27: The Longest Day [1:00 PM – 2:00 PM]
PREVIOUSLY ON CL:FL
"Apparently these TGV trains can reach speeds in excess of 300 kilometres per hour."
- ULRICH STERN (The train nerd)
"You decided to bring along an encyclopedia to keep you company instead."
- YUMI ISHIYAMA (The rare comedian)
"The funds are being prepared for transfer by the hour."
- APOLLO (The ?)
"There's no rush. Though if you don't hurry up, there won't be any sandwiches left.
- JEREMIE BELPOIS (The anxious one)
"Thanks…I think I needed this, though I'm not really quite sure what it is."
- AELITA STONES (The Key)
Keep her safe, Jeremie.
- BRYAN GREEN (The left-handed talent)
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 1:00 PM AND 2:00 PM.
1:00:00 … 1:00:01 … 1:00:02 … 1:00:03 … 1:00:04 … 1:00:05
As Aelita walked into the cafeteria, a couple of young adolescent male students experienced the pain of having their jaw crash down onto earth. Of course, Aelita was oblivious to all of this as she continued on her way.
For the past year, she had maintained her position on the secretive imaginary list of the Top 5 Kadic Angels. Aelita had all the qualities to be admired: she was beautiful, cute, nice, honest, intelligent, very nice, innocent…the list of adjectives went on.
So it was a head-scratcher for many when it appeared that she had chosen Jeremie, someone who seemed to have no interest in relationships. They wondered what she saw in him, and deduced that in addition to being very polite, Canadian girls preferred the intellectual nerdy type.
Even though it was a given Aelita and Jeremie were an item, that's not to say that some didn't try to make a move on her. Of course, these attempts largely ended in failure thanks to the fact that Aelita wasn't the best at recognizing pick-up lines, in addition to the efforts of a certain Ulrich Stern and Odd Della Robbia.
Jeremie spotted her and flagged her down. She smiled and took the seat next to him.
"Hey Aelita, I already got you a sandwich. I was worried that you–" It took him a full five seconds to realize that she looked different than usual. Aelita began to unwrap her sandwich.
Stunning. He flushed crimson; having never seen Aelita dressed up the way she was. In his eyes, she had always been the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; and now, her outfit seemed to reinforce that notion even more.
"Milly was right…" he murmured, more to himself.
"I'm sorry?"
Jeremie cursed himself mentally as he tried to regain his voice. He saw some of the other students also staring, whispering – some even letting out wolf-whistles at Aelita; he felt as if he should be protecting her. At the same time, he felt triumphant, perhaps even a little smug, knowing that he was closer to Aelita than anyone else.
That didn't stop him from stuttering though. "By the way Aelita, you – you look…"
Her smile grew wider as she lifted a hand to run through her hair. "Like it?"
"Absolutely." He took notice of the bright green origami hairpiece on her head.
"By the way…"
"Hmm?" she muffled a reply with half a mouth full of tuna salad. Clearly, she wanted to finish quickly so they could be on their way. However…
"Could you tell me more about the false XANA's attack today?"
1:09:23 … 1:09:24 … 1:09:25 … 1:09:26 … 1:09:27 … 1:09:28
"And Edgar's travel time is… Huh," Odd scratched his head. Although physics wasn't his strongest suit, he was convinced there was no such thing as negative time. He took out is eraser for the umpteenth time and looked over the last problem of his assignment.
There didn't seem to be anything wrong. He had the distance, initial velocity and acceleration. He had used the right kinematics equation. All that was left for him to do was to substitute the values in and solve for time.
He tried again, making sure he had entered the correct values on his calculator, but got the same error; there was no square root of a negative number, in the realm of the real, anyways. He had already been working on his assignment for nearly an hour. So with his remaining unused lifeline, he phoned a friend.
Three ringtones later, Jeremie picked up.
"What is it, Odd?"
"Einstein, how are you? Sorry for disturbing your make-out session with–"
"Shut up, Odd," was Jeremie's irritated response. Odd snickered, he could make out Aelita's voice on the other end, curious as to what was going on.
"Sorry, sorry," he said hastily. "Quick question, I'm having trouble with the last physics question. I checked a bazillion times already. Pretty sure I used the right equation, but I'm getting negative time."
"There's no such thing as negative time."
"Duh, even I know that. I just don't know why I keep getting it."
"What's the equation?"
"Uh, d equals v one times t, minus half of a times t squared." [d = v1(t) – ½a(t^2)]
"…Okay, now take a look at your notes."
"Yeah?" said Odd as he flipped through his course binder.
"You're sure you copied down the equation correctly?"
He thought he had the right one. He compared each letter and symbol on his assignment with his notes, and realized that he couldn't tell the difference between a plus and a minus sign.
"Ah, add. Okay, I think I should be good now. Thanks."
"Sure."
This time, Odd's calculator was able to compute an answer. He then looked down at his phone. Just in time.
He called another number and soon, Catherine picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey Catherine, it's Odd. I've just finished my assignment."
"Great! Took you long enough mister," Catherine chided, although she didn't sound unhappy at all.
"Well, physics put up a good fight, but I emerged victorious in the end," said Odd, trying to appear as modest as possible. She laughed.
"Wow, congratulations. How about you come outside now? I'm sitting at the benches in front of the school entrance."
"Sounds good. I'll be there in ten."
~ - ~ - ~ - CL:FL - ~ - ~ - ~
Odd suddenly wished he had bought some AXE, the thing that girls fall head over heels for – or so he saw on television. He hadn't been sweating – much – so he hoped that he didn't have that bad of a lingering odour.
He packed his things into a small rucksack and then felt something brush against his leg. It was his pet dog, who had yet to be formally introduced in this story.
Kiwi Della Robbia
Bio: Team LYOKO mascot (not really), ITA
Has: a penchant for raising Cain
"Hey boy almost forgot about you. Umm listen, I'm gonna be out tonight, so I'm going to have to leave you in here okay? If Jim catches you, we'll both be in big trouble."
Kiwi whined. No animal, especially his dog, enjoyed being confined to a small room for an elongated period of time. But he certainly couldn't take Kiwi with him; the convention centre didn't allow pets.
So Odd swung his bag over his back, lifted Kiwi into his arms and headed up to the third floor.
He knocked on the door of Milly's room. The door opened and a girl with red pigtails stepped out.
"Hey Odd, what's up," said Milly. She was shorter than him by a head; then again, she was two years younger than him too. Her eyes met Kiwi's and she smiled briefly before assuming a stern expression.
"Still breaking the rules are we?"
"Sort of. Umm, are you free this afternoon?"
Milly smirked. "You want me to take care of Kiwi while you go out on another date, right?" As with all of the other times Odd was off with a companion, he had come looking for her pet-sitting services. Fortunately, Kiwi had taken a liking to her.
"No, not really…well, maybe something like that. So do you mind?"
"It's fine. I won't be too busy, apart from a lab report. But I'm thinking I should start charging you for this," she said in a serious tone.
"Really? Thanks Mill! Because I'm a frequent customer, I get a discount, right?"
"Whatever. I'll take good care of Kiwi, don't worry."
"You're the best," He handed his dog over, who started licking her face.
"Whoa boy, calm down! My face isn't that delectable is it?" she said happily as Odd waved and left the two alone.
1:24:07 … 1:24:08 … 1:24:09 … 1:24:10 … 1:24:11 … 1:24:12
"So we're just dealing with some of XANA's excess data right now?"
Aelita nodded. "Guess so."
"You said that this has happened twice now. And given that it takes a lot of energy for it to occur, it would be safe to presume that these remnants attack should subside soon."
"Wonderful." Aelita tried to stifle a yawn. She hadn't said much.
"It is. This means that the winter holidays should be XANA-free this year," said Jeremie cheerfully, before noticing the person to his right had somewhat of a bored expression on her face. He looked down at his watch and was shocked by how much time had passed.
He had done it again. Any time the supercomputer was brought up, he got excited. It was like reading a book that was impossible to put down. LYOKO was like a giant project and there was always something to be done or tinker with.
And because Jeremie could literally go on about things like how he was working on another program to dispossess William from XANA, he tended to lose track of time and his other plans. Still, he was interested by the concept of XANA's excess data being capable of causing chaos.
Jeremie got up and Aelita looked up at him hopefully as she rose from her seat as well.
But she didn't get the answer she was expecting.
1:28:41 … 1:28:42 … 1:28:43 … 1:28:44 … 1:28:45 … 1:28:46
Odd found Catherine contentedly sitting on a wooden bench outside, reading a book and listening to music on her iPod. Today, she had shoulder-length blue hair – darker than Bryan's – and a black blouse with dark blue jeans.
He snuck up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her skin felt so soft under the fabric–
"BOO!"
Catherine jumped up slightly, her heart skipping a beat as she turned sharply to her side to see Odd laughing.
"Dude, what the hell!" she stared at him. That completely eradicated the smile on Odd's face, and his confidence as well. He was suddenly worried that this would be the shortest date of his career…
But then her expression softened and she laughed as well. "Wow, you should've seen the look on your face," she poked him playfully as an act of revenge.
"All ready to go?" She slipped her book into her bag.
Odd grinned. "Yep. Totally ready for some fun and games. I've already had a hectic couple of hours. You'd never believe what I get myself into these days."
Catherine laughed. "What? Like saving the world?"
1:32:26 … 1:32:27 … 1:32:28 … 1:32:29 … 1:32:30 … 1:32:31
"E."
Yumi paused, shook her head, and drew in the arm of a man being hanged.
"Darn. Seriously? What movie only has one vowel?"
"Well, you haven't guessed Y yet."
"Oh right. Y then."
The hanged man's second arm was drawn in, which greatly frustrated the boy who was assigned to save him. Yumi chuckled.
"Can I get another hint?"
"Of course not. Then it'd be too easy."
"What if I said please?"
"Then I'd still say no. Now come on. It's not difficult. Movie, four letters, something 'a' something 's'."
"R."
Yumi drew a leg.
"Rats."
"You're really bad at this."
"Well, you have an odd taste in movies," Ulrich replied, which earned him a smack in the head.
"For your information, this was an extremely popular film."
Ulrich looked at the letters he had already guessed and tried to sound out the missing letters. There were no vowels remaining, and it was supposedly well-known…
"J."
Yumi paused for dramatic effect, before filling in the first space: 'JA_S'.
"M," said Ulrich with confidence.
"Okay, now you're just being silly," said Yumi. She was smiling, however, as she drew in the other leg.
"I was just checking. You never know, there might have been a well-known movie about jam."
"So what's your final answer?"
"Jaws, obviously."
Yumi nodded. "Good job. Looks like Leroy gets to live another day."
"You named the stick man Leroy?"
"Great name right? You were kind of taking too long so I gave him some personality too."
"Gee, thanks Yumi," Ulrich muttered, prompting a laugh from his friend as she handed him the paper and pen.
"Fine, you think of one for me to solve," she said as she got up to get something out of her bag that was stored in the overhead compartment.
~ - ~ - ~ - CL:FL - ~ - ~ - ~
One seat behind them, a cleanly-shaved man was looking up his stock portfolio on his laptop with a rather bored expression on his face. He turned to take a look out the window, and saw blurs of countryside zipping past him.
His phone began to vibrate and he waited several seconds before picking up. He didn't need caller display.
"It is done," the man spoke quietly. A drawling voice with traces of a Russian accent.
"Both of them?" said a woman's voice on the other end.
"Yes. I took care of them."
"Excellent. Your payment is being deposited in your usual offshore account as we speak."
The man switched internet tabs and refreshed the page to find that he was a quarter of a million dollars richer. He didn't have a penchant for smiling, but for less than an hour of work that was satisfying enough.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Kastle," the woman said, before hanging up.
Kastle put his phone back in his pocket when he heard soft rustling above him. He looked up to see a teenaged girl reaching for her bag. Sometimes the sharp senses he had refined during his tenure in the special forces was a burden.
Apparently, Yumi also noticed that she was making a disturbance. "Sorry. Just had to get something from my bag," she said apologetically, closing the compartment shut.
"No worries," Kastle replied with the slightest of nods as Yumi returned to her seat. He then returned his gaze to the NASDAQ, wondering if it was worth investing in more shares, thanks to yet another large injection of wealth for his professional services.
1:43:59 … 1:44:00 … 1:44:01 … 1:44:02 … 1:44:03 … 1:44:04
Aelita was getting impatient.
Once again she was at the factory, watching Jeremie typing away. And once again, he was paying more attention to technology.
His interest in XANA's excess data had carried over from the cafeteria back to the supercomputer. Aelita followed him, trying to mask her disappointment; though she insisted on walking the long way there, not wanting to get her clothes soiled down in the sewers.
However, she was surprised when Jeremie logged off the computer; they had only been there for several minutes. He turned around to face her.
"Well then, shall we be on our way out?"
He didn't forget… Disappointment immediately forgotten, Aelita nodded.
~ - ~ - ~ - CL:FL - ~ - ~ - ~
"By the way Jeremie, what were you doing back there?" she asked while they were on their way to the bus stop.
"I just wanted to run a quick scan of LYOKO to make sure there were no lingering traces of XANA anywhere. You know, so there wouldn't be anything to interrupt us for the time being. That is, until the real XANA returns."
Aelita nodded in understanding. Had he told her his justifications instead of just taking off, she wouldn't have been that irritated with him.
"Oh, before I forget, I got these for you," he took out a small bouquet of petunias from his bag.
The boy took the large bundle of lilies he had procured earlier from his bag and handed them to her, blushing.
They were gorgeous, and of her favourite colour. And this was the first time he had presented her with fanciful fauna.
She accepted them, beaming. "Thank you Jeremie." She leaned to smell them, before adding: "but am I going to have to hang onto them the whole time we're out?"
Jeremie mentally slapped himself in the head. Why didn't I think of that? He should have given them to her while they were still at school.
Aelita sensed that he was stricken, so she placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. It was very thoughtful of you." Jeremie's smile returned.
"So, any plans of what you want to see or do first?"
1:51:05 … 1:51:06 … 1:51:07 … 1:51:08 … 1:51:09 … 1:51:10
From watching Odd cry over spilled milk during breakfast, to another encounter with fake XANA to…Aelita. What a day… Bryan shook his head, apparently trying hard to forget that encounter. It meant nothing, he told himself.
He hoped that everything would go smoothly, that for the most part he could just sit back and relax without any worries or dangers. How wrong that perception turned out to be.
After a short stop at the barbers, Bryan was skating to the Levesque house. He preferred this method of transport over taking the bus; it allowed him to collect his thoughts.
He reached up to touch his shorter blue hair that still shot out in all directions. Satisfied, he took out his phone to make a long-distance call.
"Hey Bri, what's up?"
"Today's the day," he said brightly.
When Valerie spoke, she didn't share the same optimistic tone.
"Right. How are things on your end?"
"Just had a brush with XANA this morning, other than that, it's all good. You?"
"Wait, what? Never mind. Looks like you've got things sorted out. Cool."
"I still have an errand to take care of and supplies to pack, but I thought I'd just keep you in the loop."
"Take your time. It'll take a while for me to get set up here anyways."
"Okay. I'll call you when I'm ready. You sure your information and source are correct?"
Valerie scoffed. "Apparently the Soviets did a better job of concealing their people; finding our POI was no biggie. Of course, the fact that we had a picture of him helped a long way."
"We had his photo?"
"Yep. I'll fill you in on the details later. Let me know ASAP if anything changes."
"Of course."
"And Bryan?"
"Yes?"
"I don't have to tell you to be careful, do I? Or else I'll beat you up."
"Ha ha, thanks for the reminder. Take care, Val."
When he reached his second destination, he rang the doorbell. A middle-aged man opened the door. He smiled kindly.
"Bryan, nice to see you again. You're just in time, come on in," said Melanie's father.
Bryan smiled back and took a step inside, when he was tackled by two small shadows.
1:59:57 … 1:59:58 … 1:59:59 … 2:00:00
Fragmented Legacy Fact 027:
Top 5 Angels of Kadic (updated November 30, 2006)
1. Léa Deschamps
2. Catherine Horvath
3. Julie Laurendeau
4. Aelita Stones
5. Sophie Wong
A|N's:
Another week, another chapter. Finally, everyone is on their way.
Feel free to leave a comment, and as always, thanks for reading Code LYOKO: Fragmented Legacies =)