Chapter 33
Fall to pieces
The elevator slowly drifted down the elevator shaft of the factory. Sissi couldn't even begin to understand what she was seeing. She thought this was an old run down factory, but to her surprise it was full of life. The lights and power seemed to run on the inside, it even showed signs that someone had been cleaning it lately. There was truly more then meets the eye.
The elevator stopped in front of a large vault like door. Sissi glanced at the size of the large metal object. "How could anyone fit this huge thing down here?" she wondered. Then, she suddenly noticed the camera at the upper left corner of the door.
"Um, is this OK that I can see this, Odd?" asked Sissi.
"Its too late for that, I'm afraid," Odd replied.
"Why did you bring her here?" a voice said.
Sissi looked around for the source of the voice. There was no sign of any person or a speaker.
"She helped me. And she already knows about Aether... we got no other choice," Odd replied to the voice.
"But we have had problems with her in the past, Odd," the voice said.
"Wait... I caused problems?" Sissi asked.
"But she has helped a lot in the past few days, and I would of lost to Aether had it not been for her," Odd said.
"Odd! That's beside the point. If word gets out..."
"Excuse me but it's too late for that. Your bird friend already freaked out the whole school," Sissi said.
There was a silence between the voice, Odd and Sissi.
"There were also some F.B.I agents asking about Aelita, which I take it she is in there and this voice happens to be Jeremy? I'm not sure what I have done in the past, and I didn't ask to get dragged into this mess, but I'm here now. And if that bird thing is just the tip of the iceberg that you guys might have problems with, then you really need help. And if you can't accept that, then you're not the person I thought you were, you're just a close minded fool."
Odd glanced in astonishment. She was literally putting Jeremy in his place. And it might have been working.
"Look, I don't know what is going on. But you need to hear what I have to say. If not, then you may miss a opportunity to not only stop this, but get help from it in the meantime."
"We don't need any help," another voice said.
"Why are you guys being so dense?" Odd asked.
"Because we have had problems with new people all the time. And they hardly ever last," the voice said.
"Well… it seems to me like you guys need all the help you can get. And quite frankly even if you don't want to admit it or not, you need it," Sissi said.
There was a second pause. Sissi and Odd could vaguely hear voices from behind the wall. And from the sound of it, they were arguing.
Suddenly Odd disappeared in a cluster of pixels and wires as he was being devirtualized. Sissi screamed in fear as she tried to stop Odd from disappearing.
"Odd's alright... now leave," Jeremy said over there intercom. "We're doing you a favor... you don't want to be a part of this mess."
"Look, these feds only want to help, and I think my father knows Aelita's father... whatever problems you have I can help you with. I'm not gonna run to the authorities or anything, you have my word!"
"We should let her in," a female voice said from the background of the mic.
After a few minutes of silence the door slowly hissed and opened, revealing the interior of the lab. Sissi slowly walked in a gawked in awe at the sight she was seeing. She glanced over to see Jeremy and Aelita standing next to a large computer. Aelita had a towel wrapped around her neck and was sipping from a bottle of water. Sitting on a large cot in the corner was Yumi and Ulrich, who were staring at Sissi with a sense of both alert and confusion. Entering the lab via the ladder were Odd and William. Odd slowly limped in as William slowly guided him into the lab.
"What is this?" Sissi asked.
"This… is our club house," Ulrich joked.
"Looks more like a garage. A garage house or something... And how many of you garage kids are there?"
"Only 6 of us," Yumi said as she walked over to Sissi. "Look, nothing personal about earlier, but we have a little problem with bringing in new people."
"It took them almost 9 months to get used to me," William said.
"You said something like I had been a bother to you before... how so?" Sissi's curiosity grew.
"I think we should leave it at that," Jeremy said as his chair rotated around.
"I'm only here to help and I don't care what worries or issues you have with me being here. I'm only concerned about my friends," Sissi tried to convince the group.
"If you were concerned, you would leave," Ulrich said.
"Ulrich, shut up!" Odd said as he walked over to Sissi. "She saved me out there and if it wasn't for her, Aether would of come in here and done much worse."
"I believe her guys," Aelita said. "She has been a help in the past and she has helped us out a lot in the past few weeks."
"Yeah… and she has really been trying to connect with us so I agree with Aelita and Odd," William said.
"OK, so you want me to tell you about all this?" Sissi asked.
The group of six hesitantly nodded in agreement.
"These feds have been searching for this Waldo Schaffer for some time. They only want to speak to him and they want his help with some case they're working on, and they also think Aelita here is her daughter. They only want to talk to you about something, and from what my father said and acted like, he knew the man too, only by Franz Hopper. And he apparently asked my father to help out his daughter with something, but I'm not sure what... that's all I know. I think you should talk to my father and these feds."
"No," said Jeremy sharply.
"Wait, why?" Odd asked.
"For all we know these feds may have been the ones to kidnapped Ae… .I mean Franz Hopper's family."
"I agree... maybe we should keep hidden for now," Yumi said as she crossed her arms.
"Hey, can I at least know what you're up to here?" Sissi asked.
The entire group fell silent. They had doubts whether they should trust Sissi or make her leave. They had a rocky past with her originally and still to this day had a hard time trusting her.
"Sorry Sissi, but-" Yumi started.
"This computer holds a virtual world in it, and in it is an evil A.I. trying to eradicate us all," Odd interrupted.
"ODD!" Jeremy shouted.
"Look guys... she helped us out a lot in the past few weeks. And she already knows about the factory… we should just fill her in."
"But… Odd!" Yumi pleaded
"So then, that makes you guys like superheroes and all, huh? Kinda cool. Like the Avengers or Autobots. A team of super powerful people," Sissi said.
"Well, we're not robotic... and I'm pretty sure none of us carry a giant hammer," Aelita joked.
"That's enough, guys!" Jeremy cut in.
"Please. I won't say a word about this at all," promised Sissi.
"You said that before," Yumi said.
"I did?" Sissi asked as she did not understand what was on Yumi's mind.
"Yeah... we have a program we use to send us back in time and it's malfunctioning," Aelita said.
Sissi glanced around slowly as she tried to comprehend all that was just revealed to her. She couldn't understand how something like this had remained hidden for so long. And why didn't Odd and the others ever try and push for help of any type or shape? Had they really fought this threat all alone all this time? And if so, what were they so afraid of?
"So, I take it there's no chance of any of you trusting me?" Sissi asked.
Jeremy glanced over at Yumi and Ulrich. He could read it from their faces that both of them were skeptical about introducing Sissi into their group.
"I trust you, Sissi," Odd said.
"So do I," William joined him. " I had the same problem when I joined up, and with things taking a hard turn like this I think we'll definitely need all the help we can get."
"Me too," Aelita said as she walked over to Sissi. "We can definitely use the help and you have tried for so long to fit in with our group."
"Aelita… not you too?" Jeremy looked at her, slightly disappointed with her move.
"Jeremy, come on. In current situation we definitely need to accept any help," Aelita tried to reason with him.
Jeremy hesitated a little as he tried to place his words carefully.
"It's not that I don't believe you... it's just I don't wanna put another life at risk."
"I agree. I remember what happened when we first dealt with the computer," Ulrich said.
"You're right, Ulrich. I'm sorry Sissi, it's just… this is not some video game, this is a life and death situation," Yumi said.
"Guys, we can't fight alone anymore! Can't you figure that out?" said Odd, who did not understand why the others still rejected Sissi's offer.
"I get it. I didn't figure any of you would trust me. It's exactly what Aelita said. I have tried for a long time to be your friends. I know I might have been a little bit of a ass a couple times, but I have tried real hard to join you. But if this is the way you return all I have done for you guys, for trying to be your friend... Then I don't wanna join you," Sissi declared.
"Sissi, no, it's..." Aelita said until Sissi cut her off.
"Don't worry. I'll keep my mouth shut and not say a thing," Sissi said as she walked over to the elevator.
"Sissi, wait! They didn't mean that!" Odd pleaded as the elevator door shut behind Sissi.
As the elevator hummed on its way up, Odd turned to the rest of his friends.
"That's great, you idiots," he said angrily. "We had someone who could have been a trusted ally and you turned her away like a stray dog!"
"Odd! Forget your little crush and get over it! She turned on us before and she would again!" Ulrich shouted back.
"Odd's right, though... you guys don't trust even your own family now, do you?" William said.
"No, it's that we don't trust her," Yumi said. " I mean what would happen if the same thing that happened to you happens to Sissi? Don't you remember?"
"YOU'RE STILL GONNA HOLD THAT OVER MY HEAD?" William shouted.
"It still haunts us. It was a large problem for us, and..." Ulrich tried to explain.
"No, I see what it is... I see exactly what was wrong with you all. You lost faith in humanity. You lost all hope in the people you protect. In the end you're all the same as Xana and Xervix. You all see humanity as a anchor keeping all of you back. If that's how you guys all act, then I don't want any part of it. I quit!" William said as he walked over to the elevator.
"William, no! Please don't," Aelita pleaded.
"He is right... you have forgotten why we're here," Odd said as he walked over to William.
"Will both of you knock it off? We're not holding it all against you, Will. We just don't want someone to suffer the same way you did," Ulrich said.
"It's not just that. These feds could honestly help us and you don't want to ask?" William said.
There was a silence between Ulrich, Yumi and Jeremy.
"That's what I thought," William said as he entered the elevator, which came back in the meantime.
"Odd?" called Yumi.
"He is right. I can't believe it but for once he is absolutely right! Has it not occurred to you guys that this is getting hugely out of hand? Xervix and his forces are loose now. We're not talking on the net or hidden somewhere... I mean, he is here in our world, which means he can attack us any time!"
The elevator door shut as it raised towards the upper level of the factory floor again. The remaining 4 teens stood dumbfounded over what had just transpired.
"They're right..." Jeremy muttered after a moment of awkward silence.
"How?" Yumi asked him, as she was surprised at Jeremie's sudden change of mind.
"Now, as I think of it… maybe she could be trusted? Consider this, where you and Ulrich would be if Sissi hadn't interfered with Tanell trying to break you two up a while back? Would Sissi defend you if she didn't have any good intentions?" Jeremy said.
"As I said before, it's not that I don't trust her, I just don't want to see her risk her life like we do. And speaking of risking lives… I don't know if I can do this anymore, guys…"
Ulrich, Jeremy and Aelita looked at her in disbelief. Yumi breaking down was not a common sight after all.
"What do you mean?" Ulrich asked with concern.
"That fight with Chaos… for the first time I was truly frightened for my life and Ulrich's.
I... I don't wanna loose any of you," Yumi said with a breaking voice.
"And no one will, hon... I promise no one will be lost to all of this," Ulrich said as he tried to comfort her. He wanted to take her by her hands, but Instead Yumi pulled away.
"Can you truly say that? We almost lost today, and..."
There was a silence in the room as a small tear ran down Yumi's cheek. Yumi tried hard to hold the tears back. The others couldn't believe that Yumi was actually crying.
"Yumi... listen, I'm scared, too..." Aelita admitted, "but we all have to face our fears and try to overcome them."
Yumi paused a little at the door as she thought about what Aelita said.
"I'm sorry, Aelita. I just need some time alone to think it all over," Yumi said as she entered the elevator.
Ulrich watched as his girlfriend disappeared behind the elevator door. Ulrich slowly sat back down onto the cot and put his hand on his forehead.
"I can't believe she just broke down like that. She's one of the strongest people I have ever known…" he muttered.
"Me too, Ulrich," Aelita said. She also was touched by Yumi's reaction. "We're going through very harsh times recently. I'm sure she'll get better if she rests a little."
"But… why her, of all the people? Is our situation really that bad?"
Ulrich's voice shook noticeably. It was obvious he was scared like he never was in his life. For him, Yumi was the source of inspiration and inner strength. Seeing her depressed and broken really influenced him.
Noticing that, Aelita walked over to him and sat on the cot close to him.
"We all are scared, Ulrich... But that can't stop us. Xervix thinks we are weak. We'll prove him wrong. Together," Aelita assured him, trying with all her might to be strong and assured of her words.
"You're like a brother to me, Ulrich... always have been, always will be. I may not be able to do much, but I will be there for you, I promise."
Jeremy stared at the two as he watched Aelita try to council Ulrich.
"Thank you. I think I better go talk to Yumi," Ulrich said as he got up and left the lab.
Aelita and Jeremy were left alone in the control room.
"What do we gonna do?" Aelita asked with despair as she turned to face him.
"Aelita…" Jeremy called her by her name, feared that she was about to break down just like Yumi and Ulrich did. He hopped off his armchair and walked over to her.
"I-I'm so scared. This- this is how my nightmares have been starting. First the monsters, then the fires… Oh, I don't want to lose anyone. And… most of all… you, Jeremy…" Aelita stuttered quietly as she lowered her head.
She stared at the floor for a few seconds until she felt a pair of hands being put on her shoulders. She turned to see Jeremy sit down next to her. He fixed his glasses and looked her in the eye. Now he had to be the strong one for her.
"If we managed to stop Xana, we can stop Xervix. I swear to god, Aelita, I won't let your nightmares happen."
Aelita hugged Jeremy tightly. As he held her, Aelita's previous words wandered in his mind.
"Let's go to my parents' house," he decided. "Everyone's tired and needs a break, just like Yumi."
"And what about Sissi?" asked Aelita, who rested her head on Jeremy's shoulder.
"I think for right now let's leave her alone and get some rest… give everyone time to cool off and try to get themselves straight."
Aelita let go of Jeremy and slowly backed up.
"Okay. As long as you sleep in your own bed," Aelita said.
Jeremy smiled at her. He stood up. Aelita followed him and they walked over to the elevator.
However, then…
"Hey, and what about me!" Puck shouted over the speakers of the lab.
Jeremy turned to the huge computer screen, where Puck grimaced and waved his arms, desperately trying to drag anyone's attention.
"Oh, sorry, we forgot. I got a program on my laptop that allows me to communicate with anyone on Lyoko. If anything comes up, let us know," Jeremy explained.
"OK... but I think you should talk to these feds," Puck said.
"You know about them?" asked Aelita, surprised.
"Yes, and they're not a threat. You should do as you said, Jeremy, take a break. With the Titans in this world now, they need time to adjust to your world. It will take them a few weeks."
Aelita and Jeremy nodded in agreement. Then Aelita remembered something.
"Puck... earlier you said we were friends from when I was a kid? Could you elaborate?" she asked. Puck shook his head.
"Later, Princess. Right now go get some rest. I'll tell you the whole thing later."
Jeremy and Aelita said goodbye to Puck and entered the elevator, finally leaving that damned computer lab. The elevator door shut as the pair rode to the upper level.
The black Mustang pulled into the parking lot of the old abandoned factory. The place was a mess, the entire parking lot was littered with debris and damage from what had appeared to be a large and extensive fight. There was a flattened dumpster, large amounts of the pavement were displaced and shattered and a guard house had its whole left north side missing.
"What the hell happened here?" shocked Jessica asked as George and Travis stepped out of the Mustang.
"What is this? What have we gotten ourselves into?" George whispered to himself as he quickly examined the scene in front of him.
Travis picked up a lead pipe that looked almost as if it had been smashed over someone's head.
"We're not cut out for this, man," George said.
"We got to try though, George…" Travis replied.
"But the closer we get to all of this, the more strange and dangerous it gets," George noticed.
"If this man and his daughter need our help, we gotta try," Travis said.
"And get killed?"
Travis stopped and thought about what George was thinking. He was right. This whole mess was seriously more then they had thought it was. At first Travis and the others thought this was all just a case of cooperate terrorism. But now it had streamed to almost something out of science fiction. A bird man, the cat boy and a 14 year old girl who should in reality be twenty-five? This whole thing was just too much, even for them.
"Who's that?" Jessica asked.
The three agents glanced over to see two figures emerge from the factory. The three agents hurriedly and quietly entered the Mustang. Jessica pulled out a silver briefcase and pulled out a small radar dish like antenna. She mounted it on the hood of the Mustang. She then hooked her laptop up to the USB cable connected to the antenna. Travis and George pulled out a pair of binoculars as they observed the two figures.
"What if it's the bird man?" George whispered.
"Then we still got our weapons," Travis replied.
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Hell, I don't know. Can you just quit OCDing about this stuff and watch?" Travis hissed.
"What if it's the cat boy?" George asked.
"Then throw it some catnip, man...What the hell do you want me to say?" hissed irritated Travis.
"Both of you shut up! You argue more then a married couple," Jessica said as she listened in on the conversation.
"One is a boy... blonde hair, size 5'2 maybe 13 or 14... the other is…" George stammered off.
"What?" Travis asked.
George handed Travis the binoculars; Travis peered through them to find a small pink haired teenager. She was walking next to the blonde boy. Then it suddenly registered in his head who it was.
"Aelita Hopper? Or is it… Schaffer?" Travis asked.
"That has to be her. Same size, height and build as the picture with her and Waldo Schaffer," George said.
"She really does look 14," Jessica said.
"Can you hear what they're saying?" Travis asked.
"Here, let me put it on the loud speaker of the laptop," Jessica said as she unplugged the headset and turned it down low.
The speakers slowly came alive with the voices of two teenagers speaking almost casually. Travis recognized that the way they were talking sounded almost as if these kids were in a relationship.
"I'm ready to taste your mother's lasagna, and for my little room too," Aelita said as she stretched towards the night sky.
"Dad said he would pick us up tomorrow evening. Mom is out of town trying to work out the deal with this Sagawa electronics over in Canada. And Dad has been busy with this woman who I guess has been in labor for almost 3 days now," Jeremy said as he put the phone away. He had just finished a phone conversation with his father.
"3 days? Poor her… I hope if I ever have kids that I won't be in labor for 3 days..."Aelita said.
"Aw come on. Dad told me that labors are usually not that complicated… he just gets the worst cases medicine can come up with."
"Ah. Then he must be very good at his job if he's trusted to handle them."
"I guess he is… Oh! And who's that?" Jeremy asked, surprised when his cell phone suddenly went off with a loud ring tone of Lost in you By Three days Grace.
"Can we pick up that call on here?" asked Travis back in the feds' Mustang, not taking his sight off the two teenagers.
Jessica typed in several commands into the laptop as the antenna zoomed in on the conversation.
"Done," Jessica said.
"Smart and cute... quite the woman," George joked.
Jessica blushed a little as she looked away from George.
"Still not gonna date you," Jessica said.
"Shut up!" Travis said quietly.
"Hey Jeremy... I'm sorry about how I acted earlier in the lab. I'm just worried, that's all," Yumi said.
"I know, Yumi. All of us are scared," Jeremy said.
"Scared of what?" Travis asked back in the car.
"I mean, with all that's been going on I just get the horrified feeling someone somewhere is preparing to make their move. We really should be careful with our next steps," Yumi said.
"Are they talking about Mal-Tech? Or bird man?" George asked.
"Maybe both," Jessica said.
"So, are you still in?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes... Ulrich talked me into staying in," Yumi said.
"Is he over there now?" Aelita asked.
"Yeah he stopped by. We're both good... and we both agree that Sissi should be allowed into the group."
"Sissi? Elizabeth Delmas?" Travis asked.
"At least we know she is safe," George said.
"OK, so me and Aelita are planning to go to my parents house for the weekend. We're gonna swing by the dorms and talk to Odd and William. And we'll also talk to Sissi," Jeremy said.
"What kind of a name is Odd?" George asked.
"Hell, what kind of a name is Aelita," Travis commented.
"OK... but I wanna go for the record that I don't think we should send Sissi to Lyoko yet," Yumi said.
"What did she say?" Jessica asked, confused.
"What's Logo?" Travis asked.
"Agreed. But maybe she could help us with other things. Such as watching for attacks here on Earth," Jeremy said.
"OK, we'll have a good weekend and take it easy, you two. Say hi to your folks for me," Yumi said.
The 3 teens ended the phone call and put away their phones.
"What are they? Should we just go up and ask them?" Jessica said.
"No... I don't think from this observation they're in league with bird man... but I'm not sure which side would be the good guys," George said.
"None of this makes sense though. What is Logo? And what do they mean, a lab?" Travis asked.
"Maybe we should peek inside that computer lab?" Jessica proposed.
"So, how are you feeling now?" asked Jeremy.
"I'm OK... hungry really," Aelita admitted. "What happened during my blackout?"
"You rose into the air and shot off some weird streams of light or energy. Then you spoke to me in a voice that sounded... spooky," Jeremy explained.
"What did I say?" asked Aelita, curious.
"You called me the Observer and told me I was in charge of protecting you," Jeremy said.
"Just like my father was to my mother," Aelita thought.
This meant that Jeremy was dragged into this as much as she didn't want him to. She remembered from the flashback how almost everyone who came into contact with the System was either met with a large amount of misfortune… or death.
"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked when he noticed that Aelita fell silent.
"Nothing… What happened to that crystal that we found inside the computer?"
Jeremy pulled out of his pocket a white tissue, he unwrapped it and held out the crystal in question. It shimmered an almost unearthly glow in the night sky as colors glowed radiantly.
"We haven't touched it since the incident in the lab... but…" Jeremy tried to finish, but Aelita took the crystal away from him.
She examined it. It glowed even brighter as she held it, yet she didn't feel any different than she did now. It almost felt as if the crystal was in sync with her body.
"Are you OK?" Jeremy asked as he noticed that Aelita was somehow hypnotized by the crystal.
"Yeah, but it's weird, I feel as if it's a part of me... not like a piece of hair or anything, but like an actual part of me," Aelita said. "Mind if I hold onto it?"
"If it's not hurting you or turning into some super powered hurricane, then that's fine. Would look good as a necklace or so," Jeremy said.
"You think so?" Aelita asked.
"Pretty woman like you needs something just as beautiful as her."
"What crystal are they talking about?" Travis said as he observed them through the binoculars.
"It's in her left hand right now, I can see it," George said.
"Why is it glowing?" Jessica asked.
"I'm not sure... and what did they mean when they said it changed her?" George asked.
"Okay, we need to make contact with these two ASAP," Travis said.
"Hang on... look!" Jessica said as she pointed towards the two kids.
"So, how about we go get some food? What do you feel like?" Aelita asked.
"Hmm... not sure. Maybe tacos? What about you?"
"I'll eat anything… heck, even a horse right now," Aelita smirked.
"OK... horse it is," Jeremy joked. Aelita slugged him lightly.
"Hey, you said you could eat a whole horse."
"How about Chinese?" Aelita asked, now more seriously.
"Sounds good," Jeremy said as Aelita held reached out and grabbed his hand. She stared at Jeremy for a few seconds and smiled.
"I love it how you tend to get a little jittery when I do something like this," Aelita said.
"Wha...What do you mean?" asked Jeremy, blushing.
"Oh, nevermind. Let's go."
The agents listened carefully as they anticipated any possible hint of anything important. They slowly closed in on speaker, listening to the words of the couple. It was clear that they were both in love with each other. And they did in fact make a perfect couple as well.
Suddenly a loud scream came over the speakers of the laptop. It was loud enough to not only startle the agents, but also leave a ringing in their ears. The agents jumped so hard the car shook violently.
"Jesus! Did one of them step on a cat? What the hell was that?" Travis asked.
"What was that?" Aelita screamed as she hid behind Jeremy's back.
Jeremy looked around frantically and saw only darkness growing around them.
"Aelita, stop freaking out, there's nothing out there!" he said.
"But I saw it! A shadow on the other side of the bridge. IT'S COMING FOR US!" Aelita screamed.
Aelita's second scream was almost like deja vu to the agents. The car shook violently again. The agents were completely startled by the scream and the return of the ringing in their ears.
"Oh, girl, what's going on with you?" Travis grunted.
Jeremy moved forward, calm as a still water, looking carefully around. Aelita followed him, peeking from behind him from time to time. Suddenly, something moved under a tree, this time even Jeremy noticed it.
Aelita screamed louder then before, loud enough for almost all of Amines to hear. The agents shook the car so hard that the drivers side airbag suddenly deployed, nailing George square in the face and spooking all three. Travis opened the car door and fell out as the ringing sensation continued to pound his head and ear drums. Jessica finally shut off the volume of the lap top and tossed it to the side of the car.
On the bridge Aelita jumped on top of Jeremy's head. She climbed up him; Jeremy attempted to balance himself so that he wouldn't fall over. Finally Aelita stopped freaking out as Jeremy's legs began buckling under her weight.
"Aelita, stop it! It was just a cat!" Jeremy gasped.
"R…really?" Aelita stuttered and climbed off him when he bent dangerously under her weight.
"God… she's in a worse state than I thought," Jeremy muttered to himself. He grabbed Aelita by her arm.
"Yes, Aelita. Now let's go to the dorm. You really need rest. A lot of it."
Nearby parked in the shadows, Travis continued to roll on the ground as George stabbed the airbag with a knife, causing it to deflate. Jessica stepped out, but tripped over Travis. George also stepped out of the car but couldn't walk straight, due to the double vision the high pitched scream had caused him.
"Dear god, that girl is loud," Jessica said.
"WHAT?" George said.
"KEEP IT DOWN, NOT SO FREAKING LOUD!" Jessica grunted.
"What about cows?" Travis asked.
Jessica watched as the two teens left the bridge hurriedly.
"Man oh man, that girl is loud," George repeated for a thousandth time.
"We should try and make contact tomorrow," Travis said.
"Yeah… but for right now, let's head back. I seriously need some aspirin," George said as he tilted his head to the right.
Yumi sat on her bed. She wore her white bathrobe after recently stepping out of the shower. She had calmed down a lot since her breakdown at the factory. It was mostly fear and nervousness that had caused it all. She was heavily worried about Xervix leaving the computer and then there was Sissi finding out what exactly the gang had been hiding all these many years... and there were all these agents running around, trying to find out what was going on. The whole thing was a huge mess. It made her sick to her stomach and worried about what might happen next.
Yumi laid down the phone on to her night stand as she laid back down on her bed. She fell back on her mattress as she glared up at the ceiling.
"You OK?" a voice said from her door. Yumi glanced over to see the familiar face of her mother Misato peaking through the door.
"Yeah… it's just worries," Yumi said as she sat up.
"Like what?" Misato asked.
"Oh, just friend issues is all... It was just a massive argument," Yumi tried her usual excuse.
"Well, talk to me honey... what is it about?" Misato said as she sat on Yumi's bed with her. It looked like she didn't want to give up.
"Its just… I don't wanna talk about it," Yumi said.
"Yumi, you can talk to me about anything. I'm your mother, no matter what you do, no matter what happens, I will always love you," Misato assured her daughter.
She placed her hand on Yumi's chin and lifted it up so their eyes met. Misato could tell that something was truly bothering Yumi. And she knew that whatever it was, it was big.
"I… I can't tell you," Yumi said.
"It's not about this secret you and your friends have been keeping from us?" Misato said. Yumi's eyes grew large in amazement and fright as she leapt off the bed in astonishment.
"Uh… what secret?" Yumi tried to sound as innocent as she could.
"I have known for a long time that something was going on between you and your friends.
I don't know the details or what it is about, but I know it involves you and your friends and Aelita. Sure, I was worried at first that it might have been something illegal. But then I realized it was something you had to do... something or someone you were protecting."
Yumi stood in shock at what her mother said. She couldn't believe what she just heard from her, nor couldn't think of any possible way that Misato could of known.
"Yumi... does this issue have to deal with this?" Misato asked.
"How did you know?" Yumi asked. She knew it was useless to hide anything from her mother anymore.
"Oh, please... It was obvious. The lack of grades, the constant disappearance, and the coming home at either 1 am or 5 am. I kept tabs on you. Your father wanted to hire a detective but I knew that there was no need. You can handle whatever comes at you. Your great ancestors were Samurai... noble warriors who defended their homeland and their families."
"Let me tell you a true story. Once an evil warlord came into their land and demanded all the firstborn young daughters. His forces forced the families to give them up. But your ancestor... your great, great great grandfather stood up and said no. He and other samurai, and some ninjas stood their ground against this warlord. 6 against 50. And after a long battle, your grandfather won. He killed the warlord and freed his land."
"And you are just as strong and noble as any of those men that day, Yumi," Misato said as she stood up and placed her hands on Yumi's shoulders.
"The spirit of the warrior lives inside of you," Misato said.
Yumi slowly hugged her mother, small tears flowed down her cheeks as she realized for the first time since she began this venture that she had her mother's blessing.
"Do you want to know?" Yumi asked.
"When it's all over, or when the world knows... But whatever happens, you are still my daughter... and I will love you till the end."
Suddenly there was a knock on Yumi's door. Mother and daughter both looked over to see Hiroki stick his head in and paused at the sight he was seeing.
"Um...Ulrich is here... do you want me to send him up here or..."
"No, let me clean and I'll be down there soon," Yumi said as she wiped her tears on her shirt sleeve.
Misato smiled at Yumi and walked out of her room. As she passed Hiroki, he made a large kissey face at Yumi, poking fun at Yumi for her boyfriend's arrival. Suddenly Misato's hand grabbed Hiroki's shoulder and pulled him back.
Meanwhile, Ulrich was sitting on Yumi's front door step. He held his phone tightly. He could not believe the conversation he had just had with his mother. Was it really true? His own father was actually...
"Hey!" a familiar voice called him.
Ulrich swung around to face his girlfriend who was standing behind him. She was dressed in a white tee shirt while wearing her usual pair of sweat pants.
" I didn't wake you or anything, did I?" Ulrich said.
"No... I just got out of the shower was all. I was sweating pretty bad after that battle went on," Yumi said as she sat down next to him and kissed him on the lips. Yumi noticed that Ulrich wasn't trying return her kiss. He seemed distracted for some reason.
"Is anything wrong?" Yumi grew worried.
"I got off the phone with my father... he apologized for everything he has ever done," Ulrich said.
"Well, that's great. That means you can begin repairing the relationship with your father," Yumi said smiling.
"The thing is… He is not my father."
Yumi's eyes widened in surprise. Her body turned pale white as her breath was suddenly held deeply in her lungs.
"WHAT!" she stuttered out.
"I just found out that in fact… he's my uncle. My real father died before I was born. My uncle decided to move in and try to help my mother. When I was two, they got married. He tried to work two jobs to support us but he eventually began to drink heavily. He told me this as he cried over the phone," Ulrich explained.
"Why did he tell you this and not your mom?" Yumi asked.
"She was with him... I never heard them cry so much before in my life," Ulrich said as he put his head towards the sky.
"Are they...?" Yumi asked.
"Dad... I mean, my uncle is trying to save it. He is in rehab right now and from what it sounds, he is actually doing pretty good," Ulrich said.
"It looks as though everything might work out for you," Yumi said as she wrapped her arm around Ulrich.
"But why didn't they tell me sooner? And what if I don't want to reconnect with my uncle… after how he treated me over all those years…"
"Ulrich. The fact that they told you and that your uncle is in rehab proves he wants to try to connect with you. You have to try," Yumi said.
"But... what if things begin to go back to they way they were before? If it turns out he lied to me and my mom again?"
"Then I will be there right by you," Yumi assured him.
Ulrich finally accepted Yumi's embrace as he leaned into his girlfriend's shoulder. Yumi wrapped her other arm around Ulrich as she hugged him gently. Ulrich wrapped his arms around Yumi's waist as he breathed heavily, trying hard to fight back his emotions.
Ulrich sat up as he regained his composure . He wiped the small faint tears from his face as he glanced at Yumi, he could tell there was something wrong with his girlfriend. He could see it in her eyes.
"I also have something to tell you. My mother knows... about the group," Yumi said.
Ulrich froze as his eyes starred straight into the Japanese teen's eyes.
"I mean, she doesn't know about the factory or anything... she just knows that we have been doing something secret this whole time apparently," Yumi said as she placed her hands in her lap as she tried to choose her words carefully so she did not upset Ulrich.
"She said she was OK with it. We talked about my ancestors and she expressed how she knows what I'm doing is a noble cause," Yumi said.
"What about your father? What did he say?" Ulrich asked.
"I'm not sure... But it's just a relief to know that, even if it is one member of my family that they actually gave me a blessing on this," Yumi said as she smiled.
"Maybe everything will work out for the best then. My parents are coming forward, and your family..."
"Now if we can only come out of all this alive though," Yumi said.
Ulrich leaned over and brushed the small strain of black hair out of Yumi's face. "You ever thought of growing your hair out?"
"No.. I like my hair like this. Although, I'm thinking of trying on shorts. I mean next week its supposed to be like 110 degrees," Yumi said.
"Well at least you're still wearing clothes.. Odd walks around the dorm room in his boxers on nights like that," Ulrich said.
"Oh my! You totally have my sympathies. And just the thought of Odd in his boxers is probably gonna give me nightmares for weeks," Yumi said in disgust.
"At least he keeps the boxer..."
"I DONT WANNA KNOW ANYMORE!" said Yumi firmly.
Ulrich giggled a little as Yumi fell backwards and laid on the concrete porch.
"So, what about Sissi?" Yumi asked.
"I think she would definitely be a great asset. But I'm still not sure. Maybe just bring her in... slowly."
"That's what I was thinking. Only no Lyoko," Yumi said as Ulrich shook his head in agreement.
Ulrich slowly laid next to Yumi. The porch was comfortably cold. Ulrich felt as if his head was cleared off all unwanted and obtrusive thoughts. It was just him and Yumi under the dark night sky.
He then laid on top of Yumi and he gazed into her soft sweet eyes.
"I love you, Yumi," Ulrich said quietly.
"I love you too, Ulrich," Yumi smiled at him warmly.
He leaned forward and kissed her softly on her lips as Yumi wrapped her hand around Ulrich's head. They kissed for a few minutes until a noise came from inside Yumi's house. They parted for air and giggled at their fearful reaction. They still remained a pair of shy lovers.
The next morning the temperature did not decrease at all, but instead raised even higher. It was a bright sunny morning. The small, faint cloud cover in the air gave the sky a almost golden feel to it. The dew from the early morning mist turned into a low lying fog. The insects and birds went about their daily morning routine of singing and feasting.
Jeremy awoke to the sound of a faint knock on his door. He raised his head from his keyboard as he glanced over at the time on his monitor. It was already 9 in the morning. Then he realized the voice at the door who was trying to talk to him.
"Jeremy? Are you awake?" Aelita asked.
Jeremy suddenly jumped from his keyboard. He wiped his face as he tried to hide any signs of keyboard imprint on his forehead. He made it half way to the door when he suddenly realized he was not wearing a shirt. Jeremy frantically ran to his closet and grabbed a shirt from last night. Jeremy threw the shirt on as he walked over to the door. He opened the door to see Aelita's sweet bright face glancing at him.
"Morning sunshine" Jeremy greeted.
"Morning Jeremy... did you just wake up?" Aelita asked.
"Yeah... I was a little exhausted after last night," Jeremy said as he let Aelita in to his room. "How was your night, Princess?"
"I had another dream," Aelita said.
"A nightmare?" Jeremy asked with worry.
"No!" Aelita smiled. "I saw other worlds, other people… I felt like I was seeing the very universe. Worlds that I don't even think science fiction writers or movies could ever imagine. There were round worlds, clustered... shattered worlds, triangular worlds. Worlds of rock, ice, ocean, and worlds of metal," Aelita went on with her dream. Jeremy listened with his mouth half open. He could only imagine how beautiful her dream was. Her story relieved him. He really was worried about her after how she behaved on the bridge last night.
"Then when I woke up... the crystal was glowing in my drawer," Aelita finished.
"Sounds like some kind of feedback," Jeremy said.
"Yeah, it felt like it... And how was your night?" Aelita asked. "Feels like your air conditioner failed on you too last night."
"Yeah, I need to talk to Jim... So hot last night I couldn't fall asleep. Anyway, I need to go hit some shops in town. I need to fix the old laptop, and it would be good to get out of the school, wouldn't it?" Jeremy asked.
"Sure... let me just let you get dressed and you can come get me when you're ready," Aelita said as she stepped out of Jeremy's room.
Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief as he realized he might of gotten away with sleeping on his keyboard. He slowly removed the shirt as he felt the sweat return to him.
"Oh Jeremy," A voice said from behind the door.
"Yes Aelita?"
"Don't make me have to strap you down to your bed again to get you to stop sleeping on your desk."
"How did you know?" Jeremy asked.
"I noticed the chair pushed away from the desk, and the imprint of the space bar on your cheek."
A white taxi cab sat outside the school yard gates. Inside the driver sat with his hands on the steering wheel he was looking straight ahead, not blinking or even moving. The radio crackled as the voice of the taxi company dispatch. The radio dispatch was asking where the cab driver was.
"Turn it off," A man in the back seat said. The driver slowly reached forward and clicked off the radio.
"Hey look man, I got a family to provide for... I don't want to," the driver said until the man in the back seat cut him off.
"Don't worry pal, do what I say and you will live. I promise you after today you won't see me again," Frank said.
"Is that the kids you're looking for?" the driver asked.
Frank looked over to his left to see a pair of young teens, one blonde, one pink walking together out the gates.
"Yeah... follow them slowly... but don't get too close or too far away," Frank said as he removed the pistol from the back of the driver's head.
The cab slowly began to follow the kids as Jeremy and Aelita boarded a bus bound for downtown.
Frank picked up his cell phone and dialed a number that said "ALPHA" on it.
The phone didn't ring, instead it buzzed and hummed as a voice came on the phone.
"Hey Frank. I made contact with them last night, I took on the form of Aelita's old toy so she would feel more at home," Puck said.
"OK. I saw in the paper that those... friends of theirs got loose. But I'm guessing the other group will try and take them today, now that this has gotten out of hand."
"So... I guess this is it?" Puck asked.
"I knew what I was gonna get myself into, if this is the way for me to clear my demons so be it," Frank said.
"What are you going to do?" Puck asked.
"Get the kids," Frank said as he pulled out the sawed off shotgun from his coat pocket and opened the barrel. He loaded the only two shotgun rounds he had inside of it and placed it back into his pocket.
"And stop anyone who tries to stop me."