A little something in this chapter. Read if you want to know. Something cruel but don't worry. He's one of my favorites so I won't do something that bad. A bit of YxU here too. Hey, some drama isn't that bad. Don't hate me though; you can never judge a book by its cover. Read on and review. Thanks for reading and enjoy. Oh, and added a POV of one of the aliens, small one, thought, I don't want to take the credit out of the Lyoko warriors.


Chapter 11: Gone

Yumi's POV

"Ulrich," I said when we arrived to the desert sector. "Ulrich, wake up," I shook him. He wouldn't wake up. What if some of his data stayed on Eonor? Would he ever wake up? Did some of his data break?

Lasers hit Ulrich's body and he was de-virtualized. I turned to see tarantulas coming along with some creatures that looked like sharks. "Larks," Korran hissed just when I was being de-virtualized.

I felt drained when I came out in the scanner room. Ulrich was on the floor in the scanner across from me. I stumbled towards him. I sat down next to him and held his head. "Ulrich?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes. What if he didn't wake up? I brought his head up to my lap and sat there with him. I stroke his hair. He was still breathing. His heart was still beating. He was still alive. If his mind was elsewhere we could find it like last time. Even if now we had the entire net to look for but we could find him.

His eyes started moving. His hand reached up to his head. "Ugh," he opened his eyes and frowned in confusion at me. "Yumi?" he asked confused looking around the room.

I sighed in relief, "Hey Ulrich. Are you okay?" I was glad he was still thinking and was lucid.

"Yeah, just a headache, what happened?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "You just got shot on Eonor. Then you got de-virtualized on Lyoko. I followed you here to make sure you were okay."

He nodded. "In your lap?" I turned scarlet red feeling all the blood rush into my cheeks. He smiled, "Like it when you blush." He reached up to my cheek; I froze not knowing what to do. I combed his hair and just smiled at him.


Odd's POV

"Laser arrow," I said and started shooting arrows. Korran had turned invisible so I couldn't see where he was. Meiah was using fire. I could see her through the flames. I started running towards her. The ground breaking with the vines that now started sprouting, my claws were glowing.

I broke through the flames and saw Meiah I was about to enclose her when she disappeared into flames. There were flames everywhere around me. Soon I noticed that I had led myself into her trap. Whips came and went from every direction. The static that spread over my body were evidence of damage but by the feeling of it I could tell that the damage wasn't that effective. Then my arms got gripped by the whip. Fire rose through it making it ache. I thought you couldn't get burned in this cyber world but you could. I was yanked from the ground and sent flying.

I didn't realize were I was going until I heard Korran shout my name and saw one of his blades aiming at me. The blade came from above and I noticed the sector. It was too far from where I was. I felt the coldness of something in my back. I knew I was too late. But my last thought was the one that mostly took me back: Lyoko will never let me die.


Korran's POV

I couldn't believe it. The light rose up to the digital sky. Odd was gone. He wouldn't be able to come back. He was lost in the digital sea. I saw a big sphere, it opened and a red wall came straight towards me. I did not resist. I had left them lose someone. But how? Why hadn't I been in time?

I came into the scanner room. Yumi and Ulrich were there. They both looked at me. I slumped on the ground and said nothing. Silence was everything that was heard. Odd was gone. Gone because I wasn't fast enough to get to him. I should have been more careful. Maybe this wouldn't have happened.


William's POV

We destroyed the second replika. This one was Xana's because it had the mountain sector. I returned towards Lyoko. We were silent. As soon as we got to sector five I parked my mini ship on his spot and came into the sector. I was instantly de-virtualized. I came to see everyone. Jeremy and Aelita were materialized with me. We sighed and stepped into the real world. Korran was slumped on the ground. Yumi had Ulrich's head on her lap.

"Where's Odd?" Jeremy asked.

"Probably on Lyoko," Yumi replied looking up at him.

Jeremy frowned, "I didn't pick up his signal anywhere in Lyoko."

"Because he's not here," Korran said. He sighed and looked up at us, sorrow in his eyes. "He fell into the digital sea. I tried to save him but I was too late," he confessed. "I am sorry."

"What?" Ulrich stood up. "Are you saying?"

Korran nodded, "He's lost, I'm sorry. My blade didn't reach him on time."

"Odd, Odd can't be lost," Aelita said. "He can't be," she broke into tears. Jeremy pulled her into his arms.

"Meiah, she threw him off," Korran explained. "I tried, I really did but I just couldn't…" he trailed off.

For a moment I started looking for codes to the digital sea. I am aware that I could go into the digital sea without any problems. Maybe I could go but Igo. couldn't find the codes. I identified all the codes in my mind but it seems that there isn't a code for the digital sea. As if Xana wasn't under its control or if it had direct control and didn't need me for anything there.

"Is this true?" Angelo asked Korran as he crossed his arms. Korran nodded and stared at the floor unable to look up at us. I didn't know Odd that well. I had only spoken to him a few times so I couldn't feel that magnitude of sorrow that the others had but I did feel something because I knew he was one of the few friends I had here. I had to recover him from the digital sea. But how would I do that?

"Aelita," I said. "Maybe we can find something about the digital sea in your father's other lab," I suggested.

She nodded, "Good idea, I'll go with Jeremy and tell you if we find anything," Aelita took Jeremy's hand and they darted into the elevator. They disappeared behind the closing doors.

Ulrich stared at Korran as if he had murdered someone. "You," Ulrich said.

"He has no fault," I said to Ulrich his eyes darted towards me. "It would have been the same if any of us would be there. None of us could have that speed to save him. We will bring him back," I assured him. "Don't worry."

A phone rang. Korran scrambled to take out the phone. He answered, "Hello? Uh, yeah, tomorrow at eight, okay, got it. Thank you, see you then. Bye," he said and hung up. He held the phone up to Ulrich without looking at him. "Thank you for the phone. I already have work. I'm really sorry," he said lowly.

Ulrich took his phone and stumped his way to the elevator when it opened he scrambled in. Yumi followed him and the doors closed. I was left on the room with Hunter, Angelo and Korran.

"Did he really fall into the sea?" Hunter asked Korran.

Korran nodded at him. "I am sorry," he said and began speaking in another language that seemed Russian or something but I knew it was the language spoken in Xohan. They spoke for a while. Then Angelo turned to me.

He sighed before he spoke, "Let's go to the school. It's already late."

Korran sighed. "I am sorry," he said to me.

I shook my head. "I couldn't have done better than you. You tried your best. That counts, whatever, get ready for work tomorrow, where are you working at?"

"Twenty minute walk from here. Construction sight, near Leiah. I'll be working five days a week. Something I didn't have before," he said.

"Korran, we will be going back to the school, see you then. Take care," Angelo said and hit the button for the elevator. It opened and we filled in. Korran was left alone. He nodded and I said don't worry before the doors closed. We came to the surface and made a run towards the school.

We got to the school. There were students everywhere. From this point we split up. Hunter and Angelo went elsewhere I went to walk around.

I spotted Sissy alone sitting on a corner. Awkward that she wasn't with any of her friends in a time like this. They were always with her, especially Herb. I walked up to her with a smirk on my face, "Hey Sissy, what're you doing? Aren't those two geeks friends of your around?" I teased.

"Go find someone else to poke on, William," from the hoarseness of her voice I knew that she's been crying. Suddenly I felt curiosity.

"What's wrong?" I asked her with raising an eye brow. I sat down near her. She turned away and I could catch a glimpse at her red eyes.

"Please, William, leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to be bugged now," she said after clearing her throat.

"I'm not here to bug you. Wanna talk about it?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry. Go, you have friends to be with," she said. What she said caught my attention and made me think.

"What happened with Nicolas and Herb?" I asked.

"Oh, those are some rats," she blew up the cap. "Herb tried to forcefully kiss me last night and Nicolas didn't do anything," she said. "I called the friendship off, who cares about them anyway."

"Who will you be with then?" I asked and she flinched. Then I noticed that the rest of the school was against her. I understood she was alone now.

She looked down; a tear escaped from her and ran down her cheek. "I was going to a few girls to start speaking with them but they started speaking with sarcasm and asking for me to go bug somewhere else. They said that the school didn't need anyone like me," she said. Not something I did not know, though. She continued, "I know and have heard people say that to me but it wasn't until today that I actually realized how true it is." She looked up at me, "William, am I that bad of a person?"

I scratched my hair, "Well," I didn't want to lie to her but what could I say? I didn't want her to feel bad.

"Be honest, I can handle a bit more," she threw her arms up in surrender. Her expression belonged to a hopeless. She was obviously on her lowest state.

"You just thought of yourself like someone better than the rest," I finally said. "Not that you did anything to me but to others. I don't think you're that bad. Hey, being rebel is part of being a teen."

"I'm twelve," she added.

"I'm fourteen and was just like you, worse actually, you could say a juvenile delinquent. I stole from shops, learned lock picking. Vandalized my school too." Sissy raised her eyebrows and looked at me like if I had just grown an extra eye or something. "You are far better than I was," I finished with a smirk.

"Do you keep doing those things?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "For a strange reason I stopped and calmed myself down. You know, I kind of miss playing pranks. Got anyone you have grudges against?" I raised an eyebrow as I spoke.

An evil smile appeared across her face. "Herb," she said. "That dork has to pay for even thinking of kissing me."

"Didn't you ever realize he was in love with you?" I asked her. Sissy shook her head. I rolled my eyes, "Girls are blind."

She laughed. "Don't be like that. I've seen guys in the same situation," she replied.

I chuckled. "Really, who?" she asked.

Her smile faded and she looked down. "Ulrich Stern," she said lowly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I think I'm going up to my dorm. Thanks for your time, William," she stood up and walked away before I could even reply. I just waved even if she didn't turn to look at me. Geez, she really has a soft side after all.


Ulrich's POV

I couldn't help but let a few tears escape. Yumi stroke my hair as comfort. We were in my dorm. Well Odd's dorm too. Or so it was. Kiwi barked and jumped on my bed. I looked at him and rubbed his ear. What would I do with him? Odd was always the one who gave him everything. Food, bath, walks, everything. I just couldn't understand, why Odd? He was one of the strongest among us.

"Ulrich, I'm sure they will find him. We will find him. Stop crying, please, you're going to make me cry too," she said. I wasn't even crying. I had only counted two tears. She was the one breaking down with waterfalls. She sniffed and I understood that she was the one who most needed comfort.

I sat up and kissed her, deeply. Only few times we had been able to do this and none of those like now. I parted after a few seconds. I looked at her in the eyes. She was still crying. I wiped her tears away with my thumbs. "You're right, we have to be strong," I said. "For Odd's sake we have to be strong and find him in the digital sea. Even if he's fragmented we'll be able to put him back together and bring him to Earth?"

"What will Jeremy do? Odd will be missing, you know," she pointed out.

I shook my head not knowing the answer, "Maybe call that he went on vacation. Maybe a clone of him, I don't know."

She nodded, "How can we help?"

"We go to sector five and access the interface. Aelita always gets good data from there. Maybe there's something," I suggested.

"When?"

"Tomorrow," I said. "We skip class and go to sector five, look for some time there and then come back for our other classes. If someone asks, we overslept."

"Who else will come?" she asked.

"Jeremy and Aelita are both worked up and I doubt it won't be awkward if William oversleeps too." Yumi nodded one last time.


Aelita's POV

Jeremy was looking through the computer. Apparently he had found many useful things and lots of entries of my father's diary but he said that they were locked. He would decode them later he said. I had found little information about the digital sea and what it was.

"Jeremy, do you think this is pointless?" I asked hiding my sorrow behind my tone. I knew Lyoko well but I didn't know what led on the digital sea. I had only been there once and came back because dad saved me. Dad was the only one that could access the digital sea. I wonder what it could be. It's the greatest mystery for us. None of us have ever seen the digital sea as a sector, what if it was one? A new one? Or what if it had the same function as the recycle bin in a computer? Would Odd be lost?

"Uh, no, I have found many things. There are codes on red and purple, I'm guessing they are of Xana and Lexia," Jeremy said.

"Why Lexia?" I asked looking over his shoulder.

He stopped typing. "Lexia is older than Xana, I do not know for how many years but it seems like if they were codes of signals they sent. Maybe William can identify them," he suggested. "But we need to do further research. Did you find anything in the papers?"

"Bills and receipts of when he built the supercomputer, some were faded but I could read them and trace them over with my pen. They are clear now. Looks like the black market was where my father bought the most expensive things," I replied.

He nodded, "Anything else?"

"About the monsters," I responded. "The tarantulas aren't there, the skiphosoa is new and by the looks of it the sharks are too. The most creatures are from Lexia. There are over fifteen," I said. "Then are attacks, the progress of the supercomputer. The theory of birth towers is here too. I found information about something about the virus control. And what is this?" I picked up a sheet of paper with some new codes. These were written in blue and somehow I identified some of them. Scipio, sector five. And other codes, we used them to reconstruct Lyoko. I can't believe this. "These are codes I use. My creativity on Lyoko, the reason I can do whatever I want. There are even the keys."

Jeremy stared at me and then came to look at the codes. There were others that were written in yellow that I did not recognize. Maybe Angelo knew about them. These codes could be the keys to Lyoko and Eonor. But why these colors?

"This can mean anything," Jeremy said. "Um, do you see anything about the digital sea? Anything labeled?" he asked me.

I started looking through some papers, "Don't see anything. Wait," I took out another paper, "Codes, these are orange," she said.

"What color is the digital sea?"

I shook my head. "Blue in the ice sector, orange in the forest and desert sector. You can't see it from the mountain sector. And sector five… I don't know," I replied. "Maybe we can try these out."

"What if they are errors of the system?" Jeremy made me think with that.

"Let me check," I went to the computer and searched through the interface and then started through the computer. I found a search program and decided to use it with the code. When I entered a new window appeared. It was all fragmented data. "Doesn't seem right."

"What are these about?" Jeremy asked.

"Maybe codes that my father used when programing Lyoko," I said.

Jeremy frowned, "But aren't codes just there to turn programs on?"

"Seems like but… this can't be," I said looking at some data.

"What is it?" Jeremy asked looking at the screen and then his eyes grew wide when he took in the information. "Is this?" I nodded. He just stared at the screen in disbelief. Maybe our searching wasn't unsuccessful at all.


Cliff hanger, sorry I just was taking too long to write this chapter. I will update as soon as I can. And don't hate me by this. A bit of drama isn't that bad. Odd has always been my favorite fighter. Please review if you can. I always wait for a few. To ease you a bit, I'll start the next chapter as soon as I upload this.