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, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich followed Dr. Janeway to the Administration Building, where the psychologist had his office. When they got there, he directed them to a small conference room in the same part of the building as his office.
"Go in an sit down," the man said.
The kids entered and sat down. Once they were in the room, Dr. Janeway shut the door.
"Now that I have you here, let me begin by apologizing to you all," he began, "it is against my beliefs to do what I have done to you, and if the situation were less dire, I would have found another way. Each of you has been infected with artificial microorganisms, called nanoprobes. These are submolecular machines that can perform a variety of functions. One of the things they have done already is cause your friend Jeremie to see to it you all got infected."
At that, the others turned to Jeremie.
"Look guys, I had no choice," the boy quickly replied, "with Aelita, I couldn't stop myself. With Ulrich, it happened so naturally, I didn't think until it was too late. And Yumi got infected when she touched Ulrich or he touched her."
"Jeremie is correct, he couldn't stop himself, which is another sin I've committed," Dr. Janeway said, "I believe that it is wrong to forcibly remove another being's freedom of choice, unless there's a very good reason to do so. And even though there is in this case, I'm still sorry it had to be done. Now, on to the reason why it was necessary."
"The night after your last encounter with XANA, an alien vessel landed on the roof of the factory. The aliens had scanned this planet and discovered the supercomputer. These aliens, called the Borg, scour the galaxy looking for technology they can use, along with raw materials to consume. They are extremely interested in your supercomputer, because it is a quantum computer, plus it has the ability to generate what we call a chronometric wave. That's what happens when you do a 'Return To The Past.'"
"You told him about the supercomputer?" Yumi asked in an accusing tone.
"I didn't have any choice," Jeremie replied.
"He truly had no choice, Miss Ishiyama. Now, what has surprised me so far is that the Borg that landed here haven't shown themselves. Their usual procedure is to begin capturing natives and integrating them into their collective. By now, they should have assimilated enough people to openly show themselves, and begin a general takeover of the area. They'll hold it until help comes in the form of Harvester ships, massive ships specifically designed to conquer planets."
"What do these aliens look like?" Aelita asked, "so we can keep an eye out for them."
"Normally, they would be wearing what looks like bulky black exoskeletons, and there would be electronic devices sticking out of their flesh," Dr. Janeway replied, "but that doesn't necessarily have to be the case. Anyone could be assimilated, but all of the controlling mechanisms are inside their bodies."
"Great," Ulrich said, "we can't trust anyone except ourselves. Tell me, Dr. Janeway, just how do you know all of this?"
"Because, I myself am a Borg," he replied. The teens faces became a mask of shock at that. Everyone jumped up from their seats, ready to fight or flee when he added, "from around a thousand years in the future."
If the kids were shocked by Janeway's first statement, they were stunned by his second.
"Yes, I know; as long as we're telling fairy tales, let's add time travel to the mix," he said, "but you know already that time travel is possible, since you've done it quite a bit yourselves. So why is it so fantastic that someone from the future could travel all the way to the past?"
"It's not the capability that sounds far fetched," Jeremie said, "but your reason for doing so. You say you are a Borg, but yet you're here to stop your ancestors. I would think you would want to pitch in and help them."
"The Borg of my time and this time are vastly different, just as humans are different then from now. In my time, we no longer assimilate species against their will, nor do we rape planets like we used to do. In my time, your world had not been visited by the Borg at this time. My job is to see that events unfold as they are supposed to."
"Then aren't you interfering with history?" Aelita said.
"No. I have it on good authority that I am not."
"And whose authority is that?" the pink haired girl asked next.
"My own," was Janeway's reply, "suffice it to say that my being here will not change the course of history that I've come to expect; that is, if I succeed. I can't tell you what your futures will be because that information is not available to me. All I know is we have to get the Borg away from the supercomputer, and prevent them from calling for backup. I need your help to do that."
Odd slowly woke up with a splitting headache. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the assembly room at the factory, strapped down on some kind of table. He looked around and saw other figures working and moving about, working at other tables that looked like they had people on them. As he was watching, some of the figures stepped back from a table and a person got up, a police officer. The cop then went and joined others at another table. One of the figures bustling about the room looked familiar. On closer examination, he recognized that person as Mrs. Hertz.
"Hey!" he shouted to the room, "Lemme go! What's going on here?!"
The figures turned to him as one, but only Mrs. Hertz walked over to him.
"Well, Mr. Della Robbia, you are finally awake," she told him, "I had thought for a moment that we used too much chloroform. I've been pondering just what to do with you ever since I brought you here."
"I vote for letting me go," Odd told her, "I mean, if this is about paying attention in class, I promise, I will in the future!".
She smiled and replied, "I don't think so, and your scholastic performance is the least of my worries. At the very least, we need you as bait to draw the others, particularly Jeremie Belpois, here to the supercomputer."
"What's a supercomputer?" Odd said.
"Don't play games with me, Cat Boy," she said with a trace of anger, "it wasn't all that long ago when I held your life in my hands. And if I decide I don't really need you to do what I need to do, believe me, I will do something a whole lot worse than drowning you."
Odd's eyes got wide as he realized what was going on, Mrs. Hertz was possessed by XANA! But the boy didn't see any indication of possession, no XANA symbols, nothing.
She smiled at his shock. "I knew if I beat you over the head with it, you'd eventually figure things out. Yes, XANA controls your science teacher, but this time with a twist. I am not possessing her directly, I'm possessing her through the others that are here, wonderful aliens that will show us the way to perfection! And not only that, you can't fix things by going back in time. These aliens and their technology are impervious to the effects of the time jump! So, if by some slim chance your friends get to the computer and launch a Return To The Past, nothing will change; Mrs. Hertz and anyone else assimilated will stay that way on the other end!"
"Now, as for you," the possessed Mrs. Hertz continued, "I am really torn. My slaves need additional workers to secure the area and prepare for their fellows arrival. Since we control the factory, we also control access to the supercomputer, so interference from Lyoko is impossible. I was initially going to have you lure your friends here, but their natural curiosity will bring them here soon anyway. And looking at you there makes me want to do something I've always wanted to do to you and your friends."
With that statement, three of the figures walked over and joined Mrs. Hertz. At the ends of their arms, were devices that looked very sharp and very painful.
"I think I'll go out and get my sweetie Jim instead," Mrs. Hertz said, "he's more brawn than brain anyway, so he can help with the heavy lifting around here. I think I'll let my friends experiment with you for a while, before they vivisect you. And one of the things they will be concentrating on is identifying how your pain receptors work, so they can suppress that mechanism when the time comes. I want you awake and alert so you can enjoy everything that I have in store for you."
Suzanne Hertz turned and left the helpless boy to the mercies of her companions. Before she even left the room, his screams rose up as the Borg began their examination.