Odd ran out of the first tower, beaming over his first deactivation. "Did you see that? Did you, Ulrich? I deactivated that tower! 'Cause I'm Aelita-lita-lita--"

"Odd, do me a favor and stop yelling that stupid song, okay?" Ulrich scolded, reading the book intently. "We don't have much time. We gotta keep Jeremie and Yumi alive. Now get going, will you?"

"Relax, Max. I see the second tower." He was dashing ahead at full speed now, but skidded to a stop when he met with two Kankrelats. But they were no obstacle for Odd Della Robbia. He busted one with a laser arrow and kicked the other into the digital sea before they could react.

Continuing running, he whined, "I'm getting too much exercise. Where's my Overboard?"

"Jeremie made the vehicles, not Franz Hopper. They aren't in the book."

While he darted towards the tower, Odd sang sotto voce, "Aelita-lita-lita!"

- - -

Yumi and Jeremie were clustered together in a makeshift shelter they built, which was basically thick metal rods slanted against one corner of the factory. The dust storm was raging now, gradually ripping up the factory, and they closed their eyes to it, clinging to each other.

"Jeremie...if this is the end," Yumi mumbled, "then...I want to say..." But the storm interrupted her. As if targeting her, it drew her closer and closer to its center. She was sucked into the cyclone.

"Yumi!" No matter how thoughtless it was, Jeremie jumped into the storm with her, reaching out to her. "Take my hand, Yumi. Everything will be okay."

Yumi smiled to herself as she took his hand. Everything's okay when I'm with you, my love.

- - -

Odd was in the second tower now, that stupid song stuck in his head. "Aelita-lita-lita," he crooned under his breath as he floated upwards. "Lita-lita-lita."

He put his hand on the screen. "Aelita-lita..."

Aelita Code

Odd typed in Lyoko, and the screen reflected it. "Aelita-lita-lita..."

Code Lyoko

"Lita-lita-lita!"

- - -

The storm was so aggressive now that even Yumi and Jeremie couldn't stay together anymore. They felt their grasp washing out.

Even in the midst of this, Yumi was secretly almost happy. She was with Jeremie. She felt that only death could keep them apart...

Then, right when the storm was about to do just that, it faded away, vanished. Yumi and Jeremie fell from mid-air to the factory floor.

"Ouch!" they cried in unison, then sat up laughing.

"They did it," Yumi realized aloud. "Ulrich and Odd did it! They deactivated the towers!" She hugged Jeremie so tightly he turned red, both from blushing and from being nearly choked. But he hugged her back.

- - -

Ulrich closed the book. Their work was almost done. "Hey, Odd, I'm gonna have to activate a return to the past, in case anyone at school noticed anything. I've done it before. I don't need the book." He carefully typed in the code and pushed Enter.

As the bright bubble spread throughout the twin worlds, Odd screamed as loudly as possible, "Aelita-lita-lita!"

- - -

- - -

This chappie is really short, but the next one will be longer. J/Y forever!