Jeremie's POV...
It was a relief to speak to Yumi. But now I feel more drained than ever. As I fizzle into consciousness, I remember one horrid detail about the whole thing. I directed her back to the safehouse.
CRAP. I think.
Almost exactly as I expected, a dark figure formulated from the floor. Perfect timing XANA. The AI cackled with delutional laughter.
"FOOL! You talk in your sleep." That statement felt like a slap to the face. Burning realization that he hadn't even entered my thoughts was eating at me. The guilt clawed at my soul. I practically told him EVERYTHING! All my efforts wasted. Might as well plan out a funeral, the Lyoko Warriors were all going to die.
"Leave them alone, XANA." Despite my pain, I ball my fists in anger. Again my torturer laughed in my face. Then he puts on a strait face.
"Oh, Jeremie, my boy," He feigns innocence, "I won't be the one hurting them."
I flail around in my chains.
"Stop LYING. Just kill me! Leave them alone, PLEASE!" I begged. I couldn't stand to lose them, if I made it through this, I wouldn't live with myself if they were dead.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't kill you. I will do much worse." The AI encircled me and I felt him enter my body. I struggled, I gave him alot of grief. As the darkness flooded my senses, I let out a yell for help. Even if no one could answer my call.
Blackness.
YUMI'S POV...
"HELP!"
I stare around the safehouse. Everyone else was asleep. Where had that come from?
Ulrich's POV...
I woke up to a loud bang. I groggily sit up to see a blur of blue and tan. I rub my eyes and my vision clears. With a gasp, I leap to my feet.
"Jeremie?" The boy turns around, grinning from ear to ear, electricity burning in his hands, eye of XANA fizzing in the place of his pupils. I give a yelp to the rest of the gang who all jump up.
Odd took a step forward, "Jeremie? I that really y-"
Jeremie grabbed him by the collar and sent him crashing through the wall.
"ODD NO!" Yumi cries. I hear stifled sobbing from Aelita. Jeremie stalks towards her.
THWACK!
My foot connects with his face and sends him to the floor. He rises and retaliates with a blast of lightning. I feel the current surge through my body. As I make contact with the floor I let out a plea,
"Jeremie, please. Stay with us here. You can fight this."
He freezes and the electricity dies down.
"Ul- Ulrich?" He whimpers.
"Yes." I reply bluntly.
The electricity starts crackling again.
"Jeremie stop this!" Aelita commands.
The eye of XANA fades and our friend falls, clutching his head. The symbol flits back into his eyes and he stumbles forward. Every step he takes seems like a huge effort and his electricity keeps flickering weakly, on and off.
"He's fighting it." Aelita whispered in shock. I silently matched her reaction. As weak as he was, Jeremie was fighting off XANA himself, in a battle for the genius' mind.
Just when it seemed the poor boy would lose, Yumi came inside with Odd. Odd seemed a bot shaken but nothing serious. They're faces changed to understanding as I gestured towards the Possessee.
"Jeremie, you can do this." She and Odd both added.
Jeremie was shaking now. His face red and his breathing was shallow and short. Aelita placed her hand gently on his shoulder. Jeremie's real pupils dialated. Black smoke shot out of his ears and nose.
The foul stuff whirled like a tornado and faded into nothing. Jeremie looked up at us. I saw something I hadn't seen in him for a long time. Fear. He was broken inside. My friend didn't know what to think. He was ashamed, scared, beaten into misery. I watched as he stumbled forward, trying to say something to Yumi. He fell into her arms, unconscious. What I saw, horrified me today. The most strong-willed boy in our group, bloody and bruised. I don't know what to do now, but now that Jeremie has defeated him, XANA will hit the groud running, and lash out at us.
Somehow I know that the end was near for at least some of us. This isn't a fight I expect to walk away from.
BETTER? I hope you liked this. Its about to get rough for the Lyoko Warriors. Read ON!
-BlueBlur2000.