Chapter 11
The Unkown Future
Area: Unknown.
Time: 02:45
Darkness covered most of the operating room. The only exception was the center, where a large, round fixture hung from the ceiling, brightly illuminating a single spot below.
In the lamp's spotlight stood an operating chair. In it sat the patient, whose head was placed on a purposefully designed headrest slightly upwards, to allow access to the back of the patient's head.
The patient had a series of wires and tubes going through his mouth and nose. Air and oxygen were delivered into a breathing tube through repeated motions of a ventilator. An intravenous drip was attached to the man's left arm, supplying his body with fluids to keep him hydrated throughout the procedure that he was about to undergo. A single thick wire ran from a terminal sitting to the side towards the underside of the table and, well enough out of the way, at the end of the cable sat a large metal bracket that was connected to the patient's chest, feeding electricity to his heart.
Around the patient walked several nurses and assistants, all dressed in green aseptic gowns and surgical masks.
"Doctor, the patient is prepared, and fully anesthetized," one of the nurses announced.
"Very well. Let us proceed." The doctor said as he walked around the back of the patient. "Let's remove the core."
Multiple assistants motioned to be ready to bring him the supplies he needed. Various tools and a single stainless steel bowl already were laid out on a spacious table covered in green aseptic blanket.
The doctor was silently handed a large shiny instrument. The instrument was chrome and shaped like a large T with two black blocks on each end. A small green light blinked on the end of the two pegs.
The overhead light was focused more on the patient's head. The scalp was scarred and bumpy; veins bulged profuse, and was covered with several large contusions and lesions as well. Towards the base of the patient's skull was a large metal indented cylinder, which was a reflective chrome color with several screws drilled into the flesh, keeping the port attached to the patient's head. On the silver plate sat a small block shaped hole just large enough for the bracket to fit into.
A nurse lifted up the patient's eyelid, revealing cold gray eyes.
"Rigor mortisehas yet to set in." she said as pulled another table up to the side of her.
A second nurse took an optical fiber cord with a blue light on the rounded tipped end, then moved forward and began sliding the probe into the patient's eye. A low slurp and crunch noise came from the inside of the patient's skull as the probe worked past the eyelid and into the back of the eye socket.
"Cranial nerves are still intact." she said as he pulled up a tablet, revealing the insides of the patient's skull. "No sign of pus near the area."
The main doctor walked up towards the nurse and observed the inside of the patient's head.
"The brain has more gray areas than we thought, however it is a non-issue now," he said as he walked up to the patient again and placed the T-shaped device, which acted as a sort of key, into the port on back of the patient's skull.
The device beeped loudly as the metal section retracted inwards on the skull itself, making a clear opening in the bone.
Inside was a mixture of organic tissue and silicon components. Pieces of brain were missing; in their place were electronic circuits, which blinked and whirled loudly, connected to the remaining nerve tissue with thick, wire-like structures. The parts connected to the brain were molded and merged into one section, making it extremely difficult to see where technology ended and flesh began.
Like inside of a computer, towards the back end of the cranial cavity sat a small, round silver disk. The disk sat right on the back of the brain near where under normal circumstances the veins of the neck met the brain stem. The silver disk was the size of a silver dollar and just as wide; it reflected the overhead lamp's light, seamless and pristine. It was smooth and glossy, as if brand-new.
"Brainwaves and delta waves are now within optimal range." a nurse said as she looked at the tablet and back at the main doctor.
"Very well. I am opening the second device." The doctor announced.
He placed the key back onto the table, then walked over to the back of the patient's head and reached down towards the skull. He pushed a small metal cylinder on the back of the brain. A bright light flashed from inside the cylinder, which then retracted, opening similarly to the way the skull compartment had opened on the outside of the head.
Inside the smaller compartment, deep inside the skull, a bright blue light glowed. With a loud rattling noise, a small plate protruded out of the socket, burnt and charred from the intense heat of the patient's body.
The doctor nodded to the nurse; he was handed a pair of clamps. He slowly turned around and reached into the socket, removing the burnt and broken metal plate. The clamps pulled the plate from the inside of the skull far enough for the doctor to disconnect a small yellow cable which was connected to the back of the plate.
An assistant opened a small case on the table. Inside the case were a couple of small silver and shiny metal plates the same size as what was just pulled out of the patient's skull.
"Shall I begin plasma transfusion now?" the nurse asked.
"Go ahead." the main doctor said as he took one of several replacement metal plates and prepared to put it inside the patient's skull. "Start draining toxins simultaneously."
The nurse swapped the fluid infusion for a small bottle with a yellow tinted fluid, which immediately started flowing through the intravenous line on the side of the patient's left arm. At the same time another nurse approached the patient's exposed chest with a large syringe and injected its thick needle directly over the heart and just above a large bracket connected to the patient's chest.
With a loud hiss and puff of air, the syringe's piston slowly pulled away, drawing a bright green fluid from inside the patient's heart.
Other nurses went on with the same procedure, placing several self-retracting syringes at the back of the patient's neck and over his lungs. Soon, all contained similar, bright green fluid; occasionally, it contained tiny pieces of tissue and other impurities.
"It's twice the amount it should be," the head nurse assessed. "He will probably reach the limit of how much dead tissue his body can handle really soon."
"I'll inform him." the doctor said.
He was done with tinkering inside the patient's head; he closed the device that lead to the patient's brain.
"Go ahead and wake him."
The head nurse turned to the table and opened a small metal box, signed on top as Olympia 115. From inside she carefully picked up a single syringe, loaded with a white glowing, slightly opalescent liquid. She approached the patient's neck.
"Injecting Olympus serum," the nurse announced as she made a skillful intraspinal injection.
As the syringe ran dry, the nurse placed the empty needle on the table; other assistants rushed to uncover the chair from protective aseptic blankets and also disconnect the patient's body from the ventilator and other life-supporting devices. He would wake up very soon. As they were done cleaning up the operating theater, they all left the room. There were only two people left: the patient and his surgeon.
The doctor took off his protective mask. He walked over towards the chair and picked up a small remote. He hit one of the buttons on the tablet; the chair slowly sat up and came upright, bringing the patient to an upright position.
The patient blinked while finally recovering from anesthesia.
"Mr Estrada?" The doctor asked. "How do you feel?"
Estrada opened his eyes; he looked around the room and reached for the back of his head.
"Much better," he said.
He stood up from the chair and walked over to the table where his personal items awaited him, including his wig, a cell phone, and a cigar. He picked up the wig and carefully placed it on his head, covering his scarred scalp and the opening socket.
"How did the procedure go?" Estrada asked as he reached for his cigar and a box of matches.
"Not good, unfortunately," the doctor started. "You needed much more plasma than before and your body produced far too many toxins. It was three times over the amount it usually is. Moreover, you burned out your carbon core too fast, too." The doctor said as he showed Estrada the burnt out disc. "Your body is producing far too much electricity and quite frankly, the next time it might in fact be too late for you."
"There is still plenty of time," Estrada said with a puff off his cigar. "We still have many processor cores."
The doctor nodded in agreement. "However, if it were to burn out again and we were unable to perform the surgery right away, your cerebral processor would eventually burn up as well and fry out, causing the decay to accelerate dramatically."
Estrada took another smoke from his cigar. "Which means it will be a very painful death, correct?"
"Yes, sir. Your body will begin to decay almost immediately and will not stop until it die-"
"What has Tyrone said about the acquisition of the girl?" Estrada asked, cutting the doctor off.
"Uh... As far as I was informed, Tyrone is preparing our new Ninjas. They should be ready for a field test in a few days' time," said the doctor, catching up.
Estrada sat down in the chair as he he took another puff off his cigar. "And the Snake-Alien? Do we know how it escaped... and if Asagami was responsible for its release?"
"No sir, but we do have recovery agents en route. If the weapon makes contact, it will be disastrous." the doctor said.
Estrada stood up and finally placed a shirt on himself. "As far as the surgery goes, I just need a bit more time..." he said as he slowly turned to face the doctor again. "The Guardian has yet to awaken or activate. We still have time to come out of this on top and with the Savior in our grasp." Estrada said as he placed his cigar in his mouth and took a draw from it.
"Accelerate to phase 2 of the plan," Estrada ordered as he turned and made his way towards the door. "Contact Tyrone. I want him here to help with this plan."
"Sir, our plan may fall apart," The doctor said, following Estrada out of the operating room. "What about the A.I. Xervix or his Titans? Or the FBI?"
"In the game of chess, one must always take risks if one wants to win the game." Estrada said.
"But sir... Do you believe that the assets are ready for field deployment?" The doctor asked. "I mean, one asset is already been released, but what about the others? Aren't you worried they will escape too?"
"The asset will be apprehended. I've already sent Agent Chris to go and procure the boy as quickly as possible." Estrada said, unbothered. "The boy is now the key to obtaining the System and the Savior."
"But using the woman to draw out the daughter, though... sir, that could cause problems," The doctor said as they arrived at Estrada's office.
"And that is why I need Tyrone and his Ninjas. Call him in, now." Estrada said.
"And what of Doctor Asagami and the girl we have?" The doctor asked.
"They still have some use to us. Have her finish Gilgamesh before she moves on to the main project."
"And what of the Monster?" The doctor added. Estrada froze in his tracks, smoke from his cigar twisting and thrilling around his head.
"You know the Project Vorseas and Carthage files show that Schaeffer helped create the beast for-" The doctor continued until Estrada cut him off.
"If the monster intervenes in this situation again, Gilgamesh will be ready to destroy the creature, do you understand?!"
The doctor nodded as he prepared to step out of the room.
"And... Doctor?" Estrada said before he closed the door. "We will be having guests soon... prepare their rooms."
Kadic Academy, Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
Sissi Delmas's room.
5:45 am
The dawn's light filled a faintly dim dorm room, which was cluttered with perfume bottles, women's magazines and other gadgets of a teen girl. The reverent silence of an early morning, accented with birds chirping outside, came to an abrupt end when the alarm blared.
A girl painfully moaned at the sound. Her thin hand attempted to reach up and hit snooze, however it missed as it drifted to the side of the bed. The girl lay in bed, covered by a couple of blankets; she tried to bury her head and hide from the noise. She desperately wished to fall back asleep.
It has been a long night. Yesterday started well with celebration of Aelita's birthday to later spiral into chaos when her friends had to go to Lyoko and battle Aether and his minions while a massive storm raged outside.
Sissi remembered walking into her dorm room soaking wet and cold. The last thing she remembered was tossing off her wet clothes and just collapsing into her bed and the soft warmth that came with it. After a night of trying to save the city the embrace of her warm, soft bed was a welcomed relief. The bed had definitely become her best friend for the night and left her extremely content.
Now the alarm was blaring, forcing her to leave all that comfort and face the day once more. It sucked.
Sissi tossed and turned as she finally reached over and hit the snooze button, causing the alarm to finally fall silent. Her hand fell to the side of the bed and dangled for a moment until she finally sat up, tossing the blankets to the side, and stared at the wall of her room. Sissi rubbed her eyes as she tried so hard to wake herself up from her short slumber. She double checked the time.
"Oh God, how do people do this?" she grunted as she finally stood out of bed. "This should be illegal."
Sissi usually woke up this early so that she could avoid the long line of other dorm mates, who would line up to use the restroom and wash up and prepare for the day. Although she recently changed her routine so that she would not occupy the restroom for lengthy periods of time like she used to, she still enjoyed being all by herself there. Still, she sighed as she stretched her arms and walked over to her dresser, pulling out her clothes for the day.
A series of thoughts raced though her head as she pulled out her favorite miniskirt. Given the circumstances last night, Sissi could only imagine what the others were going through at this time of the day and how exhausted they must have been. She already noticed that every time her friends would come out of the scanners, they often looked seriously drained. Jeremy once explained to her that the virtualization process put a great deal of pressure on their bodies, and battling enemies on Lyoko made it even worse. The worst was the time when Aelita almost died after she was apparently drained of all her memories. Sissi never understood the circumstances of the situation fully, yet from what she gathered, Aelita was out for at least twenty hours straight.
She had been thinking since returning home last night, and she was quickly coming up with an answer. She realized she had to step up to the plate as well. Last night's battle proved that the gang could be completely overrun and outnumbered by their new enemies with great ease. Any help was of great importance.
She looked into the mirror, taking in every detail of her young, beautiful face.
"If Black Widow can fight Thanos, I can fight too."
Soon, Sissi opened the door to the girls' shower room. The room was already warm and humid as one of the showers already ran.
"Must be Aelita," Sissi thought as she placed her hygiene products on a bench. "She must have been up all night."
No sooner had Sissi pulled out all of her shower items than the shower stall opened up, revealing a short red headed girl in a blue and white robe.
"Oh, hello, Taelia." Sissi said, surprised.
"Hi, Sissi." Taelia replied as she walked over, drying her hair with a towel. "How's it going?"
"You know... didn't really sleep well." Sissi said.
"Why is that?" Taelia asked as she walked into a separate stall to get dressed.
"We had to do the hero thing last night," Sissi said as she prepared to hop into the shower.
Sissi was still not used to referring to the others as heroes. She had a hard time believing that her friends have been battling a rouge A.I. and a shady government agency was after a girl who spent almost half her life inside a prison of a computer, a girl who also happened to possess one the greatest sources of energy on the planet.
"Oh, in the middle of that storm, right?"
"Yeah..." Sissi said as she turned to look at the stall Taelia was dressing in.
Taelia stepped out, fully dressed.
"You were all over the news yesterday," she remarked. "As a matter of fact, you have been in the media a lot!"
"I already noticed... sadly," Sissi said.
She remembered when soon after the Las Vegas Incident the world celebrated the fact that superheroes were real. People all over the globe treated the Garage Kids as icons. However, later the media and politicians began pushing for control of the gang, some even suggested arresting them all. Undoubtedly many would willingly use the gang or the computer to further their own agenda. Even France, the home country to the Lyoko Warriors, at first wanted the gang in custody and their equipment confiscated for the government to use.
Lately, the news outlets have actively been searching for any story they could find to paint the kids as the villains. It seemed that the media preferred to focus more on trying to turn the public opinion on the children. Sissi still could not forget one of the headlines, which said: "Aelita Stones: guardian angel or devil among us?" It was as if the world which they swore to help protect was turning against them. Had it not been for Special Agent Dalesman, Special Agent Knight and Officer Hillsabeck, the gang might not have made it as far as they had now. In fact, she feared things would have been much worse if not thanks to those Americans.
"You know, the other night I was in the break room and there was a news debate where all these people were discussing again whether you guys are a threat."
"Again? But how-"
"Oh, you don't want to know," Taelia cut Sissi off. "But don't worry. Not everyone hates you. Look!" She pulled out her cell phone and picked a picture from her Gallery for Sissi to see.
It depicted Aelita in blue and white, standing proud, glancing over her right shoulder with a look of strength and determination on her face. The picture was an artist's impression of some photo taken during the last battle. A simple caption "Hope" was placed underneath the picture.
"Someone drew that?" Sissi asked, surprised.
"Yes! And then I saw this one too!" Taelia's excitement grew as she swiped another photo in their view, which showed Odd leaping through the air wearing the Nano-Suit which was projecting his virtual form. Odd was leaping through the air similar to a lion. The photo was captioned: Hero.
"Do you know what it means?"
"Uh... that some people actually like us?"
"More than that! Have you seen what Emily did recently?"
"Not really, no." Sissi admitted. Taelia showed her another photo, this time taken in the science class. Emily, a fellow classmate of theirs, was wearing a gray shirt with white letters "GK" on the front.
"Nice, but what am I looking at?" Sissi asked.
"It's the shirt. Don't you call yourselves Garage Kids?"
Sissi finally pieced two and two together. "Oh! GK stands for Garage Kids?"
"Exactly!" Taelia placed her phone back in her purse. "Emily made the t-shirt herself, but there were a couple of people who asked her to make some for them, too. How cool is that?"
"Very," Sissi mumbled. "How did I miss that?!" she thought.
"Also, I heard that Kadic has a spike in popularity among junior high candidates just because of you guys." Taelia said as she grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes. "Turns out, a lot of people would love to attend the school of real life heroes."
"Really?" Sissi turned and looked at Taelia. "And all I see is all these reporters on the internet and TV who keep saying that we are the bad guys."
"Those are just people who are trying to either get views or promote themselves in some ways," Taelia said as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Just type in Garage Kids or Lyoko Warriors on social media. You have quite a fan base on all corners of the Earth. Now excuse me," she said as she started to brush her teeth.
Seeing that, Sissi went under the shower.
"I'd rather not do any search," she thought with skepticism as she poured her favorite mixture of shampoo and conditioners on her hair.
Sissi stood under the shower as she let the water wash her shampoo out of her hair. Contradictory thoughts filled her mind as she pondered on what she just heard and saw.
Did Garage Kids fanbase really exist?
It made her realize that the world had indeed taken the news very seriously. She was aware that the gang was very concerned about how they were perceived in the world. They missed the bigger picture in the process. Now, Sissi knew she had to prop the gang up and keep them strong, and to not let them waver.
A moment later, she stepped out of the shower stall with her robe on and towel around her head.
Taelia still stood by the sink, waiting for her.
"Let me tell you one more thing, Sissi. My father used to work for the government, and he always said that in every situation there will be people who see the truth and those who use the situation for personal gain. People like the news anchors and politicians, and even some of those people on social media are just looking for their 5 minutes of fame."
"And what does your father think of us?"
"He supports you. Unlike the President," Taelia said.
"Thanks."
"I believe in heroes, too." Taelia smiled as she walked towards the door. Soon, Sissi was left in the wash room by herself.
"I do, too." Sissi said as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. "But am I really a hero? Or a burden?"
Moments later, Sissi finally stepped out of the shower room, ready to face the day. The girl turned to walk down the hallway towards her room, passing by a few other girls, who were on their way to the shower rooms as well.
"Morning Sissi." One of the girls said as they walked past her.
"Hey Susan." Sissi said with a smile as she walked by.
Sissi walked up to her dorm room and opened the door, a blast of cool air shot out and hit her as she walked in and placed her bag on the bed next to her. No sooner had she reached for the door to shut it than she heard a loud noise come from the room across the hall from her. Sissi turned around and looked towards the room, listening in to hear the noise again.
The sound was somewhat familiar, as if a girl cried for help, fearful and in pain.
The room was Aelita's. Sissi had been neighbors with her for a few years now, ever since she was freed from her virtual prison. Sissi recalled many nights when she was awakened by by the sound of Aelita screaming in her sleep. Back then it drove Sissi nuts, but ever since joining the gang, she had become a little more understanding of what Aelita was going through.
"She must be getting up." Sissi thought and turned around to walk back into her own room. No sooner had she turned around and opened her door than she heard the noise again, this time louder and more painful than before.
"Is she OK?" Sissi wondered as she walked towards the door hesitantly. She recalled how Aelita acted the night before, exhausted and with visible injuries, multiple lacerations and bruises, not to mention electrical burns. "I should check on her just to be safe."
Sissi walked up to the door and knocked. She listened for the sound of footsteps. There was no response. She knocked a second time.
"Aelita?" Sissi asked as she turned the door knob. Sissi crept the door open just a little bit so that she could take a peek inside. The room was faintly lit by the rising sun. It was very well cleaned and organized, with the exception of the pile of clothes laying in the floor and the large mound laying underneath the covers on Aelita's bed. Sissi spotted a patch of pink hair sticking just barely out from under the covers. From inside the room, freezing cold air blew.
"My god, it's cold in here," Sissi noticed as she glanced over at Aelita's air conditioner vents. She decided to enter Aelita's room. She walked over to turn the knob on the wall controlling the air conditioner's vent. However, to her surprise, the knob was turned to the off position, meaning that the air conditioner should not be running at all.
"It's off? How is it so cold in here then?"
She was snapped out of confusion by Aelita's crying, as she suddenly kicked her feet into the air and slammed them on the bed.
"It must be a really bad nightmare. Should I wake her?" Sissi wondered.
Concerned for her friend, Sissi observed Aelita, who now lay in bed, motionless. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully again.
"I guess I will let her sleep a little longer..."
Then, Aelita mumbled loudly as she turned in her sleep and began breathing very fast and erratically.
"Jeremy..." she said quietly and sorrowfully.
That was enough to catch Sissi's attention.
"It must be really bad. I better wake her," Sissi said out loud as she walked over to Aelita's bed. Sissi leaned forward and shook Aelita's shoulder lightly.
Aelita began to wiggle a little as she rolled over to reveal her face. The girl looked calm, serene almost, as she smiled lightly, her eyes rolling back and forth indicating that the she was dreaming.
"She seems OK now. Maybe I should just leave her." Sissi whispered in confusion. She let out a sigh of relief. "I swear, it sounded like she was in trouble-"
Aelita suddenly groaned loudly and reached out, grabbing Sissi's arm. Before Sissi knew what was going on, Aelita wrapped her arm around her and pulled her into the bed next to her. Sissi yipped a little as Aelita snuggled up to her.
"Oh, Jeremy. How did you know I was in the mood for hot chocolate?" Aelita said in her sleep as she smiled.
"She's dreaming of Jeremy." Sissi thought nervously, trying to wiggle her way out of Aelita's grasp.
However, the more Sissi tried to escape her friend's embrace, the tighter Aelita's hold on her was.
"Mmmm..." Aelita hugged Sissi. "Nothing like hot chocolate, and cuddling next to a fireplace during a blizzard."
"Oh boy! I want out now!" Sissi thought, but was not sure how to escape. She considered waking Aelita the last resort; nobody would ever know she was there to witness this...
Aelita moaned a little as she tried to look up towards Sissi a little.
"Oh no! Is she waking up?" Sissi thought as she desperately tried to get loose, but Aelita snuggled even closer; she wrapped her arms around Sissi's waist.
Sissi held her breath in fear as she began to sweat. "Please, don't kiss me..."
"Mmmm... It's pretty cold, how about a kiss, Jer-bear?" Aelita leaned in as she closed in towards Sissi's face.
That was enough.
"Aelita! WAKE UP!" Sissi muttered in panic, kicking her feet at the same time.
Aelita opened her eyes as she finally regained consciousness. She looked up towards Sissi's face as she realized someone was in bed with her. And that it was not someone she expected.
"Um... good morning." Sissi smiled awkwardly.
Aelita's eyes widened when she realized who it was.
Both teens stared at each other for a few long seconds in silence; their faces turned red simultaneously.
"S-Sissi? What-"
Sissi lifted up her hand as she waved at Aelita. "Let me explain..."
Aelita screamed loudly out of both embarrassment and shock; blankets and pillows went flying into the air in a literal explosion of bedding.
Sissi rolled onto the floor; Aelita jumped out of bed. Both girls yipped and screamed at the same time. They landed on the floor at the same time with a loud thud.
Both teens looked up over the bed simultaneously as their eyes crept over the side of the bed.
"How long have you been here?" Aelita asked.
"A couple of minutes. Listen, I-"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BEDROOM!"
"Aelita, listen-" Sissi got up off the floor and walked over to her friend with a calming gesture.
Aelita lost it. "WHY. ARE. YOU HERE?!"
"Shhh... Aelita, calm down!" Sissi begged, worried someone on the outside might hear them. "I heard you screaming and crying in your sleep and I was worried something was wrong!"
"Why didn't you try to wake me?" Aelita asked.
"Wha?! Wake you?!" Sissi said in astonishment. "Oh, I did, I kept thinking you were having a nightmare again like you used to have back in the day, or that maybe you were still in pain from last night. But you were literally out!" Sissi said as she placed her hand on her chest.
"How did you get in bed with me?!"
"I was getting ready to leave when you called me Jer-bear and grabbed me!" Sissi shouted.
Silence fell. Both teens stared at each other in confusion.
"Did I say anything else?" Aelita asked as she began to calm down.
"You mentioned hot chocolate." Sissi said.
Aelita sighed with relief. "OK... that was the good dream."
"At first it looked as if you were having another one of your nightmares again." Sissi said as she stepped forward and grabbed one of Aelita's pillows. "You used to have those all the time and I remember they used to mess you up a lot."
"Yeah... I've been having them for quite a while," Aelita said as she picked up the blankets that she had just thrown on the floor a few minutes ago. "I don't know if you were aware of that or not." Aelita threw her blankets on the bed and started to make her bed.
"Yumi told me something about that," Sissi admitted, tilting her head as she tried to change the subject. She walked over and sat in Aelita's chair.
"The nightmares have changed over the years. They seem to be getting more vivid and... scary." Aelita said as she finished making her bed. "But some dreams are... different."
Aelita staggered out from the side of her bed as she checked her phone.
"It's okay. I am glad you checked on me." Aelita smiled as she picked up her Mister Puck doll. "Just... next time... knock real loud. Really... loud. And do not let me pull you into bed. If you hear me say Jer-Bear, run."
Sissi nodded in agreement. "Jer-Bear is the danger word... got it."
"Oh, and don't tell anyone about this."
"NOT A WORD!" Sissi said firmly, blushing.
"Let's just end the discussion." Aelita said as she finished making her bed.
Aelita turned around and opened her dresser. She pulled out a reddish pink shirt with angel wings on the front, a denim jacket, a mini skirt and leggings to wear for the day.
"Tell me.. Has that ever happened to you and Jeremy?" Sissi dared to ask. "Like when you pulled him into bed?"
"What? No... I mean, uh, we slept in the same bed a couple of times... Not what you think!" Aelita's cheeks were tomato red again.
"I wasn't intending it like that!" Sissi said quickly. "I mean, would that... what just happened..." Sissi said, pointing at the bed, "Was that the most embarrassing thing you ever did?"
Aelita looked up in confusion as she looked at Sissi and tilted her head. "Why are you asking?"
"Well, we are friends and all that, and I've been trying to fit in with the group..."
"But Sissi, you do fit in." Aelita assured her. "What are you talking about?"
"I just don't want to have an embarrassing moment that ruins our friendship..." Sissi said.
"Listen, I am not mad at all, and it will not ruin anything. Anyway, I have had some more embarrassing moments than that."
"Like what Odd keeps mentioning?" Aelita looked up at Sissi in confusion. "I keep hearing about that gymnasium incident." Sissi said as she glanced at the floor, not intending to make eye contact with Aelita. "Can you tell me what it was?"
"Dammit, Odd!" Aelita said under her breath. "There was this one moment.. but Jeremy and I don't feel like talking about it."
"Must have been worse than what we just went through. Was it?" Sissi said.
"It was embarrassing, but..." Aelita stopped as she smiled shyly and blushed madly red. "MUCH... much worse. Now, can we drop the whole, what's the most embarrassing thing I've done topic? Please?"
"Yeah... I am sorry... I really am..." Sissi said.
"Its OK Sissi. I get it, you were looking out for me, and I appreciate it."
Sissi swiveled around in the chair as she listened to Aelita. "How are you feeling anyways?"
"My arm really hurts..." Aelita admitted. "And my whole body is still sore. It feels like I got hit by a car or something."
"You don't look bruised or anything." Sissi said as she walked up and glanced at Aelita's neck and wrists. "There is a red mark wrapped around the front of your neck, but no scabs or blood..."
"It's pretty sore, really." Aelita remarked as she turned and looked into the mirror, trying to get a good look at the area where Aether grabbed her at last night in his electrical form.
"Do you have any painkillers?"
Aelita turned around and showed Sissi a bottle of Tylenol.
"Planned ahead, didn't you." Sissi stood up from the computer chair and walked to the door. "I'll let you dress up. Hopefully we won't have any trouble today."
Aelita smiled faintly as she turned to her dresser. "I hope not. Its supposed to get hot today."
"I'll see you downstairs then." Sissi said as she stepped into the hallway.
"Sounds good." Aelita smiled as she turned to walk towards the door.
Sissi opened the door to Aelita's room. The hallway was quite crowded now, with other female students walking in and out of the washroom and downstairs for breakfast.
No sooner had Sissi turned down towards her room than a loud humming began to build up through the hallway. The noise emanated from one of the lights. Lamps began to flicker; buzzing sound pinged from the fluorescent lights throughout the hallway. A few of Sissi's classmates walked around in confusion, wondering just what exactly was going on. As the flickering came to a stop, the corridor turned completely black.
"Hey, what is that?" someone asked Sissi as she walked by.
"Probably just another rolling blackout," Sissi said as she looked around at the lights.
A recent increase in the heat index around the area put an incredible amount of stress on the city's power grid. Air conditioners grew in popularity to unprecendented levels, which caused frequent power shortages and sometimes even blackouts that went on for hours.
"I'm so glad school's almost over," a short blonde girl remarked.
"Speak for yourself. My parents are making me stay over for summer school to catch up." another student said as she walked next to the blonde girl.
After a few seconds, the lights flickered on; the hallway illuminated, cool air flowed again through the air conditioner vents.
The door behind Sissi opened. Aelita stepped out with her hygiene bag in hand and a towel in the other. Her face was pale, white and drained. Her skin was clammy and covered in sweat as the girl panted, breathing shallow as she gasped for air. Aelita's hair was soaked in sweat as she looked up towards Sissi.
"Are you OK?" Sissi asked, concerned.
"I am. Maybe I should get a shower just in case..." Aelita said as she gathered her belongings and prepared to wash up.
Sissi went over to her friend and picked her under her arm. "You want me to wait for you?"
"Nah, I should be fine. I'm gonna talk to Jeremy and Travis today."
"Isn't Travis and the others picking up the new agents today?" Sissi asked.
"Yeah, the one from Great Britain." Aelita said as she looked up at Sissi. "The other is American, I think. Let's get going."
Aelita walked under Sissi's arm towards the shower room.
The pain centered around Aelita's shoulder, neck and arm. The pain was sharp and throbbing, not as unbearable as last night, but just enough to remind Aelita that the sensation was still there. Her arm was stiff, as if she had been in a car accident. She could barely raise it above her waist; it was enough to bring her to tears.
Aelita let go of Sissi and leaned up against the wall next to the washroom; she tried to relax and ignore pain. A few other students looked towards Aelita in confusion and concern as they walked by. Some whispered amongst themselves, wondering what was wrong with her.
Sissi placed her hand lightly on Aelita's shoulder in attempt to gain her friend's attention.
"You OK?"
Aelita shook her head.
"You sure?"
"Yeah... my body still hurts and all..." Aelita said as they walked into the shower room. She looked around to make sure no one else was in there.
"I am gonna stay here with you just in case." Sissi declared as she shut the door behind her.
"Trust me, I am fine." Aelita tried to reassure her while preparing for a shower.
Sissi leaned against the sink."You still look a bit pale, plus you keep saying that its still hurts you. Maybe that's part of your... you know..."
Aelita turned to Sissi in confusion. "My what?"
"Your super powers."
Aelita finally realized what Sissi was talking about. "Oh yeah, it might be."
She slipped on her shower shoes and walked into the shower stall.
Aelita stood under the shower as she let the water wash over her sore body. Sissi kept talking.
"Last night you were feeling better. This morning you look just a little weaker."
"Yeah... But I am sure it will improve later." Aelita said as she rubbed the side of her hip.
She pulled off bandages that wrapped around her neck and her sides, now soaking wet. She pressed the palms of her hands up against the shower wall as she let the water wash away the last bits of bloody stains off her wounds. She could feel sharp and dull pain throbbing through her body, from her neck to her toes. It was almost impossible to move without pain. Aelita clearly was still exhausted, she was sore, yet she somehow kept going. Her legs felt like jello and her knees buckled constantly, but she managed to withstand it all and stand upright.
Finally, Aelita stepped out of the shower in her pink bathrobe and placed her bandages in a bag to be thrown away later.
Sissi approached her in case she needed help.
"So, can I ask a question?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"What is the other nightmare about?"
In a moment, Aelita found herself staring towards the ceramic wall as she thought about the nightmare and what happened in it.
"I would rather not talk about it." Aelita said as she started to lather up.
"Pulling a page from the book of Jim, huh?" Sissi joked.
"You said earlier you don't want to poke or prod," Aelita remarked.
"Right. Sorry." Sissi said remorsefully.
Sissi chewed on her cheeks as she thought long and hard about her next question. "Is it the same as what you have had all this time?"
"Please excuse me. It's... hard for me to talk about it. The fewer people know, the better." Aelita said in her defense.
"So it's not that you don't trust me?" Sissi asked.
"No, its not that. It's just... I'm not ready to share all my secrets." Aelita said as she lathered up her hair. "But someday I'll tell you all about it."
"I understand." Sissi said, smiling faintly. "Don't tell me until you are ready."
Aelita put some toothpaste on her toothbrush. "Once things die down and we get our lives back on track."
"What do you mean?"
Aelita began scrubbing her teeth as she held up on finger indicating to hold up just one second.
"You mean, like... once Xervix is dealt with?" Sissi inquired.
Aelita nodded as she gurgled her mouth was and spit her mouth wash out.
"That, and the world moves on from us."
Sissi glanced at Aelita in confusion. She followed her friend out of the shower room and back towards her room.
"How?"
"When Mal-Tech is shut down and the world forgets that we are superheroes," Aelita said as she opened her door and grabbed her change of clothes for the day.
"That may not be for a while, it may not ever happen." Sissi said.
"Once we deal with Xervix and Mal-Tech, we won't have any need to go to Lyoko or use the System." Aelita said as she placed her shirt on.
"Ah, so that's what you meant." Sissi said as she handed Aelita her leggings.
Aelita sat on the bed as she pulled her leggings up to around her waist. After placing her shoes on and tying her laces, she grabbed her phone and texted Jeremy good morning.
"I would like everything to go back to normal but you are right, it probably won't."
Sissi stood up as she looked towards Aelita.
"Maybe things will change for the better? Maybe this is how everything does get better?" she suggested.
"Maybe," Aelita said as she glanced at her phone.
"OK, I don't know about you... but I could sure use some breakfast." Sissi said.
"Me too. I gotta go by Jeremy's room first though." Aelita said as she folded her arms. "I've got a feeling that he's slept through his alarms and he's dead asleep."
"I'll leave that to you," Sissi said as she turned to walk down the hallway. "I'll grab a seat for us."
"Fair enough, I'll see you then." Aelita waved goodbye to Sissi, who shut the door behind her once more.
Aelita sighed as she grabbed her book bag. Her body was sore; she stood in the middle of her room for a bit while she rubbed her side, the side Aether struck her in last night. Aelita noticed in the shower that she had a huge, black and blue bruise along her ribs; there were many cuts and scrapes along her arms and legs, which were still deep and red. Her body again throbbed in dull pain, aching with every moment she made.
There was another very dark bruise with a hand print from Aether's electrical form grabbing her by the neck. The tight grasp of the beast was still fresh on her mind; the feel of sharp, stabbing and stinging sensation of electricity wrapping around her and hitting her. But the main source of her pain was her arm. The very arm she used to form an energy field to shatter the platform in the Sky Sector. The pain was immense, every time Aelita moved it in any way, sharp unbearable pain shot through it. It was unusual and strange for her. Aelita couldn't understand why she was in so much pain. She remembered that whenever someone was struck with a laser or devirtualized on Lyoko, there was no feeling of pain from where they got struck.
It was alarming and at the same time confusing for her to be in so much pain when it shouldn't be the case.
Aelita walked over to her dresser and grabbed a bottle of painkillers. She opened it and swallowed a couple of pills, hoping it would alleviate the pain for some time. She glanced at her phone again and dialed Jeremy once more, hoping that he would answer. Instead, she heard the familiar sound of voice mail: "Hi, this is Jeremy Belpois. Please leave your name, phone number and a brief message and I'll get back to you very soon." She rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone. She finally mustered up the strength to get up and walk out the door.
"I guess I better go get him up." Aelita said as she limped down the hallway towards the stairs, taking her time so that she didn't hurt anything. "Making your hurt girlfriend come wake you up... Oh, you better give me two croissants today."
A blonde girl crept out out from behind the hallway door as she watched Aelita limp away. Tanell watched as Aelita slowly exited into the staircase.
"Well well," Tanell said mockingly to herself. "Little Aelita had a rough night, huh?"
Hotel Kyraid
Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
Morning light filled the hotel room. The room was white and blue with a single bed in the center. Next to the bed sat a dresser, decorated with a pile of files and a large suitcase. Next to the dresser sat a closet which was opened just enough to reveal a bullet resistant vest and a few other items.
A single fan blew down on the bed, whirring fast as the air conditioner could barely keep up with cooling the air. The heat continued to escalate as the sun rose even higher. Humidity was on the rise too, as large puddles left from the torrential rainfall were quickly evaporating.
The alarm next to the bed went off. An arm reached out from under the covers and hit the snooze button.
Travis rolled over. He was sweating continuously due to the heat.
"Another nightmare." Travis said as he lay there and stared up at the ceiling, placing his hand on his forehead. He slowly sat up out of bed as he tried to wake up and start the day.
Suddenly, his phone went off. It was George who was calling.
"Hey, you up?" George asked.
"Yeah, I just got out of bed." Travis said as he ran his hands through his head.
"I am on my way to pick Jessica up. I'll grab you afterwards." George said on the other end of the receiver.
"OK. What time are we picking them up?" Travis asked as he grabbed a can of Full Throttle from the mini fridge.
"Looks like we are only picking up one new member for the task force today." George said.
"Yeah. I got all their files here." Travis said as he looked through the files. "Wait, why we're only picking up one?"
"I just got a call from the deputy director," George said; in the background, the sound of a car horn blared. "HEY! LEARN TO DRIVE, KID!" George yelled on the other end of the phone line.
"George, wait... Who got dropped?"
"I'll tell you in person." George said, still fuming from the car. "We are getting a replacement, though. When that is I don't know."
Travis pondered on what he just heard; it wasn't unsual for a task force to gain or replace a new member, but with no information as to who it was or what agency they would represent, this was worrying.
"Well... I'll get washed up. See you in a bit." Travis said as he hung up.
Soon, Travis emerged from the bathroom, freshly dressed and in a nice suit, prepared for the day. He walked over towards the closet and opened the door, revealing a large metal safe with a fingerprint scanner. He placed his thumb on the lock; the inside mechanism ground and clicked. The door opened, revealing more files and a pistol with a few spare magazines as well. Travis reached in and grabbed his weapon, inserted the magazine and placed the gun on safe as he placed it in his holster. Travis also grabbed the files on two new agents and placed them on the desk next to him.
He then heard his text tone go off. He reached for his phone and saw a text from George saying that they had arrived.
"Be right out..." Travis said as he texted the words out. He grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door. It shut behind him with a loud locking noise.
Travis slowly walked to the elevator and eventually made way his outside towards a black Mustang waiting in the parking lot. Travis walked up to the passenger side door and sat inside.
"Hey buddy." George said with a smile.
The car pulled out of the parking lot of the hotel.
"Good morning, sunshine." Jessica said as she passed a cup of coffee to Travis.
"I asked you to stop calling me sunshine." Travis said with a smile as he took the coffee. "But good morning to you too."
The Mustang merged into traffic when it finally drove onto the off ramp and turned off onto the overpass.
"You got the files?" George asked.
"Yes I did." Travis reached into the suitcase and pulled out a file. "David Richardson. Member of M16, a prominent member of the Secret Intelligence Service. Also a former member of MI5 and former S.A.S. He came highly recommended." Travis said as he read further and further down. "He helped the C.I.A and F.B.I on multiple ops dealing with everything from ISIS to the several stings and strikes of drug cartels in south America." Travis flipped the page towards the next part of the file. "In my opinion he is worth the deal."
"What deal?" Jessica asked.
"The C.I.A and a few black ops members helped them with something called Operation Dragon Hunter." George said as he turned the car into a second lane. "Don't ask what Operation Dragon was. The files are sealed."
"Here is are man." Travis pulled out a picture.
The photo attached to the file showed a tall, thin, raggedy man with an elongated jaw and sharp piercing eyes. His hair was brown with thick locks on the front and on the sides. On his face was a thin goatee in the shape of a Fu Manchu that stretched down from his lip too the sides of his chin.
"Looks like a Brit to me." George said.
"Not the Daniel Craig I thought it would be." Jessica noted.
"Oh, were you hoping to become Miss Double-O-Seven?" George joked.
Jessica shrugged George in the shoulder.
Travis turned the page of the booklet as he flipped over to the next file. "Then... there's the Russian."
"I can't believe we were supposed to be working with an FSB agent." George said, driving the car to match the speed of traffic.
"Since this is a multinational issue, it would make sense. Plus, he's apparently been building a case against Mal-Tech." Jessica said as she sipped her coffee. "We did discover Waldo did have dealings with the former Soviet Union back in the 80's, during both Project Carthage and Project Vorseas."
"And he worked with Special Operations Operative Jim Morales, who I still can't believe is actually a gym teacher here in France." Travis said. as he turned the page to the next operative. "It's good news that the Russian won't be joining us anytime soon."
"By the way. Did you ask Jim if he wanted to join our task force?" George asked.
Travis looked up from the paper towards George. "He declined."
George sighed. "What about you, Jessica? When is the CIA medical officer arriving?"
"Not for another week." Jessica said as she picked up her file as well. "I know her. Susan Mae Nix MD, 34 years old. She has quite the record."
"Like what?" Travis asked.
"She helped stop a terrorist group from detonating a chemical weapon in London, Baghdad, and in parts of Turkey."
"Wow..."
"She's also responsible for this." Jessica said as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small scar.
George took a glance at the scar then back towards the road in time to swerve, missing a semi in front of them.
"ASSHOLE!" he shouted.
"Hey, you swerved into his lane first." Jessica said as she repositioned herself back into her seat.
"Would you like to drive then?" George replied back in a snarky voice.
"Can we, like, focus on what we have to do and also on the road, George?" Travis asked as he grabbed his papers from the floorboard of the Mustang. "I would like to pick these people up alive and not end up in the ICU."
"Yes daddy." Jessica said mockingly.
"Then there's the third member coming to join us..."
"That's where plans change." George interrupted as he took the off ramp towards the airport.
"What do you mean?" Jessica said.
"The Deputy Director of the FBI called me earlier this morning. He and the director of the CIA have received orders that the Canadian agent will not be joining us." George said.
"Wait, so you mean it won't be Tremblay?" Travis could not hide his disappointment as he glanced at the picture of the agent who would not be joining them. "Man, I was looking forward to working with him again. He would have been great for this investigation."
George nodded as he turned the steering wheel of the Mustang.
"Why are they changing the team up?" Jessica wondered as she leaned forward from the back seat. "We already got all the information and they were all set up with the proper clearance and authority for this operation."
"According to the Deputy Director, for some reason a third organization from the U.N. wants one of their operatives helping with the operation." George said.
"When did this happen?" Travis asked as he closed his binder.
"I... just heard about it this morning." George admitted as the car pulled off the intersection of the freeway, and towards the airport.
Paris-Orly International Airport
George pulled into the parking lot next to the arrivals hall.
"Who is this supposed mystery person? Did you get any details on them?" Travis asked.
"Not much. They are from an organization called the E.D.F." George said as he shut the car off.
"E.D.F.?" Jessica repeated as she unbuckled her seat belt.
"Heard of it?" Travis asked.
"No. And as an officer of the C.I.A, I get info on a lot of classified intel." Jessica said, gathering her things before leaving the car. "Especially with organizations affiliated with the United Nations."
"Whatever this organization is, I don't really trust it." George said as he opened the driver side door and stepped out.
"Do we know anything else about this person?" Jessica asked.
"That this person if a female." George said as he glanced around the airport's parking lot. "Seems like we've spent a lot of time here the past few days."
Travis looked towards the airport in time to watch a Jumbo Jet land on the tarmac. The tires of the jet squealed loudly as the airliner landed on concrete runway, helping to bring the jumbo jet to a slow halt.
He realized that they arrived here in France on a similar jet just about forty-eight hours ago. After all that happened they day before, it felt like at least a week passed.
"Do we know what time this mystery agent is going to show up?"
"We do not have a time nor a place." George said as he pulled his pistol out and checked the safety in it. "Remember to flash your badge so the French police don't get freaked out."
Travis reached into the glove box of the car and picked up a small radio box. He flipped a button on the side of the box, turning the device on. He then passed an earpiece for everyone to place in their ear.
"What's the call sign for this guy then?" Jessica asked as she pulled her weapon out of her holster to check it.
"From what I can tell, Captain Richardson will be smoking a cigar." Travis said.
"A... cigar?"
"Yeah. I am the one who will be meeting him." George said as he placed the earbud in his ear.
"Apparently, he is a hard ass." Travis said as the group slowly surveyed the area around them. "And the code word is: George will ask David if he has a lighter."
Travis walked in front of the car.
"The answer that David will give is that he uses a match, which George will respond, 'better still'."
"Until they go out?" George asked. Travis nodded.
"At least it's just one person." Jessica stepped out of the car and walked over. She took her earpiece.
"What's that?"
"Multi-tap earpiece so we can remain in touch." Travis explained.
Jessica examined the earpiece curiously.
It was a small device that fit inside the ear canal. A piece of foam hid the receiver inside and kept the noise coming from the ear piece down to when it wouldn't hurt the person wearing it. A fine cable would run underneath the earlobe and behind the ear were the receiver and the battery. Inside the shirt collar was a small button with a speaker shaped like a shirt button, hooked up to the earpiece via a wireless connection. The microphone was capable of picking up even the slightest sounds from the person wearing the ear piece.
"Is this your first pickup?" George asked.
"Well, actually, yes. I am an analyst." Jessica admitted.
"It's one person so this should be easy." George said
Jessica looked up at Travis and George in confusion. "Are you sure it was your deputy director?"
"Yeah. They used the authentication code." George said.
"But wouldn't another agent let you know in the field or something?"
"Unless it's a serious situation or a need to know basis," Travis said. "As in one agent couldn't make it or something was compromised."
"Seeing as how they just changed an agent on us, I doubt they would arrive anytime soon." George said.
"How do you know?" Jessica asked.
"Whenever an agent is replaced in an operation such as this, it takes some time." Travis said as he put on his jacket. "First, the agent needs to be notified, then needs to be briefed, then they have to get all the info on the case and the agents out in the field must be aware of them arriving. So... whatever this E.D.F thing is, it will still take them a few weeks to get this person out here to us. Let's talk later."
George walked ahead of Jessica and Travis. He checked around the parking lot. Usually whenever a Special Agent would join a team, they would meet in a cafe or a restaurant. But this time the situation was way more dire. Ever since Aelita notified them about Mal-Tech agents attacking them in the middle of the city, the area had since been deemed hostile and required extra precaution in this situation.
Once inside the arrivals hall, George would place a ball cap on his head; Travis would sit at the local restaurant table inside and Jessica was supposed to visit one of the shops and check around for the subject.
George reached into his pocket and finally stuck the earpiece into his ear. With the microphone inserted into his shirt collar, George could easily communicate with the others as they kept an eye out for enemy agents.
"Radio check one?" George said as he walked into the entrance of the arrivals hall.
"Check one up." Jessica replied.
"Check two." Travis said as he entered the building after George.
George nodded as he walked forward a few steps towards the main stairwell. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blue baseball cap as planned. He walked towards a large glass swinging door and stepped into the outside area where people smoking in the airport's smoke section.
"King me." George said, signaling he was in position.
He then turned to glance around inside the building as some of the people outside in the airport's smoke area coughed a little. George observed crowds of people walking in and out of the airport, looking out for the agent he saw previously on a photo.
George recalled doing multiple pick-ups before. Usually they went off easy and without any problems. Yet he always had a modest concern.
Who is the E.D.F? That thought ran through his head multiple times. George had been in the F.B.I for years, and never, not once did he ever hear the name E.D.F brought up.
"It's a United Nations organization." he said to himself as he looked around. "But can we trust them?
The door swung open as a tall man stepped outside, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses, a fedora hat and a nice business suit, clean shaven. He glanced around the outside of the smoke area, carrying a large suitcase and a bag on his back. The man walked towards the center of the smoke area, lanky and tall; he covered the distance between the door and the center of the smoke area at good pace.
The man produced a large cigar from his breast pocket and placed it into his mouth. He then proceeded to walk over to a nearby bench and sat down next to the door.
"Check." George said, signaling that he might have spotted the man they were looking for. He looked outside the door near one of the shops to spot Jessica eating a bag of chips from one of the vendors, signaling she was ready. "Newb," he thought.
"OK. Here it goes." George whispered as he pulled a cigarette out of his back pocket and placed it in his mouth. He walked over towards the tall man.
"Excuse me, do you have a lighter?"
The man turned to look at George with the cigar still in his mouth. He glanced up at George as he crocked the cigar.
"No." the man said.
George was a little taken aback over the response.
"I use a match." The gentleman said.
George snapped out of his confusion as he responded, "Better still."
He held out his cigarette.
"Until it goes out." The tall man said as he stood up and smiled at George, placing the cigar back into his breast pocket. He hen walked back up to the door and opened it, holding it open for George as he walked inside as well.
"I thought you were supposed to be smoking that thing?" George asked.
"I am in an airport, do you really think I am going to waste a good cigar on a few puffs and then put it out?" The man said with a smile. "The deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers, mutineers and those who waste good alcohol and cigars, mate."
He held out his hand."Captain David Richardson, MI6."
"Special Agent George Knight, FBI. Don't you MI6 guys go by, like, a codename... Like James Bond and all that?"
"Eh... Different department." Richardson said as he walked side by side with George. "I believe I am up to date on the situation. It seems most dire."
"Yes." George said. "We will brief you all about it in a little while..."
"Actually, mate, I am already up to date on the situation."
"Ah, they told you all about it before you left?"
"No. The second person who was on the plane with me told me about it."
George paused as he looked towards the British man. "Excuse me?"
"How many other agents do you have on this assignment?" Richardson asked.
George paused in confusion. "What are you talking about? What second person?"
Richardson reached into his coat and pulled out a notebook."Is Special Agent Travis Dalesman here?"
"Yes... why?" George asked.
Richardson looked at George as he slowly figured out just what the American was confused about.
"Oh, I see...Your office didn't tell you."
George's confusion rose with every second of their conversation. His team only just learned about the change a few hours ago, while Richardson seemed to know well in advance.
George suddenly got close to Richardson. "Were you compromised?!"
Across the hall, towards the cafe, Jessica looked around, concerned about what she just overheard through the radio. There was no way this man would know that piece of information, yet somehow this man was aware of it.
"How did he know that?" Jessica asked, radioing over to Travis.
"Just stay calm right now." Travis said. He reached into his denim jacket and flipped the safety off his pistol, fearing the worst.
Back up the stairs towards the baggage claim area, George stood in front of Richardson as he questioned what he heard. "How did you know that?"
"I met her on the plane." Richardson said calmly. "I was told by Her Majesty's Government that I was going to escort her here."
"What?" Jessica said in George's earpiece. "I thought you guys said she wasn't going to be out here in a few weeks."
"That's what we thought, too." Travis said as he slowly stood up from his observation spot.
"What did she look like?" George asked Richardson.
"She was young and had blonde hair. I was taken aback myself a bit but to be honest she claims you knew about her. She said she was joining us." Richardson said. "She said she would meet Travis."
"Wait, how did she know Travis?" George asked.
"Apparently, she's a member of a group called E.D.F."
George's eyes widened.
"I have never heard of it before either but she knew who I was, and all of you."
George's heart raced. Who was this mystery person? One minute they were told they would be picking up a Canadian, then the next minute a swap and finally the person who they were not expecting for a few weeks, suddenly was on the scene.
While George spoke to Richardson up the stairs, Travis stood next to the table he was recently sitting at and glanced over at Jessica.
"What is going on?" Jessica asked into her microphone.
"I kinda want to believe Richardson, but honestly... I'm not sure." Travis said as he looked up the stairs. "If George was in trouble he would have given the call sign over the radio. But Richardson seems legit."
"So, the agent that was just assigned to the case is already here?" Jessica asked. "That's way out of protocol!"
She looked up the stairs to see George and Richardson walking down the hallway to the front of the terminal.
"I think we should leave." Jessica said, a little stressed out. "This is not part of the protocol plus this person seems to know Special Agent Dalesman." Jessica said as she looked around more and more. "That's a security concern."
"According to Richardson, she knows all of us." George said over the radio.
Travis grunted in confusion. His senses were a little heightened as he looked around. He had no idea what was going on, was his team compromised or was this all still under control? He was highly concerned about the situation.
"George, what do we do?" Travis asked.
"It seems like we should wait for this person because she is joining the task force today." George said.
Suddenly, static burst through Travis's microphone.
He winced a little as he glanced around. He couldn't hear anything from the others; his earpiece chirped and squealed as it caught on sounds of various other radio traffic from around the area. Travis could hear the sounds of the flight tower calling in to flights around the area and sounds of various radio stations, mixed with a large amount of radio chatter suddenly cut in.
Travis couldn't bear the loud squealing commotion; his vision started to blur as he slowly lowered his head and clenched his jaw in pain, attempting to regain his composure. He reached up for his ear piece and quickly ripped it out of his ear. Relief filled his mind, followed by a loud high pitch ping resonating in his ear. His vision slowly returned to normal. He looked around for Jessica, but did not find her in the spot she stood a moment ago.
Travis tried standing up again as he tried to recompose himself. His legs felt extremely weak and he could barely keep his balance. He finally sat back down as the spinning sensation slowly receded.
He felt a slight poke on his shoulder.
"Are you OK?" he heard a soft female voice.
Travis sat up in the chair. "Yes, I think I just had a, uh, bad toothache." Travis lied as he became aware the person asking was not Jessica.
"That could have been it." The voice said as it became louder and more pronounced.
Travis looked up to see a short girl in her late teens. The girl walked over and sat down next to him. She had blue eyes and long, straight blonde hair that was shoulder length and parted in the middle; the hair went down the side of her head and down her shoulders and back. Her face was very well rounded and thin. She wore a khaki business-like jacket with a dark green dress shirt underneath it. She also wore a dark navy blue dress skirt and high heels.
She placed her briefcase on the table as she looked over at Travis.
"I am sorry about that."
"About what?" Travis asked as he placed his hand on his forehead while looking around.
"About the radio interference, it was the only way to see who was a special agent." the young woman said.
Travis looked up at the blonde in curiosity. What did she mean? Travis thought.
"I also wanted to make sure that no one was hacking your radio signal, I want to remain hidden."
"What are you talking about?" Travis asked, panting and recovering from the slight paralysis he just suffered.
"I'm the second agent who was sent out to meet you." the young woman said. "The United States felt that this is a threat to national security, the United Nations also agreed that this is a serious situation since these children are not only part of a long ongoing case that affects multiple countries, but also these kids have seen Area 51, and the Las Vegas incident."
"Wait a minute..." Travis said as he slowly reached for his pistol.
"Relax Travis, you won't need that. I'm on your side."
Travis glanced over to see Jessica walking back inside the entrance and glancing around in concern.
"I told Captain Richardson about all this. Trust me, I am here to help you with containment on the A.I and with the Mal-Tech investigation."
Travis glared at the young girl as Jessica finally walked up.
"You OK?" she asked with her hand inside her jacket pocket, pulling the pin on her pistol, preparing to pull it out on the girl.
"I am. I just met our new agent, it turns out," Travis said.
The blonde noticed Jessica was all tensed up. "You won't need that pistol, I will tell you everything you need to know. Please put it back."
Jessica stared for a minute as she slowly de-cocked the hammer on the pistol and slid it back inside its holster.
"Who the hell are you!?"
"Oh, forgive me." The girl smiled. "My name is Laura Gauthier of the Earth Defense Force."
Authors notes
Hello everyone! How has Everyone been?!
First of all….my confession, Since the years after the last chapter I have went through a lot of problems with life.
My girlfriend at the time cheated on me and left me in ruins, I lost my old job of so long, and fell into a dark depression, life was not good…..
it got worse.
My grandparents died 3 months apart from each other and I fell into a dark depression..
Fortunatly here is the good news, My girlfriend of 2 years now lifted me up off my depression and saw the story, she immiediatly started watching the old Code Lyoko on youtube and saw my story….she loved it and after a long heart to heart she got me back into the story…..SO thanks to her I am back and give you my word that this time im not backing down. "QUE WE WILL ROCK YOU!"
going forward the story will start to get more intense and reveal a new world for our favorite little einstiens…..think stranger things meets godzilla and such….
So please forgive me for the long hiatus and please forgive me for leaving.
But in the meantime welcome to the next story
A new Age of Gods….And monsters