Chapter 12
The Hidden World Of The Future
Washington D.C., United States
The Pentagon
3 days prior to the battle in the storm
The sun was setting on the landscape around Washington DC. It was a quiet evening over the capital of a nation; a few clouds adorned the darkening sky and birds' chirping was in the air. Silence was falling over one of the nation's busiest cities. Last rays of daylight gleamed up against a majestic building of pentagonal shape that served as the first line of defense for not just the nation, but the whole world; a building that was responsible for saving the world more than once, standing on guard 24/7 no matter the cost.
Silence was disrupted by the sounds of a helicopter approaching a tarmac a few hundred meters from the pentagonal building. The large, Huey class helicopter was all black, with no letters or markings anywhere. The machine circled around as it prepared for the landing. The helicopter slowly descended; soon, the long legs of the landing gear made contact with terra firma.
Just across from the helicopter landing zone sat 3 black SUVs and a pair of police officers sitting on their motorcycles, ready to escort the passengers of the helicopter to the building.
As soon as the helicopter's rotors powered down and came to a halt, a military police officer walked up to the sliding door of the chopper. He grasped the handle and slid the door open.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen," The MP said, "Welcome to Pentagon. The convoy is waiting."
The first to step out of the helicopter was a young woman. She was Asian in ethnicity and dressed in a slim, form-fitting black business dress. Her hair was short and sleek. Her high heels clicked as she walked. In her hands she held a briefcase which was handcuffed to her hand.
Behind her followed an older gentleman, Caucasian with a large tuft of facial hair, a mixture of brown and white, his face wrinkled, yet his look was almost as powerful as his presentation. He wore a brown business suit and also carried a briefcase which was handcuffed to his wrist as well.
The pair showed their credentials to the MP.
"Henry Baker." The older man introduced himself as he handed his badge to the MP. "Secretary of the Earth Defense Force, U.S. branch."
The MP inspected the badge and returned it to Baker. He then turned to look at the young woman who stood next to him.
"Motoko Ayanami," The Asian woman said in English with a hint of a foreign accent. "Secretary of the Earth Defense Force, Japanese branch."
The MP looked at her credentials and paused in confusion as he looked back at the young lady.
"Two of your colleagues arrived a short while ago. They are waiting for you in the Inner Sanctum," he said as he handed Motoko her credentials back, smiling. She quickly snatched away her badge as she turned to walk towards the convoy.
"Don't worry," Henry said as he patted the MP. on the shoulder. "She's above your pay grade."
Henry smiled as he turned to walk towards the vehicle as well.
Henry and Motoko buckled themselves in; the convoy pulled forward towards the Pentagon.
Motoko turned to look out the window as she watched the world zip by.
"I guess word hasn't spread yet about me being involved in all this?" Motoko asked as she placed the bilfold back into her breast pocket.
"I think because it was so random and recent." Henry said as he sat back in the seat. "Plus, this is your first time here. Considering this is about to turn into a worldwide issue, of course there would be a little confusion," he went on as he turned to look at the young lady who sat across from him.
"Yeah. Also, considering all that we're covering with this group, and that I am also chasing down leads on the numerous individuals in Japan." Motoko said defiantly.
Baker placed his briefcase in his lap as he tapped the top of it with his fingers.
"Consider yourself lucky." the old man said as he glanced at his watch. He then pulled out his cellphone.
"Has your daughter gone into labor yet?" Motoko said, observing Baker.
He checked for new messages; there had been none since he boarded the chopper a few hours ago. The last text he received stated that his daughter Tiffany was being taken to the hospital because of severe contractions.
"Nothing yet, but I am worried. I was hoping it would happen before the meeting," he said as he placed the cellphone back in his pocket.
"I'm sure it will be OK." Motoko said with a smile. "After all, she's your daughter."
Soon, the convoy came to a halt. The pair stepped out of the car; they walked towards the entrance to the building. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by a few armed guards and a short gentleman in glasses and a business suit.
"Mr Baker." The man said as he shook Henry's hand. He then turned to Motoko and bowed to her. "Ms Ayanami."
The man looked at both of them.
"I'm Ash Carter, Secretary of Defense." The gentleman said as he turned to lead them into the Pentagon. "I apologize for not meeting you in person on the tarmac but I had to get the other two members of the meeting who arrived here prepared and all that." Carter said as he walked up to the main desk in the Pentagon lobby. He looked towards a gentleman who wore a black suit.
"The VIP's," Carter said as he turned to walk towards the door leading out of the main lobby.
The man in the black suit picked up a telephone and pressed a single button.
"They are here, all present and accounted for." he said as the group bypassed the metal detectors and walked towards the main doors.
Carter walked towards the main door; a pair of armed MPs opened the doors, leading into a large office like room, complete with desks, computers, and a vast array of personnel working at the desks.
"These people have been working around the clock, especially with Mal-Tech requesting permission to launch the Hermes satellite." Carter said.
"Wouldn't you prevent that since the Hermes satellite is owned by Mal-Tech?" Motoko asked. "Since they are the subject of an investigation?"
"Yes. We are working on that." Carter said as he turned to lead the group towards a checkpoint. The MP who sat behind the desk looked up at Carter from his desk.
"Tell them we are here." Carter said.
The MP nodded, then picked up a phone which sat at the desk. He typed in a number.
"Clearance: Virgil." the MP said to Carter as he signed a clip board.
"Almost there." Carter said with a smile as he led Motoko and Baker behind the desk and down a long hallway adorned with pictures of famous people and locations. Down the end of the hallway stood two armed guards with black sunglasses on, both armed with MP5's and a set of radios connected to an earpiece in their ears.
"Aerial." Carter said to the armed guards. Both guards nodded as they stepped aside, allowing access to a large silver elevator door.
One of the men placed a hand on his radio microphone and pushed a button.
"VIP's" the guard said as the door to the elevator opened.
Carter, Baker and Motoko all stepped inside the elevator; the door shut. Carter walked over to the control panel on the side of the elevator. A large black screen sat at the base where the button layout of the elevator would usually sit. Carter placed his hand on the screen; a thin green line scanned up and down, analyzing his hand print.
Carter removed his hand; the screen blinked. A small dial rotated around on top of the screen as a red light appeared. Carter approached it and looked straight into the red light; a small beam of light shot out, scanning his biometrics and conforming not only the man's identity, but also that he was not under the influence of any drugs or forced against his will. The small device blinked as the light went off and the small red light rotated back around. Within a second, the elevator began to move as Carter turned and wiped the water from his eyes.
"All this new?" Baker asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact." Carter said as he placed his eyeglasses back on. "I believe it has been a while since the EDF visited Pentagon, correct?"
"It has been a few months." Baker said with a smile as he placed a hand in his pocket.
Mr. Carter smiled and turned towards Motoko, who had a look of curiosity on her face. "And you, ma'am. Would this be your first time?"
Motoko nodded as she smiled back at the secretary of defense.
"You haven't seen anything yet." Carter said as the elevator dinged and opened up, revealing the actual Pentagon.
The room was vast, rounded and alive. Along the walls sat large computer systems and various monitors and terminals, all actively working on several different projects around the world. In the center of the room sat a large holographic image of the Earth, projected from a large pedestal on the bottom. The hologram was blue and black with various pins pointing to key locations around the globe. A large number of military officers walked around the room, coordinating with special teams working on assignments. On one side of the wall sat a large number of computer and TV screens, displaying the rebuilding of Area 51 and the damage it had sustained during the Las Vegas Incident. The damage had been light and only concentrated on the fake base that sat above the Groom Lake facility.
"Welcome to the heart of Pentagon." Carter said with a smile.
Motoko could only look around in confusion and wonder… she couldn't believe what she was seeing, it was like something out of science fiction or a spy movie. It was remarkable.
Baker turned to see Motoko's face.
"I believe we all have the same look on our faces when we come here for business." Baker said.
Carter turned to look at the young agent as well.
"Not yet. Just one more thing." Carter said as he turned to lead the pair down a flight of stairs and towards a short hallway corridor. Standing in front of the door was a pair of guards armed with M4 carbines. As the Secretary of Defense approached, the corridor the guards looked towards him.
"Outlaw," Carter said as the guards quickly turned to the side and opened the large wooden doors.
"This inner sanctum was built in 1943. We rarely use it except in serious situations." Carter said as they walked into a large wooden room with blue carpets.
In the center of the carpet was the seal of the President of the United States. Along the walls were pictures of historic dignitaries who contributed something to help with stability of the world and keep it from falling into darkness.
As the group entered another doorway they were introduced to a large conference room. A large wooden table sat in the middle with a number of chairs. Along the wall were more screens, displaying latest news from every part of the world.
Inside the room sat two more people, each with a briefcase handcuffed to them, sitting comfortably.
"And now that everyone is here…" Carter said with a smile as he held out his hands for Baker and Motoko to sit down.
"Well hello, Henry." a voice said from across the room; a young woman stood up and smiled.
The woman was short and thin, a little more slender then Motoko herself. She looked similar to a runway model with her soft, dark skin and thin upright build. Her curly hair were up in a ponytail. She wore a blue dress with a white undershirt and a blouse that was blue to match. However, the one issue Motoko noticed quickly was that the woman's eyes did not match. In fact, one looked pale blue and off, as if the eye was not an eye at all.
"Dominique!" Henry said as he walked over and hugged the woman. "How have you been, my dear?"
"How are you doing?" Dominique asked with a smile.
"I believe I'm ready to get this over with." Baker said. "I might be a grandfather when we leave this room."
Dominique smiled as she stepped back and tilted her head.
"Congratulations, then!" She said as she hugged Baker a second time. She then turned to look towards Motoko.
"You must have been briefed on the newest addition to our team, Dominique…" Baker said.
"Oh pardon! Of course. Welcome, Ms. Ayanami! I am Dominique Hartman, EDF, French branch." the woman introduced herself to Motoko. "I was so sad to hear of the passing of Mr Tsubaraiya. My condolences to whole of EDF Japan."
"We were all saddened and shocked by his loss," Motoko said. "It was so sudden and unexpected. I was appointed by the Japanese government to be his replacement just recently."
"Awfully big shoes to fill." Dominique said with a smile. "But you worked under him, correct?"
Motoko nodded. "Yes, I indeed had this privilege. I was originally a field operative."
"On our way up here, the guard looked at her credentials and was a bit confused." Henry said as he interjected.
Dominique prepared to answer again when she was interrupted by Mr. Carter, who walked towards the middle chair of the conference table room.
"Shall we begin?" Carter asked.
"Seems like you're going to be dealing with what we're talking about today." Motoko said with an elegant smile, turning back to Dominique.
"Yes, our dear newest heroes." Dominique said as she pulled out her chair and sat down.
"Have the EDF Consuls decided on what to do with the Lyoko Warriors?" Motoko asked.
"Not yet, but we need to make a decision soon." Dominique replied. "There are several countries who want the children seized by local governments."
"Ah, story of human nature... a new discovery appears and the first thing humans want to do is seize it and weaponize it," A voice spoke from behind them.
Baker turned to see the tall form of an old friend. "Do I get a hello?"
"Always, old friend." Baker said as he turned to shake hands and hug the taller gentleman that approached him. Both men chuckled as they patted each other on the back.
Motoko turned; to her surprise, the President of the United States was the second gentleman in the room. Barack Obama himself!
"How long has it been?" Baker asked as he stepped away from Obama.
"A few months, I believe." Obama said with a smile.
Baker turned to see Motoko once again with confusion on her face.
"Oh I'm sorry Ms. Ayanami, this is The President of the United States, Barack Obama." Henry said with a smile as he introduced the President to the young woman.
"Henry used to serve under me under the U.S. clandestine operations that helped eliminate Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden." Obama said as he placed his arm over Baker's shoulder. "After that he took a position as head of the E.D.F. branch in the United States."
"It's nice to meet you." Motoko said as she bowed.
Obama retracted his hand and instead, bowed in return. "The honor is all mine."
Baker turned and smiled at Motoko. Baker walked away and sat at the far end of the table next to Dominique, while Motoko sat opposite on the left side.
All four agents unlocked the handcuffs from their wrists and opened their suitcases, pulling out the important documents and a few tablets.
"I believe we're ready to begin." Obama said. "What can the United States do for the Earth Defense Force this time?" he asked, glancing around the room at the others. "Are we still hunting the Super Tyler?"
"Unfortunately, Task Force 217 lost his trail, he disappeared around Miami after dealing with the New Heavens club." Baker said as he pulled out a small tablet and brought up images of the Miami incident. He pressed an icon on the tablet and brought the first photo up to the main screen in the conference room; it showed a boat sitting in the harbor of a Miami port.
It was a large luxury yacht, long and black with all the usual trimmings of a boat owned by the wealthy. However, the boat was completely destroyed and barely above water. Images of Coast Guard helicopters and ships could be seen in several images that followed.
"As you know, the New Heavens club was able to procure a sample of a Class 1945, also known as the gene-altering virus code named Neo-virus. They intended to release the virus, creating more super-powered beings or Neos, as well as a dirty bomb constructed from the leftover radioactive materials from the Fukushima disaster."
Baker proceeded to show another image, this time showing a large white cylinder with a translucent strip down the middle, which showcased the interior of the container. A large, yellowish green fluid sat inside of the container. Next to the canister was a small device with several wires and cords running to the main device, with a large round orb sitting off to the side, with what appeared to be a black gradual orb sitting inside a glass container.
"Had this dirty bomb detonated, it would have resulted in all of Miami covered in not just radioactive fallout, but the Neo-Virus as well, thus causing a large increase in Neos in the United States." Baker said as he flipped to the final image.
"Not just Miami, as I understand," Obama interrupted. "but rather the entire southern region of the U.S. and parts of the nearby islands off the U.S. coast."
"Cuba, Nassau, The Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica, to be exact." Baker said as he pressed the next button on the tablet, showing the next screen. It showed several men in front of the device, holding assault weapons and opening fire at something off screen.
"Police, SWAT and National Guard members coordinated with the E.D.F. for a prep to neutralize the situation… Until he stepped in." Baker said as he flipped over to the next screen, showing just what the terrorists were firing at.
A tall figure stood before them, his back turned to the camera. It was twice the size of the people in front of it. All that could be seen was the large, hulking form of the beast. It was almost the size of a grizzly bear standing on its legs. It wore a bright red ball cap and a red and blue shirt; no other details could be made out as the image showed only the back of its head and shoulders.
Motoko looked puzzled as she glanced around the room.
"Is that the Super Tyler I keep hearing about?"
"Yes, that's him." Dominique said.
Barack Obama glanced over at Motoko. "Have you been briefed on what he is?"
Motoko shook her head.
"It all started in 1945, when the Allies raided the German concentration camp Auschwitz. They discovered that apart from other atrocities, Nazis were working on a kind of super soldier formula. After the war the results of their research were sent to the U.S. and Soviet Union, and we tried to work together for the greater good, so that the sacrifice of the prisoners was not in vain."
"How is that possible? Weren't the US and the USSR sworn enemies?" Motoko asked, confused.
"See Ms Ayanami, during the Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union at times worked together to solve or prevent world ending threats," Baker said. "Despite the differences."
"Such as the Cuban Missile Crisis," President Obama said. "While it was Cuba who had access to nuclear weapons, it wasn't the Russians who provided them or planned to use them."
"There were major issues between the West and East, but we were hunting a terrorist organization known as Green Phoenix." Dominique said as she placed her left hand out in a gesture. "It was a terrorist organization that wanted to use a mixture of science and magic as a weapon. It was a threat to anyone, no matter their ideological stance."
President Obama leaned forward and placed his hands together on the table.
"Fortunately, they were taken care of during the Y2K incident," Barrack leaned his head down as he glanced at his notes. "The Earth Defense Force was created to deal with those kind of issues shortly after World War 2. Since then, we successfully saved the world multiple times from all manners of world threatening events.
...But in 1975,we created something."
"See, the reason this case and the case we're about to cover is because of the center person behind both cases." Baker said. "And I believe you already know who I mean."
"Waldo Schaeffer?" Motoko said.
Baker nodded as he pulled up another screen, showing Waldo Schaeffer and his wife Anthea holding her pregnant belly.
"Mr. Schaeffer discovered how to unlock the super soldier serum and implement it as a genome altering formula on humans. He called it the Olympus Nectar."
"And that was used on him?" Motoko asked, pointing to a picture of Super Tyler's silhouette.
"Correct." Baker said as he walked towards the middle of the room. "However, Schaeffer claimed he never tested it on a human himself."
"He couldn't have worked on the Neo-virus, though," Dominique added her input. "The Neo-serum sat in containers in storage during the 50's, when it molded and turned into a substance that affects a small percentage of the population and has grown ever since."
Meanwhile, Baker flipped to the final shot of the yacht.
It was actually video footage from a CCTV camera. The first sequence showed most of the gunmen on the ground, either unconscious or dead, with the main figure being grabbed by the head and lifted in the air by the large humanoid. His hand dwarfed the man's head, who held a strange blade in his left arm and stabbed the creature over and over.
The man holding the blades was dressed all black and wore a strange metal mask over his face, a silver chest piece and a sword like blade on each appendage. He looked like some kind of a mechanical ninja.
The final image to the right of the screen showed a bright light coming from the large humanoid's arm, igniting the Ninja's body. The humanoid's eyes were bright red as it opened its mouth and roared in defiance, killing the Ninja.
"This confirms the original reports." Baker said. "Super Tyler does indeed absorb thermal energy and can disperse it along with the superhuman strength it's believed to possess."
"Which is what Waldo Schaeffer theorized," Dominique said as the images left the screen.
"It seems that Mister Schaeffer was quit the busy man." Obama said. "He created the superhuman formula along side the supercomputers. Which brings us to the so-called Garage Kids..."
The President punched into his tablet and brought up a picture of the group. "What about our real life Justice League here?"
The photo was taken after the Las Vegas incident, it showed the kids receiving applause and cheers from the people around them. Aelita was draping her shoulder over Jeremy's, clearly exhausted. Odd was holding his hands up in triumph, Sissi directly behind him, William looking around smiling, and lastly Ulrich and Yumi looking towards the crowd in shock and disbelief.
"Around the world they are called the Garage Kids, but to the EDF, they are Lyoko Warriors." Baker said.
"I think Avengers would be better," Obama said as he grabbed a coffee mug and took a swig of it.
„Okay, so why does the E.D.F want to focus on the Lyoko Warriors now, and not Super Tyler?"
"We think the connection between both Super Tyler and the Lyoko Warriors is Waldo Schaeffer," Baker said.
"...who, to my knowledge, hasn't been seen in years. So the only other connection would be..." President Obama said as he slowly stammered off.
"Aelita Schaeffer, Waldo and Anthea's daughter," Dominique said. "The girl with pink hair. She has been missing for all these years, and now she appears as one of the Warriors."
„We would like to place one of our agents on the task force," Baker explained. „It is essential that we make contact with Aelita Schaeffer and…"
Barrack Obama immediately stood up and look at the center of the table. "You're not going to take that poor girl and strap her down and dissect her, are you?"
"What?!" Baker said in confusion. "Oh God, no! What gave you that idea?!"
"I mean... I understand they are special individuals and the EDF has a right to make contact and decide what their goals and all that are," The President said as he walked around the room. "But those kids… just look at that photo." Obama said, pointing to a picture of the Lyoko Warriors in Las Vegas. "I see that they are afraid that the world might come for them in the dead of night, take them from their families, their freedom. From what FBI special agents Dalesman and Knight have said, their greatest fear is they might disappear and be cut up or studied or turned into a weapon."
"Barack." Baker said calmly as he walked towards the President. "Calm down. That's exactly what we want to avoid! We want to protect them from the world. Because as we have seen with other Neo's like Hazmat, or Lawton… If the world turns on you and pushes you… It can turn you into the villain."
"Or like Seadar in Japan." Motoko said remorsefully.
The room turned to look at the young Asian woman standing and talking.
"I worked her case… She was a Neo class 3. The ability to manipulate her body and her surroundings through her viral mutation, changing her cellular makeup into the environment she is around... And when the Azunta crime syndicate found her, they captured her and held her hostage until she gave birth, then they kidnapped her newborn and forced her to become a weapon to hunt down members of the Yakuza in Japan."
Baker reached up and placed a hand on Motoko's wrist, trying to comfort her.
"But then they killed her newborn child, and since then she has been on a rampage in Japan." Motoko placed her head down in shame. "A serial killer that I can't stop or find, even with other EDF operatives and members… She killed Mr. Tsubaraiya."
The room fell silent. The President walked towards Motoko and bent down, to look towards the young woman.
"No one is blaming you for that. And if they are, then they are wrong."
Motoko looked up and nodded in agreement.
Obama walked over and sat back in his chair.
"We all knew one day the Earth Defense Force would have to step out of the shadows." Obama said as he placed his hands on the chair. "That this hidden world of monsters, angels, demons would eventually come into light." Baker looked up at the president as he mulled over his words.
"And now these kids have dragged us out into this world." Baker said as he sat back in the chair. "But we need to make sure these children do not become a threat like Lawton, or Razor." Baker looked over at Motoko. "Or Seadar."
Baker turned to look back at the President. "We just want to keep an eye on them. If they want to be recruited into the EDF, then that's fine. If they want to live a normal life, that's fine. Or if they become a threat, then..."
"Not fine." Dominique concluded. „On the other hand, ever since they revealed themselves to the world, there has been a lot of arguments about whether this group should continue to function as it has or if they are a potential threat."
"I am perfectly aware of the issue." The President said. "There are several politicians like Senator Beckman and Senator Lutrell who want the children locked up."
"Don't forget Senator Hovass." Baker said. „That's where your help would be appreciated. You as President have an influence on those politicians. Keep them away from the Lyoko Warriors. Together, we can ensure these children's safety."
The President took a deep breath. "You are right, my friend. I'll do what I can to keep them safe. But adding an EDF representative to the task force might be tricky, these kids are not Neo's, are they?"
"No, but nevertheless, they are children with special abilities." Dominique said. "US senators are not the only politicians we have to deal with. Right now there are several members of the government in France who are pushing legislation to try and have the children arrested and the Supercomputer either destroyed or confiscated."
"And with a dangerous A.I. inside the machine that rivals things of fiction like Sky-Net,"Baker said as he flipped through the photos and showed a satellite image of the factory in Boulogne-Billancourt, "such act would be disastrous."
The President sat back in his chair and tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. "Do the French know of the issue, Ms Hartman?"
"Yes, but I don't know if they care, really." Dominique said as she cleared her throat and looked down.
"They seem to be using the whole issue for a political agenda." Motoko said in observance.
Dominique nodded. "In fact since Lyoko Warriors appeared, it seems as if an insurgence of issues have appeared in France."
President Obama glanced over and pointed quickly at Dominique. "Would you like for me to meet with the French President and speak to him about it?"
"No… He won't even meet with the local EDF chapter in France. But I'm still trying to get things situated."
Obama nodded in agreement as he sat forward. "Seems you've been busy, Ms Dominique." the President added. "Not only you have the Lyoko Warriors or the Garage Kids, whatever they call themselves, but now a couple other superheroes seem to have popped up as well in… what location again?"
"Those are actually in Paris itself." Dominique said with a smile.
"And does the EDF have interest in them?" Obama asked.
"Yes we do, but we can confirm they are not Neo's either."
"Oh, are you talking about the ones who dress like a cat and a ladybug?" Baker asked.
"Yes, they have been designated OTN class 3, other than Neo classification 3." Dominique confirmed.
President Obama stood up and walked behind his chair. He placed his hands behind the back of the chair and looked down towards it.
"Are they associated with the Lyoko Warriors? They live relatively close in the same area, correct?"
"To our knowledge, they are not associated with the Lyoko Warriors." Dominique answered.
"And they have yet to confirm their existence, right? This cat and ladybug people?" The President asked.
"They are somewhat hidden, only the people of Paris have spotted them and are aware they exist."
"Is the French government after them as well?" Motoko asked.
"No. They are vigilantes compared the Lyoko Warriors." Dominique responded.
Obama looked up and puckered his lips, placing his left hand's fingers to the side of his brow. "And are the Lyoko Warriors associated with the Super Tyler?"
"Not that we are aware of." Baker said as he pulled up a photo on the main screen from his tablet, showing another shot of a large, hulking man in a red shirt and a hat, pulling a sinking ship out of the water by its anchor chain and into the shallows.
Motoko leaned over to Baker and whispered. "That's the same man from the earlier images, correct?"
Baker nodded.
"So basically you want to launch a similar investigation into the Lyoko Warriors like you are with the Super Tyler," Obama asked.
"Exactly." Baker said.
The President shook his head in approval as he sat forward. "And what does the United Nations say about this? It maybe a U.S. led investigation but the whole situation falls under the U.N's jurisdiction, with the EDF being a part of the United Nations..."
Baker looked at the other members of the EDF.
"They approve. Enough to already send their best detective and operative Ego to the location."
Obama finally nodded his head. "Alright… in a few days time the Garage Kids task force will be joined by a third member of the FBI, I will talk to the deputy director of the FBI and get him to remove the agent."
"And we already know the perfect person to help with this." Baker said as he pulled up another screen. "And this person is part of the EDF task force codenamed Guardsmen. She has been investigating Mal-Tech as well."
"Ah." President Obama said with a smile. "Sending out the best of the best, huh?"
"Besides, the main goal is this." Baker said as he looked towards everyone. "Super Tyler and Lyoko Warriors are connected by Waldo Schaeffer… his daughter could help us solve the mystery of who Super Tyler is, his intentions and what he is. He was chosen and created by Schaeffer for a purpose. What purpose we have no idea, but it's possible that there is a reason behind this… Aelita may be the key to a new world then."
"From the sound of it, that's correct." Obama said. "A World Without Danger."
Kadic Academy
Kiwi opened his mouth with a yawn as he stretched his front paws out. The small dog stood up and wiggled his body, loosening from the tight relaxing rest he had enjoyed. But now it was breakfast time, and he was very hungry.
Kiwi walked up towards his owner, who was sprawled out on the bed and fast asleep. The small dog placed his head on his master's chest and gave out a small yipe.
Odd continued to snore as he murmured just lightly. He rolled over only to fall back asleep. Kiwi placed his paw on Odd's chest as he lightly tried to wake him.
Odd batted Kiwi's paw away as he moaned once again.
"No William, I don't want tacos..." Odd said.
Kiwi started licking Odd's face in an attempt to get his owner to feed him.
The dorm room's door opened. Ulrich walked, freshly out of the shower and dressed. He noticed Kiwi attempting to wake Odd.
"Trust me buddy, you're gonna be at it for a while," Ulrich said. He walked over and pulled the side compartment on Odd's bed and pulled out a can of dog food.
Kiwi's face lit up as he saw what he was longing for: his favorite chicken and turkey dog food! Kiwi hopped of the bed with his tail wagging in delight. Ulrich opened the can and emptied it onto Kiwi's bowl. Kiwi wasted no time and immediately started scarfing his food down.
Ulrich threw the dog food can away as he turned to his best friend, who still laid sprawled out. He grabbed the blanket and pulled them off Odd quickly in an attempt to wake his roommate.
"Odd! Wake up!"
Only then Odd finally creaked his eyes open as he realized what was going on and what time it was. "Ugh… Man, I was having a good dream." Odd said as he sat up and stretched. "Why did I have to wake up?" he complained as he finally threw his legs out of bed and looked around. " I dreamed I was on an island, surrounded by..."
"Let me guess… Food?" Ulrich asked.
"Yeah. Best island dream you can think of." Odd said with a smile.
"Only you, Odd." Ulrich said as he sat down and placed his shoes on.
"How did you sleep?" Odd asked.
Ulrich stood up and and grabbed his cellphone."I didn't."
Odd grabbed his hygiene bag and change of clothes. "Really? What time did you get back from Yumi's?"
Ulrich looked at his phone to check if Yumi replied to his message, I got back to the dorm; there was no response.
"I got back about... an hour ago." Ulrich said as he placed his phone in his pocket.
"Why couldn't you sleep?" Odd asked, „Yumi kept you awake?"
Ulrich sat back on his bed and looked towards Kiwi. He smiled.
"Oh, she loves to cuddle in her sleep, that's for sure." Ulrich said as crossed his legs. "She fell asleep cuddling and, well… I didn't want to wake her so I let her sleep."
Odd stood up and looked down at Kiwi, petting his puppy as Kiwi ate fast and furiously. "So you haven't slept at all since Lyoko last night?"
Ulrich shook his head.
"You're going to be tired today." Odd said as he walked over to his dresser and grabbed his clothes.
Ulrich glanced up at Odd. "Aren't you going to shower today?"
"Nah. I showered last night." Odd tossed his shirt top off as he looked over at Ulrich. "Why didn't you sleep?"
Ulrich sat there, silent, staring at Kiwi. He thought to himself, "I'm not sure. I had a lot on my mind over night..."
Odd sat on his bed and looked across from Ulrich in concern, He could tell something was wrong with his best friend, yet he also knew he wouldn't be able to coax it out of Ulrich easily either. Ulrich could be exceptionally stubborn and also could hide his pain exceptionally well. Yumi had some luck getting Ulrich to admit what was bothering him, but Odd recognized this expression. He recognized the posture and the gesture. It would be impossible to try.
"Well, if you wanna talk about it, I am always open for it." Odd said.
"Thanks. I don't want to." Ulrich said as he stood up. "I need some coffee."
"It is morning and you haven't slept at all in like, 24 hours." Odd said as he walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway. "Me personally… I could really use some breakfast and coffee."
"Your dream made you that hungry, huh?" Ulrich asked as he also stepped out into the hallway. He noticed how busy many of the students were. That was when his phone vibrated, signaling an incoming text message.
"I'm a growing boy after all." Odd said as he placed his arm over Ulrich's shoulder, "And breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
Ulrich groaned as he pulled his phone out, expecting a text from Yumi. Instead he saw a message from Aelita, asking if she could come onto the men's floor to see Jeremy.
"Hey, Jim's not up here anywhere, is he?" Ulrich asked as he glanced around.
"I haven't heard him or seen him in a while, honestly." Odd said as he looked down towards Jim's room. "Why? Is it Aelita?"
"Yup. Looks like Einstein is still asleep." Ulrich said, placing his phone back in his pocket.
"I bet he stayed up all night working on something." Odd said as he nudged Ulrich.
"I'll take that action." Ulrich said. He spotted Aelita and Sissi opening the hallway door and walking down towards them. Sissi waved at them as they walked up. "I remember the last time he fell asleep at his computer..."
"Me too. Aelita was furious." Odd remarked.
"Morning, boys." Aelita said with a smile.
"Hey Princess." Odd said, then turned to look at Sissi. "How did you two sleep?"
"I slept like a rock." Sissi said. The group started walking towards Jeremy's dorm room. "What about you, Odd?"
"I had an amazing dream…. I dreamt I was on a tropical island surrounded by..."
"Food." Ulrich interrupted. "Before you get the idea, he dreamt of food."
Aelita smiled and shook her head in disapproval. "Only you, Odd."
"What else would I dream about?" Odd asked, raising his hands up to his waist.
"There is a hundred things you could dream about, but all you dream about is food." Sissi said, adding in. „Instead of, let's say… women."
Suddenly, Odd stopped talking and blushed.. "Oh... yeah."
Ulrich noticed a large red mark on Aelita's neck.
"Oh man, that thing on your back… it looks really bad. Does that hurt?"
Aelita felt up and touched the spot on her neck that Ulrich pointed out. She could feel the hard stinging sensation from the sensitive area, a rough patch of what felt like an open wound, scabbed over and hard.
But Aelita didn't want people to notice how much pain she was really in, even if it was obvious.
"It stings, but its OK." Aelita said.
"And what do you think others will say today?" Sissi asked.
"I'll deal with it when we deal to it." Aelita said as she tried to ignore the pain.
"You know, the school probably knows about last night." Odd said.
"Yeah." Sissi said. "They were talking about it this morning in the showers."
"If anyone asks, I'll admit what happened." Aelita said as she stopped and turned to face the others. "Its not like we need to hide anything or hide who we are anymore." she stated as the gang arrived at Jeremy's dorm room door.
"Who thinks he's sleeping at his desk?" Odd asked.
"He better not," Aelita said as she turned and looked at the boys.
Ulrich noticed Aelita's condition, how pale she was and how exhausted she looked. It seemed as if all color had been drained from her body, as if she was struggling to stand up and keep consciousness.
"Hey, hold on a minute." Ulrich said as he walked closer to Aelita. "Are you OK?"
Aelita glanced up at Ulrich as she realized what Ulrich was getting at. Ulrich knew she wasn't feeling well. He could see it in her eyes. She hoped to just make it through the day, yet when Ulrich finally noticed the instability of her health, she felt ashamed. She didn't want the others to worry about her because she knew they had to be tired as well. She could see it in Ulrich and Odds's faces, most importantly Ulrich's eyes. She knew he was exhausted as well.
"I'm fine." Aelita said as she glanced over at Sissi, who lowered her head a little. Aelita could tell that she disapproved of the whole situation.
"Come to think of it," Odd said as he stepped forward, "That mark on your neck really looks horrible."
"Yeah just worn out is all." Aelita said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I feel a little better already." Aelita said, slightly annoyed by the attention.
She turned towards Jeremy's door. "So… how do we wanna do this?"
"Knock?" Sissi suggested.
"We already know Einstein is sleeping in on his desk..." Odd said.
"How?" Sissi asked.
"Jeremy charges his phone next to his bed. When he sleeps in his bed and I text him, he always answers back because he can at times be a light sleeper," Aelita said as she reached into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone and checking her messages again. "And when he is at his desk, he won't answer."
"Is that a bad thing?" Sissi asked, looking towards Odd.
"For us? No, we are used to it." Odd said, placing his hands on his hips. "But for Aelita..."
"He needs his rest!" Aelita said in a low, irritated tone. „Do you have any idea how many times I would watch him trying to fall asleep in class and had to keep him awake by poking his side or tapping his foot?!"
"At that rate, Jeremy is going to have scoliosis by the time he is twenty." Ulrich said.
Aelita growled a little at the thought. A low deep noise emanated from her throat with her mouth closed.
"Ah, I see." Sissi said as Odd walked past her. "Hard worker."
Odd walked past Aelita and slowly opened the door to Jeremy's room.
Odd poked in and looked around, glancing at the empty bed and noting it was still made and clean. Then he noticed a body, sitting in the chair, lumped over the computer desk.
"He's in here." Odd whispered.
"At his desk?" Ulrich asked. Odd nodded.
"You owe me money then." Ulrich remarked. earning a shooting glance from Aelita. "Let me and Odd go in and you two wait."
Ulrich and Odd walked into the room.
Jeremy's room was neat and organized. Nothing lay on the floor, not even a speck of dirt from when Jeremy vacuumed a few days ago. The laundry was folded and placed in the hamper as neat and folded as if it was the dorm room of a military cadet.
"It's as if Martha Stewart lived here." Ulrich said as they shut the door behind them.
On the computer desk sat a pair of massive computer towers, so large that it was amazing that the desk could hold the two up. One was large and gray, with exposed internal compartment, lit up by blue LED lights. The other was black with red LEDs inside it.
Unknown to anyone who entered the bedroom, a third computer with green LEDs was set up behind the desk. It was connected to the super computer in the factory so that Jeremy could work on the various projects on Lyoko remotely. It was also the very same computer that Jeremy used to talk to Aelita while she was trapped on Lyoko. Jeremy tried to place a program on his cell phone at one point so he could talk to Aelita, but was worried the program would cause problems, so he stuck with the laptop method and the computer method.
On the desk stood three different monitors and 3 keyboards so that Jeremy could work on different programs at the same time. And for on the go, Jeremy had five laptops that were rebuilt and restored for use on Lyoko. All were password and retina protected, so only Jeremy and Aelita could access them.
Ulrich walked forward a little bit and noticed that at the edge of the table, next to a picture of Aelita, sat a tablet. It was hooked up to one of the computers and showed a status bar at 32 percent.
"I swear, I will not be surprised if I walk in one day and see an Iron-Man suit," Ulrich said to Odd, noting the tech set up.
"Or a suit like off Fallout," Odd joked back.
Ulrich looked at the photo of Aelita on Jeremy's desk. It was a photo from when she appeared on Earth for the first time. Underneath the picture was a piece of paper. "Do it for her" the note said.
Jeremy lay on a keyboard with his face to the left; his glasses sat ajar-ed on his face, indicating he had just fallen asleep, laid his head down for a moment and drifted off. He slept silently and peacefully.
"OK, shall we?" Odd smiled.
"Oh please, Odd..." Ulrich said with a grin. "The honor is yours this time."
Odd held gave Ulrich a thumbs up, he then turned and cupped his hands together as he approached Jeremy.
"Oh, Jeremy!" Odd said in a romantic manner.
Ulrich merely shook his head and snickered at the sight.
"Hey Jeremy, you awake?" Ulrich asked.
Jeremy continued to lay there silently.
"Jeremy dear… Time to wakey wakey!" Odd joked once more.
Jeremy's eyes slowly opened; he blinked as he listened to the sound of Ulrich and Odd in the room.
"Mhugh..." Jeremy said as he slowly sat up in his chair. "I wasn't sleeping at my desk..."
Odd smiled. "Oh sure, you weren't."
"I was just... working on something..." Jeremy said as he turned around in his chair.
"I swear." Ulrich said looking at the blonde nerd. "One day you're gonna have back issues."
"Hey, I had to work on a few things!" Jeremy said as he stood up. "Aelita would understand, I am sure."
A low growl came from behind the door, the sound of a frustrated woman.
"Oh boy, you are in trouble," Odd said. "You know Aelita hates it when you sleep like that."
"I know... but seriously, guys! I had to do some programming last night..." Jeremy tried to excuse himself. "It's the only way to finally stop Xervix and end this once and for all! Last night's fight was troubling and I needed to get a few things done before we had any more issues with Xervix. Just promise me, guys..." Jeremy said, glancing back in forth, "Promise me you won't tell Aelita."
"Oh, we won't." Odd said as he heard a louder grunt from behind the door. The grunting noise was so loud that all three boys heard it. "She already knows."
The door opened firmly as Aelita placed her palm on the middle of the door. She was staring directly into the room and looking straight into her boyfriend's eyes with disappointment and frustration on her face.
"Jeremy… Dylan… Belpois!" Aelita said slowly and sternly.
Jeremy stared at his girlfriend as he realized that Aelita had been there the whole time.
Aelita slowly made her way into Jeremy's dorm room, her eyes locked onto Jeremy as if she was a predator stalking her prey.
Sissi followed closely behind as she turned to shut the door.
"I think momma's pissed." Sissi whispered to Ulrich.
"Oh yeah." Ulrich whispered back.
Jeremy swallowed hard as he looked at his girlfriend's face. The realization slowly and ultimately swept into his mind.
He was busted.
Aelita folded her arms against her chest and cocked her stance just a little bit as she waited for Jeremy to give an explanation.
"Um… good morning, honey!" Jeremy tried to sound chipper and energetic. "How are you feeling?"
Aelita said nothing as she continued to look at her boyfriend.
"I hope you slept well and feel better after last night."
Aelita glared at him.
"Uh… I love you?" Jeremy said sheepishly. Aelita still stood there, unfazed.
Ulrich stepped back a little as he realized Aelita's stance. It was the same stance Yumi would give him every so often whenever she caught him doing something that she did not approve.
"Why do I feel like I am in trouble right now?" Ulrich thought.
Jeremy finally stepped forward towards Aelita as he realized it was time to fess up.
"OK...Yes, I fell asleep at the computer." Jeremy said as looked Aelita straight in the face. "I was working on coding for the Orion and the Skidbladnir. I was also working on how we could use the Source Codes to our advantage." Jeremy said as he took his glasses off.
"I'm sorry. Just please, don't be mad at me."
Aelita watched Jeremy bat his eyes… his deep blue eyes, the eyes that she would find herself lost in.
"Yep, there are the puppy dog eyes." Aelita thought as she realized Jeremy was trying to be apologetic.
Aelita finally couldn't hold it back anymore; a smile slowly crept across her face.
"You are an idiot." she said as she walked up. She she reached up and wrapped her arms around the back of Jeremy's neck, resting her head next to his chest.
Jeremy held his arms out in confusion as he felt Aelita wrap around him.
"You are not mad?" Jeremy asked, placing his glasses back on.
Aelita pulled her head back to look Jeremy in the eye as she placed her hands up towards Jeremy's face and pinched one of his cheeks.
"Oh yes, I am mad. But... I am not gonna make a big deal about it..." Aelita said as she released her grip on Jeremy's face. "This time!"
Jeremy sighed in relief as he slowly realized he was in the clear this time. He knew Aelita was always mad when she caught him sleeping at his computer. He did try to stop sleeping at his desk so that he would be well rested; how he would always end up nodding to sleep in some way or form, which was usually 5th hour, when Aelita would have to jolt him to sleep, either with a shot to the shoulder or shaking him at one point that was mostly noticeable.
"Good, we don't have to worry about any bloodshed today." Odd joked as he walked towards the door. "Last night was enough."
Ulrich patted Aelita's shoulder as he walked by her. "You look a little better anyways."
"I feel a lot better." Aelita admitted as she turned to talk to Ulrich as he walked past her.
Jeremy glanced at Aelita's neck. He realized that something was off. Jeremy stepped forward and looked at Aelita's neck. "That's weird…."
"What?" Odd asked. "That she didn't kill you?"
"That she didn't take an axe to your computer?" Sissi joked.
"Hmm, I should do that sometime." Aelita joked as she turned and winked at Jeremy in a teasing manner.
Jeremy snickered a little as he looked towards the others in the room. "No, not that."
Aelita glanced towards Jeremy in confusion as she wondered what exactly he meant.
"Remember the large red mark Aelita had on her face from fighting Aether's electrical form last night?"
"Yeah," Sissi said as she walked over and glanced at Aelita. "I helped Special Agent Hillsabeck treat her wounds."
"Look, it's gone!" Jeremy said in astonishment.
Odd had the door to Jeremy's room open as he turned to face the others. Even though his stomach was telling him food was required immediately, his mind was telling him that he needed to focus on what was happening. "Wait a minute, that red mark on her neck? Where is it?"
"That's impossible. I saw it when I came up here!" Ulrich said as he turned to look at Aelita's neck.
"Last night it looked really bad." Jeremy said.
Aelita felt her neck, expecting a stinging, tender sensation. The sharp throbbing pain was gone indeed. She quickly walked over to Jeremy's desk and opened one of the side doors and pulled out a mirror. She turned to the mirror to see for herself that the painful mark was gone.
"Uh, Sissi? That mark was there this morning, wasn't it?"
Sissi walked over and looked in the mirror. She nodded in agreement.
Aelita placed the mirror down and slowly turned towards the others. Her eyes were locked in confusion as she looked around the room for answers.
"Speaking of which." Odd asked as he shut the door. "How is your arm feeling?"
Aelita's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered. Her right arm was throbbing when she woke up last night, a result of destroying a platform in the Sky sector on Lyoko.
"It stopped hurting." Aelita said as she rubbed her arm. "I forgot about it."
Jeremy shook his head in confusion. "Last night, before you went to bed, you could barely move it."
"It wasn't hurting as bad till I left you last night and got into my room." Aelita said.
"What does that mean?" Ulrich asked.
Jeremy walked over and rubbed his hand over Aelita's shoulder. He noted how Aelita didn't seem to wince or shudder at the touch. He took a step back as she looked Aelita in the face. He noticed the look of concern and the confusion on his girlfriend's face as he thought about the whole thing.
"I... have no idea." Jeremy accepted defeat.
"We're not sure about the extent of Aelita's Savior powers." Odd said as he walked into the middle of the group. "We know she can absorb energy and manifest it into her crystal armor and shoot laser beams. Maybe she also has a type of accelerated healing?"
Ulrich glanced up as he listened to Odd. "You mean like Wolverine or The Hulk?"
"More like Godzilla, actually." Odd said.
"I don't understand." Sissi said. "I know Godzilla but I don't know how this fits into the equation."
"I'm confused too." Jeremy said.
Odd walked up to Aelita and looked towards her neck as he began to explain.
"One of the things that makes Godzilla so powerful besides being tough as nails is that he can heal incredibly fast whenever he gets injured or hurt." Odd said as he lightly poked Aelita's neck. "He can heal within minutes depending on the injury."
He then turned and pressed his palm against Aelita's right arm, trying to see if she reacted in any way. "Or when he consumes a large amount of radiation or energy." Odd pulled back and light slapped Aelita's arm in a soft playful manner.
Aelita returned the favor but just a little harder.
"The point of this, besides you watching to many Godzilla films with Hiroki, being...?" Ulrich said.
"The point is… maybe Aelita has a type of accelerated healing factor herself." Odd said as he turned to look at Ulrich. "More like a Re-generator factor."
Sissi finally realized what Odd meant. "A power that she wasn't aware of?"
"Exactly." Odd said as he stepped back.
Jeremy glanced back at Aelita and over to Odd.
"Why did it trigger now?" Jeremy said as he walked over towards his desk. "You guys said she was still suffering when she arrived at the floor."
"Yeah, that is the weird part." Ulrich said as he felt his phone vibrate. "You figure if Odd is right, it would trigger in her sleep."
"Now that part I have no idea." Odd said as he turned to look at Jeremy.
"Oh, Yumi texted she's here." Ulrich said. "Where do you want her to meet us at?"
"Have her meet us next to the cafeteria." Odd said as he walked to the door. "I'm starving!"
Ulrich shook his head as he texted Yumi back.
"Why didn't you stay the night and arrive with Yumi?" Aelita asked.
Ulrich sighed as he placed his phone in his pocket and walked towards the door. "I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake her."
"Really?" Jeremy said as he walked over to his dresser and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes. "Usually after a mission on Lyoko you guys get exhaustively tired."
"Did Yumi sleep?" Aelita asked.
"Oh she did. I couldn't." Ulrich said as he placed his hands in his pockets and walked out into the hallway, silently.
Sissi turned and looked at Jeremy and Aelita. "What's wrong with him?" Sissi said as she turned back and looked at Odd.
"He might be tired." Jeremy hinted as he grabbed his hygiene bag.
"Oh well." Sissi said as she turned to walk to the door with Ulrich and Odd. "You guys coming?"
"Be right behind you." Aelita said as she waved and turned to look at Jeremy.
Sissi turned and walked out the door with Odd, shutting the door on their way.
The two nerds were alone now. Silence fell; the only noises came from the busy corridor.
Aelita turned to look at Jeremy with a warm smile as she walked up to him. She reached out and wrapper her arms around Jeremy's neck; she pulled him towards her and kissed Jeremy on the lips. The soft warmth of her boyfriend's lips touching hers woke her up with a relaxing and calming touch. She closed her eyes as she felt the warmth embrace of her boyfriend's love.
Aelita pulled back slowly and smiled.
"You really need to brush your teeth." Aelita teased.
„I just woke up." Jeremy said.
"I'm just being silly is all." Aelita said as she stepped back.
"So you're not mad?"
"About?"
"Me sleeping on my desk." Jeremy said.
"No honey… I'm not." Aelita said, shaking her head at the same time. "Just happy to see you. But if I find you sleeping at the desk again like that, I'll strap you down to the bed so that you have to sleep in your bed."
Jeremy nodded in agreement as Aelita walked to the door.
"Anyway, what where you working on?" Aelita asked.
"The Mega Pod, The Argo, and a few other programs." Jeremy said as he turned to look Aelita with a smile. "If we want to finish this whole mess and get our lives back in order, we have to finish Xervix off once and for all."
Aelita nodded. "And then we can get on with our lives." She smiled as she looked up towards the ceiling, dreaming of her future.
"You will be rich once this is over."
"Oh yeah." Aelita said as she looked down at Jeremy. "I might take us all on an island vacation… Someplace warm with sunny, soft beaches."
Jeremy blushed a little as he thought about the idea of sharing a beach with Aelita.
"You OK?" Aelita asked, glancing at her blushing boyfriend.
"Um, yeah, I am good." I gotta get a shower and wash up before breakfast." Jeremy said as he turned to his dresser, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.
"OK. Want me to get you some coffee?"
"Yeah, sure." Jeremy said as he grabbed a fresh pair of socks from his dresser and a towel.
Aelita smiled as she opened the door. "Text me when you come downstairs."
"OK." Jeremy said as he watched Aelita walk out into the hallway.
He watched in admiration as Aelita walked elegantly, like an angel she was. Jeremy smiled as he watched his girlfriend head towards the door. She was lovely in every way.
Suddenly, Jeremy realized something before Aelita left the floor.
"Love you" Jeremy said from his door.
Aelita stopped at the door and turned to look at Jeremy.
"Love you too." Aelita said as she smiled and walked out the door.
Jeremy turned to wiggle the mouse on his desk. All three monitors clicked on and showed the various projects. The first was a large vehicle with huge wheels and a round cockpit, with various devices on the side of it. The second showed what looked like a large cigar shaped object with smooth sides and the front end of the machine split open, revealing a large crystal like structure inside.
The final screen showed Franz Hopper's diary, a list of all journal entries that they had found and that the American agents gave them. On the top of the program was a search bar, which was used to search for a specific keyword throughout the video files. The keywords were Anthea Schaeffer.
Jeremy pressed a series of keys to activate the screensaver.
"If I can find her… If I can pull this off… We will have finally won." Jeremy said as he turned to grab his hygiene bag and walked towards the door.
He believed Aelita's mother was the last loose end that needed tied up… so Aelita could finally be set free.
–
Lyoko, Volcano Sector
Xervix sat on his throne; he growled and face-palmed himself several times. He was angry.
Angry that he had been confined to the Volcano sector of Lyoko; failed to secure the System and Aelita; Aether left with the monster creating program, a program that was vital to fighting the Garage kids, the Lyoko Warriors.
It didn't matter though, Aether may have taken the power of an army away from him, but there was one thing that Aether was unable to do: create Titans.
The difference between Titans and regular monsters on Lyoko was that monsters were based upon a linear program, a type of hive mind. When monsters fought on Lyoko, they were based upon one basic, prime directive. They also had the ability to group together with other monsters and follow through with an objective. Under the right circumstances, monsters on Lyoko from the mighty Krab to a Kankerlat could overpower the Lyoko Warriors, and eventually if more and more monsters appeared, they could swarm and overwhelm the Garage Kids like a plague.
Yet, they were easily destroyed. Monsters on Lyoko were a basic program that could be eliminated in a few hits. While monsters did have a decent amount of firepower, a couple shots could damage them. A direct hit to the Eye of Xana, the symbol on the monster's body, would cause the monster to instantly die. The Eye of Xana symbol was the basic program itself. Everything else from limbs to the face of a monster was just created via its program perimeters.
Titans were a whole different thing. Titans were capable of independent thinking, strategy and planning. They were capable of multi tasking. They were also stronger and had greater attacks, including weapons and abilities. Like Aether's dagger, heat laser, and flight. A Titan on its own was more than a match for the Lyoko Warriors. In groups, they were unstoppable, unfathomable, and unmatched.
Titans ran on a program that selected different aspects of Xervix's A.I. code, which was why even though Aether felt he could escape and overthrow Xervix as easily as he could destroy the Lyoko Warriors, Aether could never overcome the fact that he was a creation of Xervix… a product.
Xervix was however defeated. After the Las Vegas battle Jeremy learned how damaged Xervix was. With the help of Mister Puck, another A.I that was introduced to Lyoko by the late Frank Morse, Jeremy created a program to keep Xervix locked in the newly created Volcano sector, a sector that was never completed by Franz Hopper. Jeremy created what he named the Pandora Lock Program that kept Xervix secured inside the Volcano sector temple, where Xervix took up residence. Yet before Jeremy could finish locking Xervix away, the demon A.I. had created a back door program to fight the Pandora Lock Program. Aether and the monsters could escape the Volcano sector, and the Lyoko Warriors could not enter the Volcano sector to finish Xervix off without shutting off the Pandora Lock. In essence, they could not get in and Xervix couldn't get out.
The sound of heavy footsteps announced the arrival of Typhoon, who was Xervix's newest Titan. He was the only remaining loyal Titan since Atlas, Chaos and Tartarus were destroyed in Las Vegas. Their life points reached zero and with their bodies now physical in the real world, they were unable to return to the Lyoko to be restored, they instead faded into particles and disappeared. Their remains turned into a type of white substance that glowed a neon color as their bodies melted into matter, a strange type of ooze.
Due to the defeat at Las Vegas, Xervix was on the edge as he realized how close he was to be defeated, It was time to launch a counterattack. It was time for new Titans.
Typhoon spoke mostly in logic and cold reasoning. He also had been created with a secret ability that Aether was unaware of, the ability to create super monsters and Titans.
Typhoon stepped up towards the throne and kneeled before his master. He lowered his head in reverence.
"Lord Xervix." Typhoon said.
Xervix raised his hand and lifted in the air with his palm up. "Arise, my friend."
Typhoon stood as he looked up towards his master.
"I have prepared the next two Titans to serve us," Typhoon said as he placed his arms behind his back.
"Are you still wanting to attack the children based upon their fears?" Xervix asked.
"It is only logical," Typhoon said as he turned and looked down the hallway.
"Behold, the first of Generation 2." Typhoon raised his hand and pointed towards the entrance. "The personifications of fear."
Xervix looked up towards the entrance as he watched a lone figure step into the temple.
The newly formed Titan slowly entered the chamber. It was a muscular being, tall and built like an ox, adorned in gray and white armor. A chest piece adorned his chest and waist with a pair of large crests that wrapped up from the center of the armor and wrapped up past the Titan's shoulders and onto his back. A pair of thick crests wrapped around the Titan's waist. The chest piece protruded out like a nose, pointed up towards the face in a type of curve with a large orb sitting between the top of the chest piece and the Titan's chin.
The armor was adorned with pale white, almost phantasmic white orbs that sat on the center of the armor like a pair of eyes, and sat on the Titan's left shoulder like a jewel. Smaller white orbs ran down the Titan's left arm and towards the hand. On the right side sat a pair of spikes that adorned the shoulders and ran down the arms towards the Titan's hands. The face of the Titan was even stranger. Its head was actually in two pieces. On the right side sat a half of a mask; the mask was white and looked like a old opera mask, in the shape of a sad face. The other half looked like a human skull, dull, gray, and charred as if it had just been lifted from a fire. The head of the Titan sat behind a large metal piece that sat up as if it was a metal collar, keeping the head protected from the back.
It looked as if it was an ancient warrior who died on the battle field and was recently resurrected.
Xervix looked at the massive beast. "My word," Xervix decreed as the new Titan approached.
"May I present to you the Titans of Fear and Panic." Typhoon said as he turned to look at Xervix.
The new Titan opened the left side of his mouth. The skull opened its jaw as the same pale, bleak white light emanated from the Titan's mouth as it let out a low, deep groan. Only the left side of the face moved; the right side, the side with the opera mask like section stayed the same.
"Deimos… And Phobos." Typhoon said.
Xervix paused as he looked towards the new Titan. Typhoon said there were two Titans, yet only one who stood before him.
"Where is the second?" Xervix asked in confusion.
"Look harder." Typhoon said as he pointed towards Deimos.
Xervix looked closer, taking in every detail of the Titan's design. Finally, Xervix realized what Typhoon meant.
"Ah I see. And this is the first one?"
Typhoon nodded as Deimos glanced back and forth. "The best way to fight the children is not with raw power, or with facing them head on." Typhoon said as he turned and slowly walked around the newly formed Titan. "The children are weak. They are teenagers who are dealing with their emotions, their development, and their insecurities."
Demios followed Typhoon as he listened.
"No being is fearless." Typhoon said as pointed at the large white orb that sat on Deimos's shoulder. "Fear is the greatest weapon to be harnessed. And if we can turn the children's fear against them, we can weaken them, dwindle them."
A low grunting groan came from Deimos in agreement.
"And then, the other three Titans I will complete will finish the job, free you and destroy the children."
Xervix held up his hand as he paused Typhoon. "Not kill… I want the children alive. I will show them the world I will build with the System so they will realize I am right."
Typhoon nodded in agreement. "Your true enemy will be... 'him'?"
"Indeed… And once I am done, they will understand." Xervix said. He turned his attention back towards Deimos. "Does he talk?"
Typhoon turned and looked at Deimos as the beast growled. "Deimos does not, but Phobos does."
"So what will be our plan?" Xervix asked.
Typhoon turned to look at Xervix. "Can you still create an influence onto the real world?"
Xervix smiled as he realized just what Typhoon meant.