicted on her. The world around her grew silent and cold as she felt her mind begin to nod off more and more.
The short teen leaned her head up against the wall as she felt her head throb. Hey eyes where glossed over and hazey as she zoned out more and more.
"I...Didnt feel this bad earlier." Aelita said silently and out of breath as her body started to feel cold and numb. "Maybe...Im really...tired..."
Aelita stood there for a few moments as her head waved slowly back and forth...Her mind was clear and silent as the steam rose in the shower.
Suddenly Aelita snapped out of it as sound returned to her and the warmth of the water. The girl stood straight up as she looked around. "Am I that tired?" Aelita asked as she grabbed her hygine bag off the wooden bench next to her and shut the water off.
As Aelita stepped out of the shower and put her towel around her, she rubbed her brow as she felt a slow pain arch up her left arm, the same pain she felt when she exited the Super Computer earlier after destroying the platform. Why was it happening now and why did it hurt so much?
"It must be because I fought so hard tonight," Aelita said as she took a sip from her bottled water and gathered her things.
Aelita slowly exited the bathroom and walked down the hall in her bathrobe. Cold air from the air conditioner blasted her wet, exhausted body. She felt even worse by the second as she felt another pain in the leg where Aether grabbed her.
"The life of a super hero." Aelita murmured to herself as she entered her room and threw her clothes and towel in the laundry basket. She grabbed her large oversized pink shirt and slipped it on as she opened a drawer and pulled out some Aspirin. She popped on pill in her mouth and finished off her water with one big gulp before finally laying down in her bed.
The blankets engulfed the young girl as she wrapped herself up tightly. Aelita ducked her head under the blanket and was breathing fast in an attempt to raise her body temperature and feel better. Yet she just couldn't get warm as she felt her body shiver. Every movement inflicted even more pain as she lay on her side and moaned silently.
"Next time ask Jeremy to spend the night." Aelita said as she finally felt her blankets begin to warm up and welcome the tired girl with soft warmth. The world around her went dark as she finally slipped into a deep sleep. A faint sign of relaxation crept across her face as she imagined Jeremy laying next to her, cuddling her as she went to sleep.
The storm raged on into the early morning. Thunder echoed loudly outside, yet Aelita slept straight through the noise, not even stirring for a minute.
Before i begin. I Want to say im sorry. Im sorry this story is taking so long and sorry that i have dragged my feet over this.
No more.
I have re written and re designed the story 5 times now to make sure this is the best i can put out. plus life from work, relationships etc have also gotten in the way.
Please accept my apologies as of right now the story is going full blown speeds to complete it.
Now about the chapter. I wont explain most of the scenes, because there is a lot of cryptic clues i want you to remember for later chapters. Hope you get some ideas.
Please comment and tell me if you liked this story and what you have liked so far.