Code: CONTROL, a Code Lyoko + Control Crossover fanfic

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey! It's Sir Europa! For those who are just reading this for the first time, welcome! I'm glad you've happened upon my unconventional story. Before you start reading, I want to say that as of the writing of this Author's Note, this first chapter has been revised and edited to be an easier read.

I'd love to hear your opinions about this story, if you enjoy it, please leave a review! It'll let me know whether or not I should keep writing this or not. Thank you for your time! And I hope you enjoy the story! I'll see you in the next chapter!

It was a warm morning on the campus of Kadic Academy. Nothing out of the ordinary…the students roused themselves from their slumber and went about their routines. Ingrid had done the same, always trying to fit in with everyone else.

Having come in from the United States with her uncle Max, he and Ingrid were sent to watch over and analyze paranormal anomalies that were said to have occurred overseas. Ingrid Layton was the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. She's been the active Director for about six months, two weeks, and three days, and is the youngest Director to date of only 15 years. Her responsibility was to protect the Oldest House from the sources of these strange happenings – classified as Altered World Events (AWEs). She had to undergo very harsh psychological and physical training to better fit her role, as the unknown could weigh extremely heavily on such a young psychology. Ingrid had tried to put the teachings of stoicism into practice in her life, as to better handle the lingering turmoil. The FBC did not expect The Board to choose such a young girl, but Max had admitted that she possessed potent paranormal abilities even at a young age. Max assured that although he was not the Director, he would do his best to guide Ingrid through the role as he had been part of the Bureau for almost two decades. While Ingrid managed everything on the field, Max would file out the reports and answer calls. Ingrid was still but a small girl, and Max wanted her to experience normal life after losing everything she had to one of these AWEs.

So she was enrolled at Kadic Academy, partially to be a student, but mainly to have an inner eye at the source for the Bureau to witness any potential AWEs that could occur in or around campus. Ingrid was convinced that there was paranatural activity afoot, especially on days where all the microscopes in science class would suddenly break and catch on fire when you looked through them, or when the smart board in geography class seemed to be sentient and would mind-control those who read its words out loud. Though, try as Ingrid might, she couldn't fully realize what all of this entailed. The only thing that remained consistent with these phenomena was the appearance of an eye-like symbol on certain electronics when these anomalies took place. Ingrid had little to no means of understanding these events, or even any leads to go from as if she was constantly being forced to start back from square one. Just as she thought she was getting close, or as the situation seemed to be at its worst, all it took was a flash of white, and she couldn't remember a thing.

After showering, she now had to think about what outfit the day warranted. Ingrid had a particular way she liked to present herself. A red and black striped hooded sweater she had gotten from her late mother (that she loved so much that her uncle would have to buy larger sizes of it after growing out of her smaller ones), whose sleeves Ingrid would roll up when it got hot. The hemline of the sweater would hang over her black high-waist hotpants and a white t-shirt, as Ingrid liked to wear tops that were a little big on her; she didn't fancy showing skin.

Her legs were covered up by a pair of brown stockings, black ankle boots she wore because of how comfy they were. Ingrid always wanted to be cozy in her clothing. To top it off, a pair of round spectacles with crimson rims, sitting in front of her eyes which she always kept closed. It was odd to people how one could walk around with their eyes closed and never bump into anything, which Ingrid managed to do. Participating in class was another issue, as some thought she may be blind or assumed she never got enough asleep. It had been misconstrued so many times that Max would have to write a note to the Principal about her personal behaviors. Ingrid's eyes had been closed since birth, the doctor that delivered her hypothesized that it could be nerve damage, but as she didn't need them open to see, it wasn't necessary to pay for any kind of surgery.

She combed her jet-black hair, cutting it short every other week when it would grow past her shoulders. Her hair grew fast, like her mother's. Seeing herself with long hair only made her miss her mother more and brought upon that one dream of the hissing crimson cloud that she dreaded. So, she tried her best to make sure it stayed a reasonable length to not remind her of the loss.

Around her neck was a necklace with a pen for the charm. Or at least it looked like a pen. She kept this on her everywhere she went. And as absurd a necklace it was, she was very protective of it, hiding it under her shirt as she wore it around campus.

Breakfast was almost always uneventful. While Ingrid ate, she would text a pen-pal-turned friend on her mobile, who also lived in Germany. Ingrid soon learned that this pen-pal of hers would be enrolling at Kadic in a month or two, and she was grateful to finally have someone she knew be with her soon. But before that day came, she would like to have solved this mystery.

The day would proceed as expected, and Ingrid was reminded about the school prom dance was later that night from an exciting conversation she happened to overhear. There was quite some buzz about the night's events, and people were starting to ask others to said dance.

Ingrid enjoyed get-togethers and small parties. They were fun with the right people. But, unfortunately, Ingrid barely knew anyone other than her uncle and pen-pal on a personal level, so it would be hard for her to try and ask someone out. So, she figured she could just go on her own instead and began to wonder what she could wear.

As she mused outdated fashion designs to herself, she wandered into the entrance of the auditorium, where the prom was going to be held. There was a little press conference of a sort going on between two small girls, and despite their youth, they seemed like aspiring professionals. Ingrid listened to their report attentively, impressed at these two junior journalists.

"Hello, fellow students of Kadic Junior High! Ace Reporters Milly and Tamiya here with an exclusive cover of the preparation for the annual school Prom dance!" Milly, a redheaded girl, talked with confidence and enthusiasm. She gestured to her friend Tamiya, her darker-skinned camerawoman, to follow her to get a closer peek at the interior of the auditorium, which they couldn't enter. From there, Milly continued her coverage.

"Unfortunately, our cameras were not authorized to film the preparation, but I assure you from where I'm standing that this will be a grand affair! Oh, and look who it is, the girl who's projected to be our crowned Beauty Queen tonight as she was the year before, our very own Principal's daughter, Sissi!"

The girl who walked out of the auditorium looked in perpetual annoyance at being filmed by these two minors. Milly continued despite this aura of hostility. "Sissi, can you share a few words with our audience about the prom and what we can expect for tonight's festivities?"

Ingrid glanced at the older girl, she's heard quite a bit about her, but this is the closest she had ever been to her. If anything, she was quite pretty. It was no wonder the school heralded her as the "star diva." Two other boys followed her around, Herb and Nicholas, each looking precisely what a cute girl's henchmen would.

Sissi dismissed the young reporters condescendingly. "Sorry, munchkins. I only talk to real reporters. I don't have time to waste on a couple of paparazzi wannabes."

Herb reached for Tamiya's camera and covered the lens, stopping any further recording, much to Tamiya's dismay.

"B-But this is for the school news program…! H-Haven't you heard about the freedom of the press? We have a right to-"

"Oh, hush it, Milly," Sissi cut Milly off. "You little dipsticks are far too young to know anything about freedom. Who even wants to be talked at by a baby anyway? What do you even know?"

Sissi's personality indeed lived up to the rumors.

"Besides, you still have a problem. You need a date to go to prom, and who would want to go with a baby like you? I'll bet if you tried asking, all the boys would turn tail and hide!" She scoffed.

As if cementing her point as fact, Herb and Nicholas displayed exaggerated gestures of disgust when Milly glanced in their direction. "W-Well…" Milly was shaken up by Sissi's teasing. "I-I don't need them! I-I can find a date to the prom!"

"Then go ahead and get one! Oh, I've gotta see this-" Sissi scoffed in anticipation to see a poor kid's dreams get crushed.

Turning back to the auditorium entrance, Ingrid noticed some other kids working inside; one girl was on a ladder hanging up decorations, while two other boys held the ladder steady. Milly's eyes began to well with tears as she got the attention of one of the boys.

"U-Ulrich?" She called out. The boy in question turned to face her. "Will you be my date t-tonight…?"

"So that's Ulrich," Ingrid mused. It was evident that Sissi had a massive crush on him, at least from what she heard about Sissi's incessant flirtatious advances towards him. Ulrich, dressed in all green with matching khaki pants, a light green t-shirt, and a forest green short-sleeved jacket, all matching his messy brown hair, was flustered by Milly's request. The other boy, who heard the question and chuckled playfully towards Ulrich, was garbed in all purple long sleeves and pants, with a pink inner shirt, blonde hair done straight up, and a purple comet-shaped highlight over his bangs.

"…Uh…s-sorry Milly, I…I don't think that'd be a great idea, you know?" His voice was careful and finicky, as if he wasn't trying to hurt the poor girl's feelings the more. "I'm too old for you...and…I already asked to go with Yumi…."

Ingrid assumed that the girl in all black was Yumi. From how she and Ulrich looked at each other and shyly broke their gaze, it was apparent they were infatuated with each other. The other purple boy teased them silently as they did so, prompting Ulrich to shut him up. "Can it, Odd," he said through clenched teeth.

Sissi laughed out loud. "You see, what did I tell you? No one would go out with a baby!" She then stopped short. "Wait, Ulrich… you're going with…her to the dance…?!"

"Why would I want to go with you?" Ulrich retorted." You bully little kids for sick kicks. Not very attractive in my eyes."

Milly began to whimper as Tamiya put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her embarrassed friend. After recovering from her shock towards Ulrich, Sissi continued her verbal assault on Milly, but the spite in her voice was thick. "W-Well, maybe there'll be someone in the 'Sandbox Prom' waiting for you. So why don't you give up and go play with your dolls?"

Milly had enough. She rushed through the front door of the building, crying to herself as she ran away. Tamiya gave chase. "Milly! H-Hold on, wait up!"

"Serves her right," Sissi giggled to herself.

Ingrid interjected suddenly. "Don't you think you're a bit unfair to her? She's just a little girl."

Sissi turned to face Ingrid, her face already judging the latter's fashion sense. "And who are you? You look like you just crawled out of a garbage dump."

"I… didn't. Maybe you should visit one. I think you'd feel right at home," Ingrid replied, smiling. "Right with your toxic personality. I hear flies like to hover around disgusting people. Oh wait, maybe it was rats."

Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd were all stifling their laughter while Sissi tried to assert her dominance. "As if. What are you even doing here, anyway? Don't even think about trying to ask Ulrich out…-"

Ingrid's face remained neutral, not trying to give Sissi any satisfaction in her jests. "I'm going to the dance on my own. You don't need a date to enjoy yourself."

"That's funny; you know you're too ugly to get a date, so you've already given up! You're hopeless," Sissi laughed, the other two lemmings that stuck to her like glue guffawing in unison. "Maybe if you'd actually open your eyes, you'd be able to see that you really don't stand a chance against my beauty!"

"I would say out of the both of us, you're the one going through the most grief," Ingrid crossed her arms. "Your precious Ulrich seems to have eyes for another. If anything, the flies seem to have an eye for you."

"Believe me, he doesn't know what he wants yet," Sissi said, swatting away a fly that happened to buzz by. "Always blubbering around that wretched crow." Sucking her teeth, Sissi waved Ingrid away. "I don't need to waste my breath on low-lives like you."

"And do you know what a group of crows is called, Sissi? Because I'm really tempted to show you," Yumi threatened. "I hope you're proud of yourself. Couldn't even swallow your pride for a child. How twisted can you be?"

"You know, one day Milly and Tamiya will become famous world-class reporters, and they'll have more of viewers than anything you'll ever get. I know I wouldn't watch a brainless zombie if she was on my screen," Odd cackled.

Sissi's face burned with anger. "Shut it, idiots! Ugh, come on, Herb, Nicholas. We're leaving. I have to go and get ready for prom!" She quickly stalked off, waving at Ulrich and sticking her tongue at everyone else as her little entourage followed her. The boys turned around to make faces in kind.

Milly had run off to her room, with Tamiya not too far behind. There, Milly leaned next to her bed, her tears flowing as her friend came to her side, clutching her favorite teddy bear close to her chest.

"Aww, Milly, don't cry…we can still go to prom. Jim said we can stay until nine o'clock! And we can still do the report, too!" Tamiya reassured. "And then, we can have fun at the dance afterward, huh? How about it?"

"Oh, it's nothing but a waste of time!" Milly angrily retorted through her cries. "They don't care about us, Tamiya…just because they're older and bigger, they can look down on and walk all over us…! Don't you get it? Little kids have no rights, just like Sissi said."

"That's dumb, Milly; Sissi was just mean! She's a mean ol' witch…and that's that," Tamiya seemed sure of herself.

"No matter what, they'll still look at us the same way…! No one cares about our newscast…or about us!" She stands up, balling her fists as her tears dotted the floor. "Oh, I hate them…all of them! I hate every single one of them…I…I hate everybody in the world!" She cried out.

On the monitor of their computer screen, a malevolent insignia of something analogous to an eye flashed in red. Tamiya thought she saw something, but she blinked and brushed it off as the sunbeams that found their way through the window.

Taken aback by her friend's rash proclamations, Tamiya continued to comfort her. "M-Milly, you don't know what you're saying. I-It's just that-"

Sharply jerking herself away from Tamiya, Milly moved to the door. "Oh, I'm sick of you too, just leave me alone!" Grabbing her teddy bear and rushing through the double doors, Tamiya could only watch in patient frustration.

"Ulrich could have been a little nicer…but what could he do? He already had a date, and he let Milly down easy," She spoke aloud. "…Still, it doesn't mean Milly's not gonna be upset about being teased. She'll be back soon… I-I'll give her some space."

Running into the woods, Milly cried and cried until she found the old gardener's shed, where the groundskeeper kept all of his tools. Closing the door behind her, she sighed as she clutched her bear tight to her chest, leaning against a large crate of mulch.

"They'll never understand what I have to go through...no one will. But you...you've always been there for me, haven't you?" Milly spoke aloud to her stuffed companion, who remained silent, as normal teddy bears will tend to be.

"I'm glad you're here...you're the only one who listens, who understands...I'm just so mad! Why can't I be happy with myself...? It's like all the big kids get to have so much fun, and they just walk all over the rest of us...it's just not fair."

The bear continued to stay silent as the light above Milly flickered slightly. "...I didn't mean to yell at Tamiya...she's really my only friend. She cares about me a lot...and I care about her, too. M-Maybe I should go apologize...should I?" She asked her toy.

As if taking its silence as a yes, Milly grinned. "Of course you'd agree with me. O-Okay, I'll go and find her, but you have to stay. I don't want people to see me carrying you around and teasing me about you."

Placing the bear down next to the crate, Milly booped its nose as she whispered "goodbye." She gently opened the door and peeked out to see if anyone was coming before slipping out.

When she left, the light that wouldn't stop flickering fell out of its socket and crashed into the ground. A black specter oozed from the socket of the light, and slinked its way towards the bear, covering it in black as the once blank eyes were filled with a crimson eye-like insignia.

"She's even more horrible on prom day," Odd sighed, watching Sissi and her cronies leave before glancing at Ingrid. "Hey, that was pretty cool of you, standing up for Milly like that."

"There aren't many people who find the courage to tell Sissi off. You must be new around here, if that's the case," Yumi grinned. "I'm Yumi. That's Odd and Ulrich."

"I only did what was made sense…" Ingrid replied. "Someone was being bullied, and I stood up for them," She smiled subtly. "I'm Ingrid. It's nice to meet all of you."

"You wanna help us set up the auditorium for the dance? We could use an extra pair of hands," Ulrich asked, holding up a few extension cords.

"Sure, I'd love to help," Ingrid walked into the auditorium, her gaze shifting to all the decorations and confectionery, even the giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling. "You guys have really done up the place."

"It's a group effort," Odd began undoing the microphone wires. "Though you can say I'm the head of this entire operation."

"Yeah, your head is surely bigger than everyone else's," Yumi retorted, granting a laugh from both her and Ulrich.

"This normal-sized head will be the talk of the whole school at the prom tonight. Just you wait."

Ingrid giggled. They had a very tongue-in-cheek kind of chemistry.

"So, Ingrid, where are you from?" Ulrich asked.

"I'm from the United States. My uncle got a job at a secret research facility somewhere here, and we had to move because of it," Ingrid explained, helping tape wires to the floor.

"Woah, cool! Your uncle's a super-secret scientist?" Odd chimed in, forgetting he was speaking through the microphone. Yumi swiped it from him and turned it off. "Maybe that's not something she wants the whole school to know, Odd."

Ingrid reassured them with a smile. "You might as well be right. I know that he's here because of bizarre things that have been reported to be happening around this area and France as a whole," Ingrid sighed. "I've wanted to help him. This kind of stuff is…kind of my thing. I'm what you call a…paranatural investigator."

The trio of friends glanced at each other awkwardly.

"I-I know it sounds peculiar…but I've never seemed to be able to find anything out of the ordinary… I'm beginning to think that there's nothing here at all," Ingrid tore off another piece of masking tape. "It's a little disappointing, but… I'm not one to complain about things being peaceful."

Odd sat over the side of the stage. "Yup, nothing weird or crazy goin' on here, it's just a normal school with normal people and normal prom dances. It's as normal as it can get here. Normal, normal, normal."

"Normal's a good thing," Ulrich sighed, standing up. "The wires are all taped down…Jeremy should be on his way to set up all of this soundboard stuff any moment now."

"Do you know Jeremy, Ingrid? He's got the biggest brains in the entire school. Top student," Yumi said, turning to her.

Ingrid adjusted her glasses. "I can't say I haven't heard of him. He always gets the highest grades on everything, even scores I once thought were unobtainable. He is very intellectually gifted. Why do you ask?"

"Ah, Einstein. That's what we call 'im." Odd took a candy bar from one of the bowls nearby. "The smartest kid in school, AND he's a tech-whiz. If there was anything strange going on, my money is that he'd know about it first."

"I'm glad my reputation precedes me," a new boy walked up to the group. Ingrid recognized him. Those thick glasses, the short blonde hair, blue sweater, and brown highwaters…that was Jeremy, all right. "Who's this? Someone new?"

"It's Ingrid; she's cool. She told Sissi to buzz off when she was harassing Milly and Tamiya," Ulrich explained.

"Is that so? An enemy to Sissi is a friend to me," Jeremy grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Ingrid."

"Jeremy, it's great to see you, too," Ingrid nodded, her brows raising a little. "Your friend Odd said that you'd know about any strange happenings that would or could go on here. Have you witnessed any? Say…of a paranormal nature?"

Ulrich gave Odd a look, who shrugged and chuckled shyly.

"Of course not. Nothing happens here. This is real life, not a sci-fi flick," Jeremy responded succinctly. "You shouldn't listen to Odd. He's got his head all mushed up with monsters and mad doctors."

Ingrid sighed. "I'd believe you, but…I still think that there are greater things at work here…that people are oblivious to. Or have been made oblivious to. The sooner it can be found and contained… I'd say the better. Until then, though… I'll keep up my search. Thanks anyway."

The friends exchanged a concerned look. It seemed like Ingrid was dead set on her beliefs. Finally, Odd decided to change the subject.

"Soooo…how long have you been a student here at Kadic, Ingrid?"

"Yeah, you seem a little old to be in my grade," Jeremy said.

"I'm 15," Ingrid answered. "And I've been here a little less than two months," Ingrid sat next to Odd. "It's been hard…trying to fit in with everyone. French isn't my primary language…so I'm lucky to have some people around who can speak English while I learn."

"Being bilingual has plenty of advantages. However, taking up French would help in the future a lot, especially if you're planning to live here," Jeremy advised. "I'm sure there are plenty of people here that can teach you a phrase or two."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Jeremy."

"I can even teach you some Japanese; being trilingual is even better than being bilingual," Yumi chuckled.

Their banter continued, with Ingrid becoming more and more comfortable with the group. Then, looking at her watch, she saw that she was late for study hall. "Oh, s-sorry guys. I've gotta go. I need to study for a math exam, and I don't want to be a sitting duck at my desk on test day."

Odd shook his head. "Ugh, math…the bane of my existence. Who needs to know how numbers work when you have calculators?"

"Mental math is great for practicing your critical thinking skills, Odd. But, you know, Math isn't just about the answer. It's about being clever enough to know how to find it," Jeremy advised his friend.

"Yeah, and I'm clever enough to know how to slip a little sheet past the teacher. Guess I'm good at math after all!"

Yumi shook her head, turning to Ingrid. "Good luck studying. We'll see you around, Ingrid!" Yumi waved after her. "Are you coming to the dance?"

Ingrid nodded. "Of course. If you guys are going to be there, we can all have fun together!"

"A prom isn't a prom without Odd Della Robbia! I'll be there."

"Well, it's a maybe for me," Jeremy sheepishly answered. "I have some…computer stuff to catch up on."

"I'll be seeing most of you tonight, then!" Ingrid lightly jogged to the door, waving at the group one last time before leaving. Ingrid was quite hopeful; she didn't think she would be making friends so fast. Walking through the sunny courtyard and into the library, Ingrid wondered if those kids knew a little more than they were letting on. But she couldn't start making accusations from mere hunches. Plus, Jeremy was quite succinct in his denial…but "no" didn't always mean that.

Ulrich turned to Jeremy. "I don't mean to be the cynical one here, but she might become a problem, Jeremy."

Jeremy nodded as he set up the soundboard. "I don't know how dead set she is on uncovering the truth…but if she's that determined, we should make sure we distance ourselves from her."

Yumi crossed her arms. "We could still be friends. I mean, she seems like a nice girl. You know, minus all the secret paranormal stuff."

"X.A.N.A is much too dangerous of a secret to let slip out. It doesn't matter how 'nice' she is," Jeremy replied.

"We just have to be careful what we say around her, is all," Odd chimed in. "Who knows? Maybe she can keep a secret, too. Maybe her scientist uncle will understand."

"We just met Ingrid. It's not like we can trust her," Ulrich said. "Besides, the bigger our group gets, the harder it gonna get to keep things on the down-low."

"No matter what, X.A.N.A and Lyoko are always our top priority. And Ingrid can't fully be trusted. Who's to say she won't report everything to her uncle of hers as soon as she catches wind of it?"

"I guess you're right. Well, such are the trials of leading a double life; we must work in the shadows, our heroics never to be seen to the masses," Odd dramatically sighed.

Fixing the soundboard, Jeremy brushed his hands off in satisfaction. "There. That should do it." He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah, I forgot to check on Aelita; I had wanted to see if she had felt any pulsations on Lyoko."

Yumi shrugged. "You can go. That was the only one that was prepped. If they're all ready before prom, no one'll hanker you if you left for an hour or two."

"I-I won't be long, really. I'll be back."

"Ah, don't be so modest, Einstein. You and Aelita have some catching up to do. That's all fine!" Odd grinned.

The brainiac's cheeks were dashed with red. "Uhm…-"

"Speed it up, Jeremy. These soundboards aren't gonna set up themselves," Ulrich said, egging Jeremy to leave.

In front of his computer, Jeremy had begun conversing with someone on the screen.

"Aelita, do you read me? It's Jeremy," he called out to her. "Aelita?"

"Jeremy, hello there!" Her voice was pleasant and dreamy. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How about you?"

"I'm okay. If you're asking about the towers, I haven't felt any pulsations. It all seems quiet here. For the moment, at least."

"That's good; X.A.N.A's been a bit quieter than usual lately. I'm still on edge that he might be planning something…." Jeremy spoke cautiously. "Hey, you know…I-I'm making a lot of progress with my materialization research, s-so you can come and live with us!"

The pink-haired girl's face lit up in excitement. "The key to materialization? Have you found it at last?!"

Jeremy rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly stuttering. "Uh-…w-well, n-no, not yet. B-But trust me, I'm working on it! Soon, X.A.N.A won't be able to harm any of us, including you. It's only a matter of time, I assure you."

Aelita hampered her excitement a fair bit. Nevertheless, she had all the confidence in the world that Jeremy would be able to materialize her one day. "That's great, Jeremy…thank you."

Continuing to work, Aelita could see that Jeremy was pensive from the way he typed on his keyboard. He would listen to him work for hours, exchanging small talk and "real-world" advice, typing away as he wrote his programs. But now, his keystrokes were heavy, and he'd press backspace a lot more than he would normally. Something was bothering him.

"Is something the matter, Jeremy?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

Jeremy perked up. "Is it that obvious?"

Aelita smiled. "The way you type on your keyboard. It's changed. I listen, you know."

"Well…there's a new girl in school now, and she's kinda…well…different."

Aelita suddenly became interested in this "other girl," but it was an odd type of curiosity. "What's she like?"

"Her name's Ingrid, and she's a self-proclaimed 'paranatural investigator,'" Jeremy explained. "She's seemingly suspicious about the things that happen around Kadic. You know, the X.A.N.A attacks. I'm a little wary that she may become a little bit of a problem."

"Is it possible for people to still remember events before a Return to the Past, even if they weren't scanned?" Aelita asked.

"That shouldn't be the case. I forgot everything that happened prior to the first time I ran it, and if it were possible, we'd have been found out already," Jeremy scratched his chin. "Something tells me that Ingrid isn't just some normal girl…."

"You don't think X.A.N.A could be behind this? Maybe a possession?"

"Impossible, X.A.N.A can't materialize or possess people. Plus, Ingrid's story is more than valid. She's a good person; she even stood up to Sissi earlier today."

"I see."

"I'm still going to keep an eye on her, though…if there's even a chance of her remembering snippets of the past, it could pose to be a huge problem should she report it to the proper authorities."

"I agree, Jeremy."

"Plus, she's not the one I'm worried about. I'm far more intrigued with you, Aelita."

On the other side, Aelita smiled. If she could blush, she would. "Thank you, Jeremy."

About an hour passed, and Ingrid had filled sheets of paper with math equations. Then, finally, she became more confident in herself and her ability to understand the complexities of the quadratic formula. She had never seen so many different variables in her life.

She packed her things and walked out of the library, her gaze shifting to the group of students gathering near the entrance of the dormitory building. There was quite a bit of commotion, and the children were loud, too. It would have been hard to ignore it.

Ingrid turned in the direction of the fussing crowd, slowly approaching them as she gauged what was going on.

"What happened?"

"Is Sissi okay?"

"Was it a monster?"

Principal Delmas - Sissi's father – held his fretting daughter close by his side, her face covered in an aloe mask. Hadn't an hour passed? Sissi needed that much time to get ready…? Ingrid couldn't understand that.

"Please, everyone, calm down. There's nothing to worry about. Continue to go about your day," Principal Delmas had sternly instructed the group to make way for him and his daughter. Ingrid could see both Milly and Tamiya there, with the latter holding her camera like always. It seems they were doing a lot better. Maybe this was karma for Sissi bullying them earlier?

The group of friends she had met before had already come out to investigate the commotion. They seemed more suspicious than surprised, which piqued Ingrid's interest. Heading off in a different direction, they went back into the dorms to investigate. Seeing that this could be a potential anomaly, Ingrid gave chase, as well. If she could find out what all of this was, then she could track it down and maybe even capture it.

They had gotten there before her. Ulrich was the first to speak. "…So, what do you think happened?"

"Must have been all of those appliances that she had plugged in at once. The room's GFI must have shorted out, causing an electrical shock that spooked Sissi," Jeremy hypothesized, not stepping into but looking around the room.

Odd chuckled. "Oh, poor Sissi, she's nothing without her curling iron, stereo speakers, hairdryers, lights, cellphone, computer…she's just a tech freak. Kinda like you, Einstein."

Jeremy adjusted his glasses. "The thing that separates the two of us is that I have enough of a brain to realize what 'overloading your sockets' can do to your equipment and could warrant physical harm. But, of course, Sissi doesn't have one."

"Maybe this happened so many times that her brain finally fried out," Yumi scoffed, about ready to walk away. "With all of those electronics plugged in, what did she expect to happen?"

"You sure this couldn't be one of X.A.N.A's tricks?" Ulrich inquired, walking after Yumi. "This isn't the first time he tried to blow up the school."

"Not very likely, though; we should never be so sure," Jeremy turned to follow the others.

The friends left, returning to the auditorium. Little did they know that Ingrid was eavesdropping behind a corner. "Lyoko…and X.A.N.A? What are they, and how do they know about them?" She murmured to herself as she approached the room. "…This is way more than just an electrical overload…there are crack marks in the wooden closet. Could be from blunt force trauma…the shelves are all broken…unless Sissi was convulsing so hard that her body could fracture solid wood when it slammed into it…."

Ingrid shook her head, placing her hand on the cracks. "No, that couldn't be it. Sissi would have obviously had some bruising…the girl isn't that big. If she had made marks like this with her own body…she would have gotten seriously hurt…or even worse…."

She stepped back and stood in the middle of the scattered room. "…I'm starting to think that this is just as 'sci-fi' as you disbelieve, Jeremy."

Her thoughts were interrupted by flash of light. Turning around, she saw Milly and Tamiya standing there, holding out a picture printed from their camera.

"Hey…y-you were the girl that stood up for me when Sissi was saying all that mean stuff…." Milly rubbed the side of her shoulder. "…Thank you."

Ingrid smiled, patting Milly's head. "There's nothing by it. I just couldn't let a bully get their way, is all."

Tamiya speaks up. "We wanted to see what happened to Sissi a-and maybe get an idea on what happened here."

Ingrid walked past the girls. "The room is all yours. My curiosity has been quenched. I'll be on my way," she waved at them, her closed eyes holding ambiguous motives. "I hope you get your scoop."

The children watched Ingrid disappear from the double doors at the end of the hall before Milly suddenly exclaimed. "My teddy bear! Oh, I almost forgot it!"

"Huh?" Tamiya raised an eyebrow. "Where did you leave it?"

"…In the garden shed."

"Milly, WHAT?! That was the one place we weren't EVER supposed to go!"

"No one saw me! I'll go back and get it!"

Tamiya holds Milly's hand. "Not alone, you're not. I'm coming with you!"

Milly hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Okay, but y-you better be quiet! We can't get caught, okay?!"

Tamiya zips her lips shut and gestures that she's "throwing away the key." The two rushed out of the dorms and into the woods.

Ingrid was thinking hard to herself as she left the dorms. "There's no way this is some sort of natural occurrence. There must be something that caused it. This X.A.N.A…those other kids seemed all too familiar with occurrences like this as if they happen every other day. Could this X.A.N.A have been behind it?"

In the forest, she could see a prominent figure stalking through the vegetation in the corner of her eye. She turned her heel and darted into the bushes, trying to catch up with the hulking monster before she lost sight of it. Looking all around, she couldn't spot it again, but she was sure she saw something.

That's when she heard footsteps. Giant, heavy footsteps. Catching a glimpse of the being and hiding behind a tree, she hyperventilated as she dared to peek behind cover. "Is…Is that…?!"

A giant teddy bear. It towered over Ingrid, but it was short enough to be obscured by the canopy of leaves. She watched as it stalked towards the school. Debating with herself, she knew how much of an idiot she'd sound like if she ran around campus screaming that there was a larger-than-normal stuffed toy lumbering towards the school grounds. So Ingrid let the bear pass her by; she finally left the tree trunk and ran in the opposite direction. She tried dialing her uncle's phone number to get in contact with him, but it went straight to voicemail.

Sighing exasperatedly, she made her way back to the auditorium to find that it was almost full decorated. It looked terrific. It almost excited her for the night's events. As she approached Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremy, she waved meekly. "I'm back, guys! Wow, how about that? Sissi seemed to be the star attraction today."

"She seemed to have attracted more than the attention of half the school," Yumi rolled her eyes. "Rumor has it she almost electrocuted herself by plugging all of her beauty stuff into an old surge protector."

"That's not true." Ingrid thought. "Sissi didn't own a surge protector. I didn't see one when I went to her room."

"Interesting," Ingrid slowly nodded. "Well, whatever the case may be, I hope she's okay. But, stuck up as she is, electrocution isn't what I'd wish upon her."

"Believe me, it's far too late for that," Ulrich scoffed. "Not even lightning can shut a mouth that big up."

"Where's Odd? I thought he would be with you," Ingrid inquired, looking around.

Jeremy held a hand on the headset he was wearing as he adjusted the dials on the soundboard he was troubleshooting. "He's probably off trying to find a date to prom or something. Your guess is as good as mine to who it could be."

"Is our Romeo at it again?" Ulrich shook his head. "Figures, he's with a different girl every week."

"Knowing Odd, he might be trying to find a last-minute morsel," Yumi snickered. "He does eat like he has four separate stomachs."

"He couldn't wait for the dance? I had assumed there'd be more than enough food for everyone there," Ingrid had taken a piece of chocolate for herself, needing to satisfy her own sweet tooth.

"When you have to live with someone who still believes in the five-second rule? You have to expect they're a foodie," Ulrich sighed, wrapping the last of the tape around the last of the wires. "He could eat a horse."

Ingrid giggled. "Let's hope he doesn't. I don't think horses taste very good. But then again, I wouldn't know. I've never eaten one before."

"Hey, I'm still rooting for him. Who knows? Maybe he might find a date that'll last more than a week," Ulrich teased.

Odd, in fact, was looking for a date. He had been doing some scouting and happened upon a crying Milly and a worried Tamiya. Approaching them and abandoning his mission temporarily, he asked what was wrong.

"Somebody stole her teddy bear. We went looking for it in the garden shed…but Jim caught us. Now we can't go to prom 'cause he grounded us for the night."

Milly burst out. "And I just know it was one of the big kids! They must have done it out of spite!"

As Milly went about her emotional rambling, Tamiya noticed something about the picture they took in Sissi's room. Odd noticed that Ingrid was there, which made him squint in suspicion. "Milly, look, you're right…! Look at the picture we took in Sissi's room."

Milly looked over and pointed. "You're right…i-it's right there! Under her pillow! Ohhh, that witch! She stole it, ohhhhhh, she did!"

Tamiya questioned. "Wait…how could she have stolen it? It was in the garden shed before the mishap in her room happened; you ran off before it happened…and as far as I know, Sissi never returned to her room."

That got Odd thinking. "…Hmmmmh."

"Could it…be…Ingrid, that took my bear?"

"It couldn't have been her. She was at study hall when it all went down, and before that, she was helping us out in the auditorium…." Odd clarified, but something was still bothering him about the fact that she was still there. "Did she follow us to check it out for herself?"

"So then…h-how did it end up in Sissi's room…?" Milly asked.

"This is shaping up to be quite the mystery…." Tamiya said. "Do I smell a scoop?"

"I wish…but remember Jim grounded us...If he catches us in Sissi's dorm room, he's gonna lose it," Milly huffed.

Odd grinned, taking the photo. "I'll go check it out for you guys. Don't worry, I'll try and get to the bottom of this, and then I'll tell you everything I find."

The girls shared a look of hope and excitement. Hugging Odd, Milly had finally looked a bit happier that day. "Thank you, Odd! M-Maybe, all the big kids aren't so bad."

Odd winked at the young reporters as he ran off to find Milly's teddy bear.

Returning to Sissi's demolished room, he flips over her pillow and finds nothing. He scratches his head before feeling a breeze through the open window. Gazing out of the window and looking down, he could see indentations of circular footprints on the ground going into the forest.

"Oh, boy…this isn't good," Odd sighed, rushing out of the room to find the rest of the gang.

On his way to the auditorium, he could hear that someone or something had attacked Jim. Asking one of the students for more information, he was pointed in the direction of the infirmary, where he caught the Principal just leaving the nurse's office.

Playing it cool, Odd greeted him. "Good afternoon, Principal Delmas."

"Good afternoon, Della Robbia. Might I ask why you're here? Could it be that you're looking for something?"

"Oh, no, no. I just heard about what happened to Jim. The crazy story around is that someone attacked him. Do you have any clue of what happened?"

Delmas shook his head. "It's nothing, really. I think our gym teacher has worked himself out too much. A few hours of rest will do him some good," crumpling up a piece of paper, the Principal went about his day, leaving Odd to his own devices.

Watching him leave, Odd approaches the trash can and picks up the wad of paper, uncrumpling it to find a crude drawing of a teddy bear on it. By then, it all made sense. How the bear seemingly got to Sissi's dorm without Sissi taking it there, the destruction of the room itself, the footsteps in the forest…

"X.A.N.A…" Odd whispered, gripping the sheet tightly and rushing back to the auditorium. If Ingrid was as much of an investigator as she said she was, she must be catching on. He needed to get the others in on this...and quick.

"What happened to Sissi…it's really weird, don't you think?" Jeremy asked.

"It was a short circuit. What else could it have been?" Ulrich nonchalantly responded.

"It was, wasn't it?" Ingrid asked, knowing fully well that it wasn't. "Could it really have been something else?"

"I don't know…." Jeremy glanced at Ingrid. "I have my theories."

"Like the surge protector being old?"

"Surge protector? Sissi didn't have a surge protector," Jeremy said.

"That wasn't what I heard from Yumi…Sissi doesn't have a surge protector."

"It was a rumor; it could be anything else," Yumi said. "And wait…how do you know that Sissi didn't have a surge protector?"

"Because I went to check her room, too. Not too long after the rest of you had left," Ingrid said.

Ulrich sat up. "You were there…?!"

"I was. This kind of stuff carries my interest, and I knew that this wasn't normal electrocution. The damage in the room, the shelves being broken, the cracks in the closet doors. There was a much greater struggle in the room at the time of the incident," Ingrid put her hands in her sweater pockets. "…And there were no surge protectors, either."

Yumi huffed. She made that part up, but she didn't think that Ingrid would be right behind them.

"So even after Yumi had seen the scene herself when I asked, she said the surge protector was a rumor, but it wasn't the case because she knew Sissi didn't have one…so…you lied to me."

Jeremy squinted his eyes. "Ingrid, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave."

"…I see. Now I have reason to suspect you as knowing more than you let on. Please, you have to tell me what you know…it could save a lot of people!"

Before the others could object, Odd came rushing in; seeing that the tension was high in the auditorium, he could have guessed something happened.

"Ingrid, what were you doing in Sissi's room?"

"Was I not allowed to check it out?" Ingrid asked. "I could ask you the same thing."

"We can't talk about this here!" Yumi growled. "You know the walls have ears too, right?"

"Fine, we'll take this outside," Jeremy sighed before gesturing to Ingrid. "You can't come."

"Why not…? You're hiding something…I know it. If this is what I think it is...this is far more dangerous than you perceive it yo be!" Ingrid said.

Ulrich shook his head. "You've helped enough."

"I've helped very little."

The group walked off, leaving Ingrid all on her lonesome. She was frustrated and somewhat hurt, yet a deep excitement grew within her. She finally found a lead…but until she had more proof, she couldn't tell her uncle anything. But now, they didn't trust her, so it would be a lot harder to get anything meaningful from them.

"…My best bet is finding that teddy bear. The dance can wait…I have a mystery to solve," turning the other direction, she left the auditorium to go and search for the hulking plushie.

"I told you guys we couldn't trust her," Jeremy crossed his arms. "Now she's gonna be on our back until she discovers the Supercomputer!"

"That's my bad, guys. I really didn't think she was going to launch an actual investigation," Yumi apologized.

"It's fine, Yumi, you couldn't have known," Ulrich comforted his friend.

Odd spoke up. "We can worry about Ingrid later. I just found proof of our cuddly convict," Odd shows them the reporters' picture and the crumpled drawing. "It has X.A.N.A written all over it. Jim was attacked, too!"

Jeremy examined the pictures. "What am I supposed to be looking at here?"

"Milly and Tamiya were caught by Jim when they went to go pick up Milly's teddy bear in the garden shed, but it wasn't there. So, I saw them and asked what was wrong, and they noticed that it was in Sissi's room. So, I went there and couldn't find it, even though the picture showed where it was. But I looked out of the window – which was open, and I saw huge footprints leaving Sissi's dorm on the ground into the forest!"

"Didn't Ingrid mention something about a greater struggle? The closet doors WERE broken when we got there…I'm no electrician, but I don't think electricity can do that," Yumi followed up.

"I think the teddy bear found its way into Sissi's room and attacked her because she teased Milly earlier this morning! It would also explain why it also attacked Jim since he grounded Milly and Tamiya from going to the prom tonight!" Odd said before faltering. "Wait…but doesn't that mean…."

Yumi turned to Ulrich with urgency. "That means you're next, Ulrich!"

"…Huh?" Ulrich looked on in bewilderment.

"You told Milly that you didn't want to go to the dance with her," Odd pointed out reluctantly. "…That made her upset,"

Ulrich let the revelation sink in before widening his eyes in shock. "You've gotta be kidding…."

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, this is X.A.N.A's doing, alright…he must have been listening in somehow when all this was happening. That's how he knew who to attack. It was only a matter of time before he'd target one of us."

"That means we have to go to Lyoko," Ulrich said.

"You can't go to the factory, Ulrich. What if the bear comes and wrecks the place trying to look for you?" Jeremy pointed out.

"I can go to Lyoko!" Odd volunteered. "But one of us has to stay here, though. We can't leave the school defenseless. Somebody has to warn everyone else if the bear comes back to the school."

Yumi raises her hand. "I'll stay here. I was going to go and get ready for prom, but I can't risk leaving with you guys gone."

Ulrich sighs. "And I have to find the bear before it turns its sights on the school instead. Then, hopefully, I can distract it long enough."

Yumi puts a hand on his shoulder, which causes Ulrich to blush faintly. "You've got this, Ulrich. I believe in you."

Jeremy adjusted his glasses as the sun began to set. The prom would be starting soon. "Alright, Odd, you and I are gonna go to the factory and help Aelita deactivate the Tower. Yumi, you stay here and make sure you're ready to evacuate the school. Ulrich, find the bear and try to lure it somewhere away from everyone else. If it comes to the school, call Yumi. Once the school is evacuated, come to the factory, Yumi. Odd might need your help on Lyoko."

"Right," Yumi nods, reentering the school.

"I got a date with a plushie, then. Wish me luck," Ulrich salutes, running off.

Jeremy and Odd exchanged nods before running into the school through a different entrance and rushing through the boiler room's back exit into the sewers, where they found skateboards and a scooter. Jumping on a skateboard, Odd zooms through the sewers, with Jeremy following a bit further behind.

The two reached a ladder that led to a pothole on a bridge to an abandoned factory. Climbing to the top, they ran across the bridge towards the factory, grabbing ropes that hung high from one of the building's support beams, and swinging into the depths of the dilapidated building, landing in front of an old elevator.

"Go directly to the scanners. I'll transfer you," Jeremy instructed, prompting a thumbs up from Odd as the elevator lowered into the factory's sub levels. The elevator stopped, opening to a computer lab of sorts where Jeremy left Odd to continue even deeper into the factory. Sitting on a swivel chair, Jeremy rode along a circular track until he stopped directly in front of a large computer terminal. Typing some commands in, he calls for Aelita.

"Aelita? Aelita, can you hear me?"

Her face appeared on-screen. She smiled, happy to see Jeremy again. "Hi there, Jeremy! What's the occasion?"

"We think X.A.N.A may have launched an attack. There's a giant teddy bear that's stomping around and causing trouble. It's probably trying to find Ulrich. Quick, have you noticed any activated Towers on Lyoko?"

"No, but I'm sure we can take a closer look," Aelita replied.

"Great, Odd's coming over to you now, and he's going alone. The two of you need to be extra careful…Ulrich stayed behind to try and find X.A.N.A's newest catch, and Yumi's at school ready to evacuate everyone if Ulrich isn't able to keep it away from school."

He paused. "Speaking of…" Jeremy dialed Ulrich's phone number into the Supercomputer, calling him up as he could hear his friend's voice through the earpiece he wore. "Ulrich? Are you there?"

"Yeah, Jeremy. I'm here."

"Any sight of the bear yet?"

"No…but I can see some footprints…the big ones, like Odd said," Ulrich noted, shining a flashlight on the trail of large circular indents into the concrete, almost as wide as three times Ulrich's height. "I'm gonna follow them. Keep me posted on Lyoko stuff."

"Be careful, Ulrich. Call me when you see it so I can start tracking it from the factory," Jeremy said, returning to the main console to send Odd off.

Odd had reached the scanner room. Three tall cylindrical cabins lined the inner ring of the area, with a cavalcade of wires extruding from the top of it, seemingly all connected to the Supercomputer up above. Walking into one of the scanners, he made an about-face as it closed him in. A ring of light rose from the bottom of the cabin to the top as Jeremy imputed more commands into the Supercomputer.

"Transfer, Odd," Jeremy called out.

"Scanner, Odd." The cabin blew air from below, powering up with a bright light that overcame Odd's form.

"…Virtualization."

Yumi was left behind at school as the students piled into the auditorium, looking their best as they tried to impress the dates they brought along with them. The Japanese teen looked warily about for anything that was like a giant stuffed kaiju or Ulrich. She GREATLY preferred the latter, though.

Her silent wishes were denied when she came face to face with Sissi, who was all prim and proper with her curled hair, pink top, skinny blue jeans, and pink platform boots. She sneered as she passed Yumi by.

"Look who we have here? Little Yumi is all on her own. Where's Ulrich? Did he bail on you? I thought so…he's probably running all over looking for me, instead."

"Shut it, Ms. Plastic. You should be looking for Ken. You're 100% fake, all you need is the blonde hair, and you'd make a great doll in some kid's toybox," Yumi was not willing to put up with Sissi's nonsense.

"Oooh, spicy tonight, huh? You didn't get ready or anything? You look like your same old 'shadow stalker' self. You should really try and find some better clothes. Black is so bland."

"Black is symbolic of fear and destruction, and if you keep talking, I'm going to give you a reason to be scared," Yumi had fervent rage in her eyes. "So beat it."

Sissi got the message and rolled her eyes. "You'll never get a boy if you keep acting like a movie villain. Geez, why am I even giving you advice? Pssht, I have a crown to win."

Watching her leave, Yumi glanced at the courtyard. She could spot someone running away from the school. Squinting, she could recognize that it was Ingrid! But where could she be running to? She couldn't possibly know about the factory already, could she? Dialing Jeremy's phone, she got connected to the Supercomputer.

"Jeremy, we've got a slight problem," She said.

"Did you hear from Ulrich?"

"No, it's not Ulrich. It's Ingrid. I saw her running away from the school. I don't know where she's going to, but I have some fears that she may know about the factory already."

Jeremy shook his head. "Investigator or not, that's impossible. She'd had to be the luckiest person in the world to happen upon the Supercomputer. She couldn't possibly know."

"How can you be so sure? She's shown that she isn't stupid."

"If I can predict this right, she'd probably want to find proof of X.A.N.A.'s attacks. Which means she's going to try her very best to find that teddy bear." He leaned back in his seat. "Since I'm confident she has no knowledge of the factory, she's bound to be running up and down the streets. It doesn't matter what she does, anyway. Once Aelita deactivates the Tower, she won't remember a thing."

Yumi sighs, biting her lip out of worry. "I guess you're right…I just whatever she does won't put Ulrich in danger."

On Lyoko, Odd stood up straight, taking in his surroundings as he found himself in the Desert Sector. Turning around, he spotted Aelita and ran over to her, his purple tail and feline attire contrasting with the orange-brown sand and craggy rocks.

Overlooking a giant sinkhole, Aelita waves her hand across it. "The Tower that X.A.N.A activated can't be too far. All we have to do is find it…."

Peering into the hole, Odd chuckles. "Well, it's definitely not down here."

"Maybe it could be on the neighboring plateaus…all I know for sure is that it's somewhere here."

Odd's ears perk up, catching subtle skittering noises coming from behind him. "Well, we don't have too much time for that now… It looks like we've got a welcoming committee."

From the horizon, the silhouettes of Kankrelats were speeding towards the pair, Odd readying himself for a fight as they were cornered by five of them. Aelita gasped in fright.

"…Grrr, always the cockroaches. Alright, which one of you is first?!" Odd antagonized the creatures, aiming his fist at them as they opened fire.

"LASER ARROW!" He exclaimed, a sharp arrow firing from his wrist, slamming into a Kankrelat and blowing it to smithereens. As he did this, though, Aelita was taking cover into the sinkhole, which had a slight decline that spiraled down the inner walls of the hole.

Exchanging fire with the Kankrelats, Odd took a laser right in the chest, the pain flashing for a moment as the wound sparked with digital interference.

"Odd, be careful; you just lost 10 Life Points!" Jeremy warned.

"Cool it, Einstein, I've got this!" Odd took cover from behind the sinkhole's incline and glanced over at Aelita, who gestured to go deeper. "I'm afraid we don't have any other choice. Odd, this is the only place we can go!"

Before following her, Odd seemed to have a vision, a vision of Aelita falling down into the sinkhole. Anticipating this, he ducked under laser fire and ran down with Aelita. As he ran, he took three more lasers in the back aimed at Aelita, each costing him ten more Life Points.

"You're taking a lot of damage, Odd! Keep this up, and Aelita will be done for!" Jeremy shrieked from the real world.

Shifting his weight, he quickly turned around and fired a volley of arrows, each one hitting one of the pursuing Kankrelats. Three left, two left, one…!

A stray rock knocked the final monster from the ledge, bumping into Aelita as it descended. Losing her balance, Aelita began to fall deeper into the chasm. Odd - having seen this in his vision -sprang into action, diving after Aelita and catching her with one hand while slowing his descent by digging the claws on his free hand into the wall. They slowly came to a halt right before falling into the Digital Sea.

Taking a sigh of relief, Odd spoke. "Wow, we just can't leave you for a second, huh?"

Playfully rolling her eyes at his jest, Aelita could spot metal cables traveling through a secret tunnel system that went off from the sinkhole; the cables were live and pulsated with crimson energy and electricity, a faint heartbeat could be heard, giving the place an ominous tone. A look of determination came over Aelita's countenance as she pointed it out. "Odd, I think I may have found something."

Odd could see it as well. "Aw, great job, Aelita! Jeremy, I think we may have gotten a lead to where the Tower is! X.A.N.A's a crafty one, be we've got him all figured out!"

Jeremy's heart beat with hope. "Follow the breadcrumbs, guys! And step on it! Ulrich and Yumi may need help soon!"

Ingrid ran through the city's streets as she carried a camera stolen from the photography room. Unfortunately, she didn't have one of her own, but she desperately needed to obtain proof of this firsthand; otherwise, no one would believe her.

"I need to find that bear before anyone gets hurt…." Ingrid said as she turned the corner once more. The thumping footsteps become louder as her heart quickened its beating. Finally, she was getting close…finally! Maybe this was it…she could finally solve this mystery!

In her excitement, she ran right into Ulrich. The two fell to the ground, holding their heads as they tried to figure out what they hit.

Ulrich sat up first. "…Hey, watch where you're going!" He yelled at Ingrid, who was picking up and dusting herself off.

"What are you doing running around at night?" Ingrid inquired.

"I don't have to tell you anything. Now beat it, I don't have time to waste on you right now."

"You're trying to find the teddy bear, aren't you?" Ingrid asked.

Ulrich hesitated, not answering her.

"You don't have to lie this time. I know. I'm trying to help you guys. Once I report this to my uncle, we can finally stop all of this madness!"

"Ulrich? What's going on?" Jeremy called from his mobile.

"I ran into Ingrid. She's looking for the bear, too."

Jeremy held the bridge of his nose. "Oh great…just…try and keep her busy! She'll forget everything after we Return to the Past. Take her with you for now. You have to find that bear at all costs!"

Ulrich groaned. "Fine. Just know that I'm not going to like this," turning to Ingrid, he sighed. "You wanna help? Alright. Follow me."

Ingrid grinned. "I'm glad you can finally see it my way. Trust me, this'll be the last of the Altered Objects that appear here."

The pair ran down the street, following the screams of horror that ensued as the populace tried to escape the plushy menace. Upon seeing it for the first time, Ulrich and Ingrid couldn't stop themselves from staring. Ingrid was more appalled. The bear had grown three times its size when she had first encountered it in the forest.

"It sure got a whole lot bigger," Ingrid said, raising her camera to take pictures, blowing them softly as she waited for them to print from her camera and develop.

The bear noticed the flashing light and turned, spotting them both. It began to stalk towards Ingrid and Ulrich with malicious intent, as its button eyes glowed with the calling card of X.A.N.A.

"Jeremy… we've got a visual," Ulrich said.

Jeremy got to work, triangulating Ulrich's phone signal. His eyes widened. "Oh no! It was heading for the school! You guys must distract it while Yumi tries to evacuate the campus. Odd and Aelita are getting closer to the activated Tower, so it'll only be a matter of time!"

"You expect me to work with Ingrid to try and take on a huge teddy bear?!" Ulrich protested.

"Don't worry, Ulrich. As a paranormal investigator, I've come prepared for things like this," she reached into her shirt and pulled out the pen charm to her necklace, but before she could click the button on top, the bear threw a small car at the pair, causing Ulrich to push Ingrid out of the way as the car came crashing down and skidding to a halt.

Ulrich picked himself up. "I hope you're not expecting me to save you all the time," he nonchalantly jested.

"I should be quicker about getting this thing out," Ingrid sighed, finally clicking the pen as it transformed into a long pole, with a curved blade sticking out from one of the ends of said pole. A scythe?!

Even Ulrich was shocked. "Wait, what, how!?"

Ingrid grinned at Ulrich. "I'm…a little less than normal," The two's exchange was stopped by the bear finally reaching them, looming over the pair as it raised its arm to crush her and Ulrich. Raising her scythe up, a hexagonal lattice of protective energy prevented the arm from coming down any further.

Ulrich looked on with awe. Ingrid showed that she was struggling to keep the barrier up. "I-I'm not completely sure if I'm capable of taking this thing down on my own. Hopefully…t-this is enough for me t-to handle…!"

The arm was raised as if preparing to try and crush them again. Ingrid called off the barrier and told Ulrich to run the other way. The two dispersed as the second slam shook the earth splitting the asphalt in half. They hid behind overturned cars and rubble.

"Where's Yumi?!" Ingrid called out.

"She's at school! I'm trying to call her so she can evacuate the school! But-"

The bear's long arms swing in a wide arc, snapping telephone poles in half. Ulrich instantly lost connection to Jeremy. "Oh no! The darn thing broke the phone line! I-I can't reach Jeremy anymore!"

Ingrid readied herself, holding her scythe close; she beckoned that Ulrich let her in on whatever was going on.

"The phone lines are down. I can't call Jeremy or Yumi."

Ingrid shivers, hesitation and dread apparent on her face, but she steeled herself and called the bear to come and chase her for a while. "Go find another street with some service! I-I'll keep the bear busy for as long as I can!"

"Ingrid, don't be stupid. That's too dangerous!" Ulrich took a step forward as Ingrid sidestepped another crushing attack.

"Ulrich, this is my job. You won't understand…" She raised her hand, lifting a car off the ground with only her mind and throwing it against the bear's head. It staggered, trying to recover from the impact. She held the side of her head. That was far too heavy for her. It was a miracle she was able to move it.

"I'm special. And I'm here to solve special problems," Ingrid squeals as the bear swung both of its arms down at her, but she began to levitate into the air, high out of the bear's reach, standing tall on a telephone pole. "It's my responsibility to fight things like this. What you and your friends are hiding…could destroy the world as we know it. Chances are that it is MUCH more powerful than you think it is."

She leaped off the pole, running along the bear's arm as she raised her scythe to cleave its head in half, but she was slapped away by another swing, falling through the top of a car. She groaned in pain, but she somehow still found the strength to keep going.

Ulrich raised his voice. "And why should we even trust you?!"

Turning to face Ulrich, she coughed, her glasses having broken from the fight as her eyes remain closed. "…You don't have to. But know that everything I'm doing is for the safety of the planet. I was chosen to become the new Director. Now, I'm in charge of keeping this place safe from AWEs."

While Ingrid fended off the bear, Ulrich took this time to run a few blocks down and saw that he could get some service. He dialed Yumi's number quickly.

"Hello? Ulrich?!" Yumi called out from the other end of the line. "What happened? Did you find it?"

"Yes, and I also found Ingrid. She's fighting it," Ulrich said.

Yumi looked shocked. "What?! She's crazy!"

"Oh no, she's got this weird, curved blade thing on a stick, and she's swinging at the bear with it! It's crazy! She keeps talking about being a director of something, and something about, uh 'AWEs'? She's saying a lot of insane things, and I don't know what to believe anymore!"

Ulrich turned around to see Ingrid's body flying into an overturned car. "…And I don't think she's doing alright-"

"Ulrich, you have got to get the bear away from her! You know what'll happen if Ingrid-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Ulrich sharply responded. The stress of the situation was getting to him. "…The bear was heading to the school. You gotta start evacuating everyone."

"Got it," Yumi agreed. "I'll try to get everyone out."

"Don't forget the dorms, too!" Ulrich tried to remind Yumi before the line went dead. The bear had destroyed another telephone pole. Ulrich would need to find another place that had some service to stay in contact with Jeremy.

Ingrid had turned tail to run away from the bear, stopping at Ulrich's side. Ulrich could see Ingrid's injuries. "Whoa, are you okay?!"

"I-I'm fine…this is nothing…." Ingrid heaved in and out. "I've been…urgh…h-hit by worse." Ingrid winked before swinging her scythe towards the approaching plushie, a cutting wave of force opening its chest as mounds of stuffing poured out of it. This didn't even phase the toy as it kept coming towards them.

"I…suggest we run," Ingrid did as she said, with Ulrich exclaiming that she waits for him. The bear stayed on their trail.

Odd and Aelita walked through the tunnel. Odd placed his hands behind his head as they walked. "This tunnel never seems to end…how far are we again?" He asked, turning to Aelita.

"I'm not sure, but we're bound to be getting close. The pulsations are getting stronger."

As they continued, they could hear a low rumbling noise coming from behind them.

"Guys, look out! Aelita, Odd, there's a Megatank coming after you! Run for it!" Jeremy warned.

The two turned to see the sphere of blackened metal hurtling towards the pair, prompting them to sprint down the tunnel to distance themselves from it, but the Megatank was faster. It inched closer and closer until Aelita could spot the exit. Exerting the last of the energy they had, they dashed to the rocky arc and dove out of the way into the clearing. The Megatank – having no brakes – rolled to a clanging halt when it collided with the Tower that stood tall within the clearing. The top of it was covered in an eerie red fog.

"Jeremy, we've found the Tower!" Aelita exclaimed, beginning to make a run for it.

Odd reached out to her, trying to get her to stop as the Megatank split itself in half, gathering power into the eye-like symbol within its core; it blasted out a vertical circular laser. Odd had already begun running to push Aelita out of the way, the cutting laser barely missing the two. They fell to the ground in a heap, with Odd rising up first to face the Megatank. "Don't risk going to the Tower yet. The Megatank will definitely attack you. Let me get rid of it first!"

Agreeing, Aelita hid behind some nearby rocks as she watched the battle unfold. Jeremy began to sweat. Odd always had trouble with Megatanks…X.A.N.A seemed to have prepped this encounter for him, believing that he'd lose. "Odd, you have to be careful. Remember, you have to hit the eye in its core!"

"I get it, Einstein. Now, watch a pro show you how it's done!" Readying his wrist, he prepares himself to fire, but nothing comes out. He remembered the volley of arrows he had fired at the Kankrelats before now. "Or maybe not. Jeremy, I need some arrows! I'm out!"

"Already? Don't worry, I've got you…just hold it off until I can reload your arrows. A-And protect Aelita!" Jeremy went to work bringing up the reloading program for Odd's laser arrows. It showed progress as the task went underway, but it would take a bit of a while before Odd could go back onto the offensive.

Odd began jumping in place, the Megatank adjusted itself as it set its sights on him. It opened again, gathering energy as it fired another laser. Odd dove out of the way, getting right back on his feet to prepare for the next one. He ran around the Megatank, making sure that its laser wouldn't hit Aelita's rock. Coming closer and closer to the Megatank, he called out to Jeremy once more.

"Jeremy! Are my arrows back yet?!"

Hesitating to answer, the brainiac shook his head. "About halfway there, Odd! J-Just hold on a little longer!"

Odd grumbled. "Great…I'm a sitting duck out here…but I perform well under pressure. Alright, big guy! You want some of this? Come and get some!"

Closing itself up, it rolled with speed towards Odd to roll over him. Odd leaped onto the surrounding wall and climbed up. The Megatank split open again, firing its laser as it chased Odd down. Odd could feel the laser coming. Tensing his legs, he sprung off the wall in the opposite direction, landing on the Megatank as it slowly rolled backward.

"Jeremy!" He exclaimed again. Aelita covered her eyes. She couldn't bear to look.

As the program reached 100%, Jeremy exclaimed. "Take the shot, Odd!"

With a smirk, he cocked his wrist back as if he was readying a bullet into a gun. The Megatank began to charge another laser as he did this, and they both fired simultaneously. Odd's laser arrow entered the Megatank's weak point, but Odd got cleaved in half by the laser, his form vanishing into a plume of blue and white planes as his body's wireframe model blinked out of existence. The resulting attack caused the Megatank to roll into the wall and explode violently, sending debris zipping past Aelita's head.

Peering into the silence, she could see that the coast was clear, but there was no Odd in sight. "O-Odd…?"

"He got devirtualized in the attack. You need to get into the Tower now!" Jeremy cautioned.

Aelita, doing as she was told, ran up to enter and deactivate said Tower. Within, the interior of the Tower mimicked the internals of a network gateway. Its walls were lined with endless panels of data and binary.

Standing in the center of the circular platform, she looked upwards to the next level, performing a floaty backflip before landing on the next floor. On the digital panel that appeared, she gently placed her palm upon it. Aelita's name flashed back at her, followed by a 'CODE' that was inlaid in text. Entering the word 'LYOKO,' she watched as the surrounding panels began to fall deeper into the Tower.

"Tower deactivated," she said.

Jeremy took a sigh of relief. "Now, I can launch a Return to the Pa-" Suddenly, Aelita called out to Jeremy again in distress.

"Jeremy, wait!" She exclaimed.

"Aelita? What's going on? What happened?" Jeremy called out to her. Odd entered the computer lab, also wondering why the Return to the Past hasn't happened yet.

"This…isn't right…."

"Aelita, talk to me, is everything okay over there?"

"…X.A.N.A had activated two Towers, I-I can feel more pulsations…I-I only deactivated one of them!"

"WHAT?! That…that doesn't make any sense!" Jeremy slid his hands up his face, pulling his bangs up. "X.A.N.A's never been able to do that before!"

"It's too dangerous for me to go out and try and find it without X.A.N.A's monsters hunting me down… But, Jeremy, I can feel the pulsations…there's another activated Tower out there."

Odd looked over to Jeremy. "Which means our Teddygodzilla…."

"…Is still on the move," Jeremy groaned. "Odd, you have to go and let the others know what's happening. I'm trying to reach them, but the cellular service seems to be down. I can only guess that the bear's rampaging through the city may have caused it. So you have to find them and tell them to get to the factory."

Odd gave Jeremy a thumbs up before leaving the lab. Jeremy turned back to the terminal, typing in commands. "What are you doing, Jeremy…?" Aelita asked as she heard him typing away again.

"I can't contact the others, but I can hack into the city's camera systems and get a good idea where Ulrich and Ingrid are. While that's happening, I'll try and connect to a cellular satellite and reestablish the phone connection. With the Supercomputer's power…I SHOULD be able to create a direct line to their mobiles."

"I'll help you," Aelita reassured, turning to her panel again and tapping away.

Yumi rushes into the dorms, screaming and yelling for anyone and everyone to get out that a huge teddy bear is walking about that's going to destroy the school. Of course, she got a lot of weird looks, to which she rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious! You have to get out of here. It's too dangerous!" She exclaimed.

Peeping out of their own dorm, Milly and Tamiya could hear Yumi's cries. "Wait…did you say giant teddy bear…?!"

Yumi looked past them, trying to figure out how she should answer. Then, realizing they'd just forget about it anyway, she confesses to them. "Milly, your teddy bear, it was possessed by an evil virus, and now it's going around and hurting the people that made you upset."

Milly's mouth hung agape. "I KNEW it!"

Tamiya glanced at her friend in disbelief. "What? How could have possibly guessed that?"

"It makes sense! Plus, it makes for a big scoop!"

Yumi shook her head. "Come on, you two, we have to get you somewhere safe,"

"But what about Jim? If he catches us-"

"Forget about Jim! He's the least of your worries. Now come on!" Yumi almost yanked the girls out of their rooms. Any lingering students that decided against going to prom that night had given chase, starting to freak out at how actually serious Yumi seemed. A big kid, getting scared? That meant this had to be serious…

Yumi led the group of children into the forest, out of harm's way. Outside of her classroom window, though, Mrs. Hertz saw all the ruckus going on the school's field. Peering out of her window to get a closer look, she could see all the kids running into the forest. "What in the world…?"

Bending down to catch her breath, Yumi told Milly and Tamiya to come closer. "Milly, Tamiya. You're the reporters here. You have to keep the other kids safe. You're in charge. YOU'RE the big kids now."

"But what about you? You can't just leave us here…!" Milly dissented, stomping her foot on the ground. "I want to find my teddy bear!"

"I'm gonna go get your bear back. My friends and I are working on it. But I need to evacuate the rest of the school before that happens! That's why you must keep everyone here safe and sound, and quiet! Can I trust you two? Junior Reporters?~" Yumi tried to play up to their hubris to get them to agree with her, which worked.

Tamiya spoke up. "We'll do what we do best!" She put a hand on Milly's shoulder. "We got a job to do, Milly."

"R-Right! As reporters for the Kadic News, it is our job to inform the public of emergencies!" Giving a thumbs up to Yumi, she grinned. "We've got this, Yumi! Little kids, we are no longer!"

She then prodded her fingers together. "… Y-You'll still get me my teddy bear back, right?"

Yumi chuckled. "I promise. Now I gotta get back to the school!" With a final wave, Yumi darts back to campus.

Milly and Tamiya turned to face the crowd of children, Milly climbing onto a rock to project her voice better. "Listen up, everyone! Kadic News has just gotten word that the school is in trouble! We need to stay here and be quiet. The other big kids are handling the situation!"

Most of the younger kids had read or watched the Kadic News' magazines and broadcasts before. They happened to believe everything that Milly and Tamiya would tell them, as they were the best source of information on school gossip and events. "We'll be okay if we stay quiet!"

Tamiya nudged her friend, reminding her of that 'quietness' she was talking about. Milly blushes from the embarrassment. "Oh, s-s-sorry! Got to keep quiet!"

Yumi ran through the academy, finally bursting through the entrance and seeing everyone dancing. No one had any clue of what was going on.

Yumi bumped into Jim as she roamed the dance floor. "Ishiyama! I'd thought that you'd put more effort into being more presentable to an event like this. Well, I'm sure you have your reasons. Try to relax and have fun, for god's sake. You look like you're expecting the world to end or something."

Remembering that Jim had also been attacked by the bear, Yumi guessed that if she appealed to Jim's wariness, she could make evacuating this place a lot easier. "Jim! I-I need your help! Something is coming to wreck the school; it's a huge teddy bear!"

Jim's eyes widened. "You saw it, too?! Did it attack you?"

Yumi shook her head. "No, but I know it's coming back to the school. We need to get everyone out of here before it shows up!"

"Where's the rest of your friends?" Jim asked. "Surely you're not behind this!"

"No, no, Jim. If we were, I wouldn't be asking for your help to stop it. They're trying to spread the word. Come on, we have to get everyone out of here!"

Seeming satisfied with Yumi's explanation, Jim agrees to the terms. "There's a spare microphone in the utility closet; I have the key. I'll let you in, and you can go ahead and get everyone's attention," the gym teacher took Yumi to said closet, and Yumi had to do some rummaging, but she ended up finding the spare mic.

"Thanks, Jim! Be prepared to evacuate everyone!" Yumi dashed off to the soundboard as she messed with the wires that Ulrich and Ingrid had taped down earlier that morning.

Principal Delmas had stepped onto the stage as the music died down. "Alright, students… it's come time for the moment that you all have been waiting for! The election of this year's beauty queen!"

Sissi fanned her hair out behind her, her hair products sending strong scents nearby, forcing people to cover their noses. "This is my moment of triumph," she hands the cup of punch she had been drinking to Nicholas. "Hold that for me while I go and get my crown. Don't spill it, or you're gonna regret it!"

Both Nicholas and Herb eyed the cup and stared each other down. "Don't even think about it, Herb."

"Thinking about what?"

"I know you know, don't play dumb with me!"

"I'm not drinking out of Sissi's cup!"

"Garnered from your opinions and votes, you have chosen one out of these three beautiful girls who embodies grace, elegance, charm, and of course, beauty!" Principal Delmas turned to them, the only recognizable one being Sissi. Yumi blew a strand of hair from her face, being very nonchalant with the whole ordeal. A beauty pageant? Please. Why do you need a fancy award to know that you look good?

"And with that, we have our very first candidate!" The Principal gestured to Sissi, who strutted her way to the front of the stage, subtly pushing past the two other girls.

Taking the microphone from her father, Sissi began to speak about how she was the prettiest and most popular girl in school, pretty much how she should win this year's Beauty Crown in a landslide victory.

With Sissi's voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard, Yumi disconnected Sissi's mic and plugged hers in instead, confusing Sissi as she tapped her dead microphone.

Standing up on the table, Yumi spoke loudly and clearly.

"As much as I'd love to hear you ramble on and on again about how you're god's gift to planet earth, I have something more important to say." Sissi glared at Yumi, getting cut off before she could retaliate.

"I need all of you to listen to me. We all have to get out of here, the school is in grave danger, and everyone needs to be as far away from the campus as possible."

"And why is that, Ms. Ishiyama?" Principal Delmas crossed his arms, none too pleased with Yumi's little stunt.

"This is serious, I swear. The school is about to be attacked by a giant teddy bear. It's been spotted in town already, and it's going to come here!"

Jim raised his voice. "I saw it too, sir! See? I TOLD you I wasn't crazy…I saw it! It attacked me! I'm with Yumi. We have to get everyone out of here, sir!"

The entire auditorium burst into laughter. Yumi became annoyed. "This isn't a joke, so I don't understand why you all are laughing!"

Just then, Mrs. Hertz came into the auditorium. "Mr. Delmas, sir! The entire dormitory is completely empty. Even the children in the lower grades are gone! I saw the whole lot of them running into the woods earlier this evening…." She pointed at Yumi. "And I saw her leading them all away."

The Principal's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Yumi, is this true? How can you lead such small children into the woods in the dead of night?! It's far too unsafe for them to be there on their own!"

"I told Milly and Tamiya to watch over everyone. The younger ones will listen to them. They are the face of Kadic News, anyway," Yumi replied with confidence. "But that's not everyone. The rest of you have to leave here now, before-"

A loud 'thud' could be heard coming from outside. Then another, and another. Yumi looked down at the punch bowl, a cold sweat making its way down the side of her face as the liquid rippled with each impact.

"… We're too late…."

Everyone began to panic. The little faculty members present tried to calm the students down, but they were not ready to conform to protocols when death seemed imminent, pushing and shoving their way out of the auditorium as they trampled one another.

Principal Delmas was furious. Some kids had gotten trampled over and were injured. "Ms. Ishiyama, I could expel you for inciting a panic! Look at the students! They're hurt!"

"You can expel me later, but know that you can't do that if you're dead, sir. This isn't how I wanted things to happen, but it'll have to do, as long as everyone's out of here," Yumi deadpanned. "Get out of here, now! I'll try and take the injured outside."

"I'll help you, Yumi!" Jim bent over and started throwing kids over his shoulders. Even Ms. Hertz pitched in, even though the kid she picked up was a bit more heavyset than the others. Delmas soon caved and did the same, while Sissi still stood on the stage in shock. She pointed at Yumi angrily.

"You ruined tonight for me, Yumi! I can't believe you would do all of this just so I wouldn't become Beauty Queen! How jealous can you be?!"

"I don't care about your 'Ms. France' rip-off of a contest. You should get out of here while the going is good! You might not get a second chance!"

"And why should I believe you at all?!" Sissi exclaimed.

Finally exiting the boiler room, Odd ran up and outside the school, seeing all the other kids run away in their prom getups. He sighs. "Guess the evacuation did not go as orderly as it should have."

The ground began to shake. Odd yelped as he tried to keep his balance. In the distance, he could see the faint outline of a large round head with just as rounded ears.

"…Holy…" Odd managed to get out before snapping back to his senses. He runs into danger, hoping that he could help Ulrich slow the bear's advance down, as it was already far too close to the school.

Ingrid gave it her all, using telekinesis to lift objects from the ground and fling them into the bear, but nothing seemed to stop it relentless advance. Its eyes glowed a much brighter red than before, and it even grew spikes and claws.

Ulrich had been trying to contact Jeremy, all to no avail. "This stupid phone won't get any service…! I still can't tell Jeremy what's going on!"

"Then we'll just have to hold on until we can reach him again." Passing by some recognizable landmarks, Ingrid sighed. "Shoot…it chased us right to the school."

"Looks like X.A.N.A doesn't want to play games anymore. He's serious now," Ulrich finally received a call, nothing short of a miracle. He picked it up without hesitation. "Jeremy, I-"

"I know. X.A.N.A's activated another Tower, and I need either you or Yumi to come here ASAP!"

"What?! Two towers?! X.A.N.A can do that!?"

"I'm shocked, too...but we have to keep our cool...Now, where is Yumi?"

"I think she's already evacuated the school."

"I did," Yumi spoke clearly on the other line. "Some people got hurt, but it's nothing too serious."

Odd's voice chimed in. "Oh, I didn't think we were making this a four-way, Einstein."

"Aelita and I got us connected to a telecommunications satellite that's currently in orbit over France. The Supercomputer is strong enough to support a continuous line like this. It's like you're on Lyoko, and I'm speaking over you," Jeremy explained. "Just in real life."

Odd was more pressed by something else. "Where's Ingrid? Do we know where she is? She still hasn't answered any of my questions!"

Ulrich looked over to her as they ran. "And it seems like she just created a thousand more from me."

"I can't say everything about myself, just like you refuse to tell me anything about this operation. I'd be a much greater help if you had just let me in; I'm SUPPOSED to deal with AWEs like this. ESPECIALLY if they can prove to disrupt the sense of normalcy and safety of humanity," Ingrid said matter-of-factly.

Jeremy shook his head. "We still can't trust her. Though I've seen through the city surveillance cameras what she's capable of, our priority is deactivating the second Tower on Lyoko. And there's no way I'm letting her near the Supercomputer."

"Jeremy says no dice, Ingrid. You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."

Ever the patient one, Ingrid exhaled sharply through her nose. "I really do not understand the logic of your decision, but I will respect it for now. Besides…death by cuddles is gaining on us."

The bear picked up speed as Ulrich and Ingrid raced towards the school grounds. They met Odd halfway, making a quick U-turn as soon as the bear came within sight. "Is that even Milly's bear anymore?!"

"No, it's an Altered Item. But I've never seen one being sentient before…or this hostile," Ingrid mused, before her eyes widen at an all too familiar sensation. "...The Hiss..."

"An Altered what?" Odd repeated.

"...Will you finally tell me your secret?" Ingrid prodded again.

"Oh, I see how you're going to play this. No way, José!" Odd upturned his nose at her. "I'm not that gullible!"

Ingrid huffed again as the trio entered the auditorium. They couldn't keep running forever, and Ingrid and Ulrich's stamina was pretty much spent. Sissi threw herself on Ulrich as she watched him sink to his hands and knees. She began pelting him with questions that she demanded to know the answers to.

"Ulrich! Where have you been?! What's going on?! What's all this about a monster teddy bear coming to eat us all?! Answer me, Ulrich!" Sissi literally shook him by his shoulders. Yumi pushed her away violently.

"Leave him alone! Can't you see he's trying to catch his breath?!" Yumi shouted at Sissi, who just curled up, beginning to cry to herself. Yumi sighed. "Odd, can you get Sissi out of here?"

Odd groaned. "Alright, but I'm not gonna let her talk my ear off!" Then, moving over to Sissi, he coerced her to stand and walk out of the auditorium as the footsteps of the bear grew louder.

No one came to help Ingrid up, but that's fine. She picked herself up. Still breathing heavily, she gripped her scythe tightly, getting in front of the two as she brought another protective lattice to prevent the chunks of concrete from crushing them as the bear finally stopped running, only staring at the group as Odd walked back in.

"Do we have any plan of action…?" Yumi asked.

Ingrid coughed. "… I'm the only one who has a droplet of a chance of slowing this thing down. You guys should try and find a way to escape."

Ulrich stood up, grunting as his body ached. "This is our problem too, you know… we're not just gonna let you deal with it on your own."

Odd spoke up. "Ulrich, you and Yumi have to go to Jeremy and get to Lyoko, now! It's the only way we're gonna stop this thing."

"That is if it'll let us go," Yumi began to take steps back as the bear raised its claws and slashed down, cutting through the wooden floors of the gym. "We have to split its attention."

"I'll tag in with Ingrid, Ulrich. Focus the rest of your strength on getting to the factory!" Odd patted his friend on the back. Ulrich agreed, nodding as he glanced towards Yumi, who shared the same conviction.

Ingrid and Odd stood side by side, staring down the bear as it stood back up to full height.

"...So, any bright ideas?" Odd asked Ingrid.

Ingrid's eyes darted to the wires on the ground. "I think…there is one way. The wires, Odd, pull them up from the ground, as many as you can!"

Odd made a dash, pulling the wires from the tape along the ground. Yumi and Ulrich, not having any other options, did the same while Ingrid slashed at the teddy bear's arms, more and more puffs of stuffing falling onto the ground.

The bear attacked again, and the kids dodged out of the way. The strike sent ceiling debris into the exits, trapping Yumi and Ulrich inside the auditorium. "Jeremy, we're trapped…! With all this debris in the way, we're not gonna be able to make it to the factory!" Yumi said.

"Oh, no…!" Jeremy began typing into the terminal again, squinting at the visage of the activated Tower. He was running out of options. Aelita suddenly spoke up.

"Jeremy…what if we're in over our heads?"

"What are you talking about, Aelita?"

"All of this. X.A.N.A has grown stronger unexpectedly, and I feel that this is going to be very dangerous if we keep the Supercomputer on."

"Out of the question," Jeremy said with some authority. "I made a promise to materialize you, remember?"

"Jeremy, it's okay. I've stayed here long enough to warrant staying longer. Although the thought of materialization is tantalizing. I can't value your lives over my curiosities. Jeremy, you have to realize the bigger picture here."

"But…"

"If you keep the Supercomputer on, you'll run the risk of death for hundreds of innocent people…I don't want blood on anyone's hands, Jeremy. I won't be able to live with myself…even if you materialize me."

Jeremy remained silent. The others could hear through their mobiles, felt a little deflated, too. Jeremy didn't want to give up…he didn't want to lose the one thing that made his life special and exciting…without the Supercomputer, he felt like he would return to being just a nerdy loner again, and he hated that prospect. But, there HAD to be something that could be done…

"…What if we could force X.A.N.A out?" Jeremy rashly inquired. "Like…well, uhm..."

"Like what, Einstein? Are you talking about an exorcism? Like in that one horror movie?" Odd asked, "Getting a little bit on the sci-fi side now, huh?"

"Shut it, Odd, this isn't the time. I'm running out of options, and I'm getting desperate."

"How are we going to perform an exorcism?! Don't we need, like…a magic circle or something…?!" Ulrich asked, still just as confused.

Jeremy swallowed his pride. He hated the fact that he had to do this, but he had no choice. "Odd, give your phone to Ingrid."

"Huh? Why?!" Odd protested, watching Ingrid leap out of the way of another violent smashing attack. "She'll get it crushed!"

"Give me her number, then!"

"Whoa, Jeremy, you barely know her!"

"ODD!" All three of the friends chastised him.

"Alright, alright, I'll get her number…!" Dropping the wires he had pulled up, he screamed for Ingrid to give him her digits. Confused at the prospect, Ingrid takes this as them having no other choice but to consult her.

After divulging her number, her phone began to ring. Picking it up and putting an earpiece to her ear, she spoke clearly to Jeremy.

"To what do I owe this call?"

"I'm only trusting you this one time. You seem to know more about this than we do. So you must have a way to stop this thing."

Ingrid remained quiet for a moment, ripping a basketball hoop from its bracing and smashing it into the bear's face. It was staggered for a moment while it tried to get the glass out of its face, giving them some time. "I can expel whatever paranatural creature is possessing that bear, as long as I can slash it enough times with my Service Weapon. Though a clean decapitation…should assure us a victory."

"What we're dealing with...it isn't paranatural, or whatever," Jeremy contested. "This is a super-intelligent artificial program that is out to destroy all of humanity!"

"A program that can bring inanimate objects to life. Sorry Jeremy. This isn't something you can just explain away."

Jeremy sighed. He was losing his edge. "…Okay…are you certain that you can stop this?"

"100%. I'm the Director."

Jeremy squinted. "Still have no idea what you mean by that, but…go ahead, I can't do anything from here but hope. You guys are on your own… I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Jeremy," Yumi reassured. "We've got this."

"All she needs is one hit, right?" Ulrich smirked. "Fine by me. Anything to end this fast."

"An all or nothing gamble? Seems right up my alley! Let's do it!" Odd pumped his fist.

As the bear recovered itself, Ingrid gripped her scythe tightly. She can't afford to mess this up. Screaming to catch the bear's attention, it turned to the four kids as Ingrid got into position behind them.

"When I say so, you have to pull the wires taut! It'll trip over it, allowing me to make the final decapitation," Ingrid said. "Give it all you've got…!"

The other three nodded as the gigantic bear began to run towards them, its appendages tearing through the building. Jeremy couldn't watch since Kadic lacked a camera system. All he could do was hope in silence. Aelita also hung onto every sound with bated breath.

Ingrid waited, watching the bear get closer and closer as she raised her scythe higher and higher.

The other three waited for her signal, wondering how close they were going to have to cut it.

"…Steady…Steady…!" Ingrid cautioned until she could see the red symbol in the bear's eyes. "NOW!"

The three kids pulled with all their might, the wires went taut as planned, and it was too late for the bear to react on time. As it fell forward, Ingrid dashed towards it, levitating fast as she closed the distance between her blade and its neck.

"CONTROL Protocol: Termination!" Ingrid called out; she swung with the might of the Directors before her, tearing into the fabric. Her muscles tore from the strain, but Ingrid fought through the pain, screaming as her body cried out for her to stop. "AAAAAANNND, STAAAAAY OUUUT!"

With one clean slash, the bear's head was severed from its body. It fell to the ground with a thud as the body followed suit, sinking to its knees and falling forwards. Ingrid's Service Weapon flew out of her hands, her arms too tired to keep it in her grip as she slammed into the ground, immobile. The red in the bear's eyes faded to black, and as the dust settled, the group was met with an eerie silence.

"…Anomaly…Controlled." Ingrid announced weakly.

On Jeremy's end, Aelita gasped. He sat up, fearing that Aelita had uncovered something even worse. "Aelita?! What's wrong? Did you see something?!"

"…The pulsations…they….they stopped," Aelita covered her mouth lightly in shock. "I could feel them growing stronger and stronger…and then…nothing. They just…stopped."

Jeremy sat back in his seat in disbelief. Had Ingrid done it? "Guys? Guys?! What's happening over there?! Please, answer me!"

"…We did it, Einstein. The bear's taken care of…." Ulrich huffed.

"We win, Jeremy," Yumi replied. "… We're okay."

"But Ingrid isn't…." Odd pointed to the girl lying still on the ground. They rushed over to see her, she was still breathing, but tears were coming down the sides of her face. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she felt the complete pain of the wounds she had amassed.

"Oh, it hurts..." Ingrid couldn't move, but she could still speak. "…Are…you guys…alright…?"

"Yeah, thanks to you, that was crazy, what you did," Ulrich responded.

"I've never seen that happen anywhere outside of Lyoko…just what are you?" Yumi already began to question Ingrid all over again.

"Ingrid, you were AMAZING!" Odd shouted. "The way you jumped up and cut the thing's head off and was all like: 'CONTROL PROTOCOL: TERMINATION!' It was like something straight out of an action movie! SO COOL! You gotta teach me how to do that stuff!"

Ingrid grinned. "… I'm sorry…but these powers… aren't something that can just be…taught to others."

Yumi walked away, bringing Ingrid's scythe back to her, but not before examining it first.

"Be careful. If you're not the Director…the Service Weapon can…probably kill you."

Yumi dropped it fast, landing near Ingrid. "Could have warned me, you know…sorry-"

Ingrid was able to reach out with what little strength she had left, press a button on it, and the scythe became a pen once more. Holding it in her weakened grip, she huffed. "…Everything hurts…"

"Jeremy, launch a Return to the Past already…." Ulrich said. "Ingrid's not doing so hot."

"Okay, I'm on it," Jeremy replied, relieved that he was finally inputting the Return to the Past codes in after such a long and uncertain night.

Ingrid questioned. "R-Return to the Past…? What's that…?"

"You're not going to remember a single thing that happened tonight, I'm afraid," Odd said. "We will, but you'll never have known."

Ingrid was shocked at this news. She didn't know it at the time, but it explained why she felt like she was never closer to finding any truths. It was because her efforts were being temporally negated this whole time!

"Wait…y-you can't…." Ingrid begged. "I-I've finally got a lead; I can't let this slip!"

Yumi bent over to Ingrid. "It's for the best. You helped us out greatly, sure. But we still must keep our Supercomputer a secret. You'd tell whoever your uncle really is. Then we won't be able to deal with X.A.N.A anymore, and we'll lose Aelita."

"Aelita's trapped in the computer, and we're not going to shut it off until we can save her. If you tell any authorities, she'll be gone forever," Ulrich said. "We promised that we'd get her out of there and that facing X.A.N.A was going to be what we'd go through to make it happen."

"I can…s-still help…." Ingrid said. "If it's confidentiality you want, that's fine… I-I'll entertain your secret…I just…have to know what's going on. Not to sound like a broken record…but I'm the Director."

"Director of what?" Odd asked.

Ingrid was about to answer, but she hesitated, ultimately deciding to stay quiet.

"If you can't trust us with your secret…we can't trust you with ours," Yumi said. "It's plain and simple."

All four of them heard Jeremy through their phones. "Return to the Past, now!"

"That's our cue!" Odd said, standing up and stretching out. "We'll see you this morning, Ingrid."

She was so close this time…she couldn't let this slip away again. Having a device that could turn back time was unheard of. The Bureau had never encountered an Altered Item that could perform such a feat. As she saw the white light envelop the school, using the last bit of her power, she covered herself with her barrier, as the entire school became engulfed in the temporal energy.

Thanks for reading! Again, please leave reviews! I'd love to know what you think about the story so far and if you want to see more!

Chapter 2: Compromise

Hey guys, back with a new chapter!

Last time, Ingrid and Lyoko Warriors were able to defeat the vicious Teddygodzilla, despite X.A.N.A experiencing a sharp increase in power. Though Ingrid had finally pieced together the mystery of the presence of Altered Items in Kadic, the friends pulled their Return to the Past to ensure that Ingrid would forget everything, and that their secret would be safe.

But...

As Odd had said, the day had indeed rewound to earlier that morning. The students were putting up the decorations for prom like they had been earlier. Odd, Yumi and Ulrich were busy hanging some streamers, the boys holding Yumi's ladder still.

"U-Ulrich?"

Ulrich turned to the voice that called his name. His eyes met a crying Milly. "W-Will you b-be my date tonight…?"

Turning to Odd and Yumi, who both gave him a thumbs-up, Ulrich smiled at Milly. "Sure, I'd be glad to."

Milly's countenance brightened with surprise. "R-Really?"

"I'll pick you up at 8. How does that sound?"

"A-Are you sure it's all right with you?"

Ulrich turned to Yumi, who had climbed down from the ladder to witness this. "You okay with this, Yumi?"

"Totally. Besides, I have my own secret admirer to take me. Isn't that right, Odd?"

Odd performed an overdramatic bow. "At your service, my dear Ishiyama.~"

"I guess that answers your question, Milly," Ulrich smiled at the young girl.

Sissi, who had just been teasing Milly earlier, spluttered in disbelief. "WHAT? U-Ulrich, you can't be serious! You're… you're really going with that baby?!"

"I didn't stutter, huh?" Ulrich side-eyed Sissi. "Hey, maybe when your brain gets another neuron or two, I may consider taking you out, too."

"And since neurons cannot replenish themselves, Sissi…I suggest you find someone else," Jeremy had returned from his dorm and joined the conversation at the perfect time.

"You're recording this, aren't you, Tamiya?" Milly whispered to her friend, who was already prepared with her camcorder.

"When am I not recording? I'm not missing out on this! Milly, going out with Ulrich, what a scoop that would be!"

The former's face turns red. "W-What? N-No, we don't have to make that a headline, s-silly!"

Tamiya laughed at her friend's bashfulness. "I was only kidding, Milly! Come on, let's go and get you ready for tonight!" Grabbing Milly's hand, the two run off, Milly sporting a dreamy face all the way through campus. She was still in utter disbelief at Ulrich's answer.

Sissi's face was red for other reasons. "You know what, fine! Go to prom with a baby, Ulrich! See if I care!"

"I dunno, I think you care a bit too much…what? Are you JEALOUS of Milly? That's low, which for you, isn't low enough!" Odd cackled.

Sissi gripped her fists before stomping out in a huff. Her lackeys tailed behind her, too embarrassed to make faces at the group this time.

The friends laughed as they relieved themselves of the stress of the previous hours. Finally, things seemed to be back to normal, but…something was missing, and Yumi was the first to notice.

"…Wait…" Yumi spoke. "…What happened to Ingrid?"

Jeremy rose an eyebrow. "Huh? What about her?"

"She was right here when Sissi was teasing Milly before the attack…but now she isn't!"

Surely enough, Ingrid was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you think she went a bit too far back in time?" Ulrich proposed.

"No, that's impossible. The Return to the Past rewinds everything back to the moment, and the amount of time that regresses is the same for everyone affected by it," Jeremy shook his head. "Maybe she comes in a little later-"

A scream was heard inside the auditorium. In the center of the floor, a heavily inured Ingrid lay within a perfect circle of rubble from the attack.

Odd's eyes widened in shock. "…What…? Wait…!"

Ulrich stepped forward. "That's exactly how we left Ingrid before the Return to the Past…!"

"Could it mean she wasn't affected by the return trip?!" Yumi followed up.

"We have to get her to the infirmary. If memory serves, she took a beating last night…-"Jeremy quickly dashes over to her. "Whatever Ingrid is, she's proven to have the ability to avoid the Return to the Past."

"Which means she's not going to get off of our backs," Odd helped Ingrid up, with him lifting her arms and Jeremy taking her legs. Ulrich and Yumi stood at either side, supporting her as well as they could. "Ya sure that there's no way of, like, erasing her memory or anything?"

"…Blunt force trauma?" Odd suggested.

"…That could work! Okay, who's getting the bat?" Jeremy agreed with Odd's notion with a layer of thick sarcasm. "We're not going to beat her over the head and hope she forgets. What kind of idea is that?"

"We're running out of options here, Jeremy. You know what happens if she wakes up and remembers the teddy bear attack. She's gonna go and tell her 'Director' people or something-" Yumi said.

Jeremy shook his head in uncertainty. "There has to be a better way to do this…and though I hate to admit it, it's one of the few options we have. The only shot we have is by letting her in on everything."

"Jeremy! You can't be serious. You heard her!" Ulrich shot back. "She's gonna blow up our entire cover!"

"If she tells her super-secret science uncle, we could kiss the factory goodbye! Not to mention Aelita and X.A.N.A.!" Odd protested.

The group had brought Ingrid to the infirmary, knocking on the door to call Nurse Yolanda to the door. Seeing a student so battered and bruised sent the nurse rushing to the phone to call an ambulance. The group could only worry more. Being admitted into the ambulance would only draw more attention to her.

Dropping her off, Ulrich sulked with his hands in his pockets. "Well, there goes the factory. She's gonna be questioned, and she's GOING to tell all."

"But the Return to the Past, what if no one believes her because they have no idea it happened?" Yumi said.

"That doesn't seem to be very likely. But, on the other hand, if my suspicions are correct, then Ingrid's uncle is part of an organization that would take a report like this very seriously." Jeremy and company walked through campus as he continued. "…If we can actually get some information on the organization themselves, we could know what we're dealing with a little better."

"You think you can hack into their databases, Einstein?" Odd asked with excitement. "That sounds cool as heck!"

"And also, dangerous. The Supercomputer is powerful enough to bypass any encryptions, but it could also reveal its location to unwelcome eyes. We can't afford to have that kind of attention on us," Jeremy scratched his chin as he considered his options. "…But it's the only way we can fully understand why Ingrid is so adamant on discovering our secret."

"Something tells me this is going to become one of those things that require us to hand our secret over," Ulrich sighed. "If she can't trust us enough to spill her secret, why should we give her ours?"

Yumi mulled over this for a moment before speaking. "…You know, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here."

Jeremy adjusted his glasses. "Alright, go ahead Yumi, maybe having some insight will help us come to a better decision."

"We know that Ingrid is the 'Director' of some super-secret research place that could become interested in the Supercomputer, right? Well, come to think of it, the organization already knows that some odd things are going on here, else they wouldn't have sent Ingrid here in the first place," Yumi pointed out.

"And if we're quick to forget, Ingrid was the only reason we were able to survive that night-" Jeremy recollected.

"Hey, I helped out on Lyoko, too!" Odd interrupted.

Ignoring Odd, Yumi continued. "She obviously has dealt with things like this before. Maybe she wasn't so lucky this time around, but she pulled it off; she saved us and the Supercomputer, no doubt. And never once has she said that she would explicitly tell her organization anything. All she wanted to do was know what was going on, so she could help."

Putting her hands on her hips, Yumi shook her head. "I know this is crazy, but what if X.A.N.A pulls something like a double tower again? And we're not able to deactivate them before someone gets hurt? Ingrid could be our trump card."

Ulrich huffs, seeing Yumi's point. "We did get lucky that night. And Ingrid showed that she was the only one that could fight against X.A.N.A in the real world and win…she deactivated a Tower outside of Lyoko. That's crazy."

"It looks like 'forcing X.A.N.A out' worked," Odd said. "Do you think she could expel him from the Supercomputer itself?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know that that might do to Lyoko either," Jeremy said. "Though, if we take all your points into account, Yumi, we still don't fully know what we're dealing with. X.A.N.A may be stronger than we thought…and this organization may know about ways to stop it, but what if we lose Lyoko in the process? What about Aelita…?"

The group couldn't come up with an idea. Aelita was their friend…they couldn't just abandon her. Not now.

Jeremy had decided. "… Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to try and find Ingrid and her uncle on the network. If I can link them to the organization, I could use their I.D.s to hack into the database and see what it's about. Once we know what we're dealing with, then we can decide if we can trust her."

Odd shrugs. "I'm not really against Ingrid joining. I just don't want her blabbing our secret to the world."

Ulrich concurs. "If she could deactivate Towers outside of Lyoko, then recruiting her would give us a huge advantage in the fight against X.A.N.A."

"I feel a little bad, though. Ingrid got off lucky with the bear, but she still got severely hurt. At least when we fight X.A.N.A on Lyoko, we don't have to worry about serious injuries," Yumi said.

"I'm sure Ingrid is just as determined to risk her life to protect what matters…just as much as we are," Jeremy nodded. "We risk our lives every day fighting against X.A.N.A., and she does the same with her…uh…paranatural undertakings."

The ambulance's siren screamed onto campus as Ingrid was soon removed from the infirmary and laid out onto a stretcher. But this wasn't any normal-looking ambulance. The vehicle was almost wholly cube-shaped, and an eerie symbol of an upside-down pyramid could be seen on the side of it. As mysteriously as it came, it left the campus, its siren still screaming as it quickly left from view.

"I've never seen an ambulance that looked like that before…." Jeremy pondered to himself. "…That black pyramid…."

"…It looks familiar, doesn't it?" Odd said. "I feel like I've seen it somewhere, too."

"Did you get a picture, Tamiya?" The group heard the all too familiar duo not too far away from them. Tamiya watched the paper image develop from the camera roll and held it in her hand. A clear picture of the vehicle could be seen, with the pyramid in focus.

"Of course, I did…this could be the scoop of the century!" Tamiya waved the photo excitedly. "We should write about this as soon as possible!"

Yumi nodded silently to Jeremy, who responded in kind. Approaching the girls, Yumi waved happily over to them. "Hey girls! What'cha got there?~"

Tamiya showed off the photo they just took. "We caught an exclusive close-up on that bizarre-looking car that just came and picked Ingrid up!"

"Could it be an alien space car? Or a secret organization covering up their tracks? Oh, I can't even begin to think how many readers we're going to get with a scoop this good!" Milly followed up with equal verve.

Yumi thought for a moment. "Hey? Why don't we help you write this scoop, too?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well, you can say that my friends and I have some resources that can properly tell what the vehicle in that image really is! If we could borrow that photo, we could get you some really cool information to put in the school paper!"

The pair of reporters looked at each other, both considering the validity of Yumi's proposal. If the big kids say that they can dig some extra dirt, who were they to try and stop them? Everyone wins in this situation.

"Okay, we'll give it to you! But make sure you bring it back!" Milly warned. "We still want to keep the photo!"

Tamiya handed it over to Yumi, who took it and smiled as she examined it. "Thanks, Milly. We'll get this back to you two as soon as we can, okay?"

"Okay!' Tamiya called after her.

Back with the group, Yumi handed the photo to Jeremy. "You might have to come up with something wild to stave them off."

"Leave that to me, guys," Odd volunteered. "You're looking at a master writer in the strange and horrifying! I'll whip up something spicy to give our junior reporters."

Jeremy grinned. "I'll head over to the factory and run this image through the Supercomputer and see if I can find any matches to the symbol on it with Ingrid and her uncle. Let's meet up before prom starts!"

The group agreed with the plan of action as Jeremy ran off to the factory. The remaining three hoped that this would all make sense soon enough and that Ingrid was okay.

Ingrid's body felt cold. She couldn't really make out the muffled noises she was hearing, but it seemed that she was finally coming out of her unconscious state. She could remember the bear, the decapitation, the light washing over her…and then nothing but pain.

Her thoughts became overrun with splotches of red. She began to sweat as an invasive voice rang loud in her head, repeating those same lines repeatedly…but before she thought she would go insane, the red was replaced by the visage of a blue kaleidoscope. The sensation was calming, and she could suddenly feel her pain leave her.

"Wake up…" she heard. "…Wake up…"

Her eyes fluttered open. There were dim fluorescent lights that hung over her, illuminating the room softly as she rose from her bed.

"The…Hiss…?" She whispered to herself as she rubbed her eyes, her blurred vision finally clearing up. She was in one of the containment cells within the Panopticon, with her Uncle Max sitting at her side. Seeing her rise from the mattress sent him over to pull her into a loving embrace.

"Ingrid! Oh, thank god you're okay!" Her uncle Max had been worried sick about her. "You almost got yourself killed out there! What happened?"

Ingrid smiled weakly. "I had a run-in with a hostile A.W.E. However, I made it out just fine…right?"

"You're lucky that Polaris was able to heal you…you were pretty beaten up, Ingrid."

"Yes…This A.W.E. was particularly difficult to contain, where I decided that it was too dangerous to move on with the containment procedure. Termination was the only way to handle the situation…although, I didn't do it on my own."

That caught Max's attention. "What do you mean?"

"The Object of Power we're looking for… it's there. I know it is. But it seems that if my suspicions are correct… we're not the only ones that know of it."

"Do you think one of the other organizations could have found it before us? The S.C.P. Foundation? N.E.N.E.V.E.H.?"

"No, no. We're most likely the only ones… I'm talking about a bunch of kids my age."

Max looked confused. "…What…?"

"When I fought against the A.W.E…those kids were there, fighting alongside me as if they were familiar with threats like this. I suspected that they know more about this than they are willing to let me know about."

"Then we can order a city-wide investigation until we find the O.O.P…this isn't a problem at all, munchkin."

"No, it's a little more complicated than that…you see, it seems that they're interacting with it for some ulterior reason. I haven't figured it out yet…and I don't want the rest of the Bureau trying to sully my investigation until I am completely knowledgeable of the situation."

She looked towards her uncle. "I can't stress how much of a lead this is…this Object of Power could turn back time. It's the whole reason why we could never truly find it. We'd forget it before we were able to realize that something was up. Though…I managed to finally bypass the temporal shift…and I can finally remember everything."

"So, what do we do, then…? We can't just leave it out there, much less letting youngsters play around it. We don't need another Slidescape-36 or the Ordinary A.W.E. happening again."

"I know…but for me to have a moniker of a chance in discovering the power of this O.o.P, I need to get the group to trust me. They're kind of a tough crowd to please; they feel that this is their secret to keep." Ingrid rubbed her arm. "That…and I kind of like them."

Max smiled. Ingrid wanted to make friends. Albeit in her own weird way.

"They just don't know that I can help them. I can't tell the Bureau because they'll ruin everything with their protocols. I think this is far more delicate of a situation than we give it credit for. I want to make sure that no one gets hurt and that we know everything we can about this before making any moves. I'll relay all information back to you once I get it."

"Hey, you're the Director, kid…you call the shots. Whatever you think is best." Max nodded.

"Thank you, Uncle… I'm glad that you're on my side with this."

"Of course, munchkin. I've always been on your side," he hugged Ingrid again. "Now get some rest. If you continue to heal like this, you'll be able to return to Kadic by nightfall. We've got Hedron-2 up and running, so Polaris' resonance should be stronger than ever."

"…Hey Uncle?" Ingrid called out as she laid back down.

"What's up, munchkin?"

"…You think Polaris and I will ever grow as close as she and Jesse were?"

Max chuckled. "You always looked up to Ms. Faden. But, don't worry, though she was the most powerful paraultilitarian the FBC had ever had the agency to make Director…you don't have to be her. Polaris - though we know more about her now - whether she comes around to you is up to her. Though, with the way you're healing like this, I think she's more than fine with you."

Ingrid nodded. "I guess she is, isn't she…?

Planting a kiss on her niece's forehead, Max rose to leave. "I'll be back in a few hours to take you back to campus. If you need anything, there's a button on the wall next to you."

"Okay…thank you, Uncle."

"No problem, Director. Now get some rest. You deserve it."

Max left the room, leaving Ingrid to her own thoughts, which were filled with slight dread.

"…The Hiss…I heard it…I…I felt it. I thought Jesse got rid of it all…." Ingrid said to herself. "…M-Maybe it was just a false vision…."

The uncertain Director wanted to put herself at ease…so she shut her eyes and returned to her slumber. Polaris watched over Ingrid from her cosmic realm, keeping her thoughts safe from any unwanted resonances.

"Let's see what this is really about," Jeremy squinted his eyes as he fed the Supercomputer a scanned image of the photo he burned onto a disc. "Scan for similarities…."

The Supercomputer scanned the entire web for anything, but it couldn't match the symbol to anything else meaningful.

Jeremy bit his lip, accessing the school's database. "…Ingrid…Layton…?" Cross-referencing that with other similar names, Jeremy found out that Ingrid's parents were…

"…Deceased…" Jeremy read aloud. He was grazed with a bit of guilt. "She's an orphan…but… she's in the custody of her uncle…Max Layton."

Then, using the image and corroborating the names he was able to find, Jeremy happened on with a single search result that seemed was purposefully hidden away from the rest of the world…located on the Dark Web.

"…The Federal Bureau of Control…?" Jeremy read as he clicked the link. As he expected, he needed special clearance to see anything on the site. "Pssht…the Supercomputer should be able to crack this easily."

Looking through the notes he wrote about the Supercomputer, she was able to launch the

Cryptosmasher program as he slowly but surely gained access to the organization's database.

"All right! We're in!" Jeremy pumped his fist in the air, leaning closer to the screen to see what he could find. "… Let's see who you really are, Ingrid…."

"…The Director of the Bureau…well, now we know what she was the Director of."

Jeremy continued to read. "…A United States organization that exists to contain, study, and control paranatural phenomena…but why would they be interested in the Supercomputer…? This isn't a work of fiction; this is actual real-world technology! Someone built this with their bare hands…."

Looking deeper, he was able to find one of Max's reports on the A.W.E. in France. Opening it, Jeremy read:

This is concerning the ongoing investigation of the paranatural activity believed to have been occurring in France. The Director was severely injured, but thanks to Polaris, she is projected to be back to full strength by sundown tonight. Thanks to the Director's actions, we may have finally come to a hypothesis referring to the difficulty of the location of the Object of Power hidden within. The Director claims that another group of young individuals may have encountered and/or come into contact with the Object of Power before the Bureau could pinpoint its location. The Director has seemed to take a liking to these individuals and wishes to help them understand and contain the Object of Power, though she seems to have a hard time getting them to trust her. Therefore, I have entrusted the investigation entirely to the Director. She is more inclined to gain the favor of the group of individuals and maintain their trust with her by being confidential with the progress of the investigation for the time being. When we will receive an in-depth report concerning the Object of Power is currently unknown. Still, as soon as any information arises, the Bureau will contain and control this Object of Power before anything that can pose a threat to humanity arises from it.

Jeremy finished reading the report as he sunk into his seat. "…So Ingrid wasn't kidding at all…."

He skimmed through more reports of Altered World Events, Objects and Places of Power, and the past Directors. Ingrid is the most recent and youngest one and is said to be the most powerful yet, only to be matched by Jesse Faden, the Director Ingrid succeeded. Jeremy exhaled through his nose as he decided the next course of action.

Connecting to Lyoko, he called out for Aelita. "Aelita? Aelita, are you there…?"

"Jeremy!" Aelita was elated to hear from him as always. "I'm so glad you're okay…! Did anything happen?"

"We're fine, really…but Ingrid didn't Return to the Past with us," Jeremy confessed.

"How? I thought evading the Return to the Past was impossible."

"It's supposed to be, but Ingrid isn't like you or me… she's…on a whole other level."

Aelita hesitated as if she was trying to choose her words carefully. "…What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I did some digging…and I found out that she's the Director of this top-secret U.S. organization called the Federal Bureau of Control," Jeremy said. "Have you heard of it…?"

"…No, I'm afraid not. I guess that's why it's a secret."

"I had to adjust the Supercomputer's search parameters to comb through the Dark Web to find any information concerning it. They were pretty well hidden."

"What makes Ingrid so special?"

"Well, being the Director of that organization means that you're…well…you have very powerful abilities. The Director is in charge of protecting the Bureau and the world from paranatural phenomena. From what I'm reading here in their secret reports…it looks like they've suspected that the Supercomputer is some 'Object of Power' that can destroy the world."

Aelita rose an eyebrow. "You say that as if you're in disbelief."

"Well, I was until now! It's like everything I thought I knew about the Universe was just proven wrong. I don't even know what to think is the truth anymore," Jeremy held his head in his hands.

"Jeremy, I could only guess what you're feeling. Being overrun with knowledge that you never knew existed. It's like when you teach me things about the real world. It shocks me how different things are over there…every time. Maybe the real world is even bigger than we once thought."

"It definitely seems to be the case…but I just can't for the life of me figure out what to do. Ingrid told the truth, and she wants to help…and she's shown that she can help…! So why am I so hesitant to let her in on everything?"

"Maybe you're not completely sure that you can trust her yet, Jeremy," Aelita suggested. "She's a new variable you didn't account for…like in a math equation."

Jeremy let those words ring in his head. "Yeah…she is. I've never seen anything like her before. Extraordinary. But I have a feeling that her being here may bring more than just her…other variables…some extraneous. Maybe some that we're not prepared to handle."

"You know, Jeremy… X.A.N.A has grown a lot stronger in a short period of time… I've never seen anything like it before. And I know X.A.N.A. If this stuff about Objects of Power and paranatural occurrences are true…we shouldn't count X.A.N.A out of that. It may have been affected by something we don't understand. It was able to activate two Towers in the span of a few seconds, Jeremy… that's scary."

"Who knows what would have happened if Ingrid wasn't there to deal the finishing blow on the teddy bear…." Jeremy interlaced his fingers as he leaned on his hands.

Aelita nodded. "I think you should go and find her. Try and get her to understand. I think she's more than willing to…and I'm sure she'll be able to keep a secret, right? Granted, she's done so all her life."

Jeremy looked away from the screen. "…I-I guess. It's worth a shot. She'll be back on campus later tonight when she gets better…the dance will probably start by the time she returns. I can ask her then."

"To the dance?"

Jeremy's face went beet red. "No, no, no, no, not to the dance…I-I-I mean about joining the group!"

Aelita giggled. "I was only teasing, Jeremy. You taught me that a few months ago, remember?"

"… You're really sneaky, you know that-"

Aelita laughed at her friend. "Oh, Jeremy…"

Jeremy couldn't stay upset at Aelita forever; her laughter was contagious. "Okay, Aelita… I'm gonna go tell the others what I know. Maybe we can come to an agreement by the time Ingrid returns."

"Good luck, Jeremy. I hope to meet Ingrid soon enough."

"Take care, Aelita. We'll talk soon."

"Goodbye, Jeremy."

With that, they disconnected, and Jeremy packed his things and left the factory. Aelita, however, still lingered on the screen, having inklings of conflicted emotions…though she couldn't fully understand what they were.

"And I said that he could beat him!" Odd argued back and forth with Ulrich about a fictional scenario between two powerful characters. "You got to give Gojin credit. He's just way stronger!"

"And I say that's a bunch of malarkey," Ulrich retorted. "Anyone can just be strong for strength's sake. It's the technique that matters. Saitomo would just dance circles around him."

"All I have to do is hit you once, and suddenly you're on the ground, Ulrich. What's your technique gonna do for you then, huh?"

"Can it help out with the rest of these decorations?" Yumi rolled her eyes, still blowing up balloons.

"Tell him, Yumi! You can be the tiebreaker in this! Who's stronger, Gojin or Saitomo?!" Odd questioned.

Yumi looked unamused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You don't watch anime in your spare time?"

"…What?"

"You're kidding-" Odd bent forward in disbelief.

Ulrich turned to notice Jeremy approaching them from behind. "Oh, Einstein, you're just in time to fix the soundboard again."

"Yo, Jeremy! You're back! So? What did you find about Ingrid? Is she an alien sent here to take over the world?!"

"No," Jeremy answered. "What Ingrid is, well…can only really be explained within the realms of science fiction. Which I guess is just science now."

"Were you able to get anything on her? What this 'Director' thing all about? Or that big ol' scythe thing of hers that turns into a pen?" Yumi said.

"Ingrid is the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. It's an organization that tries to contain and understand supernatural phenomena. They think that the Supercomputer is something more than just a high-tech piece of equipment, and Ingrid is here to ensure that no one gets hurt."

"Well, that explains why she's adamant on knowing about what we're doing," Ulrich said. "But that still doesn't explain all the things she was able to do. She was moving things with her mind, Jeremy."

"The Director is said to be a super-powerful 'paraultilitarian,' or someone with really crazy powers. Ingrid uses these powers to fight against malevolent entities, like the teddy bear from last night…or…."

"X.A.N.A.," Odd snapped his fingers. "But, wait, I thought X.A.N.A was just an evil computer virus."

"That's what I thought, too. But if the FBC is looking into locating the Supercomputer, then he must be more than we think he is," Jeremy said.

"Do we just let the FBC handle it, then?" Ulrich asked.

"No, we can't, not with Aelita still on Lyoko. We have to materialize her first before we can let them get more involved."

"Who's to say they won't just come and take the factory by force?" Yumi proposed. "They're a government agency, are they not?"

"Because Ingrid isn't letting that happen. There was a report that her uncle had written up about the Supercomputer. Ingrid isn't going to tell anyone about it for now, and since she's the Director, everyone will listen to her. Plus, I'm not sure it would go over well with France if the U.S. held raids for supernatural entities in its staple city. So they would want to be discreet about this," Jeremy said.

Odd ran his hands through his hair. "Sooooo, you're saying Ingrid is gonna be part of the group now?"

"Well, that's not just up to me. Though, Aelita did tell me that X.A.N.A.'s power is sporadically growing for a reason that she doesn't know. X.A.N.A was able to activate two Towers back-to-back. I don't know, but if Ingrid can deactivate Towers outside of Lyoko…then we can afford to spread ourselves a little thinner. Alongside her abilities and efficacy for combat… I'd say she'd make a decent Lyoko Warrior. I know I was fully against giving her a chance, but this could be far more dangerous than we initially thought. If we're gonna materialize Aelita and finally be rid of X.A.N.A for good…we need Ingrid and the FBC behind us," Jeremy put his fist into his hand as if finalizing his speech.

The other three friends looked towards each other and then back at Jeremy.

"Well… let's put it up to a vote, then," Jeremy suggested. "All for Ingrid to join the group say 'aye.'"

"Aye," Ulrich nodded.

"Aye!" Odd pumped his fist.

"…Aye," Yumi seemed a little hesitant to accept but held her concerns to herself for now.

"Then it's unanimous," Jeremy grinned. "Ingrid's part of the group now."

"Do you know when she'll be back?" Odd asked.

"The report said that she should have healed enough to come back to Kadic before sundown. Which shouldn't be too long from now. We should keep an eye out for her. When she comes, we'll all go to the factory and catch her up."

Ulrich shook his head. "No, hold on, I got a date with Milly, remember?"

Yumi glanced at Odd. "And Odd's taking me to the dance. It'd be suspicious if we weren't there, especially since we said so in front of Sissi. We could be attracting some unwanted attention if we're don't show up."

"Looks like you're on your own with Ingrid, Einstein!" Odd teased. "Hope you're not intimidated by older girls.~"

"Ha-hah, very funny, Odd," Jeremy crossed his arms and looked away, trying to hide the redness on his face.

"Well, with that settled, I'm gonna go home and get ready," Yumi stretched her arms, turning to leave as she waved to her friends. "Last time, Jim was surprised I didn't come to prom looking all spiffy. I didn't think he cared so much."

Waving back, Odd turned his attention to Ulrich. "You should do the same, Ulrich. Milly's gonna be looking her best for you; you should do the same."

"It's just a dance," Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Plus, I hate wearing suits. I'm just gonna go casual. I don't think Milly will care, anyway. Something tells me she's completely flipped for me. She'll probably swoon no matter what I show up in."

Jeremy began to configure the soundboard. "Seeming awfully confident in your ability to swoon Milly over there, Ulrich."

"Don't even. Milly's a good kid. I'm just trying to be a nice person. Besides, crushes like this pass. In a few months, she'll be talking about some other boy."

"How long do you think it'll take for Yumi to get over you?"

"ODD!"

"Hey, hey, I'm just saying, you should have made your move a LONG time ago."

It was getting late, and the sun was setting the day of the dance. In the same black vehicle she left in, Ingrid was now being driven back to Kadic. She felt for the pen that hung from her neck within her shirt. Knowing that it was still there gave her some comfort.

Pulling up to the front of the school's entrance, Ingrid exited the vehicle, watched as the car sped off, and suddenly disappeared. Ingrid would wonder how it could take her from New York to France in a little less than 30 minutes, but she wasn't complaining by any means. She began to walk back to the school, not in any hurry. Around this time, she and Ulrich were being chased through the campus grounds in the previous timeline. But now, the campus was still as the creatures of the night began to rouse themselves.

"The dance is tonight, isn't it…?" Ingrid said. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stop by. I did promise I would go before the timeline reset, anyway."

Not bothering to spruce herself up, she walked into the auditorium and was met with colorful lights and dancing students. Ingrid looked around the room, spotting Yumi and Odd dancing together and having a good time. Walking a little further, she could see Milly and Ulrich doing the same. Ingrid smiled; Ulrich had a change of heart after all.

"How sweet of him," she said.

Despite being in much better shape than she was this morning, the lights and noise began to wear Ingrid down, and she decided that it would be better if she went back to her dorm room instead. Turning to leave, she came face to face with Jeremy, who seemed to have been waiting for her.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Ingrid decided to break the silence. "…Good evening, Jeremy."

"Ingrid. It's nice to see you back on your feet again."

"… I'm glad to be back," Ingrid replied to his greeting. "…Listen, Jeremy. I-"

"It's fine. We knew you were able to evade the Return to The Past," Jeremy cut her off. "That's supposed to be impossible, you know."

"I believe I've shown to subvert the 'impossible' a few times."

Jeremy continued. "Before, when the teddy bear attacked…you were able to stop the attack with your abilities. We were in a tight spot, and you saved the day. I can't say that I'm not grateful."

"Anytime, Jeremy. I appreciate the thanks. It's odd… I'm not supposed to really be doing things like this out in the open…so I don't get this kind of thanks from people."

Jeremy cleared his throat, trying to find words. "The group and I talked…and, with all of these new revelations, and the fact that you seem to know things that we do not… it's more advantageous for all of us that you join the group."

Ingrid rose her eyebrows in slight surprise. "…You…You really mean that?"

"Don't get so excited. You might be part of our group now, but trust goes a long way. If I'm gonna show you anything about what we really do, you have to PROMISE that no one else hears a word about this. And I mean no one."

Ingrid nodded. She already assumed that these were the terms by which she could see this Supercomputer and confirm if it was the Object of Power the Bureau was looking for. "My lips are sealed."

Jeremy took a sigh of relief before turning around and waving at her to follow him. Ingrid grinned as she and Jeremy ran through the school and into the boiler room's secret exit. The excited Director couldn't wait to finally get a massive lead in the investigation.

Jeremy hopped onto a scooter and rode deeper into the sewers. Ingrid floated alongside him, the whispering sound of wind filling the quietness of the tunnels. The two soon reached a ladder that led back above ground. Jeremy climbed while Ingrid flew up and through the pothole.

"You know, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that," Jeremy remarked.

"I would say you'd have to…but I fear that's a bit too much to ask."

Entering the factory, Jeremy swung down to the elevator. Ingrid descended slowly next to him as the elevator door rose. The elevator took them down into the sublevels of the factory, the doors sliding open and revealing the massive piece of tech.

"Here's what you were looking for," Jeremy calls her attention, sitting down on the chair that swung around the center of the lab. Ingrid followed him to the terminal, observing as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "This is the Supercomputer."

"This is the big bad thing that you're up against? Is this where that X.A.N.A lives?"

"Yeah, that we can confirm. Ever since I turned the Supercomputer on, strange things have been happening around the campus. It wasn't long before the others into this. And we've been fighting against X.A.N.A for a few months now," Jeremy explained.

"So how have you been managing this?"

"I transport my friends into a virtual world, called Lyoko. We don't know why it exists or who made it, but we know it's where X.A.N.A lives and launches attacks on the real world by activating these powerful structures on Lyoko; we call them towers. When X.A.N.A activates a tower, we must do everything we can to deactivate it, but until now…we can only do it on Lyoko."

Ingrid ran her hands across the device's wires. "Not even the Bureau has anything this powerful…you must be fortunate to happen upon something like this…being virtualized into a digital reality…to fight against a virus…."

Her eyes begin to widen again as the Supercomputer's screen suddenly shows red splotches of blood-like imagery. Jeremy almost jumps out of his seat in fright before rising into the air as he begins to recite some eerie poem. One that Ingrid has heard one too many times. The Hiss.

Ingrid quickly acted as the lab's green hue began to shift to a crimson, the structure starting to warp as the room's architecture became blockier, with sections rising out from the walls and floor. Holding her hands around the sides of the brainiac's head, using her power to force the Hiss' invasive resonance out from Jeremy, and sure enough, she pulls it off. The red in the room quickly reverts to the peaceful green, and as Jeremy regains his consciousness, the lab seems to rearrange itself.

Jeremy shivered in fear, never having experienced something like that before. "W-Wh-What was that?!"

"That is what I've been trying to avoid this whole time," Ingrid said. "…What you were being possessed by was the Hiss. A malevolent entity that wishes to wreak havoc on all mankind…we had an outbreak back at the Oldest House a few years back…our previous Director was able to clear out the worst of it, but some of it still lingered afterward. I'm the one in charge of getting rid of the rest."

Looking towards the Supercomputer, Ingrid continues. "I'm the only one on the planet with the power to repel it."

Jeremy stands up, his head still spinning from the possession attempt. "…I…This is crazy… I'm never gonna look at the color red the same way again…."

"As long as you and your friends are near me, the Hiss won't be able to get you. My resonance can protect others from its influence," Ingrid assured.

"Jeremy, I fear that the Hiss and your X.A.N.A may have teamed up…or one has empowered the other…."

"… You're not serious…if X.A.N.A can wield that kind of…esoteric power… we'd never stand a chance!"

"That's why I'm here. If X.A.N.A and the Hiss are working together or have fused to create some other being. I'll help stop it. You said that I was able to deactivate one of those tower things outside of the virtual world, right? So that must mean the Hiss is already starting to have some influence over your malicious virus if I was able to drive it out."

"We got lucky. Depending on how X.A.N.A attacks you may not be able to always dispel him. That's where we come in," Jeremy said. "No matter what, we have to go to Lyoko."

"…Does that mean I can go, too?" Ingrid suggested.

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not. Having a fifth member will help immensely…especially if it's someone of your ability. Though I should still run you through the scanner, so you can also become immune to the Return to the Past."

Ingrid nodded. "Good idea. Where do I…?"

Jeremy pointed to some rungs on the far side of the computer lab. "Slide the hatch to the left and climb down. You'll see three cabins, walk into one of them and then follow my instructions."

Doing as she was told, Ingrid climbed down to the lower floor, and she was astonished. Three tall cylindrical cabins stood, wires pouring from every orifice and snaking their way upwards to the Supercomputer above. "Just pick one and walk inside, right…?"

Stepping into one of the scanners, Ingrid turned around, looking upwards and around as the cabin closed her in. A loud whirring could be heard as the scanner powered up.

Above, Jeremy began the scanning procedure. "Scanner, Ingrid."

A sudden rush of wind whooshed from below, a ring of light moving up and down as it scanned Ingrid's figure. "Ooooh, boy…even for me…this is freaky."

The procedure didn't take long. Soon, the scanner powered down, and Ingrid was let out. Shaking off a tingly feeling, she climbed back up the rungs of the ladder, back up to Jeremy. "…Is that it…?"

Jeremy turned to her in his seat. "Yep… you're now officially part of the group."

Ingrid sighed in relief. "You can't fathom how much easier this has become with your compliance…I really appreciate it."

"Uh-uh…before I completely agree to anything, I need you to make sure that you promise me something," Jeremy interjected.

"Oh, okay. What are your terms?" Ingrid asked.

"Your organization cannot get their hands on this until we do something very important first."

"And that important thing is…?" Ingrid watched as Jeremy returned to the Supercomputer, though being a little careful not to look directly at it this time. After pressing a few buttons, Ingrid saw the image of a young girl on the screen. "…Who is she?"

Aelita spoke. "Hello again, Jeremy. Is everything alright?"

Jeremy waved. "Everything is fine over here, Aelita. There's someone I'd like you to meet. Ingrid, this is Aelita. The girl I want to materialize onto Earth."

Ingrid held her hand up. "Good evening, Aelita."

Aelita greeted in reply. "Hello, Ingrid. Jeremy's told me a lot about you. I hear you're rather extraordinary."

"That's putting it simply, yes," it felt nice that talks concerning her were positive. Making a good first impression was always favorable.

"I'm glad you're here…if Jeremy hasn't told you already, X.A.N.A is getting stronger. His last attack was only an inkling of his growing power. Jeremy said that you were the reason the second tower had deactivated itself before I could make plans on getting to it. That's never been done before."

"I had no idea that would be able to affect your virtual world…but if that's the case, then my fears have been assured. The Hiss and X.A.N.A have fused or are linked in some way. They're strengthening each other. With time, not even I will be able to purge the Hiss."

Jeremy held his chin. "Has your organization dealt with threats like this in the past?"

"Our previous Director would link with Objects of Power to expunge the Hiss that had corrupted it. She was very good at that. I have the same ability, but it's not as impressive yet."

"Could you remove the Hiss from the Supercomputer?"

"Not without destroying it. I could feel its presence even within the scanners below. It's deeply rooted within the Supercomputer. If I try and force it out now, I risk destroying it."

"Well, once we materialize Aelita, the Supercomputer doesn't need to be left fully intact. When it was shut down, X.A.N.A couldn't do anything," Jeremy pointed out.

"The Bureau will still want to examine it thoroughly. I'd prefer it to be in the best shape for that extraction," Ingrid said. "Though if what it takes to shut this down is to materialize Aelita, I'm willing to wait until you manage to do it, Jeremy. I'll help you and your friends for as long as I can."

Jeremy exhaled, nodding. "Thank you, Ingrid. I-I've made great strides in my research…I should have something testable soon… I'll keep working. I won't stop until I get you out of there, Aelita."

Aelita beamed at Jeremy's determination. "…Thank you, Jeremy. I have no doubt that you can do it."

Leaning back in his seat, Jeremy turned back to Ingrid. "You've seen everything you need to know for now. Let's go back to school. I'm sure the others will want to be caught up, as well. Hopefully, the festivities will come to an end soon."

"Right, I've seen all I can. Frankly… it's been a long day…or two, I guess," Ingrid yawned. "I think I'd like to lay down."

"All right. We'll head back," turning back to Aelita, Jeremy smiled. "Aelita, I'll talk to you again later. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Jeremy. I'll be right here waiting."

With that, Jeremy had turned to leave, still holding his head. "…It still kind of hurts…."

"It'll do that. The mind wasn't built to be controlled by someone – or something – else. The pain will fade in a little bit. The Hiss didn't get deep into your psyche, so you'll be fine."

"What if you couldn't get it out fast enough? What would happen to me?"

"…To make a long story short…you might as well have been dead," Ingrid said.

"Oh. Isn't that comforting," Jeremy sighed as the elevator doors closed on them.

The dance had just ended; Ulrich dropped Milly off at her dorm, with Odd and Yumi following behind. The little girl went on about how this was the best night of her life and other exciting thoughts. Tamiya was glad to see Milly so happy. Finally reaching their dorm room, Ulrich held his hand up to say goodbye.

"I'm glad you had fun, Milly. Take it easy now, okay?" Ulrich said.

"W-Wait!" Milly exclaimed, tugging at Ulrich's shirt. "Wait, I want to give you something, Ulrich!"

Ulrich knelt down to see what Milly had for him while Odd barely tried to stifle a chuckle. "What is it, Milly?"

With some hesitation, Milly leaned over and kissed Ulrich's cheek. Her face turning red as she quickly ran into her room. Tamiya shook her head, watching her friend scream into her pillow.

"She's been dreaming about doing that for I don't know how long," she said, entering the room. "Thanks again, Ulrich. You all have a good night."

As the door gently closed, the three could hear the excited screams coming from inside. Ulrich held the side of his face.

"Well, look at that, Ulrich. You are a hit with the ladies!" Odd joked.

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Can it, Odd."

As they walked into the boys' dorms, they met up with Jeremy and Ingrid, who had just returned from the factory. Ingrid looked away, not sure how they felt about her.

"…So, did you tell her everything?" Yumi asked.

"Yes. I even scanned Ingrid and everything, also," Jeremy said. "…She was right; we don't have just X.A.N.A to deal with… he's teamed up with something Ingrid calls the 'Hiss.' It's very powerful, and she thinks that X.A.N.A.'s increase in power is because of its influence. It even almost got ahold of me…."

"The Hiss is nothing to scoff at, either. It can and will do what it must to spread. I'm the only one that can resist the Hiss and keep it within the Supercomputer…at least until we shut it down after Aelita's materialization."

"Wow, I guess this really means you're part of the team, Ingrid!" Odd was very welcoming. "Now, you'll get to witness my greatness 24/7! You should feel honored."

Ingrid chuckled awkwardly.

"It's good to have you, Ingrid. If this Hiss thing is that powerful, it's not completely hopeless if you're here to deal with it," Ulrich said.

Yumi was a bit short on words, though. "Welcome to the team, Ingrid."

"I'm glad you all have been so accepting of me. I'm… I'm really sorry about anything I may have done in the past to worry you. But, I promise, I'll do everything I can to help you destroy X.A.N.A., the Hiss, and bring Aelita to Earth," Ingrid said.

"Well, if that's settled then…." Ulrich began to walk to his dorm. "I'm going to get some sleep. I'm done for the night," he waved to Yumi and the others. "I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow."

Odd followed after him. "Looks like my roommate's heading out. Naturally, that means I gotta go, too. Make yourself at home, Ingrid, don't be a stranger, alright?"

Ingrid returned Odd's hospitality with a smile. "Thank you, Odd. I'll be sure to get used to this."

Yumi was the next to leave. "My parents should be home in a couple minutes. I should start heading home. Good night, you two."

Jeremy waved his friends off as they left, turning to Ingrid. "So, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, huh?"

"Mhm. I'll definitely be around. You have a good night, Jeremy," Ingrid smiled as she turned to leave, with Jeremy entering his dorm room.

Reaching her own room, Ingrid had slipped into her pajamas finally. Technically, it had been two entire days before she had been in them. Nevertheless, they felt more comfortable than usual, which always made Ingrid happy.

Sliding under her covers, Ingrid exhaled gently through her mouth. She had worked hard…and things worked out, as she always hoped that they would. But as sleep carried her away into her dreams…the foreboding semblance of tougher times ahead could be felt not only by her but by the others, too. As if something…was watching them.

And that's another chapter done! Again, leave your reviews and let me know what you guys thought about this chapter so I know people still want to see more! Until Chapter 3, I'll see you soon!