Disclaimer: Code Lyoko is copyrighted by Moonscoop.
I only own Lila and Mia. Mary is owned by AeroJester203. Kayori is owned by decode9.
This chapter was written by me. It was edited by AwesomeFanFictionAuthor.
Secrets
Inside the scanner room
POV Lila's
Mia, Sissi, and I are back in the scanners. The scanners doors open and we walk out. The scanners doors close so Jeremy can materialize the others, since we were caught off guard by some Krabs.
"Talk about a mission. Those Krabs, I swear," Mia sighs.
"Yeah, they were pretty bad this time," I say.
"And my Lady Luck ability was no use at all," Sissi sighs. "That stupid joker symbol," she mutters.
The three of us look at the freight elevator's doors, they open.
"Here I am, Jeremy - you can send me-" Yumi starts to say but sees us. She walks over to us.
"What are the three of you doing in here?" she asks. She reaches us. Mia rubs her head nervously.
"Well Yumi, the thing is-" she starts to say, and Jeremy interrupts her.
"Lila, Mia, and Sissi were devirtualized during their mission. And you got here just in time to welcome Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich back from their mission," he explains.
"You already deactivated the tower?" Yumi asks. We nod. One of the scanners open, revealing Ulrich.
"Hey Yumi, what happened to you?" he asks. Another scanner opens, revealing Aelita.
"Didn't you hear your cell phone ring?" Aelita asks. Odd's scanner opens.
"Nothing to worry about," Odd says as he walks out. "I oversleep at least three times a week. Of course, with Ulrich, it's a question of survival."
Yumi crosses her arms, clearly upset. "Actually, it's not the only thing that's beginning to bring me down."
Later that morning
By the vending machines area
Jeremy is sitting on the garden ledge, working on his laptop. Aelita, Odd, Mia, Sissi, and I are all sitting on the ground. Odd is reading an edition of the Kadic Harold.
"Don't worry, Jeremy. We're going to make a fabulous report," Aelita says, trying to reassure him.
"Well, we'd better. It counts for the whole semester," Jeremy says.
"I'm glad the three of us are in a group. Who's speaking for our report?" Mia asks.
"Not me," I reply.
"I'll do it then. Sissi, I'll need you to chime in on some points. I'm glad you were able to do some of the research, Lila," Mia says.
"Me too," I nod.
Ulrich walks over to us and looks at Odd. "So, what's the latest in the world of Kadic junior high today?" he asks.
"Is Judith Nevers going out with Ronald Limozan?" Odd quotes.
"Who are Judith Nevers and Ronald Limozan?" Ulrich asks.
"How should I know? Anyway, it seems they're going out," Odd says.
Jeremy's laptop starts beeping and I hear a window popping up. A few seconds later I hear the confirmation sound for an activated tower.
"Oh no, I don't believe it. A Xana alert," Jeremy confirms.
"Not again," Ulrich complains.
"Yeah, and the big problem is Aelita, Lila, Sissi, Mia, and I can't get out of History class. Not this time," he says. Odd gets up and puts his hand on Ulrich's shoulder.
"Hey, don't sweat it Einstein, Ulrich and I will go and get ready. When you get there, you can send us to Lyoko. But all of you should finish your reports as fast as possible," Odd says.
"We will. At least you and Ulrich went already," I say. I get up and shoulder my backpack.
"Yeah, that's true," Odd says. Sissi gets up and puts her backpack on.
Odd takes his hand off of Ulrich's shoulder and goes over to Sissi. He kisses her cheek and she smiles.
"Good luck with the report," he says.
"Thanks," Sissi smiles. I smile too.
Inside Mary's house
In Mary's study
POV Mary's
Again, Future Xana orders. I shape shift into Sissi and then into William.
Focus your powers, Mary. You can do this. You are physically healthy. Channel that energy and focus it into your hand. One or both of them. Now!
I breathe in and out, channeling my powers, while still posing as William. I focus them into my right hand and see a spark of white electricity click on my fingers. Just as I do, I feel faint...and my body returns to its normal form...and I stumble a few feet back onto the chair that is behind me.
Why is this happening to me? I don't understand. It's like there's some sort of mental block, I groan.
Mary, my current self kept you inside the Scyphozoa mind's for a long time. You should have been freed in a shorter amount of time. If the Lyoko Warriors had a strategy when battling that Scyphozoa, then you wouldn't be having these issues, Future Xana says.
That spark is a good sign, is it not? I ask.
It is. Mary… has anything else been bothering you lately? Future Xana asks. I nod.
I'm really concerned about Lila. What she told us the other night… I think she's keeping secrets from us. I think she experienced something because of time travel, I say.
Everything is the same as you first were imprisoned within the Scyphozoa, isn't it? Future Xana asks.
For the most part. She and the group never really explained why Cameron left, though. Or why Sissi of all people was allowed to be a Lyoko Warrior. I understand she's changed and that she's more trusting now. But still… what could have brought this together?
I see… I do understand what you are saying. It is puzzling… Future Xana trails off.
Afterwards
Inside the factory
POV Lila's
Having rushed through our reports, Aelita, Jeremy, Mia, Sissi, and I are walking to the freight elevator. All of us had to go back to our rooms and drop our bags off. Aelita stayed outside the dorms as a lookout just in case a teacher came by.
"Do you think we'll get a good grade?" Aelita asks, as we turn to the freight elevator. "It was a little fast," she admits.
"We rushed ours too, don't forget," Mia says.
"Yeah, I think we'll be okay," Sissi says. We start walking into the freight elevator.
"And besides, Mr. Fumet said a one page presentation. He didn't give us any time limits," Jeremy adds. Aelita presses the red button and the freight elevator's hangar door starts to close.
"It seems lately Xana is getting more and more active," she says.
"Tell me about it," I sigh. "It's making things difficult, always having to come up with an excuse for Kayori. I'm sure she's mad at me for rushing out like that."
"We're constantly on Lyoko," Aelita says. I hear footsteps but then it's too late and William manages to slip into the elevator. The hangar door closes behind him, trapping us. We're all shocked to see him.
"Sorry to interrupt, but do you mind telling me who this Xana dude is?" William asks.
Oh man… not good… I think.
Inside the lab
The freight elevator brings us down to the lab and the doors open.
"Oh, there you are - we already started things up. You're turn, Einstein," Odd says. We walk into the lab with William.
"What's William doing here?" Odd asks as he gets off of Jeremy's chair.
"I guess he must have followed you guys," Jeremy says, pointing at us.
"Wow, what is this thing? And what do you guys do in here?" William asks. Ulrich makes a fist and punches his other hand.
"Why don't I clobber you?" Ulrich asks.
"Yeah, try it if you think you're good enough," William replies, crossing his arms.
Jeremy starts walking to his chair. "Calm down, our priority now is the tower. A simple return to the past, and William won't remember a thing," he says, sitting on his chair.
"I wouldn't bet on that, huh? I remember everything, and I'm great at holding a grudge," William mentions.
"Where's Yumi?" Aelita asks.
"She's unreachable, so that's her secret," William says, and walks a little bit further into the lab. He places his hands on his hips. "Now I understand why she didn't want to tell me anything,"
"Maybe she didn't tell you anything because she doesn't trust you," Sissi surmises. William shrugs and Jeremy starts typing on the keyboard.
"We're going to have to make do without her, but I don't like this at all," Jeremy says.
"Jeremy, if you want, I'll go and get her," Mia offers.
"Are you sure, Mia?" I ask. Mia nods.
"I don't mind," she says.
"Well, if you need Mia to stay here, I can go and get Yumi if you want," William offers. Jeremy stops typing and looks at William, Ulrich and Odd look at him too. He smiles.
"Look William, as much as I'm sure they appreciate the offer, I think you're better off staying here," Mia says.
"What, you don't trust me too?" William asks.
I'm about to say something and my phone buzzes. I got a text from Kayori.
We need to talk. Can you meet me by the bench in the park?
"Everything okay Lila?" he asks, noticing the look on my face.
"Kayori wants to meet, but I need to be there on Lyoko. I can always reply to her later," I say.
"Okay, how about this - if you don't trust me with Yumi - then trust me with Kayori. I'll tell her you have bad reception or something and you can't get to her right now," William offers. He shifts his feet. "Come on, I just want to help."
I look at William and then sigh.
"Fine, she wants to meet me by the bench in the park," I tell him.
"Okay," William says.
"I'll head out with him and try to get in contact with Yumi, before getting to the pool," Mia says.
"Be back as soon as you can," Jeremy says.
Afterwards
"I really hope William doesn't say anything to Kayori about this place. I don't want her to be in danger because of Xana," I say. Ulrich nods.
"Yeah, let's hope he doesn't rat you out," he says.
"That's not his style. I'm sure he wouldn't tell Kayori where Lila is. When Mia gets back with Yumi it'll help, because we don't know what kind of dirty trick Xana is preparing," Odd says.
"Well all we can do is wait and see what happens," Sissi says.
"Sissi is right. All of you should head down to the scanner room," Jeremy says. I nod.
"Okay."
Lyoko's Ice Sector
Sissi and I virtualize first. Opening my eyes, I see that we're falling and soon land safely on the ice.
"I better do this now: Lady Luck!" Sissi exclaims. The slots in Sissi's bracer start spinning. The slots lock in, and two of the four slots have symbols, a spade and a club. The third and fourth ones remain empty.
"Haven't had that one in a while," Sissi comments, possibly referring to the club symbol.
"Virtualization!" Jeremy exclaims. Looking up, we see Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich virtualize.
"Here come your vehicles," Jeremy informs. Our vehicles materialize above us. The Overboard, two Overbikes, and my broomstick fly down to us. Odd gets onto his Overboard and Aelita gets on with him. Sissi gets onto her Overbike.
"The activated tower is in the northern edge of the sector. From where you are, you should be able to see its halo."
Ulrich gets onto his Overbike and I get onto my broomstick's saddle. Sure enough, we can see the tower's halo from here.
"Hey, how come you're always right, huh Einstein?" Odd asks, putting his hands on his hips. Aelita puts her hands on his shoulders.
"Okay Jeremy, we're on it," Ulrich says, and we all take off towards the tower.
At the park
By the bench
POV Kayori's
Looking at my phone, still no response from Lila, I sigh. I put my phone in my pocket.
I really need to tell her about this. She should know, I think.
"You're Kayori, right?" A voice asks me. Looking up, I see that it's William Dunbar. I nod.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Do you mind if I sit?" William asks.
I shrug. "Go ahead. It seems my girlfriend isn't showing up." William sits down.
"About that," he says, speaking up. "Lila wanted to let you know that she has bad reception. She couldn't get back to you," he explains. I raise my eyebrow.
"You know where Lila is?"
William nods and looks at me. "I do."
"Can you tell me where?" I ask. He smiles.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Why wouldn't I believe you? That doesn't make sense." I raise my eyebrow again. William gets up from the bench and looks at me.
"Follow me and I'll show you where Lila is. Bit of a warning though, this is kind of a secret," he mentions.
"Okay… so if it's a secret and Lila doesn't want me to know, I'd prefer she told me herself. Not you," I say.
"I can respect that, but Lila's phone has bad reception remember?"
"Fine, go on." I sigh, "But a bit of warning for you. Try anything, and I'll kick you into next week. I've taken a few defense classes."
"Relax, it's not like that. Seriously, she's just a few minutes away," he says.
"Okay then," I say as he starts walking. I follow.
POV Mia's
Reaching the swimming pool, I see Yumi is doing some swimming thing Jim told her to.
"Jim?" I ask him. He looks at me.
"Bedard? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?" he asks. Yumi swims back up and her head pops out of the water.
"Oh, um, see the thing is, Hiroki really needed Yumi. He's been trying to reach her," I lie.
"What does the dweeb want now?" Yumi asks, she swims back over to us and her class seems impressed with the fluidity of her movements.
"He needed you to bring his lab report to him. It's really important," I say, hoping she'll catch on. She hops out of the pool.
"Lab report?" she asks. I nod.
"It's sort of an SOS kind of thing," I tell her. She finally makes the realization.
"Oh, that lab report. That's right. Jim, do you mind?" she asks him.
"Well… alright. Go, but tell your brother to not forget his assignments," Jim says.
"I will, sir," Yumi says. She goes over to a bench and Jim continues the lesson. Yumi takes her towel and walks over to me.
"I'll meet with you as soon as I've changed, wait for me if you can," Yumi says.
"I will," I say, and Yumi wraps herself in the towel. She makes her way to the girl's locker room.
Dad, please don't do anything stupid to upset the others. I really want you to become a Lyoko Warrior. I hope you stayed in the lab, I think.
Lyoko's Ice Sector
POV Lila's
We drive along the path and hear robotic legs clicking. Looking back, Aelita and I see a large group of Kankerlats pursuing us.
"Okay, I'll take care of them," Aelita says. Ulrich revs up his Overbike and so does Sissi. I urge my broomstick to go faster as well. I look back to see Aelita summon her energy field in the palm of her hand.
"Energy field!" she exclaims and fires at one of the Kankerlats. It hits the Kankerlat, shocking it, and then explodes.
Looking up, Aelita asks Jeremy:
"You know how many of them there are?"
"Um, a big gang of them," Jeremy answers.
"Thanks, nothing like precision," she says. Holding out her hand she summons another energy field, then launches it at one of the Kankerlats. The energy field hits the Kankerlat, shocks it, and it explodes.
"Here we go!" Ulrich exclaims and starts driving his Overbike upward. Odd flies high up with Aelita. Turning forward, I kick my broomstick into the air to go higher. Sissi is about to go higher too.
However, just as she and Ulrich are about to go higher, two Kankerlats latch onto the sides of their Overbikes. Sissi and Ulrich speed ahead of us from below, trying to shake the Kankerlats off their vehicles.
"Sissi, up with me!" Ulrich exclaims.
"Right!" Sissi exclaims. She revs up her Overbike and goes faster. I look back, and as I watch them, I can't help but feel bad that I can't focus my powers right now.
Even if I could, it's not like I have a clear shot at them, I think.
Ulrich and Sissi steer their Overbikes to an ice wall. They start bashing the Kankerlats against it. Ulrich and Sissi each manage to destroy one of them. Together, they drive their Overbikes into another ice wall, smashing the remaining Kankerlats.
"Sorry guys, but we don't play favorites! Same treatment for everyone!" Ulrich exclaims.
"Yeah!" Sissi exclaims. They drive back over to us, and Ulrich looks up at Aelita.
"Aelita, climb aboard!" Ulrich exclaims. Aelita jumps down from Odd's Overboard and onto the back of Ulrich's Overbike. Odd makes a turn and flies his Overboard towards the Kankerlats.
Urging my broomstick to turn, I let it take full control and get my bow out. I put an arrow on the bow, holding the arrow I pull the drawstring back.
Aelita fires two Energy Fields off at two Kankerlats. I release an arrow, and it flies at another Kankerlat. Sissi is the only one who is unable to attack, since she doesn't have someone helping her on the back of her Overbike. One of the energy fields hits the ice, completely missing. The second hits hits its target and shocks it. My arrow flies through the target eye of a Kankerlat. Two of the Kankerlats explode.
A Kankerlat latches onto Odd's Overboard. Odd balances himself on one leg, and, using his Overboard, he chucks the Kankerlat into the air. Getting another out, I put it on my bow. I shoot an arrow through its target eye.
"No fair, I had that one!" Odd complains.
"Sorry Odd, just acted on instinct," I say. I hear lasers charging, and several are fired at me. My broomstick can't react in time. The lasers hit me, knocking me off my broomstick's saddle. I scream on my way down as I devirtualize in a cloud of pixels.
Back inside the scanner
The scanner's doors open and I start to fall but catch myself on the sides of the scanner.
Ugh, stupid Kankerlats! They're such pests! I think.
My phone vibrates and, pushing myself up, I walk out of the scanner. It's Kayori. I answer it.
"Kayori?" I ask.
"Hey, you finally got your reception back. I'm with William… are you below the factory level, in this lab place he told me about?"
My eyes widen.
"He - he told you about it?!" I exclaim.
"He did, but I don't really believe it. And we need to talk, Lila. Can you meet us outside? We're still waiting for two of your friends to get back," she explains.
"Okay…" I trail off and Kayori hangs up. I put my phone back in its pocket.
"Jeremy, I'm going to meet Kayori outside," I inform and start walking to the opened freight elevator.
"I heard. I guess Odd was wrong about William," Jeremy says. Reaching the inside of the freight elevator, I press the red button to go up. The freight elevator's doors close.
Afterwards
On the bridge
I walk over to Kayori and William who are just waiting by the side of the bridge.
"William, do you mind giving me a minute alone with Lila?" Kayori asks him.
"Sure thing. Yumi and Mia better get back here soon. Yumi really has some explaining to do," he says. He turns to walk away and smiles as he does. I look at him, annoyed, and walk to Kayori with a sigh.
"I'm sorry…" I trail off. Kayori shakes her head.
"Don't be. William's a jerk for telling me when I specifically told him not to. I would have rather had you tell me and not him," she says.
"Thanks…. So what did you need to talk about?"
Kayori sighs. "Um, Lila…" I look at her.
"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" She looks at me and shakes her head.
"No, it's not that. See, the thing is, earlier this morning-" she starts to say but then is interrupted.
"Hey, you guys!" Mia exclaims, panting as she and Yumi run over to us. They stop and catch their breath. William walks over to them. Yumi takes her phone out of her pocket and dials someone, I assume Jeremy.
"Jeremy?" she asks.
"It's me. I'm - we're on the bridge," Yumi corrects. There's a short pause.
"Oh no! I came too late to the party again," she says.
"Hey, who's that guy?" William asks pointing over to a man, he's tall and caucasian. He has brown hair and a long brown mustache. He's wearing a red hat and a gray suit, seems to be a company worker of some type. He wears black boots and he's shouldering a brown bag.
"Is he one of your big superheroes?" William asks.
"More like a big supervillain," Mia replies.
"Kayori, I really think you need to leave. I don't want you getting hurt," I say.
"Lila, like I told William, I took a few defense classes in PenCak Silat. I can help," Kayori says.
Yumi puts her phone to her ear again. "Jeremy, there's someone here possessed by Xana. So there's a chance we might be a little late."
There's a short pause and then Yumi hangs up.
"You mean that guy is your super enemy? An electric company worker? I was expecting something more gory," William complains. The possessed electric company worker drops his bag and starts running at us. Kayori gets into her defensive position. The possessed man runs closer to us and then jumps into the air. He makes a fist and lands, cracking the bridge with his bare hands.
"Gory enough?" Mia asks.
"Yup, I take it all back he's a super enemy electrical worker," William replies and we start backing up. The possessed man gets up and starts walking towards us. We continue backing up and Yumi's phone starts ringing. She answers it, there's a short pause.
"Yes I am, but maybe not for long, this guy is a terror," Yumi says. The possessed man runs at us, he swings his leg at Kayori, Mia, and me. The force of the kick is enough to throw Kayori and Mia against the ground.
Getting angry, I run at the possessed man and try punching him. He blocks my fist and tries to punch Yumi with his free hand. She dodges it, and the possessed man kicks me in the stomach. I'm hit hard, tossed to the ground with Kayori and Mia. Then Yumi gets kicked in the stomach and collapses against the side of the bridge, dropping her phone.
"Let me at him, Yumi. I'll take care of it!" William exclaims, getting into a running position.
"William, don't!" Yumi exclaims.
But William doesn't listen and takes off. He jumps into the air and attempts to kick the possessed man, but he grabs William's foot and throws him against the side of the bridge with Yumi.
Kayori and Mia start waking up, they groan in pain.
"Are you two okay?" I ask. They nod.
"Yumi?! Yumi, what's going on?!" Jeremy exclaims just loud enough to hear through the phone. The possessed man kicks the phone to the side, out of reach. He holds his right hand up to Kayori, Mia, and me, and aims his left hand at Yumi and William. He starts charging his hands with purple electricity.
"Uh oh, this isn't good," William says.
"Lila, I really hope we make it out of this because if we don't-" Kayori starts to say, but then the possessed man's hands stop sparking. He falls back and collapses. Mia and I sigh in relief.
"They did it," Mia says.
"Who did what?" Kayori asks confused.
"We'll explain everything in full later," I reply. Mia, Kayori, and I get up. I offer my hand to Yumi and pull her up. Mia offers her hand to her father. He takes it and she pulls him up. Kayori looks at the unconscious electrical worker.
Yumi's phone starts ringing and she walks over to it. She picks it up and answers the phone.
"Jeremy, nice going, you did it just in time," she informs. "We're good, but it was a close call," she says.
"What happened just now?" William asks.
"Yeah, can you explain just a little bit more, please?" Kayori requests.
"Well Jeremy, now that it's all over can you launch a return in time? So you know who doesn't interfere with us again. As for Kayori, I guess that's something Lila and Kayori will need to talk about after it's launched," Yumi says.
I smile when she says that, the possibility of Kayori becoming a Lyoko Warrior would be great.
"What makes you think this is all over? This guy works for expo bat," William mentions. Looking at the badge on his company's suit, it seems to be some sort of explosive.
Yumi puts her phone down for a moment. "Yeah, so?" she asks.
"If I'm not mistaken, this guy is with a company that specializes in building demolition. I bet he came here fully equipped to blow your factory sky high. Ka-boom," William explains. We get a closer look at his bag and there does seem to be a few containers. Kayori's eyes widen. Yumi puts her phone back to her ear.
"Did you hear what William just said?" she asks. There's a short pause.
"The Scyphozoa has got Aelita!" he exclaims loud enough for all of us to hear.
Aelita… no, she'll destroy the Ice Sector! I think.
Yumi walks a little bit passed us. "Why not launch a return to the past anyways, Jeremy?" she asks. There's a short pause again and then she hangs up the phone. She looks at me.
"We need to go," Yumi says.
"Right," I nod. "And the explosive?"
"Kayori, Mia, William, Odd, Ulrich and Sissi will look for the explosives," she replies, putting the phone in her pocket.
Kayori shakes her head. "No way! I'm coming with you. I have something important to tell Lila and I don't want to forget any of this. Besides… keeping this a secret isn't really going to be an issue," she says.
All of us raise our eyebrows and Kayori sighs.
Afterwards
Inside the freight elevator
Kayori, Yumi, Mia, and I are in the freight elevator. I can't help but think about what Kayori told me. Yumi and Mia look at William, Sissi, Odd, and Ulrich.
"Good luck, Yumi," Ulrich says.
"You too, you guys," she says. Yumi presses the red button, the freight elevator's hangar door starts closing.
"You guys find that dumb bomb so our factory doesn't go up in smoke," Yumi says.
"And please, all of you be careful!" Mia adds, before the hangar door shuts fully.
The freight elevator starts bringing us down.
"So, do you guys understand… that I can be trusted?" Kayori asks. We nod.
"I'll let Jeremy know you can be trusted and that you'll be sent in after the three of us. You need to be quick on your feet, though. Lyoko can be complicated, and if Aelita destroys the Ice Sector, one of us will need to devirtualize you first," Yumi explains.
"I understand," Kayori nods, though I could tell she didn't really understand half the words Yumi was saying. She'll catch on.
Afterwards
Inside the scanner room
The freight elevator's doors open.
"Jeremy, Kayori is with us. She'll be joining us for a little while," Yumi informs.
"What? Yumi, right now isn't the time for new recruits and-" he starts to say but I interrupt him as I walk in.
"Jeremy, Kayori can be trusted, and not because she's my girlfriend. We'll tell you why later, and we don't have time for arguments," I say.
"You're right. Okay then," Jeremy says. Yumi and Mia take their scanners. Yumi takes the left hand scanner, Mia takes the right. Kayori walks out of the freight elevator and walks over to me.
"Promise me this is safe?" Kayori asks, still a bit worried. I look at her.
"I promise," I say and kiss her on the cheek. She's surprised by this but smiles. I run to the scanner and get in.
"Transfer: Yumi, Transfer: Mia, Transfer: Lila," the scanners doors close.
Lyoko's Ice Sector
Opening my eyes, Yumi, Mia, and I are virtualized and we fall down. We land safely on the ice.
"Virtualization!" Jeremy finishes and Kayori is virtualized to Lyoko.
Our vehicles are materialized as well. Yumi's Overwing, Mia's Overboard, my broomstick, and Cameron's old Overdrive.
Kayori falls down on the ice, hard. I help her up without the usual mirth, as this is no time to laugh.
Looking at her outfit, she seems to be some type of roman warrior. On her back is both a golden shield and a sheathed sword. I'm not sure how the shield is being held, perhaps by a hook like my bow has. Her outfit is pretty simple, a red shirt with a full moon on it, and a black skirt that goes down to her ankles. Attached to her skirt is a belt, and on her right side of a belt is what appears to be a pouch similar to Mia's. She's also wearing black boots.
We look at Aelita as the Scyphozoa releases her. It retreats.
"It's okay, Jeremy. The Scyphozoa has just released Aelita," Yumi informs.
"She's probably going to head to a way tower to destroy the Ice Sector," he explains. I get onto my broomstick's saddle, the others get onto their vehicles, and Kayori steps onto the disc.
"And you've got to stop her from doing that at all costs," Jeremy adds.
"Tilt with your weight," I tell Kayori before Yumi and Mia take off. I kick my broomstick into the air, following them. Kayori is left behind for only a second. I hear the Overdrive on its way. A Megatank appears and rolls its way behind Aelita.
"Okay, consider it done," Yumi says. The Megatank stays behind and opens.
"Well almost," she says.
"If I can just get my whip, I'll-" Mia starts to say but Kayori takes the initiative. She urges her Overdrive forward and puts her shield on her arm. She jumps off the Overdrive and lands on the ice safely, holding her shield up. The Megatank charges its laser wave and fires at her. Somehow Kayori is able to hold her own against the laser wave.
She pushes her feet forward, trying to push the laser wave back.
"Lila!" Yumi exclaims, and flies above.
"Right!" I exclaim.
Taking my bow off its hook, I get an arrow and nock it onto the bow. Kayori continues pushing the Megatank's laser wave, whether it's her own strength pushing it or the shield's, I'm not sure.
I pull the drawstring back and let my arrow fly. The arrow flies at the Megatank which closes. It starts rolling away and the laser wave is cancelled out, breaking into pieces all over the ice. I put my bow back on its hook. Kayori gets back onto her Overdrive, which surprisingly wasn't destroyed during the fighting, and, tilting her weight, she pushes forward driving the vehicle.
Yumi, Mia, and I speed up too.
Afterwards
The Megatank leads us to an open path between two big walls of ice. Kayori is ahead of us, followed by Yumi, me, and Mia. The Megatank opens while rolling and charges its laser wave.
"You guys have got to get through the blockade of Megatanks," Jeremy informs.
This one is bad enough! I think. The Megatank unleashes its laser wave.
"Aelita is almost at the way tower."
Kayori and I fly our vehicles upwards, above the laser wave. Mia and Yumi drive their vehicles to the side of the wall. The Megatank starts charging its laser wave again. Mia and Yumi fly upward, too. Mia takes her whip and, gripping it, she swings her whip at the moving Megatank. It almost hits the Megatank, but misses. She puts her whip back in her holder. Yumi takes her Tessen fans out and opens them.
"Hiya!" she exclaims and throws the Tessen Fans at the Megatank. The Megatank closes and the Tessen Fans hit the top of the Megatank's shell and return to Yumi. She catches and closes them.
Kayori and I urge our vehicles to go faster as the Megatank opens again. It starts charging its laser wave again. The laser wave fires and hits Yumi's Overwing. It hits Mia's Overboard too, but thankfully the two of them manage to get onto the wall of the ice. The laser wave misses us because we're high up, but our vehicles scrape against the ice. We just can't get a good enough aim on this thing.
"Kayori, I think you might have a weapon you can use in that pouch of yours," I say.
"You might be right," Kayori says. We fly through the enclosed ice walls, and another laser wave fires off. We dodge it, but with the enclosed space we're too trapped. Yumi takes her Tessen Fans out again, and this time she chucks them high into the air. The Megatank charges it's laser wave and unleashes a much bigger laser wave than before. It spreads out, higher than last time.
Yumi's Tessen Fans slash the target eye, it starts sparking and the Megatank explodes. The laser wave stays, however, hitting all of our vehicles this time. We all go down, our vehicles scrape along the ground and finally explode.
"Are you guys okay? Yumi, Mia, you guys don't have a lot of life points left. Kayori, Lila, that crash cost you half of your life points," Jeremy informs.
We start running to catch up to Aelita.
Afterwards
"Jeremy, it's okay! We see her!"
We keep pushing forward and finally come to an open space with a way tower. Yumi takes one of her Tessen fans out, she throws it at Aelita who is running to the way tower. The Tessen Fan hits Aelita, knocking her down. The Tessen Fan returns to Yumi, she leaps, catches it, and puts it away. Aelita gets up, and looks at us.
"I'm sorry Aelita, but we don't have any choice," Yumi says.
"Xana, just give her up. There's four of us and only one of her," I say. Aelita smirks, and holding out two of her hands she quickly summons her energy fields and launches them at Kayori and Mia, who are unable to dodge them in time. They're shocked by them, and they devirtualize in a cloud of pixels.
"And now there's two," Xanafied Aelita says.
"You'll regret that!" I exclaim. Charging my gauntlets with electricity, Yumi takes out her Tessen Fan again. She throws her Tessen Fans and my lightning bolt amulet glows. My gauntlets are engulfed with electricity.
Aelita ducks at both Tessen Fans and I unleash my electricity blast. The electricity blast flies at Aelita who summons her energy fields again and combines them. The energy between cancels each other out and Aelita summons one energy field. Holding out her hand she launches it at me and I don't have enough time to react. The energy field shocks me and I devirtualize.
Inside the scanner
The scanner's doors open, Kayori and Mia are in the scanner room. I step out of the scanner and Kayori looks at me.
"I should have reacted quicker with my sword. Or a weapon in the pouch," she says.
"It's okay, it was your first mission," I say.
"Jeremy, how are the others doing?" Mia asks.
"They found the bomb," Jeremy informs.
"William will probably be taking care of it, then. I'm sure he'll know how to defuse it," Mia says confidently.
"How do you know?" Kayori asks.
"It's a long story," Mia replies.
"Yumi, another hit like that and it's game over for you. And then the Ice Sector as well," Jeremy informs.
Come on, Yumi. I know you can do it! I think. Jeremy sighs a sigh of relief. It seems Yumi succeeded.
Afterwards
Inside the lab
Yumi is sitting against Jeremy's chair, listening to William's request. Sissi is sitting against the holosphere with Odd.
"Oh come on! Please? I swear I won't tell anyone else. I admit it was a pretty bad thing to tell you, Kayori," William says, his hand in his pocket. Kayori nods.
"He really does deserve to be one of us," Odd says. "And even though Kayori is now in the group, we can always use another soldier."
Aelita has her arms crossed in a relaxed way. "And he's already proven he can help."
"That's for sure," Sissi agrees.
"Definitely," Mia says.
"Then let's put it up for a vote. If everyone votes yes, then William can officially become a member of our club," Jeremy suggests.
"If I may," Kayori says, raising her finger. "I need to tell you guys something. I told Mia, Lila, and Yumi earlier. There's a reason why I needed to become a member. My… my father's job is moving overseas…" she trails off.
"Oh no," Odd says. "When?" he asks.
"Soon," Kayori replies.
"How soon is soon?" Aelita asks.
"I'm not sure. A couple of weeks… maybe?" Kayori says. I sigh and the others look at me, concerned.
"Look, I'll admit I've always wondered where Lila was running off to. I would have found out sooner or later anyways from Lila, I'm sure she would have told me. But William really helped out, and to be honest I think the voting thing is really unfair," she says. "If it comes down to a single vote, one person would be responsible for him not becoming a Lyoko Warrior."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Jeremy asks.
"I'd like William to take my spot as soon as I leave," Kayori replies.
William smiles.
"Is that acceptable to all of you?" she asks.
Mia nods first, and the others nod, including William, but not Yumi. Kayori looks to Yumi.
"I'm not sure what happened between you two, but I'd really appreciate this," she says. Yumi sighs.
"Fine, but only when you leave. Not before," she says. William smiles.
"That's great, so then do I remember all of this? I mean I know I'll remember because I have a good memory but I take it there's another way?" William asks.
"There is," I say. "But I think baby steps will be best for now. Would you mind letting us tell you the second time around?"
"Sure, that's fine. You guys won't regret it," William says.
"Alright, and with that…" Jeremy trails off, he sits face forward and starts typing on his keyboard. He stops typing and presses the enter key.
"Return to the past now!" he exclaims. A big white bubble from the holosphere appears and engulfs all of us, sending us back in time.
The Same Day
Late at night
Inside Mary's house
POV Lila's
I'm sitting on Mary's new sofa recliner. She told Delmas I would be spending the night here with her. He didn't seem to mind. Besides, her house is pretty close to the school. It's about a ten minute walk. Mary had cooked dinner, and now, knowing she was the one that cooked a lot of my meals, not my father, it makes sense why I always thought my father's cooking tasted different.
She sits on the couch, not having eaten since she doesn't need to eat. Mary folds her hands and looks at me, contemplating a question she wants to ask. She sighs.
"Lila… Future Xana and I were wondering… what did you mean on that phone call the other day, 'Believe me Mary. I know that by now,'" she quotes. I sigh, looking down, and can't respond.
"Okay… well, if it helps, let me tell you how I've been recovering. Physically I am okay. I have most of my powers back, and I can transform into any of the others."
"Most?" I ask. "What do you mean by most of your powers?"
"I have not been able to generate my electricity powers fully, just a spark. And I cannot transform into my white smoke form, nor do I have the capability of helping you against the current Xana in secret on earth," she explains. My eyes widen.
"I see…" I trail off.
"Please Lila, please tell me what happened during the time I was trapped inside the Scyphozoa's mind," she pleads. "Why did Cameron leave the group?"
This isn't going to be easy. "Mary um…" I trail off. "Cameron left the group because he…"
"He…?" Mary asks.
"He killed Aelita… Aelita from the future," I reveal. Mary's eyes widen in shock.
"He did… what?" she asks. She unfolds her hands.
"Cameron was under Xana's control, but we didn't know. He had these chips Xana used to control people without possession. It affected me differently, it was a power dampener for me on Lyoko," I explain.
"And why would Aelita need to come from the future? What you're suggesting is that this current timeline… isn't the one I know."
"It's not. Cameron of course doesn't know he killed Future Aelita, because the chip had to constantly erase his memories, to make him focus on one single goal, but he eventually broke free just long enough to let us help him. I had to lie to him about these nightmares he mentioned having of killing Future Aelita, by telling him they were just nightmares. The first sign of this possession was back when Aelita had her first DJ experience, but we thought he was possessed because of an activated tower."
Mary looks at me seriously. "You didn't answer the question. Why would Aelita need to come here from the future?"
I meet Mary's eyes.
"Because… I died in the future. And Future Aelita prevented my death."
How will Mary respond this time around? Her first reaction wasn't so great with Aelita in the dark saga timeline.
Author's Note: As you saw, William will become a Lyoko Warrior in season 3 like he did in the show. Will he become possessed this time around in Final Round? Who knows…
Stay tuned!
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LyokoWarrior1994