Chapter 36
Welcome to Dream Land
The sky was bright blue and only a faint wisp of clouds hung in the air. The sun had just risen over the horizon, greeting the new day ahead of it. The Sun's light glistened off of Boeing 747 that was traversing the early morning sky. The plane started its voyage in France and it was close to its current airspace, Las Vegas Nevada.
The cabin of the plane was full of passengers. Many were picked up from the random stops in England, New York, St Louis and Dallas. Some of the passengers, however, had been on the plane for more then 30 hours. In the front of business class sat a group of three adults and seven teenage passengers, all under protection of the US government.
In spite of all comfort business class offered to them, it had been a murderous flight.
"Can we go on a boat next time?" asked Ulrich, who was sitting between Yumi and George. He seemed to suffer from the long journey the most.
Ulrich was always afraid of heights, but this flight was making his fears even worse. Ulrich tried to control his breathing while not looking out the window that Yumi sat in front of. Over the course of the flight he constantly ran to the restroom and used many barf bags. It was so bad that he hadn't even eaten a thing or taken a longer nap since take off.
"This is the fastest way to travel, Mr. Stern. If boats could move faster, we would have taken one." George said. Ulrich curled up on his spread flat seat.
"Don't worry Ulrich, we're about to land." Yumi stroked his hair, trying to get his mind off the current situation.
"Is it usually this bad?" George asked her.
"This is the first time we have flown together, so I guess it is." Yumi said, laying back in her seat.
Odd looked out from the window closest to him. In front of him extended a brown and grey desert. No buildings were in sight yet.
"Man, I have always wanted to visit Vegas. Just a little older and all that."
"It's not that great, trust me." William said. "It's more glimmer and glitz. The reason you pay so much for all the atmosphere and the location. I mean, they sell burgers for, like, twice in the normal world."
Odd popped a piece of gum into his mouth and handed William a piece as well.
"Wait, how do you know about Vegas?" he asked, surprised.
"My family used to live in America. I'm an American, remember?" William said, chewing his gum.
"I never knew that. You never told us." Odd said.
"I'm from West Virginia. My family happens to be one of the best construction companies in the world. They recently got the permit to build the new World Trade Center in New York. My father's company is pretty much global."
"Then why do you go to school in Amines instead of here in America?" Sissi asked.
"I want to run the family business eventually one day, and to do so I need to know foreign languages perfectly. Also, my family is working on a lot of contracts in Europe." William said as the plane shifted altitude.
"Wow. Why is it that so many of my friends are loaded?" Odd asked.
"It's a bonus you get while attending the most snobbish school in France," William said jokingly.
"Snobbish, huh? Then why can't I have AC in my room fixed? They should care about my comfort, then!" Odd went sarcastic. William laughed.
Odd glanced outside again. In the distance appeared some skyscrapers, which were shining in the morning sunlight.
"Hey, is Elvis from Las Vegas?" he asked.
"No. Memphis Tennessee." William said.
"Then why is it that a lot of the stuff I see from Elvis is from Vegas?"
Sissi joined in on the conversation. "He performed a lot there. Hence why he is called the king of Vegas."
"Hey. Maybe we will meet those guys from the Hangover?." Odd giggled.
"We are not going to Vegas...We're going elsewhere." William reminded him.
"But visiting Vegas is like a written commandment. Thou shalt visit Las Vegas!" Odd said, acting all preacher like and such.
"Odd... have mercy upon us." William commented.
Yumi looked at William. "I still can't figure it out myself... I've known him for so long and he still acts like some Penguin lost in Hawaii."
"I'm not a penguin!" Odd opposed. "I'm more like a… tiger! RAWR!"
William, Sissi and Yumi slapped their palms against their foreheads at the same time.
"I can't believe you're my friend sometimes." said William, embarrassed.
"I can't believe I kissed him," said Sissi as she looked towards the so called "tiger".
Suddenly, the intercom clicked on as the captain spoke into the microphone. Everybody looked up.
"Folks, this is your captain speaking. We're about to make our descent into Las Vegas, Nevada. The time is 12:30 and the ground temperature on the ground is 98 degrees, so make sure you stay cool during your stay. Please fasten your seat belts and put away your trays."
Hearing that, Ulrich awakened from his slumber.
"At last it'll be over…" he muttered, slowly sitting down. He pushed a button and his couch turned into a comfortable armchair again.
The rest of the group came back to their seats and prepared for landing.
Las Vegas Airport. Half an hour later.
The plane docked with the loading terminal. Soon, as the door to the plane opened, a flow of passengers entered the airport. Aelita, Jeremy and Travis went first, followed by Jessica, William, Odd and Sissi. Finally, out came George, Yumi and wheezy, green colored Ulrich.
"That was actually an enjoyable flight." Travis said, stretching his arms.
"Well, not for all of us." George said, glancing over at Ulrich, who chugged a bottle of Pepto Bismol.
"So! Where to first? Gift shops? Hoover Dam? See if there are any Decepticons kept there?" Odd asked, looking at everyone.
"We are not going sightseeing." Jessica grabbed her bag. "Follow me."
She led the group to the end of the lobby.
After passing several terminals, the group came to a large green door. Above it hung a sign that said Storage. Authorized personnel only. To the left side of the door was a fire alarm. Jessica pulled down the lever. The alarm flipped around, revealing a big green panel. Jessica bent down and peered into the panel. The panel fired a small orange beam into her eye that went up and down and left to right on her retina. Then, a second orange beam scanned her entire face in the same order.
The door clicked open, revealing a long hallway which was lined with blinding white lights and security cameras. The cameras suddenly clicked and pointed down the end hallway near the entering group.
"From here on, we're on multi government grounds. What you see, you don't see." Jessica said.
The group walked a few feet until they reached the end of the hallway. At the end was a second door, secured by two men. They wore black suits with black ties and black undershirts. They were literally in black.
Jessica walked up and showed her ID to one of the guards. The guard shook his head and opened the door, revealing a large underground garage. Inside sat a row of black SUVs with grey numbers on the hoods. They were however reinforced with bullet proof windows, large terrain ready tires and tinted windows.
"OK, these will take us there." Jessica said.
Travis, Aelita and Jeremy stepped into the first SUV with a driver and a second agent in the front. Jessica, Sissi, William and Odd rode in the second SUV, while George, Ulrich and Yumi rode in the rear, with two other SUVs as security.
The convoy rode out of the garage and onto the streets of Las Vegas. Within a few minutes the SUVs were on the interstate on their way to the Groom Lake area.
8 Hours later.
The five SUVs rolled down a old dirt road. In front of them sat a large military instillation. It looked like nothing more than a large regular old airport, complete with runway, flight control tower and various hangars and garages.
The convoy rolled past a pair of white jeeps that were providing security for the area. Their passengers stared at the convoy as it rolled into the base.
It looked exactly like any other military base. Random soldiers were doing their patrols. Mechanics were working on several jets and machinery. A dog was being walked by its mechanic.
"Check it out!" Ulrich pointed at a stealth fighter that was moving to the runway for lift-off. The jet glistened in the sunlight as it shadowed over the 5 vehicles.
"THIS is Area 51?" Odd asked in confusion.
"Yup," Jessica said looking behind her towards the confused teen.
"But where are the Aliens and the high tech equipment and all that?" asked Odd, obviously disappointed.
They turned down a back alley and continued down the road that led deeper into the base. The 5 vehicles turned off a side road which led to a flat salt bed. A small wooden sign which read Groom Lake hung off to the side. The lake sat on the edge of the base just north of it.
"Hey, where are we going?" Aelita asked, looking around.
"From what Jessica said...Hang on." Travis said, who was confused not less than any of them.
The convoy rolled onto the salt bed. The road was just like driving on a dirt road. The vehicles where able to easily travel on white surface of salt floor. A few yards away, a section of the floor rose up. The ground itself seemed as if it was being picked up from underneath. Loose gravel and salt shook loose from the fresh tunnel.
Soon, the convoy entered the tunnel that was revealed just a moment ago. The cars turned on their head lights; also, a series of lights turned on in unison just down the hallway. The passage went on for another mile before entering a large cave like opening. Inside were other buildings and garages. The entire place was lit up from a large overhead light with several other multi colored lights running along the buildings and the street the vehicles drove on.
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Odd said, looking from left to right at the many different sights.
"From here on out our cell phones and electronic equipment no longer work. And everything we see...We DON'T see. Understand?" Jessica said through the CB radio from inside the Suburban.
Armed guards approached the vehicles as the convoy drove to a checkpoint. It looked like any other checkpoint, with a guard gate and fence around it. However, to its left stood a huge machine gun with three other guards manning it. The gun itself looked like something out of science fiction, with a large turret with four barrels on it. On the ground next to it was a large drum loaded with ammunition.
The guards were wearing black and blue uniforms and astronaut like helmets which hid their faces, except thin blue visors that revealed their eyes. The helmets looked as if they were wrapped around their heads and were almost form fitting.
On their chest was what seemed like a built-in ammo pouch, protruding past the lower torso near the abs region. The chest area and the ammo pouch was covered in what looked like some type of high-tech, bullet-proof body armor. They resembled Storm Troopers or the Spartans off Halo.
The first of the SUVs pulled up to the checkpoint. One of the guards approached the vehicle with a black Sub machine gun with multiple attachments at his hip in stand by fire. The driver held up his pass and explained to the guard their business. The guard nodded and pointed towards the gate. The gate opened and the multiple guards next to it stood down. The convoy then proceeded down towards a parking lot of the main building.
Several guards exited the building along with a man in a military style uniform. Then, Jessica stepped out of the second SUV and walked up to the guards. After a few minutes she turned around and waved towards the convoy.
Travis, Aelita and Jeremy were the first to step out of their vehicle; the others followed them. The guards lowered the weapons and stood aside as the man stepped forward. He was wearing a blue dress uniform that was decorated with several medals and ribbons. He also wore a green beret and on his hip sat a pistol and ammo belt. Accompanying him were two more guards, who carried smaller rifles then the men at the front of the base.
"I'm Major General Hayter. I'm in charge of Installation 000 under the United Nations special jurisdiction." The Major General introduced himself.
He glanced over towards Aelita, who stood next to Jeremy. She had her arms folded, trying to keep herself warm.
"Welcome home, Mrs Schaffer." he greeted Aelita with a warm smile.
Aelita looked up shyly at Major's face at the mention of her name. There was something both reassuring and intimidating in his figure. She got goosebumps, and not only because of the piercing coldness of the cave.
The Major approached the group.
"You were born in this very base a long time ago. One of the only few people who were born in this area… We never forget a face." he explained, noticing her confused look. "Come inside."
The Major led the group inside the large building. When they stepped inside, another free space opened in front of them. At its other end was a tunnel that led down to the interior of the other hangar.
"Your parents used to work here a long time ago," Hayter went on with the story. "Your mother's rotation here happened during her ninth month with you. We insisted she stayed in her home in Colorado but she came here in order to continue her work on various projects, including Project Carthage. After you were born, we contacted Frank Morse to watch over your family. Even though U.S. Marshalls are the ones who protect witness protection agents, CIA Senior Officers are the ones who watch over former 0000 employees."
"So that explains how the CIA got a hold of the Schaeffers." Travis said.
"What's Project Carthage?" Jeremy asked.
"Project Carthage was a program that was disguised to disrupt an enemy's communication. But in reality it was a different story." the Major said as they were approaching a large glass door built inside the wall of the cave with four guards next to it.
"WAIT! Where are the aliens and all the UFOs and Elvis?" Odd asked, looking around.
Then he noticed a large red semi slowly make its way down a road that went across the building. The semi was mostly blue with red flames on it and a large red face-like symbol on its side. Odd noticed that inside the truck was no driver. Odd's eyes grew large as he tried to get Ulrich and the others to look at the truck. But before he could get their attention, the truck turned and disappeared in a tunnel.
"DID ANYONE SEE WHAT I JUST SAW!" Odd asked out loud.
The Major turned around looked towards the blond teen.
"Saw what?"
Odd lowered his hands in complete confusion. It looked like no one else was interested in finding aliens in this base.
They stopped in front of the glass door. Major pulled out a small clear plastic card from his pocket. He swiped it through a card reader. The door immediately opened. Inside stood two more guards, both holding the same weapons as the guards at the entrance to the cave. The guards pointed their weapons towards the ceiling as the Major General saluted and pulled open a door for the group behind him to follow.
"I never believed in little green men," Sissi said as the group entered the main lobby of what looked like a command center and walked past the reception desk.
"Neither have I." a voice said from behind the counter.
Jeremy turned to the location of the voice and stopped dead in his tracks. The voice was of a woman who stood behind the counter. The woman was human looking, but hard large, glassy eyes. Her skin glowed, making her look almost like a cartoon character. He hair was short and brown. On her head was a large gem planted right in her forehead. She wore a strange suit which looked as if it was made of metal. But it wasn't until she turned her head that her true feature came into focus... she had cat like ears, that where segmented into two separate parts... as if she had in fact four ears.
The entire group stared at the person in astonishment.
"What are you?" Yumi asked.
"I am the receptionist." The lady answered.
Yumi rubber her eyes as she glanced at the strange looking lady who stood behind the counter. She looked at Ulrich whose eyes were matching her face.
"Where are you from?" William asked.
"New Jersey." The receptionist said.
The Major stood, smiling. It was usual for new people at the site to witness their first mind blowing experience within the first hour of their arrival. But it was comical to see the children's reaction to it.
"Come on. Tour is this way." Jessica said getting the teens' attention.
On their way inside the complex they passed several men in lab coats and some armed security guards. The group approached an entrance to what appeared to be a large hangar. Inside was a large square computer, which was linked up to several smaller computers.
"Welcome to Project Carthage." The Major said.
The computers where connected to a cluster of cables that ran in a neat single file line towards the tower-like supercomputer. It had several interfaces and ports around its front and a rear interface. A series of monitors and screens where connected to the casing of the computer.
"This was your father's first supercomputer from a series of eight. They all were a part of Carthage. And that's not all. For a long time he was concerned for his safety. So he chose a few of his friends and created those." The Major said, pointing towards the four cylinders at the far end of the room.
The cylinders were tube like, with entrance behind sliding doors. The tubes were chrome in color, with a glass door leding into the booth. On top them ran thick wires that led to the computer.
"Scanners?" William asked.
"Indeed. They scan the person inside and lay a type of virtual envelope on top of them with the help of nano machines... Similar to armor. Only problem though was that after the suits power take a certain amount of damage they evaporate, leaving the person under the envelope exposed. Hence why we never really tried using them."
Travis looked at the Major and back at the kids.
"How come yours are different?" he asked Jeremy.
"Maybe ours is the latest version. Or maybe… ours is special." Odd suggested.
"Odd may be right, but what does it mean there were eight others?" Ulrich asked the Major.
"Shortly before The Berlin Wall fell, a computer terrorist group name Green Phoenix threatened the worlds' security with a super computer they called Xanadu. They used it to create a virtual program named Genghis to hack the entire world's computer network. Their demands were the very thing your parents protected, The System." The Major said as he lead the group around the computer.
"When the Cold War was over, United Nations realized that Green Phoenix may return. They commissioned Schaeffer to build a network to defend the rest of the world. After a few years, however, they were scrapped upon their completion. The computers disappeared and they have not been seen since."
"You answered a lot of questions but the main question is...Why?" George asked.
"After Aelita's birth, Waldo resigned. But from what agent Hillsabeck said in her report, Waldo may have been threatened by Green Phoenix. Or who ever they secretly were." The Major said as he pulled out a cigar from his pocket.
"Mal-Tech." Jeremy said.
"When Waldo disappeared, we feared the worst for him and his family. Without them, the System is useless."
"Which I bet you have, right?" Jeremy asked.
The major lit his cigar and smiled at the blonde boy.
"Follow me...You're about to see one of our crown jewels."
The Major led them to an elevator in far end of the room. He pulled out a key from under his neck and placed it inside a key hole in the elevator panel. He twisted the key and the elevator began to lower itself down several floors.
The elevator door stopped after few seconds and opened, revealing a lower and darker level of the cave. Inside the cave sat a large shining crystal that looked to be the size of a house. The crystal was square shaped with a series of what looked like crystal cogs and springs inside of it. Inside the crystal came the only source of light in the building - a round, orb-like crystal.
"The System…" Aelita whispered as she stared at its beauty and majesty.
"This object was discovered underwater near Noam Alaska many years ago. We know it's alien or some form of advanced civilization built it. Many of our "Guests" here call it a sacred object, referring to it as the tear of God. "The Major said.
"They say when the universe was finished forming, the leftover energy came to a central point and formed this. They also claim its power is beyond limits of human imagination. We decided to bury it down here deep below the facility, in case its energy was toxic or unstable."
"That's what this is all about? Jewelry?" George asked.
"It's about me... It won't work without me." Aelita said quietly.
Meanwhile, on the surface.
The security center of the main base was quiet. It was lined with several computer terminals; all were monitoring a certain section of the base's territory. There was a total of 10 all together. They monitored everything from radar, motion tracking, temperature readings and heat signatures. They also covered a wide range of radio signals, from basic frequencies to cell phone communication near the area.
One of the guards was sitting at the monitor. He was glancing through his paper, reading up on the recent scores of some of his favorite sports team. He really didn't need to watch the monitors since they did most of the work themselves. For him it was just a nice easy job, he got paid well and got enough time off. Still, it was boring.
Suddenly, his motion tracker picked up 5 unknown objects moving towards the base. The tracking system beeped loudly, gathering his attention. He threw down the paper and noticed just how deep the signals were getting into their territory.
"Rothy, I got something." The guard said to his partner next to him.
The man glanced over and saw the signatures, walking in a straight line towards the base.
"Probably another group of hippies or something. More alien believers. Tell jeep 3 to check it." Rothy said.
The guard reached over and clicked on his radio.
"J3, this is central. We have a group of targets moving in to our area, please advise over."
There was no response over the radio.
"J3 this is Central. Do you copy?"
Silence.
"Pull them up on the vehicle tracker, would you, Liam?" The guard said to one of the other guards behind him.
"I got them... they're right behind the group... and they're not moving." Liam said.
"Call the base commander, we have a possible code yellow." Rothy said to another guard across from him.
The guard typed in a series of commands and brought up a video link of the group. What he saw shook him to his soul.
Xervix walked in the middle of the group. He carried his Scythe in his hands after he just sliced the Jeep in half. The two guards laid on the ground with severe injuries inflicted by Atlas. Xervix's metallic skin glistened in the sunlight. He snorted smoke out of his nose as his claw like feet were treading along the desert floor, leaving dragon like footprints as he walked.
Aether was walking next to him. His wings made the light from the desert even brighter as they shined brightly. His beak like face was smirking after what they had just done to the guards. Next to him walked Chaos. She was licking her lips after enjoying the attack they had just committed. She lifted up on of her hand like claws and licked the sharp blade she carried. She pressed her fake tongue on her blade so hard that it should have split in two.
Atlas walked next. His body armor had two small bullet holes in it. The bullets had barely made it past the armor's breast plate. He carried a Mag rail gun he used in Lyoko. He heaved it over his right shoulder. It felt like nothing to him, just a small twig in his hand. He enjoyed punching the hell out of the two guards... this world was much more fragile and easy to break than Lyoko. He was going to like it here.
Tartarus was last. His face was entirely blacked out by the cloak over his face and the brightness of the sun. He walked with his arms folded. There was only one thing on his mind...The destruction of William Dunbar. He could sense that William was close.
The guards saw the sight and stared in both horror and confusion.
"What do we do?" One of the guards said.
Rothy picked up a phone and dialed the number of the base commander. The entire room went haywire as the monsters approached. The creatures continued to get closer and closer. Soon, the whole base was scrambling to intercept the intruders.
Xervix saw the military base mobilizing. He knew they would be here within a few minutes...
"Perfect," he hissed.
In the System Chamber
Mesmerized by its power, Aelita continued to stare at the crystal structure that sat in front of her. She reached under her shirt and pulled out the small shard that they discovered inside the Supercomputer. She noticed it was glowing the same rhythmic colors as the System.
"You said energy... Are you saying it releases energy at random?" George asked.
"No. But the energy it releases has given our scientists a lot of interesting results. In a cavern below us we were able to use its power to cause some plants to grow to almost jungle like proportions. And we have found indications that it may hold some type of healing factor." The Major said as he finished his cigar.
"Sure would make a pretty good Christmas ornament," Odd comented.
"I think it's beautiful," said Sissi, who could not take her eyes off the crystal.
"What do we do now?" Ulrich asked.
Aelita looked at the System shard and then at the large crystal in front of her. Suddenly, she realized what to do. Somehow she felt that in the back of her head, as if it was an instinct.
Then, a buzzing noise came from inside the lab. Only this buzzing noise came from not just the lab. In fact the entire facility was now on high alert.
"This is Hayter! Talk to me!" Hayter spoke into a small intercom system inside the booth.
"The Main Base up top is under attack from 5 unknown assailants. They just tore the whole base in half and they're making their way to the door." A guard said over the intercom.
"Xervix!" Yumi shouted.
Aelita felt sweat starting to develop on her brow. She knew Xervix might make a move on her, but he was taking this way far out of proportion.
"Alert the guards. I don't want these things making their way down here... NOT ONE STEP!" Hayter commanded.
"You can't fight these things with conventional weapons... They're too tough." Jeremy said as Hayter rushed the group to the elevator.
"I'm sorry, but this situation is now out of your hands." Hayter said.
"Listen to this kid. He knows more about this than anyone." Jessica said.
"We can handle the situation. You agents need to get these kids out of here!" Hayter said.
"Look, they're not going to stop. They're coming for the System and they won't stop until they are either dead or they claim it! And me and Jeremy…" Aelita said as the elevator rose to the top floor.
The Major stopped and looked towards Aelita.
"You know about the Avatar deal?"
"And this is her Boyfriend thing what ever it is." Odd said, placing his hands on Jeremy's shoulders.
"It's Observer, Odd!" Jeremy grunted, blushing slightly.
"That's what I said."
Hayter looked back and forth between the two teens. It made perfect sense to him.
"I get it! You two came to claim the System before it falls into wrong hands! What do you need?" he asked.
"We need access to the scanners. And I need a computer with internet access to install this into the supercomputer." Jeremy said, pulling out a small flash drive with a small wire antenna on it. It was the same flash drive Frank Morse used to place Puck inside Lyoko.
"And we also need the System." Aelita said, feeling a bit more nervous on the situation.
"Alright."
Hayter hurried the kids back down to the elevator that led to the System's storage room.
Meanwhile, on the surface, the air force base was turned into ruins. Bullet casings littered the main road of the base; many of the hangars and planes were burning wildly. Several vehicles and planes where smashed to pieces. In several places, large burn marks from laser fire covered the ground and many of the vehicles and buildings.
Xervix followed the road to the main door of the underground part of the base. He scrapped the tan metal door with his claw like hands.
"It's here." Xervix said with a small bit of both excitement and anticipation.
Atlas approached the door with several thick chains he had ransacked from the base. He looked down towards Xervix, seeing as how he was the tallest of the group.
"Shall I open the door, master?" Atlas asked.
Xervix grunted and nodded in agreement.
Atlas bent down and wiggled his fingers underneath the metal door. As his beer can sized fingers got underneath the heavy door with ease, he began to lift the door. The earth shook violently; the monster growled and moaned as he continued to force the door open.
Finally, the door screeched; the metal bent, and Atlas threw the heavy construction away. Pieces of the gate flew into the air and landed a few feet away.
"AT LAST! IT'S MINE! SHE IS MINE! THE WORLD IS MINE!" Xervix shouted as he rose his head into the air.
Underground, the elevator once again lowered down the shaft into the System's storage room. This time, instead of stopping at a observation deck, the elevator went down lower and stopped in front of a pair of solid-looking, sliding doors.
The Major took out a card and slid it into a card reader attached to a door. A small panel opened up. A small, arm-like object protruded out of it. The Major took it and placed it next to his eye. It projected a silver beam that went into his eye. After a few seconds the light went out and the door began to slide open.
The group slowly walked inside and up to the platform that the crystal structure sat on.
The Major turned to Aelita. "Your father said this was yours, Miss Schaeffer. Here it is."
He backed down and joined the rest of the group, who observed the scene in anticipation.
Aelita shyly stepped forward a little bit, but as soon as she did, she stepped back. She knew what she was supposed to do, but fear of what might happen overwhelmed her.
She turned to Jeremy in search of reassurance.
Noticing her insecurity, he walked closer and took her hand. Their eyes met.
"I'm scared...What's going to happen to me?" asked Aelita.
"Whatever happens, I have and always will be here for you," Jeremy said quietly as he held up her hand and kissed it, like a true knight would do. "The System belongs to you. It accepts you. There's nothing to fear."
Aelita smiled as she felt a little more secure about what she was about to do.
"And don't forget...We're here for you as well." Ulrich said.
Travis walked forward and stood in front of the pair of teens.
"All of us." he assured Aelita.
George and Jessica nodded in agreement as they realized that what happened and what was about to transpire was way bigger than anything the could imagine.
Aelita turned and faced the large crystal like structure. Feeling of worry and dread seemed to increase as she stepped closer to it. One thing went through her mind - how would she remove it?
Suddenly, Aelita felt something moving under her shirt. She looked down to see her necklace lift up into the air out from under her shirt. The crystal shard rose into the air and began to pull towards the larger crystal. Aelita then realized the true reason for the shard.
"Is it... a key?" Aelita said quietly.
Suddenly the leather lace tied to the crystal snapped. The crystal flew towards a small crevice inside the larger crystal and fell into its place.
Then, a bolt of multi colored lightning coursed through the crystals. Many of the large, crystal-like gears and cogs slowly began to turn. They sounded like wind chimes or other glass objects, and were spinning even faster.
Suddenly, Aelita's feet were lifted off the ground. As she rose in the air, she was still watching the strange wonders and movements of the moving rocks. Aelita kept on rising even higher until she came within eye contact of the System.
She finally faced it. The System was the same glass like orb she was constantly seeing in her dreams, where her mother would approach her and show her the crystal ball. It was just identical to what she saw now.
As if in trance, Aelita held out her hands. A burst of energy flew from the orb into her hands.
Below Aelita, the group was covering their eyes from bright flashing colors that came from Aelita. Yumi buried her face into Ulrich's shoulder. Sissi turned her head as Odd squinted hard in a attempt not to go blind from the brightness. Yet through all the time Jeremy stood directly below Aelita, not moving or squinting at all. He only would not take his sight off the one person he cared for most in the world.
Aelita saw a brilliant flash of light along one of the crystal walls as it slid down and revealed the orb. Then, a face appeared in one of the sides of the crystal's wall. For a second it looked like her father… smiling at her. Tears rolled down Aelita's face as she saw the System begin to hover.
The orb floated in midair and approached Aelita. She held out her hands as it slowly and softly rested in her hands. A sudden pulse of energy came from the System and flowed inside her body. She felt a surge of what felt like a cold breeze flow through her, making her hair stand and giving her goosebumps. Aelita then felt herself beginning to lower down slowly to the floor. Her toes touched the ground as the lights and noises slowly faded away.
Aelita turned to face her friends. She looked at the System. It was about the size of a basket ball; its structure was solid like a rock, but it felt lighter than air. It glowed in her hands just as brilliant the shard had.
Holding it, Aelita felt peace and happiness as if a long lost toy or familiar object was returned to her.
Jeremy walked up and looked at her. Aelita's face lit up with a wide smile. It was enough for him to convince himself that she was okay. He felt an urge to place his hand on the System as well. He could sense its energy.
"OK, now that we had that moment of glowing awesomeness... What do we do?" William asked.
Jeremy turned to face the group. Before he could say anything, he felt a small hand rest on his shoulder. Jeremy turned to see Aelita's arm on his shoulder, her other wrapped around the System. She was looking up at him. Her face showed a expression of both concern and hope that her best friend would figure out a way to get them all out of this mess.
"We get to the scanners, and I rig up our little trap for our friends...Then we need to get out of here." Jeremy explained.
"This is a well defended fortress. We can make a stand in here." Hayter said.
" But if we begin to lose, then we are stuck in here with all of those monsters...Then we lose." Sissi said out loud.
"She's right, we're screwed if that thing does make it in here. We need to get it to a location where we can protect it and retreat if we have to." Travis said, looking straight at the Major General. "If we can get it to Las Vegas, then we can hold up there. Can we get any support from the military?"
"The nearest bases are several hours away. You will need the local LVPD to help you hold out till then." Hayter said.
"OK, while Jeremy is working on his little trap... We need to get to the armory. You got one, right?" Jessica asked. It was about time to prepare to a battle.
The second gate flew off the entrance. Rocks, dust and debris flew everywhere as the light from the outside world shone in. The alarms of all of the alert sirens and warning lights echoed through the base. Most of the base's personnel had already evacuated, leaving the base's security personnel behind. A majority of the security force was parked at the main entrance. A large column of SUVs and Hummers drove to the front. Many were armed with 50 caliber guns and Mark 19 grenade launchers.
As the trucks rolled up to the gate, the doors flew open as several more of the Troopers spilled out; each of them was carrying the same futuristic assault rifle. They looked like a slimmed down version of a M16, except they were more compact, as they were made of two solid parts. The attachments were even built inside of the weapon. The only thing exposed was the magazine.
A large group of guards stood in the entrance. They all pointed their guns at the same time towards the very entrance to the base. Laser lights traced up and down the sides of the walls. The guards kept their fingers on the trigger with the safety off, ready to open fire.
A dark, massive silhouette walked down the corridor of the hallway. The figure so big that it bloated out the Sun. It kept getting closer and closer. As the figure broke through the smoke, it revealed itself: a large golden chest piece, metal helmet and chains wrapped around its body.
Atlas bellowed in rage at the guards as he lowered his head and waist and pointed his head at the guards.
Without any hesitation, the guards opened fire. Yellow flashes flowed from the muzzles of the rifles as a volley of bullets flew towards the Titan. The large 50 caliber rounds blasted from their guns with such great velocity that the gunners shook as hard as the weapons that they fired.
The Titan laughed insanely at the bullets that pinged and bounced off. Atlas stood there with his arms extended outwards, allowing the bullets to bounce off him.
Security personnel continued to fire. Many began to reload their weapons while others pulled out their side arms. Soon many of the guards realized their efforts where useless.
The Hummer with the Mark 19 launcher fired a round towards Atlas. He grabbed the grenade round before it could hit him and hurled it back at the Hummer. The grenade round slammed into the side of the Hummer, causing it to explode. The vehicle rolled over on to its side as several of the guards closest to it flew in different directions.
Then Atlas reached behind his back and grabbed something from behind him. He then tossed the object that was behind him, which was a green and red ball. The ball suddenly opened up, revealing a thin slender woman with short black hair.
Chaos hissed loudly as she pulled out her chain blades and attacked several of the guards around her. Her blades sliced through the guns as she bounced off the chest of one of the guards and pushed off hard, sending the poor man into a wall. The force of the impact of the guard was enough to leave a small crack on the wall.
Chaos then jumped onto the arm of one of the guards and wrapped her legs around it. She twirled one of her blades and flung it towards a approaching guard. The chain wrapped around the guard, making him drop his rifle. Chaos then lifted the guard into the air and tossed him into the glass of the guard house. The guard flew through both sets of windows before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the guards' house.
The female Titan threw her dagger out towards another guard. The blade struck the guard in his arm; she flung the chain and a man stuck in it into a group of 3 approaching guards.
Chaos then turned her attention to the guard she was wrapped around. She twisted her legs hard, shattering bones in guard's arm. He screamed in pain; she jumped off and threw her legs into his. The guard fell backwards onto his back. Before the guard fell to the ground, Chaos kicked him hard, sending him into a Hummer that Atlas had kicked as he entered the building.
She slithered over to the guard who she had just thrown into the Hummer. She walked over and kissed him on the lips. The guard's pain and fear turned to confusion. Until Chaos bit his lips with her snake like teeth, causing blood to drip from the guards mouth.
"Ah... That sound would lull me to sleep every night." Chaos said as she stood back up.
Meanwhile, Atlas tossed 2 guards that he captured onto the hood of the destroyed Hummer. Atlas felt a sense of both satisfaction and pride in the work he was doing. It was entertaining to cause so much destruction and carnage in the base. He was going to like this world.
"All clear master." Atlas said as Xervix, Tartarus, and Aether walked in.
"Now... split up and find the dam children... Tear this base apart and do what you want to the others but leave Aelita and Jeremy alive!" Xervix commanded as the titans all split off.
Hayter led the team up to the computer lab. The kids and Jessica all stepped out while Travis, George, and Hayter went down to the Armory.
Jeremy ran over to the computer's interface and found a small USB drive. He plugged in the USB drive he brought with him to America. Then, he ran over to the computer and pulled out his new cell phone, a Droid Atrix. He flipped through a series of apps until he reached one called Big Fat Cheese Head. He launched the app and it immediately synced with the computer in Amines.
"Puck! You ready?" Jeremy asked hurriedly into the speaker of the phone.
"Yes, I'm connected and the computer is synched. Get everyone into the scanners and I'll use the memory on the supercomputer to get everyone proper equipment ready." Puck reported.
The scanner doors opened.
"Wait... How are we going to virtualize if this is in the real world and the computer we use is back home?" William asked.
"Puck and I talked about this before we left. We got an idea going. The USB drive Frank Morse used to put Puck in the computer can create a type of access point. I then connect my phone to the USB drive and use the phone service to communicate with the supercomputer… similar to what I did to contact Aelita on Lyoko with my own personal computers. He then downloads the memory of what we need in Lyoko to the phone..."
"Meaning?" Odd asked.
"We got you covered." Jeremy summed up.
"Am I the only one who didn't get that?" Sissi asked.
"Trust me... I get it all the time." Odd comforted her.
Aelita walked over and handed Jeremy the System. As she handed it to Jeremy, it began to course blue and pink colors, then suddenly white... it wasn't a reaction as if it was violent... rather as if it was peaceful. It looked like it accepted Jeremy holding it.
Aelita ran over to the scanners. Ulrich, William and Yumi were already inside theirs. Odd stood off to the side, waiting for his turn together with Sissi. The doors shut simultaneously and the scanners began to hiss and screech loudly... much louder then the ones at the factory.
"Scan Aelita, Yumi, William, Ulrich. And...Virtualization!" Jeremy commanded.
A white lightning shoot through the cables connected to the scanners.
Inside the scanner, Yumi noticed what looked like clear blue water filtering at the bottom of the scanner. Only the water wasn't flowing inside the scanner... It was flowing up her pant leg.
Yumi felt panic fill her mind as the cold water like substance moved up her waist and around her arms. As soon as the substance touched her neck, it stopped. The water then shifted and changed color as it took on a more familiar form.
The scanner opened and out stepped Yumi in her Lyoko form. She glanced around at her in both awe and wonder.
"How did you do this?" Yumi asked Jeremy as she pulled out her fan to test the scanner's effect on it.
"The intention was to create a ghost program here in this computer, but the nano machines made it a little easier."
As soon as he said that, the other three opened, revealing Ulrich, Aelita and William.
Odd walked over to the next one...But turned to look at Sissi.
"What about her?" Odd asked.
"I'll wait till the next one... When I got a little more practice." Sissi said as Odd stepped into the scanner.
"OK, now what about the trap?" Jeremy turned to Puck.
"I'm already on it. Follow my instructions carefully..." the AI said.
"What's he going to do?" Jessica looked from behind Jeremy's arm. He was typing in a series of commands into the computer terminal connected to the scanners, and his phone.
"We're going to activate a couple of towers on Lyoko and let Puck set the trap." Jeremy explained.
"We're going to need five satellites and enough energy to power it." Puck said.
Sissi walked over to the computer. "Does that mean you're going to use my little idea?"
Jeremy smiled and nodded.
"Told you she was a great addition to the team." Odd said, walking over next to her.
Ulrich pointed to a small screen on his wrist. "Hey Jer...What do these do?"
"Those are your life point gauges.. Since I won't be in our lab to monitor your stats and all, I modified your Lyoko forms to have them." Jeremy said as he ran over to another computer and hit in a series of codes on it.
"What happens when they reach zero?" Yumi asked, examining her fan.
"From what I gathered, the nano suits will wear off and you will be exposed. So fight carefully." Jeremy warned them.
"I got control of 5 satellites and 3 power stations from across the state. I also got control of a communication facility to beam the energy from the power stations to the satellites," Puck reported. "Once they're at 100% and you destroy the other Titans, I'll launch the energy down to Earth and create a virtual portal for you to throw Xervix back to Lyoko. All five satellites are to be used like a slingshot to throw him back."
"Hang on. The power stations gather the energy... The communications facility then beams the energy to one of the satellites where you send it back down and pull Xervix into this wormhole-like structure… and the satellites transfer him back to Amines?" Jessica asked.
"That's right!" Puck exclaimed triumphantly.
In the armory, George grabbed a SCAR assault rifle. It was tan with a red dot sight, laser sight, and a flash light on its side. It was one of the best assault rifles of the new age: perfectly compact, easily manageable, and carried a 7.62 cartridge. George felt it was a perfect weapon to go to war with. He walked over and placed it on a table, along with 10 magazines, a tactical vest and a couple of extra magazines for his M9 Beretta.
Travis grabbed a M4 with a attached grenade launcher and ACOG scope. He grabbed a similar tactical vest like George's, however it had a few small pouches to hold the grenade rounds for his rifle.
In addition, George grabbed a MP5 and a IBA, bullet proof vest. He also grabbed a radio and small magazine pouch that fitted on her waist.
Travis looked at a small diagram of the city that he lay next to him in the meantime. "OK, we get it to the city with the kids. We get the LVPD to help us secure the Strip... and we hold out till the Military arrives."
"You sure you want to hold up on the strip? Lots of civies are around there…" unsure George asked, loading a round into his pistol.
"Lots of places to hide and lots of cover... it will do fine." Travis said.
"I can loan you any of my security force, but I will give you 2 SUVs to get you there." Hayter offered, finishing his another cigar.
Hayter walked over and grabbed a light machine gun and a large belt of ammunition. He flipped up the magazine well of the gun and loaded it.
Travis glanced at Major General as he loaded his weapon. "You coming with us?"
"My security force is currently engaging the intruders... and they're losing. So I'm going to go join them." Hayter said.
Travis and George both glanced at each other and then back towards Hayter.
"Keys to the cars are in that box over there." Major said, pointing towards a large lock box.
"Make sure that girl lives... Okay?" He turned and walked towards the door.
Travis dropped his weapon and turned to Hayter as he realized a terrifying thing.
"You'll die if you go out there!"
Hayter said nothing as he rushed to the door.
"YOU"LL BE KILLED!" Travis shouted at Hayter again. The Major refused to listen; he quickly shut the door to the armory behind him.
The elevator rose to the top floor of the computer lab. As soon as it did, the ceiling and the room shook. A loud deafening boom followed. The lights inside the room dimmed a little and came back on.
Travis and George entered the room, carrying their weapons and gear. George tossed the vest to Jessica and she put it on. He then handed her the MP5 and some magazines.
"We all set?" Travis asked Jeremy.
Jeremy nodded. He glanced over to Aelita who was still clutching the System. She nodded with a firm look on her face.
"Let's do this!" George said.
Odd pulled back his glove, making a locking noise, which indicated a fresh laser arrow was loaded.
Ulrich pulled his swords out and scrapped them against each other. Yumi took her fans and twirled them in the air around her fingers. William swung his sword like a ball bat.
Aelita held The System with one hand. In her other she created a fizzling energy field.
Sissi turned and folded her arms in a defensive stance.
Jeremy placed his equipment back in his pocket and shut off the computer.
"We're ready," he confirmed.
The elevator lowered down to a large garage when another loud explosion ripped through the facility.
The entire crew ran towards the large fleet of black SUVs. George read off the number on the keys S-3 and S-6. George spotted the two SUVs parked near the door. He hit the unlock button on the keys as the group ran over towards the cars.
George climbed into the first car with Sissi, Odd, and William. Travis jumped into the other along with Jessica, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi and Jeremy. The cars started up with the soft hum. No sooner then they did, both cars screeched their tires and sped off to the exit of the garage. The only other exit of the base besides the front door that was under attack.
Another group of security officers ran to the front of the base. Major General Hayter was with them. As soon as they got close to the fire fight, an explosion flared right in front of them. Four guards flew from the site of the explosion and landed right in front of them. Some of the guards stopped and checked the guards who were caught in the explosion..
Hayter continued to march up towards the battle zone... and finally caught a glimpse of his target.
A monster just sliced a hummer in half with his scythe. He had hooves like a birds, a wolf like face and two large horns protruding out of his head.
Xervix slowly looked up and spotted Hayter. He growled at the human. His white eyes pulsed with the New Dawn symbol. Hayter slowly raised his gun and opened fire. Rounds fired from its barrel as the belt continued to cycle through the gun.
Xervix reeled a little from the impact of the bullets. He covered his face with his scythe as he stepped backwards a little bit.
Hayter continued to walk forward with his gun still firing a maelstrom of bullets. The belt was almost out of ammunition; yet, he continued to walk forward.
Xervix had enough. The Monster roared in anger as opened his black bat like wings. His arm glowed black as he fired a black beam towards Hayter. The beam missed the man and striked a truck behind him.
Hayter suddenly noticed his gun was no longer firing. The belt was all used up.
Xervix ran forwards and kicked the General hard. Hayter felt pain rush through his entire lower half. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. No sooner then he had, a large foot landed on him. He looked up to see Xervix standing over him.
"Who the hell… are you!" Hayter panted with exertion.
The monster looked towards him and smiled.
"I AM XERVIX!"
The beast then held his scythe up high, preparing to strike.
The two SUVs drove past the remains of the air force base above the actual base. It was a ruined mess. Most of the personnel attempted to tend to the wounds of the injured while others where battling the blaze that engulfed the base.
"They're going to pay for this." Ulrich said angrily.
Aelita couldn't look out the window. She could not bear the thought that all of this may have been her fault.
"You OK, Aelita?" Yumi asked.
"Don't worry, we will make it," Travis assured her as he shifted the SUV into the next gear and left the base. He was pushing the car to doing almost 100 as they left the main road of the base and drove in the direction of Las Vegas.
Aelita glanced towards Jeremy. He looked at her and the large crystal ball in her lap. He also was angry at what had transpired. He nodded his head in agreement.
Aelita wrapped her arm around him.
"Hold me... Please?"
Jeremy put both his arms around her as she closed her eyes. She knew their final battle with Xervix was at hand and that it was all about to end. But what worried her was the dream from so many weeks ago in which she saw Jeremy being killed... She was worried it would come true and the one person she loved in this world was about to die.
"I won't let this happen... " she muttered to herself.
Her depression suddenly turned to anger as she recalled the true heroes back in the base. The members of the military who tried to fight off Xervix and his forces. She realized she couldn't live in fear anymore. She had to stop this... For her parents, her friends... and the whole world.
Xervix stepped into the System vault room. He glanced around, making sure no more guards were inside. The room was eerily quiet and empty, yet some from of energy could still be felt inside it. Something powerful had transpired here earlier... And he missed it.
A shadow flew over him. Xervix looked up to see Aether flying over head and land next to him.
"Lord Xervix...The base is ours." Aether said with a sneer in his voice.
Xervix said nothing but stared at the vault. This was his one opportunity to claim the object of his desire... and he had missed it.
"Where are the children?" Xervix asked.
"I believe they have fled…" Aether said with some hesitation in his voice.
Xervix slowly turned his head so that his eye peered at the bird man.
Aether felt the same sense he had always felt... fear. He knew he was about to die.
"I make you a god of the air... and you can't even capture 2 TINY CHILDREN?" Xervix yelled.
He flew out his right hand as a large black beam struck Aether in the chest. Aether flew to the ground in pain from the attack.
"YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HINDER MY PLANS THIS WHOLE TIME!
I SHOULD DESTROY YOU NOW!"
A black shadow passed through one of the walls. The shadow spun around and revealed the other three Titans.
"Lord Xervix! We spotted the children in one of the base's camera systems. We believe they are heading for the city of Las Vegas." Chaos said.
Xervix looked towards the other titans and back at Aether. Xervix reached down and grabbed the metal bird by the chest. His massive claw like army easily fitted around his creation.
"This is your last chance. There will not be a third failure."
"Ye...Yes my master... No more mistakes," Aether repeated.
Xervix threw the bird to the ground hard. The bird withered in pain from the previous shot to the chest.
"Now what are you all standing around here for? GET THEM!"