Part 18
William wakes up with a slight sliver of morning light penetrating through his window. He turns over, trying to go back to sleep. Then he hears a slight, unintelligible whisper. At first he ignores it, but then he hears it a second time. Then a third. He sits up in bed.
William: Hello?
He looks around his room. Everything appears normal. Convincing himself that nothing is wrong, he lays back down in bed. A few moments later he feels a slight itch. The itch quickly spreads throughout his entire body. He wakes up to find that his bed is covered in spiders. They are crawling all over him, moving up to his face.
William: AHH! GET OFF OF ME!
He wakes up to find it was a dream. He rubs his temples. A dark shadow in the corner of his eye catches his attention. He turns to see a specter looking over him. Surprisingly William isn't frightened by his presence. In fact, he looks annoyed.
William: Go away.
Xana: You will pay for what you have done to me.
William: You're dead. For real this time.
Xana: And for that you will suffer.
William: You can't hurt anyone anymore.
Xana: Maybe not anyone else, but I can harm you. I can still harm your mind. And I will do everything in my power to make you wish you had never been born.
William: You're going to have to do better than putting spiders in my bed if you want to break me.
Xana: You will never be able to get rid of me. I will hang on you like a parasite. I will make sure you have no enjoyment in your existence.
William has grown tired of the specter's "visits". He refuses to be intimidated by Xana any longer.
William: Knowing that I have defeated you is enjoyment enough. Annoy me all you want, but you can never win.
The specter seems angry.
Xana: You will be punished slave.
William: Shut up. You have no power over me anymore. You're nothing.
The specter is agitated.
William: Nothing but a small and pathetic fragment of my mind trying to ruin my day.
The Xana eye appears on the specter's head.
William: So get lost.
The door to William's room swings open. He turns to see the Afro-French student Christophe M'Bala in the doorway in his pajamas. His iPod headphones are still in his ears. Christophe, of course, cannot see the specter. He gives William a quizzical look.
Christophe: Yo, you talking in your sleep again?
William: No…..Ok maybe.
Christophe: Man you gotta stop doing that. If you were any louder you would have woken Sissi up upstairs. And I don't even want to think about what would happen then…
William: Yeah….sorry I woke you up…..again.
Christophe: You alright?
William: Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm fine.
Christophe: Yeah, well I'm not convinced. I've ignored your nightmares and everything for a while, keeping it on the down low, but you got to be careful man. If someone else were to know you had this problem, you would become the school's laughing stock in a heartbeat.
William: Already been there….
Christophe: You talking about that time when you was acting really stupid? Man, that was freaky. You had me fooled for a long time. I almost convinced myself that it wasn't you, ya know? Like a clone or alien that looked like you had taken your place. Crazy right?
William: Yeah….absolutely crazy.
Christophe: You sure you're ok?
William: …..I'm sure.
Christophe: Alright, suit yourself. Just know that your next-door neighbor may not be able to cover your problem up forever if you keep this up.
He leaves and shuts the door behind him. The specter is still there, at least in William's mind. As a sign of extreme disrespect to his former master, William takes off his dirty sock and flings it at him. Then he rolls over and goes back to sleep. In a dorm room a few doors down, Ulrich Stern wakes up to the sound of his alarm. His initial attempts to turn it off miss their target. Cursing under his breath, he grabs a shoe and hits the clock very hard. The alarm finally goes off. He wakes up to see Odd's clone already dressed and ready for school.
Ulrich: Did Jeremie recreate you overnight?
Odd's Clone: Affirmative.
Odd's clone seems happy. That is, if it were possible for a polymorphic specter to have any emotions at all.
Odd's Clone: Situation: Satisfactory. Creator is now creator again.
Ulrich rolls over onto his back and rests his hands behind his head.
Ulrich: Couldn't have said it better myself.
Odd's Clone: First meal of 24-hour period commences in exactly 5 minutes and 36.8 seconds. Spectral entity recommends subject Ulrich Stern hurry.
Ulrich: I'll get there when I get there.
Kiwi crawls out of his bed in the lower dresser drawer. Odd's clone looks at him curiously.
Odd's Clone: Canine occupant requires thorough flea bath.
Kiwi growls at Odd's clone.
Odd's Clone: Canine occupant has shown a consistent trend of hostility toward spectral entity.
Ulrich: It's because he knows you're not the real Odd. He knows you're an imposter.
Odd's clone balks at this idea.
Odd's Clone: Cerebrum of canine occupant could never comprehend truth of spectral entity's deception.
Odd's clone walks out. Kiwi barks at him. Then he turns and whines to Ulrich. Ulrich frowns.
Ulrich: Yeah buddy, I know. I miss him too.
He pets Kiwi.
Ulrich: We're going to get him back soon. I promise.
Back in the lab room, Jeremie sits in the command chair with William at his side. He takes a moment to stare at his fingers, which spark slightly with electricity. Then it dies.
Jeremie: Well….that's the last of it. He sighs. My powers have finally worn off.
William nods but doesn't say anything. Jeremie goes back to work.
Jeremie: Just a few more calculations to go over and your Lyoko form upgrade will be complete.
William: You know Jeremie, you don't have to do this. I don't have to have an upgrade…
Jeremie waves him to stop.
Jeremie: I don't want to hear it. It's the least I can do…
William: But…
Jeremie: No buts. The others have Lyoko powers and vehicles. It's only fair that you have one too.
William can see Jeremie is not going to persuaded otherwise.
William: If you insist…
Jeremie: I do. But….
He turns to William.
Jeremie: Of all the powers you could have on Lyoko, this is what you want?
William: Yes.
Jeremie: I mean…no offense….but wouldn't that bring up…bad memories?
William: It will. But Xana is a part of me. And I have to accept that. It's not something I'm proud of, but it's something I have to come to terms with. Understand?
Jeremie bites his lip.
Jeremie: All too well…..
William: Besides, it might as well be something I'm used to.
Jeremie: Ok, have it your way. Your upgrade is complete. Now for your vehicle.
Jeremie opens a small screen on the computer displaying a virtual blueprint. William looks at it and smiles.
Jeremie: Do you like it?
William: Are you kidding? I can't wait.
Jeremie: Good to hear.
Jeremie smiles but quickly feels awkward. He seems at a lost for words. He starts typing on the computer.
William: What are you doing?
Jeremie: Checking the Network.
William: How's it doing?
Jeremie: ...Self-repairing better that I expected. At this rate, it will be completely healthy by next week.
There is a strange silence. William puts his hands in his pockets. Jeremie looks away. The "elephant", or more accurately the "blue whale" in the room can no longer be ignored. William turns his back on Jeremie but looks over his shoulder to talk to him.
William: What's done is done…
Jeremie: Easy for you to say...
William: No, it really isn't.
Jeremie takes off his glasses and twiddles them around in his fingers, a nervous habit he has developed recently whenever he thinks about these things. He does his best to suppress a burning guilt.
Jeremie: Forget it. I can't let myself think about it. If I'm not careful it could suck me back in to a place I don't want to go. I've been pulled from the abyss, but I can still see over the edge. And I DO NOT want to fall in again.
William: Fair enough.
More awkward silence.
Jeremie: Any idea if Klotz will ever come back?
William is quiet.
Jeremie: I mean….will he come back from his….leave of absence?
More silence.
Jeremie: William?
William: Do you want him to come back?
Jeremie: ….Not exactly. I doubt he would be very happy to see me…
William: Jeremie…I honestly have nothing to say.
Jeremie: But I do…He pauses a moment. Thank you for….being willing to talk to me.
William doesn't move and gives neither a positive nor a negative reaction to his statement.
Jeremie: I can't tell you how much it means to me.
William: Don't mention it.
Jeremie: I may regret this…but I have to ask. Why have you done this for me? I swear I have hardly talked to the others at all.
William contemplates his response.
William: I don't like hypocrisy.
Jeremie raises an eyebrow.
Jeremie: I don't under-
William: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Other eyebrow raised.
Jeremie: William, are you Catholic?
The question seems to catch William off guard.
William: What? Oh no I'm not. I just….heard that from somewhere.
Jeremie: Well, be that as it may, I think I have far outdone you. You have every right to be angry like the others.
William: I don't know. Maybe staying angry just really isn't my thing.
Jeremie: Well, whatever the case, thank you. Believe me, I wish-
The computer makes a beeping noise and Jeremie turns to face the screen. A green plus sign has appeared. Jeremie is suddenly ecstatic.
Jeremie: Yes! It works!
William: What are you talking about? What works?
Jeremie: Call the others and get them down here. I have big news…
Fifteen minutes later the entire group is assembled. They stand at a distance from Jeremie. Their expressions are not hostile, just cold. Aelita refuses to look at him directly. But Jeremie is so excited about this new piece of news that he hardly notices.
Yumi: Well?
Jeremie smiles. He hasn't done that in a while.
Jeremie: I have a proposition for you…
The group looks at each other.
Ulrich: Ok we're listening.
Jeremie pauses, building the suspense.
Jeremie: How would you like to free Odd?
Group's interest level immediately skyrockets. Aelita gets over her discomfort and give Jeremie a surprised look.
Yumi: As in….today?
Jeremie: Absolutely.
William: As in….now?
Jeremie: If you want to, yes. I figured you wouldn't want to waste any time thinking about it.
The warriors can't believe their ears. This new hope brings memories of their lost comrade, buried to help them adjust to the tragedy, back into their thoughts. The idea of him finally coming home makes their spirits swell. They are eager to fight.
Yumi: How did you find a way to do it so quickly?
Jeremie: It has taken me a couple of weeks, but I've finally made a breakthrough.
William: How?
Jeremie: Well, you see…
Ulrich: Pause. Remember to tell this in a language we can understand.
The others laugh a little. Jeremie does his best to not feel wretched in their presence.
Jeremie: Moriarty made a mistake when he devirtualized Odd. His possessed Moriarty signature was recorded into the scanner's logs. With some painstaking research, after I learned the nature of Moriarty's extent and nature of control over Odd, I was able to develop an extraction program to free him.
Aelita can't contain her excitement.
Aelita: He's coming home. HE'S COMING HOME!
She turns to hug Ulrich. He grimaces from her tight squeeze.
William: So how are we going to go about it? Do you just enter the program and poof, he comes back?
Jeremie pushes his glasses up his nose.
Jeremie: I wish it were that simple. But no. It will require some work on your part.
Yumi: Just tell us what we need to do, and we'll do it.
Jeremie: I have the program ready. But I need to expose it to Odd directly. He won't exactly do that willingly, so I'm going to need your help. What I need from you is rather simple conceptually, but not easily done. Essentially I need to lure him into a trap. I'm going to take over a tower in the Mountain Sector. You are going to stand guard around it. No doubt Moriarty will not be too happy about me controlling towers in his turf. Most likely you'll have to fight both monsters and Odd. Once Odd gets near the tower during the fight, do everything you can to force him into my tower. Before he can leave, I'll start the program and Odd will be permanently separated from Moriarty's grip.
Now the rest can't contain their excitement either. They shout for joy, pat each other on the back, and whatever else French teenagers do in a happy situation like this. Aelita turns to Jeremie. The barrier between them seems far from her mind.
Aelita: What are we waiting for? Let's go now!
Jeremie looks to the others. They all nod.
Jeremie: Alright.
The growing possibility of Odd coming back home makes a few of them tear up, especially Aelita. Ulrich does his best to avoid it, but it's clear that despite their often turbulent friendship, he truly misses his roommate. Ulrich, Aelita, and Yumi join hands. William seems reluctant to do the same at first, but then agrees. Jeremie fears that he is excluded from this circle, but William makes room for him. The others seem very uncomfortable, but they don't stop him. Jeremie joins hands with them, completing the circle. There is a moment of silence.
Jeremie: Does…does anyone want to say anything?
At first no one says anything. But Aelita quickly steps up.
Aelita: We have been robbed of someone very dear to us. But that ends today. We are getting him back. A fellow Lyoko warrior needs our help, and we will not rest until we get him back safe and sound. He may look like our enemy, but we have seen that he is still in there, fighting. And we owe it to him to bring him back to the right side. Today we put an end to this. Today we show Moriarty that we never abandon our own. And we will make sure that Odd knows that no matter what he has done to us, we forgive him. And we will make sure that Moriarty NEVER hurts him again.
The others take a moment to absorb Aelita's speech. Then Ulrich looks up.
Ulrich: Let's go.
The four are virtualized onto the Mountain Sector near a tower that quickly changes from blue to green. The group takes a moment to view their surroundings. But Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita soon realize with surprise that their friend William has had a makeover. He still has a red belt around his waist, but the rest of his costume has changed. Instead of his traditional silver and aqua-blue outfit, his new attire is gold and black. The complicated patterns of his old form have been replaced by a simple line straight down the middle of his chest that divides his body evenly into a solid gold and black half. His divided apparel gives him the appearance of a dark angel, one that is good but is always haunted by darkness. William handles the change nonchalantly.
William: How do I look?
Yumi: Different.
Aelita and Ulrich nod in agreement.
William: Is different good?
Ulrich shrugs.
Ulrich: Guess that's up for you to decide.
Jeremie: His change is not merely cosmetic. William was in need of an upgrade for a long time. I finally went ahead and did it. And considering the importance of this mission, I figured now was a good time to test it out.
Aelita: Are you going to show us what you can do, or are you going to wait and surprise us?
William: You'll find out soon enough.
Yumi: Ok Jeremie, we're at the tower, now what?
Jeremie: Now….we wait.
Pause.
Yumi: That's it?
Jeremie: We're relying on Moriarty for this one. He has to fall for the trap for this to work. We're totally dependent on whether or not he takes the bait.
Yumi: So….how long do you think we will have to wait?
Aelita is still militantly focused on the goal.
Aelita: As long as it takes.
The group stands guard around the tower for a moment. They stand awkwardly on the mountain platform. A few seconds later Ulrich splits off and sits against a rock.
Yumi: Ulrich, what are you-?
Ulrich: If this is going to take a while, I might as well get comfortable.
Yumi: You should be ready. Moriarty could attack at any moment.
Ulrich: Yeah yeah. Just wake me when he shows up.
After an hour of waiting, the group is getting really bored and impatient. At first, everyone except Ulrich stands at attention, waiting for battle. But gradually they begin to drop their guard. William absentmindedly tries to sharpen his sword against a boulder. Yumi leans against the roots of the tower and throws tiny rocks over the edge of the platform. Aelita paces back and forth. Ulrich seems about to fall asleep, if that is even possible on Lyoko. Finally William looks up.
William: Uh Jeremie, I don't think this is working.
Yumi: He's not taking the bait.
Aelita stops to think. She curses to herself.
Aelita: He knows…..I should have known. Moriarty isn't stupid. He has to know what we are up to….or at the very least he must suspect something.
The other three look at each other and exchange a look of agreement. They instantly become deeply depressed with this realization.
Yumi: If he knows, we can't draw him out.
Jeremie: Not necessarily.
The group looks to Jeremie for an explanation.
William: How so?
Jeremie: I have a quick little metaphor for you. How do you make bees come out of their hive and leave their honey unguarded?
Ulrich stirs himself awake.
Ulrich: Get a honeybadger?
Jeremie: No….Ok yes, but that doesn't work for my metaphor. You have to kick the nest…
Yumi: And how exactly does one 'kick the nest'?
Jeremie: You just have to give him good reason to come out of hiding. Make him suffer if he doesn't.
William: And how do we plan on doing that?
Jeremie: I have a little something I had saved for a rainy day…..
The warriors look up to see beams of white light swarming around the top of the tower. A small forcefield begins to form.
Ulrich: Mind telling us what that is?
Jeremie: A modified program similar to the one that keeps Moriarty's monsters out of the towers. As you know, Moriarty is blocked by the recognition signature forcefield that only allows you in. All I did was boost the program to encompass a much, much wider area. If all goes according to plan, I can block Moriarty out of almost half of the Mountain Sector. I figure he's never going to allow me to do that without bringing in the big guns….AKA Odd.
Yumi: When did you come up with this?
Jeremie: Um….well, somewhat….recently.
A silence holds the group as they are reminded once again of Jeremie's betrayal. Yumi looks to Aelita and notices that her face is empty and emotionless. Yumi fears that she is still deeply hurt, but at this point she seems past the point of both pain and anger, as if she has exhausted all of her emotional reserves and numbed herself to the whole thing.
Jeremie: Anyway…it will take a few minutes to load. Which is good, because we want to give Moriarty time to act.
The warriors watch the forcefield grow. It begins to encompass the entire tower, but only a few seconds later it disappears without warning.
William: Uh Jeremie, was that supposed to happen?
Jeremie: …..No. I don't know what's going on…..Hold on. I'll try to run the program again.
Jeremie tries to restart the program but an exclamation point appears on the screen.
Jeremie: What in the-?….OH NO!
Yumi: What's wrong?
Jeremie: The program's completely bugged….Moriarty must have implanted a virus.
Moriarty: Now where would you get a crazy idea like that?
Jeremie lowers his eyebrows at the Moriarty eye staring at him on the screen.
Jeremie: Moriarty….
Moriarty: Glad to see you have your mind back.
Jeremie slams his fist next to the keyboard and swears.
Moriarty: Oh, I might have spoken too soon.
Jeremie: Don't get cocky Moriarty. Your little virus won't be able to stop me forever.
Moriarty: O don't flatter yourself. This was over before it started.
Jeremie: What are you talking about?
Moriarty: You've completely lost the element of surprise. I'm sorry Jeremie, but clearly your powers aren't the only thing that have disappeared without a trace. Did you honestly think I wouldn't see this coming? You are about as stealthy as an intoxicated elephant with some serious gastrointestinal issues. I smelled your little plot a mile away.
Jeremie chafes under this realization.
Moriarty: I would never want you to entertain any false hopes. I enjoy nothing but blunt honesty. That's why I want to tell you here and now that you have no hope of getting Odd free. He is quite useful, and I have no intention of giving him back any time soon.
Jeremie: Maybe you don't quite understand. We weren't asking permission.
Moriarty: Well, that's a pity. Because that's the only way you could ever realistically get him free.
Jeremie: I disrespectfully disagree…
Moriarty: And just how do you plan on doing that? Not so easy without your godlike powers, is it?
Jeremie's face hardens.
Jeremie: Oh you are so predictable….
Moriarty: Funny how the boy who was going to be world dictator has once again been reduced to nothing.
Jeremie: You're not getting inside my head. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to draw my attention away from saving Odd.
Moriarty: Aren't you just the slightest bit tempted to have that power again?
Jeremie: That's it. I'm done.
Moriarty: That's a shame. Because I'm just getting started.
The Lyoko Warriors look up to see a squadron of vultures approaching them.
Yumi: Jeremie…
Ulrich: The Luftwaffe has arrived….
The vultures begin to fire. They take cover behind rocks, their weapons, and anything else they can find.
William: Jeremie, the welcoming committee has arrived but Odd's not with them. Should we abort?
Aelita shakes her head.
Aelita: No. We're not waiting any longer.
She takes to the air and exchanges fire with the vultures. The rest go on the offensive from the ground. Yumi blocks lasers with her fans, protecting herself from every angle.
Yumi: Jeremie, what's the plan?
Jeremie rubs his fingers into his hair.
Jeremie: I don't have a plan. I can't use the program without the tower, which is useless if Odd is not going anywhere near it.
Ulrich cuts a vulture in half when it gets too close.
Ulrich: Great. This is going nowhere.
William: Isn't there something we can do?
Jeremie: Not that I can see…..I'm sorry guys. Looks like I might have to bring you in.
Aelita refuses to accept defeat.
Aelita: No. There has to be a way.
Jeremie: But how? No tower, no program. No Odd, no opportunity to put him in the tower. We can't win.
Aelita: What if you kept the program, but found a channel other than a tower to carry it out? Would it be possible to do that?
Jeremie stops to think a moment.
Jeremie: Well, technically….
Aelita: Could you do it?
Jeremie: That depends on the channel. What did you have in mind?
Aelita destroys a vulture and stops to think for a moment. Suddenly her eyes brighten.
Aelita: What about our weapons?
Jeremie: …..Infuse the program into your weapons so that you could expose Odd to it directly?
Aelita: That was the idea….
Jeremie: …..Maybe. I did something similar with Odd's laser arrows during the Marabounta scare. I'll try, but it might take some time. Just don't get devirtualized while I work on this.
The vultures really step up their attack. Yumi is shot in the shoulder and goes down.
Yumi: Easier said than done.
The first wave proves no match for the warriors. But they notice that Moriarty has sent more monsters their way. This time they have scorpions and cobras for company. They unleash a barrage of firepower at them. The warriors hide behind two rocks on opposite sides of the platform. William and Aelita hide on the left rock while Yumi and Ulrich hide behind the right one.
Ulrich: We're pinned.
Yumi: Any ideas?
William smiles.
William: Yes.
Without warning he dissolves into smoke and sneaks under the wall of laser fire. He reforms right next to the monsters and begins cutting them down. At first the warriors are too stunned to move, but they eventually leap into action and help William destroy the rest of them.
Yumi: Care to explain?
Jeremie: I told you the upgrade would come in handy.
Ulrich: Ok, but why did it have to be…that?
William: Why not?
Aelita: Well….
Yumi: We don't have exactly positive memories of you with that power.
William: I figured you wouldn't like it too much…
Aelita: It's nothing personal or anything…..
Yumi: It's just seeing you do that again made us…a little uncomfortable.
William: I'm not here to make you feel comfortable. I'm here to fight with you. And as for my power, if you really want to know, I chose it to be a reminder.
Aelita: Reminder of what?
William: …My failure…
The others decide to drop the topic.
Jeremie: Ok guys, that's enough. You have more company on your way.
This time a large group of tigers is approaching them.
Yumi: Jeremie, Moriarty has to be on to us again. He wants to make sure you don't finish remodifying the program before we're devirtualized.
Ulrich shakes his head.
Ulrich: He always knows our plans. We can never get anything past him.
Jeremie balls his fist.
Jeremie: I don't care. I don't care if he knows our plans. Let him try to stop us. We will get Odd back. He can look at us, study us, and try to torture us all he wants. But the only thing he is going to find out is that we're not giving up. Secrecy or no secrecy, we will fight him. Let him know and fear what we are about to do to him. Moriarty may be smart and powerful but he is NOT invincible. He is omnipresent but not omnipotent. He's always listening but I do not care. He's listening right now. He stands up in his chair. Do you hear me Moriarty? You can't hide from us forever. We've turned your games on you before and we can do it again. You will not break us. You will not break me. Never again, do you hear me? NEVER AGAIN!
The tigers begin to close in.
Yumi: Jeremie, how is it going with the program?
Jeremie: Hold on. I need more time….
William raises his sword in a defensive stance.
William: That's great, but how do we prevent ourselves from being devirtualized in the meantime?
Jeremie: Abandon the tower. It's useless at this point. Retreat to the edge of the sector.
Ulrich cuts down the first attacking tiger and then retreats with the rest of the group.
Ulrich: Vehicles?
Jeremie: Coming right up.
The vehicles appear. Ulrich hops onto the Overbike while Yumi and Aelita jump onto the Overwing. But they turn to notice that William is on a vehicle of his own. He stands on top of a large metal disc that magnetizes to his feet. The design is very simple but allows for a lot of maneuverability. William maintains his balance on the disc by using his hands.
Ulrich: You're just full of suprises today, aren't you?
William: I guess so.
Jeremie: Do you like it? I call it the Overdisc.
Laserfire narrowly avoids Aelita's head.
Yumi: That's great, but can we talk about this another time?
The group speeds off away from the monsters. William is at first clumsy with the Overdisc, but he gradually gets the feel for it.
Ulrich: Does anyone know the plan?
Yumi: Yeah. Keep running till Jeremie figures something out.
Ulrich: I mean besides that.
William: There's a besides?
Ulrich: Think about it. Even if Jeremie manages to transfer the program to our weapons, how on Earth are we supposed to find Odd?
There is a brief moment of silence as they continue to travel through the sector on their vehicles.
William: Good point.
Yumi: Aelita?
At first Aelita doesn't respond. She seems to be lost in her own world, focusing only on what lies before her.
Aelita: Why do you think Jeremie is sending us to the edge of the sector?
Now they understand.
Yumi: Sector 5?
Aelita: That's the idea.
William: I guess that's our best bet. If Odd is going to be anywhere, it's got to be Sector 5.
Yumi: But Moriarty has to know Sector 5 is our next target. Couldn't he just pull Odd out of Sector 5 and hide him in the Network?
Aelita: Not exactly. Moriarty has a decision to make.
Ulrich: Which is?
Aelita: Have Odd defend Sector 5 and risk losing him to the program, or pull him out of Sector 5 and risk us getting our hands on some very sensitive data. Moriarty has invested a lot into Sector 5. It's only natural to assume that there are things in there he doesn't want us to find.
Ulrich: So we force him to make a choice….
Aelita: Exactly.
Ulrich: I like it.
They arrive at the edge of the sector.
Yumi: Jeremie, are you getting close?
Jeremie: I'm getting there. This is proving harder than I thought. But I'm going to go ahead and send you the transporter orb.
An orb appears out of the digital sea and approaches them. But this time instead of the Xana eye, the Moriarty eye is on its outer shell. It envelops the group and makes its way to Sector 5. Meanwhile, inside a reformed Sector 5, which now looks like a giant cube surrounded by a purple data field, Odd waits. He sits on a throne in a massive inner chamber, surrounded by tigers and humanoids. He looks bored and impatient, eager for battle. He is still very much under Moriarty's control, but there is something different about him. His former confidence wrapped up in an imitation of Moriarty's twisted personality seems to have been replaced by a brooding and savage nature. Though it is hard to tell, he has not been the same since his temporary freedom. He regards the monsters around him with hostility. He stands up to look at his reflection through the crystalline steps leading up to the throne. Suddenly he grabs his head.
Aelita: It's ok. You're here with us now. We're going to get you out of this.
He growls and claws his temples, almost leaving a scar.
Yumi: Let the past be past Odd. We forgive you.
Odd seems confused.
Odd: Forgiveness?
He shakes himself out of the flashbacks. He turns to see one of the humanoids and several other monsters staring at him strangely. He growls and turns to the humanoid.
Odd: What are you looking at?
He fires an arrow at the humanoid and devirtualizes it. The other monsters turn away for fear of suffering the same fate. Odd sits back down in his throne. He starts to hear Moriarty's voice.
Moriarty: Odd….
Odd looks up.
Odd: Master?
Moriarty: They are coming.
Odd bares his teeth.
Odd: Let me deal with it Master. I will make them regret coming here.
A black smoky presence enters the chamber and hovers around the back of Odd's shoulders. It is not Moriarty's complete form, just an extension of his will. Odd flinches at his master being this close to him.
Moriarty: It is not so simple as that…
Odd: What do you mean Master?
Moriarty: They are going to take you away from me.
Odd's face becomes undeniably wild. His body cringes with the thought of being separated from his master. A combination of dread and beastlike rage wash over his face. But there is a slight twitch in his eyebrows, a tremor that indicates that not every part of him is reacting to this news in a negative way.
Odd: No.
Moriarty: I'm afraid so my ever faithful servant. They are coming for you.
Odd pauses.
Odd: What are you orders?
The smoky presence hesitates, trying to make up its mind.
Odd: Master, I can deal with them.
The smoke shifts around Odd.
Moriarty: We can't allow them into the core room. If they find it, my plans could be put in serious jeopardy. We have to keep them in the dark, no matter the cost.
Odd: So I stay?
Moriarty: Defend Carthage. Those are your orders.
Odd: I will not disappoint you Master.
Moriarty's voice takes on a threatening tone.
Moriarty: Oh, I would never dream that you would….
Odd swallows.
Odd: Master…..the visions….they won't go away.
Moriarty: Is that so?
Odd: Yes Master.
Moriarty: And these visions, what are they about?
Odd seems afraid to respond.
Odd: They….try to dissuade me from my allegiance….to you.
The smoky presence pauses. It's obvious Moriarty already knows this, but he continues to entertain his slave.
Moriarty: That is a problem.
Odd: What do I do?
The smoke threateningly approaches Odd.
Moriarty: Well, we could always go back to the old forms of….treatment…
The word 'treatment' fills Odd with fear.
Odd: No Master…that…that won't be necessary….
Moriarty: I thought you wanted the visions to go away.
Odd: Yes Master…..but they aren't that severe. They're…..they're getting better.
Moriarty: You didn't tell me that before.
Odd: I apologize Master, I shouldn't have brought it up.
Moriarty: Maybe we should do it…..just to make sure.
Odd is now really afraid of the presence.
Odd: No master please…The visions will go away. I'll make sure of it! You are my master! I serve no one else. Please…..no treatment.
The smoky presence seems to laugh.
Moriarty: Perhaps you just need to be reminded who your enemies are.
Odd: Yes yes. That's it.
Odd is relieved that Moriarty is no longer threatening him with 'treatment'.
Moriarty: They are trying to take you away. Back to a life without glory or respect.
Odd listens to Moriarty's words and growls.
Moriarty: They want you back just to be able to step on you again.
Odd extends his claws.
Odd: Never.
Moriarty: Who took you out of ignominy and made you something great?
Odd: You did Master.
Moriarty: Who was your friend when everyone else turned their back on you?
Odd: You were Master.
Moriarty: And who is trying to take that away?
Odd growls.
Odd: They are Master.
Moriarty: And do you want to be taken away?
Odd emphatically shakes his head.
Odd: No Master.
Moriarty: So what are you going to do?
Odd lowers his eyebrows and goes on all fours, looking once again like a beast.
Odd: Destroy them….
Moriarty: Good answer. I suggest you prepare yourself. They are very close.
The smoky presence disappears. Odd turns to the monsters.
Odd: Prepare for battle!
The monsters scurry away in different directions. As they leave the chamber, Odd grabs his head again. He hears a voice so clearly, he isn't sure if it is a flashback or someone far away trying to reach him.
Aelita: Odd, if you can hear me, know that you're coming home.
Odd grunts and forces the voice out of his head.
The transporter orb drops the warriors off in a long cylindrical chamber. Unfortunately, it drops them in midair. Immediately they begin to fall. Aelita sprouts her wings and avoids a harsh landing. But the others aren't so lucky. They land hard on the floor of the chamber, which is decorated with a large, purple Moriarty eye. To add to their bad luck, they discover that the floor is not solid, but rather made of something similar to quicksand. Yumi, Ulrich, and William are stuck and are beginning to sink.
Yumi: Aelita!
Ulrich: Help!
Aelita flies down and tries to save William. The quicksand has reached his thighs, but he motions Aelita away.
William: No not me! Save the others first!
Aelita hesitates but obeys. She grabs hold of Yumi, who is sinking rapidly because she landed on her backside. Aelita pulls with all her might and manages to get her out. She flies her over to some nearby stairs which lead out of the chamber. Ulrich has sunk to his chest.
Ulrich: Aelita!
Aelita: I'm coming!
Jeremie: Hurry Aelita, they don't have much time!
Aelita grabs Ulrich by both hands and heaves. She struggles with his weight but manages to lift him to safety. She now turns to William. He is almost gone. He takes one last breath before his head goes under. Only his arms are above the surface, waving for help.
Yumi: Hurry! He's going under!
Aelita: No he's not….
She flies over and grabs William's last remaining arm. She finds William the hardest to free on account of the extent of his submersion and her exhaustion. She struggles with all her might, but William continues to sink. Just when Aelita thinks it's all over, she feels Yumi's telekinesis begin to help her. Filled with renewed strength and confidence, Aelita is able to drag William out with Yumi's help. She flies him over to the safety of the stairs and collapses. Yumi and Ulrich attend both of them.
Yumi: Aelita…
Ulrich: Are you alright?
William manages to get up first. He breathes heavily.
William: I'm fine. He turns to Aelita. Thank you.
Yumi has to hoist Aelita up. The unexpected rescue mission took a lot out of her.
Aelita: Is…..is everyone-?
Yumi: Woah, take it easy. You need to rest.
Aelita: Can't…..Odd
Jeremie: Good work Aelita. That pit would have caused eternal virtualization. It was a trap. I'm going to have to materialize your vehicles as well to prevent that from happening next time.
Ulrich: If this is what Moriarty has done to the arena, we can probably assume that he's put booby traps all over the place.
Yumi: Wonderful. That's just what we needed.
Jeremie: Well, the good news is that I'm nearly done with transferring the program to your weapons. Hopefully by the time you meet Odd it will be ready.
William: Hopefully?
Jeremie: I'm sorry, but I'm doing the best I can. I don't want to make promises I can't keep.
Aelita: We…we should keep moving.
She tries to move up the stairs but starts to fall. The others catch her.
Yumi: What part of 'You need to rest' did you not understand?
Aelita: No time. The longer we wait, the longer Odd remains Moriarty's slave.
Ulrich: I don't think you're going to be able to convince her Yumi.
Yumi: Alright, fine. At least let us help you up the stairs.
Aelita: That….that I can do.
They slowly edge up the stairs leading out of the pit and into the next chamber with Aelita leaning on their shoulders. But when they get to the top, they are immediately horrified. Before them is a labyrinth of stairs leading in different directions, sometimes defying logic. The group has no idea where to begin.
Yumi: Of course….
Ulrich: Jeremie, can you work on finding us a way throught this mess?
Jeremie: Not without stopping my work on the program….
Aelita: No. We'll try to find a way out through this maze on our own. Jeremie needs to keep working.
William: There's no way we can go in there without getting completely lost.
Aelita: We have to try.
The group descends one staircase. Not surprisingly, it only takes them a few minutes to become hopelessly lost. They continue to try to find a way through, going up and down stairs in every different direction. Finally they stop.
Ulrich: Ok, I'm positive we have gone up that staircase before…
Yumi: Everything looks the same. How can we tell?
William: I don't see how Moriarty could possibly make this more difficult.
Suddenly they feel the floor about to cave under them. They rush to a platform that serves as a central point for several different staircases. Everyone but Yumi manages to get to the platform without falling. Luckily Ulrich grabs her just in time.
Ulrich: I got you.
Yumi breathes a sigh of relief.
Yumi: How many times have you saved me like this?
Ulrich: Hmm….I think I lost count at 69.
Yumi: Ha ha. My grandpa's worn off on you. If I wasn't dangling for my life, I'd slap you.
Ulrich grins and hoists her up.
William: Well it looks like I spoke too soon on that one.
They start to hear cobras slithering towards them.
Aelita: No. NOW you have.
Yumi: Great….
A battle begins. The cobras put up a good fight, but they quickly fall to the warriors. One of them manages to strike Ulrich on the side. He cringes.
Aelita: Be careful! We have to save our lifepoints for Odd!
William: That's going to hard if Moriarty keeps sending us guests to entertain.
Yumi: Jeremie, we have a bit of a situation here…Please tell me it's ready…
Jeremie: I'm almost there! Just hang on a few seconds…
Yumi: That's an eternity!
A group of tigers now approaches them from the opposite side of the chamber, bounding down the staircases with ease.
Ulrich: Houston, we have felines…..
Aelita is determined not to let these monsters prevent them from getting to Odd. She turns to William.
Aelita: William! Hold out your sword!
William: What? Why?
Aelita: Just do it!
William obeys. Aelita fires an energy field at his blade. The sword absorbs the blast and begins to run to the top edge. William, now understanding what Aelita had in mind, winds back his sword and unleashes a wide arc of pink energy at the approaching tigers. Every single one of them is devirtualized.
William: Yes!
Despite William's attack, the warriors are getting close to being surrounded. Humanoids are now entering the fray. The warriors know that if the battle continues, one of them will be devirtualized, a loss they cannot afford. Yumi takes out a humanoid and looks to Aelita.
Yumi: Plan?
Aelita takes a moment to assess the situation.
Aelita: Strategic retreat. We can't take any chances. Fall back!
Ulrich: Great. We get to run away again.
The warriors flee from the battle on the platform, although Ulrich and William do it somewhat reluctantly. As the warriors try to escape down some stairs, the monsters follow. They can hear their laser fire behind them.
Yumi: Jeremie, we don't have a choice. We need to find a way through this mess.
Aelita: But the program….
Yumi: It doesn't matter if we can't find Odd.
No one can argue with this logic.
Jeremie: Ok.
Jeremie leaves his work on the program and starts to probe Sector 5.
Jeremie: Woah. Moriarty has made quite a piece of work out of this place. It's….it's incredibly well-designed.
Ulrich: Fascinating. But how do we get out of here?
Jeremie: Hold on, hold on.
The laserfire behind them sounds closer.
Yumi: Yeah, no hurry or anything.
Jeremie: Ok. I think I got it. The solution is easier than you think. All you have to do is go down.
William: Come again?
Jeremie: Only use the downward staircases. If you take any ones going up, you will go nowhere. Eventually the downward staircases are going to lead you out of this.
Ulrich: To where, exactly?
Jeremie: That has yet to be determined.
Aelita: We'll worry about that when we get there. Let's go.
The warriors follow Jeremie's advice. Eventually they lose the original monsters that were chasing them. But the narrow corridors and hallways they have to pass through provides for intermittent but intense close-quarter combat against the monsters they encounter along the way. But they manage to get through the staircases unscathed and after a long descent, emerge into a giant tunnel-like hallway. Their footsteps echo, breaking the oppressive silence of the room. They approach cautiously. But then Ulrich notices something and points to it.
Ulrich: Hey look!
He walks over to a giant statue of himself. His image has swords drawn, looking eager for battle. Ulrich stands next to it proudly.
Ulrich: It's me.
Suddenly laser fire blows the head of Ulrich's statue off.
Ulrich: Hey! That was my face!
The warriors look up to see tiny machines on the ceiling taking aim at Ulrich's statue. As soon as his statue is destroyed, one comes out of the ground to take its place. The three other warriors notice that they too have statues scattered throughout the hallway, each one being ceremoniously destroyed and then recreated to be destroyed again and again.
William: This is a new low.
Yumi: The sad thing is I'm really not surprised.
Aelita: Forget it. The machines are only firing at our statues. Let's just walk quietly through this hallway.
Ulrich pulls out his sabers.
Ulrich: Hold on, I want to show one of these machines what happens when I fight back.
Yumi gives Ulrich a look.
Yumi: Ulrich, that may not be a good idea.
The machine prepares to fire at Ulrich's statue. Ulrich stands ready to deflect.
Yumi: Ulrich….
The machine fires and Ulrich deflects it with incredible skill. The lasers bounce back and destroy the machine. The group cringes, waiting for something bad to happen. After a few seconds of silence, Ulrich beams.
Ulrich: Well, I showed him.
Suddenly an alarm goes off and the hallway is flooded with red light.
William: YOU IDIOT!
The chamber starts to collapse on itself. Aelita points toward the exit.
Aelita: RUN!
The group makes a run for it. The collapsing walls follow right behind them. They make into a large purple chamber right before the tunnel caves in completely. They stop to rest. Yumi glares at Ulrich.
Yumi: WHAT….DID….I JUST SAY?
Ulrich rubs the back of his head with an embarrassed look on his face.
Ulrich: Um…that it may not be a good idea.
Yumi throws her hands up.
Yumi: You just couldn't help yourself, could you?
Ulrich: Um….well…
Yumi: You couldn't let it go!
Ulrich: I….I guess not.
Yumi: What do you have to say for yourself?
Ulrich: Um….my bad.
Yumi: 'My bad'! That's your response?
Ulrich: …..Yeah.
Yumi: YOU'RE AN IDIOT!
Ulrich grins.
Ulrich: Yes. But I'm YOUR idiot.
Yumi gives him another annoyed look.
William: You know, he does have a point.
Ulrich grins some more.
Yumi: You're are so lucky you're cute…
The moment is broken by a slow clap. They turn to see Odd sitting on a throne on the other side of the room. He gives his twisted applause with a wicked grin on his face. He rises to his feet and continues to clap.
Odd: Well done….well done.
The warriors go for their weapons.
Odd: I didn't think you would be able to make it through.
Ulrich: So sorry to disappoint you.
Odd turns to Ulrich
Odd: Glad to know you're still putting brawns before brains.
Ulrich: Did you really expect anything less?
Odd: I suppose I didn't.
Aelita steps forward.
Aelita: Odd, you're coming home with us. Today. We're freeing you.
He growls.
Odd: I beg to differ.
Jeremie: No…..I do.
William's sword suddenly comes alive with green light burning like a flame, which surprises William just as much as the rest of the group. But Odd backs away from it like the plague.
Jeremie: You know what this is, don't you?
Odd bares his teeth.
Jeremie: It's your salvation.
The group stalks toward him. He backs up some more.
Jeremie: It's time to take your medicine Odd. Whether you like it or not.
Odd has the aggression of a cornered animal.
Odd: NO! You will not take me away!
His eyes turn red and he begins to levitate. His hands explode with electricity. He begins firing at the warriors. They duck in different directions to avoid the blasts. Odd then goes on all fours and charges for William. William swings and narrowly misses Odd. Odd goes under his legs and takes him down from behind. Odd tries to drive his claws into his face but William dissolves into smoke and retreats at the last second. He reforms a few feet away and tries to strike Odd, but Odd quickly responds and blasts William with electricity, sending him hurdling several feet away.
Jeremie: One more hit like that and you're done for William.
William: …Noted.
Odd tries to attack an unprepared William, who still has the program in his sword.
Jeremie: Pass it!
William: The program! Pass the program to someone else!
William is unsure what Jeremy means, but decides to make a swinging motion towards Ulrich, who is charging Odd from behind. The green light leaves his sword and attaches to Ulrich's sabers. Ulrich stops and stares in surprise. Odd halts his attack on William and turns to activate his shield right before Ulrich's sabers cut him in pieces. As Odd struggles against Ulrich, Aelita fires energy fields at him. Odd is forced to use his shield with one hand and fire electricity from the other. William, seeing Odd vulnerable, prepares to take him out, but Yumi stops him.
Yumi: No! You don't have the program now! Ulrich does. If you devirtualize him, we lose our chance.
She turns to Ulrich.
Yumi: Pass it!
Ulrich: A little busy here!
He pulls back his sabers and narrowly avoids having a laser arrow to the face. He swings it to Yumi, whose fans glow with green light in response. Odd turns to Yumi, but Yumi quickly passes it to William, who passes it to Aelita, causing her energy fields to become green. Odd is trapped in a square with a warrior in each corner, passing the program around and keeping Odd guessing. His body tenses, waiting for one of them to make a move.
Yumi: It's over Odd. You can't handle all of us at once.
He gives her a beastly grin.
Odd: Maybe….or maybe not.
He crosses his forearms in front of his chest and creates ten copies of himself. The warriors hesitate.
Ulrich: Well, didn't see that coming.
The chamber explodes into battle. The warriors destroy several Odds, but they only dissolve into smoke. They can't tell which is the real one. As soon as they destroy one clone, another takes its place. The green program continues to be passed around as the warriors hope to get lucky and hit the real Odd with the program. Finally Ulrich, who doesn't have the program, strikes one of the Odds in the side. Instead of disappearing, this Odd cringes in pain and goes to his knees. The rest of the Odds fluctuate. Ulrich turns to Yumi, who has the program.
Ulrich: Yumi, this is the real Odd!
Yumi fires both of her fans at Odd. Odd ducks the fans and takes out Ulrich's legs. Odd aims his wrist at Ulrich but is blindsided by the blunt edge of William's sword. The Odd clones try to defend him but an aerial Aelita takes them out with her energy fields. Yumi's fans come back to her and she passes the program to William with a flick of the wrist. She then lifts Odd off the floor with her telekinesis. Odd struggles but cannot break Yumi's grip.
Yumi: WILLIAM! NOW!
William chucks his sword at Odd. But Odd manages to fire an electric blast at the incoming sword, sending it hurtling backwards and knocking both Yumi and William off their feet. Odd, free of Yumi's grip, steps on William's chest. William looks up in time to see Odd fire a laser arrow into his chest. As he is being devirtualized, William manages to pass the program to Yumi and give Odd a thumbs up. When he disappears, Odd becomes confused for a moment. His distraction causes the rest of the clones to disappear.
Aelita: Now's your chance Yumi!
Yumi throws her fans again, but Odd, with one of his hands still holding his head, instintictively fires an electric blast, knocking her fans back towards her. He then lunges straight for her. Fearing she might be devirtualized, she passes the program to Ulrich. Odd mercilessly scratches her across the face. She screams in pain and trips over herself, falling onto Odd's waiting claws. Yumi looks up at Odd with an unconditional love, and hugs him as she is being devirtualized. Odd once again seems frozen by doubt and confusion. Ulrich and Aelita now are the last ones standing. Ulrich holds the program in his sabers. He looks to Aelita, and she nods. He triplicates and stares at Odd.
Ulrich: This ends now Odd.
All three Ulrichs charge with Aelita flying close behind.
Odd: Yes….but not for me!
He levitates and his entire body radiates with power, casting a dark red shade over the purple chamber. Electricity pours out of his body from all directions, striking the floor around the three charging Ulrichs. The blasts are so powerful they puncture the floor and unleash a massive amount of smoke into the chamber. As Ulrich nears Odd, one of his clones is destroyed, quickly followed by the other. Ulrich leaps into the air with sabers raised, aiming straight for Odd's heart. But Odd fires a laser arrow into his chest and sends him sprawling to the floor. Ulrich makes a weak flinging motion of his wrist, releasing the program toward the smoky ceiling. He starts to devirtualize.
Ulrich: Aelita…..It's up to you.
He disappears.
Odd comes back to the floor and looks around. The smoke has clouded a good portion of the chamber. He waits for Aelita to make her move. At first he patiently prowls on all fours. But then he gets angry and blindly fires electricity into the smoke.
Odd: WHERE ARE YOU?
Silence is his only reply.
Odd: I know you're in here. SHOW YOURSELF!
More silence.
Odd: You will not take me from my master! I'm not going back!
The smoke begins to dissipate.
Odd: I am strong! I am powerful! You're trying to take that away from me!
Odd hears what may be the flap of wings and turns his head to the side.
Odd: You want me to become a joke again!
Aelita: No.
As the smoke lifts, Odd turns to see Aelita standing on the throne. He aims his wrist at her.
Aelita: We want you to come home, where you belong.
Odd's face hardens.
Odd: You mean where everyone thinks I'm a joke? Girls? Friends? My own family? EVERYONE?
Aelita steps down from the throne.
Aelita: No. Stop listening to Moriarty's lies. You are not a joke. You are so much more.
Odd growls. He's clearly not in a listening mood.
Odd: I'm not going anywhere.
Aelita: Fight him Odd. Don't let him win.
Odd: He has already won.
Aelita: No he hasn't. You can beat him.
Odd hesitates to fire. His wrist shakes.
Aelita: Stop listening to Moriarty. He is your enemy.
Odd seems to struggle against Moriarty's grip. His wrist shakes some more. But then his animal-like hate returns.
Odd: No. HE IS MY MASTER!
He fires some laser arrows, but they pass right through her. Aelita's image shifts and becomes fuzzy. Odd realizes with horror that he is looking at a decoy. He hears the flap of wings behind him. He turns to see an airborne Aelita looking down on him with a green energy field in her hand.
Aelita: Not anymore.
She fires her energy field at the same time Odd fires an electric blast at her. Aelita is devirtualized and the energy field strikes Odd. He is quickly engulfed in a green blaze of fire. He howls in pain like a wild animal. Cracks appear in Odd's virtual form. The Moriarty eye is burned away. The cracks widen and explode with rays of more green light. Odd's entire body dissolves into green light, which leaves the chamber and disappears from Sector 5. An earthquake in the sector reveals Moriarty's anger and the mission's success: Odd has slipped from his fingers. Back on Earth, one of the scanners comes to life. William, Aelita, Yumi, and Ulrich lean on each other's shoulders while Jeremie stands further back. After a few seconds that seems more like an eternity, the scanner door opens. Odd stumbles out and collapses into waiting arms. Odd seems very confused.
Aelita: Give him some room!
The rest back up. Odd holds his head and leans on Aelita.
Odd: What…where..?
Jeremie: Breathe the free air Odd.
Odd's mind starts to clear. He looks into Aelita's face.
Odd: Is….is he gone?
Aelita: He's gone Odd. You're free.
She embraces him with tears in her eyes.
Odd: Free…..free.
The group comes up to welcome him home. Odd seems really overwhelmed. He goes to his knees.
Odd: I…I betrayed you all.
Aelita takes his hand.
Aelita: That doesn't matter anymore.
Yumi: You're home.
Ulrich: Everything you did against us was against your will.
William: You won't be his slave ever again.
Jeremie: And we forgive you…
Jeremie walks up and puts his hands on his shoulders. He seems very emotional.
Jeremie: You made a mistake. A big one, I admit, but a mistake nonetheless. And if I have learned anything….it is that everyone is capable of sinking that low….and worse. We forgive you.
Odd: I….I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be in the group anymore!
Jeremie points a finger at him sternly.
Jeremie: No. You will not talk like that. I won't have it. That was the past. You can't change it, and I know you want to. But this is now. What's done is done, and although you and I can't change it, we have to move on. We can't lose you again. We WON'T lose you again. So for the love of God, forgive yourself like we have forgiven you.
Odd: I'm…I'm not sure I can.
Aelita holds onto him tightly.
Aelita: We will help you.
Everyone begins to tear up except for William.
Yumi: Odd…..we…we missed you so much.
They let their emotions get the best of them. They hold onto Odd and cry. Odd is once again overwhelmed by this display. Ulrich pats him on the back.
Ulrich: Looks like I won't have to share a room with a clone again.
Odd: Clone?
Jeremie: Oh that's right. I better delete him. We can't have two Odds walking around.
Yumi: I'm going to miss that clone…
Odd: Um….should I be expecting any changes now that I'm free?
Ulrich: Just two. Number one, your grades are so high teachers are starting to get suspicious. And two, expect a large amount of fangirls following you around tomorrow.
Odd forces a nervous smile at this. Ulrich is a little surprised. Usually the idea of being surrounded by girls would make him leap for joy.
Aelita: Let's get you home.
Ten minutes later, Ulrich opens the door to their dorm room. Odd walks in with a blank look on his face.
Ulrich: Welcome home.
Odd seems out of sorts. He doesn't look really comfortable in his old dorm room. He hears the familiar feet of a canine. He turns to see Kiwi looking at him. At first Kiwi backs up.
Odd: Kiwi?
Kiwi is not sure if this one is the real deal.
Odd: Kiwi, it's me.
Kiwi hopefully raises his tail and wags it. Odd opens his arms.
Odd: My little diggity dog.
The last statement eliminates all doubt in Kiwi's tiny mind. He literally tackles Odd, licking him and everything. Odd holds him close. He looks to Ulrich.
Odd: I'm guessing he missed me.
Ulrich: Now what would give you that idea?
Odd tries to absorb this moment of freedom, but his mind still seems distant. Ulrich notices a slight tremor in his left arm. It quickly goes away, but it makes Ulrich pause with concern. Outside in the hallway, Jeremie and William talk.
Jeremie: We did it. We did it.
William nods.
Jeremie: I…I almost can't believe it.
William: Yes. He's back. There's no denying that.
Jeremie stares at his door.
Jeremie: I…I know this sounds selfish, but do you think Aelita may be able to forgive me now that I helped free Odd?
William's expression becomes grave.
Jeremie: I figured. A naïve hope…..
He opens his door.
Jeremie: But at least Odd's free. Completely and totally free.
William makes a face. Jeremie raises an eyebrow.
Jeremie: He is free, isn't he? He's back to his good old self, right?
William: Free?...Yes. Is he the same? No. And most likely never will be.
Jeremie stops to think.
Jeremie: Should….should we be worried about him?
William averts Jeremie's gaze and does not answer.
William: I'm going to keep my eye on him.
The lights go off in the dormitories. The campus is shrouded in darkness. Odd finds it difficult to fall asleep. Suddenly his body stiffens and he starts to sweat. He breathes heavily. Kiwi raises his head and questionably looks at his master. Odd forces a smile and pats Kiwi's head.
Odd: It's ok Kiwi. I'm ok…..I'm ok.
Part 19