Alita's POV:

"Alita?" I was patrolling the Mountain Sector when Jeremy called.

"Jeremy!" I dropped into a sitting position, connecting to his computer screen in my mind's eye. Yumi stood next to him, waving.

"How's everything on Lyoko?" Yumi asked.

"It's quiet. No sign of XANA or any of his monsters." I reported. There was a knock at Jeremy's door. Yumi & Jeremy blocked the screen for a moment, & then stepped aside to reveal Ulrick had arrived.

"I thought you had practice today?" Yumi asked him after he greeted us.

"We did, but Jim was teaching a tennis class today, & one of the students managed to hit the ball pretty hard between Jim's legs." Ulrick said, trying not to laugh. "He's not really up to coaching at the moment." He fell onto Jeremy's bed, laughing.

"Is Odd coming?" Jeremy asked after Ulrick pulled himself together. "We're supposed to work on our science report due next week."

"I don't think so. He snuck out to take Kiwi to the dog park. Supposedly, Kiwi has a girlfriend. A cute little pup named Penny."

"Kiwi has a girlfriend?" Yumi asked, raising an eye brow.

"No, but Od certainly has his eyes on Penny's owner." Ulrick said. We all shared a laugh at that.

It was tough, sometimes. Jeremy would sometimes call me while he did his home work, & the others would often stop by, & I appreciate that they were willing to include me in their normal lives as much as they cold, but…

Seeing their world through only a screen made me feel even lonelier. I longed for the chance to be part of their world…

Eventually, Jeremy & Ulrick went to dinner to meet up with Od. Yumi had to go home to her parents. I mentally closed the connection, & stood. Time to resume my patrol.

Alone.


It's going to work…It's going to work…I watched the screen in the way tower excitedly.

No, it's not. The data loss was too rapid. The materialization test came back negative…again.

"I just don't understand what the problem is!" Jeremy said, frustrated. He rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses.

"It's all right, Jeremy." I said. "We'll figure it out." A quick glance showed me that it was nearly midnight. "It's late. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"I'm not…tired." Jeremy said, around a huge yawn.

"It's all right. It's not the end of the world if I stay here a little longer." I said, with a sincerity that I didn't quite feel.

Jeremy yawned again. "All right, I guess I can sleep on it. Good night, Alita."

"Good night." I said as Jeremy disconnected.

It was a shame virtual beings couldn't sleep. I floated down to the first level of the tower, & exited back into the Desert Sector, where I had been patrolling when Jeremy called after he had finished dinner.

I had only walked a little ways when I noticed two Krabs coming from the path in front of me. I turned to go back the way I came, only to find a Megatank was following behind me. I glanced to either side, looking for another way off the plateau. There were paths to my left & right, but each path had a Blok heading straight towards me.

I was trapped.

I started to call out for Jeremy, but the Krab fired a laser at my feet. A warning shot…?

Why would XANA's monsters fire a warning shot at me? They had me surrounded. This was XANA's chance to get rid of me once & for all…What were they waiting for? Had they fired because I had called for help?

"What do you want from me?" I asked. One of the Krabs made a swiping motion with its leg. I stared at it, trying to figure out what that meant. From behind the Megatank gave me a gentle nudge, just enough to make me take a couple steps forward to keep my balance.

"…You want me to follow you?" I asked. I must have guessed correctly because the Krabs turned & began to walk back the way they came. With another nudge from the Megatank, it seemed like I had no choice.

I followed.


Next time, XANA will offer Alita a deal…but will she really have much choice in the matter?

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