"I just don't get it."
"Understatement of the year, Odd," Ulrich cut in. The group had once again found themselves in a dimly lit tunnel several feet below ground, and on no better terms than previously.
Odd continued despite Ulrich's comment. "Why would XANA bomb --much less nuke-- Paris? Wouldn't he be putting himself and the supercomputer at risk by blowing up the city?" Odd had been rambling for the better part of 20 minutes and the gang had mostly tuned him out while tending to Jeremie, but this caught their attention.
"That's a good question, Odd," Aelita said, tying the last bandage around a burn on Jeremie's leg. "It's possible that, since the bombs were tactical nukes instead of the full scale thing, being that far underground provided enough protection from the blast." Yumi nodded but was slightly confused.
"So what's the difference between a tactical nuke and a real one?" she asked. Groaning, Jeremie propped himself higher up the sewer wall to answer the query.
"A tactical nuke is much smaller in blast radius and the amount of radiological fallout. Thus safer for XANA to use so close to the factory. I'm guessing his plan was to smoke us out into the open, round us up with the lasers, then purge us along with the city. But either we got farther than he thought or there was a delay somewhere in the process." The detailed explanation left him slightly winded, but cleared up any further questioning. The group sat in relative quiet for several more minutes until Ulrich spoke up.
"Guys, were not accomplishing anything by just sitting around. We need to get moving." He walked over to Jeremie and offered a hand to help him up.
"Not accomplishing anything?" Odd asked incredulously. "Our city just got bombed. What do you expect us to do?"
"Not sit here, for one," Ulrich countered. "I just have a bad feeling about staying in one place for too long. Plus, it is not like we can go that way." He pointed back down the sewers in the direction that had come from aboveground.
"I second that notion," Jeremie affirmed. "I'm well enough to walk by myself, now."
"I go where Jeremie goes," Aelita stated resolutely, standing beside him.
"Come on Odd," Yumi said as the group started to walk, "you can't win this battle."
They had only been walking for about twenty minutes when Jeremie's laptop began to beep loudly and profusely, the sound echoing through the tunnels.
"Hold up guys," the genius called to his friends. Pulling the computer from his backpack, he opened it to find a warning and several maps visible. "What the… scanner logs?" He squinted his eyes as he scrolled through a page of information, then widened them in terror. "Guys, XANA just started materializing monsters." Several red flashes lit the tunnels back the way the warriors had come. "Scratch that, he's been making monsters. We need to go up." Ulrich was the last out and caught a glimpse of three Kankrelats before the manhole cover slid into place.
"Okay," Odd asked hesitantly, "now what?" His question was answered when the manhole cover suddenly shot into the air and landed on a car some thirty feet distant. Everyone quickly backed away from the smoking hole.
"Oh man." Ulrich looked around hurriedly. "Ah ha! Pawn shop!" He dashed toward it right as the first Kankrelat jumped up through the hole, followed by a second. They immediately centered their gazes on Jeremie and Yumi, respectively. Odd ran over and kicked one. It skidded a few inches before falling over and Odd hopped back, sporting a bruised foot.
"They're heavier than in Lyoko, a lot heavier," he complained as the downed monster skittered in circles trying to right itself. Its comrade turned to look then began charging its laser, aiming for Yumi.
"Aghhhh!" With a cry, Ulrich came running back out of the pawn shop wielding a katana over his head. He jumped and slashed at the threatening creature, slicing right through. It fell over and just lay there, unmoving.
"Thanks Ulrich," Yumi breathed, frightened from the encounter. He smiled in response and turned in time to see the third Kankrelat attempt to jump into the battle and landing on his overturned brethren, sending both tumbling back down the hole.
"Hey Ulrich, a little help over here," Odd called from his position trying to drag the dead Kankrelat onto the side walk. "Einstein wants to take a look at this thing." Along with Yumi, the three of them managed to move the beast off the road. As soon as they had, Jeremie plugged on and of a wire into his laptop, the other into the center of the Kankrelat's 'eye'. The other's comments of disgust were ignored.
"What are you doing Jeremie?" Aelita inquired, kneeling next to the boy. Line after line of encrypted code flew across the screen.
"I've got an idea. Kankrelats aren't designed biologically or mechanically to be able to generate a laser blast. That means it's an ability they retained from Lyoko even after being materialized. If I can figure out how XANA made that happen-"
"Then you might be able to give us our Lyokian abilities as well," Yumi cut in. "I like that plan, plus not all of us can just pick up a blade and start swinging." The last part was directed at Ulrich.
"Hey, I wouldn't mind grabbing some hundred year-old sword and hacking…a…few…" He was silenced by three 'oh really?' faces staring him down.
"Got it!" Everyone turned to look at the excited genius. "Who wants to go first?" Odd raised his hand and began bouncing.
"Oh! Me! Pick me!" He rushed over to the boy's side.
"Okay, place you hand here," he instructed, indicating a small scanner he had attached to the laptop. "Now don't move." Jeremie typed furiously for several seconds before proclaiming, "Done."
"…I don't feel anything.."
"Well give t a try," Ulrich encouraged.
"Hmm." Odd looked about for a few seconds, then spotted three Hornets approaching down the street. "Perfect, target practice!" He raised his arms and shouted 'Laser Arrow!' With a familiar clicking sound, a gauntlet formed around both Odd's wrists and a dart burst from each. One hit the center Hornet, knocking it spiraling to the ground, while the other missed completely. "Yeah, woohoo! Ahhh!" The remaining two Hornets opened fire and Odd was forced to dodge with his cat-like reflexes. Meanwhile Ulrich, who had scanned right after his friend, dashed forward much faster than he would have been able otherwise and deflected a bolt back at the second Hornet with his improved katana.
"Not exactly the sword I'm used to but I'm not complaining." He then jumped at the last Hornet much like he had with the Kankrelat several minutes ago, except that this time he soared nearly twenty feet into the air before bringing his blade down upon the unfortunate drone. It hit the ground in two pieces revealing innards that looked like a cross between a computer and a butchered pig. The creature's lifeblood, hydraulic fluid, pooled beneath each half.
"Gross," Yumi commented disdainfully. Both she and Aelita had already scanned and the Japanese girl now sported two bladed fans strapped to the inside of her forearms, ready to be opened and thrown at a moments notice. There were no noticeable changes about Aelita, but after the evidence shown by the other's abilities, this didn't mean much. Only Jeremie hadn't scanned and Odd was the one to see this.
"Hey Einstein, you've been to Lyoko before, how about you show us what your powers were. You don't even have to worry about how ridiculous you'd look." Jeremie thought on this for a second, then went ahead and scanned. Like Aelita, though, his appearance didn't change at all.
"Well?" Odd asked impatiently.
"I think I'll save a demonstration for a more appropriate time. Right now we need to find cover and maybe check the news broadcast. We don't know what everyone else thinks caused the bombing and I want to know why the city was already evacuated when it struck. For all of those people to have gotten out, they would have to have left even before the Mist occurred."
"Sounds like a plan," Ulrich acknowledged, sliding his katana into a sheath on his belt. "If you're not against it, Odd knows how to hotwire a car and I can drive…sort of."
Jeremie nodded. "This close to the blast zone I don't think anyone will be missing their vehicle very much. Plus, the faster we can get away from XANA creeps, the better." Odd was ecstatic.
"Let's do it!"
Half an hour latter, after much angry muttering and an occasional spark, the kids were piled into a delivery van speeding down the highway.
"We could be going faster, you know," Odd grumbled from the passenger seat. He'd wanted to take the nice Audi sports car, but was convinced otherwise.
"Seventy miles per hour is plenty fast enough, Odd," Yumi chastised from the floor behind him. "Nothing XANA has can catch us at this speed." Then she spotted something out the back window. "Nevermind, what is that?" Several ten-yards to the rear and keeping pace with the van was a giant insect-like creature, vaguely resembling a Hornet but weaving through the air like a snake. Wasting no time, Odd leaned out his window and fired a single dart which the beast dodged, ducking behind a building. When it wasn't seen for a few more minutes, the group assumed it had broken off the chase.
"Hey, guys," Ulrich called back from behind the wheel, "We're coming up on a town. There might be people we can talk to." He started to slow down and took an exit that brought the town into view. Two large trucks sat on either side of the road facing the highway and past them people could be seen walking about. As they got closer, a man holding a shot gun stood up from the back of one truck and nodded solemnly when they passed. Ulrich parked the van just before the first house and everyone climbed out, stretching from the uncomfortable ride. A young man came up to them timidly.
"Did y'all come from the city?" he asked with an awed expression. Aelita bobbed her head in response. "But all the other evacuees already left. How did you get out alive? Didn't it just get nuked?" Before anyone could answer, a female voice sounded from the house they stood next to.
"Picasso! Come and see what the news is saying!" The warriors followed the man, Picasso, into the house's living room where a woman sat, watching an anchorman on the television.
**
"As of now, the reason behind the horrendous attack is still unknown but terrorism is suspected since Russia, who owns the satellite used to launch the nuclear warheads, also lost a city shortly after the incident here. We are being told to advise the public that radiological fallout is not a concern and the weapon used was a prototype warhead known as a 'rinser' who's only effect is an initial energy blast though not much else has been relea- hold on." The camera turned to the side and voices could be heard, along with shuffling papers. Then the camera rotated back to face the broadcaster.
"We've just received word that a multitude of strange creatures have been spotted through out the city. We have images and video from the scene." The pictures showed several Kankrelats and Hornets, as well as the one Ulrich halved lying in the street. The video gave more cause for concern as it showed a Tarantula clambering down the street then stopping and propping it self up to fire at a car twenty feet away. It turned it's head to look at the camera wielder and the screen went black before returning to the anchorman. "We hope these images will convince you not to venture into the city. These creatures are known to be aggressive and dangerous. Until we have more information, please be safe."
**
Aelita turned to look at the rest of the warriors, each with a grim expression on their face. Then she voiced the thought she knew was on all their minds.
"We have to go back."