Code Xana Episode 91: Hard Times
Author: James the Lesser/The Bunnyman
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own These Characters! Moonscoop Does! Actually, I own most of these characters, I made them up, but the place and the settings and the back round stuff is Moonscape.
Please read my episodes, 53-119 plus the OVA of Code Lyoko to know what is going on. Oh and Code Xana the Movie and Episode 1-91
At the lunch table everyone notices that one group seemed to be broken up. Barack is sitting alone, as is Ark with Mira. Everyone heard how Skitz Della Robbia had been kicked out for doing drugs and rumors were everywhere. Most rumors said Sanne Belpois had been doing drugs also but that Jim, being the eldest teacher there, was able to talk the Principal into keeping her. People resented this kind of special treatment even though it wasn't true. After serving three detentions Sanne was feeling horrible. She only had Krieger to sit with her at lunch and this reminded her of the other world where she only had Skitz.
And another rumor was out there. Sora was dead, or ran away, or went back home. No one really knew except the teachers, the Principal, and one small group of students.
After lunch Sanne is sitting in science class trying not to think about everything that had happened. Sora's death, Skitz's drug use, and the other world she had been in. It was all so much for one little girl to handle. She reaches under the table and grabs Krieger's hand squeezing it. He squeezes it back. Times were hard on the entire group but things were going to get much harder.
After science was gym class. After changing into gym clothes the group is led outside for some track and field. Unfortunately this separates Sanne from her Jpocket. Xana takes his chance and attacks it before making plans for launching his newest attack on the group.
After gym class the group is supposed to meet at the Factory. Unfortunately only Krieger, Sanne, and Dante meet. "This is bad." Dante looks at Sanne. "You did the right thing for Skitz's sake but for the rest of us, I don't know."
"Skitz was doing drugs. She might have been high when we nearly lost Sanne, did lose Sora." Krieger defends Sanne's actions.
"I know that. I, but we are missing three members right now who should be here. Another one is in America. And Sora, she, we don't know."
"I looked it up. She, she lived south of here. Her parents are having the funeral tomorrow. I want to go but we have classes and it's really far from here." Sanne holds back tears. Sora had died a hero and yet only she and her friends would know. "Well, what do we do?"
"I talked with Naia and she said that Xana hasn't done anything. I think he is worried that we may call the adults and is holding back."
"Maybe. Or he is waiting for us to let our guard down. I think we need to take a different path. Instead of waiting for Xana to attack we need to attack." Sanne's plan isn't accepted well.
"We can't attack him. We don't have the power."
"No, Dante, we can fight fire with fire. I've had an idea for awhile but not sure if it would work."
"What is it?"
"Xana is a virus, or a program that was infected with a virus, right?"
"No." Sanne's confused look makes Dante explain. "He was a program that merged with your Grandmother. Her hatred for Franz corrupted Xana and it warped him. Not a virus."
"Well, still, we make a virus and infect Xana with it. If it doesn't destroy him it should at least hurt him."
"A virus? But, how would that work?" Krieger decides to jump in. He knew that anything that involved the Super Computer and programs he would be clueless so wants a little explanation.
"I don't know. It would have to be more then a Trojan Virus which are easy to make. Dante and I will have to work on it. It might be impossible but I doubt it. He's powerful but he is a computer program."
"Well, um, I can't help you guys with that." Krieger hates being useless but with this he was.
"You can Krieger. You have to talk to the others. Without them we can't fight and stop Xana. While Dante and I work on this you have to go and work on that. Starting tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?"
"Because Jim is going to be checking on me, a lot, now. I can't be off campus after hours and especially not with you."
"But, why? Is he afraid you were doing drugs?"
"No, Krieger I'll explain it to you on the way back." Sanne turns to Dante. "Dante you can work on it alone but if I were you I'd take a break. We all need a break." Dante nods.
"Thank you Sanne."
"You don't need my permission to take a break Dante. You've been working harder then all of us." Sanne hugs him then whispers into his ear. "After ten if you want you can come to my dorm room. It's empty now that Skitz is gone." She lets him go. "Come on Krieger." Sanne and Krieger get on the elevator as Sanne explains to Krieger what had happened between her and Samantha.
Sanne puts her Jpocket on its charger and checks her Jtop to make sure the Super Scan was running. "I need a break. We all do. But we can't get one as long as Xana is out there." She lies down on her bed and stares at the ceiling. She doesn't notice the black mist coming out and pulling the battery pack out of her Jtop turning it off.
About half an hour later there is a knock at her door. Sanne gets up and opens it a little to see Dante. "Come in." Sanne opens the door far enough for Dante to get in then closes it behind her. "Hi Dante."
"Hello Sanne." Dante sits down on the bed that used to be Skitz's. "I, I'm not sure I want to do this."
"Do what?" Sanne sits down on her bed.
"I, well, when I was alone with Naia in her bedroom we would, how do you say, love making?"
"I, not now." Sanne blushes a little. "So you and Naia did have sex?" Dante nods. "Well, I'm not ready to do that with you. Dante I wanted to talk to you, first." Sanne sighs. "We can't keep doing this."
"I know. I understand and I'll let you and Krieger be happy."
"No Dante you don't understand." Sanne gets off of her bed then sits down next to Dante. "I, I think I know what, who, I want but I'm not sure I can tell the other one. I, I still love um, the one I am thinking about but I love the other one more and I, I," Sanne shakes her head. "It's all so confusing!"
"I'm sorry Sanne."
"It's not your fault. If I knew what I wanted it would be easier. Heck I, I even kissed someone else, I think." Sanne wasn't sure if she should tell Dante about the other world she had seen. "Dante, you're going to think I'm crazy but this," Sanne motions to the area around them. "Might not be real. This could all be in my head. I, when the Schipizoa had me I woke up in another world." Sanne tells Dante the story of the other world. The reason she wanted him to come to her room. "So I have no idea if any of this is even real."
"I think its real Sanne. I know the emotions I feel are real. I know the pain, the fear, the hatred I get and have from Xana is real. I know the love I feel for you is real." Dante kisses Sanne.
"I, I, it could be real." Sanne is getting more frustrated. "I'm going out of my mind about what to do with you and Krieger then I wonder if I should even care since this might not even be real."
"You should care Sanne, I do. We could try something."
"Like what?"
"You said you didn't enter the other world until the Schipizoa got you. I could use the Scanners to perform a process that could reflect what the Schipizoa did to you, replace your conscience with something else, and if you go to that world again then we maybe something is going on."
"I, that's dangerous."
"I understand and you don't have to do it if you don't want to."
"I, give me time to think about it." Sanne kisses Dante. "I love you."
"I love you too Sanne." They lie down on the other bed and make out, grope, for awhile until Sanne says it's late and Dante needs to go to back and she needs to go to bed. Unfortunately this is what Xana was waiting for.
Dante is on his way back to the Factory when he decides he wants to sleep, dream, for the night. He knew that what happened during the day usually reflected in his dreams and with what he did with Sanne he wanted that reflected. But the floor of the Control Room was uncomfortable and he didn't want to sleep there so he decides to try something. He goes and finds the ATM machine he used to get money out of his account then goes into the city. He finds a cheap motel and gets a room. "To sleep in a real bed. I haven't done that since Naia and I fell asleep on hers." Dante lies down on the bed and soon falls asleep.
Sanne wakes up the next morning and is surprised to see the bed next to her is empty. She takes a few seconds to realize that Skitz was gone. That bed would remain empty until, well, she didn't know. She might get a new roommate. She knew there were several students living in single bed rooms that weren't paying for single room beds. Now that a double bed room had an opening she knew one of them would be moved into it. She throws the sheet off and hears a weird clunking noise as if something hard had been thrown. She looks around and only sees the sheet and a pillow on the floor. "I have to get a shower and get ready for class. I forgot to shower last night. Things have just been so hectic lately." Sanne shakes her head. "I don't know if going to the other world will be a good idea or a vacation from all of this." Sanne grabs some clean clothes and leaves her room.
During math class Sanne is working on her test when the end of her pencil breaks. She grabs another one out but it breaks the second she touches the paper. She raises her hand. "Yes Sanne?"
"My pencils broke can I get up to sharpen them?"
"Yes but please be fast." Sanne gets up and sharpens her pencils then goes back to her chair. She goes to write on the test but again the pencils break. She goes to pick up the paper to see if anything was underneath it when she finds the paper doesn't act like paper but more like steel.
"What the frak?" She holds the test up and moves it around. It is as stiff as a sheet of metal. She hears another pencil break and looks over to see another student picking up the strange new paper. After a few more snapping sounds the teacher gets suspicious.
"What are you kids doing?"
"Uh, our tests, look." A student knocks the test against the table and it makes a loud banging noise.
"Let me see that." The math teacher gets up and goes over to the student. He picks the paper up and examines it. "What did you do to your test?"
"Nothing!"
"It happened to my test too."
"Me too."
"Me three." Ark makes a joke.
"Very funny children but April fools is not for another three weeks. Take out the real test and complete it."
"But these are the real tests." Krieger was getting annoyed. "I don't know what happened to them but we can't write on these."
"Very well, turn them in and I'll grade them right now!" The teacher, thinking this a joke, is angry.
"But I'm barely halfway through." Some other students grumble.
"Then you shouldn't have pulled this stupid prank!" The teacher collects the tests from the students.
After class Krieger goes over to Sanne. "What was that all about? Could it be Xana?" Sanne shakes her head.
"My Jpocket would have gone off if it was Xana. I don't know what, or who did that. Maybe someone dipped the paper in a special chemical that made them harden after a few hours or something."
"Well I had most of the test done so my grade won't be hurt much but I'm sure others aren't happy."
"Yeah." Sanne and Krieger continue to talk and don't notice how their clothes start to feel.
After lunch Sanne is finding it hard to move. Her clothes seem to be changing. Like they were becoming hard. "What is going on? First the tests and the milk carton took forever to open and now my clothes are acting weird. If my Jpocket was beeping at me I'd know it was a Xana attack." Sanne pats her pocket and feels her Jpocket. "Maybe the chemical leaked or someone is playing a prank." Sanne moves uncomfortably in her clothes.
Dante is getting back to the Factory after staying in a real bed. He had gotten lunch and was feeling pretty good. A good night sleep and a good meal would make anyone feel better. Of course something that would make anyone feel bad was about to be discovered by him. "Super Scan, Xana's attacking!" Dante runs over to the Control Panel. "Crap, Desert Sector." Dante gets his phone out. "Sanne, Xana's attacking." Sanne nearly drops her phone. Not from shock but from having a hard time gripping it as her fingers harden.
"But, my Jpocket didn't detect one."
"Well the Super Scan is beeping at me he is attacking. Hurry."
"We'll be there." Sanne hangs up with a little difficulty. "I'm cramping up, no, something. The attack!" Sanne shakes her head and calls Krieger. "Krieger, Xana's attacking. Call Ark."
"I, what if he doesn't want to come?"
"Tell him Xana is everything. It doesn't matter what is going on between the rest of us Xana beats it." They hang up. Sanne starts to call Skitz's number then stops. "She's not in the group anymore." She cancels the call and calls Barack. "Barack, Xana is attacking."
"I, I'll be there."
"Thank," Barack hangs up on Sanne. "You. He's still mad." Sanne puts her Jcell away and runs for the sewer entrance in the woods with some difficulty. Her clothes were hardening, her skin and muscles were hardening.
Ark and Krieger are arguing. "She sent my sister home! She'll turn on you Krieger! Just wait one little mistake and she'll send you home! I'm not going anywhere near her!"
"Skitz was doing drugs! That's not a little thing and you know it."
"It was just Jazz tell me you haven't tried it."
"Of course I've never done Jazz! Have you?"
"A few times, it's ok but I have better things to do."
"Ark why would you do drugs? It's bad for your health, illegal, and will mess up your life."
"Skitz's life wasn't messed up until Sanne ratted her out! You have fun with her. My sister told me some interesting things about her."
"I didn't know you could make phone calls in rehab."
"She's not in rehab! She's at home pissed at Sanne for turning on her! My sister isn't addicted to Jazz she's not a musician!"
"She told Sanne she would stop but didn't. I'd say that's an addiction." Krieger gets frustrated but not as much as Ark.
"Frak you! You have fun with Sanne when she isn't busy with Dante." Ark hangs up on Krieger.
Mira puts a hand on Ark's shoulder. "Ark if Xana's attacking we have to go. Come on."
"No! She turned on my sister! She might get me sent home next!"
"Sanne only did that because Skitz was doing drugs! Sanne gave her a chance to stop and she didn't."
"Of course you take Sanne's side you've never liked my sister."
"I, I'm going." Mira leaves Ark's room and goes to the sewer entrance in the woods.
Krieger is going down the sewers having a hard time. He hears a noise up ahead and soon catches up with Sanne who was also finding it difficult to move. "Sanne I'm guessing this is the attack."
"Yeah and he must have been doing it for awhile." Sanne stops and waits for Krieger to get to her. "He fried my Jpocket and I bet he did something to my Jtop so I wouldn't know."
"What about Dante?"
"I, he took a break last night so he might have gone into the city to do something."
"Like what? He's too young to go to a club."
"So are Skitz and Barack yet they got in. I'm guessing the best ID at a club is a hundred Euro."
"Despicable. Ark isn't coming by the way. I, I don't know about Mira. I didn't call her since she would have been right there."
"Don't pressure her. It has to be hard dealing with Ark right now." Sanne doesn't want to make Mira hate her by arguing with her. "I'm having a hard time breathing.
"Me too. If we get to the Factory and we can't climb up the ladder what will we do?"
"I'll call Dante and he'll find a way to get us up." They continue on their way to the Factory.
Barack is moving faster than the others when his legs seize up and he falls. At first he thinks his rollerblades hit something but his legs refuse to move. "My legs feel fine what's going on?" Barack touches his jeans and finds they are steel hard. "My jeans? Crap, well, I can take them off." Barack struggles to get his rollerblades off then works on his jeans.
Mira is going through the sewers when she sees Barack struggling with his pants. "What are you doing?"
"My pants, they, feel them." Mira goes over and feels how hard they are. "Strange isn't it? Just like our tests earlier."
"Yeah. Maybe this is part of Xana's attack. Want help?"
"Sure." Mira kneels down next to Barack and helps get his jeans off.
Sanne and Krieger are at the ladder and struggling to get up. Krieger tries to help push Sanne up the ladder but she can't get a tight grip on the run and falls off. "We have to call Dante."
"Yeah, ok." Krieger pushes Sanne off of him as she had landed very closely to a sensitive spot. Sanne struggles to get her phone out and has a hard time dialing the number.
"Dante, we need help."
"What? Where are you?"
"At the bottom of the ladder. Xana's making everything harden. Our clothes, muscles, stuff like that. We can't climb the ladder."
"I haven't been affected. I'll find some rope, tie it around you, and pull you up. Ok?"
"Works for me." They hang up.
A few minutes later the sewer cover moves and Dante comes down with a rope. "Hello Sanne, Krieger."
"Dante you're a life saver." Sanne smiles at him. "I guess I'm going up first." Sanne takes the end of the rope and starts to loop t through her belt loops.
"Ladies first." Dante helps Sanne tie a knot as her fingers weren't able to bend easily enough to tie one. Dante rubs Sanne a little getting a less innocent smile from her. It was accidental but the reaction still showed on Sanne's face. Krieger notices this but knows it was just an accident. Just Dante trying to help Sanne get out of the sewers. "Ok, Krieger catch her if the rope breaks or the knot comes undone." Dante climbs up the ladder and starts to pull on the rope.
"Ow!" Sanne hits her head a couple times but soon Dante has her out of the sewers. "Thanks Dante."
"No problem Sanne I need you, we need you." Dante undoes the knot, rubbing Sanne a little more and getting more of a reaction as he takes the rope out from her belt loops. "I'll be right back." Dante climbs down the ladder and helps Krieger put the rope through his belt loops and tie the knot.
"Dante," Krieger grabs him by the hair. "If I find out what Skitz said was true you will have a lot more to worry about than Xana."
"What has Skitz been saying?" Sanne had told Dante but he knew he had to act clueless. He wouldn't hurt things between Sanne and Krieger.
"Never mind." Krieger waits for Dante to climb up the ladder then pull him up and out of the sewers.
"Now comes the tricky part." Dante and the others look over the edge of the Factory entrance. "I'll lower you down Krieger then do the same for Sanne." Krieger is lowered carefully to the Factory floor. Dante jumps and swings down and unties Krieger before climbing back up to help Sanne tie the rope on and lower her down.
"This would almost be fun if I was able to move!" Sanne laughs a little as she swings on the rope tied around her waist. Dante swings down and unties her. "We better hurry I might have to bunny hop to the elevator if my clothes get any harder." Dante helps the two to the elevator.
A few minutes later Mira, with Barack, make it to the Factory. Mira has to help Barack which was difficult since he outweighed her and she was starting to stiffen up. But soon they make it to the elevator and go down to the Control Room.
"There they are." Dante has the transfers ready. "I sent Krieger and Sanne already."
"Ok." Mira doesn't stop to wonder why Dante didn't ask about Ark. Everyone knew Ark was taking it the hardest. As much as he said he wanted some freedom from his sister he loved her and was devastated. They take the elevator down to the Scanner Room.
"Transfer Mira, Transfer Barack, Scanner Mira, Scanner Barack, and virtualization." They land on Lyoko next to the others in the Forest Sector. "Sending vehicles and will be there soon." The vehicles appear and soon Dante lands on Lyoko in his mage outfit.
"The castle? I hate going there." Mira gets on the Overboard then Barack walks over.
"I, I'm used to the Overboard." Mira looks at Barack ready to argue over the Overboard then decides it wasn't worth it and gets off.
"Not the castle." Dante looks south. "He seems to be saving that for something." Dante gets on the Overwing with Mira. He nearly falls off when he hears a voice.
"Dante, there you are, where were you?" Naia sees him and tries to get him to talk to her but he ignores her. "Dante? Please, where were you? You weren't with Sanne were you? I counted to like a million before I stopped so you were gone for hours." Naia runs after Dante and the others as they take off for the activated Tower. She was slower then the vehicles but she wasn't going to let Dante ignore her.
Watching from his castle Xana waits then decides to make things more interesting.
"What was that?" Barack had seen a green light appear then disappear.
"I don't know but it can't be good." Dante looks around. "I don't see any monsters."
"Well maybe he was doing something with the Tower." Sanne is worried. What could Xana be planning? She and the others would soon find out, the hard way.
As they near the Tower they realize that this would be the first time they went that Sora wouldn't be there to fight them. "This should be easy." Barack gets his laser gun ready.
"I doubt it. That green flash had to mean something. Sanne be careful if he sends the Schipizoa run away as fast as you can."
"Ok." Sanne knew she wouldn't run but knew she had to be careful. Sora wasn't here to save her.
"Hey, I, crap." Mira finds her hand had hardened around the Overwing control. "I can't move my hand!"
"What? But, oh frak." Barack feels his legs harden.
"He, he moved the attack here!" Krieger could feel his body harden. "Sanne are you ok?"
"I think so." Sanne moves around a little. "I'm not hardening. My powers must be protecting me."
"I am also not hardening. We need to get to the Tower so this is probably best. As long as the others can distract the monsters." Dante gets his wand out.
As they get to the activated Tower three Assassins appear. "Not too hard. I, you know what I mean." Sanne closes her eyes and concentrates on her energy. "Scattershot!" The energy beams come out and it looks like the three Assassins will be wiped out in one massive blow but the energy beams slow down and the Assassins are able to move out of the way.
"The air is hardened. He didn't harden us he hardened the area around us." Dante fires energy orbs at the Assassins but after they leave his wand they slow down as though a rock going through syrup.
"This is, hey!" Mira dodges a laser fired from an Assassin. "They're slowed down to!" Mira dodges lasers easily as she gets close to the Assassin.
"Ow!" Krieger feels like he slammed into a wall as the air around the Tower hardened. "Sanne what do we do?"
"Bubble." The sphere comes up. "Find a way in before the Assassins get me and Dante." Sanne fires an energy beam at an Assassin.
"Alakazam!" The energy beam shoots out of Dante's wand but is slowed down like everything else.
"Stealth." Mira becomes invisible then jumps off of the Overwing. The Assassins shoot at the Overwing trying to hit Dante. Dante fires energy orbs to distract the Assassins.
"Alakazam!" The Assassins dodge the energy beam but one suddenly explodes as a Stealthed Mira gets it.
"Ala…" Dante stops. He sees an outline of a person near the activated Tower. "Naia?" Dante is distracted and a laser hits the Overwing destroying it. As Dante falls he tries to land near the outline.
"Super Leap!" Krieger leaps off of the Overbike at the remaining Assassins. They fire lasers at him but Krieger uses his shield to block the lasers. Mira takes her chance and destroys a second Assassin. The last one lashes out near where it thinks Mira is but misses. Krieger lands and swings his sword cutting the arm. The Assassin turns and uses its remaining arm to slash Krieger across the chest. "Aaaa!" Krieger falls backwards gripping his chest.
"Naia!" Dante runs towards the outline as it becomes more dense and take form. "Naia, how?"
"I don't know. This is Xana's doing."
"I, it must be." Dante walks towards her then hits the hardened air. "I, neither Sanne or I can get through."
"Take my hand." Dante sees a ghostly like hand move towards him. He reaches out and grabs it and feels his body tingle. "There we go. I, I can posses you. I tried the monsters and couldn't. I guess it's because of our closeness." Naia walks towards the hardened air. Dante's body shimmers then moves through it and into the activated Tower.
"He did it!" Sanne had been going around the activated Tower looking for a way in. "Guys don't worry Dante did it!" Sanne stops on the Overbike as Barack fires a laser at the last Assassin destroying it.
"I must leave you." Dante shakes and soon Naia separates herself from him. "Dante are you ok?"
"I think so." Dante puts his hand on the control panel and soon the screens fall around him. "Tower deactivated." Dante uses the control panel to send the others back to Earth.
"Whoa." Sanne hadn't noticed, had been too worried about the attack to see that Barack was just wearing boxers. "What happened?"
"The attack." Barack's short snappy answer stings Sanne. He was still mad at her for having Skitz being sent home. He goes over to the elevator. Mira follows him and gets on.
"I, Sanne I'm sorry but Ark's probably mad at me so I better go talk to him." The elevator doors close and go up to the Factory floor.
"Well, that was fun." Krieger sighs. "Sanne, want to go do something?" Sanne shakes her head.
"I have to work on the virus. You need to talk to Ark. I don't know about Barack. He came but he isn't happy with the three of us."
"Ok." Krieger gives a strange look at Dante then at Sanne. "I'll be back in about an hour with some food."
"Thanks Krieger." Sanne hugs him. "I'm going to need a lot of energy if I'm going to get this virus done any time soon. It could be weeks, months, years." Sanne shakes her head. "This is going to suck."
"But it will be worth it. I can go to Lyoko and work twenty four hours a day. That way if he attacks from his castle we'll know." Dante was trying to stay positive no matter how much hard work was ahead.
"Ok Dante. I'll go up and send you." Sanne and Krieger take the ladder up to the Control Room as Dante gets in the middle Scanner. Sanne sends him as Krieger waits for the elevator to come down.
"Sanne, I love you."
"I love you to Krieger." Sanne doesn't notice the way Krieger said it. He was becoming suspicious of Sanne and Dante and had a plan. He loved Sanne, he really did, but something was up and he wanted to know what it was.
A/N Ok, a couple reasons why I'm updating early. One, the last episode was short, and the more important reason…
READ JOHN MARSDEN LETTERS FROM THE INSIDE! DO IT AND TELL ME ABOUT IT OR I MAY GO ON STRIKE!!!!!!! Ok, I won't stop writing but you must read this book. Letters From the Inside is one of the greatest books I have ever read. The ending moved me so much I teared up, didn't cry, but I swear tears were forming. It was an amazing book. My Gods it was amazing. I sat down and read all 146 pages in one sitting. I checked it out from library but will have to buy it. It is an amazing book and if I find out NO ONE read it in like the next 2-3 weeks maybe I will go on strike. No excuses, read it, at least one person please, and tell me about it. I frakking swear you will love it and be moved.