The Games of Moriarty

by Ragnarok777

Xana is gone. Victory has been achieved by the Lyoko Warriors. But a simple test to understand William's nightmares of Xana unveils a new enemy: Moriarty. This evil entity wishes to play a series of games that shake the Lyoko Warriors to the core.

17. Chapter 17

Your patience will now be rewarded. And I hope that you are impressed. Things are really starting to pick up now. So read, but first, a random rant moment.

Random rant: People need to write better. And I'm not talking about stories or fan fiction. I'm talking about having the capability to write like an adult. We went over our essays in my religious/literary text analysis class in college, and I nearly lost faith in humanity. In some cases, I'm convinced a monkey with a typewriter could have done better. Moreover, my professor is Argentinian. His first language is not English. In fact, I'm pretty sure his second language isn't English (I think he learned Italian first). Do you have any idea how embarrassing and insulting it is for someone from another country to lecture us on how to write our own native language?! It's bad enough that I still struggle to write in Spanish…now I have to endure this nonsense due to people who simply don't know how to write. Oh well, I'm done ranting now. Enjoy.

Part 31

Some students and faculty slowly filter into the gymnasium. Metal seats have been set up in front of a small podium. There are far more chairs than people. Natalya, William, Yumi, and Jeremie enter and take their seats in the left section three rows from the front. Jeremie leaves a seat open for Aelita, and Yumi does the same for Ulrich. The warriors look around to see who has come. They see Delmas and Sissi sitting together on the front row of the right section. Nicole sits next to her boss, holding her purse in her lap. Suzanne Hertz walks past the warriors and sits in front of them on the first row, right next to the podium. Aside from them and the groundskeeper, Michael Reilley, no other faculty is present. Jeremie can't help but be disappointed by this. A couple of rows behind them, Claire Girard, Azra Urgup, and Bastien Roux sit together. Behind them towards the back row, Theo, Romain, and Jean-Baptiste lackadaisicaly wait for this thing to start. Several other random students from the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades sit all around them. They recognize some of them, but not all. Directly to their right across the aisle, the three foreign exchange students sit. Jeremie leans over to whisper in their direction.

Jeremie: Hey, Isabel….

She turns her head to look at him.

Jeremie: Is César coming?

The look on her face quickly goes south.

Isabel: No. I tried to convince him, but he's not taking this seriously at all.

Jeremie sighs.

Jeremie: That's a surprise.

Isabel: He can't be helped. He just thinks it's a big game.

Jeremie: I was afraid he would.

Jeremie leans back in disappointment. Yumi cranes her neck in his direction.

Yumi: Speaking of no shows, where's Aelita?

Jeremie's eyes focus on the empty seat next to her.

Jeremie: Good question. One that I don't have the answer to.

Yumi: It's not like her to be late.

Jeremie: No…it isn't. But what about Ulrich? What's holding him up?

Yumi looks away for a second. She runs her fingers through the side of her hair.

Yumi: He's uh…on his way.

Jeremie pushes his glasses up his nose.

Jeremie: It's Odd, isn't it?

Yumi: He's…..having some trouble.

Scene shifts to the bathroom near the gymnasium. Odd is looking in the mirror. His eyes focus intently on the glass. The lack of color in his face reveals his acute anxiety. He shudders and turns the sink on. Water splashes onto his face. Ulrich stands a few feet behind him, watching with concern. Odd sputters some of the water out of his mouth. He watches the water drip down his face. Still not satisfied, he turns the sink on full blast. He splashes more water onto his soaked face. Ulrich takes a few steps toward him.

Ulrich: Why don't you use warm water? I don't see how soaking your face in cold water is going to help.

Odd perks his head up. He immediately shakes his head.

Odd: Not warm water. No.

Ulrich: Why not?

Odd rests his forehead on his fist with his elbow on the bathroom counter.

Odd: The water in the factory is always cold. Always. Sometimes it was terrible. But when I was really out of whack, sometimes the cold water would jolt me out of an attack. I guess I got used to it. So it must be cold. Always cold.

Ulrich: Odd, maybe you should just sit this one out.

Odd groans.

Odd: I've done enough sitting to last a lifetime.

Ulrich: Going to this meeting may be too much for you. Too many people. You wouldn't be comfortable at all. Why don't you just go back to the ro-

Odd slams his palm on the counter.

Odd: No! I just need a little more time. That's all.

Ulrich: But it's about to start, and you don't seem ready at all.

Odd: A few more minutes…

Ulrich: You said that a few minutes ago.

Odd: Why….His fists clench. Why is this so hard? Why haven't my symptoms gone away?

Ulrich: Something like that isn't going to be fixed overnight.

Odd: When I left the factory last night, I didn't look back. I didn't give my brain time to think about it. I had a burst of confidence last night and I took advantage of it while it lasted. He pauses and looks at the mirror again. No. It wasn't confidence. It was hate. When I killed my clone….that's what I was feeling. My fear was gone. I just wanted to cause him pain. A lot of pain. He lowers his eyebrows. I guess if I'm going to get used to this, I'm just going to have to hate him even more.

Ulrich: You have every right to hate him. But don't expect hate to help you all the time.

Odd doesn't answer. He stares down at the counter, completely frozen with fear and frustration.

Ulrich: Look, I'm going to go to the meeting. Why don't you go back to the room and work things out? You need some more time.

Odd: Yeah. He closes his eyes in defeat. Go ahead. I think I'll stay here a while.

Ulrich opens the door.

Ulrich: Alright, come out when you're ready.

He walks out of the bathroom and into the hallway. He inserts his hands in his pockets and calmly walks toward the gym. He whistles to himself, trying not to worry about Odd. As he rounds the corner, he sees a girl heading the opposite direction. At first, Ulrich only gives her a glance, but his eyes are quickly dragged in her direction. Ulrich finds himself staring at a raven haired beauty. Ulrich's eyes take in her supple and elegant body, which is clothed in a black tank top and tight black jeans. Sparkling red shoes mark her footsteps. She walks with a definite feminine gait, the kind that easily draws a man's attention. As Ulrich finds himself slowing down to look at her, the girl looks up at him. The sight of her face takes the air out of his chest. Her albino white skin works beautifully with two brilliant blue eyes. Their eyes meet. She smiles at him. Ulrich's throat becomes dry.

Angeline: Hello.

Ulrich clears his throat.

Ulrich: He-hello.

She passes by him. Ulrich watches her leave his presence. When he turns back around, he shakes his head as if coming out of a dream. His cheeks turn red. He quickly hustles into the gymnasium. He sits next to Yumi without a word. He doesn't look at her. Yumi turns to face him.

Yumi: Odd's not coming?

Ulrich is quick to answer.

Ulrich: No. Too much for him.

She raises an eyebrow.

Yumi: Are you okay?

Ulrich: What? Me? Fine. Never better.

Yumi raises an eyebrow, but her attention is soon drawn to the podium. Everyone hushes as Jim approaches the podium. He carries an easel covered in several layers of paper and sets it by the podium. He stands up straight to face his audience. After a brief pause, Jim reaches into his jacket pocket. He unveils a soldier's cap and places it on his head. A few chuckles filter into the room, but a sharp glare from him silences them. After nearly thirty seconds of awkward silence, Jim clears his throat.

Jim: Thank you for coming. I greatly appreciate you all being here…..He looks down...although I was hoping more would attend. He lifts his head again. But no matter. As you all know, we are here for a very important purpose. He starts to pace back and forth across the podium. He raises his right index finger to illustrate his point. This school is going through some changes, changes that we don't like. Classes have been changed, students have been acting strange, and our board has done nothing to stop it. He stops. And all these things are the result of-He rips the first paper off the easel to reveal a hilariously poor drawing of Moriarty – this man!

Students and faculty immediately start laughing. The lab coat is greatly exaggerated and his hair is all over the place. His 'evil' hands are also obnoxiously large and clawish. Jim looks at his drawing in embarrassment. Even the Lyoko Warriors can't help but chuckle at the sight. Jim puts his foot on the ground.

Jim: Okay, okay I get it! It's not exactly my best work. I'll have you know that I used to be an artist, although I'd rather not talk about it. But answer me this….He points to the image. Is there anything funny about the man I uh…attempted to draw?!

Jim's question silences the room. Immediately the atmosphere becomes serious. Jim nods at their reactions.

Jim: That's what I thought. There is nothing funny about the real thing. He puts his right fist into his left hand. Let me remind you what this man has done. He has singlehandedly manipulated the board and most of the student body and faculty into doing what he wants. His classroom experiments have given rise to a strange student group 'The Order'. And so far that Order has been recruiting student and faculty alike and intimidated those who have refused to join. They are starting to act almost like a cult, and they are ruining the good name of Kadic. Moreover, Renard has set himself up as "The Hero of France" and gained even more popularity with his appearances on talk shows. So to put it bluntly, Dr. Sébastien Renard has infected both Kadic and France alike with his little game. And so far no one has stepped in to oppose him-He slams his fist against the podium-until now.

Mrs. Hertz raises her hand.

Mrs. Hertz: Jim, just what exactly are you suggesting we do?

Jim: Excellent question Suzanne, and the answer is actually quite simple. He addresses the audience. Dr. Renard has relied on organization and strength of numbers to get his way around here. Those who have disagreed with him have been divided, but no more. I propose that we form a group to oppose The Order! Strength in numbers! Fight fire with fire!

Jim's highly animated state is lost on the audience, who seems hesitant at the idea. Mrs. Hertz immediately stands up.

Mrs. Hertz: Jim, I don't like The Order any more than you do. But if they are really as dangerous as you say, wouldn't forming a group to challenge them only provoke them? Mrs. Hertz motions to the students around her. Look around you Jim. There aren't many of us. She focuses her eyes on Delmas. Mr. Delmas, you of all people must know that this is a bad idea. Our duty first and foremost in emergency situations is the safety of the students. What Jim is suggesting is tantamount to causing a civil war on campus. That's unacceptable. How would we be able to protect them?

Delmas gravely turns to Mrs. Hertz.

Delmas: With all due respect Mrs. Hertz, our ability to do that may already have been compromised.

Mrs. Hertz's eyes widen from Delmas' response. She tries to speak, but she is lost for words. She sits down, but Delmas stands up. He turns around and adjusts his tie.

Delmas: Students and faculty alike, please understand that what Jim is suggesting is the last thing that I wanted. I had hoped that I would be able to avoid this, but I can't. I can not sit idly by while students are intimidated and brainwashed. If I could fire him, I would. But the board is firmly in the palm of his hand.

Mrs. Hertz: Has no one tried to talk sense to them? Tried to reason with them? Our school is going to fall apart!

Delmas groans.

Delmas: Believe me. I've tried. But all they do is start violently defending him and pointing out the improvement in test scores.

Yumi turns her head to Jeremie.

Jeremie: Explanation?

Jeremie nods but seems unsure.

Jeremie: I'm working on it. I have an idea, but-

Yumi: Still not positive?

Jeremie: No. He turns his head toward the empty chair. He looks toward the back doors. His face curls in frustration. Come on Aelita, you need to be here for this!

Yumi: I know, this is starting to worry me.

Delmas: That's why I'm afraid the best way to keep the students who don't support Renard safe is to unite them. Divided we don't stand a chance against his organization. But if we get together, we might have a chance of restoring sanity.

Jim raises his arm.

Jim: And that will be our objective. We must restore sanity to this school, by any means necessary! He thinks over his words for a moment. Well, maybe not every means. I mean, we can't actually fight them physically.

Tobias raises his hand. Jim calls on him. He stands up.

Tobias: You mean we're going to be non-violent and stuff?

Jim: Exactly. We have to be better than them.

Ulrich clears his throat and stands up.

Ulrich: That's great and all, but what if they are violent?

Azra: Yeah, we'd have to defend ourselves, wouldn't we?

While Jim struggles to answer, Jean-Baptiste and Theo smile maliciously.

Theo: We could help with the muscle.

Jean-Baptiste: Yeah, if you need any dirty work done, we can help.

The two give each other high fives. Delmas however, reacts violently to their suggestion.

Delmas: No! I will not sanction violence at this school! We are to peacefully speak out against them. Nothing more!

Nicole: But sir….Delmas turns her head to look at his secretary. She gives him a questioning look. What if The Order does physically intimidate students? What then?

Delmas: Then I will punish them. I am still the principal at this school.

The questioning look intensifies.

Nicole: Are you sir? Are you?

Delmas bites his lip and runs his fingers through his mustache. He shakes his head.

Delmas: No. I'm not. But I will not allow students to get hurt.

Sissi touches her father's arm.

Sissi: Daddy, you can't control that anymore. If a student does get hurt, it will be Renard's fault, not yours.

Delmas: That doesn't make it any easier to accept Sissi.

Jim coughs to remind everyone he's still on the podium.

Jim: If I could make a suggestion sir, why not make a rule that violence is only acceptable in the case of self-defense?

Tobias: That seems fair. If they punch, we should have the right to punch 'em back.

Claire: Yes, but we shouldn't provoke them to punch us first.

Bastien: What if they deserve it?

Claire and Azra give him condescending looks. He throws his hands up in the air.

Bastien: Alright, alright. No provoking.

Jim aims his index finger at the audience.

Jim: Alright. I want all of you to swear to me that you will never physically attack a member of The Order. You will respond in self-defense only and never provoke them. Our mission is to speak out against them in the school and, if necessary, the public at large. Anything else is unacceptable. Do you understand?

People nod and say yes.

Jim: Swear that you will follow our group's code of behavior!

All: We swear!

Jim: Good. He smiles and puts his hands on his hips. Now that we have our group's mission down, any questions?

Jeremie stands up.

Jeremie: Yeah, I have one.

Jim: Fire away.

Jeremie: What exactly are we going to call 'our group'? And furthermore, who is going to lead us?

Jim gets a blank look on his face, unable to answer.

Jeremie: Someone's going to have to direct us. A group like this needs organization, discipline.

Jean-Baptiste shoots Jeremie a cold look.

Jean-Baptiste: Discipline, huh? Are you sure you're in the right group?

Jeremie lowers his eyebrows. The other warriors also look at Jean-Baptiste sternly.

Jeremie: I don't mean discipline taken to that extreme. I mean we can't just go out there without any sense of structure or leadership. That won't work against Renard's well-oiled machine.

Jim: Belpois is quite right. I'm not sure about the name, but we do need a leader.

Mrs. Hertz: And who did you have in mind Jim?

Jim laughs and gets a stupid grin on his face.

Jim: Why me of course!

Mrs. Hertz's glasses nearly shatter.

Mrs. Hertz: Please tell me you're joking…..

Jim stutters for a moment.

Jim: I-I'm not.

Mrs. Hertz: Mr. Delmas, you can't be serious. Jim….She struggles not to insult him is not fit for a position like that.

Mr. Delmas: And why not, Suzanne?

Mrs. Hertz: Why not?! Mr. Delmas, the leader of a resistance group to The Order would have to be intelligent, crafty, and organized. I'm not saying that Jim is…..totally incapable of doing that. Jim frowns from the stinging remarks. But don't you think you or I would be more suited for that?

Delmas adjusts his glasses.

Delmas: You're right Suzanne. And that's exactly what Renard will think as well. Mrs. Hertz pauses at this. Delmas continues. I don't think we want to broadcast who is heading our organization. That person would be put at extreme risk, and since doing that to a student is unacceptable, we have only a few adult candidates to choose from. You and I would easily become major suspects. It has to be someone they least expect, someone believed to be so utterly incompetent that they wouldn't dream of him being our leader. Jim has become paralyzed on stage by embarrassment. In light of that, I think we can all agree that Jim Morales is the perfect candidate for leader.

Several students nod their assent. They seem to like the idea of Jim being a leader. However, Yumi is not so convinced.

Yumi: Jeremie, are you comfortable with this?

Jeremie: Well, they're not going to let a student put himself in harm's way, and Jim has proven himself before. Don't forget how he helped us out when Xana was still alive.

Yumi: But Jim is just…just….

Jeremie: Stupid and naïve? Yes, very true. But he is no coward. Delmas wouldn't have the spine to fully stand up to Renard. Mrs. Hertz does have the spine and is very intelligent, but I honestly don't see her being the leader type. And Delmas does have a point. It's better to have someone Moriarty would least suspect.

Yumi aims her glance at Jim, who is nervously adjusting his soldier's cap. He fakes a broad smile. Yumi raises an eyebrow.

Yumi: Yeah, that should be enough to fool even Moriarty.

Delmas: So is anyone opposed to Jim being our leader?

No one speaks up, but William's temple gets an unwelcome throbbing.

Xana: FOOL! Do not let that obese Neanderthal take my rightful place as leader! I am the only one fit to rule and conquer Moriarty!

William: Not happening….

Natalya turns to William. William smiles in embarrassment.

Natalya: Xanadu again?

William: Xana…..and yes. Don't worry, it's nothing.

Xana: And your idiotic mate still doesn't know my name!

William: Shut up….

Delmas: Well, if no one objects, then it's unanimous. Congratulations Jim.

Jim quickly forgets his embarrassment and assumes his typical bravado.

Jim: Yes! You have made an excellent decision and I won't let you down! And as my first order of business- He points to the groundskeeper Reilley- you are now my second in command!

Reilley points to himself in confusion.

Reilley: What?! Me?! But why?

Jim: Simple. Because you're the only other faculty member they would never suspect.

Some of the people at the meeting give each other looks following this strange decision. Mrs. Hertz raises an eyebrow at Delmas. Delmas smiles uncomfortably and shrugs.

Jim: And second, we must remove anyone who is not fully committed to our cause. Understand that by joining us, you are risking a lot. At this time, Herb is walking past the doors to the gym. You will quickly become a target of hate by The Order. He perks up when he hears this. He sticks his head near the door and listens in. This is your last chance to back out. After this, I can't guarantee that your life at Kadic will ever be the same. If Renard continues to further his influence at this school, then you will become outcasts.

Tobias turns his attention to Lucas, who is staring at the ground. The Texas youth can tell that he is shaking. He quickly concludes that Lucas is having second thoughts, and only the greater fear of being stared at by everyone in the room is holding him back from walking out of the room. He puts a hand on his shoulder. Lucas immediately relaxes and turns his head to him. Tobias stands up.

Tobias: Then so be it. We'll become outcasts.

Theo nods his head in approval.

Theo: The Outcasts will never surrender!

Bastien: Long live the Outcasts!

People begin talking in response to this new name. The majority seems to approve of it.

Jim: That's it! We will be the Outcasts! Perfect! He imagines the scenario in his head. The Outcasts versus The Order…..I like it! Herb's eyes widen as he continues to watch. Alright then, you are dismissed for now. I will pass on more specific instructions later on. Keep quiet about our movement for the time being. Herb slinks away. We don't want Dr. Renard suspecting anything just yet.

The warriors get up and start to leave. Jeremie is sulking. He immediately reaches for his phone.

Jeremie: I can't believe Aelita missed the entire meeting!

Ulrich: What's up with her?

The five walk outside. Jeremie puts the phone to his ear.

Jeremie: I haven't the slightest clue. But she has a lot of explaining to do.

Yumi: When was the last time you saw her?

Jeremie: At lunch. She said she was going to the factory to check on the progress of the Return to the Past program. Then when the signal went out I sent her a text telling her to come back immediately. Haven't heard from her since.

William: Maybe she got caught up on something…

The phone is still ringing.

Jeremie: Like what?

William: How should I know? I'm just guessing.

Pause in the group. A thought suddenly crosses Natalya's mind.

Natalya: Now that I think about it, Christophe wasn't in the meeting either….

Jeremie's face suddenly becomes blank. He listens to Aelita's voicemail as the realization kicks in.

Jeremie: They didn't…..

Yumi: Didn't what? What did they do?

Ulrich scratches his head.

Ulrich: Christophe and Aelita gone at the same time? What does that mean?

Jeremie: I'll tell you what it means. Jeremie hangs up his phone. An angry look takes shape on his brow. It means that someone convinced my girlfriend to pull a Lyoko stunt with him.

Scene shifts to Desert Sector. Aelita and Christophe are walking through a path between two rock faces. Christophe is clearly ecstatic. He primes his wrist.

Christophe: Alright, so where are the monsters?

Aelita gives him a look.

Aelita: Don't be so eager. Fighting Moriarty is a serious business. So take it seriously. Besides, the monsters don't work according to your schedule.

Christophe: I know, I know. I just want some action.

Aelita shakes her head.

Aelita: You know, I was in this same situation with William not too long ago. He told me the same thing. Do I need to remind you how that one ended?

Christophe pauses. He looks at Aelita, who is staring at him coldly. He holds his hands up.

Christophe: Alright alright I get it. Don't bite off more than you can chew. I won't repeat William's mistake.

Aelita: I should hope so. I'm probably going to get in enough trouble with Jeremie for letting you come to Lyoko against his orders. I don't want to explain losing you to Moriarty.

Christophe: Who says he has to know?

Aelita glares at him.

Christophe: You won't have to. I'll be careful. And I know I'm inexperienced. That's why I'm here. So I can train and be experienced.

Aelita points at him.

Aelita: And that's the only reason I'm letting you do this. When the 'emergency' Jeremie talked about comes, I don't want you to be caught off guard like William.

Christophe points to himself and smiles.

Christophe: You won't lose me like Odd and William. I promise.

Sounds of growling enter their hearing range. Christophe turns around.

Christophe: Growling combined with a screeching noise. Probably means tigers. Several of them.

An energy field materializes in Aelita's palm.

Aelita: Good Christophe. You've done your homework. Recognizing the monster sounds before they arrive can give you time to prepare.

Two tigers appear around the bend. Christophe and Aelita aim.

Aelita: Alright, this is relatively simple. I aim for the one on the left, you take out the one on the right. Got it?

Christophe: No problem. Consider him dead.

The tigers charge.

Aelita: Now!

Aelita quickly dispatches the left tiger. Christophe fires a disc, but misses. The tiger keeps coming and lunges at Christophe. For a split second, Christophe doesn't know what to do. But he successfully sidesteps the lunge and fires into the side of the tiger's head. The disc comes out the other side and nearly hits Aelita. The tiger disappears. Christophe looks at Aelita apologetically.

Christophe: Sorry.

Aelita: Not bad for your first time. But your aim needs improvement. And you need to keep in mind that your discs are powerful enough to cut straight through a monster at close range. Friendly fire must be avoided.

They hear more growling. They assume defensive positions.

Aelita: Here they come again.

Christophe: Bring it on!

Four more tigers round the bend. This time the duo makes quick work of them. Christophe charges forward and takes out two of them before Aelita even fires. But his overenthusiasm makes him receive several lasers to the leg. His leg sparkles from the strike, but Aelita kills the other two before they can devirtualize him. Christophe gets back on his feet.

Christophe: I took a little damage, but I got them.

Aelita: In a real battle you don't charge out like that and risk precious lifepoints. Your life may not be on the line in Lyoko but other lives might be counting on you.

Christophe: Right. I understand. So…..Christophe looks off in the distance. What now?

Aelita sighs.

Aelita: I don't know…let's just call it quits for to-

The earth trembles. The two fall off their feet. Christophe looks up.

Christophe: What was that?

The trembling is followed by a terrible screech that makes them cover their ears. The desert shakes to the rhythm of footsteps. Aelita's face locks on toward the direction of the noise.

Aelita: Christophe?

Christophe: Yeah?

Aelita: Did you read my notes on the Leviathan?

Christophe: I don't think I got to that part, why?

Two massive snake heads stare at them from the top of the gorge. A huge shadow is cast over them. The two back up.

Aelita: Because he's here!

The monster roars. The shockwave is so strong that Christophe and Aelita are pushed back several feet.

Christophe: This went downhill fast….

An angry voice seems to speak to them from above.

Jeremie: AELITA! CHRISTOPHE! What do you think you're doing?!

Aelita: Really downhill…

The monster lunges for them. Aelita sprouts wings and avoids the left head. Christophe, however, is cornered against the rock face. He squeezes into a small crack. Both heads snap at him. He fires at the heads, but of course it does no good. Aelita's energy fields try to draw away the behemoth's attention, but the Leviathan remains firmly focused on Christophe. The Leviathan manages to scratch away enough space to put his mouth in. He opens it to reveal a growing purple light. But at the same time, an emergency response kicks in from Christophe. His chest lights up. This time Christophe understands what it means. He lets the pressure build up. Then right before the Leviathan fires, an enormous shockwave of heavy metal punctures through the gorge. The Leviathan removes one of its heads from the rock. The head quickly falls apart and sags onto the desert floor. The beast roars in anger. Christophe disorientedly walks out of the crack and falls to the ground. The Leviathan raises its massive foot. Aelita swoops in to defend but is cut apart by the purple blast from its mouth. The monster then quickly steps on Christophe. Back on Earth two scanners open up, and the rebellious duo walk out to see stern faces greeting them. Aelita and Christophe look at each other awkwardly. Jeremie emerges at the front of the group, his eyes locked onto Aelita. Aelita immediately looks down.

Aelita: Jeremie, let me explain.

Jeremie holds his hands out.

Jeremie: Oh no. I don't want to hear it. Not now at least. He adjusts his glasses. You two broke my rules. He thinks over his words. Scratch that, you broke OUR rules.

Yumi: What were you thinking?

William: Did you know you missed Jim's meeting because of this?

Ulrich: We needed you to be there, not on Lyoko.

Jeremie: …..Without our permission…

Christophe clears his throat.

Christophe: Jeremie, this is my fault. I was the one who convinced-

Jeremie: I said I don't want to hear it! Not until dinner. I'm too mad to listen right now. He turns his back on them. Both of you will show up at the usual table. We'll discuss what you did there.

Aelita hangs her head while Christophe puts his hands in his pockets and avoids everyone's stares. Both can tell that this is not going to end well.

Later that afternoon, Herb rushes to Moriarty's classroom door. He hears the voice of consent to enter and does so. Upon entering, Herb immediately crosses his arms to salute Renard.

Herb: Commandant, I have something urgent to tell you! Jim-

Herb stops when he notices Moriarty is facing away from him. His eyes are focused on a figure in the corner. A dark and sexy figure. The girl is standing between two windows in the room. The intense sunlight streaming into the windows casts a strange shadow around her. She looks up at Herb with her deep blue eyes. Herb immediately turns red and finds it difficult not to stare. He shifts uncomfortably. Fortunately, Renard helps break his frozen embarrassment.

Moriarty: I'm sorry, what is that you said Pinchon?

Herb looks at him and stammers, trying to regain his focus.

Moriarty: Oh, where are my manners? Herb, this is Angeline Maillard. She's just transferred from Lincoln.

Herb: Ma-Maillard?

Moriarty: Yes, she's Emmanuel's twin sister. What a coincidence.

Herb coughs.

Herb: Nice to uh…meet you. I'm Herb Pinchon.

Angeline slightly nods.

Angeline: Hello Herb.

Moriarty: So what is it you wanted to say Herb?

Herb: Commandant, I think it would be better to do this in priv-

Moriarty: Oh don't worry about that. Angeline can hear every word of this conversation.

Herb focuses on Angeline. She gives him a curt smile and then crosses her arms in the salute of The Order. Later that evening, William and Natalya go through the lunch line. Natalya gets a small salad and continues past the baked fish. William raises an eyebrow.

William: A salad? That's it?

Natalya: Oh, I'm not really that hungry…

William: Natalya….

Natalya looks at him. William sternly meets her gaze and motions to the fish. She slowly nods her head.

Natalya: Uh actually, may I have some fish?

Rosa: Sure honey. Don't be shy with the food. There's plenty of it. At least until Della Robbia comes for seconds…

Natalya forces a smile and continues through the line. They start to walk toward the table. Natalya coughs.

Natalya: Thank you.

William: No problem.

They sit down. Everyone else is already there. Aelita and Christophe are on one side with the others facing them. Natalya and William sit with the two to make it feel less awkward. Jeremie taps his fingers together. For a moment the table is silent. The only sound that can be heard is Odd chewing at the far end of the table. He keeps his eyes away from the large number of people in the cafeteria and focuses on the food. Jeremie drinks some water and clears his throat.

Jeremie: Alright, let's get started. To be fair, I'm going to let you tell your side of the story. So, what happened?

Aelita: I was just going to the factory to check on the progress of the return to the past program. I was only going to be gone for twenty minutes at most. But….She looks at Christophe he showed up.

Jeremie: Mhmm, and why did you show up?

Christophe rubs the back of his neck.

Christophe: I just wanted to see what was going on at the factory, that's all.

Jeremie gives him a glare that demonstrates that he can see through Christophe's lies. Christophe holds his hands up.

Christophe: Okay, okay. I went to the factory to see if I could be virtualized again. I admit it.

Aelita: He showed up and….convinced me that he needed more training. He said that waiting until a real emergency was not a smart move because he would be unprepared. It….was a convincing argument.

Jeremie: And you didn't run it by me.

Yumi: Or any of us.

Aelita: I knew you would say no. And Christophe knew it too.

Ulrich: That's not an ex-

Jeremie stops him.

Jeremie: Ulrich, not now. Continue Aelita.

Aelita: We went to Lyoko and trained. That was all. Then the Leviathan showed up, and you know the rest.

Jeremie nods his head, but something in his expression indicates that he is not quite done yet.

Jeremie: Okay, one more question. He turns to Christophe. You were pretty lucky catching Aelita alone like that. Why did you go at the same time she was over there?

Christophe: I...it was a coincidence.

Jeremie raises an eyebrow.

Jeremie: Really? You went over to the factory on a whim, not knowing for sure if anyone was even over there?

Christophe: Well….y-

Jeremie: Have you somehow learned how to virtualize yourself?

Christophe: No.

Jeremie: So you went over there just hoping you would find either me or Aelita there?

Christophe: I figured one of you had to be over there.

Jeremie: In the middle of a schoolday? Jeremie's probing questions are making Christophe uncomfortable. The others also look at Christophe funny. That was a pretty lucky guess don't you think?

Amidst the building pressure, Christophe raises his hands.

Christophe: Okay I admit it. I was spying on you two to see if Aelita would go to the factory alone. I thought I had a better chance convincing her than you.

Aelita frowns.

Aelita: And he was right.

Jeremie folds his arms and leans back in his chair. Yumi glances at the two with a passionless judgment. Odd munches his food quietly in the corner, waiting to see what happens. The rest of the table is silent. Jeremie finally focuses on Christophe.

Jeremie: Christophe, you broke our rules. We explicitly told you not to go to Lyoko unless it was an emergency. You purposely waited for an opportunity to convince one of us to bend the rules for you. What do you have to say for yourself?

Christophe stares blankly at the table.

Christophe: Nothing. I don't have an excuse. I just wanted to go back….to be a warrior again.

Jeremie: You are a warrior Christophe. Your job is to fight Moriarty, just not in the same way we do. But because of what you did, you have made us question the faith we put in you. Do you know what that means?

A terrible thought passes through Christophe's mind. His voice quakes.

Christophe: You're kicking me out of the group?!

Jeremie: No. But I'm putting you on probation. One more stunt like that and you are out. You will follow what we say without question. Even if what we say isn't as exciting as beating up Moriarty's monsters. Until you regain our trust, we are going to keep an eye on you.

Christophe: Okay He looks somewhat relieved. I can live with that. I won't let you down again, I promise.

Aelita: What about me? Aren't you going to punish me too?

Jeremie frowns and looks off to the side. His pensive gaze indicates that he has thought of this and hasn't been able to come up with an answer. He shrugs.

Jeremie: Someone else decide. I'm too biased toward her.

William: Aelita is technically our second-in-command. She is our battlefield commander on Lyoko. You could take that away from her.

Ulrich: A suspension from being second-in-command. That could work.

Yumi: You're right. I'm sorry Aelita, but you risked a lot by sending Christophe to Lyoko without our permission. What if the Leviathan had knocked him into the digital sea?

Odd starts to speak through a mouthful of food.

Odd: One thing I don't get. Why on earth would Moriarty send the Leviathan against them? He was just training.

Natalya: He's right. Wouldn't that be a great waste of power?

Jeremie: Yes. Jeremie takes a sip of water. But I have a theory.

William: What's that?

Jeremie: Intimidation. Moriarty knows or at least assumes that Christophe has joined us. He already has had a problem with Christophe in the classroom, and I don't think he was too happy about having an extra warrior like him to deal with. So he sent the Leviathan to see if he could scare Christophe away from fighting.

Christophe balls a fist.

Christophe: I'm not intimidated. I'll take on Moriarty. I want to make sure he regrets me joining you guys. I'll-

Jeremie gives him a condescending stare.

Christophe: I mean…he knows I'll do whatever you ask me to do to help stop him.

Jeremie: That's better. But we are getting off topic. Aelita, what William has said seems fair. Though I can trust you as a girlfriend, you still need to accept the consequences as a member of our team. For the time being, Yumi, I want you to be my new confidant.

Yumi slowly nods.

Yumi: I can do that.

Jeremie: And this time I'm putting a password lock on the supercomputer. We're not having this happen again.

Ulrich: You don't trust us?

Jeremie: No offense Ulrich, but haven't we all had our own individual mess-ups in the past? Ulrich doesn't have a defense for this. Besides, what if Moriarty found a way to override the inhibitor program and possess you? Having access to virtualization would not be ideal. Jeremie smacks himself in the head. Oh! I can't believe I forgot! He looks at Christophe and Natalya. I need to expose you to the inhibitor program. It will make you immune to Moriarty possessions.

Natalya nervously grasps her fork.

Natalya: Possessions?! You mean like in 'The Exorcist'?!

Jeremie: Uh…..not quite that horrifying and dramatic, but that is always a risk.

Christophe: Has that ever happened before?

Ulrich: Plenty of times. It was a routine problem with Xana.

Christophe: Even with the return to the past thing, I find that a little hard to believe. After all, you said you didn't always use it. I think I would have noticed.

Yumi: You'd be surprised. You've actually been possessed before.

Christophe pauses. His eyes widen. He shakes his head in disbelief.

Christophe: I was what?!

Yumi: Yeah. By Xana. You and the entire 9th grade class plus Jim and Mrs. Hertz tried to kill me.

Christophe glares at William.

Christophe: Remind me to smack you in the head so I can teach Xana some manners for doing that.

William's conscious mind receives a message.

Xana: If I had what you humans call a 'sense of humor', I would not be able to stop laughing from such a pathetic threat.

Jeremie picks up his tray.

Jeremie: I'm going to turn in. I have some homework to finish…..and maybe a little Moriarty research to do.

Aelita lifts her head up. She's been silent for a while and has avoided everyone's gaze.

Aelita: Research? What kind of Moriarty research?

Jeremie: Finances. Moriarty lives and acts like a human now. I'm going to do some snooping around to see what his money situation is.

Ulrich: Wow, I never thought of that. But he must be earning a salary now.

Yumi: And maybe earning more than just as a teacher.

Jeremie: Exactly. I have no doubt that Moriarty won't make it easy, but I'm going to try and make it work. See you tomorrow.

Jeremie leaves. Quickly afterward everyone picks up their trays and heads out. Odd finishes his dinner. He is no longer hungry, but the sight of an empty tray following his meal gives him a small feeling of normalcy. He gets up and starts to walk away. He passes by Magali. She gives him a cold look.

Magali: Freak….

Odd pauses, trying to not let the stinging remark get to him. He puts his tray down and hurries back to his room.

Theo and Romain sit together on a bench late at night. Theo chews a toothpick. He looks bored.

Romain: Where is he?

Theo: Taking his time as usual. Wouldn't be surprised if he shows up empty handed.

Romain hears footsteps. He turns to the right.

Romain: There he is.

Theo turns around to see Jean-Baptiste carrying a plastic bag. He has a mischievous look on his face. He presents the bag to Theo.

Jean-Baptiste: Sorry I'm late.

Romain: It's okay.

Theo: We never doubted you for a second.

They walk over to the back wall of the small building with the vending machines. In front of them is a large purple mural of The Order's fleur-de-lis insignia. A side note reads: 'Better Kadic, Brighter Tomorrow: Join The Order now'. All three stare at the mural with loathing. Theo pulls out a can of spray paint. He shakes it up and gives it to the others.

Theo: Gentleman, prepare your spray paint.

The next day, a crowd gathers around the mural. Moriarty sees the scene and pushes through the crowd. Herb is right behind him. When they get to the front, Moriarty stops. In front of him is a massive green letter O that is defiling his mural. It is surrounded by a bunch of other Os. He cranes his neck up at the sight and appears to be very calm. Herb, however is fuming at the sight. Moriarty chuckles to himself.

Moriarty: Okay, Jeremie. If you really want to start a war at this school, you know I'll be all to willing to oblige….

Jeremie slams the door to his room open. He stares at the opposing wall for a moment and runs a finger through his blonde hair. He opens his mouth for a few seconds and then closes it. His right hand then pulls on a chunk of his hair. He closes his eyes, mind locked on frustrated thought. He shakes his head and starts to walk away from the room. César rounds the corner with a soda in hand.

César: Hey compañero. How's it going?

Jeremie: Not now César.

The prince rolls his eyes at his roommates' typical rigidity.

César: Are you ok? Do you want me to get Felipe to get you something?

Jeremie: No.

He breaks off into a brisk walk, heading directly to Odd and Ulrich's room. Without delay he knocks loudly and impatiently. Kiwi starts barking, and he can hear someone in the room jolt up from surprise. Jeremie continues to knock. The door is thrown open before him. A clearly agitated Odd stands before him.

Odd: God, Jeremie where's the fire? You nearly gave me a panic attack, and I'm trying to avoid those!

Jeremie: Where's Ulrich?

Odd: I don't know, the library maybe. Why?

Jeremie turns his head and walks away. Odd raises his hands in angry confusion.

Odd: Oh that's right. No explanation. Just walk away. Great. Just great.

Jeremie continues down the hall with more pep in his step. Without even looking where he is going, he rounds the corner and runs into a girl. He accidentally falls on her. Both shout in confusion. Jeremie groans and reaches for his glasses. The first thing to enter his vision is a rather ample bosom right underneath him. Jeremie blushes and scrambles away. He stands up to see a very attractive girl in a lovely black outfit lying on the floor. She rubs her head. Jeremie stammers and turns red.

Jeremie: I'm….s-s-so sorry. I d-didn't see y-

Angeline: It's fine. She examines her outfit. She pulls up on her tank a little to make sure she's covered, and Jeremie can't help but notice. She sits up and gracefully reaches her hand out. A little help please?

Jeremie nods his head several times and pulls her up. Jeremie takes note of her hand's lovely softness but is also surprised by the coldness of her touch. Once Angeline stands up, she bends down again to get her backpack. Jeremie looks off to the side to save himself the temptation of staring. She swings her pack around one shoulder and waves Jeremie goodbye with her fingers.

Angeline: See you later, and watch where you're going next time.

Jeremie watches her leave.

Jeremie: Yeah. I…will.

Once Angeline disappears from sight, Jeremie turns around and immediately feels a pang of guilt. He swings the doors to the stairwell open to help himself get over his trance. As he slowly walks down the stairs, he tries to remove the recent event from his mind. He eagerly looks for anything to take his mind off it. Fortunately that distraction is provided in the form of Ulrich walking up the stairs. Jeremie immediately stops and remembers his initial purpose. He gives Ulrich a stony look. Ulrich looks up.

Ulrich: Hey Jeremie.

Jeremie: Hey….

Ulrich stops walking. He cranes his neck to the side to make sure he isn't imagining Jeremie's growing contempt.

Ulrich: Something wrong?

Jeremie: You tell me….

Ulrich is taken aback by the harshness of Jeremie's reply. He forces himself to chuckle a little bit.

Ulrich: Jeremie, I've never been good at guessing why people are angry at me. Just ask Yumi. I'm really bad. So tell me, what did I do wrong? Because I can't think of anything.

Jeremie looks away and taps his fingers on the guardrail. He turns back to face Ulrich.

Jeremie: Your father. What's his name again?

Ulrich shifts a little uncomfortably at the mention of his father but shakes it off.

Ulrich: Ingolf Stern. Why?

Jeremie lowers his eyebrows and crosses his arms.

Jeremie: Then you have a lot of explaining to do….

After lunch the warriors gather in Jeremie's room. Jeremie sits in his chair with his back to the computer. He swivels the seat from side to side ever so slightly. Aelita stands next to him with her hand over her mouth. She avoids looking at Ulrich, who is sitting on Jeremie's bed. His head is lowered. Yumi sits next to him with her arm on his shoulder. Odd leans against Jeremie's wardrobe, staring at his roommate with a combination of disbelief and confusion. Christophe sits on the floor dumbfounded. He looks around at everyone to see how they are reacting. William and Natalya sit opposite of Yumi and Ulrich on César's bed. William gives off a slight air of disapproval, but he attempts to mask it. He tries to break the silence.

William: Jeremie, are you sure César is okay with us sitting on his bed?

Jeremie doesn't even look in William's direction.

Jeremie: Yeah it's fine. Don't worry about it.

Ulrich slaps his hands on his knees, unable to tolerate the elephant in the room any longer.

Ulrich: Well that's it. That's who my father really is.

The disquiet in the room suddenly deepens. Ulrich bites his lip, wishing he hadn't spoken. Jeremie swivels back in his chair away from Ulrich. He faces his computer.

Jeremie: And you never thought something like this was worth mentioning to us…

Ulrich: It's a…..sensitive topic, if you didn't get the memo.

Jeremie thinks about his reply for a moment.

Jeremie: Sensitive enough that you didn't mention his connection to Moriarty?

Ulrich vehemently shakes his head.

Ulrich: I had no idea that he was paying Moriarty. This was just as surprising for me as it was for everyone else here.

William: How long has your father been doing this?

Ulrich: With Moriarty? I don't know. But without him?…..A long time.

Odd appears to be hurt. He struggles to form words.

Odd: And after all we've been through…..Xana, Moriarty….you never told us this? You never trusted us?

Ulrich: Some things are too sensitive to talk about…even to close friends.

Aelita: So leaving us in the dark was just easier for you…even with Moriarty.

Ulrich: Up until this point, his business had never been a factor in our mission.

Jeremie: And you never thought it would become one? Ulrich is silenced at this retort. Jeremie continues with his back turned. Obviously Moriarty figured out about it. How long did you think it would take Moriarty to find out about your family past?

Yumi comes to his defense.

Yumi: Ulrich thought Moriarty would just use it as emotional baggage. He could never have predicted Moriarty using his dad for money.

Natalya stares at Yumi with interest.

Natalya: You knew, didn't you?

Yumi hesitates, feeling the weight of the room's stares upon her.

Yumi: Yes, he told me.

Jeremie: Let me guess…..a girlfriend's promise?

Yumi disdainfully repeats Jeremie's words.

Yumi: Yes Jeremie, a girlfriend's promise.

Yumi's strong reaction discourages further criticism. Silence takes over again. Odd starts to speak. His voice quivers.

Odd: What you said…..about him and the police…..did that have anything to do with me getting off the hook a long time ago?

Ulrich feels a terrible weight in his stomach. He shuts his eyes.

Ulrich: Yes Odd. I'm sorry. It….was the only way.

Odd suddenly feels lightheaded. He rests his forehead on his palm. He turns around to face the wardrobe. He shakes a little and starts to walk out of the room.

Odd: I need some water. And I need to lie down.

He exits. No one tries to stop him. A few seconds later, Jeremie bangs his hand on the desk in frustration.

Jeremie: That's it! No more secrets! We can't afford them anymore, no matter how painful they are to us. Understand? If you are hiding something important about yourself, tell us now!

William becomes slightly nervous at this demand. The familiar cold voice enters his thoughts.

Xana: You heard Jeremie, slave. Reveal your true potential to them. Then they would defer to you…..and me.

William feels a slight tingling in his right hand. He looks down and notices to his horror that his hand is sparking with electricity ever so slightly. Natalya looks down and gives him a questioning look. William shakes his head and clenches his fist, making the electricity die. William lectures Xana in his thoughts.

William: I didn't give you permission to do that! What if someone else had noticed?

Xana: Oh if only they had…..

William grits his teeth and tries to shut Xana out. Meanwhile, Jeremie just throws his hands up and tries to relax.

Jeremie: I'm sorry, I just lost my cool there. I'm tired of these surprises.

Christophe: I…..uh don't mean to interrupt, but I think we've discussed this long enough. Shouldn't we be more focused on how to prevent Moriarty from getting Mr. Stern's money?

His statement puts the group back in focus. Jeremie turns back around with a regained sense of composure.

Jeremie: Christophe's right. We can't have Moriarty sucking millions out of a wealthy benefactor. I'm scared to think of how he would use that money. Ulrich, any ideas?

Ulrich replies with a firm mask devoid of emotion.

Ulrich: I'm guessing Moriarty somehow is helping my dad with his transports. There's no way my dad would give Moriarty that kind of money without a really good reason.

Jeremie: I figured as much, but how do we stop these transactions?

Ulrich: If my dad could somehow learn more about Moriarty, he would cut off ties with him. I assume Moriarty has kept his identity secret from him. We need to make sure he sees Moriarty for who he is.

William: And how do we do that without blowing our cover and telling your dad the entire truth about him?

Ulrich pauses.

Ulrich: That…I don't know.

A few seconds later, Jeremie's computer begins to beep. Jeremie perks up and immediately throws his chair back around to the computer. He goes to work without explanation.

Yumi: Uh….Jeremie?

Jeremie: It's about time…

Ulrich stands up and peers over his shoulder.

Ulrich: What do you mean? What did you do?

Jeremie: What was necessary- Jeremie adds a tone of harshness in his response- I took over a tower and imbedded a specter in your dad's phone.

Ulrich: So…..in case Moriarty called…

Jeremie: Exactly…

William: And you didn't send anyone to defend that tower?

Jeremie: For a small thing like a cellphone when it was most likely that Moriarty wanted us to know about his connection to Ulrich's dad? No. Besides, I wasn't going to send anyone without letting Ulrich personally inform us of his…..uh…issue.

Ulrich's face twitches slightly from Jeremie's tone, but it quickly goes away. Meanwhile, Jeremie opens up two audio files. One represents Moriarty's voice with a purple-colored wavelength. The second one is blue and represents Mr. Stern's voice. The warriors crowd around the computer screen to listen in. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room is the phone ringing. Mr. Stern picks up.

Mr. Stern: Hello?

Moriarty: Ingolf…..Ulrich shudders at the recognition of Moriarty's voice addressing his father... so nice to speak to you again.

Mr. Stern's tone becomes curt.

Mr. Stern: I don't think we are on a first-name basis.

Moriarty: Why not?

Mr. Stern: Well for starters, I don't even know your name.

Moriarty laughs a little.

Moriarty: Ingolf, you seem upset. Did your last shipment not go so well?

Mr. Stern: No, quite the opposite.

Moriarty: Then as long as you keep getting money, why do you care? Is that a problem?

Mr. Stern: Actually, it is.

Silence on both ends of the line. Jeremie leans back and muses on what has progressed so far. Ulrich gives a slight smile.

Ulrich: Yeah, Dad can be pretty demanding.

Jeremie: Except 'Dad' doesn't know who he's dealing with.

Ulrich: ….Neither does Moriarty.

The conversation resumes.

Mr. Stern: You must understand that in my line of work, you need to know who you're dealing with. Knowledge is key. It determines whether you become the dominant partner, or the victim.

Moriarty: Dominant partner? Why not equal partners?

Mr. Stern doesn't skip a beat with his response.

Mr. Stern: Sorry, I don't work that way. In my line of work, you learn quickly that equal partnerships never work for very long.

Moriarty: I see- There is a slight trace of annoyance in Moriarty's voice.- So what exactly are you saying? That you must know my name?

Mr. Stern: More than that. I want to meet you in person.

Moriarty hesitates at this.

Moriarty: Why is that so important to you?

Mr. Stern: Because a hacker working behind the scenes sounds more like my puppetmaster than my partner….

Moriarty: Is that so?

Mr. Stern becomes steadfastly resolute in his voice.

Mr. Stern: I know all of my partners personally. No exceptions.

Moriarty: And if I refuse?

Mr. Stern: Then you can consider our agreement cancelled, regardless of the extra profits I'm making.

Moriarty: You…..strike a hard bargain Ingolf.

Mr. Stern: It's what has made me successful. So what's it going to be?

Moriarty pauses for about three seconds.

Moriarty: How about this...we agree to meet each other this Saturday around 22:00?

The sound of Mr. Stern going through some papers is heard.

Mr. Stern: I'm afraid that won't work. I have a trustee party at my son's school that I have to go to.

Moriarty smirks with a subtlety of undeniable maliciousness.

Moriarty: Oh don't worry. I'll be there too.

Moriarty hangs up.

Mr. Stern: Wait, WHAT?! What do you mean? …..Hello? Hello?! Answer me!

Jeremie closes the audio files as the call ends. He wheels the chair around and looks at the rest of the warriors, looking for a response. Natalya stands up.

Natalya: The trustee party, that's…..

Christophe: Happening at the same time as the Fall Formal…

William: While everyone is dancing downstairs, those two will be laying the foundations to increase Moriarty's financial power in France.

Ulrich looks at the floor with disgust. He kicks the bottom of Jeremie's bed in anger.

Yumi: Ulrich…

Ulrich: Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse! He tugs on his hair. He's probably going to meet Moriarty and blindly ignore what's happening at this school.

Jeremie: Or worse…

Ulrich: Worse how?!

Jeremie: Delmas told me that after a certain trustee meeting, the trustees started acting 'possessed'.

Christophe: That's not a coincidence, is it?

Jeremie: No. He must be using some sort of indirect possession on them, otherwise it would require a tower and we could stop him. Anyway, it's obvious Mr. Stern was not at that meeting, otherwise he would be fawning over Moriarty like all the rest. But now Moriarty is going to get him in the same room with the trustees….

Aelita's face darkens as she comes to understand Jeremie's point.

Aelita: And make sure that all the trustees are on board with him.

Jeremie: Precisely.

Despite Ulrich's deep cloud of anger, his face softens slightly with concern.

Ulrich: Someone in control of my dad would have access to more than just money. There would be political connections as well.

Jeremie straightens his glasses. He stands up and addresses the warriors with an emotional firmness.

Jeremie: Mr. Stern cannot be possessed by Moriarty. End of story.

William: So how are we going to stop it?

Jeremie: Give me some time to think. If we are going to avoid disaster, we're going to need a well-developed plan of attack. The warriors begin to file out. And Ulrich?

Ulrich: Yes?

Jeremie: Fill in Odd on the situation. We're going to need everyone on board.

Ulrich clearly dreads the idea of confronting him. He groans.

Ulrich: Right. Sure thing.

Yumi starts to leave right behind Ulrich.

Jeremie: Yumi, wait.

Yumi: Huh, why?

Jeremie: As my second-in-command, I think you should be here for this. I want to run some ideas by you.

As the two discuss, Theo exits the science building. He breaks away from the crowd and assumes a devil-may-care demeanor. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Emmanuel, Henri, and Paul Gilliard talking in a tight-knit circle. He notices that they are wearing the same outfit: a black button-down shirt with blue jeans. In addition, they show off their Order patch proudly. Before Theo turns away to scoff, Emmanuel meets his gaze. His rival looks onto him like a bird of prey. The other two quickly join in with their stares.

Theo: Trouble….

Sure enough, the three start to approach him. Theo eyes the path in front of him as a possible escape. The three haven't cut him off, but he hesitates to appear weak in front of them. He decides to let them come and turns to face them. Emmanuel gets up in his face with the other two right behind him. Theo quickly becomes smug.

Theo: What's with the outfits? Going to a funeral?

Emmanuel: It's part of our new uniform.

Theo: Wasn't the patch enough?

Emmanuel: The patch was just a small symbol. This makes our allegiance clear to everyone.

Theo: Super. Now I can spot pricks a kilometer away.

Henri puts an index finger in Theo's face.

Henri: Hey, watch your mouth.

Theo ducks away from the invasive pointing.

Theo: And you watch your finger. I don't know where it's been.

Emmanuel: Alright, cut the crap Theo.

Paul: We know you're the one who spray-painted over our mural.

Theo: And so what if I did?

The tension escalates significantly.

Paul: Do you have any idea how much work that took?!

Theo: Uh….a big chunk of your life that you're not going to get back?

Emmanuel grasps Theo's shirt collar. Theo is unfazed, or at least appears to be so.

Theo: Testy...testy…

Emmanuel: I should teach you some manners like I did before…outcast…

Theo raises his eyebrows at those words.

Emmanuel: Yes. I know about your little group. Don't think The Order isn't aware of what you're doing.

Theo: Good, that's the way I like it.

Emmanuel grasps his collar tighter. Theo gasps in response.

Theo: Let….go….of me.

Emmanuel: You….He leans in closer to Theo's face. And what army?

Just as Emmanuel says this, Theo notices Tobias walking out of the science building. He immediately sees what's going on and threateningly eyes the three. He pulls his cap tighter on his head and approaches. Christophe also happens to round the corner behind the group. The grip on his backpack shoulder strap tightens and he glares at Emmanuel. The Order trio become slightly wary.

Emmanuel: Friends of yours?

Theo smiles, glad that the tables have turned in his favor.

Theo: Of….convenience…

Tobias and Christophe comes up to the group. Emmanuel reluctantly lets go of Theo. The two new arrivals position themselves at Theo's side.

Christophe: Is there a problem here, Emmanuel?

Emmanuel: Yes. I'm looking at them.

Christophe: That wasn't the right answer.

Tobais: Y'all better back off. Theo is with us.

Emmanuel: And if we don't?

Christophe takes a threatening step toward Emmanuel.

Christophe: Use your imagination.

The two groups stare each other down. Henri an and Paul wait for their ringleader's response. Emmanuel looks at his opponents, weighing his options. Finally he backs up, indicating for his comrades to do the same. He turns around and looks over his shoulder at them.

Emmanuel: This isn't over.

Theo: I wouldn't dream of it.

Paul: We know about you guys now. We're spreading the word. The entire Order is going to come down on you.

Henri: You're in for it now.

As The Order trio retreats, Theo beams with a vindictive grin of victory. He smugly turns around to face his comrades but is surprised that they are not as pleased as he is. They fold their arms and lecture him with their stern eyes.

Theo: Is there a problem?

Christophe: What did Jim say about provoking them?

Theo rolls his eyes.

Theo: Blah, blah, blah punch them in the face if you have to. What else do I need to know? When the other two don't respond, he starts to walk away. Whatever. Thanks for the backup guys. I didn't need it.

Christophe: Hey, wait a minute! What about the mural? What were you thinking?!

Theo ignores him and disappears from sight. Christophe groans in frustration.

Christophe: That moron is going to be the death of us…

Tobias: He is bad news. But at least he's our bad news…

Christophe: I think it would be better if he wasn't.

Transition back to Yumi and Jeremie. Yumi leans against Jeremie's desk as the two discuss the situation.

Yumi: A pendant?

Jeremie: Either a pendant, or some other object very similar to the pendant Aelita wore. Something that could control a person without a specter.

Yumi: And all of the trustees are wearing it?

Jeremie: Yes. Moriarty has semi-control over them, and has for some time.

Yumi: Wouldn't their wives or families notice them becoming possessed for so long?

Jeremie: Moriarty can probably switch it on and off when he needs to to avoid suspicion. My guess is that at all times the trustees are subjected to a subconscious avoidance of taking their pendant off.

Yumi: And Ulrich's dad is next.

Jeremie: As long as the pendant stays away from Mr. Stern, Moriarty will stay out of his power. But if not….

Yumi: Then he's lost, and there won't be a tower to free him.

Jeremie's face is gravely serious.

Jeremie: All it takes is for Mr. Stern to be convinced to put some stupid trinket on and he's Moriarty's puppet.

Yumi: And how could we possibly avoid that? Moriarty could make the trustees turn on him and put it on by force if he refuses.

Jeremie: That he could….Jeremie despondently looks at his blank computer screen. Oh what a mess. What are we going to do?

The two stop talking to think for a moment. Yumi shrugs.

Yumi: If only we could give him the inhibitor program. Make him immune…

Jeremie perks up instantly. His face screams that he is having a eureka moment.

Jeremie: Maybe we can!

Yumi stares at Jeremie in surprise.

Yumi: We…can? How?! We can't just bring him to the factory! How could we give Mr. Stern inhibitors without him finding out?

Jeremie pulls out a piece of paper and diagrams his plan for Yumi to understand.

Jeremie: If I can take over a tower and send a specter into Mr. Stern, I could download the program directly into him. He wouldn't even know it.

Yumi: Wouldn't he be able to tell if a specter was in him?

Jeremie: If he doesn't understand what it is, he'll probably just assume he's feeling a little under the weather.

Yumi: And the pendant?

Jeremie: Rendered useless once I can get the inhibitors into him. Moriarty would watch helplessly as the pendant does absolutely nothing to him. Unfortunately I don't think I have enough power to send a specter outside the factory's vicinity. We'll have to wait until Mr. Stern comes to Kadic and time it just right.

Yumi holds her hands up to make Jeremie back up.

Yumi: Hold on. This sounds too good to be true. Moriarty is going to figure out what you're up to. That tower will immediately be attacked.

Jeremie nods.

Jeremie: Which is why we'll have to skip the dance and focus on this mission.

Yumi's face sours with barely concealed disappointment.

Yumi: Skip….the dance? Do we have to do that?

Jeremie: Sorry Yumi. Mission before pleasure. You know that.

Yumi: Okay yes, I admit I want to go to the dance. I won't lie. But Mr. Stern and Moriarty's meeting is just upstairs. Shouldn't we be close to keep an eye on them?

Jeremie: I pulled some strings with Delmas. Christophe will be serving punch for the trustees. He will keep an eye on them and be in constant communication with me.

Yumi: And you're just going to send Christophe in there without any backup if something goes wrong?

Jeremie's confident face disappears as he thinks over this. Yumi suddenly pulls a paper out of her backpack.

Yumi: Besides, we have our reputations at this school to think about.

Jeremie: What are you talking about?

Yumi hands him the paper.

Yumi: Read what Milly and Tamiya wrote.

Jeremie: 'Rumors of anti-Order group developing…..ringleaders believed to be anti-social gang here at Kadic. General opinion that they will skip dance for subversive activities...Possible secret meeting during dance…' Jeremie sneers at the article. This is complete nonsense! Why should we care about Moriarty propaganda?

Yumi: Because people read the Kadic Herald Jeremie. And if we skip the dance, it will give them further evidence to alienate us and the Outcasts.

Jeremie's tone becomes cynical.

Jeremie: More than half the school has already turned on us. We can't change them.

Yumi folds her arms across her chest.

Yumi: An attitude like that will not convince students to stop supporting The Order. If we are going to speak out against them, we must show Moriarty's lies for what they are: lies.

Jeremie reluctantly starts to see reason in this.

Yumi: The inhibitor program shouldn't take that long. A minute maybe?

Jeremie: Probably less than that, but things can go wrong. We can't leave the tower abandoned.

Yumi: Then keep Odd there just in case. And if anything goes really wrong, we rush to the factory.

Jeremie's rotating eyes show signs of wavering.

Yumi: Come on Jeremie. We need a break. The mission is important, but it won't take that long at all. The inhibitors will be loaded in a minute or so, and everything will be fine. Odd will be enough for a few minutes. We can stay and enjoy Moriarty's cursing from upstairs.

Jeremie: Okay. I wasn't looking forward to giving Aelita bad news anyway. We'll go to the dance to back Christophe up. But if something goes wrong, you and Ulrich will be the first responders on Lyoko. This is his mess and your idea. Got it?

Yumi: Jeremie-She speaks slowly and warmly to calm his nerves- you have my word.

Several days later, Moriarty enters the auditorium. The Order members, both student and faculty, are waiting for him. They sit up straight and don't say a word. All of them are in black shirts and jeans. Their straight posture and matching attire creates a beautiful but twisted picture of uniformity. Moriarty comes onto the stage and nonchalantly adjusts his collar. Klotz sits in a chair by the podium. Moriarty comes to the podium and stares at the audience. He then clears his throat. Everyone's heads perk up. Moriarty does the salute. Everyone responds in kind.

Moriarty: Thank you for coming. He looks up. Perfect attendance as always. And I see you've taken my community ideals to your clothing as well. Well done. He adjusts the microphone. I'll try to make this short. I know you have a dance to go to. But before I begin, let me introduce our newest member, Angeline Maillard. Welcome to The Order.

Moriarty signals for them to clap. Angeline sits on the front row next to her brother. She smiles and stands up, saluting her new allies. Then she quickly sits back down to let the attention refocus on Moriarty. Their leader holds up a pamphlet. There is a large O on the front of it.

Moriarty: Do you know what this is?

For a second or so no one answers. Finally Herb stands up and salutes.

Herb: Commandant, progaganda from a group opposing The Order.

Moriarty: Correct. Agitated whispers fill the room. Yes, the rumors are true. I'm afraid a small group of individuals on this campus has set themselves up to constantly thwart our mission of strength through discipline and community. This pamphlet here is not the only thing they have done. You probably have already seen what they have done to our mural. If that little stunt was designed to get our attention, it certainly has worked. There is a group determined to extinguish us.

Angry murmurings manifest themselves in the crowd. Emily LeDuc stands up.

Emily: Commandant, who are these people?

Moriarty: Though I have my suspicions, I do not know for certain.

Mrs. Meyer stands up.

Mrs. Meyer: Dr. Ren-…I mean Commandant, it's only been a few days and this group has proven to be a nuisance. They have desecrated school property!

Chardin: And a piece of art commemorating the reforms of this school!

Mrs. Meyer: Commandant, you have worked hard to improve this school. The changes have brought grades up tremendously and the school's finances have never been better. You can't allow a small group of troublemakers ruin your work.

Moriarty: And what Mrs. Meyer, would you suggest we do about it?

Mrs. Meyer: Surely Mr. Delmas is behind this. He's trying to rewind the clock back to when things were chaotic and unjust at this school. She pauses and looks at the other faculty to make sure her message is heard. He should be removed.

The room explodes with talk. Students are stunned that even as fellow Order members, a faculty member would publicly denounce their principal. Moriarty's stare silences them again.

Moriarty: While you do have a point, I'm afraid the board and I are not in agreement. We want to reform the current administration, not throw it out completely. That would do more harm than good and isolate his supporters.

Emmanuel: They have already isolated themselves. All eyes turn to him. After all, they call themselves "The Outcasts". Their name is enough to show what they really are about.

Moriarty: That being said, I think it's best not to turn on our own students and faculty. We should give them time to see the error of their ways.

Chardin: Commandant, how long will you wait while they hurt our students' creative development?

The crowd becomes more vocal. Moriarty raises his hands, and discipline is quickly restored.

Moriarty: Friends, The Order is not in danger. Far from it. The emergence of this group is just proof that the remnants of the former powers at this school are getting desperate. That does not mean that we are in danger. It means we are close to fulfilling our mission at this school. He motions to the group. Look at us. So well organized and developed. Do you really think a small group of discontented antisocial bullies is going to win in a confrontation against us? I think not. Scene shifts to Jeremie and Odd in the factory. Jeremie is already dressed up. He puts a Bluetooth in his ear and enters something on the computer. After he is done, he and Odd share a special handshake. Jeremie leaves, with Odd waiting in the command chair for the action to begin. These are the kinds of people I warned you about. The kind of people that won't settle until they restore their former hegemony of superiority over you. Scene shifts to Ulrich and William getting ready. They adjust their sleeves in their separate rooms and check themselves in the mirror, mentally getting ready for the night ahead. In the end, people like that will not win. Scene shifts to Yumi, Aelita, and Natalya getting ready at Yumi's house. They stare at the mirror as well. Though they seem to be checking their appearance, they also are prepping themselves for whatever Moriarty is going to throw at them. Just because the troublemakers at this school have united against us, does not mean that they are suddenly more powerful. Jeremie, Ulrich, and William meet outside Kadic and start walking to Yumi's house. Their faces radiate intensity. It just means they will make one big target. Members of The Order, I do not advocate violence against our newfound opponents. Christophe opens the door to the luxurious meeting room of the Trustee meeting. He assumes his post at the refreshment stand and waits impatiently for the action to commence. But our mission at this school is worthy of defense. Do not provoke this group, but you have earned the right to defend your ideals and resist the twisted notions of a small minority at this school that wishes to control and manipulate you. Without the strength of community and discipline like we have, they will quickly fall apart. Their leadership will fall apart. Jim leaves his room clad in his only nice suit and walks over to the gymnasium to chaperone. Stick to your ideals and remember what discipline has accomplished at this school. If we stick together, no one, no matter how powerful they think they are as individuals…Theo looks in the mirror as he ties his tie. There is a look of reckless confidence on his face….they will be rolled over like a tidal wave.

The Order stands up as one and applauds Moriarty's speech. Moriarty politely accepts their praise and exits the stage.

William, Jeremie, and Ulrich walk within visual distance of Yumi's house. William walks ahead of the other two. As Ulrich straightens his green tie, Jeremie begins to speak.

Jeremie: I hope we don't regret this.

Ulrich: It's simple isn't it? Locate my dad and upload the inhibitors. No problem.

Jeremie: How can you be so calm about this? After all, you have the most to lose.

Ulrich looks off to the side and exhales.

Ulrich: Knowing what could happen if Moriarty succeeds, I can't afford to not be calm.

Jeremie: Okay….sorry. I'll drop the subject. We should just focus on the mission first…and our girlfriends. That too. He turns red and rubs his forehead at the thought. A wave of shame takes shape on his face. I feel so embarrassed. I ran into this really…..REALLY attractive girl in tight black clothes and I couldn't think straight or stop staring.

Ulrich stops in his tracks.

Jeremie: I don't want to think about what would have happened if Aelita was there…

Ulrich: You mean…you ran into her too?!

Jeremie: Yes I…Jeremie stops. Wait, you ran into her?

Ulrich nods his head.

Ulrich: Yeah. She was really hard to miss.

Jeremie: Oh no…..we already have enough problems. The last thing thing we need is another Brynga to distract us and cause trouble in the group.

Ulrich: Let's not panic. The two start walking again. Nothing has happened. We just had a slight slipup. No big deal. As long as Yumi and Aelita don't know, nothing changes. This girl isn't going to be a problem.

Jeremie: And if she joins Moriarty's side?

Ulrich: Then….we might need to be careful.

William opens the gate for them.

William: What's the hold up?

Jeremie: Nothing…

Jeremie walks ahead of them and comes to the front door. He rings the doorbell. Footsteps from inside indicate that it will soon be answered. Mrs. Ishiyama opens the door.

Mrs. Ishiyama: Oh you're here. You all look so handsome.

Ulrich: Thank you Mrs. Ishiyama. Are the girls still getting ready?

Mrs. Ishiyama: They shouldn't be too much longer. Why don't you all come inside? I have some snacks if you want.

The three walk inside and settle in the living room. While Mrs. Ishiyama disappears into the kitchen, Jeremie takes the opportunity to speak to them privately.

Jeremie: Okay, I know this is a dance, but we have to put our romance to the side for now. The mission comes first. This thing tonight is strictly business, got it?

William and Ulrich reluctantly nod in agreement.

Jeremie: Good.

Aelita: I'm ready Jeremie.

As soon as Jeremie turns his head, his jaw drops. Aelita descends down the stairs, wearing a magnificent pink dress with small aqua blue earrings. Her short pink hair has been arranged perfectly, and her makeup looks beautiful and natural. She smiles at the three. Jeremie's knees turn to butter.

Aelita: How do I look, Jeremie?

Jeremie: Uh..eh..duh…..great.

William and Ulrich share a look of understanding.

William: Right. Strictly business….

Upstairs in Yumi's room, Yumi examines herself in the mirror one last time. She checks her elegant red and black dress, making sure it looks perfect. She lightly touches her dark red lipstick. Then she takes a step back. She tilts her head with uncertainty.

Yumi: I've never been comfortable in makeup.

Natalya, who is wearing a snow white dress, puts a silver necklace on. She then puts some extra powder on.

Natalya: You're on your own on that one.

Yumi: We should get going. The boys are going to get impatient, especially Jeremie.

Natalya: I think Aelita will keep him busy for now.

Yumi ignores that remark and notices that she is missing something. She starts looking around the room.

Natalya: Something wrong?

Yumi: Yes, where's my purse?

Natalya: I didn't even know you had one.

Yumi: I hardly ever use it. Only for dances. In fact, I dug my old one out this morning and realized it was so out of style that I sent my grandfather to get me a new one. I'll ask him where it is.

Yumi walks into the hallway.

Yumi: Grandpa? No answer. Grandpa where did you put my purse?

As she passes the bathroom, the toilet flushes. The eldest Ishiyama of the family walks out. He holds a newspaper in his hand.

Grandpa: Ah….finished all of the Tokyo Shimbum…

Yumi: That's…..fantastic. Where did you put my new purse?

Grandpa: In your room of course…

Yumi: It's not in my room. You must have misplaced it.

Grandpa: Impossible! I came straight home and went immediately up the stairs and put it in the first room on the right.

Yumi: But that's…..Hiroki's room.

Grandpa gives a blank stare.

Grandpa: I really need to talk to my doctor about those side effects…

Yumi rolls her eyes and knocks on her brother's door. When he doesn't answer, Yumi merely comes in. Sure enough, the purse is lying on the bedroom floor. Yumi quickly picks it up and throws it over her shoulder. But before she leaves, something disturbing catches her eye. She turns around and looks at the front of Hiroki's bed. Lying on top of the covers is a small black shirt neatly folded on his bed. On that shirt is The Order patch, half-sewn onto the fabric. Yumi takes a step back, leaning against the walls of her brother's room. Her stomach sickens. Her throat becomes dry. She stares at the shirt again and again, desperately hoping that she didn't see what she actually saw. Yumi holds the back of her head with her left hand.

Hiroki: Something wrong?

Yumi nearly jumps out of her skin. She turns to face her brother, who is wearing a normal blue shirt. But his crossed arms and attitude show that the shirt is not the only thing that has changed. Yumi finds herself unable to speak.

Hiroki: Well?

Yumi tightens her grip on the purse strap. Feeling a surge of painful emotions rising to the surface, she looks away from her brother and walks past him out the door. She comes downstairs to see everyone talking. Natalya is now already down there with them. All eyes turn on her. Yumi, still stunned and horrified from the incident, merely lowers her head and walks down to meet them. She dreads the thought of them reading her face, but luckily her mom comes in with a camera and provides a much needed distraction.

Mrs. Ishiyama: Alright, time for pictures.

Yumi's mind desperately screams for them to avoid that and leave the house immediately, but she knows that her mom will not be deterred. The next few minutes are hell for her, as she is propped against the front of the house with Ulrich and the rest of the group and forced to smile. Every smile and fake gesture of enjoyment makes her sick. Every flash increases her feelings of anger, disgust, and betrayal. Yet she manages to hold on, and the group finally walks away from the house toward the school. She walks in the back next to Ulrich and lets a few tears loose.

Evening falls over Paris. Their section of the city is mostly quiet, but once they near the auditorium, music and lights from inside the building light up the dark and silent night. The couples wait in line, passing Jim as they go inside.

Jim: Go on, come in. A couple passes by. Have a good time, but no funny business, because I guarantee at the end of it….eh….you won't think it was funny.

Emily LeDuc walks in holding the arm of Emmanuel. Both have found a way to put their Order patches on their nice clothes. A tense glare is shared between Emmanuel and Jim.

Emmanuel: Hello.

Jim: Go on inside…

The couple disappears inside. Farther back in line, William and Natalya share an idle chat. Out of the corner of William's eye, he notices César wearing the nicest suit money has to offer. It is a flawless pitch black coat with pinstripes and a tie that displays the colors of Spain's flag. Isabel walks behind in a glittering green dress.

Natalya: That dress is beautiful.

Isabel: Thank you.

William: I see you picked a good date for the dance.

César leans in to tell William something secretly, but his voice is a bit too loud.

César: Por el momento, sí. (For the moment, yes.)

César is slapped in the back of the head.

Isabel: Don't think I didn't hear that!

César: Ow, don't make me call Felipe.

Isabel: Oh you're hopeless!

She drags him to the back of the line.

William: I have a feeling he's not going to be with the same girl when this night is over.

Natalya: A feeling? It was written all over his face.

The line moves up. Yumi and Ulrich, who are behind Jeremie and Aelita, share a conversation in confidence.

Ulrich: What?! Are you sure?

Yumi nods, looking off to the side. Ulrich, knowing that his comforting words will do little to help her, merely holds her hand tighter. She gives him a quick smile in gratitude for his support. Some time later the warriors pass behind Jim and enter the auditorium. The area has been cleared of chairs. The space is dark, with some multi-colored lights adding atmosphere. A hired band hangs in the corner, playing a mild jazzy song to start off the dance. Other couples have already entered, but the dance hasn't picked up yet. Most people idly wander and talk on the open floor. Once they are concealed in darkness, Jeremie reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Bluetooth and sticks it in his ear. Jeremie turns to Aelita and appears to talk to her, but in reality he is communication with someone else.

Jeremie: Okay Christophe, we're in. How's it going on your end?

Scene shift to Christophe, who pours some punch for a trustee. The trustee passes by. Christophe touches his ear.

Christophe: Nothing to speak of. Moriarty isn't even here yet. Just some old and boring trustees.

Jeremie: Do you see anything that might resemble a pendant that Aelita wore? Something that might be controlling them?

Christophe: No.

Jeremie: It has to be there. My guess is it's something that they are all wearing. Keep an eye out for it.

A lean bearded man approaches Christophe.

Girard: No punch. Some ginger ale please.

As Christophe reaches for it, he notices a strange metal bracelet hidden under his sleeve. He pours the ginger ale, keeping a conspicuous eye on the bracelet. Once Girard leaves, Christophe looks at the other trustees. He sees one wearing the same bracelet. Then another. And another. A chill passes through Christophe's body. He examines the trustees closely. At first they seem to be normal, but their moments suddenly appear robotic. They walk around the room aimlessly. They exchange conversation and greetings, but nothing that lasts for very long. They stiffly amble about the room and assume an overly dramatic professional air. At first Christophe thought they were just naturally stiff, but he now realizes that is not the case. He swallows, feeling the anxiety of being in the room with all these possessed people. He nervously contacts Jeremie.

Christophe: Bracelet….metal bracelet. They all seem to be wearing a metal bracelet.

Back at the dance, Jeremie's eyebrows furrow with concern.

Jeremie: If you're right Christophe, then whatever you do, do not let Moriarty put one on Mr. Stern.

Christophe: I'll do my best.

They end the call. Jeremie conceals the Bluetooth in his coat pocket for the moment.

Aelita: Trouble?

Jeremie: Not yet.

Aelita: Is Christophe alright?

Jeremie: For the time being, yes.

Aelita: Are you sure he can handle this?

Jeremie: I hope so. Right now he's my eyes and ears to everything that is going on in there.

William and Natalya stand near the stage, idly talking together. The flashing lights amidst the dark atmosphere make Natalya look beautiful and exotic in the eyes of William. William leans against the stage and fights back a feeling of nervousness. Natalya senses his unease and stirs up conversation. She looks over and sees Yumi and Ulrich speaking in the opposite corner.

Natalya: What are those two up to? Why are they hanging out in the corner like that?

William looks up.

William: Just want some space I guess. I mean we're doing the same thing. They could be asking themselves the same question about us.

Natalya: No I don't think that's it. Yumi is looking really down right now. Something's wrong.

William: Maybe it's the mission. It's a little personal for them, don't you think?

Natalya: Then why is Yumi the one who seems upset?

William shrugs. Claire and Bastien pass by as a couple. William gives them a friendly wave. He turns back to Natalya.

William: I don't know. Yumi likes to solve things herself, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Realizing that this point of conversation has ended, Natalya looks off to the side to think of something else. She finds it surprising that she is lost for words. Usually talking to boys has been as easy as breathing for her, but with William she is slowly discovering a major difference. A different, more upbeat song starts to play. Natalya sees her chance and grabs William's wrist.

Natalya: Oh I love this song! Come on, let's dance!

William: D-dance? William's eyes widen in horror. He swallows. Natalya, I forgot to mention I'm terrible at dancing.

Natalya: Oh come on, everyone can dance. Let's go.

Natalya pulls William against his will. William struggles in vain.

William: No wait! I'm not joking. I really can't dance!

Jeremie and Aelita move towards the edge of a growing cluster of couples in the middle of the dance floor. The two casually sway to the music to make it look like their dancing. But Jeremie's focus remains on the Bluetooth.

Jeremie: No Odd. Not yet. Five second pause. Not until we have confirmation that Mr. Stern is here. I will let you know the minute he's arrived.

Aelita tries to draw his focus away from the mission and onto the dance, but Jeremie presses more earnestly into the conversation.

Jeremie: You remember my instructions don't you? ….Okay good. And no attacks?... haven't touched the controls since I've gone haven't you? Jeremie listens and then becomes slightly annoyed. Alright I get it. No need for sarcasm.

Aelita rolls her eyes at Jeremie.

Jeremie: Just sit tight for now. It shouldn't be much longer. He turns it off. At first Aelita smiles, but then Jeremie starts to talk again. What's that Christophe? Moriarty has arrived?! What's he up to? Aelita's smile sours. Nothing out of the ordinary?...A lot of trustees have approached him, huh? I guess it makes sense that they would respond that way….I see. Okay. I'm glad you're up to this. But remember, you're alone in the same room with Moriarty. Don't underestimate him. Mr. Stern is the main target, but that doesn't mean that you are completely safe from him. Don't forget you're not in the classroom anymore. The trustees are already under his influence, he has no reason to be cautious.

Aelita tries to speak to Jeremie, but he cuts her off.

Jeremie: Okay, what did you say?...He looked you in the eye? Was it a threatening look, or just one of his subtle acknowledgements of our presence? You can't tell? Jeremie groans. You have to pay attention Christophe. Always pay attention to Moriarty. I know you're feeling confident, and that's exactly why I'm worried. It's a recipe for disaster.

Aelita: Jeremie…

Jeremie: What? He's coming closer with two of the trustees? Okay, I should probably hang up and let you work.

Aelita breathes a small sigh of relief, but her hopes are quickly dashed.

Jeremie: What? He just asked for punch? Did he do anything strange? You said he looked arrogant and in control…..that's typical.

Aelita: Jeremie…

Jeremie: What do you mean you need me to hang up? Jeremie lowers his eyebrows and points his index finger at an invisible Christophe. Of course I need to tell you how to do your job. How am I supposed to know that it's done right?

Aelita: Jeremie…

Jeremie: You're probably right. I need to let you work.

Aelita: He's right Jeremie, you need to-

Jeremie: Wait! What flavor punch did he ask for?!

Aelita: Jeremie!

Jeremie reluctantly gives Aelita his attention.

Jeremie: Not now Aelita, this is important.

Aelita takes the device out of his ear.

Jeremie: Hey!

Aelita: Jeremie, you need to calm down. Constantly checking on the situation is not going to speed things along.

Jeremie: But what if something goes wrong?

Aelita comes closer to him and touches his shoulder.

Aelita: Relax. We have everything in place. All of us are here ready to move in a moment's notice. What could go wrong?

Jeremie pessimistically looks at the ground.

Jeremie: Famous last words.

Aelita: Can't you just forget about the mission for now? Can't you focus on this dance for once, please? Can you do that for me?

Jeremie's harsh face softens.

Jeremie: You're right. Regardless of our mission, sometimes I need to be a normal teenager. A little fun won't-He sees something and raises an eyebrow-Is….that a desperate cry for help, or is that William dancing?

Aelita turns around and immediately covers her mouth in a fit of laughter.

Aelita: I don't know. But either Natalya is having an asthma attack, or she is dying from laughing her head off.

Jeremie: He probably should have told her he was bad at dancing BEFORE he asked her to the dance.

The two laugh together and move closer into the circle. They begin to enjoy themselves. A jovial Natalya and a deeply embarrassed William soon enter the cluster as well. But in the back corner, Yumi and Ulrich continue to separate themselves from the main group. They stay a comfortable distance away from each other. Yumi wipes her right eye.

Yumi: I'm sorry Ulrich. This was supposed to be something fun. But I'm ruining it for you.

Ulrich: You have every reason to be upset. I don't blame you.

Yumi tightens her fist and stamps her foot.

Yumi: Hiroki, you idiot!

Ulrich: He's fallen in with everyone else…

Yumi: Why can't he see how terrible Moriarty is?

Ulrich: Well….for one thing he doesn't know he's really a sociopathic virtual entity bent on world domination.

Yumi looks down at the floor in response to Ulrich's obvious answer.

Yumi: Well I guess there's that.

Ulrich takes Yumi's hand. She looks up.

Ulrich: Look, I know Hiroki. He may be annoying and a little too obsessed about video games, but his heart's in the right place. Moriarty won't be able to hide his true nature from him forever.

Yumi: One would hope. I just wish I was able to enjoy myself without thinking about it. I wanted to be here and dance with you and not worry about our problems with…

Ulrich's head suddenly perks up.

Ulrich: Dad.

Yumi: Well, I was going to say Moriarty, but I guess your dad can also be a problem for us…

Ulrich: No. I mean my dad is here. Look!

Ulrich and Yumi look out a nearby window and see Mr. Stern approaching the building. He is wearing a fine brown leather suit and walks casually towards the entrance. Yumi quickly forgets about her present circumstances and moves into action. She pulls Ulrich toward the main dance group that is now of considerable size. A loud song begins to reverberate in the auditorium. Yumi and Ulrich see Jeremie. They try to signal his attention, but he is preoccupied with Aelita at the moment. The music intensifies. Yumi taps his shoulder. He turns around. Yumi motions outside. Jeremie frowns. He yells at them in a loud voice so he can be heard.

Jeremie: What?! You want to leave already?!

Ulrich facepalms. Yumi points to Ulrich and then points outside to make the message a tad bit clearer. Jeremie's eyes widen. He quickly fumbles for the Bluetooth and walks outside the group toward the exit. He glances outside the room to see Mr. Stern pass Jim and exchange a few meaningless words of greeting with him. Jeremie calls Odd.

Jeremie: Odd, he's here. Do it.

Odd suddenly awakens from his stupor of boredom and starts typing.

Odd: Right, right. No problem Einstein.

Jeremie: Be sure to follow my instructions on the Target protocol explicitly. If you're not careful, you could accidentally possess Jim. And I think we can all agree that the poor guy has had to go through that too many times already.

The screen on the computer zooms in on the outlines of Mr. Stern and Jim. Mr. Stern's yellow form on screen starts to walk up the stairs. Once he is out of sight from everyone else, Odd starts up the process. He types in the protocol, checking Jeremie's notes several times to make sure he got it right. Putting the paper down, he looks at the screen and takes a deep breath. He presses the Enter key. Several loading bars pop up as the specter is created. In the Mountain Sector, a tower turns green. It is situated on a raised circular platform that is connected to a descending path leading to a main platform. Back in Kadic, Mr. Stern comes up to the top of the stairs. He passes by an electrical outlet. A specter crawls out and takes him from behind. Mr. Stern clutches his stomach and pauses with shocked alarm. He holds onto the wall. After a few gasps, the gray shadiness of his body recedes onto a small point on his back and then disappears completely. Mr. Stern takes a few recovery breaths and gradually stands up. He wipes his brow and adjusts his suit. Mr. Stern still looks alarmed, but recognizing that the terrible feeling has passed, he walks closer to the meeting room. Meanwhile, Odd sets up a self-virtualization countdown. He pushes the chair away from the keyboard.

Odd: All good on this side Einstein. I'm going in.

Jeremie: Good work. What's the estimated time of uploading the inhibitors?

Odd hits the elevator button and steps in.

Odd: Three minutes and fifty seconds and counting…

The elevator closes on Odd.

Jeremie: Good. Moriarty shouldn't be able to stop us. He switches to Christophe. Three minutes and fifty seconds Christophe.

Christophe: Not a problem. Mr. Stern hasn't even come inside yet. Piece of cake.

At the dance, Jeremie rejoins Aelita on the dance floor. He is smiling confidently and Aelita quickly takes it as a good sign.

Aelita: Everything okay?

Jeremie: As long as Moriarty doesn't put the bracelet on him within the next three minutes, we should be fine.

Aelita: Good.

She takes the Bluetooth out of his ear.

Jeremie: Hey!

Aelita: You won't be needing this. No way Moriarty can smoothtalk Mr. Stern that quickly.

Jeremie: And if he tries force?

Aelita: Christophe will see it coming. He won't let it happen. You know that.

Sensing that Aelita has already put the mission out of her thoughts and judging that the odds are already heavily in their favor, Jeremie decides to relax. He pulls Aelita onto the dance floor. He gives a thumbs up to the two other couples, signaling that it is okay to enjoy themselves now. They join everyone else on the dance floor as the dance now swells to full capacity.

Upstairs, a somewhat disoriented Mr. Stern comes in to the lavish room. Christophe immediately reaches for his ear.

Christophe: Jeremie, Mr. Stern is here…..No response. Jeremie?

Moriarty withdraws from a circle of trustees and approaches Mr. Stern. He reaches out his hand and shakes it before Mr. Stern understands what is happening.

Moriarty: Hello Ingolf, glad you could make it.

Mr. Stern looks up and stares at his greeter. Though the voice is much different than the disguised one over the phone, Mr. Stern recognizes the tone and personal address immediately. He double takes as he quickly recognizes the man in front of him as both his partner and a national figure. His normally forceful voice shakes with surprise.

Mr. Stern: You….you're him? You?!

Moriarty perceives a slight metallic inflection in his voice that he quickly identifies as a foreign specter. His charm sours just a little. He glances over in Christophe's direction, who returns his look with a barely concealed stare of contempt. Moriarty readjusts his focus to Mr. Stern.

Moriarty: That's right. Dr. Sébastien Renard, at your service.

Mr. Stern withdraws his hand. He overcomes his uneasiness and assumes his usual cold professional demeanor.

Mr. Stern: This is….a bit of a shock. To say the least…

Moriarty shrugs. He lowers his voice so no one can hear, especially Christophe.

Moriarty: You wanted to see me. Here I am.

The two are silent for a moment. The only major noises in the room are the idle conversations of the trustees. Moriarty breaks the silence.

Moriarty: A pleasant surprise, knowing that your partner is also a major figure in France, is it not?

Mr. Stern's look does not soften. His stare of obvious disapproval makes Moriarty's carefree smile difficult to maintain.

Mr. Stern: To be honest, no it is not.

Moriarty: And why is that?

Mr. Stern pulls Moriarty farther away from the main group. Christophe watches them with interest. He checks his watch. Two minutes have passed.

Mr. Stern: Having a national hero be my secret partner?! Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how devastating it could be to both of us if anyone discovered our operation? Do you think I want someone who is keeping the opposite of a low profile? I thought you were just some brilliant but unknown hacker. Not someone who appears on talk shows every other week! You are the last person I would want to help me!

Moriarty holds up his hands in an attempt to calm him down.

Moriarty: I suggested against having a meeting. But you insisted, so here we are.

Mr. Stern: That still doesn't change the fact that you are not someone I want to do business with. He paces the floor back and forth in front of Moriarty. You do realize I have significant blackmail on you now. Now that you have involved yourself with me…

Moriarty: As I do with you.

Mr. Stern gives him a smug look, though it is quickly followed by a sudden chill. He brushes it off.

Mr. Stern: No you don't. I have enough connections to get out of anything. But you are France's modern hero. I have information to make that image of you shatter.

Moriarty is unfazed.

Moriarty: So then we don't have a problem. No that you have the upper hand you so desperately wanted, we can go back to business as usual.

Mr. Stern: Not quite…

An uneasy silence ensues between them again. Christophe stares at his watch. An additional forty seconds have passed.

Christophe: Come on, just a little bit longer...

Mr. Stern: I don't know how comfortable I am with you at my son's school, now that I know who you really are. You have to understand, corruption is a lot more personal when it comes to a son's education. I don't like you teaching here. Mr. Stern looks around the room. He notices that the trustees are acting a bit odd. He raises an eyebrow. And come to think of it, I don't remember the board agreeing to make you an active member…

Moriarty: You have missed….Moriarty grins…too many meetings, Ingolf.

Mr. Stern: Maybe, but it does raise an important question. What are you doing here at Kadic?

Moriarty hesitates to answer. The tension mounts as Christophe desperately waits for any sign from Jeremie. Another thirty seconds Mr. Stern starts to feel dizzy. He leans on the back of a chair, holding his head.

Moriarty: Are you alright?

Mr. Stern: Fine, just a little light-headed. Uhh….I need a drink.

Mr. Stern starts to approach Christophe's table. Christophe becomes elated, believing he can stall Mr. Stern until time runs out. But Moriarty lightly grabs Ulrich's father by the shoulder.

Moriarty: Ingolf, you can't expect a student to serve you alcohol. He pulls him off to the corner of the room. Come on, we have a cooler, I'll get you something.

Christophe follows them with his eyes.

Christophe: Cooler?

Mr. Stern: No, I'll get it myself.

Moriarty pulls a lavish chair out of the corner that had been hiding a blue cooler. Realization suddenly hits Christophe like a freight chain. He opens his mouth to stop them, but no words come out in time. Mr. Stern reaches in and suddenly grunts sharply in pain. He pulls his arm out and clutches his wrist. Moriarty looks on with fake concern.

Moriarty: Is something wrong?

Mr. Stern looks at his dripping hand. Attached to his wrist is a metal bracelet. It shines in the ceiling light. Mr. Stern's eyes began to dilate and constrict rapidly. He backs up and becomes weak-kneed. He stumbles into a chair, feebly looking around the room. Girard walks by him mechanically.

Mr. Stern: Francois, give me some water, please…

Girard stares at him blankly and keeps walking. Through Mr. Stern's blurry vision, he sees an intimidating Moriarty hovering over him. His mind sinks deeper into confusion. Back in the lab, the loading screen of the inhibitor program stops at 96%. The countdown pauses at ten seconds. In Lyoko, the tower Odd is guarding fluctuates between green and purple. Odd looks up at it with unease.

Odd: That is….not supposed to happen.

Monster sounds catch his ear. He turns to see three cobras and a scorpion heading up the steep hill to the tower.

Odd: Uh…Jeremie, something's not right here.

Shift back to Christophe. He backs away from his table and reaches for his ear.

Christophe: Jeremie…we have a problem. Mr. Stern has the bracelet. Moriarty is taking control…..Jeremie?...Cut back to Jeremie and the others dancing. The mission has now drifted far from their minds. Everyone dances with their respective partner. JEREMIE?!

Moriarty hands Mr. Stern a glass of water. He circles behind the ailing billionaire, keeping a close eye on him. Mr. Stern groans.

Mr. Stern: I'm really not feeling well.

Moriarty: Don't worry about it. You'll feel better sooner than you think…