I don't own Harry Potter or Code Lyoko Evolution

An assured professional future

A limo drove up to the front of the school and a man in a black suit stepped out. He put his device away.

"Welcome Mr Graven. I have been expecting you. I reviewed all the documents. Please come in." Delmas led him to his office.

"But why does the principal want to see us?" asked Jeremy as Jim lead him and Harry towards his office.

"Jeremy, Harry, congratulations," said Delmas as they arrived. "You have been noticed."

"That is why," said Jim as the two boys looked at the unfamiliar man.

"Later you will say that Mr Delmas was the first to believe in me!"

"Come in my boys."

They walked in.

"Your principal has told me that you are two of the nest students here. Geniuses. Is that correct?"

"That depends on what you call a genius," said Harry as he shifted. "I prefer being called above average."

Jeremy nudged him as Graven passed them two brochures.

"It is the best school in Europe. We have the best labs, the best equipment and, of course, the best students. But I need you to take a test. And if I'm impressed, I will out you on the list of the school's future students."

He handed the two of them a test and they flicked through. Jeremy frowned at a question.

"Quantum physics. Are you excited about that? Do you know about quantum physics?"

"A little bit," admitted Harry.

"We heard about it in a sci-fi book," added Jeremy. "We love sci-fi. And I like comic books."

"No, I know about quantum physics. Do you know about it, yes or no? Your professional future is at stake."

"I'm sorry sir but I don't know."

"Neither do I," added Harry as he realised what Jeremy was doing.

"Wait a minute." Graven pulled out his mobile and walked out the room. The two started to eavesdrop on him.

"No, yet another wrong pick. The boys know nothing about quantum physics. They just admitted it. Ok. Tell Tyron I'll carry on. Oh, and do let me know if the beacon sends a better signal."

Jeremy pulled out his phone in a hurry. "Aelita, listen carefully. I don't have much time. Graven is one of Tyron's agents."

"What? Do you need my help?"

"No, I'm ok. But we heard something about a beacon. I think he was referring to a beacon that's hidden on Lyoko. They might be using it to trace us. You need to check it out."

Harry pressed his ear to the door as Graven continued talking. He distinctly heard the man say "Ok."

"I have to leave you now."

Graven entered the room to find the boys sitting at the desk.

Outside

Both Yumi and William checked their phones.

Park

"But everything in Lyoko is virtual, right?" asked Yum as everyone waited for the two boys.

"Even though it's virtual, the beacon could reveal the supercomputer's coordinates," explained Aelita.

"The ninja!" exclaimed Ulrich.

"What?" asked Aelita.

"The ninja that followed us to Lyoko! It's him for sure! He must have activated the beacon before we was able to destroy him!"

"He's probably right," agreed Sissi after a second.

Lab

"You're going to have to walk on the same path he did. We need to find the beacon," explained Aelita as she transferred everyone to Lyoko.

Lyoko

They ran to where the ninja had got to.

"Do we know what the beacon looks like?" asked Odd as they waited for the elevator.

"No."

"I mean, is it small? Large? Blinking?"

"Aelita already said that we don't know," said Sissi with a sigh.

"Great. It could be invisible. Why not?"

Kadic

Graven quickly marked the two tests. "Wrong."

Jeremy smiled slightly as they watched the man's expressions before the man whistled. Jim pushed the door open.

"I've done with them. They're not smart enough, they can go." He threw the papers in the bin. "Please bring me the next student… Miss Laura Gauthier?"

There was a pause.

"Now please."

They quickly left.

Lyoko

Everyone checked different parts of the garage.

"Aelita should be checking underneath," commented Odd.

"She can't do everything," replied Luna.

"And we don't need to," added Yumi. "The ninja can't fly. He must have placed the beacon in an easily accessed place. Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, maybe the beacon has little wings?" suggested Odd.

"There's nothing here," called William from his position on the Skid. "We've been searching for fifteen minutes already."

"Let's go down," suggested Ulrich as he jumped back onto the path. "The ninja tried to reach the core of Lyoko. He took the elevator then headed to the labyrinth. Maybe he put the beacon there."

Kadic

Jeremy slipped over to Laura after sending Harry towards the lab.

"Laura, Tyron sent an agent here," he whispered. "He has a test about quantum physics. But it's a trap. Don't tell him anything about us, Lyoko or quantum physics. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lyoko

"Nothing here," said Yumi as she peered over the edge. "There aren't that many hiding places though."

"Maybe, he just threw it," suggested Odd. "He could have. Maybe that beacon has a small parachute."

"Come on Odd," said William as he held his arms out in exasperation. "Either me or Harry would have noticed it. He was fighting against us, he had no time."

"That's true," said Ulrich thoughtfully. "Maybe you did see something but didn't realise it."

"What are you talking about?" Harry popped up next to Ulrich, making him jump.

"Harry, don't do that!" Harry laughed. "Anyway, did you see anything?"

"I did mention that I thought I saw him with something, right? That could have been the beacon." Harry jumped off the path and flew underneath it before spotting something flashing. "Got it."

"Aelita? We finally found the ninja's gizmo," called Odd. "What should we do?"

"Try to get it off?" suggested Luna.

Kadic

Jim led Laura to the office and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Jeremy watched her enter as his phone rang. "Yes Aelita?"

"We've found it but it looks complicated. You need to come here."

"Ok, coming right now."

Lab

"I could isolate the signal," started Aelita as Jeremy arrived. "It's rather weak as it gives a precision of about one hundred and twenty miles."

"Good news. This means that he doesn't know exactly where we are and that's why he's looking for us. He probably sent agents to every school in the neighbourhood."

"However, the signal is fluctuating a lot," continued Aelita as she and Jeremy swapped places. The boy pressed a few keys.

"You're right, it's evolving. It's getting stronger over time."

"You mean, more precise?" asked Aelita.

"Yes and within a few days, the beacon will send our exact position."

"So why didn't Tyron just wait?"

"He doesn't want to waste any time, he fears us," explained Jeremy. "But we're safe. Me and Harry tricked Graven and Laura will do the same."

"What? Laura is with him?" asked a surprised Aelita.

Kadic

Laura flicked through the questions. "Will I get a grade?"

"No, just answer the questions. Do you feel inspired?"

"Well, it looks pretty hard…"

Lab

"Don't worry," reassured Jeremy. "I told her about him."

"You know she can't be trusted!"

"I had intended to stay there but you asked me to come. And I thought it was ok to leave her."

"I'd better go."

"Take this." Jeremy handed her a device. "It may be useful. I'll take care of the beacon."

Aelita left as Jeremy turned his attention to the computer.

"Good news. Tyron hasn't located us yet, now listen carefully. If we manage to destroy the beacon, his agents will have to search the entire radius of the 120 miles he's narrowed us down to."

"Coo," said Odd as he held the Overboard. "So, can I destroy that thing now?"

"Yeah, have fun."

Odd soared under the path and fired on the beacon. A wave of energy shot out and Lyoko turned dark. Everyone winced in pain as they glowed. The screens turned blank as the power cut out. There was a moment of panic before everything restarted.

"Jeremy?" asked Yumi as they recovered.

"What happened?" asked Aelita as she re-entered the lab.

"No idea!"

"Never mind Laura, how can I help?"

"Don't touch or do anything," Jeremy told the others.

"Thanks for the advice but we got that already," called Odd.

"Yeah, don't want a repeat of that," added Sissi.

Kadic

Laura finished writing then put the lid back on the pen and handed the paper over to Graven.

Lyoko

"We were able to figure it out. The beacon is in a trap. It embeds a security system known as 'electromagnetic impulse'," explained Jeremy. "Which is able to damage the supercomputer and through that, Lyoko."

"Cool…" said Odd.

"Uh, not cool," corrected Harry. "Do that too many times and we'll be on a one way trip to the digital sea."

"Exactly," agreed Jeremy. "And that is what almost happened."

"Can't you find a way to disable it?" asked Ulrich.

"Too risky."

"So what should we do?" asked Yumi. "We can't just let Tyron locate us!"

"And what about throwing it into the digital sea?" asked Odd.

"Or maybe sending it back to where it came from, the cortex?" asked William.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" exclaimed Ulrich.

"But the beacon contains a motion sensor. That's why it reacted to Odd's Arrows," explained Jeremy. "It's sensitive to any abrupt movements. We could use it to indicate Tyron's own position."

"If you want, a volunteer, I'm in," called Odd.

"Do you think that I would let you go alone?" asked Ulrich as he poked Odd. "I'm coming too."

"So am I," added Yumi.

"I think that goes for all of us," said Harry as he glanced at Luna and Sissi.

"That makes seven of us," said William as they placed their hands on top of each others.

"Alright, go remove it. It's just held by an electromagnet," explained Jeremy after a glance at Aelita. Odd flew down as everyone watched and detached it.

"I'll take it and you'll pilot Odd," suggested Ulrich.

"You sure about that?" asked Harry. "Have you seen Odd's piloting skills? I mean, I don't have to go in the Lightning."

"And why you?" asked William.

"Well…." Ulrich had no answer.

"Just let him do it," said Harry with a head shake. Odd handed the beacon to Ulrich and they headed towards the garage again.

"Alright Jeremy, you can transfer us," called Yumi as they took their positions.

"Ulrich, do you have a small seatbelt for the beacon?" asked Odd as he started the Skid up.

"This isn't the time for jokes Odd!"

"Ready? Let's get going!" Odd started to guide the Skid out of the hanger but banged against the supports. Luckily the beacon didn't go off as they cleared the hanger. "What about a little loop the loop guys?"

"Odd!"

"Your jokes are in poor taste," said Harry as he joined them.

"I'll go back to Kadic," said Aelita as the group headed towards the Cortex. "All our efforts would be useless if she betrays us."

Jeremy nodded and Aelita left.

Kadic

Graven flipped a page. "It's strange. Here you say that you don't know and there you answer correctly. Yet those two equations are kind of the same."

"I… Actually…"

"And here, on the first page, the question 'do you know about quantum physics?' has three possible answers," continued Graven. "Yes, some idea, not at all. You checked 'not at all'. But that second equation, which you answered correctly, does require some skills in quantum physics."

"I answered randomly. I was just lucky," lied Laura.

Graven laughed. "Yes, of course. Lucky. I have some doubts about it."

Park

Aelita ran as fast as she could towards the school.

Kadic

Graven walked towards Laura with a tablet. He pressed a button and a hologram of everyone's avatars appeared. Laura looked at them and shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you know them?"

"No. Who are they? Some cartoon characters?" asked Laura. Aelita twisted the device as she listened in.

"Are they your friends? One of these avatars might even be yours. No," Graven decided. "None of them looks like you. Maybe you're the one left behind. The one not trusted. If you do know them, please tell me. My employer is very interested to know, especially this one." He indicated the ninja. "He can bypass any security, be it physical or virtual, in seconds and gain access to secure documents. Anyone with that power could be extremely useful."

Laura frowned.

Digital sea

The sea turned red.

"Ok, here come the monsters," sighed Harry.

"Two Kongres heading towards you. Odd, you won't be able to avoid them. I'll bring you back," decided Jeremy.

"No, we'll stay," objected Yumi. "Everyone but Ulrich with me. Let's take care of them."

"With pleasure," called William as they separated.

"Cortex in sight my friends," called Odd as he neared the hub. Harry hit one of the monsters. Yumi hit the second and they returned to the Skid. Odd banged against the side of the portal and Ulrich winced as the beacon released the pulse. Everything in range was affected.

"Odd, are you alright? Answer me! Are you still tree? Answer me!" called an increasingly worried Jeremy.

"We're fine Jeremy," reassured Odd as the systems recovered.

Kadic

"I don't know anything, I already told you. Please leave me alone."

"Alright," decided Graven as he pulled out a business card and handed it to Laura.

"General Manager of…" Laura trailed off.

"That school is just the tip of the iceberg. I control all of the biggest European labs and the biggest particle accelerator in the world," explained Graven. "So, if you tell em what I want to hear, your future is assured. You'll be able to pick your lab and work with the brightest scientists. Don't you think your parents would be proud of you? Anyway, sooner or later, I'll catch your friends. So be smart. Think for yourself."

"Maybe I could… But I don't know about Harry being able to access secure files…"

Graven smirked. Laura immediately realised her mistake.

"Wait, Harry Stern? But he failed the test. Oh very clever. He failed the test on purpose."

Aelita opened the doors.

"Aelita? But…"

"There's a beacon on Lyoko. Tyron's found us," explained Aelita. "We are ready to surrender."

"Show me the supercomputer."

Cortex

"Come on," moaned Odd. "How long do you intend to wait?"

"Odd, we have to stick to the plan," groaned Ulrich. "We need to wait for the next shift."

"But even after a shift, there could be another one just after," pointed out Odd.

"Maybe but let's do it as planned," said Yumi. "So we wait for the next one then Ulrich will put down the beacon and we'll go back."

"I hate it when I have nothing to do."

Jeremy glanced at the screen as he picked up his phone. "Yes Aelita? Aelita?"

Aelita moved the opening to the sewers. "Here it is Mr Graven. A secret passage leading to a disused factory."

"I'll follow you."

Jeremy froze before realising what Aelita was doing. "Alert. Aelita is bringing Graven to the lab."

"What?"

"Laura probably failed to trick him," continued Jeremy. "I guess Aelita wants me to launch a return to the past. It's the right thing to do. This way Graven won't remember anything. But you'll need to come back before I can launch it."

"So, let's take action right now," said a determined Ulrich.

"Finally!" exclaimed Odd.

"It was getting a bit boring," said Sissi.

"Be careful out there," said Luna as Jeremy transferred Ulrich.

"It can't be!"

The landscape started to shift as Ulrich transversed it. He narrowly missed a landing but grabbed the edge and pulled himself up.

"I'll devirtualise you."

"And Ulrich?" asked Odd.

"I'll take care of him but I need to bring you back first." Jeremy did that. "Ulrich, I can't devirtualise you while you're holding the beacon. Find somewhere to put it down."

"I can't Jeremy," protested Ulrich. "It would go off immediately."

"I have an idea. Go as high as you can then throw it. I'll devirtualise you before it hits the ground."

"Are you sure that it will work?" asked Ulrich as he looked up.

"I don't have any better ideas." Jeremy glanced at the door as he heard the elevator arriving. "Ulrich, we're running out of time. I'm starting a countdown. Good luck."

He did that as the doors opened.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" asked Graven.

Ulrich jumped onto a riding platform.

"Congrats kid, you almost got me. Tyron was right not to underestimate you. Now, where's your black haired friend? I need him to come with me."

Jeremy shared a looked with Aelita. "Around."

Ulrich threw the beacon and it exploded. He devirtualised just as the wave hit him.

"Ulrich!" Everyone caught him as he fell out of the scanner.

"I'm alright…"

"You sure about that?" asked Harry.

"Ulrich is with us."

"Goodbye Mr Graven. Have a nice return to the past," said Aelita.

"What?" asked a surprised Graven. He glared at Jeremy as the energy wave expanded.

Earlier

Graven stepped out of the limo and made a face as he answered the phone. "Yes? What do you mean, the beacon is malfunctioning?"

He turned and re-entered the limo. "Ferdinand, let's go back home. Of course I'm coming back. I'm not going to play in some schoolyard."

"We should be safe for a while," said Jeremy as they watched him leave. They headed deeper into the school but Laura caught Harry's arm.

"What did he mean when he said you could access any secure file?"

"That's not something I want to talk about with you Laura. Let's say that I can do exactly what he said I can do and leave it at that. It's not something I want to get out."

He pulled his arm out of Laura's grip and ran to the group. Laura pulled out the card Graven gave her and studied it interestedly.