Note: I do not own Code Lyoko or any characters regarding it. I simply modify and add my own characters to the story. All original ideas regarding Code Lyoko thus belong to Moonscoop, Taffy Entertainment, France 3, and Canal J.

Chapter 8

Gone

"Jeremie, what's going on? I'm not desynchronizing," said Ulysses

"I don't know," said Jeremie, "Nothing's wrong with the desync process. I'll try again." Jeremie retyped in the code to desync Ulysses, but still nothing happened. "I don't understand it," he said.

"Jer-ie!" said Ulysses, but his signal was cutting out, "Som-ng's hap-ng! Get m- ou-ere!"

"I'm trying to get you out, but the program isn't responding!" said Jeremie, "And your signal is cutting out! I can't hear you very well!"

Jeremie tried again and again, but the desync program refused to respond on Ulysses. The transmission was so full of static that he only heard from Ulysses, "Jer-et m-ere! -urry!"

"I can't hear you Ulysses!" Jeremie shouted through the microphone, "What's going on?!" The transmission shot and nothing could be heard anymore.

"What just happened?" asked Xana.

"I don't know," said Jeremie, "He just disappeared."

It was then that they heard a sudden scream of pain in the synchronizer room. They opened the door to find Ulysses shaking wildly as though he was having a fit. "ULYSSES!" shrieked Xana as she ran over to hold him still, "Ulysses, what's happening to you?!" Ulysses was still screaming as though he were in terrible pain. "Help me hold him!" Xana panicked. The group tried to hold him still, but then Ulysses jerked out of their hands and let out a horrible scream before falling back down on the synchronizer. Xana began to turn pale.

"Guys!" yelled Jeremie, "Come over here and look at this!"

They all ran into the computer lab and looked at the monitor. Jeremie was looking at a screen that seemed to monitor vital and neural signs. Oddly enough, Ulysses' vital signs had flat-lined but his brainwaves were unbelievably erratic, so much that it occupied all of the neural signal screen.

"I don't get it," said Aelita as she looked at the screen, "How could his heart stop, but his brain is still active?"

"He's alive?!" exclaimed Xana.

"Technically he's heart-dead," said Jeremie, "Somehow his heart isn't working but his brain still is. I don't know how, but I think that the computer is keeping him alive."

"But how is that possible?" asked Carly, "What is keeping him alive? Is it HADES?"

"Impossible," said Jeremie, "If it were HADES, he would have killed Ulysses by now."

"Is there another entity that's keeping him alive?" asked Yumi.

"It doesn't say," said Jeremie.

At that moment, a video transmission window opened, but it revealed only static. In the static, Jeremie thought he could hear fragments of Ulysses' voice saying, "J-h-lp m-"

"Ulysses, is that you?" asked Jeremie.

"Je-elp m-" said the static again.

"Ulysses, are you there?" asked Jeremie.

There were a few seconds of silence, then all of a sudden, a hand had slammed onto the inside of the transmission window. Everyone jumped in terror and Xana shrieked when she saw it. As the hand slid down the window, everyone clearly heard a bloodcurdling and heart-rending wail from Ulysses, "JEREMIE! HELLLPP MEEEE!"

Everyone stared in terror at the screen as the window closed.

"Oh, my God," Xana whimpered before she turned completely white and fainted.

"Xana!" exclaimed Odd as he, Ulrich, and Yumi caught her before she collapsed, "She's in shock."

"It's not a surprise," said Jeremie, "She has obviously not been exposed to that sort of thing before." He got back on the monitor and said, "Anyway, we have to find a way to save Ulysses! It's clear from that message that he was imprisoned by HADES! This is so that he won't be able to stop the next obelisk activation!"

Just then a text window appeared on the screen. The text read, "Jeremie, HADES has activated an obelisk and, using it, has trapped me inside. How do I know this? Xana transferred the data she stole using the Scyphozoa on our last mission to determine HADES' next move and it included something that had to do with me. One of you will have to deactivate it for me so you can set me free. This message is pre-written, so HADES has no idea that this exists. Follow the instructions exactly so that all of you will be able to deactivate obelisks yourselves. Please hurry, I don't have much time."

Jeremie read the rest of the message which showed codes to allow the others to activate and deactivate obelisks at will. "Get into the synchronizers!" said Jeremie, "I'll take care of Xana until you get back!"

No one hesitated and got into the synchronizers, leaving Xana with Jeremie. Jeremie located the activated obelisk in the volcanic sector and sent them all there. "Alright guys," said Jeremie, "I've entered the program into all of your digital profiles, including mine and Xana's. The obelisk is in a crater due north of your current position. Be careful!" While everyone set off for the obelisk, Jeremie alerted Franz Hopper of Ulysses' disappearance on Wakusei and that he needed his help, and Franz said that he would be on his way to the warehouse as soon as his class was over.

On Wakusei, everyone was searching the area for the crater, but it was nowhere in sight. "Jeremie, where is it?" asked Carly.

"The crater is just ahead of you, north by northeast behind the volcano," said Jeremie.

They darted behind the volcano and saw the crater, but it was being guarded by lava monsters and a Calibos.

"Careful guys!" warned Jeremie, "These monsters aren't ones to mess with. The specs say that they are Flamethrowers and Lavafalls. The Flamethrowers will throw fireballs at you. Stay away from the Lavafalls as they will vomit molten magma on you."

"Thanks for the tip, Jeremie!" said Odd.

"How do we get to that obelisk?" asked Aelita.

"We'll each take half," said Yumi as she started thinking, "Carly and Aelita will take the Lavafalls and Ulrich, Odd, and I will take the Flamethrowers. We'll all work together on the Calibos."

"Great thinking, guys!" said Jeremie.

At that moment, Franz walked into the lab. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Ulysses is trapped inside an obelisk, the group is doing their best to save him, and Xana is in a state of total shock," said Jeremie.

"So I see," said Franz as he looked down at Xana, still out cold.

On Wakusei, the plan was going well. Aelita and Carly managed to destroy the Lavafalls with their combined creation and energy fields, while Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi managed to rid themselves of the flamethrowers with their team effort. "Now for the Calibos!" said Yumi.

The Calibos smiled evilly and yelled out, "Multiply!" and all of a sudden, there were five of it.

Ulrich growled angrily and yelled out, "Freaking copycat!" before he activated Triangulate and sliced his Calibos into pieces. Everyone else got rid of theirs quickly as well.

"Carly, I think you should shut this one down," said Aelita.

Carly nodded and jumped into the obelisk, scanned her palm and entered Code: WAKUSEI. "Obelisk shutdown!" she said as the data reset. Ulysses appeared in the obelisk and said, "Thank you very much, Carly!"

"Great job guys!" said Jeremie, "I'm bringing you out right now!"

"Make mine the Code: EARTH, Jeremie," said Ulysses, "Because I don't know whether or not HADES did anything else to make me stuck here."

"OK," said Jeremie, "Code: EARTH! Desynchronization!"

Xana woke up after Jeremie had finished typing in the program.

"What happened?" asked Xana tiredly.

"You fainted," said Jeremie, "I'll tell you more later on."

Franz helped Xana up while they headed over to the synchronizer room. Everyone got out easy, except for Ulysses who fell off of his synchronizer and immediately ran for the incinerator on the other side of the room. He opened it and almost instantly vomited into it.

"Sorry," he muttered, "But I think a side-effect to..urghh..being trapped by HADES are symptoms similar to a flu..urghh!"

Everyone stared as Ulysses continued to vomit into the incinerator before he stopped and turned it on. He collapsed on the floor and began rubbing his temples. "Oh, my head hurts!" he moaned.

Jeremie felt his head. "My God, he's burning up! His body is reacting to the side-effects like a real flu! We have to get him to the infirmary!" said Jeremie.

"I will help him stand so that he can at least get back onto the campus," said Xana as she sent a specter into his legs and controlled him to move.

"Thank you, Xana," said Ulysses.

After they got to Kadic, it was past dinner time, so they made a good excuse for him coming to the infirmary due to something he ate making him sick. After they lied him down on the bed and walked out, Jeremie noticed Xana looking at the infirmary door.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Nothing," said Xana.

"Are you blushing?" giggled Aelita.

Xana noticed she was and immediately denied it.

"You like him don't you?" asked Yumi.

Xana sighed and said, "Ever since our last three missions, I've kinda had a crush on him. I watch him every day during class, but he doesn't notice."

"We know how you feel," said Ulrich and Yumi together.

"Do you want to tell him?" asked Carly.

"Yes, but I want it to be the right thing and at the right time," she said.

"That time will come," said Jeremie, "You have all the time in the world to think about it. But for now, let's get to our rooms. We have a big day tomorrow."

Everyone went to their rooms and went to bed, except Xana who was still thinking about Ulysses and what she would do for him at the right time.

Well, at least Ulysses isn't trapped anymore, and Xana finally let the cat out of the bag. Everyone promises Xana that the right time will come, but when will that be, and along with HADES still causing trouble, what will happen next? Find out later on...