The three looked inside to find an empty room. Empty except for a large monolithic structure, not unlike the one seen in Zanbato Industries the previous night. Except this one was twice as large and covered in cobwebs, obviously it had been down there for many years untouched.
"Holy fuck." Isaac said quietly. "The old man wasn't lying."
"Oh come on." Caleb said. "The regime could've just put this down here sometime before The Wall was built."
"I dunno." Olivia said walking up to the structure. "This inscription says otherwise. It says it was built in the 90s."
"So around the time the eastern seaboard of America got destroyed." Isaac said.
"I meant the 1990s." Olivia said. She then looked around and saw a large lever sticking out. "I believe this should activate it."
She pulled the lever. Immediately after, a loud rumbling was heard as all the lights in the room went on at once. The trio just stared in awe as the whole room seemed to come alive after nearly a century of dormancy.
"So what now?" Isaac asked.
"Caleb, do you still have that drive?" Olivia asked.
"Yeah, but you aren't getting it." Caleb said. "How do I know that you won't run off with it?"
Olivia just sighed.
"Just put it in the slot right by the lever." She said. Caleb did as she told him and placed the drive in a small opening right by the lever; the drive was a perfect fit.
"Now what?" Caleb asked.
"According to the schematics, there should be a laboratory with a computer console two stories above us." Isaac said.
"Okay." Caleb said. "So we just take the ladder and go up two doors."
"You have a better way?" Olivia asked. Caleb said nothing.
The two then made their way back to the elevator shaft and carefully climbed up the rungs until they reached another door two stories up. Isaac messed around with the wires causing the door to open. They looked inside to see a small laboratory with a computer console and holographic map in the center.
"What is this?" Caleb asked.
"This is Lyoko." Olivia said. "This is what my boyfriend has been blabbing about since he first came to me and told me about Scipio 2.0."
"Looks like he has some big plans if he plans to use this as part of it." Isaac said.
"So what do we do now?" Caleb asked.
"I'll take the computer and see what I can find on there." Olivia said. "As for you, you get to the scanners and I'll send you in."
"Wait, slow down." Caleb said. "What's this about scanners?"
"Your ancestors would go inside the supercomputer through a virtualization process and defeat hoards of monster and their leader, XANA." Olivia said. "See that opening on the floor? That leads directly to the scanners needed to send you in. I'll set up the process from up here."
"Um, okay." Caleb said. "What have we to lose?"
Caleb and Isaac took the opening down and found themselves in a large room with three large cylinders in the center. The sides of the cylinders opened up revealing them to be hollow.
"I'm guessing these are the scanners." Caleb said. "I guess we just walk inside."
The two walked inside of one scanner each and saw the doors close once they got inside.
"Transfer Caleb. Transfer Isaac." Olivia said.
"Scanner Caleb. Scanner Isaac."
"Virtualization."
The next thing they knew, they found themselves in a large mountainous area. They then turned and faced each other.
"When did we get into our costumes?" Caleb asked noticing Isaac's surgical mask and his own cape.
"Nevermind that." Isaac asked. "What are those?"
Caleb turned and saw what caught Caleb's eye: Six large, red roach-like creatures, four blue, block-like creatures and one large black crab-like creature.
"What have you found Isaac?" Olivia asked.
"No idea." Isaac answered. "Some weird monster things."
"No." Olivia said. "It can't be."
Just then, one of the block creatures began talking.
"Identify yourself, life form." It said.
"Umm… Isaac Della Robbia." Isaac said.
"Caleb Stern."
"Stand by for immediate termination." The block monster then charged a laser. Before it could fire, however, Caleb pulled out a knife and threw it at the eye-like symbol on the creature's body, destroying it.
"Even as a virtual avatar, I still have lightning fast reflexes." Caleb said. "Come on, let's destroy the rest of these."
Isaac then drew his weapon, a staff not unlike its Earth counterpart, and charged toward the remaining monsters. Caleb threw knives in every direction, destroying every roach-like monster while Isaac knocked the Block monsters back and stabbed them with the hidden blade.
"Do these monsters have names?" Caleb asked.
"According to the bestiary I read, the roach like monsters are Kankrelats and the block monsters are Bloks."
"Typical." Caleb said destroying the last Blok. "And I suppose that would be…"
"Yep." Isaac said knowing that Caleb was referring to the black, crab monster. "A Krabe."
That same exact monster then charged a laser and shot Caleb in the back.
"Careful, you only got fifty life points left." Olivia said.
"What happens when I reach zero?" Caleb asked.
"You get sent back to Earth."
"But you can send us back right after, right?" Isaac asked.
"Actually no." Olivia asked. "And don't ask why, I have no idea."
"Alright, stand back." Caleb said. The Krabe began to charge its laser, but Caleb held a knife up, hoping to block it. Instead, the laser stopped in its tracks and a large nova of light came out from underneath Caleb and blasted the monster back and off the edge.
"How did you do that?" Isaac asked stunned.
"No idea." Caleb asked. "Alright, I've seen enough. Take us back."
"Wait, what's that?" Isaac asked.
Caleb then saw a figure out in the distance walking slowly towards them. When it got closer, they could make out the figure: Black hair combed upwards, a sleeveless uniform, boots with glowing green circuitry, and a large red scarf wrapped around his lower face. In his hands, he was wielding two slender swords as long as he was tall.
"Isn't that the heir-apparent?" Isaac asked.
"Unauthorized units in vicinity." The figure said. "Prepare for immediate devirtualization."
"Oh no." Olivia said.
"So it's a fight you want." Caleb said. "Well, you're getting it."
"Caleb, no. That's Zoltan!" Olivia shouted.
"Defender of the Internet?" Isaac asked.
"Whoever he is, he made the wrong choice challenging me." Caleb said as he charged towards the figure known as Zoltan. Zoltan just teleported away and appeared behind Caleb, slashing him in the back.
"Careful, forty life points left." Olivia said.
Caleb then charged, but Zoltan blocked with one sword and used the other to pole-vault himself in the air and land on Caleb. Isaac ran up to him, but got himself stabbed and devirtualized in the process. Caleb, noticing his opponent's distraction tried to push him off, but Zoltan quickly turned back around and slashed Caleb hard, taking away more life points. Zoltan attacked again, but Caleb blocked the attack and got back on his feet. Zoltan then jumped in the air and did a few flips before landing on top of Caleb again. Caleb raised his knife, but Zoltan knocked it away and slashed at Caleb again. He drew another, Zoltan knocked it away and slashed him. He drew another, knocked away and slashed.
"Ten life points left."
Exhausted, Caleb just lied down in defeat. Zoltan then took his sword and made one final blow, devirtualizing his opponent. Zoltan then walked away.
Back on Earth, Caleb walked out of the scanner and made his way up to the laboratory.
"What just happened?" Caleb asked.
"Looks like you finally met your match." Olivia said. "Zoltan was meant to eradicate the digital infrastructure of all foreign threats. His database is filled with 10,000 years worth of combat styles and contains knowledge of virus, Trojan and worm coding since the beginning of the digital age."
"So he's unstoppable." Isaac asked.
"I should know, I helped design him." Olivia said. "Well, just me and my boyfriend."
"And you chose to model him after the heir-apparent." Caleb said.
"My boyfriend chose to model him after himself, yes." Olivia said.
"Wait." Caleb realized. "Then that would mean…"
"Yep." She said. "My boyfriend is the heir-apparent, Will Dunbar V."
"Woah." Isaac said.
"Well, that's riveting and all, but what have you found about the Scipio thing?" Caleb asked.
"I only found two items in the drive." Olivia said. "One was a program called Appius."
"Go on."
"The other…Oh no…" She said as she took another look at the program name.
"XANA 2.0." Isaac said. "No. It can't be."
"It seems as though Will has darker intentions than we though." Caleb said. "We'll just remove the drive and destroy it."
"No can do." Olivia said. "The file somehow managed to make its way to Lyoko."
"So we'll shut off the computer." Isaac said.
"Of course." Olivia said. "It's not like he's found his way into the Internet."
They then went down to the supercomputer room. Caleb then made his way to the lever and tried to pull it, but was thrown back by a blast of lightning.
"What the…?" Caleb said confused.
Just then, Olivia heard her cell phone buzz. She pulled it out and read the text on the screen.
"You thought you could get rid of me like that?
It seems you fail to realize that I'm twice the program my predecessor was.
I may only be limited to this vessel alone, but I have enough power to make sure I stay alive inside it.
And unlike my predecessor, I don't even need the memories of a naïve child."
"What does he mean by that?" Caleb asked.
"I have no clue." Olivia said. She then continued to read.
"Hunt me down if you can.
-XANA 2.0. The most advanced program in the universe."
"What do we do now?" Isaac asked.
"We fight." Caleb said.
"After what Zoltan did to you?" Olivia said. "Imagine going up against someone who can control the entire environment around you."
"I already have." Caleb said. "That someone is Will Dunbar IV. Now are you going to help me?"
"I'm in." Isaac said.
"I can stay and see if I can find more info we need." Olivia said.
"Won't you be missed?"
"I'll return to the city periodically so Will doesn't get suspicious." Olivia said. "I think I'll spend tonight here, though; get to know my surroundings more."
"You're welcome to stay with me." Caleb said.
"It shall be done."
The trio then left and made their way up.
Meanwhile, inside of Lyoko, Zoltan was walking towards the center of the virtual world. The floor was made up of a series of concentric circles with a dense red fog in the center. He was met by another figure: A pale purple-skinned figure with white hair and covered in black scaled armor holding a double sided spear; he looked remarkably similar to Hannibal back in North Paris.
"Appius, Zoltan." A dark, menacing voice said through the fog. "At long last we stand united among the confines of my new sanctuary."
"As you intended, my master." The figure known as Appius said with a loud, hissing voice. "As we stand as one, the humans will fall before us."
"Kneel." The voice said. Both Zoltan and Appius knelt before their master. The fog then cleared revealing a shadowed figure with glowing red eyes and covered in head to toe with dull, grey armor sitting on a dark throne. "You've seen to forgotten the three humans who have discovered us and hold intentions to put an end to our plans for peace. It's up to us and to provide for our great creator and eradicate them so that we may go unopposed."
"The humans contain great power within the virtual environment." Appius said. "If they realize that, they could tap into that power and use it against us. To challenge them, XANA, would be a worthy feat."
XANA just smiled…
Please Review.