Dedication: To Frog Disease, aelitacodelyoko, formlesstree4, Elemental Warrior, notcreativeenoughtomakeone, and 77draco for reviewing lately!
Disclaimer: Short and sweet. Do not own Code Lyoko. Owns plot and Xenon.
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An explosion. Confusion. Chaos. Sadness. Death. Ambulances. Police cars. Hospitals. Jail. Operating rooms. Hospital rooms with their clean feeling. That clean feeling and the nothingness of the rooms reminds of death. Had someone died in this room? Did they live? Would the result be the same for the next person who occupied that room?
Sirens could be heard from all over. They belonged to ambulances, fire trucks, police cars. They were all heading to the same location. To a location they never expected anything like this to happen; an abandoned factory.
Some of the fireman immediately tried to douse the fire that raged on what was left of the roof of the factory. The other lifted brick to try to get in the entrance of the factory. After getting a path, they entered the factory.
They split up. Two firefighters took the elevator that was surprisingly untouched by the explosion. The elevator door opened to reveal a mess. Rubble was everywhere. They looked around for bodies. They found two. A male and a female. One had blonde hair and one pink. The pink haired girl had a broke arm, a slash across her forehead, and scratches everywhere; her heart beat was weak. One of the firefighters took her quickly to the elevator after getting some computer wires out of her hands and around her head. The other one pick up the blonde teenager. His glasses were cracked and askew, he had a fractured wrist and several ribs were broken. They took the elevator up.
"Go down the elevator and go to the last floor. NOW!" The firefighter with Aelita barked. Five of the firefighter scrambled to heed the other's command. Aelita and Jeremie were taken to the ambulance that gave them oxygen and IV, then set off for the hospital. It was chaos to do anything. No one knew what happened.
The elevator opened in the scanner room. Since it was so far below the ground, there was no damage to anything. Outside the three scanners lay three bodies. The two blondes were taken first from the black liquid that covered the floor in front of the scanners. The third was taken after. They were admitted into a hospital ten minutes later.
-()-
She tried to open her eyes but they resisted. After a while, she managed though. Squinting against the pale light, she saw a figure.
"Good morning Princess." The person said. It was Ulrich. He looked tired, but nonetheless he put on a smile. In the hospital bed with a cast and bandages lay Aelita. Her hair was a mess and she wore a white hospital gown.
"Ulrich." Aelita said hoarsely.
"Don't talk." Ulrich said. He sighed. "I suppose I better fill you in." Aelita nodded weakly. "You've been out for a week. Jeremie, Xenon, and Odd are in the hospital--"
"They're alive?"
"Yes." Ulrich said. "Jeremie's still out. As for Xenon and Odd," Ulrich took a deep breath, "they're in comas." Aelita went blank as she registered this. "The doctors can't tell when they'll come out. Also, Franz Hopper is here and he wants to see you—"
"What?" Aelita asked, confused.
"Franz Hopper was found in the scanner room along with Xenon and Odd. He wants to see you Aelita. Want me to go get him?" Aelita numbly nodded. Ulrich was gone for a few minutes and then came back with Franz Hopper. His beard was no longer gray but white now. He wore a plain tee underneath a lab coat along with pants and shoes. As he entered the room, three police officers followed him. Franz Hopper's hands were handcuffed behind his back.
"Daddy?" Aelita asked. She hadn't see her father in fifteen years.
"Aelita, you've grown so much." Franz Hopper. Aelita wasn't paying attention to him but to rather the police officers. Franz Hopper saw her gaze. "I've been arrested for the explosion that happened at the factory and for what happened fifteen years ago." He explained. "I asked to be able to see you before they took me away." Aelita was stunned. She didn't know how to act. Franz Hopper lowered his voice. "I'm surprised you're in such good a condition from what happened. Since Xenon didn't go into the past again, you should have disappeared since she didn't go into the past. The cycle stopped but there hasn't been any after effects. It's weird." Aelita didn't say anything, she didn't he even look at her father. "Aelita?"
"I don't forgive you." Aelita said, turning her head away even more. "I don't forgive you for putting Xenon up for adoption."
"Aelita, I had to. She had some keys to Lyoko--"
"That's not an excuse I don't want to talk--"
"Aelita..."
"I don't want to talk!" Aelita shouted angrily. The officers grabbed him and tore him from his daughter. Aelita didn't look at her father as he was dragged out of the room.
"Aelita I'm sorry!" Franz Hopped shouted from the hallway. "I'm sorry!" Aelita ignored him.
"That's harsh." Ulrich commented.
"Sorry does cut it for what he did." Aelita stated.
-()-
Aelita was released from the hospital a few days after Franz Hopper was found guilty in mid October. He was ordered to be in jail for the rest of his life for terrorism; because of the explosion, putting six children's lives in danger, for disobeying the government fifteen years ago, resisting arrest, and several other offences.
Jeremie had come around a few days after Aelita had. For Xenon and Odd, they were still in their comas. Aelita made it a point that she would visit each one everyday. Odd's mother had come to visit him after the incident. She was shocked to find out what happened.
-()-
"Ulrich?"
"Yeah Odd?" Ulrich answered while feeding Odd some mashed potatoes. Odd had come out of his coma in February, exactly the same day as Aelita's and Xenon's birthday. It was now March. Odd had his memory intact, but he had to relearn how to talk. He had forgotten how to move and hadn't been re-taught yet. Odd had physical therapy daily to help him. Ulrich often helped feed Odd.
"How long do you think Xenon will be in her coma?" Odd asked with a slight slur. His speaking wasn't what it had been.
"I can't say."
"Ah, okay." Odd said with a sigh. "So, how's school?"
"Nothing new, just studying for the baccalaureate." Ulrich said. "You'll probably have to repeat twelfth grade to take yours."
"I won't take it." Odd declared.
"Why?"
"Because I already have my life mapped out for me. I'll take over DRT and raise Odyssey and wait for Xenon to get out of her coma. I don't need the baccalaureate." Odd explained while taking another spoonful of mashed potatoes.
"You should get an education or at the very least finish high school." Ulrich said. Odd shrugged and went back to eating.
-()-
In April, Odd was normal again, or as normal as he ever would be. He was released from the hospital. Odd refused to go back to the states with Xenon still in the hospital. He suggested to his mom that they make a DRT building in France so he could still work and be near Xenon at the same time. Odd visited Xenon in the mornings and at night.
Odd rubbed Xenon's hands giving it a little extra warmth. Xenon's heart monitor beat slowly. Odd looked sadly at Xenon and sighed.
"Xenon, wake up." Odd said. He had tried that phrase so many times he wasn't sure if it even had a meaning anymore. "I miss you." Odd said. "I'm living at Kadic right now, just till the school year is over." Some people believe people in comas can hear you when you talk to them, Odd did too. Even if not, it just helped to talk it out even if Xenon couldn't respond back. "After that, I'll get a place somewhere near. I'll also start being an official parent. Eleanor was nice enough to take care of Odyssey through all these months till I'll be an adult. Wow." Odd laughed softly. "Me taking care of a child? That'll be scary, but I hope that whenever you wake up that you can help me. I mean, I hope that you'll---never mind." Odd sighed and kissed Xenon on the head.
I don't want to say much incase Xenon can hear me. Odd thought.
"I better go. School gates close at six and it's five thirty." Odd said, then gave her another kiss on the forehead. "Bye." Releasing his grip from her hand, he started to turn only to be whipped back. Xenon was holding onto his hand tightly. Odd's eyes widened in surprise and he got close to Xenon. Purple eyes stared silently at Odd. "Xenon?" Odd said surprised. Her eyes were bright and were staring straight at Odd. "Nu-nurse!" Odd called.
A nurse came running in. Seeing Xenon awake, she went to Xenon's side and inspected Xenon. While she did this, Xenon let go of Odd's hands and shifted her gaze to the ceiling.
"I'm going to go get the doctor." The nurse said, leaving the room. Odd nodded and approached Xenon again. Xenon didn't grab his hand nor look at him. She seemed frozen just staring at the ceiling. A doctor came rushing in with the nurse at his heels. The doctor was in his forties with already graying black hair.
"Miss Smith." He said as he helped her sit up. He turned to Odd. "Mister ?--"
"Della Robbia." Odd replied, while watching Xenon.
"What happened?"
"I was just about to go. When I tried to let go of my hand she was holding on and looking at me." Odd explained.
"Okay, I'm going to look her over to make sure everything is alright. If you could wait outside please." The doctor said.
-()-
"Mr. Della Robbia, I'm sorry." The doctor said. Odd sat on a bench down the hallway from Xenon's room. "When Miss Smith woke up from her coma, she didn't get any of her memories, talking ability, ability to comprehend, everything. Miss Smith is basically an empty shell. There's a chance that she might be able recover her memories and revert back to her old self but, to be honest, that chance is slim. I'm sorry." Odd's breathing went shallow.
"So, basically Xenon's dead, but her body isn't and her soul's not inside the body?" Odd asked. The doctor nodded.
"An empty shell. I'm sorry."
-()-
A/N Epilogue is coming. Review.