Chapter 12

Fall down seven times, stand up eight. - Anonymous

"Are we supposed to multiply by three or add two first?"

"I think we're multiplying."

"But there are parentheses in the parentheses so we solve for those first, which is addition."

"So we add in the middle parentheses, get rid of the parentheses, and then multiply in the original parentheses?"

"Maybe?"

"This is hopeless."

The three teens sighed as they all put their homework back down on the floor. Odd, Ulrich and Aubrey we're all sitting in the guys room attempting algebra. Odd was sitting on his bed petting Kiwi while Aubrey and Ulrich shared the other, sitting close enough to each other that their legs were practically touching and they would occasionally touch elbows. Aubrey lost count of the amount of blushes she held back that night.

"This is why we need Jeremy and Aelita." Odd sighed. "What are they doing anyway?"

"Working on the skid as usual." Ulrich answered, rolling his eyes. "They've been at it all week."

"I've only really seen Aelita in class." Aubrey admitted sadly. The three of them had been hard at work on the gym with occasional help from Yumi while the two resident geniuses worked on their own Lyoko projects. It had been going okay, but the friends all missed spending time together.

"That's it, we're all hanging out on Sunday, no questions asked." Odd decided.

"And in the mean time we should finish our homework so it doesn't turn into a tutoring session." Ulrich added.

The three groaned and got back to work.

"Where does the exponent come in?" Aubrey asked.

"After the parentheses is solved."

"There was an exponent?" Odd exclaimed. Aubrey and Ulrich looked up at him.

"Yeah, didn't you copy it down-"

"-it came after the first parentheses."

Odd stared at them.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do-"

"-what?"

"That! Why are you finishing each other sentences!"

"Does it bother you?"

"Holy crap! Are you reading each others minds or something?!"

The two burst out laughing.

"N-no." Aubrey breathed out. "W-we just wanted to see how many people we could freak out. We planned it in science."

"The rule is that Aubrey starts and I finish-"

"And I have no idea what Ulrich will say."

"But you just reversed it!" Odd claimed, frustrated. They laughed again.

"That was the plan if someone called us out."

"Stop!"

Just then, Odd's phone rang. He picked it up quickly and answered on speaker.

"Jeremy! Just in time, the twins are being freaky."

"What twins?"

"Ulrich and Aubrey! They're talking at the same time and finishing each other's sentences and it's weird."

"Worry about it later. Right now X.A.N.A's attacking the core and I need you all down here A.S.A.P."

"Sweet! We're on the way. Later Jeremy!"

As soon as he ended the call Odd jumped up and headed for the door. (Ulrich and Aubrey had refused to let him take off his shoes in fear of the smell)

Aubrey tugged on her converse and stood up next to Ulrich, giggling to herself as she watched Odd speed up to get away from them.

"Don't worry Odd! We didn't plan any farther then this, so no more twinning for now!"

"Good." He answered, slowing down so that he was speed walking between the them. He threw his arms around the two. "I thought I was going to have to disown you two as my best friends for a second there."

Aubrey faltered for a second.

'I'm one of his best friends?'

"The only one doing disowning today will be Jeremy if we don't get down to the factory!" Ulrich laughed. The three exchanged looks, grinning, then took off.

"We're here!" Aubrey announced, throwing up her arms as she stepped out of the elevator. Jeremy glanced at her unamused.

"Yes, I know. I heard the elevator."

"Someone's grumpy." Aubrey observed. He glared.

"Someone has been trying to program the skid while watching as X.A.N.A not only attacks the core but activates a tower!"

"Calm down Einstein. We're here now and we'll handle it." Ulrich soothed, stepping in front of Aubrey slightly. Jeremy took a deep breath.

"Okay. Head down to the scanner room, Aelita and Yumi are waiting for you there."

"Aye aye captain!" Odd saluted. He punched in the code and didn't drop his salute until the doors closed.

Ulrich placed a hand on Aubrey's shoulder, noticing that she seemed slightly downcast.

"It's okay, he's just stressed. A good night's rest and he'll be fine."

"Y-yeah, I know." The girl mumbled, still seeming a bit unconvinced. The doors opened again and the three were greeted by Yumi and Aelita. They noticed right off the bat that Aelita seemed more tired and stressed then usual.

"Is everything alright?" Aubrey asked, hugging Aelita from the side. The pinkette turned her head to look at her younger friend.

"Everything is fine." She assured, albeit unconvincingly. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

"Well we'll make sure you get rest tonight, even if I have to monitor you in my room to do so." Aubrey promised. Aelita smiled at her.

"Alright guys, Aubrey, Ulrich and Odd are going to sector five while Yumi and Aelita go to the tower. X.A.N.A's freezing up my systems, so let's make it fast. I'll send the two ladies first."

Yumi and Aelita waved to their friends and stepped into the scanners.

"Transfer Yumi, Transfer Aelita...Scanner Yumi, Scanner Aelita...Virtualization!"

The scanners opened again, no longer containing either girl. The other three teens each stepped into one.

"Here comes the Terrific Trio!"

"What?" Aubrey asked, her voice being cut off by the scanner doors closing.

"Transfer Odd, Transfer Ulrich, Transfer Aubrey...Scanner Odd, Scanner Ulrich, Scanner Aubrey...Virtualization!"

Aubrey's vision went white until she suddenly found herself staring at the edge of the desert sector. As soon as she dropped to the ground she took off running after Ulrich and Odd.

"What's the Terrific Trio?" Aubrey asked, running with Odd.

"It's us!"

"That's not going to work..." Ulrich trailed off. Odd nodded seriously.

"Yeah, Terrific doesn't sound right. I'll find another name for our trio. Hmm..."

"How about the Talkative Trio?" Jeremy snorted.

"Hey!"

"Never mind that now. I'm sending the transportation orb, it'll be there in a moment."

"I hate the orb." Odd groaned.

"Umm, why?"

"He always gets sick." Ulrich shrugged. "Not sure how, but he does."

"I'll have you know that-" In the middle of his sentence, all three were swept into the white orb.

Traveling through the orb was similar to entering Lyoko through the scanners, only it lasted longer and the feeling was more intense. For Aubrey, all she could see was white and she felt like her very essence was slowly coming unraveled.

It ended as suddenly as it came.

Aubrey found that as soon as they were dumped she was overcome with a feeling of dizziness. She groaned, stumbling into Ulrich and leaning onto him for support.

"You too?" He asked, patting her head. Odd moaned behind him.

"I think it's an animal thing."

"The clock's started."

"Come on, let's go. You can't get sick here, I promise." Ulrich coaxed, pushing Aubrey foreword a bit. She took a deep breath and began to sprint towards the hallway that had opened in the wall. If she remembered correctly, there would be a key hidden in the next room which they had three minutes to press or else the room would fall apart. Then they would have to keep running through to the edge of the sector where their vehicles would be loaded so they could get to the core through an opening at the bottom of the sphere. The door opened and closed rapidly, making it difficult to get through.

"How come you weren't that nice to me the first time I was sick?" Odd pouted, whining to his male friend. Ulrich glared at him, refusing to answer.

Aubrey slowed down when they came into the next room, letting her eyes wonder around in search of the key. It was supposed to look like the X.A.N.A. symbol...

While she searched, she took time to look at the room. Through the center of it was one higher level blue path which had large shallow pits on either side. The wall was made from long blue blocks that stuck out in different layers moving up and down. Above them two blue blocks floated back and forth between the walls.

"There!" Ulrich shouted, pointing to the far right corner. The key was sitting perfectly in the corner of the walls and the ceiling.

Odd whistled. "That's pretty high up."

"Two minutes." Jeremy warned.

"You know, I could probably jump up there." Aubrey contemplated.

"Well do it fast, the creepers are here." The samurai boy cautioned, pulling out his saber. His back was to Aubrey as he eyed the monsters. Odd took a similar stance, holding out his arm and readying aim.

"We've got you covered Rabbit."

"Alright then, here I go!" She kicked off the ground, launching herself into a powerful jump towards the blocks. As she rose up, she caught sight of the lasers being fired beneath her. The girl shook her head. She couldn't be scared right now, she needed to get to the key.

She paused for a moment at the rising blocks, trying to map a path. Finally, she gave up and just decided to start jumping. Act now think later, a common philosophy of hers.

She bounced up again, landing on the first block and immediately launching into another.

'Don't slow down, don't slow down.' She chanted, jumping from block to block. On the fifth one, the block was rapidly rising higher then her feet. She gasped.

'I'm gonna miss it!'

Aubrey quickly raised her arms, just able to latch onto the edge. She sighed with relief, then pulled herself up and rolled onto the flat surface.

'One more to go.'

The raising and lowering of the block made it a bit difficult for her to balance, but after a moment she was able to stand stably. She ran foreword a few steps and then jumped, heading straight for the key.

"I've got it!" She gasped out, slamming her hand onto the center pole. The piece retracted into the middle which retracted again until the key was flat against the wall. The blocks immediately stopped moving along with it.

"Twenty-seven seconds to spare. Good job Aubrey. The path to the end of the sector should be pretty clear from here. X.A.N.A's concentrating on stoping Yumi and Aelita and destroying the core. Speaking of it, the first shield is about to drop. Pick up the pace!"

"On it Jeremy!" Aubrey yelled, practically glowing from his praise. She jumped up the block, descending smoothly towards the ground. She landed just a few feet away from Ulrich and Odd and quickly fell into step with them.

"Way to go Rabbit! You're power is pretty useful here." Odd praised. "That makes the job easier."

"What are you guys powers?"

"Ulrich has super speed, triangulate and triplicate, Aelita has creativity and can fire pink orbs, Yumi has telekinesis and I can create a shield for myself just by crossing my arms."

"Cool." Aubrey whispered in awe. Ulrich chuckled in front of her.

"You get used to it after a while. Okay, so this is where we get onto the elevator. It won't stop and goes by fast, so when I say jump you have to jump. And, er, try not to jump thirty feet, would you?"

"I'll make an attempt." Aubrey promised. Ulrich nodded, then focused on staring below and waiting for the elevator. It was quiet for a few moments until-

"NOW!"

The three warriors jumped, (Aubrey barely extended her knees) and landed on the platform. The elevator scaled across the sectors surface at an extremely faced pace until it came to a sudden stop.

"You're vehicles are at the end of the corridor."

"Good ol' reliable Einstein." Odd praised. He jumped onto his overboard and waggled his eyebrows, holding out a hand to Aubrey.

"You sure you don't want to ride with me?"

"I'd ride with Ulrich before you, but I have my own vehicle, thanks." Aubrey answered sarcastically, sweeping past him and to the Overkite. He held a hand to his heart.

"You wound me!"

"You're crazy driving would wound her." Ulrich jabbed. He revved his engine, then soared off the plat form. Aubrey dove after him, and finally Odd took up the back while pouting.

"Would not!"

"Would so."

"Quit start bickering, the first shield just fell!"

"Don't worry Jeremy, we're almost there." Ulrich informed. He swopped down to the bottom of the sector, Aubrey close on his trail.

"Okay Aubrey." He called back. "This is what you're going to do. Fly up close to the entrance here. When it begins to close, fly up. The door will open again by the time you reach it and you'll get through just fine, okay?"

"Umm-"

"Good, I'm going ahead." Ulrich nodded to her, then flew up through the door. Aubrey looked at Odd with panic.

"You can't get decapitated here, right?"

"Psh, of course not! You'll be fine. Just go for it."

"Okay..." Aubrey gulped. 'Come on, if you can get through four laps around the track in gym class you can get through this easily.'

"1...2...3!" On three, Aubrey shot through the entrance, just barely making through. She laughed with glee as she entered the core area and scanned the area. Ulrich was already fighting with a few creepers at the top but four mantas were also coming out of the walls.

"You get two I get two?" Odd asked, suddenly appearing next to her. She nodded.

"Let's do it!"

"Whoohoo!" Odd yelled, flying upwards. Aubrey circled around, looking for the best opening.

"Right now might be a good time to use the one-time attack mechanism we added to the overkite." Jeremy suggested.

"So, jab with the metal point?"

Jeremy sighed. "Yes, impale the Manta with the metal point. Just remember your vehicle will be destroyed after."

"I'm on it!" Aubrey waited a moment until the two Manta were close together. Then, she dived bombed the top one.

"Geronimo!" She shouted, quoting a favorite show while slipping out of the bars. She free fell as the Overkite embedded itself into the center of the X.A.N.A. symbol on the Manta, thus destroying it. She tucked in her body, aiming so that she landing on the second Manta's back.

"I'm on a roll!" She shouted, sticking the landing. She pulled out a sai from her back and jabbed it into the second Manta, then bounced off and onto the side path. The Manta exploded behind her, and the Sai flew back to her hand.

"Way to go! Head up to the top. Odd's just destroying the Mantas and Ulrich is finishing the creepers, but he could use some help."

"No William today?"

"He was actually the main line of defense against Yumi. Aelita made it to the tower though. Both of them are back with me now, so we're just waiting on you."

"What's for dinner?" Aubrey asked, deciding to make leisure conversation as she bounced to the top. She heard the girl's laughter in the background and the aggravated noise Jeremy made in the back of his throat.

"Chicken soup, I think."

"I love soup!" Aubrey yelled. She reached the top where there was only two creepers left and threw her a sai at one of them, hitting it in the stomach. It froze at the damage, giving the girl the time to rush forward and finish it with her other weapon.

"That was the last of them Jeremy." Ulrich called, sheathing his sword. Odd flew down on the Overboard and landed next to them.

"I'm bringing you back now. Just a moment."

Aubrey watched, fascinated as her legs turned into blue pixels which streamed up her arms, chest and neck until the world went white.

The brunette girl flopped back into her bed, sighing with relief. Her homework was done, her stomach was full and she had no more obligations for the rest of the day. She smiled, contemplating what she wanted to do. She could play games on her iPod or read her book her or-

*Knock knock*

"Coming!" She yelled, hopping out of her bed. She opened the door, surprised to find Ulrich on the other side of her door smiling sheepishly.

"Mind if I come in?"

"Sure. Did I leave something in yours?" She asked, closing the door after him. He chuckled as he sat on her bed, making himself comfortable. He had gone to his room before coming up and changed into simple sweat pants and a white tee-shirt.

"Do I need an excuse to spend time with you now?"

"No." Aubrey answered lightly, her heart pounding in her chest. She jumped on the bed next to him. "I just thought you had enough of me earlier."

"Enough of you? Never." He gasped, looking horrified. Aubrey giggled and settled herself onto the bed next to him.

"What happened to Odd?"

"I finally forced him to do his laundry." The two teens laughed at the idea of Odd doing laundry. Obviously he had to do it at some point, but those points were very rare. Aubrey took the moment to scoot a bit closer to Ulrich and rest her head on his shoulder. She took a calming breath.

'It's fine Aubrey, he hasn't pushed you away, so he can't be uncomfortable, right?'

On the contrary, Ulrich was the opposite of uncomfortable. He even wrapped his arm around her shoulders in return, tucking her into his side. Aubrey felt her face flame. She ducked her head to keep it hidden.

"So what were you planning to do before I so rudely interrupted?"

"W-well I wasn't sure. Maybe try to beat my high score on doodle jump?"

"Which is..."

"Two hundred and sixty-four."

"Mines three hundred and seven." Ulrich taunted, pulling his iPod out of his back pocket and waving it in front of her. Her eyes narrowed at the challenge.

"Fine, then I'll just have to blow mine through the roof!" She leapt up, grabbed her iPod off her desk and then settled back on the bed where Ulrich immediately wrapped his arm around her once more.

"Doubtful."

"Challenge accepted." Aubrey answered. She prayed to anyone listening that Ulrich couldn't feel her rapid heart beat as she opened the game and hit start.

It was a bit distracting for her to play so close to Ulrich, hearing each inhale and feeling each exhale from his chest. His scent was enveloping her, and with all these factors she had yet to get above two hundred. She had a feeling that he knew it too, because every time she tried to move to hopefully improve his arm tightened.

That night, the two teens fell asleep side by side, unaware that that was where they would spend the night or that their best friend was covering for them on the floor below with a mix of happiness and dread in his heart.

A/N: SURPRISE! NEW CHAPTER IN LESS THEN A WEEK! So yeah. I felt like I've been cheating you guy out of Lyoko action so even though I'm not good at writing it, I tried to dedicate this chapter to Lyoko and sector five. I believe that Aubrey has now been to all the sectors, so she isn't so much a newbie anymore! Now if you haven't noticed already, I've only been writing along the basic outline of the original plot. None of my chapters are based off actual episodes, but I'm trying to keep major events the same. This is because it is a FAN FICTION and quite frankly, I don't feel like spending two hours per episode while trying to insert Aubrey in the limited available pockets. Bit of romance at the end. I feel bad for Odd. He's trying so hard to keep both Ulrich and Aubrey and prevent them from 'forgetting' him. Coming up: Odd's conflict between the 'trio' or pushing for the 'duo', Ulrich recognizing his feelings, and the skid! Maybe even new outfits before then. You'll just have to read and find out. Adios for now!