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.

27. Chapter 27

Everyone, buckle your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Part 41

One hour and fifteen minutes before the Eurovision concert.

The Nav Skids turn tail and run, heading towards the edge of the purple corrupted zone. Turrets fire at them from behind, complicating their escape in the process. William maneuvers his transport expertly and exits Moriarty's vice grip first. Ulrich takes some damage to the rear of his vessel, but he too makes it out of the zone. Yumi, however, has much more trouble doing so. Her mind races as she attempts to find an exit, all the while dodging incoming lasers. At last she sees a gap in the pink energy wall and barrels forward. But the circular hole is closing fast. She urgently accelerates, eyeing the limited space with trepidation. Ulrich and William hold their breath as they watch her effort to get through. Just as the energy wall begins to close in, Yumi's Nav Skid escapes and joins the others. Ulrich quickly breathes a sigh of relief. Yumi sits still with her hands still shaking on the controls. The warriors look back at the infected Network, cursing their rotten luck. Back on Earth, Jeremie assesses the situation with increasing paranoia.

Jeremie: Everything was planned….so perfectly. He glares at the system bug that mocks his shot at victory. And here we are, already simultaneously swamped with problems.

Yumi leans her head to her knees and hugs them. She shuts her eyes, sensing the wrathful judgment of Jeremie on her failure. She timidly tries to speak.

Yumi: Jeremie, I'm so-

Jeremie: Don't even say it.

Yumi: But I-

Jeremie: I said-The obvious hostility in his voice increases threefold. His expression becomes ugly and pitiless.-Don't say it! Yumi recoils from the rebuke. You already have seriously compromised our mission. I don't need you making worse by taking up my time…TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR YOUR FAILURE!

Yumi buries her face in her hands.

Yumi: I…I'm sorry.

Jeremie: I am not interested in what you have to say. Now shut up and let me fix the mess you made!

Ulrich calmly presses a button to communicate with Jeremie. He explains his intentions slowly and clearly.

Ulrich: Jeremie, do you think you might want to take back some of the things you said? Because I do…

Jeremie: I couldn't care less about your chivalric threats right now…

Ulrich: Oh you better care…It doesn't matter if she messed up or not. It doesn't matter if she hurt the mission. You do not talk to Yumi that way…ever. Understand?

Jeremie stews in his own frustration and the callousness of his conduct. Before he can come up with a reply, Aelita intervenes. She and Natalya stand ready at the Celestial Dome while she tries to encourage calm on both sides.

Aelita: Jeremie, lashing out at Ulrich and Yumi is not going to fix the situation. Finding Odd and fixing the Cannae Initiative should be the main priority. Don't forget we still have more than an hour before the concert starts. We have time. She pulls up a holographic panel. I'll try to help you correct the system error from my end. So focus on recovering Odd and repairing our silver bullet.

The Lyoko general reluctantly listens to Aelita's advice. The hostility in his face begins to ebb. After his brief loss of control, Jeremie now starts to patiently deal with the matter at hand.

Jeremie: Okay. He briefly searches the Network for Odd, but still finds no trace of him. Attempts at communication turn up nothing as well. I can't get through to Odd, but the good news is he has to be out there. If the Skid was destroyed, I would know about it. He must be lost somewhere in the Network.

As Yumi begins to recover from her shame and guilt, she suddenly remembers something.

Yumi: What if he was sucked into a Network Hub? That happened to me once.

Jeremie: True, but you were in a Nav Skid. It's unlikely that a Network Hub could suck up the entire Skid.

Aelita continues to work on the bug back in Sector Five.

Aelita: But if the hub was in Moriarty's zone of control, he could have manipulated it to target the Skid.

Jeremie: ….True. Even so, there are at least two dozen exit points he could have come out of. Unless I receive some signal from the Skid, it will be really hard to track him down. Combine that with the bug we're dealing with-He wipes his forehead in exasperation-and we have one hell of a nightmare on our hands. The warriors scattered across the Network and Lyoko absorb this news with grave, silent concern. The burden of the situation bends Jeremie for a few moments, but it does not break him. He shakes off his initial meltdown. But we knew this would not be a cakewalk. I'll do what I can. Until then, I want all Nav Skids to retreat further from Moriarty's dominion and power down all non-essential systems. We need to conserve as much energy as possible.

The warriors in the Network nod with understanding.

William: Got it. Let's go. William leads the way as the three travel farther into the neutral void. They reach a somewhat secure spot and come to a stop. The lights in the Nav Skids turn off, leaving the trio in darkness. We'll be here waiting when you're ready.

One hour before the Eurovision concert.

Towards the southern pole of the corrupted zone, the Skidbladnir floats in total isolation. Inside the cabin, Odd is groggy and confused, courtesy of the whiplash from the violent vortex he went through. He looks out into the sea of violet, barely able to make sense of his surroundings. But he soon regains his bearings. Remembering that he is in the Network, he tries to contact Jeremie.

Odd: Hello? Jeremie? He gets no answer. Jeremie, are you there? Still nothing. He then switches to the Nav Skids. Hello, Ulrich? Yumi? He quickly becomes disheartened. William?

Seeing that all communication lines are busted, Odd pulls up a holomap of the surrounding area. But the projection quickly fizzes out and he is left with nothing. Odd growls with annoyance.

Odd: For the love of…Is anything in this tin can working? He looks from the left to the right. I guess I have to rely on my eyes. He scratches his chin. I must still be in Moriarty's twisted snowglobe…which is…bad. He grabs hold of the controls. Time to get out of here and regroup with the others. The Skid slightly moves forward, but other than that, it doesn't budge. System malfunction warnings greet his unwelcoming gaze. Oh but of course…I forgot that nothing's working in this thing. He laughs at his own joke, but his attempt at humor quickly peters out into a silence of fright. Odd looks up at the database ceiling above him. The black obelisks appear to groan and echo, threatening to wipe him out at every turn. Icy chills work up his virtual body. To his alarm, he notices several turrets surrounding his position. Odd closes his eyes, expecting to be blown apart at any minute. Slowly, he opens one eye. The turrets are inactive, obviously unaware of his presence. He hardly breathes. The fiery explosion of his nightmare returns with the upmost clarity and horror. He trembles to no end, yet at the same time he tries desperately to not move. A mouse has wandered into the lion's den. The strength of his speech is robbed of him. And it looks like I'm the mouse…

Fifty minutes before the Eurovision concert.

In the midst of the intense confrontation between The Order and the Outcasts, separated by only two fences with a space in between of about two meters, the police set up a space for the VIP arrivals. Celebrities from every corner of Europe waltz in, welcomed by enthusiastic supporters from the neutral crowd. These fans, who are solely interested in the concert, are constantly hounded by an Order spokesperson armed with a megaphone and a raised platform.

Order Spokesperson: We are here to protect France from the subversives who seek to undermine our nation! Those of you in the crowd out there…true people of France, do not remain ignorant any longer. This is not the time to merely seek your own entertainment and worship a few-

The motorcade of the Spanish royal family arrives. Security personnel on motorcycles watch everyone warily, refusing to allow another assassination attempt. The central limousine soon comes to a halt in front of a red carpet. Instantly César pops out in a black suit with red pinstripes. The lithe acrobat does a few somersaults for the crowd, who promptly cheer in response. Felipe exits and silently stands by his side. The Spanish prince then turns back and lets Isabel Cacais out of the vehicle. She wears a lovely green strapless dress and smiles with obvious unease. The two walk together up the steps to the VIP arena entrance with Felipe trailing behind. They are immediately assaulted with camera shots. She leans over to her rather illustrious date.

Isabel: You promised we weren't going to make a big scene when we got here.

César: Isa, Isa….He tries to downplay the deception…I make a lot of promises I can't keep. I promised that I wouldn't give Felipe a heart attack by doing something risky in public. Felipe groans in response. I promised that I wouldn't go out dancing when the royal family has an important event to attend. I promised not to spend too much money abroad ever again. I promised to not give Madrid police the chase of their lives by stealing a motorcycle from the palace and going on a joyride down the Calle Mayor in nothing but my pajamas.

Isabel: Isn't that last one the reason your parents "banished" you to a boarding school in France for a while?

The crown prince pauses while the paparazzi fanfare continues.

César: Sabes que no me importa los detalles. (You know I don't care about the details.)

Isabel rolls her eyes in annoyance.

Isabel: Oh perdonéme vuestra majestad. (Oh forgive me your majesty.)

César: I don't appreciate your sarcasm.

Before they make it across the red carpet, another limousine pulls up. All eyes briefly turn away from the young couple and watch as the luxury vehicle carrying two small fleur-de-lis flags of The Order arrives on the scene. The passenger doors soon open. The Hero of France steps out of the limousine, dressed in a fabulous black suit with a vest of royal purple. His immaculately combed blonde hair matches his deceiving smile perfectly, providing perfect material for the cameras. A few members of The Order get out of the car as well, ready to escort him. Moriarty, absorbing the attention with pure bliss, turns to The Order crowd and salutes them. The entire army of supporters roars in response, shouting the name of their commandant. He continues to bask in the spotlight, carrying the same mannerisms of the kings of old who once ruled over the land. The Order leader then turns back to the cameras, making sure they get a full appreciation of his perfect attire. On his way up the red carpet, he comes across César and Isabel, who have stopped to express their displeasure with him. Moriarty remains unfazed.

Moriarty: Your highness. A lot of sarcasm was put on that remark. So glad that you found the courage to return to France after your…leave of absence.

César is not amused.

César: Assasination attempts don't usually sit well with anyone, especially royalty. But I guess you already understand what it's like to have such an important title. Oh wait-He starts to correct himself-I guess you don't, do you?

Moriarty bristles at the unwelcome jab at his lack of royal blood.

Moriarty: No. But I understand assassination attempts quite well. Besides…He sneers at César with obvious disdain...the quality and usefulness of royalty has clearly deteriorated over the centuries.

Isabel glowers at her teacher with unrestrained disgust.

Isabel: And the quality of teachers has improved?

Moriarty shoots a warning glance at her while he straightens his tie.

Moriarty: Be careful young lady. Outcast or not, you are still my pupil, and I would watch your tone if I were you.

She holds her hands up in feigned innocence.

Isabel: Oh don't mind me. I'm just a psychologically troubled teenager who didn't join The Order. I can't help myself. She pauses to sharpen her verbal daggers for another blow. Isn't that how that creep psychologist of yours "diagnosed" us? Where is he anyway? Shouldn't he be with you?

Moriarty finds the question amusing and hums for a second.

Moriarty: Oh yes…I'm afraid he was feeling a little under the weather and couldn't make it.

César: Ah, so he truly is useless. The prince steps forward in front of his date. Just like me. Except-He gives Moriarty his signature mischievous smile- I'm afraid I'm not at his level yet. He motions to his bodyguard./ Hazlo. (Do it.)

Felipe speaks briefly into his radio. Shortly after ending the conversation, the bodyguard directs his eyes toward the sky. César then looks up into the night, grinning from ear to ear. A slightly confused Isabel follows his lead. Moriarty, who becomes greatly aggravated at the fact that he is being ignored, finds himself looking up with them. The associated press watching the confrontation move their cameras to the sky out of instinct. In a matter of moments, fireworks explode above downtown Paris. They display the national colors of Spain, red and yellow. One cluster of fireworks outlines the Spanish national flag. The rest explode into circles across the night sky, forming definite "O"s . To the casual foreign observer, these "O"s are nothing more than a coincidence, but to the Outcasts the message is quite clear. The vastly outnumbered group suddenly breaks out into a roar of renewed energy, leaving The Order temporarily distracted and perturbed. Moriarty faces César again, silently and begrudgingly acknowledging a brilliant move by his opponent in this elaborate chess game.

César: It appears royalty is still good for something, don't you think?

Moriarty: Did the city of Paris even permit this?

César remains completely straight-faced in his response.

César: I haven't the slightest idea. I guess I'll find out soon enough. But for now-He looks back up at the light show.-I repay my debt for desertion.

Moriarty: Well-He adjusts his cuffs and calmly sidesteps the pair on his way to the entrance. He talks to the prince without looking over his shoulder. Don't expect the powers that are…or will be to easily overlook this stunt.

César: All's fair in love and war-He pauses to put a scornful emphasis on the following elaborate title.-Caudillo Renard…

Moriarty: Oh…Moriarty delights in his former pupil's remark…of that I am well aware.

In the Outcast camp, Jim watches the fireworks show with pride swelling up in his rather enlarged belly. He pats Delmas on the shoulder a bit harder than Delmas would have liked.

Jim: César has done us proud. He inhales through his nose. But now it's our turn. He looks back at the Outcast group, who are waiting for him to lead. The Kadic group huddles close to him, like frightened children staying close to a campfire during a dark night in the woods. Jim clears his throat and then picks up a megaphone. His voice booms over the crowd. Fellow Outcasts -He points behind him.- Behind those two fences is The Order in full force. To say they outnumber us would be an understatement. Thousands are right there, trying to shout us down. And we can expect more to come. He walks through the crowd, drawing all eyes toward him. We can be sure what they are going to do here. Pause. The question is what will you do? He carries himself about with a dignity and purpose worthy of a leader. Everyone watches him in silence. Millions of people are watching this broadcast. And what will they see? That France has been overrun by extremists led by a madman? No! He storms from place to place, making sure everyone can hear him loud and clear. They will see that the France that stands for liberty and equality has never left…That it has been here the entire time. They will see that no matter what Dr. Renard says, no matter how much he manipulates, he can't silence us. They will see a small, but passionate bunch of people standing up to this fanaticism, informing both The Order and the world that we will not yield. Say it with me! We will not yield!

Jim begins the chant that soon spreads across the hundreds of gathered Outcasts boldly confronting the army of black and purple. It is infectious, spreading like wildfire and quickly gaining in magnitude with every shouting member. Kadic, Lycée Jeanne d'Arc, and everyone else cry out in one loud voice.

All Outcasts: WE WILL NOT YIELD! WE WILL NOT YIELD!

The press for the concert moves their cameras away from The Order and focus on this small group, proud to stand up against the Goliath in front of them as Davids worthy to be called the noble underdog.

Thirty-five minutes before the Eurovision concert.

Jeremie works feverishly on the issue from his command chair. He scans the bug, scrutinizing every single detail. Any scrap of damaged data becomes his helpless prey. After several minutes at the helm, he anxiously wipes his brow and takes a moment to breathe. Aelita's voice interrupts his train of thought.

Aelita: How are things looking at your end?

Jeremie adjusts his analysis to get a broader look at the problem. He highlights the troubled areas in the program.

Jeremie: The bug itself isn't a problem. It seems like a simple search and removal procedure should do the trick.

Aelita monitors the problem from her position in Lyoko.

Aelita: Yeah. I was about to say the same thing. I'm guessing it will only take a few more minutes to sort out. She pauses. Of course, with Odd missing…

Jeremie: I know. It doesn't solve all of our problems at the moment.

Natalya steps closer to Aelita on the Celestial Dome.

Natalya: Isn't there anything Odd can do to get our attention so we can locate him? Can't he just fire off a torpedo or something?

Jeremie: That would work Natalya, but he may have forgotten that and there's no way for us to tell him otherwise. Or worse-His face becomes grave and decidedly distraught.-He does know that, but he's not in a position to do so…

Thirty minutes before the Eurovision concert.

Odd still remains trapped in the southern pole of the corrupted zone, completely surrounded by inactive turrets. He taps at the controls, eyeing the silent defenders with extreme unease. He quietly questions his next move.

Odd: What to do? What to do?...What do I do?

Only the restless hum of the infected Network answer his pleas for guidance. Odd closes his eyes and stops a moment to think.

Odd: Weapons…Do I still have weapons? Odd tries to warm up his torpedoes. The weapon systems respond and the gunports below the cockpit begin to warm up. The turrets start to rotate slightly in his direction. Odd almost panics and silences the torpedoes. No. No….He makes everything in the Skid go quiet again. Pay no attention to the cat piloting the heavily-armed submarine right next to you. The turrets become still again. Odd breathes a sigh of relief. Good, that was close. He looks down at the lifeless control panel, considering his options in earnest. If I fired a torpedo, the others could find me. But with me stuck here like a sitting duck, there's no way they could rescue me in time. He then glances at the infected databases overhead. The cyber bridge should be able to save me, but with the Skid gone….He shakes his head…No. I can't allow that to happen. The others need me. And a re-destroyed Skid would not sit well with Jeremie. Odd groans. He stares out into the motionless abyss. Oh man, we're running out of time. I have to do something…For a minute, Odd sits there in silence, burdened by the seemingly impossible situation. Without warning, his faulty sensor picks up something and then quickly shuts back off. Odd notes this sudden blip with suspicion. Before he can investigate further, he senses something moving out of the corner of his eye. Odd looks to his right and sees…nothing. But then he perceives a groaning coming from his left. He wildly turns to the other side. A black shape darts through his line of sight and vanishes as soon as it appeared. Odd finds himself instinctively moving his hands to his weapons' controls. And it looks like I don't have a choice in the matter.

Twenty-five minutes before the Eurovision concert.

On the other side of the city, away from the commotion of the concert, the old railroad junction remains mostly quiet. A cold wind passes through the motionless train cars, creating a hollow, haunting noise. Footsteps in the gravel soon disrupt the cold wind's song. From out of the shadows emerges a homeless man bundled head-to-toe in ratty but warm clothing. He curses the cold and his lack of some much needed lip balm. As he nears the graffiti-covered bridge, he starts to become cynical.

Homeless Man: Oh….Merry Christmas! He laughs at the thought of anything being "merry" for him. And a Happy New Year! …Give me a break. He stares up at the sky. I mean, how much worse can it get for me at this point?

A muffled groan soon answers his question. The vagabond glances down to see the charred body of Hans Klotz, who still miracously struggles for breath. Klotz tries desperately to reach for help. The poor hobo, now having lost several years off his life, staggers backward and falls onto the gravel. He then scrambles up and shouts in the air, running in the direction of anyone who might listen.

Homeless Man: Help! HELP! SOMEONE GET AN AMBULANCE QUICK!

Twenty minutes before the Eurovision concert.

After a long hour of hard work, Jeremie finally sees what he has wanted to see all this time: a green plus sign. He slumps in his chair, thanking whatever deity there might be that the bug has been fixed. He takes a long sip of water and covers his eyes with his left hand. The weary general lets out a sigh.

Jeremie: Okay, it's fixed.

A quiet celebration spreads from the Celestial Dome to the three isolated Nav Skids in the Network. The mood amongst the warriors elevates just a little bit. Yumi shuts her eyes and lets the relieving news relax her virtual body.

Yumi: Finally…

Ulrich: So let's go! It's time to blow that core to pieces!

Jeremie: Except-His feeling of relief soon ebbs from his body, starting with his face.-In order to fully reload the program, I need to feed it through the main conduit so it can then be passed on to the Nav Skids. And that main conduit just so happens to be…

William: Let me guess…the Skid.

Jeremie: Which of course is a little bit difficult without-

The scene shifts back to the Celestial Dome.

Aelita: Odd…Aelita adjusts the resources on the holographic panel at the Celestial Dome to comb the Network for any sign of him…Then that settles it. We have to recover Odd now.

Natalya: But how? If he doesn't send out some sort of signal for us to locate him, then-

Aelita: Then I'll just have to scan every area inside or around the corrupted zone until I locate him.

William shakes his head and presses against the sides of his cockpit in frustration.

William: That's going to take too long. Moriarty's energy shield will be complete by the time you-

Aelita quickly snaps back without hesitation.

Aelita: Do you have a better idea?

Jeremie: None of us do at the moment. But I'm afraid I might have to take over for you Aelita. Jeremie hones in on an alert from the super scan. At a high altitude in the Mountain Sector, a single tower changes from blue to purple. Moriarty is starting to make his move.

Aelita's hands pause at the holographic panel. She reluctantly turns her gaze to the waiting Overwing. She glances back at the Network map, wishing that Odd would materialize. Her heart sinks as her hands drop back to her side. She closes the panel and motions for Natalya to get on.

Aelita: Find him Jeremie. Please find him.

Jeremie: I will.

Aelita climbs onto the Overwing with Natalya clutching on to her from behind. She starts up the vehicle.

Aelita: Let's go.

The two take off towards the edge of the Celestial Dome, preparing to enter the Mountain Sector.

Fifteen minutes before the Eurovision concert.

Despite the continued chaos outside, the Eurovision concert arena comes to life as the stands and the area around the large circular stage become filled with fans. A myriad of different colored lights and sounds assault the eyes and ears of the concertgoers, quickly raising their excitement. The spectacular modern design of the interior of the arena in addition to the light and sound display captivates the crowd, drawing them into the frenzy has been prepared for them. Flags from the different nations of Europe can be seen near the front section, and some wave them to practice for the arrival of their country's representative. The euphoric and wild atmosphere of approaching entertainment masks the fault lines growing amongst the crowd, at least for the moment. Behind and above the clustered mass of humanity, a private box on one of the upper levels is oddly quiet. The small suite has a postmodern décor complete with oddly shaped furniture, square lamps, an oval rug, and an abstract painting that suggests an oriental influence. The magnificentally dressed Order leader, alone in his den, stands in front of his personal bar. Vodka trickles into a small glass, making the ice dance to his pleasure. As he walks away from the bar, he stops and looks down at his drink.

Moriarty: Hmm…strange. Have I had any alcohol since I created this human form? I don't remember…He makes his way to the main viewing area and settles into a chair. Once he is settled, he stares through the glass out onto the concert arena. The conglomeration of vibrant sights and sounds slightly amuses him. The backstage wall serves as a giant jumbotron, counting down the minutes before the concert begins. Moriarty impatiently watches it count down. His fingers tap his knees erratically. Thirteen minutes…not quite yet. Not quite yet….

Moriarty nearly jumps out of his seat when he hears a knock on his door. His surprise quickly transforms into annoyance.

Moriarty: What? What is it?

A somewhat timid voice answers him.

Order Aide: Um…Commandant. The Order crowd outside would like a quick word from you before-

Moriarty quickly starts to sit down.

Moriarty: Not now. It's almost time for the concert.

Order Aide: But Commandant….your student leader at Kadic…Mathias Burel I believe… specifically requested that you-

Moriarty: I said no! I don't want to be bothered right now.

The hapless messenger, sensing that he is getting nowhere with his commandant, quickly retreats from the door. Moriarty hears his footsteps as he walks away. He is once again left in relative silence. The vibrant hum of the music outside continues to echo through the windows. He holds up his glass, letting the light display illuminate through the clear liquid. His eyes dart to the left. The private box of the LePens is within his sight. He can clearly make out the aging figure of Jean-Marie, who watches the pre-show without interest. A deep sense of impending satisfaction coupled with just the slightest hint of anxiety begins to creep across his facial expression. Moriarty watches the countdown. The seconds begin to move toward the eleven minute mark. Tension and excitement well up inside as time moves at a pace far slower than he desires.

Moriarty: Not yet. Come on…come on…He pauses and reflects on the impending showdown…I can't let Jeremie have any time to maneuver. Twenty seconds from the eleven minute mark. Not yet…not yet…The last twenty seconds last for what seems like an eternity. Moriarty does not take his eyes off the jumbotron. Finally the last second ticks away. Though the countdown for the concert continues, for Moriarty the final performance has officially commenced. He raises his right hand in a solitary toast and downs a large gulp of vodka. He sets the glass down on a nearby table and sits upright in his chair. Show time…

Ten minutes before the Eurovision concert.

Jeremie scours the Network for any sign of the Skid and its invaluable pilot. Several sectors come up completely empty. He glances every fifteen seconds at the time, feeling his blood pumping with increasing urgency with every lost second.

Jeremie: Where are you Odd?...Where are you? He stops a moment to think. Maybe he's lost somewhere inside the corrupted zone. Before Jeremie can act on that train of thought, the main monitor begins to light up like a Christmas tree. Another alert, this time not the super scan, forces itself to Jeremie's attention. Immediately upon assessing the situation, Jeremie's heart lodges in his throat. For a moment he is choked by disbelief and cannot speak. Fortunately his frozen stance suddenly turns into frantic action. He quickly contacts the girls in the Mountain Sector. Aelita, about face! About face! Get back to Sector Five now!

High in the Mountain Sector, Aelita flies with Natalya on the Overwing. She is immediately stunned by the strange order.

Aelita: What?! But the tower is right in our sight. We can stop this thing right now and secure the fight on Lyoko!

Jeremie: There won't be a Lyoko in a few minutes if you don't get back now. Scene shifts to the Core of Lyoko at the southern pole of Sector Five. In the long purple cylindrical chamber, a floating sphere protected by two cube shields endures heavy fire by a collection of humanoids, cobras, and tigers. The shields recoil from the impact. Moriarty is trying to destroy the Core of Lyoko!

Aelita: What?! The Overwing suddenly turns around back in the direction of Carthage. That makes no sense…why would he do that?

Jeremie's blood starts to run cold from a grim understanding of the matter at hand.

Jeremie: No. It makes perfect sense. Without Lyoko, the others are trapped in the Network, even if they complete the mission. And he waited until you two had already left the scene, lured by the tower.

Back in the Network, the Nav Skid warriors register this news with definite alarm.

Ulrich: Trapped?!

William: Oh man…he's really trying to screw us this time…

Yumi: Is…is he really going to do it?!

Jeremie: I have no reason to believe he wouldn't.

While heading to the edge of the sector, Aelita realizes something critical.

Aelita: But still…the concert. He can't launch his attack without the tower.

Jeremie's eyes widen. He silently curses his intellect for not realizing that.

Jeremie: Of course…But then-Jeremie monitors the shields, which start to cave under the monsters' attack.-what is he doing? The aggravation in his voice increases significantly. What is he planning?

Several seconds pass and no one in Lyoko or in the Network can answer that question. Then, William speaks up.

William: What if he's not really trying to destroy Lyoko?

Ulrich and Yumi stare at William in bewilderment from their respective cockpits. Jeremie blinks a few times before responding.

Jeremie: Come again?

William: He doesn't need to destroy Lyoko. He just needs to weaken its shields enough until it has been rendered completely defenseless. Then, once his attack is complete, all he needs to do is snap his fingers to end it for us. We would have no time to stop him.

No one says a word. William's explanation sets in, giving them a chilling awareness of Moriarty's true intentions for them. Jeremie stares blankly at the main monitor for a moment. After a few short moments, his eyebrows lower with muted anger.

Jeremie: Aelita, Natalya, clear the core chamber of monsters. Whatever happens, you can't let those shields fail. If we let Moriarty hold the mission hostage…everything will be lost.

Aelita and Natalya glance at each other, sharing a certain insight that words cannot easily describe.

Aelita: Right. We'll get there as fast as we can.

Jeremie diverts his attention away from the Core of Lyoko back to the other sectors. He goes through a short list of neutral towers and selects one near the center of the Forest Sector. He cracks his knuckles before going in.

Jeremie: In the meantime it's time we stopped being blind to Moriarty's endgame. He activates the tower, causing the aura around it to become green. Almost immediately a deluge of camera angles drops into his lap, giving him a perspective of the entire arena. His eyes pour over every image with the highest level of scrutiny. Come on Lyoko, show me everything.

Back in the Network, the three warriors continue to wait out the storm in their stalled Nav Skids. They keep their hands on the controls, their eyes glued to the indifferent abyss that surrounds them. Every slight sound, every fluctuation in the Network adds to their sense of doom and unease. After a solid minute of painful silence, Yumi finally breaks it.

Yumi: He's not done yet.

Ulrich: What?

Yumi: Trying to destroy the Core of Lyoko…he won't stop there. This is the time for him to overwhelm us. Odd's disappeared, the core is under attack, and the Cannae Initiative is still bugged…but he's not out of the woods yet. She starts to lose strength in her voice. And he won't stop until the situation is completely unsalvageable.

Ulrich and William exchange a battle-weary look.

William: Then what will he do?

Jeremie narrows in on the basement of the arena underneath the main stage. Out of sight from the crowd and security, members of the Czech Republic band and their support technicians load a large black metal box on top of a hidden platform that can be raised onto the stage above. The device contains a glowing circular center that quickly arouses Jeremie's suspicions. These suspicions are only heightened when one member of the road crew turns around with his eyes visible to the camera. The heinous insignia of Moriarty greets Jeremie's watching eyes. Jeremie quickly zooms in on the device and quickly analyzes it.

Jeremie: There are definitely some abnormal electromagnetic waves coming out of that thing. Could it be a-The strange device begins to interfere with the camera, infusing it with a heavy amount of static. Jeremie's blood temperature drops two degrees as his fears are confirmed. So that's his game. He contacts his scattered warriors. I've found it.

Aelita and Natalya arrive once again at the Celestial Dome.

Aelita: Found what?

Jeremie: I've found Moriarty's Eurovision weapon. He's got a transient electromagnetic weapon.

Ulrich: Translation?

Jeremie: In laymen's terms, an EMP bomb. And a powerful one at that. His eyes fixate on the device, feeling the pit in his stomach grow in spite of his attempts to control it. No doubt about it. He's got the whole Czech Republic group under his control, and when they perform, that thing will go off. His upper torso becomes icy with dread as he continues his explanation. A good portion of downtown will have its electricity zapped away. In the confusion, Moriarty will kill the LePens, and the resulting chaos and violence will finally bring France to its breaking point.

The warriors hardly react, having assumed the worst from the very start. Still, it doesn't take long for the implications of the situation to sink in.

Yumi: We won't let that happen Jeremie.

William: Right. The best thing we can do right now is find Odd and get back in Moriarty's zone before the protective shield closes completely.

Ulrich seconds William with a good deal of optimism.

Ulrich: Yeah. Plus, even if the thing does go off, we can still win as long as we are inside the area when the whole thing closes. Right Jeremie?

Jeremie doesn't respond to this. His cold hands cover his eyes and slowly rub his temples.

Ulrich: Uh…Jeremie?

While on their way to the southern pole of Carthage, Aelita has likewise become silent and deeply troubled. Her grip on the Overwing tightens.

Natalya: Aelita, what's wrong?

Back in the lab, the silence continues.

Yumi: We should be in the clear once we get inside, right?

Jeremie: You don't understand. His vocal chords fail him from a moment. He keeps his gaze away from the monitor. Do you know what an EMP does?

Yumi: Yes, it fries everything electric within its blast zone.

Jeremie: And what do you think you're surrounded by?

The three warriors don't respond for a moment. They glance outside their cockpits.

Jeremie: Think about it. The World Network is not just some place you dive into from Lyoko. It's deeply connected to our world. If the EMP goes off, France's servers will be wrecked. Entire sections of the Network would shut down. The resulting shockwaves will produce untold damage. And that means anyone inside the Network will also be affected. The mood amongst the three in the Network suddenly plummets as they start to understand the message. Even in the best case scenario, your access to Lyoko will be permanently cut off. More than likely though….He braces himself for the unfortunate truth…you will be erased…immediately and permanently.

Silence on Earth, Lyoko, and in the Network. The full weight of their limited time now becomes painfully obvious. Inside the Nav Skids, all lips are sealed. There is very little that can be said. Eventually Aelita manages to break the silence.

Aelita: Is protecting the Core of Lyoko still the main priority for us?

Jeremie: In terms of immediate threats, yes. Go now. We'll just have to rely on the Cannae Initiative to recover. Which makes finding Odd our number one-Another round of urgent alerts come to his attention, prompting Jeremie to nearly pull his hair out.-WHAT NOW?! His anger soon subsides when he realizes that all three scanners have become active on their own. He freezes in place when it becomes clear that they are transporting something from the other side. Jeremie's mouth opens but it takes a second or two for words to follow. Oh no…

On the floor below him, each one of the cabins open, filling the chamber with smoke. After about thirty seconds, every last dark warrior files out, clad in the typical clothing worn on Earth by the real Lyoko Warriors. They inhale the air of the real world, most of them for the first time. Jeremie's skin tone becomes noticeably paler. His voice trembles as he warns the other warriors of the dire situation.

Jeremie: The dark warriors…all of them. They're here. Moriarty has sent them to the factory.

Aelita receives this news just as she and Natalya enter the Lyoko Core chamber from the southern pole of Sector Five. In her temporary shock, she fails to notice that the monsters have spotted them. They fire, knocking the two off of the Overwing and landing on the circular staircase at the other end of the chamber. Natalya and Aelita force themselves to stand up and fight as the monsters begin to focus on attacking them instead of the core. At the same time, a purple enemy Nav Skid emerges from hiding and launches an attack on Odd and the Skid. Meanwhile the dark shades make themselves comfortable by spreading out in the factory, with Dark Aelita and William climbing up to confront Jeremie and Dark Yumi and Ulrich descending down to the supercomputer room. In the Network, the three stranded warriors impatiently wallow in their apparent helplessness, fearing the destructive cataclysm coming their way. Back in the arena basement, the EMP bomb is loaded and ready for action just as the final seconds before the Eurovision concert count down. In his secluded box suite, Moriarty relishes the moment while his chess pieces push his weaker but doggedly determined enemy into a corner.

Moriarty: Yes. That's it. Attack. Everyone attack without mercy.

Deep in the corrupted zone, a lone warrior heeds his master's order. A sleek and purple Nav Skid unexpectedly emerges from hiding, setting its sights on the isolated Skidbladnir. The weapons system locks on and fires directly at Odd.

1900 hours. The Eurovision Concert begins.

The lights in the concert arena suddenly dim down. The crowd cheers in excitement, knowing full well what it means. About fifteen seconds later, a booming voice that seems to emanate all around the arena addresses the audience. At first, no one in the arena can tell where it is coming from, which adds to the mysterious and enticing nature of the voice.

Carlsson: Ladies and Gentelmen…good evening. And welcome to the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Another cheer goes up. Prepare yourselves for what will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting nights of your lives. Tonight, forty-four nations are represented here for one reason: to see which nation has the right to be crowned Eurovision champion! The lights pointed at the stage come back on, illuminating a well-dressed but eccentric man in his early thirties. He has a microphone attached to his ear. Coming to you live from Paris, France, I am Erik Carlsson. They clap for him, but he doesn't let it go on for long. Enough delays already. You have waited long enough. He storms across the stage, commanding the people's attention. Who's ready to get this thing started?!

While his enthusiastic crowd answers loudly in the affirmative, a rather different situation is taking place in a hospital nearby. Paramedics and nurses burst through hospital doors, escorting a man in very critical condition to the emergency room.

Nurse: What do we have here?

Paramedic 1: Severe electrocution. His breathing has slowed substantially. Heart fibrillation may be imminent.

Paramedic 2: Keep him breathing. This guy may just have a chance.

The charred but still breathing body of Hans Klotz stares upward at the lights, barely maintaining consciousness. He is wheeled into a private room, where the emergency room personnel quickly get to work. The senior doctor on staff takes one look at the patient and feels his own heart skip abnormally. Even for a veteran, the electrical burns on him are more severe than he has ever seen before.

Trauma Doctor: Dear God…How did this happen?!

Nurse: We aren't sure. He wasn't found anywhere close to anything that could have shocked him this badly. The police have already been informed about the situation.

The trauma doctor goes about his business. Despite the urgency of the case, he can't help but wonder briefly how the police could be involved in such a matter. It then occurs to him that they suspect this incident was not an accident. But then he finds it appalling and frankly impossible that such a terrible predicament could have been brought about by foul play. The doctor and his team work feverishly to save Klotz. But as the minutes pass, it quickly becomes clear that his tissues are damaged beyond repair. Organ shutdown begins in earnest though they try their best to prevent it. His breathing grounds almost to a halt. The heart rate reaches critical levels. The trauma doctor is beside himself, knowing full well that electrical defibrillation will only make things worse. Before he can come up with a desperate, last minute solution, his patient reaches out to him. The weak eyes of Hans Klotz greet him, pleading for him to listen before it's too late. The doctor leans in to listen.

Klotz: Dr. Renard…..He-Klotz gasps for some last final breaths-did this to me…

Klotz lapses into unconsciousness. The stunned doctor registers his last words with disbelief. A minute later, the school psychologist's heart stops permanently. The doctor waits a moment and then records the time of death. The nurses cover what's left of his body in a sheet. Before they do so, one of the nurses notices the purple fleur-de-lis still visible on his burned shirt.

Nurse: Doctor, I think you may need to see this.

The trauma doctor moves closer to see the symbol. The words his dying patient said sink in with renewed force. He quickly exits the emergency room and talks with the waiting police lieutenant outside. The conversation lasts only about thirty seconds. All the while the trauma doctor looks back and forth, suddenly fearful of what he has to say.

Trauma Doctor: I'm not a politician, but if somehow…what he said was true-

The female officer cuts him off.

Police Officer: I see what you mean. I'll make sure Chief Benoit knows about this right away.

The torpedoes from the enemy Nav Skid slam against the Skid's shields. Odd is thrown back in the cockpit. But he wastes no time responding. In an instant he raises the shields according to Jeremie's new improvements, which encases the Skid in a light blue bubble. A new round of torpedoes hits the Skid but the enhanced shields hold steady. Odd spots the purple vessel which turns around for another attack. Odd loads his own torpedoes and prepares to fire.

Odd: Just because I look like a sitting duck doesn't mean I'm going to act like one.

A torpedo sails off in the attacker's direction. Back in the lab room, Jeremie notes the sudden weapons fire in Odd's section of the Network. An enormous weight lifts from his chest once he confirms that it is the Skid.

Jeremie: I've just located a battle happening in Moriarty's sphere in the Network. It's Odd!

Arrows, lasers, and energy fields fire left and right in the Core chamber of Lyoko. Aelita and Natalya have managed to distract the monsters from their main target but have put themselves into an intense fight in the process. Aelita hears the news just as she destroys a humanoid.

Aelita: What a relief! Is he okay?!

While the enemy Nav Skid hangs back, the inactive turrets come to life in response to the fight. They target the Skid at the same time and initiate a heavy barrage. While the shields start to suffer, Odd retaliates. A wide field of lasers erupts from the Skid which blows up the nearby turrets and corrupted databases. But the intense attack continues.

Jeremie: He is alive, but he is going to need help right away! Jeremie suddenly hears the sounds of the dark shades coming up the ladder. Come to think of it, I'm going to need help too. The dark warriors are going to destroy the factory and me in it!

Yumi: Then what are we supposed to do? We can't help both of you at the same time.

At this crucial moment, William's old friend makes his presence known.

Xana: Slave, you and I both know what must be done.

William nods without a word.

William: Jeremie, send me back.

Jeremie: What?

William: I still have Xana's powers. I can fight the shades on Earth. Send me back.

Jeremie quickly realizes that what William is suggesting is there only option at this point.

Jeremie: You're probably right, but that would require me to adjust the Trans Network Cyber-Bridge-Dark William and Aelita reach the lab room with Jeremie in their sights.-which is time I really don't have right now…

William: Then we really have no choice. He looks over to Yumi. Yumi, I need you to blow me up.

Ordinarily Yumi would question this rash choice of action, but this is no ordinary time. Given the growing list of dangers to their lives and the mission, she decides to acquiesce. She loads her torpedoes and orders Ulrich to stay out of the line of fire.

Yumi: It looks like it's just you and me Ulrich. She closes her eyes for a brief moment. Be careful William.

She fires while William stays still. His Nav Skid explodes and a flash of blue light absorbs him. The middle scanner hums back to life. Upstairs, Jeremie finds himself faced with Dark Aelita and William. The two break off from each other and encircle him, attempting to cut off any hope of a retreat. Jeremie remains in his command chair, refusing to move but keeping his eyes locked on his enemies nonetheless. The two dark shades watch their victim with predatory instinct etched on their faces. They shift in their specter forms and fix their gaze on Jeremie with bloodthirsty glee.

Dark William: Finally, we meet the general at last.

Dark Aelita's hand sparks with electricity.

Dark Aelita: And he's unarmed, completely defenseless against us. She licks her lips. It almost makes me feel sorry for him.

Dark William takes a threatening step forward.

Dark William: Don't worry, we're not here to kill you. Our master would destroy us if we took that pleasure away from him. But still, we can't have you interfering any longer.

As the two slowly close in on him, Jeremie still refuses to flinch. In fact, he seems to relax in his chair for a moment.

Jeremie: Not kill me? Well that's unfortunate. Because I'm making no such promise to you.

He reaches for his keyboard and activates a special defense program. High frequency soundwaves assault the two shades, causing them to shriek and fluctuate in pain. They both fall to their knees, fazing in and out of existence.

Dark William: Ahh! WHAT IS THAT?!

Jeremie calmly gets out of his chair and reaches into a crack in the floor. He separates one of the cords and holds up an electrical wire that sparks with deadly voltage.

Jeremie: Now remind me again who the defenseless one is...

He jams the makeshift weapon into Dark William's chest. His victim lets out a vicious metallic scream and collapses on the foor, barely functioning after receiving the brunt of that much electricity. Jeremie looks over his fallen enemy, ready to finish the job, but Dark Aelita manages to send a painful electric shock to Jeremie's lower torso. Now the Lyoko general collapses. Meanwhile the improvised high frequency soundwave attack reaches its time limit and shuts off, allowing his two attackers to recover somewhat. Dark Aelita, brimming with murderous fury, stomps her foot on Jeremie's chest. A web of electricity dances between her fingers. Her voice becomes low and demonic.

Dark Aelita: Die you worthless rat!

Jeremie feebly looks up at his assailant, who bears the unimaginably corrupted image of his girlfriend. He glares at her in defiance.

Jeremie: You truly are the worst impersonation of Aelita I've ever seen…

William: I'll say. Jeremie breathes a deep sigh of relief when he sees William emerge from the floor below. He enters the scene just as Dark William struggles to get up following his painful brush with Jeremie. And this one is not exactly a handsome image of me either.

He promptly roundhouse kicks his double in the face, sending him onto the floor again. Dark Aelita lunges for him but William calmly grabs her by her neck, holding her up effortlessly due to his enhanced Xana strength. He then does the same thing to Dark William.

William: Alright. Let's take this fight elsewhere, shall we?

He phases into the floor, taking his two opponents with him. Jeremie, now left alone, slowly manages to get to his feet and make his way back to the command chair. He puts his earpiece in.

Jeremie: Odd, can you hear me? Are you alright?!

In the southern pole of Moriarty's corrupted zone, the beating continues. Despite Odd's best efforts, the enhanced shields around the Skid begin to fail. And since he is dead in the water, his mysterious attacker can maneuver and attack him at will. Odd desperately tries to maintain control while the enemy Nav Skid and the remaining turrets continue to batter him.

Odd: Oh fine…aside from the fact that I can't move this thing and I'm about to be blown to bits.

Jeremie: Hold on. Help is on the way.

Odd loses hold of the controls after absorbing another barrage. The Skid's alarms go off, warning of imminent shield failure.

Odd: They better get here quickly! I won't be able to last much longer!

Right at the moment things look dire, a flurry of torpedoes annihilates the remaining turrets attacking Odd. The stranded warrior looks to his right and left. Much to his relief, he finds Yumi and Ulrich at his side. His death grip on the controls relaxes slightly.

Odd: Ulrich, I always love your sense of timing.

Ulrich: Hey, I'm not the one who let the Skid get sucked into a Network toilet. He looks up ahead, eyeing the enemy Nav Skid, who appears far less aggressive with the arrival of his target's allies. What do we have here?

Odd spends a moment trying to repair some of the damage done to the Skid. It takes him a while for him to give Ulrich his attention.

Odd: Beats me. It's not one of the shades. But it was trying to blow me to pieces, so I really didn't care.

The enemy Nav Skid darts behind some databases to the right of Ulrich, hiding from their sight. Ulrich instinctively warms up the torpedoes.

Ulrich: Jeremie? Suggestions?

Jeremie widens his view on the battle zone in the Network. The unknown attacker keeps a healthy distance with the possible intent of waiting for the right time to ambush them. The general winces, still smarting from the shock to his legs.

Jeremie: I don't know what Moriarty is pulling here, but I need time to reboot the Skid's central operating system so we can get Odd unstuck and reupload the Cannae Initiative. Can I count on you to deal with our unexpected guest?

The two active Nav Skids heat up their rear thrusters and prepare for battle.

Ulrich: We'll take care of him.

Yumi: We should be cautious though. No telling where he's hiding.

As the Nav Skids start to break off, Odd attempts to restore some measure of flight control from his end.

Jeremie: Stop meddling, I've got it.

Odd: Sorry. He takes his hands off the controls. So, I've been out of the loop for a while. Care to bring me up to speed?

Jeremie: Um….do you know anything about EMPs?

Odd: I think I saw something like that in a movie once. Why?

Jeremie: Because Moriarty has one armed and ready at the Eurovision concert. And if it goes off, well…long story short, it will not only crush our chances of victory, but essentially eliminate any warrior in the Network.

Icy dread sinks into a pit in Odd's stomach. He purses his lips together, trying to absorb the news with some element of calm. It takes him several moments for him to speak again.

Odd: Then we should be using our full strength to stop that. Where in the world is William? We need him now more than ever.

Jeremie: I know. But I'm afraid he's busy with the dark warriors.

Odd: On Lyoko?

Jeremie: Uh…not exactly.

Odd's eyes widen.

Odd: You mean he's fighting them on Earth?! Is he defending the factory or something?

A rumbling explosion from two floors down rocks Jeremie in his seat and nearly makes his glasses fall off the bridge of his nose. He tries to not let concern show in his face.

Jeremie: 'Defend' is a loose word.

Ulrich and Yumi patrol the surrounding territory. They lower the volume on their engines in an attempt to avoid giving away their location. Yumi quietly eases her Nav Skid within visible distance of Ulrich. The two share a silent look of caution and then continue their search. The black databases seem to groan slightly while they pursue their elusive target. A minute passes in guarded silence. Yumi encounters a narrow opening in between databases. Almost instantly a purple battering ram shoots out of the gap, barreling right toward her. Yumi has just enough time to make a desperate retreat backwards, but the attacker still manages to graze the front of her Nav Skid. For a brief moment after the collision, Yumi manages to get a glimpse into the cockpit of the attacker. A pang of disbelief temporarily overwhelms her senses while her Nav Skid ricochets from the , as quickly as it appeared, the enemy Nav Skid darts away in the direction of Odd. A few precious seconds pass as she tries to make sense of what she has just witnessed. Ulrich encounters her still motionless in the Network, staring at her retreating assailant.

Ulrich: Yumi, what are you doing?! He's going to get Odd if we don't hurry!

Yumi mechanically follows Ulrich back in the direction of Odd. During their pursuit, Yumi sets aside her shock and contacts Jeremie.

Yumi: Jeremie, we-

Jeremie: I know. I've almost fixed everything. Just keep him at bay for a little while-

Yumi: It's not just that. I saw who was inside. Inside the enemy Nav Skid, a familiar warrior clad in the apparel of a Crusader moves in for one last strike at the Skid. The purple fleur-de-lis is engraved on his armor. It's Emmanuel. Emmanuel is piloting the enemy Nav Skid!

William drags Dark Aelita and Dark William down to the supercomputer room by phasing through the ceiling. They struggle in his grasp, but he knocks their heads together, which dazes them a bit. The three reach the metal floor of the room with the dark shades experiencing a rather unpleasant landing. William prepares to finish off his victims, but his attention is quickly distracted. The supercomputer has been released from its chamber and Dark Yumi and Ulrich are ripping apart the protective outer shell to get to the sensitive hardware. The lone warrior lets go of his opponents and turns his attention to them. His hands glow red.

William: I don't think you're qualified to mess with that equipment.

He fires two minor electrical bursts, keeping his power under control lest he accidentally damage the supercomputer. The two shades fluctuate and groan from the pain. Unfortunately, William's lapse in attention to the other two proves to be a mistake. Dark William, still on the ground, plants a nasty kick into William's backside, sending him face first onto the floor. Dark Aelita retaliates as well by jamming a fistful of electricity into his back. William shakes uncontrollably for a few moments. His spine feels like it has been lit on fire. Unconsciousness threatens to settle in as his vision becomes blurry and unfocused. But his ever present ally will have none of it.

Xana: Weakling! Now is not the time for you to pass out!

Cold artificial hands grab him by the hair and yank him up. The world continues to spin as Dark Yumi and Ulrich approach him, eager for revenge. The hunters begin to gather around their human prey who remains limp and disoriented. His eyes blink in frustration while he tries in vain to recover. Dark William's electrically-charged hand moves toward his face.

William: Xana…you're going to need to take over.

A split second later, William's vision turns red. The eye of Xana comes alive and targets its dangerous opponents without mercy or emotion. His host's numb legs suddenly come alive and sweep Dark Aelita and Ulrich off their feet in one fluid motion. He aims his thumb and index finger in the form of a pistol and fires a small blast into Dark William's face. Once William/Xana is on his feet, he launches himself several meters in the air and lands on top of the supercomputer. He turns around to face them with his hands sparkling with red-tinged electricity.

William/Xana: You all will die tonight.

A moment passes. The dark warriors do not appear fazed.

Dark Aelita: How are you going to kill us?! No matter how many times you destroy us, we always come back…

Dark Yumi and Aelita then try to pounce on them. The combined fighter duo roundhouse kicks the first to the face and sends her sprawling against the wall. Dark Aelita is seized by the neck in midair, much to her shock and horror. The physically and mentally enhanced Lyoko Warrior tightens his grip.

William/Xana: Not after we tear your master into pieces.

His victim goes into an electrical seizure. After a howling scream, Dark Aelita vanishes into dark smoke. He watches her disappear without even blinking an eye. Now completely charged with power, William lowers a murderous glare down at his enemies. His normal voice returns for a moment.

William: Let me make one thing clear to you. I fought Moriarty to a standstill. We completely destroyed an entire island. I have a rogue artificial intelligence living inside my brain that nearly subdued this entire planet. And that's not even the worst part. His hair starts to stand on end with the amount of voltage running through his body. I'm a Kadic student, a French citizen, a Lyoko Warrior whose world is about to be destroyed. My friends, family, and everyone else who wants to live in a free world are counting on me to stop you here and now. So make no mistake. You will die for the last time tonight.

Three humanoids explode in the core chamber of Lyoko. Aelita hovers around the cylindrical staircase, utilizing her flight to gain the advantage over her opponents. Out of her line of sight, a tiger gets on his haunches and leaps toward Aelita. Aelita turns her head just in time to see a tiger within a meter of destroying her. Thankfully an arrow pierces its head and the beast falls to the bottom of the core chamber. The white huntress notches another arrow in her bow. A cobra slithers from behind in an attempt to ambush her. Natalya's eyes dart to the side as her ears pick up the approaching danger. In an instant, the cobra fires at her. Natalya drops to her knees and spins towards the monster. She lands on her backside facing the monster and eliminates it without a second thought. Though the two have lost some lifepoints, the battle seems to be going in their favor. The monsters' numbers are gradually dwindling. None of them are firing at the Core of Lyoko anymore; each one of them attacks Aelita and Natalya in a futile effort to destroy them. Another tiger leaps for Aelita but quickly meets its end via an energy field. A final squad of humanoids overwhelms Natalya by charging her. Before she can reach for an arrow, one of them smacks her off the ledge with its arm. Natalya falls over the edge. The dimwitted humanoids crowd around the ledge to see her fall to her virtual demise. Instead they see Aelita lift her back up, holding her arms. This time Natalya is ready. In rapid succession she obliterates the monsters with a flurry of arrows. After the last humanoid is eliminated, the two girls fly back to the edge and collapse. They spend some time staring up at the chamber ceiling, feeling winded by the intense struggle. Aelita slowly sits up.

Aelita: Jeremie, we did it. The core is safe.

Jeremie: Girls, you were fantastic. Thank you for stepping up.

Aelita: Is…is Odd okay?

Jeremie: I've repaired his shields and he should have complete mobility control over the Skid within a matter of moments. The Cannae Initiative is currently uploading back into the system and hopefully that should take only a few moments. His voice suddenly falters. His bloodflow increases until he can start to feel a pounding in his head. He slowly adjusts his earpiece. And there's something else. The unidentified Nav Skid, the one that's attacking Odd…..Emmanuel is piloting it.

Two seconds of quiet shock pass between the two female warriors. They stare at each other in disbelief. Back in the Network, Emmanuel's purple Nav Skid makes a beeline for the still motionless Skid. Odd's fingers gingerly lay hold of the controls. His enemy closes the distance.

Odd: Not yet…just a little more.

Emmanuel comes within eight seconds of impact.

Odd: A little more.

Five seconds.

Odd: Just a little more.

Three.

Odd: Now!

Odd jerks the Skid to the side at just the right moment. Emmanuel just narrowly misses the wings and then collides into one of the infected databases, sending him spinning to a lower depth. Ulrich and Yumi pull up in their Nav Skids and descend in hot pursuit of their prey.

Ulrich: How…how can he still be alive?

Yumi: Moriarty….He bluffed the entire time about killing him.

Aelita butts in from her location in Sector Five.

Aelita: Either that, or he is a copy of the real one.

The enemy Nav Skid regains control and darts to the right. In a few seconds, he reemerges facing the two warriors and closing in on them fast. Ulrich easily recognizes his smug face that exudes arrogant hostility. Ulrich's mind boils in rage.

Ulrich: Either way, it's an insult to Christophe, and all he's done for us…

The mention of Christophe strikes a new chord of intense misery among the Lyoko Warriors in the Network, Carthage, and on Earth. Odd closes his eyes and tries to shut down the waves of emotional pain assaulting his conscience. Yumi keeps her eyes on target and moves forward to meet Emmanuel, but her currently stoic face shows signs of cracking. Natalya and Aelita hang their heads, distraught that their mental block on the matter has started to crumble. Jeremie's forehead tenses up, although the rest of him tenaciously holds onto his composure.

Jeremie: I can't say either way for sure. But my guess is that Moriarty held onto Emmanuel for just this moment.

Two torpedoes from the enemy Nav Skid head for Ulrich and Yumi, who break away from the line of fire. The explosives ram into the databases, creating a mini light show inside the southern pole of Moriarty's protected zone. The two warriors then start to hunt Emmanuel from behind.

Yumi: Jeremie, should we try to keep him alive?

Jeremie: Absolutely not. Not at this point. The Network is a ticking time bomb and every second counts. For the sake of the mission…and Christophe, you have to eliminate him.

Ulrich and Yumi's sights move closer toward Emmanuel. They begin to lock onto their target. Their emotional sides are temporarily tossed out. Their focus only allows them to see an enemy that must be neutralized.

Ulrich: Understood. He shifts his attention to his partner. Yumi, we're going to have to be aggressive on this one.

Yumi: Fine by me. She glances at the enemy Nav Skid. If we can encircle him, he won't be able to deal with both of us.

Ulrich: Then let's get him.

Emmanuel pilots his Skid in a zigzag motion up away from his pursuers and backwards toward his target. Ulrich and Yumi are forced to swing back around and follow him in the opposite direction. Odd, instead of trying to avoid Emmanuel, voluntarily moves the Skid in front of him. Odd recharges his own weapons and zooms in on the attacker.

Jeremie: Odd, what are you doing?

Odd, armed with newfound information of Moriarty's dire intentions, glows with an almost feverish determination and gets ready to strike while the other two close in from behind.

Odd: Don't worry, we have him now.

In the Lyoko Core chamber, the flap of wings reaches Natalya's hearing. She reaches her right hand into her quiver.

Natalya: I don't suppose that was you, Aelita?

Aelita looks down at the staircase. A flock of vultures ascends in their direction. Two pink orbs appear in her hands.

Aelita: Unfortunately not.

Round two of their battle begins just as the three veterans inside the Network fire simultaneously at Emmanuel. But their enemy sagaciously avoids their torpedoes by reversing and spinning downwards at the same time. Once he recovers his bearings, he directs his Nav Skid slightly below the Skid as they pass each other. At this moment, he releases a cable that hooks around one of the Skid's wings. As soon as the cable is in place, Emmanuel takes a sharp dive. The now towed Skid is dragged down with its hostage taker. The force of the jerk throws Odd against the walls of the cockpit.

Odd: Actually he has me now…

Ulrich and Yumi chase after their snagged comrade.

Yumi: Odd, he's using you as a shield! We can't fire at him with you blocking the way.

Odd, now facing the pair's Nav Skids, tries to maintain his sense of humor.

Odd: Tell me something I don't know.

Jeremie becomes nauseated with frustration and dread when Emmanuel takes the battle to a lower depth. From his vantage point, it seems they are on a collision course with the southern pole of the infected sphere. To add to his displeasure, the screen to the right of the main monitor signals something alarming at the Eurovision concert. The lights in the arena have gone dark and the crowd lifts up another cheer.

Carlsson: Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the performing group representing France, the Subdigitals!

When the lights turn back on center stage, French flags fly in the air. Chris Morales and the rest of the band come up from a hole in the stage and greet the crowd with a loud opening to "Secret Life". Jeremie checks the order of performance by country. His heart quickly sinks into his stomach, which only increases his nausea.

Jeremie: No….In a fit of inexplicably manic energy, Jeremie races on his rearmament of the Cannae Initiative. I have to hurry!

Aelita hops onto the back of a vulture and destroys it while flipping onto the back of another.

Aelita: What's happening?!

Jeremie: The Subdigitals are starting their song! They're only two places away from the Czech band! WE NEED TO END THIS NOW!

In the supercomputer room, Dark Yumi signals for the others to attack. The three fire haphazard electrical blasts at William. He responds by forming an energy shield in front of his chest. Though he is protected, he loses his footing and falls onto the floor below. Dark Ulrich leaps on top of the supercomputer and aims a kick to his enemy's neck. The Lyoko Warrior saves himself by turning his head in the last moment. William quickly counterattacks and grabs the dark shade by his ankle. A second later Dark Ulrich is thrown onto the elevator door. His allies slowly approach from either side of the supercomputer, wary of attacking too soon.

Xana: Slave, we cannot fight here. The supercomputer will surely be destroyed with this much violent energy in the room.

Seeing Xana's point, William eyes the elevator button. He reaches his hand out and releases a short electrical burst that pries open the doors. Before Dark Ulrich can fully recover from his rough hit, the lone warrior charges and tackles him onto the elevator floor. Dark William and Yumi move in on William just as the dark shade beneath him turns the tables and pins him against the wall, holding him up by his neck. All three surround him inside the elevator.

Dark Ulrich: I've had enough of you!

Dark Yumi snarls with unrestrained malice engraved on her face.

Dark Yumi: I don't care about gloating anymore. This one dies!

The dark shades extend their fatally charged hands toward his neck. Meanwhile, William magnetizes his right hand and feet to the wall. He gives his enemies a sly grin.

William: You are complete idiots.

With a dash of his left hand, he electrocutes the electrical panel, which short circuits in response. The light in the elevator shuts off and the entire lift moves on a collision course to the factory floor. The dark shades are thrown to the ground while William starts to edge his way to the hatch in the ceiling using his magnetism to climb up. After considerable effort he forces the hatch open and crawls onto the elevator roof. Sparks fly everywhere in a vain attempt to stop the runaway elevator. He looks around for a way off of his improvised tower of terror. A ladder is available, but he is moving too fast. His hair shoots up in the air and his shouting voice can barely be heard over the elevator's screeching.

William: THIS IS INSANE!

Xana: It was your idea! But if you insist on running to my aid…

Xana reassumes command of William's body. He runs a brief calculation on the ladder's rapidly moving steps and determines the optimum trajectory to land safely on target. William's legs mechanically spring into action and he springs forward. With both hands he grabs hold of the ladder. Despite his success, the momentum makes sure he doesn't get a completely clean getaway. His wrists almost snap from the impact and the left side of his face bashes against the metal, leaving him dizzy and confused. He spends a second struggling to cope with the intense pain while he holds on.

Xana: Stop whining! Your injuries would have been far worse if it weren't for me.

Below him the elevator hits rock bottom with a thunderous crash. He can feel the heat from the blast reach his legs, which almost singes the bottom of his shoes. After a few moments, he glances down at the burning wreckage. Nothing stirs from the elevator's ruins.

William: Are…are they dead?

The sound of metal scraping against metal is heard amidst the burning. Two pairs of charred hands emerge from the crash. Before William can properly react, the half-scorched figures of Dark William and Dark Yumi claw their way to the top of the pile. They are barely standing and it takes them a while for their spectral framework to stabilize. They are also very VERY pissed off.

Xana: Unfortunately not all of them.

Deep in the sewers, Christophe's idle wandering continues. The utterly incapacitated Lyoko Warrior walks with no clear goal in mind. At a couple of points, his hand runs against the concrete walls, but eventually he stops. Ghastly odors enter his nostrils without effect. His clothes and body, covered in slime and other gunk, blend in easily into Paris' toxic underworld. Occasionally the sounds of cars and activity from above pierce the silence. He looks up. The cacophony of indifference calls out to him, neither reveling in his pain nor extending any pity. The Lyoko Warrior keeps walking. As he reaches the end of his path leading to another sewer channel to the left, Christophe silently resolves to get to the corner and give up. To collapse and never move again. He gets to his destination, drops to his knees, and falls on his face. Eyes close. His mind darkens and shuts everything out. Before he completely self-implodes with despair, he shifts his left hand slightly. His fingers run across something wooden. Slightly intrigued, he opens his eyes again. A skateboard lies a few centimeters from his face. Behind that, a collection of scooters and other skateboards rest against the sewer walls. Christophe, absolutely incredulous at what he is seeing, becomes lost in a trance of sudden palpable ease and a newfound hope. The pain in his muscles ebbs from the top of his head down to his feet. Mental and physical energy return and he lifts his head up. Past the skateboards and scooters, Christophe sees the path he had traveled several times before with more clarity than he ever had before, the mission to whom his soul belonged and was prepared to spill out for the sake of what it valued as noble and just in the eyes of mortals and the divine.

The Skid carries on sinking as a prisoner of Emmanuel's movements. Ulrich and Yumi make an effort to catch up to the Skid but Emmanuel is accelerating his Nav Skid at its maximum potential. Emmanuel swerves often, causing the Nav Skids to come within dangerous proximity of crashing into Odd. Ulrich, recognizing that they are getting nowhere, growls in frustration.

Ulrich: This is ridiculous. We can't get to him!

Yumi: Then we'll have to switch strategies. Odd, how are you doing?

Odd gets an unfortunately clear perspective of his rapidly decreasing distance from the protective shield of Moriarty's infected zone.

Odd: Oh fine, aside from the fact that the Skid and the currently fragile program that may be the last hope for humanity are spiraling down to destruction.

Yumi: Can you start the engines?

Odd struggles to restore the Skid's basic functions. The back thrusters start to heat up.

Odd: I….think so.

Yumi: Then accelerate as hard as you can towards us. She turns to Ulrich. Get ready to move out of the way.

Odd: Are you sure this is a good idea?

Yumi: This is my ONLY idea!

Odd: Point taken, let's do this.

Odd puts revs the accelerator as much as possible. The cord wrapped around the Skid's wing tightens to its limits. Emmanuel's momentum slows down considerably. Ulrich and Yumi's Nav Skids jerk both to the left and right respectively.

An enormous projector screen right outside the arena broadcasts the performance in HD. Though the Subdigitals are no particular fans of the Order, the mob of purple and black outside still cheer loudly and aggressively for France. Their volume escalates and they cast threatening looks and gestures at the outnumbered Outcast group in front of them. Their nationalist frenzy instensifies until it becomes clear that their passion has nothing to do with the song. Mathias stays with the Kadic Order clan, leading his people in the absence of its true leaders. Shortly after the song begins, Henri pulls Mathias aside from a moment. Despite his need for secrecy, he is forced to speak somewhat loudly for Mathias to hear over the entire crowd.

Henri: We have a problem.

Mathias: What are you talking about?

Henri moves closer to make sure what he says is kept confidential.

Henri: It's Herb. He's here. We've spotted him weaving in and out of different school branches.

Mathias' expression sours rather quickly. He looks back at his group, and then turns back to Henri.

Mathias: There's no way he will resist the opportunity to find us and try to take charge. We can't have that happen. Get Paul Gilliard and others you can trust with this information and find him now.

Henri: Okay.

Henri disappears into the crowd. Not much later Henri, Thomas, and Paul reappear, holding a struggling Herb in their possession. Herb viciously and vainly thrashes about with venomous hate smoldering on his face. Mathias glares down at his prisoner without pity or patience.

Mathias: What are you doing here?

Herb lowers his head, refusing to look Mathias in the eye.

Herb: Let go of me.

Mathias: What are doing here?

Herb: Let go of me.

Mathias, fully intolerant of being toyed with, grabs the top of Herb's head and moves his face within centimeters of his.

Mathias: Are you deaf?! I said what are you doing here?

Herb: Let go of me and I'll tell you.

Determining that Herb will not bow to threats and that he'd prefer not to waste his fists on him, Mathias motions for his guys to let go of him. Herb wastes no time dusting off his sleeves.

Herb: Thank you. He adjusts his collar back to near perfection. His hands move dexterously around his neck. The almost robotic movement of his fingers slightly unnerves Mathias. Herb's face also gives ample reason for concern. The unusual serenity in his features proves to be very troublesome. Denial and desperation appear to poke through a slowly crumbling façade. You'll be happy to know I'm not here to steal the show.

Mathias: Doesn't matter. Klotz made it very clear that you were not to come here.

Herb tries to conceal a deranged smile, but it takes shape regardless.

Herb: Maybe as a member of The Order. But he can't stop me from coming here on my own accord.

Mathias: Excuse me?

Herb: I am here on personal business.

Mathias: I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care. You are in an Order rally and you don't belong here. He signals the others. Show him the way out.

Henri and Paul return to grab him, but Herb will have none of it. Without warning, he produces a taser from his left pocket. Paul Gilliard hits the ground in a flash, unable to move from the attack. Henri and Thomas watch their comrade fall to the ground in disbelief. Once they get over their initial shock, they back up in horror. Herb gleefully watches over his handiwork. His sense of twisted pleasure transforms into a manic euphoria. He starts to laugh uncontrollably. The feeling of coldness in his laugh disturbs all of those around him. Then, to add violence to insanity, Herb thrusts out a small serrated knife from his right pocket. The sharp blade is directed towards Mathias, who quietly loses a few years off his life in those brief seconds.

Herb: Stay back! He points the knife around for all to see. No one wants to move in to stop him. The armed psycho shouts louder. I'M SERIOUS!

Mathias stays absolutely still. He can say nothing. The image of the knife reflects in the lenses of his glasses, sending inexhaustible waves of terror into his mind. Deep in his thoughts, he comes to the conclusion that those around him have come to: a serious line has been crossed. Herb, sensing that he has won, laughs again.

Herb: You can't stop me. No one can stop me. His grip on the knife trembles with deadly instability. I will get him…He explodes into a berserk anger. I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!

Herb dashes back into the crowd, evading any capture. When he leaves, Mathias recovers his ability of speech.

Mathias: What are you talking-?!...WHO ARE YOU GOING TO-?!

Realizing he has lost his opportunity to grab him, Mathias tries to signal for the other group Order leaders to sound the alarm. But just then the massive crowd begins another loud chant, making it impossible for the message to be sent.

Mathias: Damn it! He turns to the Order members who saw the incident unfold. Find him! Call the police! HERB IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!

Ulrich and Yumi swing around the Skid and fire simultaneously at Emmanuel. Sensing the danger, Emmanuel releases the cord around the Skid and breaks free of Odd. The two torpedoes collide into each other and explode. He does an about face and launches a missile at Ulrich. The Lyoko Warrior spins his Nav Skid out of the way, but the missile turns and follows him. Ulrich swears.

Ulrich: It's got me on the run!

Before Yumi can counterattack, Emmanuel maneuvers behind her and launches another one. She forces her Nav Skid to veer about haphazardly to avoid the weapon.

Yumi: Me too!

The Skid spins around back to the action and then stops. Odd's companions are moving around wildly with the missiles hot on their tail. When Emmanuel refocuses on his main target, Jeremie gives Odd some important instructions.

Jeremie: Odd, do you see the green switch to the right of the controls?

Odd looks around.

Odd: Yeah, I see it. Is that new?

Jeremie: Very much so. Flip it on.

From the bottom of the Skid, a large amount of round metal flak spills out in all directions. It blankets the surrounding area of the Network. The missile that Emmanuel fires at Odd runs into the flak and explodes. The other two missiles pursuing Ulrich and Yumi are promptly destroyed as well.

Ulrich: Jeremie, you are the man!

Jeremie: Don't congratulate me just yet. Emmanuel is still very much a threat.

Moriarty's servant, infuriated by this additional setback, hightails it out of the sea of flak. Ulrich and Yumi pursue him in earnest.

Yumi: We've got him on the run now!

Emmanuel fluctuates his movements just enough to avoid having his enemies lock onto his position.

Ulrich: Hold still!

Yumi: Don't worry, he can't avoid us forever.

Once the chase gets further and further away from the Skid, Odd begins to get nervous.

Odd: Wait, you need to think this through!

Ulrich: No time. We have to do it now!

The Skid reluctantly follows them from behind. They start to pull away from their comrade.

Odd: But he's leading you on! This could very well be a tr-

The enemy Nav Skid's engines shut off abruptly. Unable to stop in time, Ulrich and Yumi blow past him. Emmanuel hits the ignition again and hones in on their six o'clock.

Ulrich: Oh crap! We're dead!

Their enemy's torpedoes warm up. However, before they can go off, the entire Nav Skid instantly erupts into nothingness. Ulrich and Yumi stare at the empty space behind them, initially unable to process what has happened. Back in the Skid, Odd takes his hand off the trigger. He lets out a somber sigh of relief.

Odd: We got him.

Several seconds pass with no words spoken. The Network inside Moriarty's sphere of power becomes eerily quiet. Jeremie eventually breaks the silence.

Jeremie: Well done Odd. You did what you had to do. He then speaks to the others. As for you two, you should know that you must be on guard at all times. Right now you are the only ones who can finish this. And speaking of finishing…The long awaited green exclamation point appears on Jeremie's monitor. The Cannae Initiative is ready for action again. He uploads the program through the Skid, which in turn passes it on to Yumi and Ulrich. One of their torpedo symbols on each of their Nav Skid computers turns green, indicating that they are armed with the Moriarty destroyer. Remember, time is of the essence. Use them well.

All three warriors in the Network now encounter a heavier weight on their shoulders than they had before. Their minds freeze from the still overwhelming reality that now is zero hour. Odd moves closer to the Nav Skids to observe Yumi and Ulrich's reactions. The two show no clear emotion. Odd closes his eyes. There are no words for such a feat that so intertwines boundless hate, absolute necessity, and overbearing dread. He looks up in the direction of the core.

Odd: Let's go. Moriarty is not going to kill himself.

The trio ascends with Odd in the back. Visions of his dream return with painful clarity. He glances at his two friends taking the lead in their Nav Skids. His heart melts from an incalculable sorrow. With no time to break down from fear for himself and his closest friends, Odd shuts down everything in his mind that does not help with the mission.

Aelita and Natalya have survived the second wave of Moriarty monsters, though not easily. Aelita is down to half her lifepoints and Natalya's bow is damaged. The two try to rest while watching over Lyoko's core.

Jeremie: Ladies, you have done your part magnificently. Lyoko is saved. Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich are on their way to destroy Moriarty with the Cannae Initiative as we speak.

The absence of one name quickly unnerves Natalya.

Natalya: Wait, what about William?

Jeremie: Oh…about that. He's still entertaining some uninvited guests somewhere in the factory's underbelly. Last time I checked he was doing pretty well. Natalya does not appear convinced by Jeremie's argument, but he continues on regardless. Anyway, just sit there and watch the core and you will be done with this for good.

The top of the core chamber begins to rumble. At first it is a little shake, but soon the massive staircase itself starts to tremble. The ladies look up at the ceiling. Small sections of Carthage crumble and fall down, sometimes hitting the dual cube shields surrounding the Core of Lyoko. Alarm seizes Natalya's face as more bits and pieces of the ceiling fall off.

Natalya: What is that?!

Aelita: Jeremie, it is far from over on our end. We have company.

Jeremie: I can see that. Mystified, he watches the core chamber on his monitor lose its stability and quake violently. A massive amount of energy forces its way into the ceiling, causing some structural collapse. He leans in closer to make sure his eyes aren't deceiving him. What are you doing now?

Yumi: Jeremie!

Jeremie: What? What's wrong? Are you under attack?!

Yumi: Not yet. The scene shifts to the Network, where the three warriors push upwards to their goal. Though the turrets do not yet fire on them, the core fluctuates wildly. Disturbances move through the void. Red lines on the black databases glow with flowing energy. But Moriarty's entire sphere has gone crazy. There seems to be a lot of energy on the move.

Jeremie: Energy on the move? Jeremie connects the dots and then immediately hates himself for realizing that the worst case scenario is upon them. The firm confidence of victory in his blood chills in an instant. Oh no. He sends an emergency message to Aelita and Natalya. LOOK OUT! The Leviathan is coming!

Two pairs of terrible teeth poke through the core ceiling in Carthage. The beast attempts to squeeze its necks through the openings, but it proves to be challenging. Frustrated and enraged, the Leviathan lets out a terrible high-pitched screech. Aelita and Natalya quickly go to their knees and cover their ears, completely thrown out of whack by the raw power of the enormous monster. Jeremie watches the scene unfold in a terrified trance.

Jeremie: Odd, how close are you guys to Moriarty's core?

The turrets in the Network open up on the attack squad in the Network. Odd moves the Skid in front of Ulrich and Yumi, using its enhanced shields as a battering ram to clear a path for Jeremie's special delivery. The feline warrior keeps a death grip on the controls while his mind races at a million miles an hour.

Odd: If we want to get there in one piece, I'd assume a couple of minutes at least.

Jeremie checks the live feed of the Eurovision performance. The Subdigitals wave to a roaring crowd and start to exit the stage. The entire arena goes dark again to prepare for the next act. The Lyoko general puts his hand over his chest. His heart hammers at his rib cage while he sinks into his chair. The very air in his lungs seems to freeze. For several moments, Jeremie is unable to blink.

Jeremie: Only o-one more p-performance to go. If the Czech band plays, it's all over. His eyes glance over the performance list with a sinking feeling of unmitigated desperation. After Spain performs its act, there will be nothing to-Jeremie stops himself. He repeats the keyword again. Spain. His mind pauses, contemplating something absolutely…absurd. His tense hands loosen up while he continues to think. He checks the list again. No, no I couldn't. That's outrageous. He wouldn't even be able to-He cuts himself off again. But if there's even the slightest chance…I have to take it…

Back in Carthage, the twin Leviathan heads finally start to break through. The scaly necks slowly force their way through the narrow openings in the ceiling. The whole core chamber of Lyoko groans under the beast's enormous weight. The Leviathan lets out its dreadful screech again. It stares down at the shielded core like a predator ready to devour its helpless prey. Aelita activates her wings. A timid Natalya reaches for an arrow.

Aelita: Jeremie, it's ready to attack. We'll do all we can to bring it down, but it's not looking good right now…

Jeremie checks his troops' progress in the Network. They are still a long way away from their target. Then he refocuses on the Eurovision coverage. The next act is bound to come on stage at any moment. The urgency of the situation eliminates all doubt in Jeremie's mind.

Jeremie: At this point, what do I have to loose?

In a box suite some distance away from Moriarty's, César and Isabel watch the concert with fading interest. The delay after the French performance continues with no sign of ending anytime soon. The prince consumes churros with chocolate, a common Spanish dessert, with increasing annoyance.

César: Spain….late for its own performance. How typical.

Isabel: I'm sure it will start soon enough.

Not pleased with this answer, César passes the empty plate in her direction.

César: Go tell Felipe to get me some more.

Isabel: But you've already hate two platefuls…

César: Royalty does not need to be lectured on the amount of consumed churros. I demand another plate!

Isabel sighs with exasperation. Before she can respond, the prince's phone starts to ring. Annoyed by another distraction to the performance, César answers the call with a clear lack of patience.

César: Has alcanzado al número del Príncipe de Asturias. ¿Qué quieres? (You have reached the number of the Crown Prince. What do you want?)

Jeremie: Um…César? It's me, Jeremie?

The voice of his former roommate lifts the bored prince's spirits considerably. He straightens his posture and engages his old friend.

César: Jeremie, it's been a while. I thought you were going to the concert with your pink-haired beauty. What are you doing?

Knowing that César is only interested in idle chit-chat, Jeremie cuts right to the chase.

Jeremie: Listen, I don't have time to catch up. He takes a deep breath. I need your help. Scratch that, I really need your help.

Completely unaware of what he's getting into to, César accepts Jeremie's plea.

César: Sure, anything for you. What do you need?

Jeremie: I need you to keep the Czech Republic group from getting on stage as long as you possibly can.

César blinks several times struggling to process the outrageous request. His expression is so bizarre that it catches Isabel's attention.

Jeremie: César?

César: Tío (Dude [sort of]), ordinarily I would ask you what substance you are on, but that's so crazy you're even making me concerned.

Jeremie: Believe me…I'm not joking at all. This is absolutely serious. Lives…no, the security of the world is at stake. If the Czech group plays, the effects would be catastrophic. Losing all sensitivity to secrecy, Jeremie blurts out the full magnitude of the situation. The world as you know it would come to an end.

The typical joking smile on César's face vanishes. He quickly becomes stern and agitated by Jeremie's words.

César: If you're trying to copy my sense of humor, you are failing miserably. If this is some joke, it's not funny at all. You of all people should know-

Jeremie: I'M NOT JOKING!

The absolute desperation in Jeremie's voice shocks César into silence. He finally decides to listen to what Jeremie has to say.

Jeremie: Think about it for a minute. You've seen the crowds outside. You know the situation out there is tense. What better way to cause chaos then to do something horrible right at this fragile moment? Someone wants this concert to end in fear and violence.

César gets out of his seat and starts to pace around. Isabel tries to get his attention to find out what's wrong, but he ignores her. Jeremie's warnings completely occupy his attention now.

César: Who? The Order?!

Jeremie: More specifically, Dr. Renard. César does not respond. He cannot. Jeremie continues to drive his point home. I don't expect you to understand all of this, and frankly I wouldn't blame you. But you must understand politics. A terrorist attack, right at this fragile moment, is exactly what he needs to seize power in this country.

Flabbergasted, the Spanish prince is forced to sit down again. Confusion and shock collectively floor him once the enormity of Jeremie's explanation hits home.

César: ¡Dios! (God!) Do you even know what you're saying? I know more than anyone that Renard's a jerk, but a terrorist?!

Isabel: What?!

Jeremie: If only he was just a terrorist. I'm afraid the truth is far worse than that.

Exasperated by Jeremie's diversionary tactics of faulty explanation, César lashes out, demanding that he get to the heart of the matter.

César: ¡Basta! (Enough!) You have three seconds to explain to me exactly what is going on!

In Lyoko's Core, Aelita flies up to engage the Leviathan while Natalya pilots the Overwing. Jeremie, seeing precious time run out before his very eyes, loses his patience with half-hearted explanations. With the rest of his options gone, he takes the gamble of the century. Foregoing all pretense of secrecy, he lays all his cards on the table.

Jeremie: The Dr. Renard you know is more than a sham. He is a dangerous virtual entity known as Moriarty that is masquerading as a normal human being that uses the Internet itself and the intricacies of our interconnected world in an effort to take it over. The creation of The Order and all of his other political moves have been a front for world domination. And right now, an impending attack on the Eurovision concert will serve as his endgame to seize power. Once that happens, no one will be able to stop him. Jeremie raises his head with confidence and continues. In the back of his mind, he knows that there is no stopping now. He has already crossed the Rubicon. The die is cast. Aelita Stones, William Dunbar, Odd Della Robbia, Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, Christophe M'Bala, Natalya Dikau, and myself have secretly been fighting him for months in a virtual world called Lyoko, which exists in a supercomputer in an abandoned car factory not too far from campus. With me being the only exception, every one of the students I have mentioned routinely goes into Lyoko via scanners and battles his forces as virtual avatars. Using the resources at our disposal, we have done our best to halt his schemes on Earth and Lyoko, but we are running out of time. Before César can decry him as a madman, as the prince certainly wants to do at the moment, Jeremie pushes forward with his urgent message. I know you must think I'm crazy, but before you hang up, listen to all of the things that I know. Our old history teacher, Gilles Fumet, was rendered insane to make a job opening at Kadic for him to take over. The hostage crisis at school was orchestrated to bring him into the national spotlight. The hostage takers were under his control. He created The Order as a foundation for public support of his ascent to power. The plague that broke out on campus was also his doing. He was trying to wipe out those who opposed him at the school. The only reason he survived the assassination attempt that killed Gustave Chardin is that he isn't human. And that's not all. Mr. Stern's tragic short circuit accident was no accident. It was a result of Moriarty trying to get a hold over his mind and access his finances. The destruction wrought on that island in Saint-Cloud was no freak lightning strike. Moriarty destroyed it in a battle with William. The terrorist attacks that have happened recently did not come from the Islamic Republic of France. That organization doesn't exist. It was masterminded by Moriarty to inspire fear. Jeremie now directs his rant very close to home. Radical Muslims didn't try to kill you. He did. César's mouth opens and does not close. Shock seizes every facet of his being. His rational mind tries to dismiss all of this as insanity, but Jeremie's tone of authority and the sheer impossibility of making up something this complicated blur the lines between reality and fiction. He wanted you out of the way because he knew you could be a problem for him given your privileged status. And you can still be a problem for him. That is why I am asking you, here and now-In one last move, Jeremie makes sure to put the nail in the coffin of doubt-TO STOP THIS CONCERT FROM GOING FORWARD!

César's world is turned on its end in a record time of three seconds.

César: ¡Joder! (#$%&*)

Jeremie doesn't give César any time to recover. He continues to press for him to act.

Jeremie: You have plenty of reason to doubt what I'm saying but trust me when I tell you that we simply don't have time for you to question me. If we get through this, I will explain everything. But you have to do this for us in return. The free world is hanging by a thread and it will collapse if you don't do something NOW!

César vacillates between labeling Jeremie's story as absurd and hanging up or plunging himself into the rabbit hole he has been presented with. He clings onto one last obstacle preventing him from acting.

César: …Even if what you are saying is true, I don't have the authority to do anything! Spain's performance was picked months ago and I can't simply slow down-

The prince is interrupted when a Eurovision aide suddenly barges into the room, much to the obvious chagrin of Felipe and the other bodyguards. With the pressure on him mounting, César turns his frustration onto the aide.

César: Por el amor de…¿Qué demonios quieres?! (For the love of…What the hell do you want?)

Eurovision Aide: Lo siento vuestra majestad, pero esto es una emergencia. Parece que el artista español, José Galdós, se ha hecho enfermo de un plato malo de escargot. Está vomitando sin parar en los camerinos. No puede cantar esta noche. (I'm sorry Your Majesty, but this is an emergency. It appears that the Spanish artist, José Galdos, has gotten sick from a plate of bad escargot. He's vomiting without stopping backstage. He cannot sing tonight.) César drops his harsh attitude and listens with rapt attention. The messenger goes on./Como el representante español más importante aquí, según las reglas usted tiene que elegir un sustituto. (As the most important Spanish representative here, according to the rules you need to choose a substitute.)

The crown prince stands perfectly still with his phone still attached to his ear. His prolonged silence forces an increasingly frantic Jeremie to bring him back to reality.

Jeremie: César, what's going on?!

Before he can answer, Isabel voices her disbelief at the whole situation.

Isabel: You're asking him to pick another musician NOW?! You've got to be joking…Spain's act is supposed to perform right this second! How in the world is he supposed to-?

César: No. There will be a substitute.

Isabel and everyone else in the room stare at him, shocked that he has come up with a new candidate so quickly.

Isabel: Excuse me?

César: Felipe, tráigame mi violín. (Felipe, bring me my violin.)

Felipe: Sí mi Señor. (Yes my Lord.)

Isabel: César, what are you-?

César ignores her and turns his attention back to the Eurovision aide.

César: Tell your bosses that Spain's performance is ready. And please send my apologies in advance to Pat Benatar.

The aide, not fully understanding César, awkwarldly starts to back out of the room.

Eurovision Aide: Um…yes sir.

The messenger leaves and César speaks to Jeremie with the reckless confidence that he had been lacking for some time.

César: Alright Jeremie, I'll play your game. But whatever you must do, do it quickly. I can only give so many encores.

The prince hangs up without letting his friend reply and immediately checks his appearance in the mirror while Isabel walks up to him from behind to try and get his attention.

Isabel: Oh no….You can't be serious! You can just waltz on stage with millions of people watching when you aren't even prepared!

Felipe hands over the violin case to César, who casually grabs hold of it.

César: Just watch me…

Isabel: But what about this whole thing of Dr. Renard being a terror-?

César covers her mouth without a second thought. His expression remains calm, but there is a noticeable tinge of rising urgency in his voice. His irises reflect a newfound purpose that has little to do with his usual carefree self.

César: Shh…..What you heard does not leave this room. In fact, you are not leaving this room. He hands her his phone. Answer it in case Jeremie calls. I'll be back soon.

He exits the room, leaving her speechless. Felipe escorts him down the hallway towards backstage.

Felipe: Mi Señor, si sus padres supieran lo que iba a hacer usted, traerían de vuelta la pena de muerte y me colgarían en La Plaza Mayor. (My Lord, if your parents knew what you were going to do, they would bring back the death penalty and hang me in the Plaza Mayor.)

César cracks a faint smile.

César: Sí, pero es demasiado tarde para detenerme ahora. (Yes, but it's too late to stop me now) /His smile quickly fades and is replaced by a look of developing anger and determination./ Por la primera vez en mucho tiempo, un príncipe español va a la guerra. (For the first time in a long time, a Spanish prince is going to war).

In a different box suite, a glass filled with ice and vodka is thrown against the wall. The darkness in the arena infuriates Moriarty to no end. With ultimate victory so close to his grasp, the unexpected delay in his plans completely breaks down any semblance of the calm and collected mastermind. Furniture is tossed over in a fit of rage. He paces his room in front of the box window, impatiently waiting for all of his pieces to fall into place. Becoming uncomfortable in his suit, he tosses his jacket aside. He loosens his tie and then rips it off his neck.

Moriarty: I swear, when all of this is said and done I will burn that godforsaken Iberian country off the face of the Earth!

The megalomaniac contemplates forcing his Czech band on stage, but thinks the better of it. Still, his capacity to wait for his own grand finale is growing short. He has tasted too much of the banquet to be denied the main course. His mind wanders to the EMP underneath the stage.

Moriarty: I could just…..no I can't. It has to be done right. His voice assumes a lofty air as he dreams of his approaching grandeur. The whole world has to see its peaceful complacency come crashing down. He glares down at the dark stage. Besides, they won't even turn the lights on yet.

As if on cue, the stage begins to glow red and yellow. The host's voice can be heard throughout the arena.

Carlsson: Ladies and gentlemen our apologies for the delay…

Moriarty: It's about time…

Carlsson: Tonight we have a very special treat for you. The performing artist representing Spain is none other than its very own crown prince, César Alfonso Victor de Bordón.

Spanish citizens in the crowd suddenly break out into an uproar of elation. At the same time, Moriarty's fabricated insides turn inside out at the news. He presses his nose against the glass as the lights begin to illuminate the dimly lit stage. Stepping out of the darkness, César carries his violin and bow to the front. Behind him, a few extras serving as his guitarist, drummer, and pianist emerge from behind. After a short pause, César puts his violin up to his chin and closes his eyes. The crowd goes wild again. Meanwhile Moriarty is beside himself, refusing to believe that this is happening. His fingernails poke the glass, threatening to claw it to pieces. The prince looks over his shoulder and gives the go ahead to his hastily assembled crew from backstage. He mutters a few words under his breath.

César: Dr. Renard, if what Jeremie has said is true, then you're going to regret failing to kill me.

A thundering intro rattles from the stage as the guitar and drums ignite into an 80s rock anthem. The rhythm permeates the large arena with perfect clarity. Once the instruments in the back go into full swing, César follows with his own piece on the violin, matching the intensity of the others. After an initial cheer from the crowd, he launches into a male cover of Pat Benatar's "Invincible".

César: This bloody road remains a mystery

This sudden darkness fills the air

What are we waiting for?

Won't anybody help us?

What are we waiting for?

In the factory's depths William battles Dark William and Yumi near the steel girders that support the entire complex. The very atmosphere becomes electric as lightning blasts are exchanged among the three warriors. Dark William attempts to get in close and tries to strike his counterpart with a roundhouse kick. But William proves to be too nimble and dodges it with ease. He then counterattacks and pushes the dark shade into the underground canal with a splash. Dark Yumi grabs her enemy's shoulders from behind and sends an electric firestorm through his body. William screams in pain as the voltage attempts to fry his insides. But his constant companion forces him to handle the pain.

Xana: You have two choices, slave. Die here, or turn the tables. Which one will it be?!

William grits his teeth to the point that his gums almost start to bleed. His eyes light on fire with godlike energy and tenacity.

William: I have come too far to die now!

He finds the strength within to reverse the current, sending the electricity back into Dark Yumi, which makes her suffer the same pain as him. The female shade is then thrown up against a large concrete block underneath the girders. Before William can finish her off, his evil twin leaps out of the canal and aims the bottom of his right shoe at William's face. But the super-charged Lyoko Warrior once again avoids the kick and grabs his opponent by the heel. Dark William is sent sprawling into the concrete with Dark Yumi. William moves towards his prey as his hands light up with raw energy. Increasing waves of weakness start to slow him down.

Xana: We need to finish them soon. This fight is pushing our limits.

William: I understand. This won't take long.

The Leviathan strikes Lyoko's Core with a purple deluge of power emanating from its mouths. The first Lyoko shield immediately breaks.

Natalya: If that happens again, Lyoko will be defenseless!

Aelita: Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't get the chance.

Aelita and Natalya fly around the heads like angry hornets, striking the monster with energy shields and arrows at every opportunity. The enraged monster now pursues the two insects with the goal of crushing them with one bite. Back at the arena, César jumps straight into the chorus.

César: We can't afford to be innocent

Stand up and face the enemy

It's a do or die situation

We will be invincible

The turrets fire at the Skid in a perfect symphony of laser fire. Red alerts light up the Skid's cockpit.

Odd: I can't keep this up forever. He looks up ahead. Moriarty's core has just now entered his line of sight. And our target is still a long way!

Jeremie keeps a bird's eye view of everything happening at once, including the concert. Though shocked at César's rash decision, he concludes that it was the best course of action. Every slight change in the situation fails to escape his attention. He can see the Skid's shields starting to crumble.

Jeremie: If the Skid is going to survive, you're going to have to pull back. I'll try to restore the shields. Let Yumi and Ulrich make a run for it.

Odd: Are you sure that's a good idea?!

Ulrich: It's okay. We can handle it.

The black databases start to swell and throb. Jeremie's monitor warns of a dangerous buildup of energy. His heart almost stops.

Jeremie: No you can't! Moriarty is going to blow up the databases around you!

The warriors only get a few seconds of warning. The databases become red and expand to their breaking point.

Yumi: Oh sh-

Odd: QUICK! Pull up right next to me! I have an idea.

Ulrich and Yumi obey without question. Odd increases the diameter of his weakened shields to protect both Nav Skids. He accomplishes just before the Network area erupts with several concussive blasts. The three hold on for their virtual lives.

César: This shattered dream you cannot justify

We're gonna scream until we're satisfied

What are we running for? We have the right to be angry

What are we running for?

When there's nowhere we can run to anymore?

William is forced to his knees. The two dark warriors hold him by his arms and bend them behind his shoulders, sending a spasm of unimaginable pain up his spine. Dark Yumi repeatedly kicks him in the back to coerce him to submit.

Dark Yumi: SURRENDER! No human can take this abuse forever!

The Lyoko Warrior compromises their death grip by shooting electricity through his arms. He searches deep within him to find the strength to fight on.

William: I am no ordinary human!

A red forcefield forms around his body that tosses the attackers aside. William shouts with a metallic roar that rejuvenates his body, mind, and spirit. A fist slams into the side of his face. Dark William picks him up by his shirt collar.

Dark William: Do you think that show will intimidate us?! He tears a giant hole in the middle of his shirt and reaches his right hand toward William's chest. I'm going to send this blast straight into your heart!

Dark William's right hand charges up. Right before he is ready to release the payload, William surprises him and bends the hand backwards, shattering the specter's wrist.

William: Please….after you.

Unable to stop the flow of energy, Dark William destroys himself. Now free from his grasp, William throws his jacket and ruined shirt to the side, prepared to face the last dark warrior. Dark Yumi remains incorrigibly spiteful and unmoved.

Dark Yumi: Very well. The way I see it, I should be happy that I will get all the credit for destroying you.

William: The way I see it, you should be happy that you get to be the last to fall…

Moriarty fumes as César devotes his entire soul to the music. The crowd responds positively and the flagwaving kicks into high gear throughout the audience.

César: We can't afford to be innocent

Stand up and face the enemy

It's a do or die situation

We will be invincible

The flurry of attacks by Aelita and Natalya do little more than augment the Leviathan's anger. Aelita flies around for another attack and hits one of the Moriarty eyes head on. She turns to Natalya.

Aelita: NOW! Shoot at the other eye!

Natalya: Aelita look out!

The other head swallows Aelita whole before she even knows what's happening. Now left alone, Natalya stares at the monster from her motionless Overwing. Both heads now focus solely on her. She can feel her knees tremble in front of its presence, and the entire core chamber periodically shakes from the enormous weight of the beast. Nevertheless, she moves in between the Leviathan and the Core, blocking its advance. Her hands shake as she notches an arrow and faces the greatest Moriarty monster head on.

Natalya: I don't care how big you are….or how inexperienced I am. An unprecendented amount of strength returns to her voice. The heads move ominously close to her. I'm not the same helpless girl you kidnapped Moriarty. I'm a Lyoko Warrior, and I will not allow you to kill my friends!

César: And with the power of conviction

There is no sacrifice

The smouldering Skid slowly sinks down into the infected Network zone. Alarms sound frequently inside the cockpit. Odd attempts to restart the Skid to no avail. He looks up as Yumi and Ulrich press on their attack run. The structural integrity of their Network sub begins to give.

Odd: It's all up to you now. Just don't do anything drastic…

While the turrets take their aim at Odd to finish him off, something catches the feline warrior's eye. One final Nav Skid is still attached to the doomed Skid. Before Odd has time to think, a laser barrage jolts him from his seat. His computer warns of imminent structural collapse. In his last virtual moments, Odd reaches for the docking release switch.

Jeremie: Odd, what are you doing?

Odd: You never know. We might need it.

The fourth Nav Skid undocks from its parent vehicle just before it explodes. A blue light envelops Odd while the smaller and empty vessel drifts further and further away from the line of fire.

The noise in the arena is so loud now that Moriarty can't even hear himself rage inside. César walks within touching distance of the front row without showing any signs of letting up on his performance. He lets the music do the work while his mind detaches itself from the fearful and dangerous reality of defying Moriarty in the most brazen way possible.

César: It's a do or die situation

We will be invincible

The Leviathan bears its two pairs of teeth.

Natalya: I'm not afraid of you…

The beast lets out its vicious high-pitched screech. The very chamber walls start to crumble, indicating that the Leviathan's enormous weight is taking its toll. Natalya nearly loses her grip on the bow.

Natalya: Okay, so I'm a little afraid of you…But I can't let that stop me!

The back of the monster's throats start to glow. Natalya moves slightly to the side and hits the right neck with an arrow. As planned, the angry Leviathan loses focus on the Core of Lyoko to vent its wrath on her. Two purple jet streams thunder out of the jaws of the enemy. Natalya barely maneuvers the Overwing away in time. The blast shakes the entire chamber again, nearly causing her to fall off of her vehicle.

Jeremie: The southern pole won't be able to take much more of this!

The Leviathan's jaws now move to swallow the core whole. Only a thin cub shield stands in between the beast and unimaginable defeat. In an instant, Natalya channels her panic into an unyielding drive to do what she must.

Natalya: NO! –She accelerates the Overwing and sideswipes the vehicle into the left head, knocking the monster back.-You will not win…YOU WILL NOT WIN!

César's mood on stage becomes decidedly more somber and quietly angry as the song reaches a temporary lull. He glances up in the direction of Moriarty's box, which only infuriates his true archenemy even more.

César: Won't anybody help us?

What are we running for?

Blood drips down William's forehead, running across his face as if it were sweat. Dark Yumi dukes it out with her weary opponent. An electrical blast narrowly misses William's ear. He utilizes the momentum from his dodging motion to punch the dark shade in the stomach and send her reeling across the other side of the canal. William charges his hands up and tries to finish the job, but the sparks in his fingers suddenly die. Weakness overcomes him and he goes to his knees.

William: Xana, what's happening?!

Xana: We've reached our limits. I can't afford to use any more electricity.

Dark Yumi, still standing after the attack, flips backwards and uses the concrete block underneath the steel girders to launch herself back onto William's side of the canal. The Lyoko Warrior braces himself and holds his arms out in a defensive position. Nevertheless her direct charge knocks him several meters back past the steel girders and close to the wall. The bruised warrior can't even stand at this point. As he tries to sit up, the female shade reaches her electrified hands towards his neck. William grabs hold her wrists to hold her off, but his strength is slowly failing him. His futile resistance whets her murderous appetite. Her behavior becomes manic with malevolence and a twisted enthusiasm.

Dark Yumi: Yes. YES! THE GLORY WILL BE ALL MINE! She laughs to the point that her very jaw becomes unhinged and demonic looking. The metallic shrill in her joyous cackle sends a chill of disgust up William's spine. YOUR DEATH WILL BE MY CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!

The face of the now weakened warrior exhibits signs of losing the will to fight on. His muscles ache to no end. His bruises and sores cry out for an end to the seemingly endless madness. The blood flows out of him with greater intensity. But even in the worst of moments, William still has his trump card.

Xana: Slave! Look behind you!

William obeys. Over his shoulder about two meters away stands a large metal box with the sign: DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE. A modicum of strength returns to William's limbs.

César: When there's nowhere

Nowhere we can run to anymore?

William summons the last bit of his strength to throw Dark Yumi off of him. He kicks her in the groin with enough force to send her colliding into the metal box. Her charged body triggers the voltage inside and fries her. The dark shade screams so loudly that William's ears are almost permanently damaged. She continues screaming as her body slips away into dark smoke. Her face becomes contorted from the overwhelming electrical charge.

Dark Yumi: Ahh it burns! IT BURNS!

At long last, Dark Yumi fades into absolute nothingness. A split second afterward, William succumbs to exhaustion and lies on the floor.

William: That was my intention.

In Lyoko Natalya avoids the Leviathan's blasts yet again by guiding the Overwing to move between them. Several more arrows into the beast's body keep its attention solely on her. Losing patience, the Leviathan forces its arm through the side of the cylindrical chamber. Caught off guard, Natalya loses the Overwing and lands on the circular staircase. The two heads soon corner her, leaving her nowhere to escape. The paw reaches forward, exposing more cracks in the chamber in an effort to crush her. Natalya rolls away and stands up to see the monster charging up its throats yet again. Quickly realizing that she has no time to move out of the way, Natalya adjusts her strategy. She takes out an arrow and notches it.

Jeremie: Natalya what are you doing?! GET OUT OF THE WAY!

Natalya, remaining as composed as a statue, shows no signs of obeying. Her virtual body glows a radiating shade of white. The Leviathan prepares to unleash its devastating strike while she refuses to budge.

Natalya: No. It should've gotten out of my way…

The monster fires. The tidal wave hits her straight on. Natalya digs her heels into the ground, struggling to absorb all of that energy. With her invincibility fully activated, she becomes brighter than the sun and then redirects the blast at the right head. At the same time, she turns her notched arrow at the left one and lets it go. The arrow strikes it in the eye. Both eyes are struck simultaneously, causing the monster to screech, this time in pain. Then, after a few seconds, cracks appear in the monster's armor. The cracks spread up the long necks into the ceiling where the rest of the body is hidden. Gradually the entire body ruptures and the beast falls apart. Its two heads fall to the bottom of the chamber and wither away. The monster's destruction shakes the entire chamber once again. Some of the stairs fall, but both the Core of Lyoko and Natalya remain standing. The conquering beauty stands guard with an audacious and sly grin on her face, almost goading Moriarty to try to test her again. For a moment, Jeremie is left speechless.

Jeremie: Natalya….He has no idea what to say, so the first thing that pops in his head comes out of his mouth…If I were William, I would marry you on the spot.

Several squad cars of the Parisian police push through an opening in the crowd to towards the front entrance of the arena. The unexpected arrival of the authorities temporarily quiets the opposing sides on either side of the metal fences. The imposing figure of Chief Benoit steps out of the lead car. Though his facial expression gives off no visible emotion, a certain anxiety in his eyes betrays the truth of his growing unease. He points to several officers keeping the two crowds apart.

Benoit: You over there, come with me! We'll need your backup.

The officers hesitate, given that there are supposed to keep the peace in this tense moment, but the order of the chief remains firm.

Benoit: Now!

The officers follow Benoit and his officers into the building. Cameramen and journalists on the scene try to investigate what is happening, but they are quickly rebuffed. Jacqueline watches them with concern.

Jacqueline: What's going on? Why would they need that many officers?

Patrick: Beats me. But they're must be at least twenty of them going in there.

Mathias forces his way to the front of The Order crowd just as the final officers disappear from earshot.

Mathias: Wait! STOP, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO ME!

He turns to the remaining officers on the scene, but they are too focused on keeping the crowd in check with their sparse numbers that they do not hear him. Before Mathias can scream his lungs out, someone grabs him on the shoulder.

Henri: Mathias, look over there!

Mathias looks to his right. While the police are distracted, the scrawny figure of Herb Pichon leaps over the metal fence and then jumps over the next one into the Outcast crowd. His rash and inexplicable action so stuns the Outcasts that they put up very little resistance to his unwarranted invasion. After a two second delay, some of the Outcasts scream when Herb pulls out his knife. The surprised police at first have no idea what has just transpired. Mathias finally manages to get their attention.

Mathias: Someone jumped in the Outcast crowd and he has a knife! He's going to kill someone!

Police Officer: WHAT?! What does he look like?!

Mathias, having waited so long to warn the police, falters a moment before answering.

Mathias: He…he's wearing glasses and has a bad haircut…and he's wearing black and purple!

Police Officer: But you're all wearing black and-

A second piercing scream cuts through the air. The officers pull out their weapons and force their way into the Outcast crowd. Mathias reads the reactions of those on the other side of the fence. They are frozen, unspirited, absolutely blown away by a sight that has no room for words. Moriarty's protégé chokes on his own horror and sinks to his knees.

Mathias: No…

The vanguard of the Lyoko Warriors, Yumi and Ulrich, begins to close the distance on Moriarty's Core. Their pathway between the black and swollen databases becomes narrower and narrower over time. It gets to the point that they can barely navigate through the Network side by side. Meanwhile the turret fire becomes more intense as they draw closer to Moriarty's vital weak spot. The two are close enough that they begin to merge their shields together for added protection. But the shields aren't strong enough for the strategy to last forever.

Yumi: Jeremie, we need stronger shields!

Jeremie's iron gaze stays only a few centimeters away from the monitor. His ground troops are getting closer to the target by the second and his head pounds with every heartbeat that seems to reverberate into his cranium. He diverts power away from the supercomputer for their personal use.

Jeremie: I can try but the supercomputer is not a gas pump. There's only so much extra power I can give you. Several alarms pop up on the monitor, warning of possible internal damage to the supercomputer. Jeremie feels his breath escape from his lungs in subtle gasps. In fact, it's almost at the point of overheating!

Up ahead, the path they are following becomes too narrow for both of them to continue together. Thinking quickly, Yumi eyes another detour that would lead her straight to Moriarty's heart.

Yumi: Ulrich, I'm switching lanes!

Ulrich: Got it.

She hesitates for a split second.

Yumi: Ulrich, before I-

Ulrich explodes with bottomless frustration before she can finish her sentence.

Ulrich: Is this really the time for conversation?!

Yumi: YES! I need to say something!

Ulrich: WHAT?!

Yumi pulls her Nav Skid back in anticipation of her turn. A slight tremor of emotion leaks into her voice in the midst of this final showdown.

Yumi: If you collide into the core….I'll never forgive you.

Ulrich doesn't skip a beat in his response. He even cracks a half smile.

Ulrich: I wasn't planning on it. And the same goes for you…

Without wasting any more time on words or feelings, Yumi separates and the duo continue their attack run on their own.

César carries his momentum into the last few lines of the song, never losing the audience for a moment. Isabel watches the performance from the box, holding her hand over her mouth as she tries to sort the reason for the prince's sudden outrageous behavior. The lights on stage fluctuate wildly and envelop César and the band behind him in successive waves of bright red and yellow.

César: We can't afford to be innocent

Stand up and face the enemy

The collection of police officers files down the luxury hallway of the arena according to standard protocol. As they near their destination, Benoit stops and reaches for his pistol.

Benoit: Have your sidearms at the ready…

Police Officer: But sir he's unarm-

Benoit: Just do it! Now is not the time for questions.

César: It's a do or die situation

We will be invincible.

Yumi comes within one hundred and fifty meters of the large open area surrounding Moriarty's Core. Her sights lock on to the glassy sphere that embodies all of his malevolent power. Jeremie's forcibly tranquil and robotic voice filters through her Nav Skid.

Jeremie: Yumi, you're the closest one. Three second pause. Take the shot.

Her targeting computer registers a definite lock. She calmly makes the final adjustments.

Yumi: Moriarty…She activates her one Cannae missile. Her gun port lights up bright green as it prepares to fire the weapon…You don't deserve any last words.

Just before the torpedo is launched, Ulrich interrupts her with an urgent message.

Ulrich: Yumi, Moriarty's making the databases swell again!

Her eyes dart to her right and left. Sure enough, the databases have become dark red and have swollen to their maximum capacity.

Yumi: We need to move!

Ulrich: No time! I'm taking my shot right he-!

Ulrich is cut off in a subsequent explosion that quickly spreads in Yumi's direction. With only seconds away from reaching the end of the tunnel, she pushes the Nav Skid forward as hard as she can. The chain reaction explosion follows her, but she manages to flee into the large area surrounding Moriarty's Core in time. She places her hands on the trigger, thinking of nothing else but what must be done.

Yumi: I…I made it!

But just as she takes the shot, the explosion of the databases behind her knocks her Nav Skid off balance. Her one Cannae Initiative missile misfires and barrels toward one of the four pyramid structures surrounding the core. It hits the wrong target, causing the pyramid to quickly dissolve into nothingness. The core trembles, sending pulse waves that further rock her Nav Skid, but the core remains intact. Yumi doesn't move. The shock of her second failure devastates her beyond the capacity of any human physical reaction.

Yumi: I…missed. I've doomed everyth-

Her last sentence is cut off when one of the turrets blows her up from behind. Moriarty's Core is left without a challenger to destroy it. Back in the lab, Jeremie pulls out his earpiece. With no one left in the fight for the Network, Jeremie slips out of his chair and falls to the ground. His entire face breaks out into cold sweat. Aelita and Odd try to pull him up from the floor, but he will have none of it.

Jeremie: We…are finished.

The utter despair in Jeremie's voice drains the heat from their bodies. The complete loss of hope from their own general zaps them off the much needed confidence that has kept them going this entire time. Nevertheless, Odd feels the need to intervene.

Odd: That's not true. We still have that one drifting Nav Skid, remember?

Aelita: Yes! All you have to do is use the Trans-Network Cyber Bridge and use it to send one of us-

Jeremie explodes in a wrathful act of desperation and throws his glasses halfway across the room.

Jeremie: THAT'S A ONE IN A HUNDRED SHOT AT THIS POINT! Besides, even if I could, who would go?! He stares at the two obviously haggard warriors around him. You both are exhausted, and so am I. Ulrich and Yumi will take too much time to recover from their abrupt devirtualization. William's beaten senseless. Natalya is still in Carthage and she has virtually no experience in the Network. He grabs hold of Odd's shoulders and shakes him violently. Tears come to Jeremie's eyes. WHO DO WE HAVE LEFT?!

Almost immediately, the three warriors hear a noise from above. They look up. Standing on one of the computer interface's support beams is a dark figure covered with grime and dirty water. He gazes down at those below him with an aura of righteous vengeance emanating from his physically and emotionally scarred face. All three warriors stare at the intruder with incredulity written on their shocked expressions. Their mouths drop. In spite of all logic, they recognize this creature of nobility, filth, and rage.

Christophe: What…the…hell happened to the elevator?!

In Moriarty's private box, the self-imposed star of honor falls to the floor, clutching his side in pain. For a moment his flesh almost caves in on itself, drawing tight around his bones. But eventually he is able to recover his mostly regular features.

Moriarty: That Japanese witch! …That nearly killed me. Though he is still in pain, he manages a smile. But it's all over now. He looks up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of his own delusional glory engulf him. I won. After some initial difficulty, Moriarty stands up. César is still singing, this time repeating the last bits of the chorus several times in order to delay him. Moriarty aims his electrified hand in the direction of the nuisance that has outlived its welcome. Which means you won't delay me any longer.

Felipe: I do not think so. Moriarty wheels around to see Felipe enter with his gun drawn. I made an oath to the prince that I would protect him from anything, and that includes you…no matter what you are.

Moriarty's annoyance reaches its unacceptable limit. In a flash, Felipe's firearm is magnetized to the ceiling. He throws Felipe against the wall and begins electrocuting him.

Moriarty: I do not have time for you! Anyone who gets in my way now will die!

Chief Benoit and several other officers enter the box as the scene unfolds.

Benoit: Dr. Renard, you are wanted for questioning involving the death of Dr.-His eyes cannot process the supernatural phenomenon happening in front of him. Some of the inexperienced officers drop their weapons at the sight.-My God…

Moriarty, realizing he's been caught, comes very close to losing it entirely and sending half the arena into a blazing inferno. Instead of resorting to that, he drops Felipe to the ground and sighs. A wave of his hand makes the door to the box suite close on the officers.

Benoit: Hey, let us in! You're under arrest!

Moriarty: As if anyone would believe you Chief. He calmly adjusts his cufflinks. And make no mistake. I'll be back to claim what is mine very soon.

Moriarty holds his arms out at shoulder level and starts to dissolve into black smoke. Flesh, bones, and muscle evaporate into a red and black vapor that travels into one of the electrical sockets. Aside from his jacket, every other trace of him is gone. Benoit and his men break down the door.

Benoit: FREEZE!

No one is there except an unconscious Felipe. The officers cautiously enter the box suite.

Police Officer: Sir, he's not in the restroom.

Benoit: Keep looking. Tell the other units to find a doctor for this man and block the exits. Dr. Renard is not leaving this arena without his hands behind his back.

The trembling officer tries to speak up.

Police Officer: But sir, that…thing he was doing…

Benoit shuts down the query with a cool and stern stare of unyielding authority.

Benoit: Listen to me. All of you…Every officer in the room gives him his attention. What you saw in this room is to be kept permanently quiet.

The thousands of Outcasts and Order affiliates outside the arena have fallen silent. The police move into the Outcast crowd to the source of the disturbance. Mathias follows them close behind. They break up the masses gathered around the scene. Despite the authorities' best efforts, it is impossible to prevent anyone from seeing the full horror of what has transpired. The first thing Mathias sees is Delmas, who has been shoved to the ground with his daughter by his side. But to his confusion and relief, he is not apparently injured. Rather, Delmas seems far more concerned with the plight of another. He turns his head in the direction Delmas was staring and chokes. Herb's knife has found a target. But the butt end of the blade protrudes out of Jim's chest, only slightly below his heart. Jim remains standing, blocking Herb's deadly path to Delmas, but the painful contortions in his face reveal the true severity of the wound. Herb's hands still clutch the weapon, refusing to let go. Though his initial intensity has died down, the same crazy bloodlust does not disappear. Rather, he appears more disappointed and agitated that he hit the wrong man instead of feeling any compunction for his violent deed. For a while, no one moves as the blood continues to leak below the blade. Finally, one of the policemen grabs Herb from behind and pulls him away from Jim. Immediately afterwards, Jim loses his footing and falls to the concrete with the knife still sticking out. The police drag the still hysterical and clearly mentally incapicated Herb Pinchon away from the scene.

Herb: That…that's what you all get! This is what you deserve!

Police Officer: WE NEED A PARAMEDIC OVER HERE NOW!

Jim struggles to breathe as officers and then paramedics crowd around him. They start to push the bystanders aside. Jacqueline puts her face in Patrick's shoulder while he looks away. Every Kadic student present watches the horror with the increasingly desperate hope that their fears will prove to be ridiculous. But judging by the furious action of the paramedics, such a hope seems to be in vain.

Sissi: Daddy….why?

Delmas: Jim….I-The school principal who has aged so much over the past few months removes his glasses and lets them fall to the asphalt. He covers his eyes. You could have stayed out of the way…

Even while the paramedics try to save him, the noble gym teacher coughs on his own blood to reply.

Jim: But then-More coughing-I wouldn't be doing my job sir.

Paramedic: We're losing him!

Delmas starts to sob openly. Jim's breathing become more and more strained. As the seconds tick away, Jim's prospects look increasingly bleaker. The paramedics remove his outer clothing around the wound and try to stop the bleeding, but it has little effect. They give him oxygen but it does not work much either. Mathias falls to his knees and covers his face in shame. He briefly opens his eyes in Jim's direction. To his great surprise, Jim feebly smiles and gives him a thumbs up. Tears leak out of Mathias' eyes. He glances down at his black shirt with the purple insignia. A tidal wave of revulsion strikes him. In an instant he strips down to his white undershirt and throws The Order uniform as far as he can away from him. His body trembles.

Mathias: We went too far. Pause. We went way too far…and I helped it happen. His voice becomes high-pitched and frail. I'm so sorry!

Jim: Y-Yes. Mathias looks in his direction. Jim's gaze is distant and unreadable. The paramedics have all but given up on any sort of chance of saving him.-You…did go…too far. He coughs blood and the paramedics have to remove the mask to prevent him from choking. But…never too late…to change.

Mathias: What are you talking about? Look at what we've done!

Jim: Just a…gym teacher. World will…move on.

Delmas: Jim!

Sissi: Don't talk like that!

Mathias stands up over Jim, his eyes still flooded with tears.

Mathias: You mean more to us than than you'll ever know!

Jim manages a goofy smile while the faces of the paramedics become more despondent.

Jim: Then…prove it. He stares Mathias right in the eye. Rebuild…what Renard destroyed.

A sad calm lightly rests on Mathias. He then straightens up and gives him a military salute, abandoning The Order sign of respect.

Mathias: Of course. I promise.

Jim shuts his eyes. He glances up. Life ebbs away from him while he stares at the moon. In his dying vision, it shines brighter than the sun. His fading hearing picks up a very soft tune that is mysterious and chaotic….yet beautiful at the same time. His face lights up with childlike wonder.

Jim: Wow….I wish I could talk about this.

His lungs give out just before the stretcher arrives. Jim's motionless body is hoisted up and slowly taken away in the midst of thousands of solemn witnesses, united by a common sorrow.

The scanner doors close on Christophe. Upstairs, the rest of the Lyoko Warriors monitor Jeremie's work with trepidation that cannot fully be fathomed. In the Network, the cyber bridge on the Lyoko access gate adjusts and targets one of the last remaining holes in Moriarty's shield. Jeremie's contraption begins to charge up. The general wipes his brow.

Jeremie: Only one shot at this. Are you sure you want to do this Christophe?

The determination in Christophe's heart, body, and soul will not permit any doubt.

Christophe: I'm doing this…with or without your help.

Jeremie: If this is about revenge, we can't risk-

Christophe: I'm going…He shuts his eyes…You've done enough today. And he's done more than enough to me today.

Jeremie shares a brief look with his fellow warriors. None of them protest.

Jeremie: Well then, godspeed.

The all too familiar process starts up. Scanner. Transfer. Virtualization. The Trans-Network Cyber Bridge fires its powerful white beam into the receding gap in the shield. The solitary Nav Skid Odd abandoned comes to life once Christophe is energized inside. He turns the small sub around in the direction of Moriarty's Core.

Jeremie: The database explosion that took out Ulrich and Yumi has left you just enough space to slip through.

Christophe doesn't speak. He acts. The Nav Skid takes off like a rocket in the direction of Moriarty's Core. The distance closes quickly. The Lyoko Warriors watch the spectacle with hearts pounding beyond the acceptable threshold.

Yumi: He's going to make it!

Ulrich: There's nothing in his way…

Before Jeremie can crack up and start laughing from disbelief and joy, Aelita crushes his rising spirits when she points to one of Jeremie's Eurovision cameras.

Aelita: Look! What are they doing?!

Jeremie twists his head to the camera view and his mind and heart once again sink into a frightful despair. The Czech band is working feverishly on their EMP device. The machine starts to light up.

Jeremie: Oh no….

Odd: But I thought Moriarty was going to wait for them to go on stage!

Jeremie: Apparently César is taking much more time than Moriarty finds acceptable. They're starting up the bomb!

Ulrich: How much time do we have?!

Jeremie: Minutes…

Before panic can begin, Christophe interrupts with an unnatural peace to his words.

Christophe: It's okay. He keeps his eyes on target. That's more time than I'll need.

Christophe keeps pressing the attack with only minor interference from the turrets. He continues the attack run until he is only seconds away from firing range. The other warriors bite their nails. Christophe locks on the glassy target. His fingers remain calm on the controls. But right before he hits the trigger, a sudden fluctuation in the Network knocks the Nav Skid off balance.

Christophe: What's happening?!

The computer monitor detects a massive cloud of churning chaotic energy heading straight for the core. Jeremie swallows with unmatched dread. He has seen this reading before.

Christophe: Let me guess. I have some special company.

Jeremie: Unfortunately, you're right.

Christophe closes his eyes. When they are opened, they radiate an energy and righteousness that is not off this world.

Christophe: Good. This is just what I wanted.

A dark black and red cloud churns right in front of the core. Out of its ugly amorphous form comes the shape of a skull four times the size of the Nav Skid. The burning eyes of Moriarty bear down on him, blocking any way to victory. Without a word, Christophe slows the tiny sub to a halt. Two seconds pass between them. Moriarty looks at him with amusement. A sudden outburst of laughter shakes the Network all the way to Lyoko. Christophe is unfazed.

Moriarty: Really? At the very end of it all, this is the best the might Lyoko Warriors could send against me? He looks up. What happened Jeremie? Did the other warriors get scared? Were you forced to send the heroic nutcase against me? His expression becomes hostile and full of wicked glee. Oh it warms my heart to know that this-He motions a tentacle arm in the direction of Christophe-is your last stand. How utterly pathe-

Moriarty's rant is cut off by a missile planted directly in his face. His form contorts in pain and rage.

Moriarty: What a foolish gesture. Was that the rage of your dead parents talking?

Christophe: Yes. He charges up all his available torpedoes save the Cannae Initiative one. But this is the rage of all those you have hurt and killed during your inexcusable tyrannical reign of terror!

Two more missiles pound into Moriarty. His tentacle arms writhe in pain and quickly target Christophe, who dodges the attacks as best he can.

Moriarty: YOU FOOL! You know that those torpedoes are nothing more than bee stings to me. His skull and eyes burn with greater intensity. They just make me angrier!

In an amazing display of ajility and purpose, Christophe manages to slip through the web of arms to reach the pyramid structures. He targets the remaining three.

Christophe: Then let's see how this feels!

Four torpedoes slam into the pyramids surrounding the core, causing havoc wherever they go. Moriarty howls with every strike, but he continues his ferocious attacks. A tentacle arm strikes the Nav Skid and makes Christophe spin around. When he recovers his bearings, he finds himself right in front of Moriarty's cruel soulless and smoky face. Jeremie and the other Lyoko Warriors cover their eyes.

Jeremie: No…

Odd looks away.

Odd: This is not how it's supposed to end…

Moriarty opens his mouth, releasing a jet of fiery energy that quickly engulfs Christophe's Nav Skid. The shields warn of imminent failure. Gritting his teeth, Christophe jerks the Nav Skid into reverse away from the blast. The sub then backflips and heads for the core. Within two seconds, however, a tentacle arm wraps around the Nav Skid. Moriarty wastes a precious few seconds gloating with victory in his grasp.

Moriarty: Oh…so close…you were just so close.

As the tentacle arm starts to crush the Nav Skid, Christophe checks his weapons. He has one regular missile left.

Christophe: Gotta make it count.

Christophe drains energy from his own Nav Skid into the shields, which expand and forcibly loosen Moriarty's grip. In his split second of freedom, he fires a torpedo directly at the tip of one of the pyramids. The subsequent explosion rocks the core and sends an electric shock throughout the entire structure. Moriarty's smoky form lets out a metallic scream and lets go of Christophe. The monstrous entity undergoes a painful spasm and starts to sink lower in the Network, leaving the Lyoko Warrior alone in front of an unguarded target. The other warriors on Earth are beside themselves. They watch with eyes wide and mouths shut. They cannot miss this moment. With Moriarty distracted, Christophe lines up his sights and locks on. The Cannae Initiative missile locks on to its target.

Christophe: Mom. Dad. I wish I could have told you that I love you. I can't now. His index finger reaches for the trigger. BUT I CAN AVENGE YOU!

He presses the trigger. Nothing happens. Unable to believe the setback, he tries again. Nothing. An error message pops up in Nav Skid computer informing him that the missile launching system is bugged.

Christophe: Jeremie!

A frantic and emotionally tormented Jeremie works to fix the small bug.

Jeremie: ARE YOU (EXPLETIVE) KIDDING ME?! After all this, we're stopped by a tiny little bug in the Nav Skid! He swears loudly and analyzes the problem. Give me one minute…I WILL FIX THIS!

Aelita points to the monitor.

Aelita: But the EMP is less than a minute away from exploding!

Christophe looks below him. From deep underneath the Nav Skid, a rejuvenated Moriarty is rising toward him. At the rate of his ascent, he is only fifteen seconds away. His ferocious jaw opens, ready to swallow his viscerally hated enemy.

Moriarty: I WILL ERASE YOU!

He then looks down at the Nav Skid computer. The Cannae Initiative missile is locked, but it is still active. He glances back at the core. In a flash, something clicks within him. An epiphany, a revelation of deep understanding directs his very being towards the core. All the sacrifices that he has seen, all the pain he has suffered and witnessed others suffer suddenly fills him with a purpose that is beyond himself. In that single moment, he becomes a Lyoko Warrior in the purest of forms: selfless, unyielding, and unrelenting. He grips the controls.

Christophe: Guys, thanks for everything.

The Nav Skid begins a collision course with Moriarty's Core. At first the warriors cannot say anything. Then some of them start to scream. Odd, now understanding what his prophecy truly meant, faints from the mental stress.

Jeremie: CHRISTOPHE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

All Warriors: STOP! PLEASE STOP!

Christophe registers their pleas with a pleasant smile. He is moments away from hitting the core head-on.

Christophe: It's okay. I get it now. He looks straight ahead. I told you Moriarty would regret making an enemy out of me. And I stand by my word.

Moriarty emerges from the depths. Desperation to the point of voracious animal instinct propels him to stop his adversary, but he is just out of reach.

Moriarty: NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!…I'LL REFORM!...I'LL HELP THE WORLD! NOT CONQUER IT! JUST DON'T KILL ME!

Just before the tip of Nav Skid hits the core, Christophe shouts out one last message.

Christophe: I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME MORIARTY! ENJOY YOUR PERMANENT STAY IN HELL!

….Impact. A sudden spontaneous explosion echoes throughout the Network. Green cracks start to form all over the core and the pyramid structures. They grow and spread until everything in Moriarty's infected zone of the Network glows as bright as the stars. In one concussive blast, the whole thing is undone. Moriarty, staring into the face of his own destruction, screams silently as his red and block smoky essence dissolves. He stares at his own tentacle arms which vanish in front of his hollow and horrified eye sockets. The tyrant virtual entity thrashes around as he caves in on himself. Moriarty and all his possessions in the Network explode, leaving nothing in its wake but a gap of neutral aqua green Network space. The tower in the Mountain Sector quietly becomes blue again. The Czech Republic band at the Eurovision concert collapses on the floor. The EMP dies without incident. Erik Carlsson comes onto the stage at Eurovision and announces a pause in the performance due to a recent tragedy outside the arena. While Jim Morales' body is taken away, The Order protesters retreat, scattering to the winds without their moral authority or their leader. The Lyoko Warriors stare at the computer monitor. Natalya, who supports William on her shoulder, cries softly. The others cannot react. Their emotional and physical strength has been pushed too far for them to have the capacity to mourn or celebrate. Jeremie removes his glasses and wipes them with his shirt.

Jeremie: It's done. Moriarty…He puts his glasses back on…has fallen.

In a private room in the Eurovision arena, police continue to question Mathias Burel, who is still very emotionally rattled. One of the two officers stands up from his metal chair.

Police Questioner: So, despite the violence Mr. Pinchon displayed against his fellow students, you didn't think something like this could happen?

Mathias looks down at the table.

Mathias: We always thought he went too far…but not like this. He slowly shakes his head…Not like that.

The officers share a brief look.

Police Questioner: It sounds to me like your whole group was developing a serious history of violence. Did it ever occur to you that things might get out of hand?

Mathias: No. Dr. Renard…he….He rubs his forehead…when things started out, it was all so great. We weren't just students. We were something else. Something stronger. Mathias pauses and looks off to the side. He slouches in his uncomfortable chair. Then all of his promises got stuck in our heads. We kept growing. Our numbers increased daily. We had the honor of being the first school to start this whole thing. We were the Commandant's vanguard and-

His voice trails off.

Police Questioner: And before you knew it, you were caught up in a frenzy, was that it?

Mathias: We started doing things we never would have dreamed of doing. And we thought it was okay…

The silent officer writes down a few more notes and then stands up.

Police Questioner: Okay. We're going to take a break for a little bit. Do you want any coffee or something? No offense, but you look like hell.

Mathias: None taken, and yes that would be great.

The officers leave the room. Mathias places his head on the table and turns his head away from the door. He closes his eyes, but a sparking noise soon prompts them to open again. Across the table, a single electric socket flickers with electricity. Mathias sits up and watches the strange phenomenon with concern. But before he can warn the other officers, the whole socket comes alive. A disorganized spectral mass crawls out of the wall, eventually forming the upper half of Moriarty. His face is missing half of its flesh, and his whole bodily structure fades in and out haphazardly. His jaw becomes unhinged while his hands turn into long misshapen nails that try to claw out of the electrical prison that is sucking him back in. His maddened and inhuman eyes focus on Mathias, who is on the verge of either screaming or having a fatal heart attack.

Moriarty: Mathias…HELP ME!

Mathias' skin turns ghostly white. The monster in front of him screeches madly and temporarily loses his own arms. He continues to fade in and out.

Moriarty: You s-s-scum…YOU ARE MY SLAVE! ALL OF YOU ORDER FOOLS ARE MY SLAVES! OBEY ME! He howls again. Mathias covers his ears and breaks out in a cold sweat. Mortal fear replaces rage in Moriarty's half-formed face. THIS WAS MY TIME! MY MOMENT OF GLORY! The socket sucks him back in like a vacuum. He claws the floor with all of his frantic might. NO! NO I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!

He vanishes. The room is silent again. Mathias doesn't take his eyes off of the electrical outlet for a moment. He softly whimpers and spends the next few minutes in a frozen and terrified catatonic state. Over and over the sight replays in his head, and deep down he knows that he will never forget it for the rest of his days. Five minutes later the officers return.

Police Questioner: Hey kid, do you want cream and sugar?

Without looking at the officer, Mathias shakes his head. His hands move down to his groin in an attempt to prevent the policemen from noticing the dampness in his underwear.

Mathias: No…no coffee is no longer necessary.

Away from the chaos, violence, and misery, Rosaire Dunbar prepares to lock up the church for the night. As he puts out the candle, a single worshipper of Filipino origin rushes in his direction. He grabs hold of the pew for support and points to the side of the church.

Filipino Worshipper: Father, come quickly! I have just witnessed a miracle!

Rosaire stares at the messenger in wonder, unable to believe his ears.

Rosaire: A miracle? Of what kind?

Filipino Worshipper: At the statue of our Lord! Please hurry!

Rosaire obeys the request and follows his fellow Catholic to the church courtyard outside. In the middle of the cloister, bathed in the light of the moon, lies a white statue of Jesus. Beneath the Savior's eyes, tiny drops of blood inexplicably fall down his face. Both men are struck with amazement and fear. They fall to their knees and cross themselves. The priest Rosaire turns his eyes to heaven, sensing a divine pain in the atmosphere.

Rosaire: O Lord….what has happened this night that grieves you so?

And so the climax draws to a close. Victory for the Lyoko Warriors…but at such a terrible price. Thank you all for your patience, but the story is not quite over yet. We have one more chapter to wrap things up and cover loose ends and other cool things you might enjoy. Thanks again for waiting.