Everyone except Jeremy sat in the cafeteria, gathered at their usual table, but other than that nothing was usual for them. They had no trays, no food, they couldn't think about eating right now. Even Odd was turned off to the idea of eating, just sitting there like the others with his head and heart down.

They kept their silence, none of then breaking it. Maybe out of respect, maybe it was due to their tired body, or more so, a tired spirit. But even though the the entire room was full of loud conversations from other tables, they blocked all that out, and sat in utter silence.

None of them really knew what to say, or if they should say anything. All they knew was the silence that currently was forced upon them by the situation wouldn't be easily lifted.

Ulrich peaked his head up as he noticed Jeremy enter the cafeteria, causing the others to look in that direction and notice the blond as well.

Noticing his friends were at their usual breakfast spot, Jeremy walked over to them, something heavy weighing on his heart.

"Guys, there's something we need to talk about." Jeremy said, attracting the attention of the others. "I normally would say we wait until after school so no teachers would notice, but I think it's best we do this sooner than later."

"What is it Jeremy?" Aelita asked, not sure if it were good or bad news, but finding it more difficult than usual to stay hopeful.

Jeremy's shoulders lowered for a moment as he sighed. "I would rather we start the discussion at the factory, not here."

"Okay, let's go." Ulrich said, the first one to stand. He was soon followed by the others, and without anything else needing to be said, the gang made their way to the factory.

—

Everyone was gathered around Jeremy as they had been many times before. He sat in his chair, facing away from the monitors and towards the others.

"Well, I'm sure you're all curious as to what I have to say." The genius said, pausing for a moment. "I've been thinking... After what has happened... Now what we can more than ever see how dangerous this really is..."

Jeremy paused again, but this time for a longer duration, as though he wasn't sure what to say next, or how to go about saying it.

"Jeremy?" Aelita asked, looking into his eyes as she said this, breaking his silence.

"With how dangerous X.A.N.A. is and how he will only get stronger, I can't force you to risk your lives if you don't want to. I... I'm asking if there are any of you who want to leave the group, and stop fighting X.A.N.A.. You don't have to decide now, but I want all of you to think about it... I just..." Jeremy began to tear up, his body shaking slightly. "I don't want any of you to get hurt..."

The room was silent for a minute, mostly due to shock. They had never expected this to happen, but could understand why Jeremy was worried. Franz had just died, and not a death in the virtual world where he could save his code somewhere or something, he died a real death, dying in the explosion that destroyed the Siberian facility. And it could have been any of then thrown into that portal, and they all knew it.

William stepped forward, and placed a hand on Jeremy's shoulder.

"Let me tell you guys something." William said, now turning to face everyone and not just Jeremy. "I have spent my whole life being an outcast. I've been forced to act out, do things I knew were not only wrong, but also stupid just to get attention from others. My parents don't approve of me and haven't for as far back as I can remember. Every school I've gone to, I am seen as a punk by everyone, all the teachers hated me, the majority of the students wouldn't talk to me. I had to be a rebel to gain attention, and all my attempts to make actual friends failed, and when I came here, I thought it would be the same thing as everywhere else. Right from the start, Ulrich hated me for hanging around Yumi and the rest of you slowly seemed to trust me less and less. I thought it was all the same... But then, you guys shared the chance to help save the world from X.A.N.A. with me, you gave me an opportunity to prove myself. And although that didn't go as planned, it all worked out in the end."

Tears were now welling up in everyone's eyes. William had never been so open before, and this caused him to tear up as well.

"Now, you guys are the best things that have ever entered my life. Now I have friends who I can trust and trust me in return. Ones I can have fun with, ones I can talk to, ones I can fight evil with, literally."

They all chuckled at his last remark. William moved closer to Jeremy again, similar to how he had before.

"So Jeremy, I think I can speak for all of us here when I say, we aren't going anywhere. We've still got a job to do, and I promise, for Franz and everyone else in the world, we will stop X.A.N.A. once and for all, and we'll do it together!"

Jeremy hopped out of his chair to stand in William's level. He moved in, and hugged the raven haired boy tightly. Soon, everyone joined in, and the gang shared a moment unlike any other in the world: true friendship.

—

Aelita sat on the side of her bed, her alarm clock reading 10:00 P.M.. She looked down at her pillow where her elf doll Mister Pück lie, he heart warming at the sight of her most cherished childhood toy.

This moment was interrupted by a knock on her door, something she would never expect at this hour.

"Come in." She said, watching curiously to see who it was behind the door.

"Hey, Aelita." Jeremy said, walking in and quietly closing the door behind him. "There's something I need to tell you."

Aelita watched Jeremy enter her room, but he didn't bother taking a seat, rather he chose to stand in the middle of her room.

"What is it Jeremy?" She asked, watching the blond fumble around in his pocket for something.

"Just a few days before your father passed... He gave me a very important job. He told me that if anything were to happen to him, to give you this paper."

Jeremy handed Aelita the scrap of paper, and she quickly analyzed the small amount of text.

"This is..." Aelita said, cut off by Jeremy.

"A program on the supercomputer. Franz said it was very important, and didn't really tell me much else. The only other thing he said was for you to see it alone."

Aelita stood from her bed and walked over to Jeremy. She hugged him lightly before heading for the door.

"Thank you, Jeremy, for everything." She said, starting her solo trip to the factory.

—

Aelita sat in front of the supercomputer display screens, entering the name of the program written on the paper. 'Carissime Aelita' it read. Aelita recognized that it was Latin, but didn't know the exact translation.

She finished keying the words, and upon pressing the enter key, a video began to play. It was a recording of her father.

"Aelita, if you are hearing this, it means something has happened to me. I want to start this off by saying, I love you very much, and I couldn't ask for a better daughter than you. I cherished every second I got to spend with you, and I hope you did as well. I know you have great potential, and you will, with the help of your friends, achieve great things. The thought of you having to go on without me aches my heart, but I know you're strong enough to keep going, but that isn't the reason I made this recording. There is something I have been meaning to tell you, and I had been waiting for the right time, but that time won't ever come for me now."

"Aelita, your mother is alive. She is in hiding, and she possesses vital information needed to defeat X.A.N.A.. You must find her, Aelita. You and your friends must search for her, and when you find her, you will be closer to defeating X.A.N.A. than ever before. She will not be easy to find as many others are already looking for her, but I know you can do it. You and your friends found me before, and I know you can find your mother."

Franz looks away from the camera for a moment, then back into it.

"I must go. Aelita, I love you so very much. Stay strong, and never give up."

With that, the program closed. Aelita was now left with a mission, the last wish of her passed father. She must find her mother, no matter what the cost, no matter how hard it will be, she must do it.

—

End of season 1! We did it! We finished season 1! Woohoo! I know, shocking ending. Now, what does the future look like? Well, soon, Knux27 will write a sort of between season season, kinda like a 1.5, so I can have a break to brainstorm for season 2. His will most likely be shorter, but certainly as good if not better.

I thank you for sticking with me this whole time, and I hope to see you soon!