Disclaimer: Jim caught me sneaking around after hours, and my plan to take Code Lyoko was foiled. No, I don't own Code Lyoko.
-End Flashback-
Aelita directed a wry smile at the thought of how innocent and naïve she once was while she sat in the tower. Unfortunately time had dealt a cruel blow that shattered any vestige of purity from her forever. As the memory of that blow surfaced from the depths of her mind, Aelita cried out and put her hands to her head. 'No! I can't relive it anymore! My self-control and sanity couldn't survive.' With all of her willpower Aelita represses the dreaded memory back where it belongs: in the shadows. Her vision focuses back on the silent tower walls as the internal battle ends.
Weary after the effort of repulsing the recollection, Aelita decided to travel the paths of Lyoko as she had countless times before. Pushing through the wall and gazing out at the Desert Sector, she wondered why X.A.N.A. even bothered with his torment of her. Once his greatest enemy, she now is a pawn of his will. She is forced to accept his torture that he inflicts upon her every second. Stuck here on Lyoko, forever alone with no way out. 'I really should figure out how many times I've thought about this. It's probably an astoundingly high number.' An amused smile flashed on her face like a ripple in the ocean and vanished.
She had no solace; no cleansing balm to soothe the burning remains of her heart. Well, there was always one thing in her mind that could bring a ghost of the once pure Aelita back. Thinking of him always restored her but inevitably led to the memory that she could not and would not allow to haunt her anymore. The sound of human footsteps behind her caught her attention and she froze. 'That is not any monster X.A.N.A. would send, and they don't even bother me anymore. I wish they did. What is it?' Spinning around, Aelita gazed into sapphire eyes she hoped every second to see once more but knew that she never would. Howling in her mind, the unstoppable flood of memories catapulted her into the past.
-Flashback -
"Whoa! What is this place?" Jeremie exclaimed as he came upon a dusty computer deep in an abandoned factory. 'If this computer is any good, think of all the programs I could run!' Giddy with excitement like any five year old before Christmas, Jeremie quickly ran to the console. Only then did he notice that it was actually running but in a dormant state. 'That's odd… how can a computer be running in a factory that has clearly been abandoned for years?' A thrill of discovery banished any worries Jeremie had as he touched a key. The computer immediately started with a deep hum and the flickering of a strange hologram. To Jeremie's surprise, a virtual albeit beautiful girl appeared on the screen and entranced him with her deep emerald eyes.
Aelita felt the supercomputer being activated. Shutting out the sounds of laser fire as the tower shook; she closed her eyes and focused on her link with the monitor. 'Who could that be? I've never known someone to wake the system out of the dormant state besides X.A.N.A.' Accessing the monitor program, Aelita appears on the screen and gazes upon her first human. He looked fairly normal from what she had learned already. He was a male with blond hair, a simple blue shirt, and some sort of device over his striking blue eyes. In her excitement to finally be able to talk to a person from Earth, Aelita overlooked the strange feeling looking into his eyes gave her. "Hello there! I'm Aelita, and your name is?"
"I…I…You can talk? Err...my name is Jeremie," came the stuttered reply.
"Well, how do you do it…oh! Nice to meet you was what I was looking for. I know programs generally don't talk, but I've had acceptable language parameters for as long as I can remember on Lyoko," responded Aelita.
Figuring he might as well get the pleasantries over with before asking what she was talking about, Jeremy said "Nice to meet you as well. Language parameters? Lyoko? Forgive me, but I really have no clue what's going on here. I just found this old computer here and was going to play around with it for something to d- I mean, I came along." Jeremie scratched his head at her sudden laugh. 'This is a program? No way! I've never seen something virtual react like this. And her voice is amazing. Wait, what does that have to do with anything? Focus!'
Aelita wondered why she giggled at his bumbling conversation. She certainly hadn't found some of the more idiotic arguments on the Internet all that funny. But there was something about him that cheered her up. Then again, she was trapped in a tower by monsters and anything would be better than focusing on that. Now to try to convince Jeremie that Lyoko existed.
She launched her explanation before he could begin to doubt. "It's a pretty odd story by human standards but I'll try to make some sense. For as long as I can remember, I've existed in this world called Lyoko with another being called X.A.N.A. I guess if you looked at it like the majority of your fantasy novels, I would be the good hero while X.A.N.A. stands for evil. He will stop at nothing to eliminate the chaos he perceives in your kind. Using these towers on my world, he exerts his influence on Earth. I'm the only one who can deactivate the towers. So far so good?"
Jeremie found himself contemplating the truth of her words. "Yes, it seems logical to me up to this point. It's almost like a video game. I'm assuming X.A.N.A. tries to stop you? And how? Wait! How come we've never noticed?"
"Well…" Aelita trailed off for a second while gathering her thoughts. "Yes, whenever I attempt to stop an activated tower X.A.N.A. sends his monsters after me. They shoot lasers and try to delete me before I can do anything. Evading or beating them used to be a snap but lately they have gotten stronger and more numerous. Your kind doesn't remember the effects of the towers because I activate a program that sends everything 24 hours into the past." Looking at Jeremy's puzzled expression, Aelita knew she had to create a frame of reference he could understand. 'Video game? That's it!'
"Jeremie, look at it like Lyoko was a video game. The monsters and I have lifepoints. When they hit zero we lose a life and its game over. They shoot lasers and I try to outsmart them or use my ability to create or remove terrain. Unfortunately, X.A.N.A. makes more monsters while I only have one life. Anyway, the objective of this video game is for me to shut down the towers before they can wreak havoc on earth. And the return to the past is like a reset button!" Aelita cracked a grin when she saw the spark of realization in his eyes. 'Being a program that remembers everything has its advantages. Why couldn't Lyoko be exactly like a video game? Infinite lives would be useful.'
Jeremie marveled in wonder as he took in all the information the pink-haired girl unloaded. Then a tinge of sadness crept into his heart as he realized she knew nothing of Earth beyond the Internet. Digital information just couldn't compare to the reality of sun beaming on your face and the wind rustling your hair. He vowed to someday give her the experience of his world. 'Whoa. Did I just promise to make a virtual being into a human? Well it'd definitely be an interesting journey.' Noticing her smile had faded into an expression of worry, Jeremie asked "Aelita. What's wrong?"
Extraordinarily captivating as this conversation is, the sounds of the tower falling apart remind Aelita of her situation. The smile fades off her face and anxiety replaces it as she opens her mouth to ask this sweet boy for aid. The voice chimes in, 'So, like a knight in shining armor? And how will the damsel in distress repay him?' Mentally shushing herself, Aelita asks Jeremie in a quavering voice: "Jeremie, right now I'm stuck in a tower while six of X.A.N.A.'s monsters blast away at it. I don't think the tower will last much longer and then I'm finished for good. Then nothing will be able to stop X.A.N.A.'s machinations on Earth. There is a program that is connected to the scanners on the floor below that transfers humans onto Lyoko. I can't run that program from this side, so you'll have to figure it out. If I can get some extra help in clearing these monsters I'd be forever grateful." Aelita knew he would help her before he uttered his response.
"I would love to, Aelita." Jeremie said instantly. Her resulting look of utter happiness made a blush creep up his neck. Clearing his throat and hoping Aelita didn't notice, he continues with his plan. "I'll grab Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi to transfer to Lyoko. You're going to need me at the computer to run the programs and keep everything monitored while the group is fighting. I'm sure they'll want to help. I'll be back as fast as I can!" He quickly sets down the headset on the keyboard and rushes out of the supercomputer room. 'I was never one for running, but this is a special case.'
Aelita watched Jeremie climb the rungs and move to the upper floor of the factory. Once he was gone, her beaming expression faded to a guise of concern. No longer did she have a fascinating person to talk to and the laser fire was cracking her façade of calm. 'I hope I can last; my fate is now in Jeremie's hands. Wonder what the redness creeping up his neck at the end was though. I'll ask him later. For now all I can do is wait.' Aelita dived from the top platform down to the tower's base and entered her usual meditation position with legs crossed and eyes closed. The ritual soothed her worries and rejuvenated her for the conflict ahead.