The Girl in the Computer Chapter 2, a code lyoko fanfic

(NOTICE: Hey, I sorry for how wordy this story has been. I'm trying a new experiment. I'm making the writing style change with whatever character I'm talking about. So because I'm talking about Jeremie the wording is a bit complicated and hard to get through at this point.

He's the most complicated of the group. Sorry, but just be patient. You'll find things get simpler as we switch to other characters.

Can anyone guess who has the simplest writing style of the group?

Thank you for you patience and hope you enjoy!~)

Chapter 2:

There were only five minutes before class started!

Jeremie's legs began to ache as he pushed himself across the last stretch of courtyard and finally through the main building doors. He paused for only a moment, gaining his bearings and barely allowing himself time to breathe, before starting off purposefully again toward the main hallway.

He had to confront him before the first bell rang; it was his only hope.

It wasn't until the main hall was in sight and Jeremie was just about to turn the corner, that a sudden thought gave his stomach a halting lurch:

What if he said no?

Strangely, this possibility hadn't occurred to Jeremie. Something in his gut began to churn and, as he peered around the corner, he wondered nauseously why it had to occur to him now.

One look destroyed every rash hope he made in that moment. No, by some bizarre twist of fate, the boy in question wasn't missing. Jeremie could see him right where he always was around this time of morning, stationed idly by his locker.

Idly.

There was some comfort in that; at least he didn't seem busy. But Jeremie still found his head filled with lingering doubts:

What if he didn't listen? What if he didn't believe him? Worse. . . What if he laughed?

"Why should that be worse? Why should you even care," part of his mind asked. "It doesn't matter, so stop it. There's nothing to be afraid of. He's merely a boy. A boy. A simple biologically, carbon-based, homosa. . ."

He stopped. This line of reasoning was only wishful thinking on Jeremie's part and, deep down, he knew.

Though he'd never admit it, secretly he had always been a bit in awe of the person before him. Even the logical reasoning of his mind couldn't dispute that there was something. Something, even in just his presence that made Jeremie instantly feel he was somehow lacking.

Belittled. Inadequate.

Standing across the hall was a living example of someone who had everything in their life going right for them. Appearances, sports, friends. . . Why should he even care?

Then again, unlike the majority of the populars, he had always been fairly decent to Jeremie in the past. Jeremie winced to think of the names many of others had ridiculed him with.

And if there was anyone in the school that could help him, anyone he could trust. . .

"This is so absurd."

Yes, "absurd" was definitely the word. In retrospect, most would label the entire idea behind what he was preparing to do as an absurdity. Much less his actually following through with it.

But he had to follow through. He had to follow through for…

And that's when he had it. Suddenly through the clouds of uncertainty, his reason for doing all this shone through, hardening his resolve. Maya, he had to do this for Maya. If he didn't, if he failed. . . Jeremie shuddered, unable to imagine that gruesome end.

There in front of him were the simple facts. They grew forming his strength and his incentive. Maya was depending on him now, and he couldn't bear to let her down.

His slack posture straightened as he readied himself. He took in a deep breath and -with a noticeably tighter grip on the strap to his laptop case- boldly stumbled forward. And kept himself moving forward, for the greatest cause imaginable.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Ulrich Stern, seemed surprised to suddenly find Jeremie standing behind him, but acknowledged the blonde nicely enough when he turned.

"Oh uh, hey there Belpois. What's up?"

"I- I have a huge problem. There's something I did-found and I. . ." His first few words had come out in a rush. Now he stopped, clenched his hands into fists, and swallowed; It was the moment of truth. "I . . . I really need your help."

Ulrich raised his brow slightly at that. If he was surprised to have Jeremie openly approaching him, he was even more surprised to hear why. He stood there a moment, studying Jeremie thoughtfully before turning back to his locker.

It would have been hard for him to miss the younger boy's nervousness, or the beads of sweat running in small rivulets down his face.

It was still several seconds before he said anything though.

For Jeremie, it felt even longer. All he could do was shift his weight awkwardly as 'the popular' slowly took a book from his locker, fingered it, and slipped it into the green canvas bag slung across his chest.

"Jeremie Belpois, the smartest kid in school, asking for my help?" The brunette sent Jeremie an incredulous look over his shoulder and smiled. "Honestly Belpois, you of all people should know just how great my test scores are." He paused, carefully extracted another book, and put it in his bag as well. "Why. . . Why don't you ask Herve or-er you know maybe Y-Yumi."

Jeremie noted the slight hesitation he used in saying the last name and tried his best to ignore it. "Herve, seriously? Very funny Stern... And if this was about school I would ask Yumi, but it's not. Please, I need your help. I'm- I'm in over my head."

Ulrich's messy hair fell in his face as he leaned forward to knock the door of his locker shut. He let out a deep sigh and muttered something intangible under his breath. When he faced Jeremie again, his arms were crossed, and had an expression that spoke impatience. "Alright, but you better make it quick Belpois or we're gonna to be late."

Relieved, Jeremie's eyes darted around the -almost completely vacant now- hall and leaned in closer. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said: "I think there's a girl trapped in my computer."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"A what?"

Surely he hadn't heard him right.

"A girl," Jeremie repeated.

Ulrich stood back and blinked; he was completely dumbfounded. "A girl?" he couldn't help but say again.

He watched as the smartest kid in Kadic Academy not only agreed, but continued:

"Yes, I don't know how she got there or why; perhaps it was a mistake. I don't think I was even supposed to be able to locate her file in the first place. It's one of those new smart-computers from Lyoko Incorporated. I was hacking into the mainframe of the. . ." Looking up, the genius paused and waved a hand. "Well never mind, you probably wouldn't understand. The point is she's there and now this other multi-agent program-"

"Whoa," Ulrich cut him off. "Slow down Jeremie, you're not making any sense."

A girl in his computer? What was that supposed to mean? And if the rest of what Jeremie was saying made sense, he didn't get it.

Of course it must of meant something. Jeremie wasn't in the habit of walking around saying useless babble. Unless of course you counted that one time he. . .

Oh no.

"Jeremie," Ulrich said carefully. He waited until he was directly at eye level before asking and almost reached a sympathetic hand out to put on the other boy's shoulder. "Have you been near that faulty drink machine again?"

It was now Jeremie's turn to blink. He apparently hadn't been expecting the question and even seemed a little insulted by it. "I haven't been electrocuted Stern."

Maybe Ulrich had made him think though, because finally he seemed to realize how what he was saying sounded. Licking his dry lips in thought he added: "Listen, I know this sounds crazy, but it's all true - I swear. I can even show you!"

Maybe it wasn't the drink machine.

He didn't want to be rude and suggest Jeremie go have a little visit with Yolande in the infirmary, but something was obviously wrong. Ulrich didn't know what is was, but in any case he had to be firm. "Jeremie look, it's impossible for someone, a girl to be. . . That is-"

He was cut off by the warning bell ringing.

Jeremie's time was up. Maybe he could just get out of this by pointing that out. "Come on Jeremie, your times up. We have to get to class and-"

But Jeremie didn't stop.

"No wait, please! I have to finish," he begged, stepping into Ulrich's path. "Maya, the girl, she's in danger and I can't-"

Ulrich pushed past him.

"Jeremie stop. We're going to be late, so just come on."

The last bell was going to ring any minute; he didn't have time for this anymore. His voice was final.

Final, and probably had come off a lot harsher than he meant it to be.

He only made it two steps before he found himself stopping. His head dropped and he closed his eyes.

Did he have any choice? He couldn't just leave the kid standing there, could he?

"Listen," he mumbled, trying to find the right words. "If you still need my help after class, you can talk to me later today, okay?

"Oh yah, like when?"

It was the tone of, more than the actual question itself, that made Ulrich halt again. But when he thought about it...

Oh. . . right.

For a minute he'd forgotten. Could he after lunch? If he hurried he might be able to-

No.

Last class?

No.

Lights out?

Maybe.

"After lights out. Meet me in my-"

What about Odd?

"Your," he corrected. "Meet me in your room after lights out."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Half-way down the hall to class, Ulrich still couldn't believe he had agreed to meet Jeremie later.

Jeremie had a problem and he shouldn't of agreed to help him. Of course, why someone as smart as Jeremie would want Ulrich's help in the first place, he couldn't imagine.

He sighed to himself thinking about it.

Did he just have one of those faces? What was it with kids and always thinking he could help solve their problems?

He . . . He was so bad at this kind of thing.

He shouldn't of said he'd meet him. He should of sent him to Yumi.

But Jeremie had asked for his help, not Yumi's, and Ulrich grudgingly knew why he'd given in. It was the same reason he always seemed to cave into what Jeremie wanted:

Simply, Ulrich felt sorry for him.

At Kadic you're branded with a label when you walk in the door. As far as that went, Ulrich had it pretty easy in school. He was a popular. No one messed with 'the populars'. He was… on the top of the food chain so to speak.

But Jeremie. . . Jeremie wasn't exactly what you'd call in the in crowd.

In fact, poor kid, he probably couldn't lean more toward 'reject territory' if he tried.

Here was a boy that actually studied for tests, not to mention built miniature robots in his spare time.

He was mocked constantly by kids in class. People stole his papers, tripped him, called him names, and of course laughed whenever he said something they couldn't understand.

As weird as it sounded though, Ulrich kind of though they were jealous. Who wouldn't kill to have brains like Jeremie? He was smart, even if he was younger.

No, but that's what he meant. Jeremie was a whole year younger but still in the same grade as them. And the top of the class besides. School work was a breeze for him. He knew the answer to every problem and barely had to try to make everyone else look dumb.

"Hmm. . ."

Now that he thought about it, it was a wonder more kids didn't hate Jeremie. Really, if Ulrich wasn't there to be nice to him, who else did he have that would be?

Other than, well, Yumi of course. Yumi didn't hate Jeremie. But then, Yumi, was another story completely.

"Yumi."

Ulrich had tried to stop his mind from turning this direction. He had managed to keep her out of his head most of the morning and really hated to think he was breaking down now.

But when it came to Jeremie, thoughts of her weren't really far off.

Yumi Ishiyama, was the kind of person that was a mystery on the social scale. She definitely wasn't a popular, but then she didn't exactly fall into reject territory either.

She was. . .

What was she exactly?

"The black sheep." "The lone wolf," he had, and still heard his friends call her.

Ok, she kind of was on her own a lot. But Ulrich still didn't think that labeled her. He didn't think she fit in a category at all.

Yumi was nice to Jeremie Belpois, but in a different, better way than Ulrich was. She would actually take the time hung out with him.

He wanted to say it was because she felt sorry for him too, but there was more to it then that. With Jeremie, she seemed to genuinely like him.

Ulrich smiled.

And could care less what people thought about her for it too.

"Then again," he admitted to himself, "she's unique."

His smile faded as he reached his classroom.

"Maybe too unique."

"Ulrich!" someone called behind him. "There you are good buddy, I thought you might be lost."

Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich's roommate and one of the strangest people he had ever met, gave him a look of reproving fake-concern. "I was starting to get worried.

"Odd," Ulrich said, shaken from his thoughts. "What are you doing waiting in the hall? The bells going to ring any second, are you trying to get a tardy?"

His friend sent him a bright smile. "Only if you are."

Being unable to resist, Ulrich smiled back and shook his head. He was amused to see, that even with the other boy's attempts to rock back and forth on his tip toes, he was still a good couple of inches taller than him.

"Get in class," Ulrich told him, jerking his thumb toward the door.

Odd stayed where he was. "Oh no, after you I insist Sir Ulrich." He ended a dramatic sweeping motion with his hands in an equally dramatic bow. "Your entourage awaits."

Ulrich looked from his friend to the door with a frown. Again, he had almost forgotten. "Oh joy," he muttered. And with a long sigh, he pushed the door open.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Like moths to a flame, they came from every side.

Of course Ms. Hertz yelled for everybody to get back in their seats, like she always did. And of course no one listened, like they always didn't.

You'd think the lady would learn. Can you really blame kids for ignoring to you, when you yell the exact same things every morning. Every morning Ulrich came in that is.

And then when Ulrich finally makes everyone sit down by taking (a.k.a. fighting his way to) a seat, she spends the rest of class glaring at him. Like it's his fault he gets mobbed by all the populars when they see him.

Odd leaned back in his desk, doodling on his paper and happy once again to be who he was.

It didn't bother him not to be a popular. And it didn't bother him not being a complete reject either. He liked it just where he was on the food chain:

Ulrich the Most Popular Boy in School's New Roommate and the official class clown.

What in life could be better?

Everyone's head in class suddenly jerked up as a boy burst in the room. Then everyone looked down again.

It was only Jeremie Belpois.

He handed a note to the teacher, who smiled and said she understood why he was late (like she wouldn't let him off for being late even if she didn't understand) and that marked the end of any possible excitement Ms. Hertz's Science class could have for the day.

The rest of first period passed just boringly as it usually did and finally the bell rang, releasing them for much more interesting and superior class:

ART!

As Ulrich got up from his seat, fifteen populars rose in one throng.

Odd would wait til gym to try and talk to him. Rosa, the school's cook, had only allowed Odd three extra helpings of breakfast that morning and he really didn't feel like fighting his way through to his friend on an empty stomach. Not until after he had some lunch that is.

As Ulrich moved out of the room, the throng moved with him, letting Ulrich out in front and taking its place behind as his permanent shadow for rest of the day.

Odd smiled to himself.

He hated to pick up lines from his best bud's sworn enemy, but "the Samurai, and his entourage" actually seemed to fit the scene rather well.

Very well in fact. Almost perfectly.

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Daeth101: Awesome! Is there more?! Please tell me there is more! Awesome job! -D101

~Wow, thanks for a great first review! Yes there's more, though it may be slow coming. I only hope I can make the rest turn out interesting enough for you to want to read it.

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Ocelot014: This ranks up there by far as one of the most interesting interpretations on the Code: Lyoko series as I've ever seen. I must say, I really like it. I'd

like to see what else you have in store for us.

I, for one, want to see more, and I will review the more I see.

Good work. Now show me what you can do.

Ocelot out.

~An interesting interpretation on Code Lyoko? I'm glad you think so! I know it kind of surprised me when thought of the idea for this story, as I hope it will continue to surprise you with all the ways the real Code Lyoko is going to be incorporate in here.

You haven't seen the half of it yet.

It's the second in a series of stories I like to call "Code Lyoko, Gone Askew".

Who knows, maybe I'll put the other story up here one day.

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The Mad shoe1: Ok, this fic now has my undivided attention, not only is it mainly a Jeremie fic, bit it also has a great story and plot so far.

I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

~I'm very glad you liked the beginning : )! I hope I don't disappoint you. It's true the story centers around Jeremie and what he's doing, but all the character are going to be featured too. As a rule I always work all character in the group into my stories. I think they just turn out better that way.

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Lyoko Guardian: All right you have my attention. This is one of the most interesting stories I have seen for Code Lyoko...and it's only the first chapter! I hope you are going to keep going with the story! =)

~Wow, I'm flattered :D

I will keep up with this story the best I can. Chapters may be a bit slow coming though, for different personal reasons. But I promise never to let my stories sit for a year or two before I start working on them again. -I know how annoying that can be (:

I really have a new respect for people that update every week though. Lands! It's hard to get new chapters out!