Ch. 4 From Virtual to Reality

Happy holidays and Merry Christmas everyone. I wanted to finish this chapter earlier, but I was always changing things up to make this a great chapter, so I decided to wait til Christmas as a gift from to you. So anyways, I hope your enjoying the holidays with your families, friends, and those who bring joy to you life, waiting for Santa, feasting, and giving and receiving gifts. Pray to lord or whatever god you have in your religion, and thank thank them for your life you are given right now and the new year. See ya'll.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Next morning, the gang was sitting at their usual table as they always do. On the other hand, Aelita was still a little tired from last night's nightmare. Her body felt heavy and she kept fighting off the feeling of sleepiness. Yumi noticed this. Usually, she is fully awake, alert, and already taking.

"Aelita, are you alright?", asked Yumi putting a hand on her shoulder.

Aelita jumped a the touch of Yumi's hand. "Huh? Oh, I'm fine. I just had a rough night, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Thank you for your concern."

In the Ice Sector of Lyoko, a tower sat on the edge of the flat glacier. Its whitish-blue aurora had changed to a red color.

Outside an building, photographs, reporters, and many other employees of Les temps modernes. Reginald Wallis, the reporter from yesterday, was walking from his car and headed to the elevators. With him, he has his camera and backpack as usual. Over head, the black smoke, X.A.N.A., once again emerges into the real world. He follows Reginald to the elevator inconspicuously. The reporter presses the up button and waits for the elevator to open up. X.A.N.A. closes in on Reginald. The elevator door opens up and Reginald steps in. Reginald turns around to face the elevator doors. At that moment, X.A.N.A. rushes in like a snake striking at its prey.

On the fifth floor, the elevator doors open. Reginald comes out, face showing no emotion. The pupils in his eyes replaced with lyoko symbols. The man walked over through the office to his boss's office.

"Good Mornin', Regi. How's the search?", Cornelis, a friend of Reginald, greets from his cubicle. He was promoted last year and was hoping his friend would be promoted sometime to work together and become the best reporters the company's ever had.

The possessed reporter walked by him as if he was nothing to him. Cornealis looks at the walking down the office as if he was miffed. The man got up got out of his cubicle and caught up with his friend to see what was wrong with him.

"Reginald? Regi? You okay? What are you upset about? Regi, speak to me.", "Reginald" ignored the man kept walking til he came to Jaques Dessalines's, his boss, office.

The French-African man was going over and correcting the latest reports, reviews, and other papers. He hears a knock at the door. He sets the papers down and looks up. "You may enter.", he answered.

"Reginald" opens the door, enters the office, and walks up to his boss's desk.

"Good morning, Reginald. What can I do for?"

The reporter didn't say anything. Instead he looks down at the man with a blank expression. Dessalines started to become uncomfortable with his stare as if he was talking to a mysterious stranger.

"Reginald, are you okay? Is there something you need?"

The took of his back pack and opened it. There he pulls out the spy cam recoding device and gived the device to Dessalines. The man looked confused when he was given the device. He looks at his suddenly mute intern.

"Reginald, what is this?", asked the boss.

"Reginald turned on the device and pressed play. The device started playing footage of five kids in some place and what seems to be a computer. Then the footage switches over to four kids in a room with three tubes. The first three entered the tubes. The man here's a boy saying things like "Scanner Aelita" and "Transfer Ulrich". But what really got him was the virtualization part. When the boy said "Virtualization", all three kids disappear, like magic. Oh, but there was more. For the nex few minutes he mentions like X.A.N.A. and Lyoko. A few minutes go by and he sees the kids one by one return to the pods.

"Amazing.", said Dessalines. He wasn't totally sure what was going on, but it was not like anything he has ever seen. Three kids get into a tube and disappear. Then a few minutes later, they reappear.

"Reginald. I must say this is an...an...an truly amazing video. Authentic and amazing. This might be the story that won't get you promoted. It will. Just find out more information about these kids and what they do and you've get yourself a full-time, full paying job.

The French-African man extended his hand to the intern. The two men shake on it. Dessalines smiles while the possessed reporter's expression remained blank. The intern nodded, and with that he left and walk back to office. His friend heard everything and waited for him.

"Congrats, Regi. Looks like we're going to be partners after all.", said Cornealis. "How's about we go out after work. My treat."

Regional kept walking leaving the man without an answer.

"I'll take that nas a no. I understand."

Back at the Kadic cafeteria, an alert came up on Jeremie's laptop. He gasp at the screen showing a yellow-orange tower. "Guys, X.A.N. just activated another tower in the Ice Sector."

"This early in the morning? What's he up to now?", Ulrich was surprised that X.A.N.A. would try out his new plans this early.

"Don't know yet, but we've go to activated that tower.", said Jeremie.

'Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going.", said Odd as he grabbed his things. The gang followed suit and raced out of the cafeteria and toward the forest.

Outside on the school grounds, Jim was walking around making sure everything was okay and nobody was causing trouble. As he turned to the corner of the school. He saw the Lyoko Warriors running into the forest not noticing that he was watching them.

"Now, where on earth are they going?", he asked himself. He was about to follow them until the school bell rang. He knew he has to traffic the students into the building and make sure no one was nor planning to skip any classes. So finding out their secret was going have to wait.

The gang ran through the forest and to the manhole. Odd lifted the cover allowing the others in. They climbed down the ladder to the sewer floor. The gang grabbed their gear and rode the sewers. At the factory, a manhole cover rises up from the ground. The gang rose up from the sewers and got up onto the bridge. They ran to the factory and swung down on the cables to the lower floor and got into elevator. The elevator descended down the to the supercomputer first letting Jeremie out. Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita went down the to the scanner room.

When the elevator reaches the scanner room, Aelita had already ran into the first scanner.

"I'll go first.", said Ulrich as he ran to the second scanner.

"You going Odd?", Yumi asked. Usually, he and Ulrich were the first to go along with Aelita.

"Lady's first.", he said as he gestured.

Yumi entered the scanner. Jeremie entered the codes and started the process .

"Scanner Aelita. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Yumi. Transfer Aelita. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Virtualization."

The first three warriors were virtualized within seconds and landed on their feet. The three waited for Odd to eneter the virtual world.

"Alright, Jer, were here.",said Ulrich.

"Good, I'll send in Odd."

Back on Earth...

"You ready, Odd?", asked Jeremie as he fired up the scanner for the next warrior.

"Always."

"Get ready. Scanner Odd. Transfer Odd. Virtualization."

Odd was completely virtualized and land on his feet.

"Where's the tower?", asked Aelita.

"2.5 miles 36° SE."

"Can you send us our vehicles?", asked Yumi.

"Sure thing. Coming right up.", said Jeremie. He type in the codes for the vehicles and pressed enter. Within seconds, all three vehicles were virtualized. Odd hopped onto his overboard, Yumi and Aelita onto the overwing, and Ulrich onto the overbike. The Lyoko Warriors rode off into the direction of the tower.

On Earth, Jeremie is monitoring the supercomputer screen. On it, he sees six red triangles in front of a white circle. He puts on his headset and warns the others. "Watch out guys, you've got three crabs and three tarantulas guarding the tower."

"Typical X.A.N.A.. Oh well, a trip without monsters is like a year without rain.", said Odd.

As the gang got closer, X.A.N.A.'s monsters started shooting, but the warriors dodged the laser blasts. Odd flew towards to tarantulas and took aim. "Laser arrow."

He shot two arrows from his wrist, sending one arrow each into the tarantulas' heads, killing them. Ulrich drew his sword and sped up on his overbike. He drove toward the remaining tarantula and cuts a mark into the lyoko symbol on its head. It exploded in an instant. As Yumi flew towards the crabs, she took out a fan and threw it at one of the crabs. The crab tried to shoot at the fan, but misses. Yumi's fan makes a mark into the crab's head. The crab stumbles and finally explodes. Yumi's fan returns the her hand and she prepares to throw it again. The remaining two crabs shoot at the girls, but misses them. Odd comes flying in to the rescue ready to aim his arrows.

"Hey crab cakes, over here!", Odd shouted as he shot two arrows at the crabs. Both arrows hit the crabs' heads and kills them. "Yes!", Odd cheered as he finished the two remaining monsters.

Just like that, the job was done. To Aelita, it seemed like a piece of cake and when something seems too easy, that's usually a sign of trouble. "That's strange. Usually, X.A.N.A. would put up more of a fight. Something didn't feel right."

"I agree. In the meantime, Aelita, head for the tower. The rest of you, keep watch for any signs of trouble. I have feeling that X.A.N.A. isn't quite done yet.", Jeremie commanded.

Yumi safely landed the overwing on the ground. Aelita got off and ran to the tower. She entered the tower and walked into the center of the lyoko shaped platform. There, a holographic screen appears. Aelita places her hand on the screen and removes it. The following words appear on the screen: CODE: LYOKO. Outside, the tower deactivates and its red aurora returns to its peaceful whitish-blue color. The others turn to see the colors of the aurora change.

On Earth, Reginald is just right outside the Kadic Academy's gate, where X.A.N.A wanted him. The moment Aelita had deactivated the tower, X.A.N.A. was released from the reporter. The poor man went unconscious and body collapsed in by the wall next to the gate. Everything was falling into place.

On Lyoko...

"Tower's deactivated, Jeremie.", Ulrich informed.

"Good. I'm now entering the devirtualization codes.", said Jeremie.

"I don't know about you guys, but something still doesn't seem right about this.", said Aelita as she walked out of the tower and back to the other Lyoko Warriors. Aelita was still suspicious about this whole mission.

Aelita continued to walk back to her friends. However, just as everything seemed okay, a scyphozoa comes out from behind the tower a floats towards, Aelita. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi quickly withdrew their weapons.

"Aelita, behind you!", Yumi warned.

Aelita turn around and saw the giant jellyfish monster coming straight for her. The scyphozoa wrapped its tentacles around Aelita and lifted her up. Two more tentacle came out and started implanting a virus into her brain. Yumi threw two fans at its tentacles to free the elfin. Moments before if could slice one of the tentacles, two stray lasers beam hits the fans and destroys them. They turn to see a large swarm of hornets flying over the digital sea towards them, but they were concerned more about something...or someone else.

"You guys. You've got hornets coming your way.", Jeremie warned.

"We see them, and guess who's leader.", said Yumi.

Leading the swarm was a boy with black hair, sporting black armor and carrying a large sword. On his forehead , he carried the Lyoko eye. He was riding on the back of a black flying manta leading the swarm over the digital sea.

"ATTACK!", the boy commanded hornets as gestured with his sword bearing hornets flew towards Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi and started blasting lasers at them. The gang took drove way from the laser blasts on their vehicles.

"Jeremie, William's here and he's leading the swarm. I need two fans right now.", said Yumi.

"That's a tall order. I'm on it.", Jeremie said as he typed in the codes for two tessan fans.

Odd turned his overboard around and flew towards. He aim his wrist at the hornets, then shot laser arrows at the swarm. Two hornets were hit and exploded on contact, but that barely made a dent in their swarm. More still kept coming and coming. William guided and settled his manta next to the scyphozoa. The monster was halfway done Implanting the into her brain.

"You almost done, Jeremie?", asked Yumi.

"Two fans coming right up.", said Jeremie.

Two tessan fans were virtualized into Yumi's hands. "Thanks, Jer."

The geisha threw both fans at the swarm hitting and killing three.

Ulrich stops and turns his overbike to see that the swarm is distracted by Odd and Yumi. He looks over to the sycphozoa and decided to a make a break for it. He draws his sword and starts speeding towards William and the scyphozoa. As William watched the battle go on he noticed one of the warriors were missing. He looks down for Ulrich and finds him riding towards him with his sword drawn. William rides the manta down towards the ground. He leaps off and prepares for battle. Ulrich speeds up and William ran with his sword out. As soon as both swordsmen were close enough, William initiates the first blow hitting Ulrich in the midsection causing him to fly off his overbike and for it to crash into the tower, destroying it. The two boys engage in a sword battle. Swing sword at each other, exchanging kicks and blows, watching and dodging each others moves.

Back on Earth, the monitor was showing the scyphozoa's downloading processing was almost complete. Jeremie was starting panic. He spoke into the headset and warn the warriors. "Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, the scyphozoa is almost done downloading data into Aelita's mind. You have to do something!"

"Wish we could, Einstein, but our hands are full. With an army of hornets and William, it's not making it easy for us.", said as he flew into the swarm and shot down four more hornets.

With Aelita, the scyphozoa, had just finished implanting the virus into Aelita's brain. It puts her down on the icy groung gently and backs off. Aelita slowly rises and looks at the three still fighting the large hornet swarm and William. With everyone distracted, she ran to the tower and entered. The X.A.N.A.-possessed Aelita walked to the center of the platform and the blank holographic screen appears. The elfin smirks evilly at the sight. She places a hand on the and removes it. CODE show up on the screen, only this time, LYOKO was replaced with another code in red letters. X.A.N.A..

Outside, Ulrich and William were still fighting and so far, William was winning this battle. Ulrich tried everything in his power to defeat William and get to Aelita. William laugh at the sight of Ulrich still trying to defeat him. Another blow was struck at Ulrich and he fell on the ground. William walked over to him a mocked the young samurai, "You still think you can beat me, your superior? Ha, pathetic. Your a sad excuse for a Lyoko Warrior. Even waker than your friend Odd. What do you have to saw for yourself?"

The words stung Ulrich like a knife piercing his stomach. He slowly rose up and pick up his sword. With rage, he charged at William and started to swinging his sword at with fury. With each blocked strike he replied to William's question, "A...TRUE...Lyoko Warrior...saves all...that we love...and...protect...the...world...against...people...like...you. You are not a true Lyoko Warrior, PERIOD!"

Ulrich charged at William with his sword out ready to strike. Just as he was about to strike, William swung his sword against Ulrich's. The sword was knocked out of his hand and flew in the air only for it to land blade first into the icy ground a few feet away from him. Wiliam lifts his sword and points it against Ulrich's chest. He pokes the blade against Ulrich's body causing him to walk into the middle of the swarm battle.

Yumi looks to the side of her overwing and becomes shocked at what she saw.

"Ulrich!", she called his name as she flew towards two to save him. Unfortunately, a hornet chases after her and starts to shooting lasers at her.

She dodges the blasts and flies down close to the ground. Thw geisha makes a u-turn and throws a fan at the hornet. The hornet was sliced in half and explodes. Just as the geisha turned around, a stray hornet blasts a laser at her and knocking her off the overwing and fall to the ground, surprisingly next to Ulrich. The overwing keep going and falls off the edge of the glacier and into the digital sea and was immediately destroyed.

"Yumi!", Ulrich gets down on his knees with William's sword still pointing at him. He lifts her head and back into a semi-sitting position.

Odd was fighting three hornets, all sending a series of laser beams at him. Two of the beams hit his overboard and destroys it. He lands safely on his feet and continues shooting at trio. He summer saults, dodging the incoming lasers beams for a while, not trying to get hit. The trio kept shooting at the melting until he was hit by one of the lasers, sending him sliding along the near Yumi and Ulrich. Three remaining warriors see that they were surrounded by a small swarm of six hornets.

"Jeremie, we're surrounded.", Ulrich informed.

"I only see you, Odd, and Yumi. Where's Aelita?"

Inside the tower, Aelita regains consciousness. She gets up and exits the tower. As she walks outside, she sees her friends surrounded by six hornets and William. Without hesitation she started charging an energy sphere and took aim. Unfortunately, the scyphozoa reappears sneaks up behind her. Before she could even release the energy sphere, the monster wraps one of its tentacles around Aelita. It lifted her and floated towards the group. Upon arrival, it sets the last warrior down in the circle.

William smirk as all four warriors were in his presence. Finally all four were at his mercy and now right where X.A.N.A.'s wants them. "Now time for for the next phase of the plan."

"Plan? What plan?", asked Odd.

"THIS!"

William slashes Ulrich and Yumi, instantly devirtualizing them. Aelita and Odd look at the dark swordsman with horror and confusion.

"What's the point of doing that? You know we're just going back to Earth, right?", asked Odd.

"Oh, you'll see."

William took his sword and finished off the boy. Aelita gasps in fear at what the boy was doing. Why would he capture them only to finish off and devirtualized him.

On Earth, one of the scanners opens up. Odd falls to the ground. He puts a hand on his head as he got up, but something didn't feel right. He looks at his hand only to find that his hand was replaced by a paw. The paw he has in his lyoko form. He slowly looks down at his body. His eyes went wide when he saw that he was still in his lyoko form. Paws, suit, tail, everything.

"Your not the only one.", a familiar said. Odd looks up and sees Yumi and Ulrich also in their lyoko forms.

"What's going on? Why am I...why we like this?", Odd asked as he was looking over his body to see if their was one thing on him that he didn't bring from Lyoko to Earth.

"Don't know, we're about to head out to the supercomputer room and see what's going on."

The three went to the elevator and ascended to the supercomputer room. The elevator stops at the supercomputer room and opens up. Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich enter the room and walks towards Jeremie who was trying to find a way to get Aelita out of this situation.

"Hang in there, Aelita! I'm trying everything I can think of to get you out."

"Jeremie.", Yumi calls her friend.

"What is it? Aelita's in...gah!", Jeremie was in shock to see his three friends in their lyoko forms.

"We have a problem."

With William and Aelita, things were getting tense. William walked over to Aelita with his sword out. She quickly charges an energy sphere and shoots it at William.

"Super smoke.", William quickly transforms into a smokey shadow and dodges the energy sphere. He passes Aelita and reverts back to his solid form behind her. Her the pink-hair girl in his arms. The poor girl struggles and screams in his grip.

"NOW!", William commanded. The six hornets shot the two endlessly until both were devirtualized.

In the scanner room, the scanners open up, releasing Aelita and sadly, William. William looks around and sees three scanners. He smiles and laughs in victory, but this was not the end. No, it was only the beginning.

"Let's meet up with the others. Shall we?", William teased as he cupped his hands around Aelita's chin, but she jerks it away from his hand. He smiles at the gesture. The two leave the the scanner room and step into the elevator.

With Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Jeremie, they were trying to find what caused them to come back in their lyoko forms. The sounds of the elevator grabbed their attention. The elevator door opens to reveal that Aelita not only returned in her lyoko form, she was with an uninvited guest. Odd, Ulrich, Yumi drew their weapons ready to fight.

William raised his hand to calm the Lyoko Warriors. "Stop! I didn't come here to fight."

"Then why are you here?", asked Aelita

"To retrieve something. Something my master needs dearly to complete this mission."

"And what about us? Why here you bring us here in our lyoko forms? Why are we in our lyoko forms?",asked Odd with his wrist still point at William.

"Because what X.A.N.A. needs is at the school, particularly in your room.", said William as point to Jeremie. "Yes. There is a program within that computer of yours. I need you alive to download that program, bring it back here, and upload it to the supercomputer. Your job is to protect him as well as one other tasks."

"And that is?", Yumi asked curiously.

"To destroy any witnesses. That means students, teacher, anyone who cares use must be eliminated."

"And what if we refuse to help you?", asked Ulrich.

"You human really treasure family, don't you? Remember that song that nearly killed you Odd?"

All of a sudden, they remember the song. That awful song the nearly killed the entire city.

"Oh, but that wont stop there. Think about the millions of other people in this city. Listening to the sound, slowly dying from the very thing that brings them joy."

If X.A.N.A. was to unleashed it, it would be a disaster. People thought it was a disease. If they let this happen, X.A.N.A. would be unstoppable. They had no choice.

"Fine, then we'll help you, under one condition. Get rid of the song after all of this is over. Deal?", Jeremie negotiated.

william smiled at boy as he made an interesting bargain. "Deal!"

Jeremie go up from his seat and the others prepared to head out. The one thought came into Jeremie's mind, "Oh William, one more question. What exactly does this program do?"

William smirks at the question and answers, "Free X.A.N.A. into the the real world."

The freeze in horror at the fact that X.A.N.A. was a step closer to being freed from his prison. They knew he trying to break out, but from the supercomputer to the internet, but to reality? This was a new level of danger.