Chapter 4: Uncovered Secrets
Gwen carried the unconscious Sylvia, running and following right behind Aelita. They sprinted through the forest as the sound of the blowing wind grew louder. The rustling of the leaves grew louder and louder as hundreds of leaves began to fall to the dirt. The moonlight illuminated some of the darkness that engulfed the forest, but other than the tiny spots and holes in the trees, it was almost as dark as a city that ran out of power for three years straight without even the slightest appearance of sunlight. As the three sprinted through the forest, evading roots that inhabited the dirt, Gwen stopped for a second, leaning against a tall tree while Sylvia slumped onto the tree. She took a few deep breaths and looked behind her. Sweat fell to the soil as she tried to recollect herself after the long run. Aelita then stopped to look behind her, noticing that Gwen had stopped almost fifty feet behind her.
"What are you doing?" she yelled. "We got to get outta here."
"Hold on." Gwen replied. "I'm not meant for serious physical activity."
"We're almost there." Aelita said in reply. "C'mon before he shows up."
"Who's he?" Gwen replied. "What are we running from?"
"No time to play Twenty Questions." Aelita said. "We should worry about getting to the abandoned factory right now."
"Forget that." Gwen said as she picked Sylvia up from the ground. Then, as Gwen turned to face the opposite way, bolts of lightning passed right by her face, missing her by only a few inches. She then looked back at Aelita, who then started to run.
"Forget this!" Gwen said, sprinting with Sylvia over her shoulder. "Wait up!" Gwen looked behind her as the bolts of lightning continued to attempt to strike, but miss. The sound of constant strikes quickly filled the sound waves and started to get even closer. Gwen then saw Aelita lift up a manhole lid and then slid it away from the hole.
"C'mon! He's coming!" Aelita said, waving her hand as she descended into the hole. Gwen then grabbed a hold onto the ladder while holding Sylvia with the other. She slowly climbed down as the manhole suddenly closed. She then jumped down onto the concrete flooring of the sewer, holding an unconscious friend in one hand.
"Look where are we going?" a confused Gwen asked.
"We're heading to the abandoned factory." Aelita replied. "Now, lets hurry before he shows up again." Gwen nodded as she carried her beloved friend through the sewer tunnel. She followed Aelita down the tunnel as sweat fell to the floor. Gwen held her friend tight and then stopped in front of another ladder. Aelita then climbed to the top slowly and opened the manhole lid, sliding it aside. Then, Gwen followed her up the ladder. As she reached the top, Gwen fell to the floor, still holding Sylvia over her shoulder, which was sore.
"This is the factory, huh?" Gwen asked.
"Sure is." Aelita said, helping up Gwen, along with her unconscious friend.
"Alright, now lets go." Aelita then said. "There's no time to waste." Gwen nodded as she followed her into the factory. She then found herself looking down onto another floor below. She started to breath heavily as she stared down onto the floor from above.
"You've got to be kidding." Gwen said.
"C'mon, we cannot wait for anything." Aelita replied. "We have to swing. Here, I'll take Sylvia." Gwen handed over Sylvia and she watched Aelita jump for the rope, holding onto it with her left hand as she swung from side to side, quickly descending to the floor. She then landed onto her feet while Sylvia was still over her shoulder.
"Gwen, now it's your turn." she said as she stood near the elevator. Gwen swallowed as she slowly prepared herself for the jump. Then, as she was about to give up, she ran for the rope, then she jumped for it. She grabbed onto it with a tight grip and held onto the rope as she slowly descended.
"Yeehaw!" Gwen said as she swung onto the rope. As she descended over the floor, she released her grip from the rope and fell to the floor, rolling onto the floor. She then stopped onto her feet as she knelt down to the floor. She looked up to Aelita with a grin on her face.
"That was fun, huh?" Aelita asked.
"You bet ya!" Gwen replied.
"Alright, no time to play around." Aelita then said. "We have to get down to Jeremy."
"Alright." Gwen replied, with Aelita pushing the elevator button. The door slowly opened, the sight of the fully metal elevator impressing Gwen.
"Nice elevator." Gwen admired.
"Now, c'mon." Aelita said, carrying Sylvia into the elevator with Gwen following. The doors slowly closed behind the three girls as the elevator started to slowly descend.
"Gwen, are you okay?" Aelita asked Gwen. Gwen turned to face Aelita.
"I'm fine." Gwen replied. "What are we doing here?"
"You'll see." Aelita replied. Then, as the elevator stopped, the doors slowly opened, with blue light entering the metallic elevator. The girls then got off the elevator, walking into the control room below the factory. The metallic flooring covered the entire floor and even the walls were metallic and wires of all sizes were above their heads. In the center was a gigantic virtual globe of some kind of world. What sat in front of the gigantic virtual globe was a set of over five computer screens, a chair, and an entire interface. Someone was sitting on the seat, typing on the computer.
"Jeremy?" Aelita said. "We're here."
"Wait, we?" Jeremy asked in reply.
"Yes, we have several new people with us." Aelita said. The kid turned around in his seat and turned to face the three girls.
"Who are they and is that girl unconscious?" Jeremy asked.
"Yeah. The unconscious girl's name is Sylvia Meadows." Aelita said.
"Then, who' s she?" Jeremy asked.
"My name is Gwen. Gwen Ford." Gwen replied.
"Hey, you guys are in the same science class as us." Jeremy replied.
"So, Aelita, go join Yumi and Ulrich in Lyoko." Jeremy then said. "We need you to shut down that tower."
"What about me and Sylvia?" Gwen asked.
"You can stay here and try to wake your friend up." Jeremy said. As Gwen sat Sylvia down, Jeremy handed her his water bottle that was full of ice. "Here, this will wake her up." he said. Gwen grabbed the water bottle and poured water over Sylvia's head. As she did, Sylvia started to wake up, breathing as she awoke from unconsciousness.
"Whoa!" Sylvia said. "What's going on?" She looked around in confusion as Gwen sat in front of her. "Where are we?"
"We're at an abandoned factory." Gwen said.
"What are we doing here?" Sylvia asked.
"It's for our safety." Gwen said. "We were attacked."
"By who or what?"
"I don't know." Gwen replied. The two girls then turned to Jeremy.
"Jeremy Belpois, right?" Sylvia asked.
"Yes." Jeremy replied. "What can I help you with?"
"Well, can you tell us what's happening here?" Sylvia asked in reply. "Cause me and Gwen both know that this is not a dream."
"Look, it'll take a while to explain and, possibly, you won't believe me or my friends." Jeremy said.
"Look, we'll believe you because we're here. Why won't we believe you if we're already in a place that exist." Sylvia pointed out. Jeremy thought about what Sylvia had said. He stared at the computer screen and then looked back at the two girls.
"Alright, I'll tell ya." Jeremy replied. "Just give me a sec to virtualize Aelita.
Chapter 5: Return Trip
The two girls sat down in interest, listening to Jeremy's explanation. His attention to detail in telling the girls was admirable and every single detail had sunk into the girls' minds. It even had been stuck into their minds. It's been dug in so deep, that the very thought of what was going on made complete and total sense in a way that only the ones who know can understand.
"So, a supercomputer, huh?" Gwen asked.
"Yup. A supercomputer." Jeremy said.
"And, a virtual world?" Sylvia asked. Jeremy nodded in reply. The girls were astonished. But, what did not astonish them was that an evil computer program, XANA, tried to kill them and is still trying to.
"So, how do we stop him?" Sylvia asked.
"Well, it will take a while to find out how, but, we have to fight on until we can find that answer." Jeremy replied. "It's worth the risk." The two girls nodded in reply, understanding his and the group's decision to stop him once and for all. Then, as the three of them hid down under the factory, Jeremy spotted someone on one of his security cameras.
"Oh boy." Jeremy said. "This isn't good."
"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked, looking over Jeremy's shoulder and looking at the screen. She then noticed a shady figure slowly walking into the factory.
"It's XANA." Jeremy said.
"That's him?" Sylvia asked. Gwen joined Sylvia in hovering over Jeremy.
"Well, technically, yes. But, also no." Jeremy said.
"What does that mean?" Gwen asked.
"It means that he possessed someone. He's using that person to stop us." Jeremy explained. He then looked at Sylvia.
"So, can we help?" Sylvia asked. Jeremy looked at Sylvia, was staring him straight in the eyes. 'I'm going to regret this,' Jeremy thought. He then took a deep breath and looked at Gwen.
"Alright, you guys can help." Jeremy replied. "Just be careful you two. Don't let him in." The two girls nodded and reply and ran for the elevator. The two girls stood shoulder to shoulder, with Gwen pressing the elevator button. The doors slowly closed as the elevator started to ascend. The two girls then looked at each other.
"What if we don't make it?" Gwen asked. Sylvia looked into Gwen's eyes and held her hand.
"It's gonna be fine, Gwen." Sylvia said. "We're gonna stop him from getting in."
"With what?" Gwen abruptly asked.
"Well, with whatever we can find." Sylvia said. As the two looked forward, the elevator doors slowly opened, illuminating the inside of the elevator with white light. It was from a hanging lamp that hung over the entrance. The two girls stepped out as the elevator doors behind them slowly closed. The two girls then faced a lone class mate, who's eyes had the insignia that appeared on Sylvia's computer screen back at her dorm room.
"This isn't pleasant." Sylvia said. Gwen nodded as the two prepared themselves.
"So, what do we do?" Gwen asked nervously. Sylvia looked to Gwen.
"We fight." Sylvia simply said. Then, as Sylvia turned to face the class mate, Gwen made a run for a pile of steel rods, laying in one of the corners of the huge space. She grabbed two rods, one for her and one for Sylvia. Gwen tossed Sylvia a rod and kept the other. The two grinned as the possessed student advanced. Then, as he came closer, he raised his hand and, like the force, pulled one from the pile. It levitated in mid-air as it floated towards the possessed student. He grabbed it and prepared himself, waiting for the two to make their move.
"Don't charge." Sylvia said. "Wait on my mark." She swallowed as she prepared herself. She could feel her heart pound as she prepared to count down silently. She felt her stomach twist as nervousness built up inside her.
"One.… two.…. three!" Sylvia said, charging at the student. Gwen was behind her, guarding her rear flank. Sylvia raised her steel rod and struck the possessed student. The student blocked her attack and tried to strike her. Sylvia dodged the underhand strike as she brought her rod up. Then, the XANA-possessed student sent electricity running through his steel rod, making it like a shock stick.
"Oh, shiny." Sylvia said, grinning. Then, as Sylvia was about to make her move, Gwen charged the possessed student. She raised her steel rod into the air, about to strike XANA with a high strike. Then, as she was about to bring her rod down onto XANA, he smashed his rod into Gwen's left side, striking her down. She rolled twice and laid on her back, unconscious. Her hair partially covered her face as she laid motionless on the floor.
"NOOOO!" Sylvia shouted. XANA looked back at Sylvia with his mouth gaping open. XANA quickly brought up his steel rod to block Sylvia's first strike. Strike after strike XANA blocked. But, after each strike, he struggled to keep up with Sylvia's sheer brutality in her strikes. She then tripped XANA, stretching her leg behind his and tripping him. Then, XANA continued to block her attacks. He held his steel rod with only one hand and struggled with the strikes she delivered. Then, as Sylvia was about to strike XANA again, she saw XANA stretch his hand onto her ankle and delivered electricity into her body. She screamed as she was being continuously electrocuted. She dropped the steel rod she held, which landed with a sharp ringing and a thud. She clutched her stomach as she struggled to break free of his grip. Gwen then sat herself up, watching her best friend being electrocuted by XANA. She growled and shouted as she charged the possessed student. She stretched her foot back and kicked XANA right in the head, knocking him out. XANA's hand slipped from Sylvia's ankle. As he released her ankle, she fell to the floor.
"Sylvia!" Gwen said as she knelt down to her, holding her. "C'mon, not again!" She then looked at the unconscious XANA, who's electric steel rod vaporized from the electricity. Gwen started to cry on Sylvia's shoulder as she held Sylvia.
"Sylvia, please don't go." Gwen said. "Please don't. You're my only friend. You're like a sister to me." She cried on her shoulder as the sound of the breeze found its way into the factory. Then, as she was crying, she saw a bright white light approaching her slowly.
"What the heck?" Gwen asked herself as she wiped her face on her arm. She still held Sylvia, but looked into the white light. Then, it started to approach even faster. She then held Sylvia in her arms as the light started to engulf the factory. Then, everything, for everyone, suddenly went white. Then, for some mysterious reason, both of them found themselves back at Mrs. Hertz's class room. It was Science Class.
"What the heck?" Sylvia asked herself. She then turned to Gwen, who asked the same thing. "I thought we were back at an abandoned factory." Mrs. Hertz cleared her throat, catching the two girls' attention.
"Excuse me, you two, what are you doing?" Mrs. Hertz asked, her face turning her once present partial smile into a partial frown.
"I'm just asking her when's practice for guitar today." Sylvia told Mrs. Hertz.
"Well then, I'd like for you two to talk about this after class, understand?" Mrs. Hertz asked. The two girls nodded and continued to jot down notes until class was over. After class, they rushed to Aelita's room to ask her about the events they experienced. Sylvia knocked on her door, waiting for her to answer.
"Yes, Sylvia?" Aelita asked.
"We need to talk now." Sylvia told Aelita. "It's important."
Chapter 6: Answers and Mysteries
Gwen and Sylvia entered Aelita's room, standing in front of the door after Aelita closed it behind them. Aelita sat on her bed, looking up to the two girls standing in front of her, then leaning against the wall. Sylvia took a deep breathe and looked out the window, staring into the bright, blue sky that had fluffy white clouds scattered all over. Inside the rooms were posters of different music groups. The room was neat, organized, and well lit. Sylvia then looked at Aelita and swallowed.
"Aelita, what happened?" Sylvia asked. Aelita looked out the window, like Sylvia did.
"XANA happened." Aelita replied. "He attacked us."
"Why did he attack me first?" Sylvia asked in reply. "What did I ever do to him?"
"I don't know." Aelita said. "I think it's a new strategy. But, I don't know for sure." Sylvia then scratched her head, still a bit confused.
"What was that light I saw?" Gwen asked. "That bright white light?"
"That was the sphere. A Return to the Past sphere." Aelita replied.
"Return to the Past?" Gwen asked in reply.
"Yes, it turns back time so that the attack never happened." Aelita explained. "But, here's what puzzles me. You remember everything that happened. Nobody is supposed to remember except me and the rest of the group."
"Nobody?" Sylvia asked.
"Nobody." Aelita answered. "You weren't even virtualized. But, I know one person who has the same case as you."
"Really?" Gwen asked. "Who is it?"
"It's Jonas Rutherford." Aelita said. "He remembered everything that happened to him. He's even in the group." Sylvia sat next to Aelita and looked at her. Then, as Sylvia looked at Aelita, Aelita felt something. She felt something in her head. She felt like something coming to memory. But, it wasn't a memory at all. It was a feeling. She felt her hand tingle a bit.
"Whoa." she said, standing up.
"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked Aelita, confused.
"When you sat down next to me, it made my hand tingle and it made my head feel a little… weird." Aelita explained. Sylvia's facial expression changed from a still face to a confused expression. She was as confused as Gwen. Aelita then looked to Gwen with the same feeling.
"What's going on, Aelita?" Sylvia asked.
"I don't know." Aelita replied. Gwen then looked to Sylvia and Sylvia looked to Aelita. Sylvia took another deep breathe and looked to Gwen.
"Things are getting weirder and weirder." Sylvia said. Gwen nodded.
"You got that right." Gwen replied. "We have to get answers. All three of us." Aelita nodded in reply and so did Sylvia.
"Alright, so who do we ask?" Aelita asked.
"Maybe Belpois can answer us." Sylvia suggested. Gwen nodded in reply.
"Maybe he knows." Gwen said. Then, Aelita opened the door, letting the two girls out first with the feeling that she felt earlier. They walked through the halls, staying together in one group. They then knocked on Jeremy's door in the boys dorm halls. Jeremy opened the door, surprised to see both Gwen and Sylvia with Aelita.
"Hey, girls, what's this about?" Jeremy asked.
"It's about that… attack." Sylvia said.
"You… you remember?" Jeremy asked, confused. "I though the Return to the Past would've worked on you two."
"Well, it seems like it didn't and we have something to ask you about." Sylvia said in reply.
"You mean, to answer why you didn't forget about that attack?" Jeremy asked.
"That and… something else." Sylvia replied.
"Well, c'mon in." Jeremy said, letting the three girls inside his room. The room, like Aelita's was well lit, had posters of science stuff, like Albert Einstein, and even had his own computer, just like Sylvia. Jeremy sat in his computer seat and the three girls took a seat on Jeremy's bed.
"So, what's the issue?" Jeremy asked.
"Well, Aelita should tell you." Sylvia said. "Go ahead, tell him."
"Well, Jeremy, I had this feeling…"
"What kind of feeling?" Jeremy asked.
"When Sylvia sat next to me, I felt this weird tingling in my hand and I felt a little light headed as well." Aelita explained. Jeremy's eyes opened as he heard her explain what she felt. "Even when I got near Gwen, it happened." Jeremy rubbed the back of his head.
"I better do some research on this." Jeremy replied. "It might be some kind of reaction."
"What kind of reaction?" Sylvia asked.
"I don't know." Jeremy replied. "That's why I should research it." The three girls looked at each other, surprised that even Jeremy did not know.
"Alright, when you find something, can you tell us?" Sylvia asked Jeremy.
"Yeah, sure." Jeremy said. "But, it's gonna be a while." The three looked at each other again, but nodding in reply.
"It's worth waiting for." Sylvia replied. "Thanks, Jeremy."
"No problem." Jeremy replied as the girls left the room, checking it online.
Chapter 7: It Began Here
August 6th, 1980
Project Carthage Facility, France
A woman sits still on a bed inside a lab behind a wall of metal with glass. A bright light blinds her as she stares into it, with no other choice. As she struggles to see, a group of doctors enter the room, the first doctor in carrying a metal brief case. He then sets it on a table and the rest of the team, made up of about five, circle around the almost naked woman, save for a white t-shirt with a pair of short shorts. Her brown hair covered her ears and her bangs fell in front of her face as she continued to look up into the light, ignoring the team of doctors. As the doctors chatted among themselves, the lead doctor opened the metal brief case, taking out a needle full of blue liquid. He tapped his finger against the needle, checking its strength. He then slowly approached, readying the needle and himself. Then, as he walked closer, the woman started to hear a voice.
"The day we start living a life of danger is the day we regret living." the voice said, echoing. "The world is a dangerous place... and it's our job to make a new world. A World Without Danger." The doctor looked at his collegues and readied himself.
"Wars are waged over resources and self defense and anger." the voice said again. "Humanity is in danger. And we need to escape it." The woman looked over to see the needle, then gasping. One of the doctor's held her still as the needle slowly approached.
"But, now, a place where we can escape to is now within our very grasp." the voice continued. "Our last hope is this world that we have created." Then, the needle pierced her skin, injecting what ever was in there. It felt like a shock wave was passing through her and she felt like something was reacing fast through her body. After that, she then saw a flashback. She found herself face to face with a man in a labsuit with a full beard and moustache. He was wearing glasses and looked like he was in his twenty's or thirty's. His hair was shaggy, but his lab coat was smooth.
"Mrs. Meadows, I know that you are but a young woman." the man said. "You are married to a man named Robert Meadows. You're planning to have a child or two in your family. But, you must do this, Mrs. Meadows. For your future... For our future." He then handed the woman a suit. It was blue and white and, with the stripes running along the side of the sleeves for the arms and the pant legs being blue, and the rest white.
"Stacey, you must do this." the man continued. "For me. For my daughter. For us all." Then, everything turned to white. After a few seconds of blinking, she found herself being hovered over by the same man in the flashback. He had his hands behind his back and he stood straight.
"Mrs. Meadows, are you okay?" the man asked. Stacey nodded in reply. The man then took a deep breathe.
"Do you remember who I was?" he then asked Stacey. Stacey nodded again as her head was laying on a soft, white pillow.
"Good." the man replied. "I hope the injection did not go bad. After all, those Nano-Trites would've been a little more brutal with you." He then checked his clipboard, observing some results from the injection. He smiled.
"These observations are... amazing." he said, smiling down on Stacey. "You're in stable condition and your vital signs are far from normal. They're almost super human. And, of course, you're body is operating as well as it was before. To think that new technology doesn't work the first time." He sat on the bed where Stacey was laying on and held her hand.
"Stacey, the big day is tomorrow. The first Scanner test." the man said. "I hope your ready, cause this IS the first test and anything can happen. I want you to be ready." Stacey nodded as the man stood up. Then, another doctor came through the door.
"Mr. Schaeffer?" the doctor asked.
"Yes, Dr. Armison?" Schaeffer asked in reply.
"You have to see this." the doctor said.
"Alright, I'll be there in a few." Schaeffer replied. "Take some rest. I'll have to go back to work on the project. But, get some rest and be ready tomorrow." He then left the room in a hurry, leaving Stacey alone to rest on the bed. She then slowly closed her eyes, going into a deep sleep.
Chapter 8: First Test
August 7th, 1980
Project Carthage Facility- France
First Scanner Test
Stacey stood in front of a metal tube that emitted yellow light. The metal exterior glimmered in the room's light as the light from the inside shined out into the room, where Stacey stood dressed in the white uniform that Waldo had gave her. She was nervous, since this was the first scanner test ever. No body knew if it was going to be a complete and utter failure or an exciting success. Not even Waldo knew. He walked up and grabbed her left shoulder with a mild smile on his bearded face.
"Stacey, I know you're nervous." Waldo said. "But, you shouldn't be. I know you're gonna be okay." Stacey turned around and looked back at Waldo, with a smile still on his face.
"Thank you." Stacey said, hugging Waldo. Waldo hugged her back in front of the scanner. Then, someone dressed in a green US military outfit walked into the room, his hair a mild grey and he had a five o'clock shadow. He walked up to Waldo with a clipboard in his hand and tapped him on the back.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Waldo." the man said.
"No, you're not." Waldo said, releasing his hug. He dusted his lab coat off and took off his glasses, then rubbing his eyes and turned to face the man. "What is it, Richard?"
"Well, security has been increased around this perimeter." Richard said. "And, I have some of the reports you asked for last night." As he handed Waldo the clipboard, Stacey looked down at the nametag that was on the pocket on his jacket's left side on the chest part. It said 'Rutherford' and then she looked at his right arm patch. It was gold with a black slash running diagonally and a horse's head to the top right.
"You served in Vietnam?" Stacey asked. Richard looked up at Stacey.
"As a matter of fact, I did." Richard replied. "I met Waldo after the war and he helped me out." Stacey nodded. Then, Waldo made himself cut into the conversation.
"Well, these reports are remarkable." Waldo said. "I didn't even see this coming." Richard smiled.
"Well, I didn't either and I'm not a doctor nor a scientist." Richard and Waldo laughed and hugged.
"Well, how's your son, Jonathan?" Waldo asked.
"He's perfectly fine." Richard replied. "He's growing up real fast."
"That's good to hear, Richard." Waldo said. "But, now lets get this test over with." Stacey nodded and slowly walked towards the scanner tube, the light shining toward her eyes. She blinked as she got closer to the scanner, then slowly stepping in. She took a deep breath and stepped into the scanner. She turned around to face Waldo and Richard, who were watching her. She closed her eyes tightly as instructed before.
"Alright, Armison!" Waldo said as he looked at his clipboard. "Hit it!" The scanner doors closed and it sealed tightly with Stacey inside. Then, as it seemed like nothing worked, a ray of some sort glided up and down across her body, scanning her. The light slowly moved up and down. Then, it stopped suddenly. Then, as she thought it was just a bio scanner, heavy winds blew her hair into the air. It was like a huge fan was under her, blowing air upwards. Her hair flew everywhere. She then opened her eyes again and found herself falling onto an icy surface. She fell on her chest as she felt the cold ice.
"What the heck?" Stacey asked herself. She looked around herself and scanned the area round her. It was full of ice and icy rocks and cliffs.
"Oh joy, it worked!" Waldo said into a microphone connected to a headset. He was looked at the monitors back in the real world, observing Stacey's conditions.
"Where am I?" Stacey asked.
"Welcome to The World Without Danger." Waldo said.
"How come it's just a lot of ice?" Stacey asked, surprised.
"Well, it's not just ice." Waldo said, chuckling. "There's a lot more than ice in the world you're in." Then, as Stacey chuckled as well, she felt a tingling in her right arm and hand.
"Why does my right arm feel tingly?" Stacey asked.
"I don't know." Waldo replied. "Try to stretch it out." Stacey did as Waldo suggested, stretching her arms out. As she stretched it out forward, some kind of blue energy started to form at her fingertips. It started to hum as she let it point forward.
"Uh, what's going on?" Stacey asked. Then, as it got bigger, it released and shot forward. It impacted against an icy rock. As it impacted, it blew the rock to icy pieces, scattering various pieces of all sizes all across the ground.
"Whoa." Stacey said. "That's heavy. Did you see that, Waldo?"
"Oh yeah I saw it." Waldo replied. "That was… amazing! How did you do that?"
"Uh, I just stretched my arm forward just like you suggested." Stacey explained.
"Whoa, that's just amazing." Waldo said. "I gotta research and check this out later." Stacey smiled at the smoldering pieces of rock.
"Do you think this is A World Without Danger?" Stacey asked.
"Well, I don't know." Waldo replied, taking a deep breath. "But, I will still do this for me and my daughter."
Chapter 9: When Rookies Meet
Present Day
Sylvia sat across Gwen in the lunch room. Sylvia played around with her food on her plate as Gwen was eating pleasantly, enjoying her lunch. Sylvia was worried about what they might have gotten into, despite the fact that they weren't even supposed to remember anything from that night. Both of them did not know what to think of the situation, except just to keep a clear head and focus on life. But, never in their lives, have things been more dangerous. Gwen looked up to see that Sylvia was in deep thought, but was also worried. Gwen decided to talk to her.
"Sylvia, you alright?" Gwen asked while drinking her chocolate milk. A tiny droplet then fell onto her Patriots' jersey. She then grabbed a napkin from her tray and wiped it off.
"I'm just worried." Sylvia replied. She then looked at the clock. "I just have a feeling something is going to happen." Gwen looked up to her.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Gwen asked, confused. "What can happen right now?"
"I… just don't know." Sylvia replied. "It's been rough that night and I'd rather not think of it right now."
"But, you are thinking about it." Gwen stated. Sylvia then looked at Gwen. She tried to think of something to tell her, but every time Sylvia tried to think of something, she would lose it when she would open her mouth. The feeling of nervousness engulfed her as the day continued. The unexpected can happen at anytime, as the group told her. But, she would lose the feeling at the end of the day, at the last period. It sucked, but for all she knew, it was worth it.
Sylvia sat next to Gwen, as always. Mrs. Hertz was slowly going over the Atomic Theory, which was complicated. The class was jotting down every single word and drew every single diagram because of the fact that next week's quiz was coming up. Sylvia did the same like Gwen and the rest of the class.
"Sylvia, how are you feeling?" Gwen whispered to Sylvia, who was still jotting down important notes.
"I'm feeling a lot better." Sylvia replied. As she was drawing a diagram that Mrs. Hertz drew, her pencil broke and a sharp pang traveled through her hand. The pencil flew out from her hand and landed on the floor right next to another student. She cleared her throat and lurched her hand towards the pencil. Then, as she got closer to it, the student next to her, across the aisle, whispered to her.
"I'll get that for ya." the student said with a polite, young, and very likeable voice. Sylvia looked up and she blushed. The boy's hair was messy, but also attractive, his face was smooth and young, his clothes were clean and green, and his eyes reminded Sylvia of chocolate. Sylvia instantly fell for the student, who was the same age as her. She stared at him for three seconds and then she shook herself out of it. She cleared her throat and sat up.
"Thank you." Sylvia said sweetly. The student picked it up and handed it over to Sylvia. Sylvia gently took it from the student's soft hands and then took out a pen.
"I didn't catch your name." Sylvia then said. Then, she looked at the patch tag that said his last name. 'Rutherford', it said. She then looked at the side patch, which had a horse's head, colored in black, a stripe that ran diagonally across the patch, which was also black, and the backdrop was gold. Then, there was a gold chevron that pointed north. It was a real military jacket that someone used, except that it was not from the modern era.
"My name's Jonas. Jonas Rutherford." the student said. Sylvia's eyes popped open as he said this. 'This is the guy Jeremy was talking about,', Sylvia thought to herself. The same guy Jeremy talked about was the guy Sylvia instantly fell for.
"Nice to meet you, Jonas." Sylvia replied. "Let me introduce myself."
"I know who you are, Sylvia Meadows." Jonas replied. Sylvia was astonished.
"How did you know?" Sylvia asked in curiosity.
"Jeremy told me." Jonas replied.
"Figures…" Gwen silently said to herself, jotting down the notes. Then, the bell rang, saving the class from further note-related torment. The class got up from their seats and started to leave the classroom. Mrs. Hertz then started to talk.
"Remember, class, next week's quiz is coming up." Mrs. Hertz said, then sitting back down to write. Everyone then started to exit the class room, talking with each other as the halls were soon filled with fellow students. Then, Gwen, Sylvia, and Jonas found themselves at the door. Jonas stepped aside to let the girls go first.
"Ladies first." Jonas said, letting Sylvia and Gwen through before him.
"Oh… thank you." Sylvia said, walking out of the classroom with Gwen walking next to her. The two then headed for Sylvia's dorm room, since school was over. The two girls entered and sat there stuff on Sylvia's bed, then trying to pass time. Gwen then sat herself on Sylvia's computer.
"I feel like blowing the crud out of stuff." Gwen said to break the silence. "Want to join?"
"No thanks." Sylvia said. "I'll let you go first." Then, as the two tried to enjoy themselves, Jeremy came into the room, with his laptop in hand. He looked at Sylvia who was looking out the window.
"Sylvia, I have some news." Jeremy said, sitting next to Sylvia. Sylvia looked at Jeremy.
"What's the news?" Sylvia asked while Jeremy was opening his laptop, then activating it.
"Well, I think you would not like this, since I doubt you guys like to take time out of your lives." Jeremy said. "But, you need training."
"Training?" Gwen asked, while she played Battlefield 2, jumping into a Humvee.
"Yes, training." Jeremy replied. "If you want to help us, then you need this." Sylvia stood up and faced Jeremy.
"So, what types of training are we looking at?" Sylvia asked, curiously. The sound of gunfire, explosions, radio chatter, and death cries paused their conversation for about five seconds. Then, Gwen looked back at the two.
"Am I interrupting?" Gwen asked. The two nodded. Then, Gwen turned down the volume on the computer. "Sorry." she said. Jeremy then continued the conversation.
"Well, you'll see." Jeremy replied. "We just need to set things up for it." Sylvia nodded and sat next to Jeremy, who was checking on the towers.
"What are those?" Sylvia asked.
"Those are towers." Jeremy answered,
"What do they do?" Sylvia then asked.
"It's hard to explain." Jeremy replied. "But, basically, it tells us if there is an attack happening and we have to deactivate the towers to stop them." Sylvia nodded, understanding the tower's importance in stopping attacks.
"So, this XANA program is sentient and evil?" Sylvia asked.
"You bet. He can do things on his own and he operates on his own." Jeremy explained.
"So, we're in this together then?" Sylvia asked.
"You bet." Jeremy said. "There's no turning back now. The world's fate and humanity's fate, rest in our hands, girls." Sylvia smiled and looked out the window once more. She then looked back at Jeremy. Jeremy took a deep breath and smiled.
"How do you like the title, 'Lyoko Warrior'?" Jeremy asked Sylvia. She giggled a little and then looked onto the floor. Then, she looked back at Jeremy one more time.
"Yeah, I like that." Sylvia said.