The screams still haunted his dreams, the things he had done can never be erased. He had fought the battle for Lyoko for years, just not on the right side. The struggle against Xana grew harder everyday, until one day he could not longer resist.
He was now a soldier. No, he was a slave, a slave of Xana forced to fight. Time after time he was forced to fight the people who were once his friends, once his companions. No matter how violently he struggled, Xana always managed to regain control of his mind.
Days blended into weeks, and weeks into months, soon he had no idea how long he had been enslaved. Every day was torture, Xana made sure of that. When he wasn't fighting, the super computer was bombarding his mind with scenes of destruction centered around his friends.
Ever so slowly he began to crack, to fall apart under the constant hell he was in. Little by little he lost his spirit, and then his mind. No longer could he discern what was his memories, or a Xana created nightmare.
After years of work, years of torture, Xana had created his ultimate weapon. Now he could truly strike down the rabble of kids who called themselves the Lyoko Warriors, he could finally have victory.
Somewhere in Lyoko
William Dunbar sat leaning up against a white wall that served as part of his cell. His brown eyes stared unblinking at the other wall of his enclosure. Many of his days were spent like this, just waiting for Xana to send him out on an attack. He was dressed in his usual black and red battle garb, Xana did this to taunt him.
All around William's cell were large gashes scarring the wall's surface, this was from his Zweihander which leaned in the corner opposite of him. At first William had tried to escape, this was apparent from the thousands of wounds that covered the room.
"Good morning my dear pet", a voice whispered inside William's head, seconds later a black mist materialized inside the room. The teen didn't respond, he didn't even move. Xana chuckled as he floated over to his slave.
"I have another job for you", the voice hissed again, this time it's words echoed inside William's mind. Finally the teen's brown eyes focused on the form levitating in front of him. A tear slid down William's cheek, he already knew what his master wanted.
"Don't cry my dear boy, this is a momentous occasion", Xana cooed, his voice growing cheerful with grim satisfaction. For weeks the ego maniacal computer had been writing a program, one that would send William back to Earth.
"Now, let's go have some fun", Xana whispered as he slowly floated inside the boy sitting in front of him. As soon as the dark cloud disappeared, a red aura began to emanate from William's body.
"Fun sounds nice", William growled sisterly as he clambered to his feet. He raised a hand and his Zweihander shot to it's master only to disappear in a cloud of smoke when it hit his flesh.
Meanwhile on Earth…
Odd Della Robbia smirked in amusement as he listened to the angered shrieks of the school's number one diva, Sissy. The headmaster's daughter had just came across of one of the blonde's childish pranks, this one involving rotten milk and a bucket.
"Well, that was a job well done", he chuckled as Sissy stormed off to the showers reeking of sour milk. His long time friend, Ulrich, stood shaking his head at Odd's senseless and frankly disgusting prank.
"You realize that you're eventually going to get in a lot of trouble one day", the brunette commented once Sissy was a good distance away. In response, Odd gave a simple shrug and one of his signature smiles.
"It's worth it honestly", the blonde teen replied dusting his hands off on his dark purple jeans. Ulrich shook his head in disbelief, no matter what he tried he would never get through to his old friend.
"Stern, Della Robbia, you wouldn't have anything to do with this incident would you?" A deep voice demanded from behind the two teens.
"Why would you suspect something like this from a model student like me?" Odd questioned turning to face the school's groundskeeper, Jim.
"Don't lie to me Della Robbia", Jim replied waving a large finger at the svelte blonde. In response Odd gave his best look of innocence in an attempt to woo his opponent.
"It wasn't me Jim, honest", Odd protested trying on his best face of feigned innocence. This seemed to make the older man pause obviously not sure whether to believe the young trickster or not.
"I suppose I could let you off with just a warning", Jim pondered as he fingered the ever present bandage on his cheek.
"Thanks Jim, you're the best!" Odd declared before the older man could change his mind, within seconds the young blonde had disappeared into a crowd of students.
"It was him wasn't it?" Jim sighed placing his head in his hands just now realizing his mistake. Ulrich merely shrugged in response, he wasn't going to rat out his friend that easily.
Meanwhile at the factory
The heavy metal doors of one of the bronze scanners hissed open revealing the snarling face of William. The teen sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, it had been too long since he was 'outside'.
"Let's get a move on boy, I want to start this slaughter," Xana growled from inside the dark haired teen's head. William didn't respond, instead he silently reached for his Zweihander that usually adorned his back. To his surprise he found nothing but air.
"It appears that I couldn't virtualize your weapons or armour, looks like you'll have to improvise," Xana's voice hissed distastefully. Glancing down, William found what the diabolical AI said was true, he was in the clothes he wore so long ago. A sad smile spread across his face, it almost felt like he was home, almost. Despite being able to see and hear everything going on William wasn't in control, Xana made sure of that.
The teenager was in some sort of trance as he stalked over to the steel pegs that served as the ladder to the computer room. He could feel the cool metal press against his skin, but he couldn't control his body. No matter how hard he struggled he couldn't take charge of his actions.
"Don't struggle boy, there's no use. You've been my slave long enough to realize that resisting me is useless", Xana chuckled as he made William climb up to the room housing the supercomputer.
Meanwhile at Kadic
Odd sighed and played a hand through his spiky blonde hair, so far the night had been a bust. He had planned to move in on a pair of new girls that started at the academy a few days prior. He had almost gotten both of them when to his horror they turned out to be twins. Now he was stuck on a park bench with two sore cheeks and dateless.
"They could of been more understanding, all I asked for was a double date!" He declared to the darkness that surrounded the lone source of light that sat high above him. After a short silence he sighed and pushed off the old wooden bench.
"I better get back in before Jim catches me, he's still on the war path", Odd grumbled under his breath as he turned towards the nearby dorm building of Kadic.
Meanwhile
William stalked silently through the shadows of the mighty oaks that surrounded Kadic's maintenance building. It was far too late for anyone to be out, but the teen still moved cautiously. It wouldn't do to be discovered so quickly.
The ancient wood door creaked open slowly as he silently slipped inside, everything was pitch black, he couldn't even see his hands in front of him.
'I can't give you night vision here on Earth, you have to fend for yourself,' Xana's voice announced echoing through William's head. The dark haired teen merely growled a response, he knew that shed inside and out, after all that's where he would always sneak off to smoke with Theo.
Taking a tentative step forward, William moved himself closer to the nearby wall. Sliding his hand up the ancient wood, he found the rusted light switch that was poorly hung beside the door. With a simple flick, the room was flooded with the flickering white light of the fluorescent tubes that hung haphazardly from the ceiling.
'That there will do nicely,' Xana purred cruelly as he eyed a slightly rusted metal pole that was propped up against the single work table that sat in the small room. A twisted smile formed on William's lips as he snatched the weapon up and turned to the grinder Jim used to sharpen lawn mower blades.
Not far away
Odd paused as he was making his way back to his room, for some reason the light to the school's machine shop was on casting a pale glow across the massive oaks that dominated the campus. A grin spread across the young teen's face, this could be his chance to catch some fellow students in a makeout session. Without giving a second thought the blonde quickly stepped off of the concrete path and snuck towards the building.
When he was merely a few steps away a horrific grinding noise tore through the night. Taking a step back, Odd grimaced and threw his pale hands over his ears. The sound continued for a few seconds before it suddenly stopped leaving only an echo.
"What the hell was that?" The blonde teen whispered quietly as he crept closer to the ancient machine shack. He was a mere few steps away when the aging wooden door swung open with a bang.
"This is a damn fine weapon," William chuckled spinning his makeshift blade in a wide arc that sliced through the air like paper. A menacing grin spread across the teen's lips as he stepped out into the crisp night air, a sense of excitement tingled across his skin as he disappeared into the dark.
"What the hell is going on, why is William here?" Odd whispered as he silently slunk back into the bushes he was concealed in. For some reason the reappearance of the lost teen didn't bode well to the blonde. Cursing silently to himself he pulled out the vibrant purple cellphone that was always placed in his pocket and dialed a number.
Elsewhere
Jeremy Belpois groaned unhappily and rolled over in his bed as the melodious sound of Beethoven's 5th sympathy filled his dorm room. He groggily reached over and snatched the cellphone from his nightstand and held it to his ear.
"Who is it? He asked, his voice still hoarse from his unexpected wake up.
"Jeremy, it's me Odd. We have a major problem, I need you to head to the factory immediately," Odd answered quickly, his voice full of a unnatural worry.
"Wait, what? What's going on?" Jeremy questioned sitting up in his bed now fully awake.
"William is back, and I don't think he's here for his reunion," Odd grunted in reply. Before Jeremy could reply he heard Odd yell out a loud curse and the line went dead.
In The Forrest
"You're pretty sneaky Odd, I didn't even know you were there," William sneered as he crushed the blonde's discarded cellphone is his hand. Odd winced as he watched the pieces of his beloved smartphone shatter under the other teen's boot, it took him years to get all of those girl's numbers.
"How'd you get back here William? Are you working for Xana?" Odd demanded flatly, this was no time for his usual happy-go-lucky attitude. In response the dark haired teen merely laughed and leaned up against his homemade weapon.
"All these questions so fast, aren't you glad to see me?" William questioned teasingly. Odd didn't respond, instead he raised his fists in front of him in one of the many fighting stances Ulrich had taught him.
"Hell yeah, I'm starting to remember why I like you," William chuckled cruelly. Before Odd could react William rushed forward and swung a wide swing at the blonde teen. It connected with Odd's chin sending him stumbling back, wasting no time William rushed forward to press his attack. Odd saw this attack coming and kicked his foot out catching the other teen in the stomach knocking him to the ground.
"Looks like you've gotten better over the years," William growled as he picked himself up off the ground. Odd laughed and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the grass below him, he really had improved due to the constant war against Xana.
"Tell you what, if you agree to help me out then I'll call this little bout a draw," William offered scratching the nape of his neck nonchalantly.
"You make me sick thinking that I would betray my friends to join you and your damned master," Odd hissed in disgust.
"Well, can't say I didn't offer," William growled as he yanked his makeshift weapon from the dirt and leveled it at the blonde.
Back At Kadic
"What the hell do you want Jeremy? it's three in the morning," Ulrich groaned opening the door to his dorm room. The blonde Einstein quickly pushed past him and walked into the small room.
"William is back, Odd's out there somewhere with him," Jeremy explained before the brunette could protest the sudden intrusion.
"How is that possible? Is Xana behind it?" Ulrich questioned in confusion, he had just been woken up and suddenly found it hard to follow what his friend was saying.
"We have to assume so, I'm going to get Aelita and head for the factory," Jeremy replied quickly, he knew time was running short.
"Right, I'll call Yumi and then head out to find Odd," Ulrich agreed as the blonde teen quickly left his room.
Meanwhile
"When are you going to stop running Odd, you were so eager to fight just a minute ago," William teased as he carefully made his way through so bushes that the spiky haired teen had fled through. Suddenly a foot exploded from the undergrowth and caught William in the jaw sending him staggering back.
"Who said I'm running?" Odd demanded before sending a vicious swing William's way. The punch never met it's target though, instead the dark haired teen caught it in his vice like grip.
"I did," He growled cruelly before plunging his makeshift pipe deep into Odd's side. A scream tore out of the teen's mouth as he felt the cold steel being forced through his flesh. William let go of the pipe suddenly causing Odd to drop to his knees breathing heavily.
"Good luck, I'd give it an hour before you bleed out," William laughed before gripping the pipe and yanking it violently from the blonde's body. A whimper slipped from Odd's throat as he clutched desperately at the ragged wound that was slowly oozing crimson. A twisted smile stretched across William's face distorting his features, it was soon followed by a maniacal laugh that ripped from the teenager.
Suddenly William straightened and clutched his temples in agony, he let out a gut wrenching scream and collapsed to his knees in a heap. The teen's breaths came in ragged gasps as he ran his pale fingers through his dark hair.
"Get the hell out of my head," William growled quietly from his position on the ground. There was no response other than Odd's labored breathing, finally the dark haired teen sighed and rose slowly to his feet.
"Odd, don't you dare die on me," William growled as he stumbled over to the young blonde.
"Finally got your head on straight?" Odd chuckled despite the pain coursing through his body. In response William merely nodded before stooping to lift his former enemy off the ground. The blonde hissed in pain as he was forced to support his own weight, suddenly his knees buckled and he collapsed against his companion.
"Let's end this together," William grunted wrapping Odd's arm around his neck so he was supporting the teen. The blonde nodded in silent agreement as he allowed his old classmate to help him through the forest.
The pair had trudged on in silence for what seemed like hours, the only sound was Odd's laboured breathing. The blonde's condition had worsened drastically, he was almost certain he wasn't going to make it to see daybreak.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," William whispered, shattering the silence that had surrounded the pair.
"No one ever blamed you, there's no need to apologize… Even for this," Odd managed in between ragged breaths. William silently shook his head, he'd always expected to be hated for what he'd done.
Minutes Later
Odd groaned loudly as William slowly lowered him to the frigid metal floor of the factory's computer room. The brunette glanced over his friend with a look of concern, despite his attempt at bandaging the teen's wounds it seemed that Odd had gotten dramatically worse.
"Listen, I need to go to Lyoko and seal Xana in, I'll call the paramedics before I go," William grunted as he tapped a few commands into the supercomputer. Straightening he turned and stepped into the elevator, seconds later the metal doors slid closed behind him.
The elevator ride was short, too short. A lump formed in the teen's throat as the doors creaked open revealing the scanner room, he sighed and stepped out into the room. Savoring his last few breaths in the real world William stepped into the closest scanner and let the steel doors hiss shut.
Back on Earth
Ulrich's chest heaved as he gulped in mouthfuls of Kadic's crisp, winter air. He had been sprinting through the forest, desperate to find his friend. All he had managed to find was Odd's purple cellphone which was shattered beyond repair. Jeremy had already called and reported that he was on the way to the factory with Aelita, so the brunette decided to do the same.
Lyoko
The digital walls of Sector 5 gave off no comfort as William stalked his way through the light gray landscape. So far Xana had put up a pretty good fight, the dark haired teen had already dispatched at least four Creepers.
"Why have you decided to betray me boy?" Xana's cruel voice whispered from the darkness causing William to spin in surprise. There was of course no one but him standing in the drab coloured hallway.
"I never willingly fought for you, I would never fight for a monster," William spat before continuing down the stretching corridor.
"Oh, but you enjoyed the battles I let you play in. I monitored your body when you would fight, you had so many emotions tearing through you, such glee and happiness. Especially when fighting Yumi," The ego maniacal computer program goaded in it's perverse way of teasing.
William shook his head violently as if trying to shake Xana's voice from his mind, he couldn't give into his anger. Thankfully the voice disappeared as the dark haired teen waved open a massive door that led to sector five's memory unit.
"If you do this you'll perish inside this wretched place, do you really wish to die?" Xana hissed, his calculating voice slowly losing it's usual composure.
"As long as I take you with me I don't care," William growled grasping a large switch that dominated a expansive control panel filled full of screens and holograms.
"Actually, I can escape, just because you destroy Lyoko doesn't mean I can't get out," Xana chuckled, surely he had beat won this time.
"I would rethink that Mr. Xana, you can't leave if I pull the plug on your beloved computer," Odd's disembodied voice announced. A grim smile cracked across William's face as he yanked the lever down bringing the world to a grinding halt. The dark haired teen closed his eyes and whispered to himself as he was bathed in a brilliant white light.
"Remember me."
A Few Days Later
It was a rainy day, quite fitting for the mood of the Lyoko gang. They had all gathered in a small cemetery outside of Kadic, in front of an already weather worn gravestone. It read 'William Dunbar', in simple neat lettering. The five youngsters had gathered to pay their respects to a former enemy and rival, but in the end a great friend and hero. All animosity towards the rebellious teenager had evaporated because in a way he had freed all of them.
Odd and Aelita were the last remaining at the simple grave, staring at it as the rain fell around them. The blonde sighed and leaned forward in his wheelchair to place a single red rose on the graveside.
"I'll always remember you brother," the blonde whispered before turning to look at Aelita with a broad smile.
"C'mon princess, let's go home," He said happily