[ Jeremie's POV ]
Jeremie smiled as the others joined him at the screens in the lab. That last XANA attacked seemed so random. There was no damage that they saw or heard about, so they decided to not launch a return in time.
"So…as I was about to say before XANA woke up on us…" Jeremie explained as Aelita popped her head up onto the screens.
"That there might be a link between Alice and Lyoko? Maybe even more about me?" Aelita asked him. Jeremie nodded his head at her. There was no doubt in his mind that Alice had to be linked to the supercomputers for XANA to go after her. Why waste time hunting down some random stranger and her family? Just as Jeremie was about to say something else, a message appeared on the screens. Jeremie raised an eyebrow up at it.
"Huh? That's strange…" Jeremie said as he began to type in the keyboard. His fingers moving quickly.
"What is it? Another XANA attack?" Ulrich asked him, concern. Jeremie shook his head.
"It seems that Alice is trying to connect to the supercomputer in the prison." Jeremie explained to the shocked group. Jeremie quickly let her through his firewalls he had made around parts of the supercomputer to protect it from XANA. Soon, a small text box appeared. The three warriors leaned over Jeremie's shoulder to read it.
'Prisoner #081099 Alice Anthea Hopper wishes to video chat with you. Accept? Y? N?'
"Well? Should we talk with her?" Aelita asked since the group had not said anything for a while. Odd nodded his head as Ulrich scratched his chin. Yumi and Jeremie nodded as well.
"Well then… time to meet this victim of XANA…" Jeremie said as he hit the yes button. The gang watched as the window grew in size onto the screen. A young adult girl's face was in the center of the screen. She had on an orange jump suit and some old looking headphones. She brushed her pink tipped blonde hair from her glasses and blue eyes. She smiled a bit at them as she adjusted the mike attached to the headphones.
"Er, I wasn't expecting a crowd… Hi, I'm Alice. Care to tell me who you all are and why you're in the lab?" she asked, her voice sounding sweet and strong.
"Well, I'm Jeremie Belpois. This is Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich Stern, and Yumi Ishiyama. "Jeremie explained as he pointed to each of them. Alice nodded her head as she looked over them.
"And I'm here as well… I'm Aelita, but I think you already know that." Aelita said from the screen. Alice looked down and clicked some keys. She then soon smile as she looked up, so Jeremie could only assumed she managed to get Aelita onto her screen as well.
"I… I do and don't I'm afraid." Alice told her, looking away. Aelita raised an eyebrow at her.
"Just a few moments ago… I passed out in my cell. I woke up confused as I think I suffered some kind of head trauma. All my memories of the past are a bit fuzzy. But I do remember an Aelita in my life…" Alice told them. Jeremie scratched his chin as he wondered...
"Well, I'm glad that you're alright now. " Aelita told her with a smile. The others behind Jeremie all nodded their heads.
"Thanks. So tell me… how did all of you discover the lab and Lyoko?" Alice asked them. Jeremie smiled and began to explain. He went on about how a simple robot part search lead to this very moment. Alice listens and nodded her head at different parts.
"I see… so now XANA has marked you as targets and is going to try to kill you." Alice said as she rubbed her chin.
"Well then.. I guess it is a good thing I'm about to put in a request for an appeal of my case. I can see that I'm needed there more than here. Sitting here was all that I could do to keep XANA happy and not to attack other humans before the fail safe turned off the computer." Alice said calmly. The gang and Jeremie all gasped and smiled at her.
"I hope you win that appeal then! Especially since that evidence is all bogus." Yumi told her.
"Wait… what fail safe are you talking about?" Jeremie asked her, worried.
"It was Doodle's idea. When all know warriors of Lyoko are either permanently virtualized, dead, or arrested, the computer activates it. Only someone who holds the keys to Lyoko can deactivate it before it shuts down 48 hours later." Alice explained to them. Jeremie rubbed his chin as the others nodded their heads. Alice chuckled a bit at the screens.
"Sorry… but the way you look right now there Jeremie is how Doodle always looked when he was deep in thought. I used to love calling him the digital thinker when he was like that." Alice joked from the screen. Odd giggled as Ulrich and Yumi merely smiled at her. Jeremie rolled his eyes at her.
"So… I want to know, What really happen to Doodle and Franz Hopper?" Aelita asked from the screen. Jeremie wanted to ask her as well, but Aelita beat him to it.
Alice sighed and rubbed her right forearm. There was something there…but it was hard to make out. "Well… from what I can remember since everything is a bit foggy. Doodle is…is dead. I still have a hard time saying that… He died from an XANA attack, earthquake. Back then, him and I were the entire Lyoko Warriors. Franz was doing…something during the day so he could never get away. Franz also did not fully understand the danger and evilness XANA became. So, Doodle handled the controls as I was the one who would fight on Lyoko. If I ever lost, Doodle took over and I run the controls. After Doodle died, XANA calmed down a bit. But then the others found us, the Men In Black. There apart of some group Franz was from originally. They wanted him back and were not afraid who they hurt to get at him. Franz ran to the lab and I tried to hold them off in the woods. But they knocked me out cold and tied me up under a tree. I managed to break free a few hours later and made my way to the lab. I found out that Franz made it to Lyoko and is hiding someplace in the digital web. I-I think he made you Aelita then to protect Lyoko in his absents and to stop XANA where he failed. I tried to find him and bring him back.. but I couldn't do it. I left for the night and there was another XANA attack. He made fake bodies of Franz and Doodle. Made that stupid fake video of me killing them. Slid a machete with pigs blood on it into my old room at our house. I was out cold by XANA the night of the attack. I tried to get the police to draw my blood for a drug test, but they waited too long. I asked my lawyer to ask the forensic lab to test the hair the police did collect of mine to see I was not lying. I've had no choice. Either go to trial and face the death penalty... or admit to it all and go to jail for life. Either way XANA won.. for now. Now that technology has advance enough, I can prove it's all fake and be set free at last."
"Then let's hope today's technology can help you out Alice. You shouldn't be locked up by XANA, not like this. Once your free we can help you.. I think." Jeremie rubbed the back of his head after he spoke out.
"Oh, I'll only need the lab once I'm free to set things right. I have a modified system here to do some basic coding. Once done, I'm planning something to help myself and you guys out. But I can't say more on this open connection. It's one thing for the guards to overhear me say XANA and my past. They think it's some video game I'm making while here. Helps that the operating system of the lab and this one is so complex no one but me here can figure it out. Well, besides you there Jeremie." Alice grin at them, nodding at Jeremie in turn.
"I better be off here. It's almost dinner time and I have to break the news of my appeal trial to the few friends I have here. I'm going to send you a number for a burner phone I have hidden in my cell. Just in case you need me, but only for emergencies. I'd hate to get held back in an appeal for having it. I have the number there for the lab in case I need to reach out to you in turn. Just keep up the good fight and I'll keep you all in the loop in my case." Alice added on, looking at a clock on the wall.
"Mind calling us again this time tomorrow? I'd like to pick your mind some more about the computer and everything." Jeremie asked as Alice nodded.
"Sure, I have unlimited, un-monitored time in this lab. You guys good luck with whatever you do during the day. I'd guess school since I know my old school, Kadic Academy in nearby." Alice waved at them.
"Actually we all go there as well. Yumi is a year older then us, but the rest of us boys all share classes together." Odd grin at her in turn.
"Oh? How's old man Delmas? He still the Dean there? His daughter Elizabeth should be your age now I think. She was so sweet, running around the courtyard after her school classes. She and I used to play tag before Mr. Delmas took her home for the night and our curfews." Alice grin at them in turn.
"He's still the dean and she likes being called Sissi now. She's a bit.. oh how can I describe her tactfully?" Odd asked the group.
"Annoying and nosy to what we are doing." Ulrich called out to Odd's question.
"Yeah that's the words I'm looking for." Odd grin as everyone laughed. Alice soon sign off after leaving the number with them. Jeremie made sure to copy it into his phone as did the others.
"Well I'd say we made a new friend tonight. I hope everything goes to plan with her and she gets out of there. I'd like to learn more from her about the computer and Lyoko." Jeremie turn in the chair to the others.
"Not to mention dirt on Sissi's early years! Who knew Kadic's little princess has a soft side and a love of the game of tag." Odd grin in turn to the gang. They all chuckled a bit at the thought of it.
"I wonder what she has planed. Alice said she was working on something to help herself and us once she's free. I hope it's not illegal or dangerous." Yumi chimed in once the laughter died down.
"And what we do to save the world from XANA isn't? I'm sure Alice has a reason for whatever she got planned. We can make her tell us once she's free before she uses the computer. " Jeremie waved it off. They all soon left and headed back to school with a wave good night to Aelita.
(And so the stage is set. Will Alice become free once more? Will the gang of kids gain a powerful ally with her? Or does XANA have a few more tricks up his digital sleeves to deal with her? Find out next time I update! [This time I swear it won't be as long of a wait as this was!] ^^ ~Xanta )