I don't own Harry Potter or Code Lyoko Evolution
Virus
"Aelita, I'm going to transfer the virus to you." Jeremy tapped at the keyboard. Harry checked the link.
"I'll tell you when I have it. Are you sure there's no risk?"
"It's a blank, inactive virus. This is just a test to see if it can reach the core," explained Jeremy.
"There's something I'm missing," muttered Harry. "Something important."
"If it damages or alters the system, we won't be able to go back, right?" asked Aelita.
"Yes but if we don't test it on Lyoko then where do we test it?" asked Jeremy. "The Cortex's supercomputer is the same as ours. Don't worry. Just think that if it works, we activate the virus, send it to the Cortex then…"
"No more Cortex! No more network access for Xana!"
"Exactly."
Harry closed his eyes.
"I've got it! I'll redirect it to the core right away."
"Let see if this works."
Lyoko
The virus slipped out of the terminal and headed to the core of Lyoko. Aelita followed it and watched as it entered the core of Lyoko.
"It's inside."
"Ok, it shouldn't take more than thirty seconds." The virus was destroyed. "It didn't reach the core of the system."
"Damn," muttered Harry.
"What went wrong?" asked Aelita.
"I wish I knew."
Kadic
"What? Seriously? You want to ask Laura to help?" asked Ulrich in surprise.
"You know I don't like that girl," said Harry with a frown.
"I think you're just paranoid Harry," said Sissi with a light punch to his arm.
"Harry, do we have a choice? You put effort into that virus and it didn't work."
"There might be a few errors. Sure, I'm good at programming but nobody's perfect. Not even me."
"Even if it's not very fair, we can just launch a return to the past like last time. She'll forget everything."
"Indeed, this isn't very fair," said Yumi with a frown.
"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity are easy. Stay away from easy," said Luna with a shrug.
"So what?" asked Odd. "We just want to take advantage of her brain to defeat Xana. This is for a good cause, right?"
"Is it?" asked Luna. "Is it the right thing to do?"
"I like it when you argue with me!"
"I seriously think you two should get together," said Aelita.
"If it works to find this virus, I'm ok with it," said William.
"I still don't like it," said Harry with a frown.
"I can't see why we can't do it without her," said Aelita.
"I can't figure out where I failed. Harry hasn't either. We checked a hundred times. I really need some help." Jeremy met her gaze.
"Yeah, because I haven't had a look yet," said Harry with a sigh.
Library
The group peered at Laura through the bookcase.
"I have no idea what to say to her," said Jeremy with a sigh.
"I do," said Odd
"We want to make her come with us to the lab, not make her cry."
"We could suggest a walk with her and push her into the tunnel."
"I don't think that would work," said Harry.
"Isn't there some kind of mind control charm?" asked Yumi. "The Imperius charm?"
"Yes there is. It's illegal."
"Oh."
Odd ran out towards Laura.
"Hi!" He snatched her tablet.
"Hey!"
"Now, I'm sure that she'll follow us," said Odd as he re-joined the group. They headed towards the lab with Laura following them.
Lab
"A bit limited your device," said Odd as he handed it back to Laura as she exited the elevator. "Compared to ours, of course."
"What is this place?" asked Laura. "A NASA research station?"
"No. a kind of particle physics lab but better," said Jeremy as Harry typed at the computer.
"Yeah, a computer lab," said Sissi as she stared at Laura.
"But, I don't understand. Who are you?"
"Simple students like yourself," said William.
"Do you know about viruses?" asked Jeremy.
"Viruses? Yes, I suppose I do."
"Ok, we have a problem. You help us find a solution and we explain everything to you," said Jeremy. "Why we are here and how. Do you agree?"
"Show me."
Jeremy led Laura to the computer. "Get out of the way Harry."
Harry grumbled under his breath as he moved out of the way.
"Ok, it isn't a conventional virus. It's not a boot virus or a macro virus."
"Our system is very complex," explained Jeremy. "The only type of virus that would work here is a…"
"Worm virus," interrupted Laura. "Ok, we need to decompile the structure, the arborescence and reconfigure everything. It looks like someone started to do that. May I?"
Jeremy sent Harry a look who shrugged. Laura started to type at the computer.
Later
"You know Jeremy; I won't be able to forget all of this. This lab, the supercomputer," said Laura. Harry watched her progress as he brought up the return to the past program. It had been edited recently.
"Jeremy…."
"Harry, not now."
"Even with the best education, I would never have access to such high level hardware. It's too great!"
"We finish this work and then we talk about it?" suggested Jeremy.
Even later
"The day is over! I'll collect the copies," called Odd as he and Aelita walked in with Luna
"You know, Aelita's right," said Harry. "You and Luna should get together."
"What? That's it? It works! The blank virus is reaching the core of Lyoko!"
"Well, whoever started the process of reconfiguring everything did a good job. I just finished it."
"Laura just created a batch type virus! A primitive, encrypted and polymorphic one. Harry, do you think you could improve it?"
"Yeah, that should be easy enough," said Harry as he sent a virus to Laura's tablet. Just to keep an eye out for if certain words come up.
"It sounds great but what is it exactly?" asked Odd.
"A slow virus. It infectivity is low but it was custom designed to penetrate the targeted system," explained Jeremy. "Nothing can stop it."
"Except a firewall," said Harry as he looked at it. "I can sort that out. And Jeremy, there's something wrong."
"I don't think the Cortex has a firewall Harry," said Jeremy with a sigh.
"So, you've succeeded then," said Odd. "It's over."
"Are you going to launch a return to the past?" asked Laura. Aelita and Odd stared at the two.
"I didn't tell her!"
"I tried to tell you," said Harry with a sigh.
"How did you know?"
"I can access the supercomputer from here. Nice try hiding it but I spotted it immediately. Photographic memory."
"The codes don't lie," pointed out Laura.
"That's impossible. You were with me, working on the virus!"
"She can work on two things at once," said Harry with a groan. "I'll have to fix it up. Won't take long to do."
"You would have forgotten everything in a moment anyway," said Aelita. "Do it Jeremy."
Laura glared at Jeremy as he did just that.
Earlier
Odd walked over to Laura.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Don't you want to come with me to the lab?" asked Odd as he tilted his head.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Forget about it." Odd returned to the group. "It's alright, she doesn't remember a thing."
"You've got the virus, right?" asked Ulrich.
"Yeah. We can go inject it right now."
"I still have a class to go to," said William quickly. "I'll let you travel through the digital sea and catch up to you later. Ok?"
Laura watched them go before rubbing her head as she remembered a few fragments of the lab. William watched her worriedly.
Digital sea
They shot out of Lyoko and headed towards the Cortex.
"I've just finished activating the virus," said Jeremy as Sissi watched over his shoulder. "In theory, it's very dangerous right now."
"In theory?"
"Yea. I wish I could have checked what Laura did. The virus is made up of several encrypted subprograms. And Laura worked so fast, I didn't notice all the systems she used."
"Jeremy, are you kidding?" asked Odd. "You didn't follow all she did? You mean Laura's too fast for you?"
"She didn't design it to harm a human," said Harry with a shrug. "I saw what she put in."
"I was working on my side too!"
"I vote that we replace Jeremy with Laura," suggested Odd. "She's obviously smarter than him!"
"Oh and she's been through all of Xana's attacks, has she?" asked Harry. "No way Odd."
"So, you couldn't see her work?" asked Aelita.
"There's something wrong with that girl," said Luna.
"Not you too Luna! All I know is that it works because we tested it on Lyoko."
"Yeah, and we are so certain that the Cortex is the same as Lyoko," said Harry with a sigh.
"Take it easy. We have a working virus and we have a Cortex to destroy," said Odd.
They surfaced in the Cortex.
Kadic
Laura left the library as William passed. She remembered seeing him at the lab.
"William?"
"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry," said William apologetically as he glanced at her.
"Are you going to the lab?" William paused.
"What did you just say?"
"I had some kind of vision. You were in them. We were in a lab. Me, you and your friends," Laura explained. "That's completely silly. I don't even know why I'm telling you this."
"Please, go on. Some visions you said?" asked William nervously.
"Yes, like dreams. They were fast, like old memories. You must be thinking that I'm crazy. Excuse me."
William watched her walk away.
"Harry?"
"Yep. I heard. I'll go after her." Harry reappeared next to him before fading away again. William pulled out his mobile and dialled Jeremy.
Cortex
The Megapod zoomed off.
"I have William on the phone," said Jeremy out of the blue.
"So, what's he doing? We're waiting for him," said Odd.
"He met Laura. She's got some memories from the lab."
"What? It can't be! How could she?" asked Ulrich in surprise.
"The modifications to the return to the past program. They allowed her to keep her memories," said Harry as he clenched his fists.
"Possibly. It's the first time the return to the past hasn't worked."
"Don't forget that William recalled some memories from when we erased them," reminded Harry.
"Good point."
"What kind of memories do you think she has?" asked Yumi.
"Nothing specific. Just some memories from the lab."
"What do you mean?" asked Ulrich. "She thinks they're just dreams or she's sure it's real?"
"I think she's a bit confused," said Harry as he closed his eyes.
"William acted innocent but I'm not sure it's enough," added Jeremy.
"Jeremy. Transfer me back. We need to review everything, said Aelita.
"What? We just got here," complained Odd.
"You've got to stay. We need you here. We've got the virus. That's the most important thing Aelita," said Yumi.
"If she wants to go, let her," said Harry with a shrug. "She has a point. I suggest you take a look at the return to the past Aelita."
Aelita nodded. "If there's a problem with the return to the past, there could be a problem with the whole operation."
"Aelita is right, sorry," apologised Jeremy. "I'll bring her back. We'll keep you informed."
Jeremy quickly devirtualised Aelita who returned to the lab.
"Sorry William, you have to stay. Keep an eye on Laura." Jeremy turned to Aelita. "Here we are. We're going to check the whole procedure, step by step. Harry highlighted the bits that changed."
Kadic
William watched Laura from a distance. The girl stood up and William followed a few seconds after her.
Cortex
They jumped over a gap and along a path. They jumped into a gap.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! What class!" yelled Odd.
Park
Laura walked towards the manhole as she remembered Odd entering it with her tablet. William watched her.
Lab
"Jeremy? Aelita? Did you find something?" asked Yumi.
"We're on it Yumi. Jeremy, look at this." Jeremy walked over and crouched down. "It's one of the encrypted subprograms for the virus. And I found it here, in the core of Lyoko."
"But that's impossible. The virus was inactive when we tested it," said Jeremy with a frown. "It wasn't meant to have an impact on the systems."
"This is what happened though."
Jeremy sighed. "That's one of Laura's encrypted programs. And I have no idea what's in it."
"We do though," said Aelita. "It's not difficult to guess. This is our problem."
"No, no, no!"
"Laura had guessed we would use the return to the past. She altered the system so it wouldn't affect her."
"How could I let her do that?! Yes William?" He listened for a second. "What? I don't know, find something! Just stop her from getting here!"
Park
"Did you hear that?" whispered William as they watched Laura stop at the manhole.
"Well, duh. Jeremy was a bit loud. I can't do much though. If she gets to the factory and realises that the boss is on the Cortex… Well, I'm not allowed to reveal the existence of magic."
"Well, looks like it would have to be the old fashioned way."
Cortex
"Well, here we are," said Harry as they looked at the dome. The ground started to shift.
"It was too simple," said Odd as the door started to open.
"Now's our chance! Let's go!"
They ran towards the door. Yumi and Harry ran across but Odd stopped as a gap widened. Ulrich jumped across and Luna paused next to him. The ground tilted and they struggled to get a grip on the smooth surface. They clung to the edge.
"Jeremy, send me my overboard!"
"You don't have enough time! Jump over here," called Ulrich.
"Yeah, and we'd most likely miss," called Luna.
"Jeremy, Odd and Luna are going to fall into the digital sea," called Yumi.
"How about we try to lift them over here with telekinesis?" asked Harry.
"You might be able to do that but I can't! I don't have your concentration."
They fell.
"Devirtualise them! Quickly!"
They disappeared just before they hit the digital sea. Harry, Yumi and Ulrich ran into the dome as the door closed.
"Ok Jeremy, we're in. we'll tell you as soon as we're connected to the core," said Ulrich as they walked deeper in. "Ok, we're here."
"Great. I'll prepare the transfer of the virus."
"You mean our virus?" asked Laura as she and William walked in. Jeremy shot around.
"Hey, I wasn't about to hit her," said William defensively as Jeremy stared at him.
"What a nightmare."
"I remember everything now."
"Including how you altered our system?" asked Aelita.
"You tried to get rid of me. All I did was defend myself."
"No wonder Harry doesn't trust you," muttered Sissi.
"It's ok Jeremy," called Ulrich.
"Here we go. You'll receive it soon."
"No, we don't have it," said Yumi as she looked at the screen.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, we don't have it."
An alarm blared.
"What is that?" asked Ulrich as he put his hands over his ears.
"An alarm. I should have seen this coming," muttered Harry. "There is a firewall after all. Hang on, I might be able to do something."
He worked at the terminal before sighing. "The virus has already been destroyed."
"My scans detect some alien presences in the core. Can you see anything?"
"No, nothing," said Ulrich. "Should we?"
Harry closed his eyes.
"Over there!" Yumi pointed at something but it had already gone.
"What?" asked Ulrich. "There's nothing there!"
"I saw something."
"Listen, this is very strange but I see five other presences other than you."
"You mean, like monsters?" asked Ulrich. "Could you be a bit more specific please?"
"I'm working on it. It's not exactly easy."
The three pulled out their weapons.
"Whatever it is, we're waiting for them."
A green humanoid with a single eye snuck up on Yumi. Harry spotted it.
"Yumi, behind you!"
It sliced Yumi as Harry impaled it with a kunai.
"What was that?" asked Aelita.
"I don't know. They're hiding," replied Ulrich. Several converged on the boy. "They're surrounding me!"
Harry threw kunai at them but one managed to devirtualise Ulrich.
"What were they?" asked Jeremy.
"I wish I knew. They weren't very hard for me to defeat though." Harry looked around cautiously. "You'd better bring me in."
Lab
"It's a complete failure," said Jeremy sombrely. "The virus didn't even reach the main program."
"I told you before that the Cortex's supercomputer was similar," said Harry with a shrug. "There was bound to be a difference between ours and Tyron's."
"Have you got any idea who that guy is?" asked Odd.
"I've been looking but there's nothing. It's like he doesn't exist. Anyway, we'll need to start over again. Try and get past the firewall. I have an idea on how to do that."
"Do you want some help?" asked Laura. Harry shook his head.
Harry's and Jeremy's dorm
"Do you mean that if we do another return to the past, it won't have any effect?" asked Odd.
"Right," said Jeremy as Harry typed something up. "She edited something Right at the core of Lyoko."
"We can't let her join us," said Ulrich. "Not after what she did."
"And about the return to the past, I've fixed up a patch," said Harry. "The program was rather easy to get past. Her encryption's good but I can get past any encryption."
"Yeah, that's a useful ability of yours," said William as he looked at Harry.
"We can't keep her away at the moment," said Aelita. "We can tell her the bare minimum. And call her when we need her."
Harry grumbled to himself.
"I agree," said Yumi. "But she'd better obey."
"She won't like that," said Harry.
"Sometimes trying to protect something can be more harmful," commented Luna.
"You were right," said Jeremy to Aelita. "We should have taken care of ourselves."
"Finally, he admits we were right!" Harry pumped the air. Jeremy let Laura in who smiled smugly.