This chapter was written by me, edited by Undeadmonkey8, and edited by AeroJester203.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. All copyrighting goes to Moonscoop.
I only own Lila. Mary is owned by AeroJester203. Cameron is owned by Undeadmonkey8.
Author's Note: Do not skip to the end of the chapter to see why the story has been changed to M. You have been warned. I will say this, the story will stay is in its typical T rating… so on that matter…
Enjoy!
Temptation
In the park
POV Lila's
"I'm…. I'm a time traveler, Cameron. Okay? That's the truth," I say.
Cameron eyes widen at me before he looks at the necklace.
"Huh," he says, trying to process the information. "Okay, so, Lila, I think you're great, but . . . I'm gonna need proof of either longer-term time travel than we dabble in or, like, a bill of mental stability from a licensed psychiatrist."
I nod, "I know. Come on, I'll show it to you in the supercomputer room."
I put my time machine necklace on, and slip it under my shirt for a change since I probably should hide it better.
Later
In the supercomputer room
The lights turn on as we exit the elevator and walk into the sub-basement. Taking my necklace off, I look at Cameron.
"Take a step back okay?"
He nods while doing so.
Pressing the button at the bottom of the chest, I place the necklace on the ground before hurriedly stepping back to give it room. It starts to glow as it whirs with sounds of shifting metal as it unfolds into its true form in preparation for growth. The glow fills the entire room as the din grows in volume, and I casually close my eyes while Cameron gasps and blocks the light with his hand. The noise falls silent save for the remnant of a high-pitched whine while the glow fades away to reveal the beaten-up time machine.
Cameron stares for a few extended moments before finally speaking, "Well . . . I dunno about proof of time travel, but that's either actual magic – in which case, gimme – or it's futuristic bigger-on-the-inside technology. Either way, this feels like a bad Peggy Sue."
"Peggy who?" I ask, confused.
He glances over at me, "Oh, uh, literature term, I guess? It's a phrase describing a story where someone - usually a teenager - travels back in time with future knowledge to avert a terrible danger that killed them all and/or conquered the world."
"Ah, well… this is real life, Cameron. I didn't initially warn the others about Xana—couldn't interfere with the timeline. At least… that was the initial thought."
"What's the new thought?" Cameron asks curiously.
"I believe I'm in the past… but not the past of my timeline. This past… is kind of like a second timeline."
He nods, "Alright, working with Multiverse Theory, then—got it." He takes a deep breath, settling his nerves, "Okay… start from the beginning, about everything, please."
"Well…. I will. It's a lot to process okay?" I look down in thought, "I'm still processing something else too…"
"What's that?" Cameron asks.
The truth that I'm an AI… I really hope we can still be friends after this, I think.
"Let's sit down. This is going to be a lot of information to take in all at once," I suggest. He nods. We go over to the sit by the wall, and I begin my explanation with my arrival in this timeline.
A week later
In the forest sector
Odd and Aelita ride on Odd's Overboard while I follow on my broomstick, Hornets following close behind us. Taking an arrow out, I clasp my legs tighter around my transport to keep from falling while turning around to aim. Pulling the drawstring back, I release the arrow, managing to shoot down one of the monsters for it to explode as it's left behind.
"Lila, dodge!" Odd calls.
I see him veer his Overboard and look forward to seeing a tree. Hurriedly grabbing the handle of the broomstick with both my free hand and more awkwardly with the one holding my bow, I barely bank around the trunk.
Ugh, this thing wasn't made for riding with a two-handed weapon, I mentally grumble. I should probably ask Jeremy if he can start programming a new vehicle for me.
Odd turns around and fires off a few Laser Arrows. Two of them hit the Hornets causing them to explode. He turns back to the front and concentrates on his driving.
Aelita speaks up from behind him, "Say, Odd, why do you always have to wait for the last second?"
"Because it's more fun, that's why," Odd answers.
"No it's not, Odd," I retort. "It's better to get rid of the monsters sooner rather than later. This is why we didn't let Aelita go on the Overboard that one time. You aren't careful like you promised you'd be."
Odd rolls his eyes in response before we hear more lasers incoming. We bring our vehicles down to dodge, swerving left and right to make ourselves more difficult targets. The Hornets move upward to get a better angle and fire more shots.
Two more lasers fly at us, but Odd and I easily dodge them with our vehicles. We continue dodging each laser the Hornets fire at us while weaving through the trees. One of the Hornets explodes from crashing into a tree.
"Is this what you call fun? Looks more like insanity if you ask me," Aelita comments.
"Oh, really? You mean there's a difference?" Odd asks with a laugh. I roll my eyes. One of the Hornets focuses on firing its laser at Odd and Aelita, the feline boy managing to keep ahead and dodge as Aelita ducks down.
Turning around, I take out another arrow and let it fly. The arrow hits the airborne monster, sending it crashing down to explode. Yumi, Ulrich, and Cameron finally meet with us, flying in from a different direction and coming down to the intersection.
"Those Hornets were a pain," Cameron complains.
"Yeah, no kidding. We must have taken out five, at least," Ulrich mentions while touching down with his Overbike. While it can fly, it maneuvers better on the ground.
Yumi shakes her head "If that. Xana's definitely trying to come out on top today."
As we continue along the path, Jeremy says, "You guys are close to the tower."
"Bummer, I was just starting to enjoy myself," Odd says.
"Careful, behind you!"
Looking back, we see two more Hornets incoming.
"Oh, I've had it up to here with those bugs," Cameron growls before leaning his body and swinging the Override around. He didn't seem to need concentration to steer it anymore; Perhaps he's had Jeremy change his vehicle to react to his weight distribution, just like Odd does with his Overboard.
"Weapons system, engage!" he exclaims. Two small firing weapons emerge at the front of the Override. He moves it into an upward position.
"Lock on! Aim… Fire!" he exclaims. He fires off two green lasers, and each of them destroys the Hornets. We turn back to face forward and concentrate on our flying.
"Nice job," I compliment.
He looks at me and nods, "Thanks."
Yumi flies her Overwing closer to me and whispers, "Is everything okay with you two?"
"Yeah," I nod, but she doesn't seem overly reassured.
At the tower
Reaching the tower, we see that it's surrounded by a small pool of water with tree stumps for Aelita to jump across. We suddenly hear the drone of the Scyphozoa and more buzzing sounds.
"Not again," Ulrich complains. Looking at the Scyphozoa as it appears with another group of Hornets, it continues making its way over and I start running at it.
If I can destroy it here and now, I can free Mary! I think.
Aelita starts going to the tower as Yumi, Odd, Ulrich, and Cameron face off the incoming Hornets. Blocking the Scyphozoa's way, I unleash a full ice blast at it, a wave of frost freezing it in midair as it continues floating.
I have about forty seconds! I've got to make this count! I think.
With the Scyphozoa frozen, I take out two arrows. Placing them on my bow, I pull the string and release them. The arrows fly at the head of the Scyphozoa and hit it, making it screech in pain from within the shell of ice.
"Now a few more, and…" I trail off when I reach back to my quiver only to find nothing. Looking back, I call, "I'm out of Arrows! Jeremy reload me!"
"It'll take some time, hang on!"
Hearing a cracking sound, I look back at the Scyphozoa, the ice has begun to split as its tentacles begin curling with the shell weakening.
"Uh-oh…" I gulp. The Scyphozoa frees itself and grabs me. It puts its tentacles on my head, and my vision starts to darken.
Somewhere
Opening my eyes, I realize I'm in the same place I was when I saw Mary a while back. Looking at her, I can tell she seems a lot weaker now, her skin paler as well.
"Mary…? What happened to you?" I ask.
"Xana's been torturing me for information… I've been trying to hold out the best I can. I'm not sure why he's letting me talk to you right now. But listen, you need to keep an eye on Jeremy. I assume he's been acting strangely?"
"Yes… I mean he's been using the return to the past program more than he needs to."
She nods, "He created a device that he feels will help his brain think more critically. He's going to end up in an ambulance, and Xana's going to try to kill him soon."
I nod, "Thanks for telling me this, I'll keep an eye out. Say… I've been meaning to ask, whatever happened to the time machine doors after we crashed landed? When we went to the Hermitage for the first time as a group… they weren't there."
"Ah, yes… I had to dispose of them; I melted them down before burying them outside of the city. You never bothered asking, so I felt it wasn't necessary to tell you that."
"I understand…. Also, what did you want to tell me on the day Aelita was materialized?"
Mary looks at me, "I can't tell you. Not here, anyway… and besides, it looks like you're going now."
Looking down, I see my body starting to fade.
"Mary, wait, I-" I start to say, but everything becomes white.
Back in the Forest Sector
Opening my eyes, I see everyone else looking down at me.
"She's okay, Jeremy," Aelita informs as Yumi and Odd help me up.
"The Scyphozoa got me," I inform.
"We know," Cameron replies. "But it wasn't trying to take anything from you, so that's good."
"I'll start the return and get all of you home," Jeremy says.
Yumi puts her Tessen fans away while looking up, "Really? Why? Xana didn't even have time to launch an attack on Earth."
"Uh, may I remind you that going back in time makes Xana stronger?" Ulrich adds.
"I know what I'm doing. Alright?"
"Well if you know, then explain it to us," Odd insists.
Cameron crosses his arms, "Yeah."
"Just trust me, okay?"
"Jeremy, that's not the point," I say.
"Jeremy why don't we-" Aelita starts to say but Jeremy interrupts her.
"That's my final answer."
Odd looks at Ulrich, who shrugs. Aelita, Yumi, Cameron, and I look at one another, concerned with Jeremy's behavior.
"Return to the past, now!"
A big white bubble appears, engulfing all of us.
Earlier the same day
By the vending machine
Ulrich holds his drink while leaning against the wall, having just moved aside from the vending machine to allow Yumi to get hers.
"Jeremy is becoming a pain," he grumbles. "He just flies off the handle for no reason at all. He's like a time bomb."
"Maybe he's got a lot on his mind," Cameron suggests. "He's been acting the same as always in our room."
Yumi looks at us while her drink dispenses, "Who knows? Maybe he's got family problems."
"Or else: he only just realizes he has a split personality and that when the moon is full, he becomes the son of Dr. Shrank, capable of grafting animal body parts onto human beings," Odd wildly speculates. putting his hands up like a monster, "And he now knows he must face a fate worse than death."
Yumi rolls her eyes and grabs her drink from the vending machine while Ulrich raises an eyebrow at his roommate.
"You've been watching Horror at the Hospital again, huh?" he asks.
"How can anyone pass up such a fantastic program?" Odd asks. All of us can only shrug since it was a fairly entertaining, if cheesy, horror series. He'd shown us only a few episodes.
Ulrich apparently sees something out of the corner of his eye and turns his head, drawing our attention to Jeremy's approach.
"Oh, there he is," he notes.
"How's life, Einstein?" Odd asks. Jeremy ignores him as he goes to the vending machine to look at the selection of drinks.
"Where were you?" Aelita asks.
"In mine and Cameron's room," he answers tersely. "Why? Is there a law against it?"
"Jeremy… relax. We were just concerned," I reply.
"I'm a big boy now, so just get off my back," he says, looking at me with an annoyed expression before walking away without a drink.
"Hey, you may just have something there with your Doctor Shrank theory," Ulrich says.
Odd stands up triumphantly, "Ha, see, I told you so!" The bells ring and he slumps slightly as he begins walking away, "Right, in the meantime, I've also got to face a fate worse than death."
"What's that?" Ulrich asks.
"Mrs. Meyer's class."
In Mrs. Meyer's class
Odd and Ulrich are sitting together, Jeremy and Aelita seated behind them. Cameron is sitting a few seats away from me, and I'm by myself.
I know Cameron is still processing everything I told him… but it feels like we're getting distant. Ugh, did I make the wrong move in telling him the truth? I think. I start writing down some notes as Mrs. Meyer talks.
"Sales property allows us to calculate length. For example, in a triangle marked ABC," Mrs. Meyer lectures, connecting points A, B, and C into a triangle. Looking at the board, I write down the diagrams.
"With straight lines called RS and BC which are parallel. First, we calculate X then SC. Hypothetically, ABC is a triangle. R is a point on B. N is a point on AC," she continues.
"56 equals 7 times 8. And that's it; it's rather simple in the end," Mrs. Meyer says.
"Ma'am?" Jeremy asks, getting up. I look to him and notice he's holding his hand to his head as if nursing a headache.
"Yes, Jeremy? Question?"
"May I go to the infirmary?" he asks.
"Oh, yes, of course," Mrs. Meyer replies.
Jeremy starts walking through the aisle and passes Aelita.
"Do you want me to come with you?" she asks.
"No," he answers without turning to face her.
Aelita's eyes widen, and I look at Jeremy as he goes to the doorway.
What is going on with you Jeremy? Is this machine Mary mentioned really making you act differently? I think.
Later
At the cafeteria
Jeremy is still missing as we get our lunches.
Taking trays that each have half a fruit and two boiled eggs, we start going down the line for Rosa, the lunch lady, to add the rest of the meal along the way.
"Jeremy skipped gym class?" Yumi asks.
Ulrich nods, "And history class too."
"And now he's skipping lunch," Cameron adds.
"Skipping gym class and lunch I can understand. But skipping history is not Jeremy's style at all," Odd says.
Ahead of us, Aelita has been quiet, but abruptly shoves her tray into Odd's possession, "I'm going to check his room."
"Okay, please keep us updated," I say.
"Will do," Aelita says and leaves the cafeteria while Odd gleefully picks up her lunch as well.
Later
Looking at Odd, he is still eating his lunches while most of the students have already left. Cameron grimaces at Odd and shakes his head. Ulrich has his head on his hand in a picture of boredom, and Yumi looks at Odd.
"You sure you're done now?" she asks dryly. Her phone starts ringing. She takes it out and answers it. There's a short pause.
"Okay Jeremy," Yumi says, hanging up. "Xana's launched an attack. We have to go to the factory." Yumi starts getting up.
"You over there! Sit back down!" Rosa exclaims, having been clearing the tables with a cart to carry the plates and other dishes. Looking at her, we get up in confusion.
"I said… sit down," Rosa repeats, her voice distorting. She takes a plate from her cart and throws it at us at high speed. Yumi and I dodge it, the projectile whistling through the air before smashing against the wall.
"Whoa!" Odd, Ulrich, and Cameron exclaim ducking down before more can fly. Green electricity comes out of Rosa's hand, and she starts sending more plates at us.
Crawling under the table with the boys, Odd says, "I shouldn't have said her mashed potatoes look like barf today, I guess."
"If you ask me, this looks more like a Xanafication. Cover us; we'll try to reach Aelita and Jeremy at the factory," Yumi says.
"No problemo. Ulrich, Cameron. On three. One… two.. three!" Odd exclaims.
The three boys stand up and start throwing their own plates at Rosa. Yumi and I crawl out before breaking into a run past the possessed woman to exit the cafeteria.
In the woods
As we're running, I send a text to Aelita. SOS Xana. Yumi and I are on our way to the factory. Getting a text back, I look at it.
Jeremy will have the scanners ready for you once you both get here.
In the scanner room
The freight elevator brings us to the scanner room. The doors open.
"What on Earth are the others doing?" Jeremy asks.
I reply, "They're doing what they can. Xana's possessed Rosa."
"We'll have to make do without them," Yumi says. Aelita nods.
"Hurry up. I'll start the virtualization process." We step into the scanners, and the scanners doors close.
I close my eyes in preparation as the insides of the scanner start to spin.
"Transfer: Yumi, Transfer: Aelita, Transfer: Lila."
The scanner continues to spin as it analyzes me and starts humming.
"Scanner: Lila, Scanner: Aelita, Scanner: Yumi. Virtualization!"
Mountain Sector
Opening my eyes, I land safely in the Mountain Sector alongside Aelita and Yumi. Looking ahead, we see the tower in sight, but with a large swarm of Kankrelats in a rectangular formation blocking the path to it. They stand in three rows of six, making for eighteen in total.
"The tower should be straight ahead of you."
"We can see it Jeremy, but there's also an army of Kankrelats blocking our way," I say. Looking at the pathway, we see a big boulder just a few yards away from the Kankrelats.
"I have a funny feeling we should take cover. Come on," Yumi urges.
Nodding, Aelita, Yumi, and I start running to the boulder. The Kankrelats start charging their lasers. They release them and fire at us. Getting behind the boulder, we look at them.
"Yumi, Lila, Aelita. Are you okay?"
"Would be a lot better if you can materialize the Overwing and Lila's broomstick," Yumi replies. "Maybe the Override, for Aelita."
"I don't know how to pilot Cameron's vehicle," Aelita points out. "I'll take the Overboard instead."
"Okay, coming up."
This might give us a fighting chance… but I'm really worried about what Mary said. I wish she told me when Xana will try and kill Jeremy... and how she even got that information... I think.
The vehicles start materializing.
"Come on, ladies, get a move on. Ulrich, Odd, and Cameron are really in a bad way," Jeremy says.
"No kidding! All we need here are some nice sandwiches for a picnic," Yumi wryly retorts.
Aelita and I peek around the edge to look at the Kankrelats, unrelenting in their laser barrage. We turn back to Yumi.
"We'll never get through," Aelita says. "Lila, Yumi. Any ideas?"
Yumi nods, "Hold on a second. I have a little idea."
She starts walking to her Overwing and then stares at the boulder. I smile, realizing her plan.
Good idea, I think.
"Little or big, I don't care as long as it works," Aelita says.
Getting in the position she usually gets, Yumi places her hands on her head. She starts glowing and begins levitating the boulder. Pushing outward with both hands, she throws the boulder and it rolls across the ground to the Kankrelats.
One by one, they're knocked down or crushed. Some of them try to get out of the way only to bump into each other from how dense their formation was and their legs being unsuited for quick sideways movement. We quickly get on our vehicles and start flying pass the Kankrelats to the tower.
Afterwards
Reaching the tower, we bring our vehicles to the ground and hop off of them. Aelita runs to enter the tower, phasing through the exterior. Looking up, Yumi and I watch the tower's red aura turn to blue.
"I'm launching a return to the past. Get ready!" Jeremy informs. A big white bubble appears, engulfing us all.
Earlier the same day
Back at the vending machine
Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Cameron, Aelita and I are all waiting for Jeremy by the vending machine. Unlike the last time, he doesn't show up for his usual drink.
"What's he up to? Where is he?" Ulrich asks, holding his own beverage.
Aelita purses her lips worriedly before suggesting, "Why don't we go check his room?"
"Yeah. Good idea," I reply.
Please be okay Jeremy, I think.
Outside Jeremy and Cameron's room
Aelita knocks on the door, "Jeremy? It's us." After a brief pause she tries again, "Jeremy? …We're coming in."
Opening the door, she gasps and runs inside, "Jeremy!"
Jeremy is passed out on the floor. Aelita holds him up by his head and shoulders.
"Oh no!" I exclaim, running over to him and helping Aelita pick him up by the shoulders. "We need to get him to the nurse's office!"
In the infirmary
Jeremy is lain in one of the beds, only the rise and fall of his chest giving evidence of his continued living. Odd goes up to him and tries to shake Jeremy awake.
"Jeremy, wake up! Aelita's fallen in love with Herb," he says in a fake urgent tone. I glare at him for the bad joke.
Odd turns to Yolanda, the school nurse, "This is serious; that always, works, no matter how deep he's sleeping."
"Right, I'm calling the hospital," she says. She takes the telephone in the room and starts dialing a number.
Cameron comes over and sits beside me, "You okay?"
"I… I think I have to go with him. To keep an eye out for him," I reply.
"Why?"
Looking at him, I whisper, "Mary… she told me Xana will try and kill him in an ambulance soon. I think this is when Xana is going to try."
He nods, "Better safe than sorry." Cameron fiddles with the watch on his wrist, avoiding my eyes, before looking at me directly, "Hey, listen… I'm sorry I've been distancing myself lately."
I smile slightly, "It's okay."
"Look! His eyelids are moving!" Aelita exclaims. We turn and see that Jeremy's eyelids are flickering, but he doesn't seem to be any close to waking up.
The nurse looks while holding the telephone between her shoulder and head, replying, "Rapid Eye Movement… He must be dreaming."
Outside the infirmary
"I'm going to stay here you guys—make sure Xana doesn't try anything," I tell them.
Ulrich nods, "We'll go to Jeremy's room and see if we can find out what's going on."
Aelita, Cameron, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi leave down the hall. Looking at the door, I open it and go back in.
"Miss Yolanda? Can I ask a favor?" I ask.
The nurse turns to me, "Yes, Lila?"
"Could… could I go with Jeremy to the hospital, please?"
She thinks about it for a moment before answering, "Usually it's family only, but… I'll see what I can do. No promises."
I nod, and sit back down in one of the chairs, looking at Jeremy.
I'm not going to let anything happen to you Jeremy, I think.
Later
Outside
I watch the paramedics put Jeremy in the ambulance. Looking to Yolanda, she nods. I sit down next to Jeremy. The paramedics close the doors on us.
Looking at the paramedics from the window, Mr. Delmas says something to them before they nod and follow him. I look at Jeremy, whose eyelids continue moving.
My father never mentioned to me a time where this happened… He must have really regretted this moment, I think. Jeremy, I wonder if you'll learn your lesson after this?
Suddenly, I hear a click from the front of the ambulance. The ambulance suddenly starts by itself, the engine revving before it takes off at high speeds, knocking me to the ground.
The sirens start blaring as the emergency vehicle drives itself. I narrow my eyes while getting back to my feet, thinking, It can only be Xana's doing; he's taken over the ambulance!
Looking around, I see an oxygen tank, likely standard issue for the paramedics. Picking it up, I smash it against the glass partition between the two parts of the ambulance. After a few slams, the glass cracks and shatters, falling to the floor of the ambulance. Carefully going over the shards, I move to the front seeing that we're on the street now. Looking at the gear shift, I grab it and try to move it to park, but it shocks me forcing me to let go.
"Xana, you little pest!" I growl.
Going to where Jeremy is, I go to the rear doors and grab their handles, trying to pull them open, but they don't budge. Happening to look out the window in the back, my eyes widen as I see Yumi pedaling a bike as fast as she can to pull alongside the ambulance. I carefully step over the glass and roll down one of the windows in the front as she catches up.
"Lila, Jeremy!" she calls over the roaring winds from the speed we're going at.
"Are you crazy?!" I exclaim, wondering how hard she must be pushing herself to keep up with a motor vehicle on a bike. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to get you guys out of there! Can you stop this thing from the inside?!" she exclaims.
"No, I can't!" I frown and think about how I was able to open the window.
"Try grabbing the handle on the door!"
"Right!" The ambulance starts going faster, and I stop seeing Yumi.
Try to get back to us Yumi! I internally plea. Looking at Jeremy, I sigh with concern. Xana must've left the front doors and windows open because he knew that I'd only leave if I could take Jeremy with me. He's in no condition for jumping out, and the stretcher would only fit through the back.
Hearing a click on the side door, I go over to it. My eyes widen in shock as I see Yumi holding onto the handle, but she loses her bike a moment afterward. She opens the door but is hanging off the side of it.
"I've got you, Yumi!" I exclaim. Going over to her, I place my feet firmly on the ground and reach my hand towards her. Yumi climbs on the side of the door and grabs my hand before pulling herself inside and quickly closing the door. She's sweating and breathing hard as she leans against the wall.
"Thank goodness, you made it," I say in relief. "But how?"
"I took a shortcut to intercept it and jumped on," Yumi replies between breaths as she rubs her no doubt aching thighs. She composes herself, though, and stands up straight with only a slight wince, "Now, we need to stop this thing!"
"I tried that, but the gear shift is electrified," I explain.
"Not good," Yumi frowns. Going over to the front, she sits down in the driver's seat. I go to the right side and sit on the passenger seat as she asks, "Where's this thing headed anyhow?"
I shake my head, "Knowing Xana… he has three of his seven obstacles stuck in this van. Something tells me it's nowhere good."
The ambulance sharply turns to another street. Hearing groaning from Jeremy, we go to him. He starts opening his eyes.
"Jeremy, Jeremy," Yumi calls, trying to rouse him further.
I smile, "Thank goodness you're okay!"
He gasps and looks at us, "Yumi, Lila, what's going on?'
"Just huge problems, the same old routine. Before we do anything else, we have to get out of here," Yumi says, opening the side door. Jeremy closes it and looks at us.
"Hey, don't you think we ought to stop the ambulance first?" he asks.
"I tried that already, Jeremy! Xana's not so keen on letting us-" I start explaining, but the ambulance makes another turn, tossing the three of us to the side. Getting up, Yumi and I look at the front. Our eyes widen.
"Make it fast, because we're heading straight to the river!" Yumi exclaims.
Jeremy hurriedly climbs to the front and gets underneath the steering wheel. Opening a compartment, he starts messing with a few wires. Yumi and I watch the ambulance get closer and closer to the river bank.
"Jeremy…" I urge. "If you have a plan, try to hurry…!"
"Almost… ugh! I got it!" Jeremy exclaims, ripping the wires out of the ambulance. The ambulance's engine and sirens abruptly cut off and we're jarred slightly as it slows down dramatically, the vehicle coming to a gradual stop before reaching the water.
"How did you learn to do that?" I ask Jeremy.
"In those shows that Odd gets us to watch every now and again, one of them showed the character hotwiring a car. I just applied the same principle in reverse," Jeremy says while adjusting his glasses.
"Really?" Yumi asks incredulously. "You learned it from a TV show?"
I shake my head, "Now that you mention it, I do remember that episode. Ugh. Odd will never let us hear the end of that."
Jeremy smiles at us, "Now, let's get out of here."
We smile back and I grab the handle of the door. Electricity starts coursing through my hand again, shocking me into letting go. Looking at my hand, it's red from the burns.
"Ugh… of course it can't be that easy," I say. Looking around us, we see the entire ambulance has been electrified.
Jeremy grimaces, "It seems Xana came up with a plan B. Think the others are at the tower yet?"
"They are, look!" Yumi exclaims. Looking through the window, the three of us see a big white bubble. Sighing in relief, it engulfs us, sending us back in time.
Earlier the same day
At the vending machine
Waiting for Jeremy again, the seven of us look to see he's not here.
I hope you're okay… I think.
"Don't tell me he's out cold again," Ulrich says, holding a different beverage than before. I can hardly blame him; after having the same drink twice in such a short period, I'd probably want something different too.
Outside Jeremy and Cameron's room
Deciding that we should check on Jeremy to make sure there wasn't a repeat of the earlier incident, we go to his and Cameron's room. Aelita knocks on the door before opening it.
"Jeremy!" Aelita exclaims in surprise as we see him crush what looks like some sort of headset.
"I checked the calculations I've done in the past few weeks and most of them were wrong!" Jeremy curses.
Odd walks into the room, "So, you were destroying your health without improving your brain power? I wouldn't call that a very good deal."
The rest of us walk into the room and Yumi moves to Jeremy's side.
"Do you think Xana had something to do with it?" she asks.
"He certainly put me on the track," Jeremy answers. "But the information did come from Franz Hopper's diaries."
"In some ways, then, we have not one, but two enemies," Ulrich says.
"I'm not so sure, Ulrich," I say, defending Grandpa Schaeffer.
Jeremy shakes his head, "Hopper is certainly not an enemy. But his discoveries are out of our league. I think we'd better be careful."
"For now, the most important thing is that you get back to being your old self again," Aelita smiles.
"Definitely," Cameron nods.
"You were really getting grouchy Jeremy. Like Doctor Shrank, or even worse," Odd gestures to Ulrich.
Jeremy snorts, "What, Ulrich?"
"Hey, I am not . . ." Ulrich replies but trails off before acknowledging Odd's point with a grunt. All of us can't help but laugh at him.
"Yeah right, give me a break," the blond laughs.
Later
In the park
Cameron and I sit down on the park's bench. We're silent for a while as I wait for him to talk since he's the one who called me out here. I hope that we can make up.
He turns to me, "I wanted to say… I haven't been distancing myself from you because of what you told me. In fact, I'm glad you did. Even if you're like Aelita, you two are just as human as the rest of us. That being said…"
"Yeah?" I ask, prompting him to continue.
"The reason I've been distancing myself from you is that…" he stops, stands up and puts a hand in his pocket. When he turns around again, his eyes are closed, as if he's deep in thought.
"What is it Cameron?" I reach towards him, meaning to pull him back to the bench.
Before I can make contact, he takes something out of his pocket, and my eyes widen. It's small, silver... It's... It's a gun! Before I can react, he pulls the trigger, and my world shrinks down to the pain in the wound, darkness creeping into my vision before everything goes black.
TO BE CONTINUED IN:
A bad turn
This story will now be set as rated M due to graphic violence. However, it will continue in its typical T rating. Readers have been advised.
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LyokoWarrior1994