Chapter Eleven: The Trap
Key:
Thoughts
Someone on Lyoko
Jeremie thru his earpiece
Phone
Odd's Visions
Odd was bored. She was sitting in Mrs. Hertz's class bored out of her mind. She was sitting next to Jeremie with Ulrich right behind her sitting next to Emmanuel's younger brother August, who Odd would swear looked just like his older brother down to the freaking ponytail. Odd, of course, got into trouble with Mrs. Hertz several times for drawing instead of paying attention. But Odd couldn't help it, she was just so bored. So when that class was over, Odd practically pranced out. "Guys, we're free!" She sang spinning around.
Ulrich rolled his eyes. "You do realize that we have an exam next period, right?"
Odd stopped and crossed her arms pouting. "I forgot." She said simply.
Ulrich laughed at her and Jeremie led the way to their next class. Odd followed along quickly with a pout still on her face. "Why do we even have an exam today? This sucks." Odd moaned.
Ulrich snorted while Jeremie spoke. "Odd stop complaining. It'll be fine."
Odd just humphed and followed her friends into the class.
Odd looked up from her test when the teacher stopped at her and Jeremie's desk. "Something wrong Jeremie? A problem?"
Odd turned to Jeremie,"No no, uh, I finished ma'am."
Odd rolled her eyes at the classes shock as their teacher leaned over her desk and took Jeremie's paper. Jeremie was the smartest kid in the school. Why are they all so shocked? Their teacher looked over the paper. "Why yes you have, very good job. It's excellent work too." Then she turned to the class and clapped her hands,"Alright. The rest of you keep working."
Suddenly Jeremie spoke,"Oh no her birthday is today!"
Odd looked up from her paper to her friend in confusion. Who's birthday? "You may go Jeremie." Their teacher spoke.
"Jer..?" she asked in confusion.
"Aelita. I almost forgot that we met a year ago today."
As Jeremie left, Odd leaned over and whispered to Ulrich,"Hey, it's Aelita's birthday today."
"Ya, I forgot all about it." Ulrich replied.
"What's going on?" Sissi asked Ulrich.
Ulrich leaned over his desk to talk around his table partner,"Mind your own business."
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"Wow, it's already a year since we've met Aelita." Ulrich commented as he paid and chose his drink.
"And I still haven't managed to materialize her." Jeremie said, upset.
"I know, but we managed to protect her from XANA." Ulrich commented.
"I have an idea! Why don't we use our lunch hour to plan something for her. She'd like that a lot don't you think?" Odd asked with a smile.
"Good idea. What do you think Jeremie?" Ulrich asked.
"Yeah! C'mon let's go to the factory!" Jeremie agreed.
"You go ahead. I promised Yumi we'd meet after class. I'll meet you there." Ulrich told them.
So with a wave, Odd and Jeremie left. As soon as they got near the hidden entrance, Odd yanked Jeremie along. "C'mon. We have to go to the party store, then the bakery, then we have to…"
As Odd continued to tell Jeremie where they had to go, Jeremie blinked owlishly. He hardly ever saw Odd like this. She was the party master but never usually had a chance to show it. They arrived in normal time to the factory, and as they entered Jeremie finally spoke up. "I'd love to find a nice present for Aelita."
"That's no problem. Why don't you program her a digital birthday cake." Odd commented in amusement.
"Very funny." Jeremie replied as he pushed the elevator button.
Jeremie pressed the button a few more times. "What's wrong Einstein?" Odd asked, curious as to why they weren't moving.
"Power cut I guess. C'mon we'll go check out the fuses in the control room."
Odd followed Jeremie out of the elevator. Suddenly a horrid feeling washed over her. She stopped and turned back to the elevator. "Odd?"
Odd turned back to Jeremie with a grin. "Well? Where's the breakers Jer?"
As Jeremie turned to lead the way, a horrible thought was circling in Odd's mind. Someone's going to get hurt. Arriving in the control room, Odd looked around. "Wow, I forgot what this place looked like." Odd then turned to a strange machine,"Woah, that's cool."
"Hunk of junk if you ask me." Jeremie commented.
Odd rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah yeah Einstein. I bet you could make something 3 times better."
Jeremie grinned,"Of course I can. Now let's find the breakers."
As Odd helped Jeremy look for the breakers,the feeling of danger filled her mind. Something was about to happen. Just then, a loud crash filled the air. "What was that?" Jeremie asked next to her.
Odd bit her lip. Ulrich. "We better check it out."
The two began to rush down the stairs. As they ran machines began moving around them. When the machines surrounded them, Odd gasped,"It's a trap!"
Odd moved into a defensive position. This is not good. Then Jeremie's phone began to ring. Odd glanced and her friend from the corner of her eyes. "Yumi? Are you alright?" he asked. "In the elevator? So that was the noise we heard. We're stuck in the machine room."
Odd glanced up and immediately jumped to push Jeremie out of the way,"Careful!"
They only just missed the machine claw. "Odd!" Jeremie called out.
Odd gabbed a metal bar and wielded it with a yell, hitting the claw. Jeremie got up as another claw tried to grab them. Odd tried to hit the claw, but it instead twisted the metal pole. "We gotta get out of here!" Jeremie shouted.
"No kidding genius!" Odd snapped back just as one of the metal claws pushed Jeremie onto the conveyor belt. "Jeremie!"
While she was distracted, another claw grabbed her by the shoulder. She could feel the bruises forming. Odd began to struggle,"Put-me-down you-argh!" the claw then dropped her roughly onto the conveyor.
Odd struggled for a moment to catch her breath. She caught it in time to push herself away from the attacking machinery. Noticing a ledge, Odd pushed herself to her feet and yanked Jeremie up,"Up here! Hurry!" Odd then jumped onto the metal beam and pulled herself up to hold onto the ledge. Jeremie jumped up and wrapped his arms around her waist. She struggled for a moment before managed to swing them off to the side. "Follow me!" Jeremie ordered as he began to run.
Odd quickly followed. They made it down a hall with no machine's. They stopped to take a breath and Odd took the chance to speak. "It's too bad that this isn't Lyoko. At least I have superpowers there."
"I'm pretty sure Aelita's in trouble too." Jeremie panted out. "She's going to need your help."
"But how do we reach the lab?" Odd asked.
"Via the boiler room." Jeremie replied.
Odd pulled out her phone. She quickly dialed Yumi's number and put the phone to her ear. "Hello Odd. Are you alright? Where are you?"
"Heading for the lab. And how are you doing?"
"Let's say I'm trying to cope."
After hanging up the phone, Odd warily followed Jeremie. She was tense with worry. "Oh look at the boiler, XANA's really trying to get us." Jeremie stated.
Odd frowned at the amount of steam before turning to her fellow blond. "Yumi's heading to the lab. She's climbing up the shaft."
Jeremie made a confused sound as the boiler made a whistling noise. "I don't trust that thing. Ready for a 100 yard dash?" She asked, frown on her face.
"I'm better at math than gym."
Odd spared a smile,"Math ain't gonna help you this time. Ready?" the two got into ready position,"GO!" she shouted as they began to run.
As they ran, the boilers began to shake. Odd mentally cursed as the boiler blew up. Shit.
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"Odd!? Jeremie!? Odd, Jeremie please answer me!"
Yumi looked around, worry clear on her face. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence and dust. Then Yumi heard coughing. She turned quickly and saw her blond friends. "You're here." relief was clear in her voice,"I was so scared." Yumi quickly rushed to give Jeremie a hug.
"We pushed the boiler a little too hard. I guess it just couldn't take it." Odd spoke with a smile.
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"The water's rising. And Ulrich can't swim with a broken arm."
Odd turned away from Jeremie and Yumi's conversation with a frown. She bit her lip with a frown. Glancing around her, Odd's eyes caught the box in the corner. It was a bunch of tools that they had gathered from around the factory. There were a few screwdrivers and some...wait. Odd rushed towards the box and dug around. She let out a noise of triumph as she found the nail gun and pulled it out. She yanked off her overshirt, leaving her in her tank top. "Odd, what are you doing?" Yumi asked, frowning in confusion at the younger girl.
Odd sighed as she kicked off her shoes and began to unbutton her pants. "I'm going to try and give Ulrich and Sissi a better chance."
"O-odd!" Jeremie yelped as he looked away, red covering his face.
"Relax Einstein, I always wear a pair of bike shorts under my pants." Sure enough, Odd was wearing a pair of pink bike shorts under her purple pants.
"How are you going to give Ulrich and Sissi a chance?"Yumi asked, watching Odd tie her shoes back on.
Odd ignored the question for a moment and grabbed a long cord from by the Supercomputer. "Just. Trust me." Odd said as she walked to the open elevator shaft,"How far down?"
"About half way. Odd are you sure?" Yumi was looking worried.
"Yes. I'll be back soon." and Odd started down.
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Odd sighed in relief as she finished nailing her shirt and pants over the hole that was leaking water. While it wouldn't stop the flow, it would slow it. Odd glanced down and frowned in worry. If she could, she would help Ulrich and Sissi get out, but with Ulrich's arm broken, there was no way she could help get him out and all the way out without causing more damage. She turned to face upwards and started climbing. She untied the cord from the ladder and thru it over her shoulder. She made it within a minute and turned to Jeremie. "Is Yumi in Lyoko?" she asked, untying the other end of the cord from her waist and letting it drop to the floor.
"Not yet, we were waiting for you. Go."
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Landing, Odd's head snapped up and she almost groaned at the two Krabs. Yumi thru her fan to hit one of the Krabs after it shot at her. It missed and Odd dodged the Krab's shots at her. "Ya missed!" she called out, landing in a crouch.
"Okay Aelita, it's time. You ready?" Yumi asked, turning to their computer friend.
"Okay guys! We'll force our way thru. You keep running behind us, we gotta make it to the tower. You understand?" Odd asked after jumping onto one of the rocks.
Odd had to jump down to dodge another blast from the Krab. "Go!" Yumi called just as another Krab arrived on scene.
"Take that!" Odd called, shooting her arrows. "And that!"
Odd gave a gasp as the Krab hit her. "40 life points and just two shots! Odd, you're losing life points much too quickly!" Jeremie spoke.
"Don't worry! I'll make it!" Odd promised.
"Watch out on your left!"
Odd turned to her left at Yumi's warning and called out,"Lazer arrow!"
It it the Krab on it's XANA eye and the Krab staggered before blowing up. Then another Krab hit Yumi. Odd didn't pay enough attention. She turned just as she was hit by the Krab. Odd fell to the ground and only had time to hit the ground before she was devirtualized. Odd banged her fist as she stepped out of the scanner. "Dammit!"
She stumbled over to the ladder and pulled herself up. "Don't say a word Jer. Don't say a word."
She stumbled over to watch the supercomputer. "Oh no! Aelita!" Jeremie suddenly called. "Aelita, 80. Yumi, just 10. You've gotta clear the passage."
Odd watched as Yumi took down a Krab before being devirtualized. Odd yanked Jeremie's earpiece out before yelling into it,"Run Aelita!"
Odd watched as Aelita and the Krab facing off. Then she heard a torrent of water and dropped the earpiece. She ran to the Elevator shaft and looked down. Her shirt and pants finally tore and allowed a large torrent off water out. "ULRICH!"
There was no reply. Odd turned to Jeremie, hoping that Ulrich had just not heard her over the water. But he was calling into his earpiece for Ulrich. Odd began to make her way to the ladder. "No!" she said in frantic whisper when she noticed that the top of the elevator was covered by a thin layer of water.
"Return to the past now!"
Odd shut her eyes.
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"Okay now." Yumi said, holding up a dark red cloth.
"Ready Aelita?" Jeremie was smiling. "Here we go."
"What's going on? I don't understand." Aelita asked in confusion.
"It's something from our world." Odd replied.
As one the group called out,"Happy Birthday Aelita!" and Yumi dropped the cloth to reveal a birthday cake with one candle.
"Oh! I don't get it." Aelita admitted.
Odd noticed Ulrich turn around as Jeremie explained and watched him out of the corner of her eye. "We're celebrating because it was exactly one year ago we met you. " Jeremie explained kindly.
"Oh I get it. Am I supposed to do something?"
Odd grinned and replied,"Ya save me a piece of cake!"
Yumi laughed,"One track mind."
"Don't listen to that glutton." Jeremie agreed.
"Speak for yourself four eyes!"
"Calm down you guys!" Yumi, always the mediator.
Odd noticed Sissi, Herve, and Nicholas, but ignored it in favor of celebrating with her friends. "Odd, you're eating all the cake, stop!"
Odd grinned at the older girl. "What, I'm hungry!"
"So is everybody else!"
"Hand it over." Ulrich took the cake from her hands, making the young Italian pout.
A.N. - Sorry it's so short. I sadly, haven't had a chance to finish the second chapter. What with Thanksgiving, dealing with paperwork, dealing with the mess of an election, and finding out that apparently my cat has Herpes. And feline herpes can come from stress to the immune system, like being sick and placed into a stressful situation. We got him when he was sick from the shelter, so he was pretty stressed. But I'll get the next chapter up by next Thursday at the latest.
Current Voting Results:
A) Ulrich/Yumi, Jeremie/Aelita, William/Odd - 4
B) Ulrich/Yumi, , Emmanuel/Odd, William/Odd's Sister - 1
C) William/Yumi, Jeremie/Aelita, Ulrich/Odd - 38(Dang!)
D) Ulrich/Yumi, Jeremie/Aelita, OC/Odd, William/OC - 0
E) Ulrich/Yumi, Jeremie/Aelita, Other/Odd, William/Other - 0
Evil William?
Yes - 0
No - 3
Ulrich takes his place - 1
