Author's note: Thank you for the follows/favourites. I am sorry for updating one day past my deadline. But I warned you about it. It might happen again. To make up for it I made this chapter really long. I hope you still like this story:). Enjoy reading this chapter (especially the...wait I can't spoil it for you. You will have to read it yourself):)!
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!
Chapter 5: Heroes' actions
XANA was in trouble. He hadn't managed to kill Jeremy yet. And Aelita was already at the factory. She would soon unravel his plan. XANA could still pull it off. If Jeremy devirtualized eternally, he would have fewer problems executing a plan. He would have enough time to throw Aelita in the digital sea.
On Lyoko...
Jeremy had been running and hiding for hours and he was fed up now. Using his clever strategies, he managed to destroy half of the monsters chasing him. But the swarm of hornets still hadn't shown themselves. Just as he thought that he was safe, the hornets fired their lasers from all directions. Jeremy started to wonder if he would ever get out alive. With his fingers crossed he ran towards a cave to find shelter. He was hit twice in his left arm. He grabbed his arm, half-concentrated on the pain and half-concentrated on his escape route. He knew there was a small entrance somewhere in the cave. Aelita had used it long ago, when she was hiding from the monsters and waiting for the others.
But he would not be able to spot it so easily, given the fact that he ran for his life, dodging lasers and enduring the pain in his arm. Jeremy hadn't paid enough attention, because he was no longer in the cave. He had missed the entrance. The edge of the sector was within sight and Jeremy was heading straight for it. "If I go left, I will fall into the digital sea," Jeremy said. The same thing would happen if he went right. On top of that, he now faced a dead end. He would have to jump into the digital sea voluntarily if he wanted to keep running away from the monsters. The monsters were closing in on him, ready to fire any moment. One hornet flew forward and pushed Jeremy. He lost his balance and fell, but he clung to the edge. Jeremy could barely get a good grip and he was slipping away.
Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion. Jeremy still held on to the edge, but there was solid ground beneath him. He let go and checked his surroundings. "What is going on? How did I get back in the middle of the mountain sector?" Jeremy thought. He knew his questions would be answered soon, because he saw Aelita and Odd standing a few meters in front of him.
At the factory, a few hours ago...
Aelita searched for the exact location of the signal. She typed some difficult equations and codes, which then appeared on the screen. Every now and then she looked at the screens at the right side, to see if she had made any progress on figuring out where the signal came from. "I found it!"Aelita exclaimed. "Odd," she said immediately afterwards. She had forgotten that he was still fighting the monsters. Aelita decided to go and help Odd. Then they could both be transferred to Lyoko to solve the problem.
She went back the way she came and found Odd cornered by three monsters. Only seven crabs were left, which meant Odd would be bragging about how he destroyed the other twenty-one monsters that quickly. "Oh, hello Princess. As you can see, your timing is perfect," he said and looked at the crabs. "I guess my guardian angel will save me now, so I'll take my leave," Odd said, while he bowed. Aelita giggled at his sarcastic, formal behaviour. She spotted something that looked like a spear, picked it up and threw it towards Odd. It killed the monster in the center. Odd caught the spear, jumped on top of one crab, sliced it in the eye and threw the spear on the other crab. Both monsters exploded as Odd landed on the ground.
"Leave the other four, we need to go to Lyoko to deactivate the tower and to destroy the simulation bubble,"Aelita said. "Am I missing something here? Where did the simulation bubble come from? Why would XANA create it?" Odd asked impatiently. "I'll explain it all on our way to the activated tower,"Aelita told him. They walked to the elevator and went down. Once they were in the lab, Aelita set up the self-virtualization program. Odd kindly let Aelita head down by gesturing she should climb down the stairs first. Aelita smiled.
They were virtualized on Lyoko in the forest sector. "Let's go, Odd," Aelita said. They ran towards the activated tower. Aelita explained that she found the location of signal, after cracking some codes with great difficulty. She saw it was a simulation bubble, but she was clueless about the fact why it was there. However, it was never smart to leave any kind of bubble behind. She referred to the trouble it caused several times before. She further clarified that XANA activated two towers, which were probably controlling the transmissions of monsters from Lyoko to Earth. She would have noted down the second tower's coordinates, if a virus wouldn't have prevented her from doing so. Hence, they will only be able to deactivate one tower and deal with the second later.
Odd looked a little confused, but he had understood everything Aelita just explained. "I get it," Odd answered Aelita's question, before she asked it. He could tell from her face that she was about to ask if he could keep up with all the information. "I won't forget that you and Einstein have the brains, but I am able to understand it. As long as you speak in simple English. And who needs brains, if you can destroy twenty-one monsters really quickly?" Odd said, already bragging. Aelita smiled, she had known that he would brag at some point. "Odd, I will be right back. Then we can head for the simulation bubble together,"Aelita said.
Odd had waited until she came out of the tower. For a few moments he had stared at her beauty and he had been amazed by her courage, despite everything she had been through. The two Lyoko warriors sprinted towards a way tower, into the mountain sector and towards the simulation bubble. Aelita sat down on her knees, put her hands against the white aura and sang. The bubble shattered into pieces, disappearing soon afterwards. Odd and Aelita saw Jeremy standing across from them. Odd noticed the two Einsteins holding each other's gaze. He felt weird, as if he was set aside. He did not know why. Eventually his ignorance got the better of him. "Hi, Einstein, I certainly wasn't expecting you on Lyoko," Odd mocked him because he had sworn never to set foot on Lyoko again.
After telling each other their stories and suspicions about XANA, Jeremy asked his questions. Aelita calmly answered them and Odd stood there watching them. Aelita told Jeremy that he was fooled by XANA. Jeremy had been led to believe that he had returned to the past and ended up in Lyoko. But he was actually transported in the simulation bubble, in order for XANA to make an end to his existence. Jeremy never returned to the past, which means that also he had been affected by the messed up program. "That does explain a lot. XANA hadn't prepared himself for any flaws. Where are Yumi and Ulrich?" Jeremy asked Aelita. "We don't know, but they could be in trouble, so our priority is deactivating that other tower,"Aelita said firmly. Odd rejoiced at hearing 'we' from Aelita. "Was it because of the conversation they had earlier?" Odd thought. He snapped out of his thoughts after Jeremy talked to him. "Odd, devirtualize me. I will be able to guide you both. Moreover, I can fix those programs," Jeremy said. Odd and Aelita agreed. Odd shot three laser arrows at his friend. "Shall we be heroes once more, Princess?" Odd asked politely. Aelita's eyes told him she was ready and he saw her nodding 'yes'.
Meanwhile at the forest somewhere in the past...
Ulrich and Yumi were on their guard, but they were still holding hands. Every time Ulrich squeezed her hand a little, Yumi's heart filled with the sense of adventure. Her feelings mixed with her caution and a little anxiety. Although, every squeeze of Ulrich's reassured her that she was not alone. Someone shared that same anxiety and maybe, hopefully also the feelings, even if they were all mixed up. "I think we're safe. We have been wandering for hours. Let's search for some food and water. Besides, we still need to recover some more," Ulrich said. Yumi agreed.
After some time they had found themselves a few apples and a small brook. They ate and drank. Time passed and none of the monsters showed themselves. They had put their 'weapons' away. Since carrying the weapons tired them because they were not fully recovered. It was dark, the blue-black sky had appeared. They had decided not to return to the shed, because it was likely to be surrounded by monsters and they would probably struggle to find their way back at night. They simply sat on the ground and waited for the perfect moment to fall asleep.
Then Yumi asked him the wrong question. "Ulrich, why do you always react so angrily when William is around? You know, he can be nice," Yumi said. "I am sorry Yumi, I really don't feel like talking about William. You could have asked me anything now, but I request you to not mention William," Ulrich said disregarding the question a little. "I can't stand him being around..you."Ulrich muttered and leaned back until he lay on the ground, facing the sky. However Yumi had heard the 'you'. "Are you jealous?" Yumi asked carefully. Ulrich closed his eyes, not daring to look into her eyes to see her reaction. He sighed deeply and answered, "yes." "Why?" Yumi asked as normally as she could. "Yumi, please, not now," Ulrich paused, "William almost always makes you feel flattered. I can see it. I just...I don't know," Ulrich said. His answer was not complete, but he just couldn't say it. Not like this, not when William was the subject. He wouldn't rely on his conflicts with Williams to tell Yumi the truth. He opened his eyes, turned his face and saw Yumi lying next to him. He smiled, breathed in and out as he watched the stars. Yumi and Ulrich soon fell asleep with their fingers intertwined...
It was morning again and Ulrich was preparing to leave the forest. Today they would discover a way to get out of there, he was sure. He looked over at Yumi, who was still sleeping. He had known she needed to rest, but she had refused. She woke up and Ulrich quickly glanced at his weapons. "Good morning Yumi," Ulrich said, sounding happier than yesterday. "Good morning Ulrich," Yumi said, yawning. "Unfortunately, there is no food left. We'll drink some water and then we will figure out a way to return home. I mean to our present, not in the past," Ulrich told her. Yumi nodded silently and drank some water.
After an hour they were ready. It seemed as if the monsters wouldn't permit them to leave, because they were approaching from all directions. Ulrich's leg was still throbbing, but Yumi had all her strength back. They would fight, survival being their top priority now. Eight blocks were closing in on them with eight tarantulas behind them. The blocks fired their orange rings at them, while the tarantulas started walking up straight to get a better aim and fired their lasers. Ulrich and Yumi split up, each running in a different direction. The monsters did the same. It was the beginning of a long chase.
Ulrich had managed to destroy all the blocks that were chasing him. "Five monsters down, three tarantulas to go," he thought. Ulrich was surprised that the screwdrivers he had, could actually kill the blocks, if they had a high speed. He had thrown them as fast as he could, straight into XANA's symbol, and it had worked. However, Ulrich only had his saw to defend himself now. From the corner of his eye he spotted a tarantula in range. He twisted on his unharmed leg and spun the saw with it, slicing through the head of the monster. "I hope Yumi is all right," Ulrich thought, concerned about the girl.
Yumi was used to confronting tarantulas, so she had easily killed all five of them. The blocks, however, were incredibly annoying. They kept changing tactics. They would fire their ice rays, then they would use their fire rings. Yumi hardly kept up. To make matters worse, creepers blocked her exit. "At least XANA hasn't sent the most difficult monsters to kill," Yumi stated. It would be hard to escape, because she was out of knives and she had dropped her ax somewhere. Two hornets appeared from behind a tree. Only a miracle could save her now.
Ulrich yelled and ran forward as quickly as his legs allowed him to run. He came in from the right, which created the opportunity to strike the three blocks as he ran passed them. He made a U-turn and repeated his actions killing the creepers. Ulrich's timing was perfect and Yumi thanked him for it. "There is no need to say 'thank you'. You know I'd do anything for you," Ulrich said, making Yumi blush. Then the two hornets fired at Yumi, but Ulrich saw this. He pushed Yumi aside and jumped in front of her. He spread out his arms and was hit by two lasers, one in his wounded leg and one in his left arm. Ulrich flinched and screamed, but he gave no sign of surrender. He threw his saw at the hornets. The pain took over and he lowered himself on one knee. Ulrich was satisfied after hearing two explosions.
With a lot of effort he stood on both feet again. Across from him was Yumi. "Thank you for saving my life, again. But why did you take the hits? You were already hurt and now you are wounded even worse," Yumi said with a shaky voice. Ulrich's face hardened when he spotted crabs and kankrelats around them. One of the monsters fired at Yumi again. He took Yumi's hand and with force, he pulled her away from the monsters straight towards him. Yumi ended in his arms. She felt his right arm embrace her. "Because I need you. I told you I'd do anything for you. I can't lose you," he whispered.
Yumi had closed her eyes when she had heard Ulrich's response. Ulrich's arm remained where it was. While standing there, hugging her, Ulrich closed his eyes and waited for the monsters to make a move. They waited and prepared for the worst.