Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko. I only own Musa, Cascada, this story's plot and any other character that was not originally from the show.

Grounded

Musa really needed to give Jeremy some credit. The virtualization device was really amazing. It had always been a slight bubbly feeling on Lyoko when she was using her powers there and even when she was virtualized on Earth via a replica but to be truly on Earth with her full powers…that was like being on a virtual high for the wolf A.I.

It was exhilarating to actually feel her powers buzz through her with every lightning strike. The feeling was so indescribable! Though there was one down side. One thing that Jeremy had obviously forgotten to mention to the others when he handed out these little devices: that the pain that was imminent to happen hurt…a lot.

The first few attacks she had been hit with were like a tingling sensation, annoying but not causing much harm. It wasn't until after a red light on her necklace started flashing, a signal she quickly realized meant that her virtual life points were gone, and when a specter attacked her did she realize that she could feel pain in this form after a certain extent. With that realization, came another: this wasn't a game and there were no redoes. If she were fatally wounded she would soon learn about death first hand.

"Kuso, kuso, kuso!" the girl swore under her breath as she held her bleeding arm.

"Are you okay?" her mysterious companion, whom would only name himself as Void, asked as he blocked off another attack by a specter with his blade.

"Hai, hai!" Musa said swinging her staff furiously at a couple of specters that were advancing towards them. The specters were exactly like the ones Xana used to send after them- black suited men who look like they were going to a funeral- but the wolf A.I. did notice that there was something different about them. While both she and Void were being attacked by the programs, Void was in a much worst shape then she was and she doubted that it had anything to do with the specters' mothers telling them to never hit a girl – she had plenty a many bruises to prove the contrary.

"No," the wolf A.I. thought back flipping out of the way of a specter's fist. She chanced a glance at her companion who was being attacked to, his attackers throwing various energy spheres at him. "They're holding back," she realized as she remembered that she had only been attacked with hand to hand combats, nothing to life threatening. "Well," she thought with a smug smirk, "just because they're holding back doesn't mean I have to." With one quick flick of her wrist, she twirled her staff around in her hands. A field of static magnetic energy began to form around her, the air getting thicker. Void seem to have an idea of what she was doing so with one last kick to his attackers, he disappeared in a whirlwind just as a large lightning bolt struck down upon the unsuspecting specters.

Utada breathed heavily as she observed her work. The once snow covered ground was now a large patch of charred earth where the specters once stood. A few surrounded trees were scorched from a few lick of the lightning but none were too damaged thanks to the wolf AI's careful precision. "They're gone," she sighed tiredly.

"Indeed, but do you think your little light show could have been…less flashy?" Void asked appearing next to her.

"Hn," was the girl's only reply before she began to tilt forward. The flutist smoothly caught the unconscious girl in his arms. The necklace that she wore beeped before flashing, two rings of light appearing around her before she was returned to her human form.

"She over exerted herself," he muttered to himself as he moved a strand of hair from her face. He sighed, looking up at the diamond covered sky before disappearing once again, Musa in tow.

CODE TWILIGHT

Jim sat his phone back into its cradle as he ended his phone conversation. "So, who was that?" Ken asked as he played solitaire by himself.

"Just some old friends," the P.E. teacher said gruffly. "They'll be entering this hotel soon and I thought it would be a great time to catch up with them."

"That seems nice," the music producer said absently, no longer playing cards but staring out the window as blue lightning appeared in the sky, no signs of storms in sight. He turned back to the other man who had also been staring out the window before they continued on with their activities.

"They should be here soon," Jim murmured.

CODE TWILIGHT

He stumbled in the snow, catching his balance before his tired body almost tumbled into the powdery coldness, something that would definitely not be good for his still unconscious companion. He paid no heed to the biting cold that was beginning to seep through his body due to the excess energy he was using to heat himself and Musa. He suspected he had another thirty minutes before the power source in his device ran out.

Said light began to flash red.

"Merda," he cursed. It looked like he only had five minutes to make a twenty five minute trip.

CODE TWILIGHT

"Have you thought of a name?" a wide eye raven hair girl asked her.

"I doubt I would get the choice on naming it. It is the project's property after all" she replied almost bitterly, moving a lock of her blonde hair out of the way as she looked down. Not at the floor, but at the smooth, soft skin that covered her stomach. Slowly, she ran a hand over her flat abdomen.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, placing her hands over large ones. She sighed, tilting her head backwards to see luminous crimson eyes staring down at her. The raven hair girl smiled knowingly before walking towards the door to make sure that none of the scientist was coming. Though the mysterious old men approved of working together as a team they did not approve of such things like…family, at least, not for their test subjects.

Her gaze was broken when her captor turned his sometimes intimidating gaze on a red hair male sitting of to the side. Said boy's gaze was on the raven hair girl who was unaware of the stare she was attaining. The blonde felt the pair of arms around her leave her waist as the crimson eye male walked purposely towards the only other male.

The blonde turned her gaze away from the two boys. Just another pointless argument that would further split the group when they needed to be focusing. Also, the red hair boy made her unease, even more so than anything she had been put through by the scientist…

Cascada was instantly awaken from her dream by the sudden presence of an unfamiliar electromagnetic force. Pushing the weirdness of her dream aside, she tried to remove herself from William's hold without waking the boy but it appeared her efforts were in vain. He was already awake.

"You feel that?" the plant A.I. asked making sure she wasn't being paranoid. The boy nodded before they both got out of bed, making their way to the main room. Glowing green electricity covered Cascada's hands and agitated, sparking, red electricity covered William's.

What they saw made them freeze. A badly beaten, shivering, and unconscious was in the arms of an ebony hair young man with a red visor covering his eyes. "What did you do to her?" Cascada snarled at him.

"The injuries you see here are due to what you call specters. I did nothing to her other than try to help her when she insisted on following me," the boy said as he deposited the wolf A.I. into William's arms. "I must leave now," he said before disappearing.

"Thanks," Cascada said thought the boy was now long gone. She looked towards her still asleep sister who was now lying on the couch. She clutched her hands into fist, her face hardening in anger and worry.

"She'll have a lot of explaining to do," William sighed running a hand through his messy locks.

"Believe me," the plant A.I. said, "she won't even see it coming. Idiot. What the hell was she doing? Does she want to die? Does she-" Hikaru paused, stopping herself and taking a deep breath. "Whatever," she said a little calmer. "Where is the first aid?"

CODE TWILIGHT

His bracelet gave one final warning beep before he reverted back to his original from. He sighed, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Hey. Do you think you can pick me up?" he asked into the phone once the line was picked up. "Yeah? Alright. I'll see you soon."

The boy sighed, tiredly. He hadn't planned for his night to go like this. He would be lucky if he got out of this without any major chastising from his leader. Sighing again, he sat down on the barren and cold ground waiting for his ride to arrive. At the moment, he really wasn't in a hurry.

CODE TWILIGHT

"Of course. I'll be there."

Ralph Erikson, the main and only trusted chauffer of Terran Yuki and Nyx Revelin, hung his phone up before shrugging on his jacket. He was used to late night calls like these. Before he left, he turned back to his laptop and pressed a few buttons and then, leaving the room.

As he left, a window on the computer's screen popped opened. It read: Extracting files. Duration time: 1 hour. Downloading source: Lycoris Inc...

CODE TWILIGHT

A throbbing headache and nausea that could put Odd's hangover to shame were the effects of Jeremy's device that one Musa Utada found out the hard way as she woke from her tiring sleep.

"She's awake," a familiar voice informed.

"Good. Now we can start with the interrogation," another equally familiar voice said in a loud voice that made the wolf A.I. wonder if the person was purposely speaking loudly to further agitate her already pounding head.

"Musa," the first voice said shaking her slightly. Utada blinked her eyes open, vision at first blurry before it cleared to reveal a very relieved looking William and a very angry looking Cascada.

Before the younger girl could even think to say anything the older girl was already on her case. "Musa! What the heck? What were you thinking chasing a mysterious guy, who only a couple days ago had attacked you, and then you used the virtualization devices without having them properly tested? Do you even know what sort of side effects it could have caused?"

"I think I have an idea," Musa murmured rubbing her temples. Damn, she needed some asprin.

"Honestly Musa," the plant A.I. said pacing back and forth to calm her nerves, "you really need to think things through. You made it through tonight alive but what if you hadn't had help? Then what?"

"She's right," William said joining in. "We have no idea what these people want and who can be trusted."

"I'm sorry," the wolf A.I. sighed.

"I should take away your guitar," Cascada said crossing her arms over her chest. A desired gasp of surprise and fear sounded from her little sister. "But," she continued, "since we're booked to play at a major financial gig I won't take that away." Musa sighed in relief. "You just won't be able to participate in the activity we're having tomorrow."

"Today," William corrected since it was already past midnight.

"What type of activity?" the blue-green eye girl asked wearily.

"We're planning on having a little contest in order to test our devices but since you already did that earlier then there is really no need for you to be participating. It was going to be a one-on-one battle but I guess this is for the best since now the numbers are even," Cascada shrugged.

"That's my punishment?" Musa laughed in disbelief.

"Well if you don't think that's good enough," William began.

"We can always ground you, making you unable to see Odd unless it's for band related reasons," Cascada continued. "And don't even think we wouldn't.

"No!" Musa said holding up her hands. "Not being able to participate in the fights is punishment enough."

"I know it is," the plant A.I. smirked.

Okay. Shorter than what I've been usually getting out but this is a transition chapter (even if it doesn't seem like one). Took me forever with this chapter because I kept deleting and redoing stuff. Also, check out my poll on my profile. It's a new one.

Um...finally changed my name so call me EvanescentDream93 or Dream or what ever. I doubt any nicknames you could think up for me would be as weird as the ones that my friends have for me like Z-Dawg is one good example. I understand where they got the Z from (my name starts with a Z) but as for the Dawg part...yeah...

May not be able to update alot for maybe the next two week. A really close family memeber of mine is in the hospital again. Seriously, I'm afraid I'll get a phobia of hospitals soon.

Anyway, nothing more to say so...PLEASE REVIEW!