Jeremie had finished work on the Skidbladnir once again, and the five Lyoko Warriors were in the internet looking for Odd.
"Jeremie, you realize we could search forever and not find him, right?" Ulrich was nervous and tired. They had searched for nearly four hours. Xana hadn't sent monsters yet but it was only a matter of time, they knew.
"Do you have a better idea?"
"I, no...I just mean we have to have a better way. Can't you make a program to find him?"
"I tried that and it didn't work, remember? He's lost on the internet, maybe. For all we know, Xana destroyed him or took him for a new Avatar and just hasn't used him yet. It's a shot in the dark that he's in the internet. He could have been destroyed immediately, even."
"Then why are we looking?" Ulrich missed his friend but they were wasting time. Jeremie could have worked on a new program to find Odd. How, he didn't know. He wasn't a genius like Jeremie.
"Because Aelita and Yumi survived. They were only in the Digital Sea for a minute or so before Franz saved her and before we deployed the program, respectively, but that's two of us who have been in the Digital Sea and not been destroyed. It's the best chance we have."
"Yes, but I don't remember being in the Digital Sea. I don't know what happened to me when I went in it." Aelita said from the Skid's cockpit. The area went red. "Xana's sending monsters."
"Not good." William looked around. This would be his first time fighting in the internet in a long while, and he wasn't very good the last time.
"We can handle this." Yumi prepared to be released.
"Nav Skids away." Aelita pulled down all but Odd's lever.
"Kongres." Ulrich chased after one and fired torpedoes.
"Whoa." William dodged a laser. He turned the Nav Skid and fired a torpedo. It missed the Kongre, but nearly hit the Skid.
"Be careful, William." Aelita saw the torpedo pass, only a meter from her pod. "Jeremie, this search is over."
"Almost ten at night. I lost track of time." Jeremie waited while the others destroyed the Kongres and came back to Lyoko's hub.
-( ( • ) )-
Ulrich snuck into his room after hiding from Jim.
"Hey hi!" The Odd clone's loud yell startled Ulrich into a jump.
"Shut up." Ulrich shook his head. The clone had underwear on its head and was trying to wear a shirt like a pair of pants, and had Kiwi on his shoulder like a parrot. "What is wrong with you?"
"You with wrong what is wrong with what you?"
"Get dressed and go to bed." Ulrich sat down on his bed and felt a wet spot. "Kiwi!" The dog yipped from his perch. "It's not your fault Odd's not here to walk you, I guess." Ulrich looked at the clone. "We're switching beds."
"Bed switching." The clone hopped onto Ulrich's bed, knocking Kiwi off his shoulder. The dog whimpered and rubbed against Ulrich's leg.
"You miss him, don't you? So do I, Kiwi." Ulrich picked Kiwi up and pat him. "If only you could find him like you do on Earth."
"If could Earth miss him find like could Kiwi Earth." The clone babbled from Ulrich's bed.
"Shut! Up!...Wait..." Ulrich's heart almost stopped beating. "Why can't you? Odd wanted to take you to Lyoko before. Maybe now you'll get to go." Ulrich set Kiwi down and got his phone out. "Jeremie, I have an idea."
"What idea?" Jeremie was confused.
"A way to find Odd."
"How?"
"We use Kiwi."
"Again, how?"
"He has found Odd before. He sniffed him out on Earth, why not on Lyoko?" Jeremie sighed.
"There is no smell on Lyoko."
"But, maybe, maybe Kiwi can. It's a long shot but it's an idea. Remember when Odd fused with Kiwi and had dog senses?" Ulrich reasoned.
"It's a bad idea. But you're right about one thing. It's an idea. But if Kiwi is on Lyoko and Odd is in the internet how does he sniff him out there?"
"I uh, don't know. But if we want to test it out we can take him to Lyoko and see if he is able to find where Odd was knocked off."
"If he does that, then your idea might work. But how do we control him? We could have Kiwi running around and jumping into the Digital Sea himself." Jeremie started to think of a plan.
"The rest of us can send him back if you can't materialize him in time."
"Okay, well, we'll work on it tomorrow." Ulrich heard a click.
"You hear that Kiwi? You're going to Lyoko tomorrow." Kiwi barked twice. "Shhh! We can't have Jim hearing you." Ulrich opened up the drawer Odd kept Kiwi in, and the dog hopped in, ready for bed.
-( ( • ) )-
The next day after classes, Ulrich smuggled Kiwi out of the school and to the Factory. Yumi and William were left with the task of bringing the Odd clone to the Factory to keep him out of trouble, and getting the new member to come in case they were needed. "Come on, Pea Brain." Yumi tugged at the clone's arm, trying to pull it along.
"Pea Brain come on brain pea on." William pushed it along in an attempt to help Yumi.
-( ( • ) )-
Jeremie set up a new transfer program. It would land Kiwi near where Odd was knocked off of the edge in the Desert Sector. If he went to the exact spot like Ulrich suggested, then maybe Kiwi could help them. Aelita was sent already, and waited for the experiment to start. If this works, Odd can be found soon...
-( ( • ) )-
William and Yumi arrived with the clone and the new member.
"Go sit in the corner with your new friend!" Yumi coaxed.
"Okay." The clone sat down, and the new member cast a shadow over the clone momentarily as they walked over to keep it in check.
Ulrich set Kiwi in the middle Scanner. "Sit, Kiwi." Kiwi rolled over onto his back. "That works. Send him, Jeremie." The Scanner doors closed and when they opened, no more Kiwi. Ulrich stepped into the left Scanner, and soon he landed on Lyoko. "Whoa!" Ulrich drew his swords out.
"What does he look like? What is he doing?" Jeremie could only see a circle on the screen.
"He's running around, sniffing at the ground. He, he's huge." Kiwi was as tall as Ulrich, much like when Xanafied a few attacks ago. He looked like Kiwi always did, except bigger and faster. "He's running over to the edge, should I stop him?"
"I'm sending Yumi and William." Jeremie let their cards appear and fill up with color, and continued to watch on the screen. "He stopped, what is he doing?"
"He's looking over the edge where Odd fell off." Ulrich walked over, slowly. "Good Kiwi, but don't jump in." Ulrich approached the gigantic dog as Yumi and William run over to him. "Aelita, where are you?"
"Over here."
Ulrich looked over the edge and saw Aelita flying around with her pink wings. "What are you doing?! That's dangerous!"
"Maybe...maybe Odd is still around here. Kiwi came right to the edge. That means he knows where Odd fell off." Aelita flew over the Digital Sea, hoping to see anything that might be Odd.
"We searched the Digital Sea already, Aelita. He's not there."
"Maybe we missed him! We have to look." Aelita was getting desperate. Every day Odd was gone was another day he could be lost forever, if he wasn't already.
"Kiwi can smell Odd, but it doesn't help us. He can't be in the internet without being in a Nav Skid and that would block his sense of smell." Yumi noted.
"Well, now that we know he can smell Odd, maybe I can work on something special for him. A special Nav Skid that will allow him to smell in the internet or something. It will take time but we can certainly try it." Jeremie offered.
"We have to try it. We can't have the clone running around forever. Everyone at school has noticed how weird he's been acting. And the art teacher keeps asking about his next movie. He'll know something is wrong if Odd doesn't make one soon." Aelita flew back up to the Sector.
"Then I'll start working on it now. If you help, Aelita, maybe we can modify a Nav Skid. That would cut down on the time it takes to get Kiwi into the internet." Jeremie brought the others back to Earth and started to work.
-( ( • ) )-
Three days later, after a minor Xana attack, Jeremie was sure he had done it. Now all they had to do was see if it worked. He sent the group to Sector 5 and they stood on the pedestal, where an extra pad was added. "Make sure he stands on the pedestal on the far left, so that he lands in the right Nav Skid." Ulrich told Kiwi to sit and he lied down on the pedestal.
"Good enough. We're ready, Jeremie." Jeremie sent them into the Skid.
"Good luck, guys. Not much I can do once you go into the internet." Jeremie watched and waited with his fingers crossed.
-( ( • ) )-
Aelita piloted the Skid through the Digital Sea and out into the internet. Kiwi started to bark. "Jeremie, what do we do?"
"Release the Nav Skids sans Odd's old one. I programmed Kiwi's Nav Skid to be thought controlled. I don't know if it will work, but if it does, he should be able to lead you to Odd." Jeremie crossed his fingers hopefully.
Aelita released the Nav Skids and Kiwi barreled away. "Follow him!" Aelita zoomed after him, as did the others.
-( ( • ) )-
Kiwi's Nav Skid bolted through the internet. His barking was getting annoying, but the others hoped it merely meant he was close to Odd. He zoomed around a server when the area turned red.
"Xana's sending monsters." Aelita worried. "Jeremie, does Kiwi's Nav Skid have any weapons?"
"Yes, but I don't think he could use them. You better get everyone back to the Skid and get out of there."
"How do we make Kiwi do that?" Jeremie went pale.
"I, I didn't think about that." Kiwi's a dog, how can they get him to understand? "Protect the Skid, and Kiwi...maybe he'll know it's dangerous and flee from the monsters."
"Got it." William flew near Kiwi's Nav Skid. "Be a good boy, Kiwi." He laughed a little, but stopped when he saw a Kongre.
Yumi and Ulrich flew near the Skidbladnir to protect it. Two Kongres swam up. "I'll take left, you take right." Ulrich took off after a Kongre.
"Okay." Yumi went after her own target.
"Whoa, a Shark is coming." Aelita noticed it and moved the Skid away from it. It fired a torpedo but missed.
"There's too many of them!" William was chasing the Kongre he saw when two more appeared. "It's like they're everywhere!" He fired at one and missed.
"Calm down, William." Ulrich aimed and fired. He destroyed the Kongre he was chasing after, then broke off to help William.
"Xana obviously didn't want you near there. I'll try to mark it so we can go back later." Jeremie clicked around on the on-screen map of the Digital Sea.
"Watch out, Ulrich!" Yumi saw two Sharks come up from behind Ulrich. There were three Sharks and four Kongres, at the very least. She fired a torpedo and hit a Shark, dropping the number down to two.
"Thanks, Yumi." Ulrich dodged torpedoes from the Sharks as William tried to destroy the Kongres.
William dove and two Kongres followed him. He moved through the internet, dodging lasers, when he saw a small orb. He dove around it and saw the Eye of Xana emblazed on it. "I found something with Xana's symbol on it!" William flew back up to it, using it as a shield from the Kongres.
"Describe it."
"It's round, a white orb with a red eye of Xana on it." The Kongres swam around the other side. "Mark it on your map or whatever, I can't stay near it!" William took off as the Kongres chased him.
Kiwi's Nav Skid zipped around aimlessly as a Shark fired torpedoes at it. Yumi saw her chance and destroyed the monster.
Ulrich fired a torpedo and destroyed a Kongre when William shot by with two Kongres on his tail. Ulrich turned and fired at the Kongres, destroying one.
"I think he's sending more. Just get out of there." Jeremie saw the screen flash, then one of the chat dialogs appeared with a message on the bottom.
"Surrender Aelita or die."
"We would never giver her to you, Xana." Jeremie typed.
"Then he will die, as will you." The dialog closed.
"He really doesn't want you guys near there."
"Ya think?!" Ulrich noticed four more Kongres coming. "Kiwi, here boy, come on, Kiwi!" The Nav Skid with Kiwi in it turned and came toward Ulrich. "Good boy, come on, follow me." Ulrich moved away from the area and Kiwi followed. "Guys, cover me." Ulrich turned his head and saw the Kongres weren't giving chase.
The other two Nav Skids rejoined the Skidbladnir and it took off after Ulrich. The Kongres and Sharks didn't follow.
-( ( • ) )-
They got back to Lyoko safely and Jeremie brought them back to Earth. In the Control Room, they had a meeting, with the new member and the Odd clone having gone back to Kadic.
"There is definitely something there he doesn't want us finding." Jeremie had it marked on the map and was staring at it intently.
"Maybe we were close to finding Odd." Aelita stared at the screen, wondering if she had been that close to saving her friend.
"I saw an orb with Xana's symbol on it. Maybe Odd was in it." William reminded.
"I don't know. I mean, why would he keep Odd like that and not use him as a host like he did with you?" Jeremie wondered aloud.
"Jeremie, Odd would be resistant to Xana's possessions. William had just been to Lyoko for the first time." Yumi noted as she saw how scared William was. He was still terrified of being possessed again.
"Except what Xana did was a lot more than a specter possession. He used William as a sort of avatar. William was Xana, for a time."
"But I, he gave me orders. I don't know how, or remember how, though. It was just like he sent a message to my brain and I followed it."
"It was still more than a simple possession. Even with Odd being resistant, Xana could still make him his new host." The Super Scan started to beep. "Everyone, get back down to the Scan-" A black mist burst from the screen and attacked Jeremie.
"Jeremie!" Aelita rushed to his side but couldn't help him.
"Get...get to Lyoko...Ulrich, call..." Jeremie struggled to resist the possession. He fell to his knees, and the specter moved from his body, converging in his head and invading his brain. Ulrich backed away and got his cell phone out as Jeremie gasped and made choking sounds.
"It's Ulrich. We need you, get to the Factory. Leave the clone, we need you ASAP." Ulrich's words were shaky.
"Surrender Aelita or I will kill Jeremie and Odd." A distorted voice flaoted out from Jeremie's mouth. He grabbed at his head, trying to force Xana out, but the specter was deep in his cerebral cortex. "Surrender her, or I will crush his brain and release Odd into the internet."
"No way, Xana!" Yumi got in a fighting position.
"Yumi, stop." Aelita saw Odd's ID Card, filled up with color but pixellated, on the screen. Hers appeared next to his, but hers wasn't yet filled up, as she was obviously on Earth. Xana was already prepared to virtualize her. "I...I'll go, Xana."
"No, Aelita, you can't do it!" William tried to stop her.
"William, it is my choice. To save Odd and Jeremie, I'll do it." Aelita walked into the elevator, and Yumi joined her.
"Aelita, don't do this. How do you know he will release them? He could take you and kill them."
"I don't know. But if there is a chance to save Odd, and Jeremie, I'll do it." The elevator stopped in the Scanner Room and the doors opened.
"Stop, Aelita, please!" Yumi grabbed her arm but Aelita pulled away. "I won't let you do this." Yumi got ready to attack Aelita to knock her out, but she stopped in front of the Scanner.
"Xana, release Odd. Give us Odd, and I'll get in the Scanner. You'll still have Jeremie as collateral." A black mist appeared and words formed in the air.
"No."
"Then I won't get in the Scanner."
"I will kill them both! Get in the Scanner."
"Give us Odd first. Unless you don't have him."
"I do. Get in the Scanner." Aelita heard Jeremie shout out in pain a floor above her and Yumi. "Or I'll kill him."
"Give us Odd first! We can't trust you, Xana, but you can trust me. I'll get in the Scanner if you give us Odd back first." she promised.
"No, I'll keep him for now." The black mist disappeared.
"Jeremie!" William yelled. The boy collapsed in front of Ulrich and William. "Are you okay, Jeremie?" Jeremie started to get up.
"My head, it hurts. What happened?" His eyes were dilated and bloodshot. A little bit of blood oozed out of his left nostril. The room seemed to spin and he collapsed again.
"No, get him in a Scanner." Ulrich ordered. William dragged Jeremie over to the closed elevator doors and pushed the button. When it came up, he helped Jeremie into it and took it down to the Scanner Room.
"Is, is he okay?" Aelita saw the blood smeared across his face.
"He passed out. Ulrich wants to send him to Lyoko."
"That will heal him, I think." Aelita rushed to the elevator and took it up to the Control Room. She went over to the control panel and sent Jeremie to Lyoko, then materialized him. "Is he okay?" she spoke into the headset, her voice filling the Scanner Room.
"He looks fine to me." Yumi smiled as Jeremie stumbled out of the Scanner.
"Absolutely ridiculous." He shook his head. "What happened?"
-( ( • ) )-
"She refused to go unless he gave us Odd first?" Jeremie asked, and Yumi nodded. "Even though I, he, he had me?"
"She knew we couldn't trust him. He would have kept Odd and killed you even if she had gone, probably."
"Maybe. But Xana has kept deals before. Remember when he possessed Delmas and had you and Odd in that warehouse? Or the Marabounta alliance?" Jeremie looked over to the elevator as the doors opened. Aelita was willing to let Xana kill me. She wanted Xana to release Odd first. Why didn't she ask Xana to release me?
"Jeremie! Are you okay?" Aelita sprinted over and hugged him.
"I think so." Jeremie pushed Aelita away. "I, I need to go lie down, my head still hurts." Jeremie stumbled to the Elevator and went up to the Factory floor.
"I, I hope he's okay." Aelita bit on her lower lip in worry.
"That was risky, Aelita." She turned towards William.
"I know, but Odd is lost. It would be a lot easier to help Jeremie, since he was right there. But Odd is, we don't know where he is. If I could have forced Xana to turn him over, we just would have had to figure out how to save Jeremie."
"Would you have really gone to Lyoko and turned yourself over to Xana?" Ulrich asked incredulously. Aelita shook her head.
"I would have fought him until he released Jeremie. I don't know what he wants from me this time. Maybe...it has to be!"
"What has to be?" Yumi asked. Obviously, she and the others were confused.
"My father is still alive. Xana knows it and wanted to use me to bring him back out."
"But, he...you saw him die."
"I thought I did but, maybe he was just tricking Xana. He has to be alive. That is the only reason I can think of for Xana wanting me."
"I can think of another reason." William felt sick just thinking about it. "He wants you as a host."
"But, I'm resistant."
"Jeremie already said what he did with me was different. And if he takes you as a host we would have no one to deactivate Towers. He got all of our source codes when he first returned." William put his hand on his stomach. "It would be the worst thing that could happen."
"The worst thing is if someone dies. We could try to save Aelita if she is taken." Ulrich looked at Aelita. "But we have to be extra careful from now on. We can't lose her." Ulrich felt something rub against his leg and looked down to see Kiwi. "You did good, Kiwi." Ulrich knelt down and picked him up.
-( ( • ) )-
The elevator ran, and Yumi was the first to watch it open. "Good, you made it without any trouble." she greeted the occupant. "But the attack is over."
"Next time, we might be able to save Odd." Aelita bent over and scratched Kiwi on the head. "We will save him."