Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners, particularly the characters taken from the animated series, Code Lyoko and the television series Star Trek. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Jeremie was glum as he left Dr. Janeway's office. Just before he disappeared, Janeway called out, "oh, and if you ever need to talk, about anything, give me a call. I'll adjust my schedule to accommodate you."
The blond haired genius mentally kicked himself for being caught so easily. I knew there was something strange about him, but I didn't listen to myself! Now I'm going to betray my friends, and there's nothing I can do about it!
Then he saw Aelita standing at the end of the hall, waiting for him. Nooo! his mind screamed as he walked up to her and took her hand. He went to leave the building with her, but she didn't follow him. The feeling of his arm being pulled by her not walking stopped him.
"So, how did it go?" she asked, "was it as bad as you thought?"
"No," he replied, lying through his teeth, "it was like any other interview I've had with the head shrink types. I still don't know what about him sets me on edge though, so I'd watch myself around him if I were you."
"Well, okay," she replied, "but I still don't think he's all that bad."
You would if you knew what I knew, Jeremie thought. He gave her hand a squeeze and said, "c'mon, let's get out of here."
As Jeremie and Aelita left the building, Jeremie inwardly fumed at himself. He had felt it when the nanoprobes exited out the palm of his hand and into hers. Janeway said that he couldn't resist doing what he had just done, but Jeremie was still ashamed for not trying harder.
After leaving Aelita, the blond genius shut the door of his dorm room and went over to his desk and sat down before his computer. He generally did this after classes ended in the afternoon, so whatever Dr. Janeway had done to him didn't seem to mind; although Aelita did. He logged on and connected to the supercomputer and started running some routine checks. He got so lost in his work, he was surprised when there was a knock at his door.
"Yeah, who is it?" he called out.
"Ulrich," came the reply as the brunette opened his door and walked in.
"Hey Jeremie, could you watch Kiwi for a while?" Ulrich started, "I'm, uhhhh, trying to study and he keeps bugging me to play."
"And leaving him here helps how?" Jeremie replied.
"I get to study," was the response, "you're not having a problem in Mrs. Hertz's class, so you can do without it. C'mon, do me this favor, please?"
"Oh, okay," Jeremie finally said. Ulrich left for a minute, then returned with Odd's furry little bit of contraband.
"I'll pick him up before curfew," Ulrich said, "or I'll make Odd come get him when he gets back. Thanks a lot for this Jeremie, my grades and I really appreciate it."
"No problem," Jeremie replied, patting Ulrich on the back, "uh, he doesn't need to go out or anything does he?"
"Nope, I snuck him out when I got back from class; that's what got him wound up."
"Oh, and if you need any help 'studying,' let me know, okay?"
"Sure, 'bye," Ulrich said as he went back to his room.
Before Ulrich disappeared, Jeremie remembered something. "Hey, Ulrich! Just where is Odd anyway?"
"He said he had to see Mrs. Hertz about his grades. Why else do you think I'm studying?"
Ulrich then went back in his room. Jeremie nodded to the boy and shut his door, then looked down at the little dog.
"More than likely, Ulrich's gonna sneak off to see Yumi," he told the dog, "well, that's two friends I've betrayed. And Ulrich will most likely infect Yumi when he sees her. That leaves just Odd, and I can get him through you, can't I, you little fur ball?"
Jeremie sat down on his bed, and Kiwi jumped up in his lap. Jeremie petted the dog and said stupid, cute little nothings to him, all the while releasing Janeway's nanoprobes into the dog's system. After a moment, Kiwi jumped down and Jeremie stood up.
"Well, I guess I'll go to the bench and survey the damage I've done."
Ulrich Stern ran down the street towards Yumi's house. He was a little ashamed of himself for lying to Jeremie the way he did, but he just had to see the Japanese girl. With one thing and another, they hadn't had a chance to talk in days, and he didn't want to take the chance that Jeremie would say no.
He arrived at Yumi's house, went up and rang the doorbell. Yumi's brother, Hiroki, answered it.
"Hi, Ulrich!" he said in greeting.
"Hi yourself," he replied, "is Yumi home?"
"Yeah, she's up in her room. I'll call her down." He then turned and yelled at the top of his lungs, "YUMI!!!!!! YOUR BOYFRIEND'S HERE!"
Ulrich was kind of surprised how such a big sound came out of such a small frame.
Yumi seemingly materialized at the bottom of the stairs, ready to pound her brother into paste; then saw who was at the door and walked up, blushing.
"Oh, hi, Ulrich," she said.
"So, you two gonna go smooch now?" Hiroki asked, teasing his sister.
"Hiroki, put a cork in it!," Yumi said to him, then said to Ulrich, "c'mon, let's sit on the porch.
When Yumi took Ulrich's arm to lead him out, the nanoprobes that Jeremie had infected Ulrich with entered Yumi's body. Both teens felt a slight tingle at the transfer.
When they were alone, Yumi said, "you're gonna think I'm crazy, but let's go back to the school. I have a sudden urge to see Jeremie and the others."
"Yeah, me too now that you say it," Ulrich replied.
With that, the couple set off back to school.
Jeremie and Aelita were sitting and chatting at their usual bench on campus when they saw Ulrich and Yumi walk up. Jeremie nodded his head. He called it correctly, Ulrich had gone to Yumi's. Any other time, he thought that it was cute. Now, he was saddened because he knew Yumi was now infected too. The couple walked up and sat down together next to Aelita.
"So, how's that studying coming along?" Jeremie said the couple. Ulrich just blushed and replied, "sorry 'bout that, Jer."
"Well, just the people I need to see," called out a voice. The group turned and saw that Dr. Janeway was walking up to them.
"And I see you've done a good job, Jeremie," he said with a smile, "but there's one missing, isn't there? Where's your friend Odd?"
"With Mrs. Hertz, I guess," Jeremie replied, "his dog, Kiwi is in my room; I infected him just in case I couldn't get to Odd directly."
"Jeremie, what are you talking about?" Aelita asked him.
"Jeremie did something I told him to do," Dr. Janeway replied, "don't be mad at him, he had absolutely no choice in the matter. Enough of you are here now for me to provide an explanation, so if you would come with me, I'll answer all of your questions that I can."
Odd Della Robbia walked into the science building with a troubled look on his face. After lunch, Mrs. Hertz had said she wanted to speak with him after school about his grades, so Odd was heading back to see what she wanted. Odd thought the request strange, but, then again, Mrs. Hertz did seem a little strange when he spoke to her, so it wasn't all that surprising.
Odd walked right into Mrs. Hertz's classroom, never noticing the man standing beside the door, out of Odd's direct vision. She was there, sitting at her desk, looking about the same as she always did, except maybe a little paler. As he walked up to her desk, he said, "I'm here for our meeting, Mrs. Hertz, like you asked."
"Good, Odd, sit down," she told him. He took a seat at the desk directly in front of hers.
After he sat, she said, "Odd, I need you to help me with something, something very important. I need you to help me with your friends, Ulrich, Jeremie, Aelita and Yumi. Something important is going to happen soon, and I need yours and their assistance in order to bring it about."
"Well, sure, I'll be glad to help if I can, what is it?" Odd replied.
He got his answer in part when a hand clamped down on the back of his neck, while another hand, holding a of rag soaked in something covered his mouth and nose.
"You're going to help me dismantle the supercomputer, Odd," Mrs. Hertz said, "then you and your friends are going to help me take over the world."