Chapter 8: Control

"The closest to being in control we will ever be is in that moment that we realize we're not."-Brian Kessler

Odd smirked at Aelita, his smug smile playing across his lips. She was frowning, clearly troubled by this new information.

Gabby hadn't been on Lyoko this time.

"That doesn't really prove anything though," Jeremie pointed out. "Maybe X.A.N.A. just didn't feel like sending her out today. There's no way to prove it, and there's no possible way for her to get on Lyoko without a scanner anyways!"

"But you have to admit, things are starting to fit together," Aelita pointed out. Ulrich nodded in agreement.

"It might not be possible, but it is a pretty big coincidence," Ulrich added. "Odd kept her awake throughout the attack, and she didn't show in Lyoko. And every time we have seen Lyoko Gabby, real Gabby's been unconscious here. We may not understand how, but maybe Odd is right..."

"Of course! I told you, I don't know how. But I just know that it's her. Either that, or X.A.N.A.'s reallygood at background research." Odd prodded the button for hot chocolate; the cup slowly filled with the drink while Odd turned to frown at the group. "Maybe we should stop trying to figure how she's getting there, and start worrying about why."

"Maybe we should just ask her?" Aelita suggested, folding her arms and looking out at the courtyard for the orange-haired girl. No sign of her. "I mean, she'll either think we're insane or she'll remember what Odd's already told her about Lyoko. And then we'll know for sure, right?"

Odd sighed and picked up his hot chocolate. He scowled. "Maybe you guys will have more luck. She was pretty adamant with me; but then, she was talking to me."

"Maybe if you stopped stealing her stuff, she'd trust you more," Ulrich enlightened him. Odd stuck his tongue out; he'd just burned it on his hot chocolate. Ulrich rolled his eyes at him. "Maybe Aelita should ask. You two talk more than us."

Aelita sighed but nodded. That was probably for the best.

~ $*GABBY*$ ~

I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. I hadn't had high hopes, but this was better than expected. I blew a strand of orange hair from my face, pulling on my new black jacket and wondering what the others would think of the change. Unfortunately, they probably wouldn't see it until Monday. Today was Saturday, and everyone else seemed to be busy relaxing.

Which was almost good for me, as it had given me the chance to do what I'd been wanting to do for a while now: dye my hair. And my orange hair was now streaked with teal. I don't know why it made me so happy... but it did! Turning my head to the side again, I smiled at the darker color against my normal orange.

Forcing myself to turn away, I stretched and wandered out the door, deciding that a walk through the park might be good. As soon as I was outside, though, I was jumped on by Odd's dog Kiwi. I squatted down and petted the pup, looking around for his owner. But there was no sign of the blond. I sighed.

Odd was so irresponsible, I thought resignedly, straightening and starting off again, only slightly surprised when Kiwi followed me. Sighing, I stretched again, looking down at the dog with a frown. "Oh, Kiwi, you're so much better company than Odd would be." The dog just barked at me. I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Still better."

I walked for some time, finally coming across the manhole that led down to the sewers. I hadn't been to the factory since I'd turned on the supercomputer. And no, I wasn't going to count the time that I'd woken up there from Lyoko. I wondered vaguely if maybe that was where Aelita and Jeremie were now. Perhaps doing more than just tinkering with the computer? I smiled at the thought.

"Kiwi!"

Odd's voice tore through my thoughts, and my smile dropped from my face as he emerged from some bushes not too far away.

"Kiwi! There you are! Oh, it's you."

"Hello to you too, Odd," I grumbled sarcastically. He grinned in apology and I rolled my eyes at him.

"What did you do to your head?" he asked. I glared at him.

"You... are not eloquent, you know that?"

"Huh?"

I sighed and shook my head at him. "Nothing. I dyed my hair, dummy."

"Hm," he replied thoughtfully, tilting his head and looking at my hair with interest. "Why teal? And orange? It actually doesn't look too bad, but I think I would have been afraid to try it."

"Well, that's the difference between you and me," I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. "Let's call it... curiosity."

"Let's call it... recklessness!" he responded with gusto, kneeling down by his dog and patting his head with a smile. "Hey, Kiwi! Ready to go home?" Kiwi barked and jumped on Odd excitedly, as if he'd like nothing more than to return to Odd's smelly room. Odd laughed and stood up, putting his hands on his hips proudly and pointing towards the buildings. "Go home, Kiwi!" And the dog trotted off happily by himself. I rolled my eyes at Odd.

"You're unbelievable."

"I know!" Odd said happily, turning back to me. Obviously, he was taking it as a compliment.

"You're impossible."

He ignored that one, looking at me with that smile still on his face. "What are you doing out here?"

"Uh, what does it look like? Walking."

"That's boring."

I sighed and shook my head at him. Why did he have to be so difficult? "Not if you have the mind to appreciate. Obviously, you don't."

"Can I walk with you?" he interrupted. I gaped at him in shock.

"You? Walk? With me?" He nodded, so I continued to stare at him.

"I won't talk, if you don't want me to. We can just walk. Unless you'd rather be alone."

And the way he said it sounded so sad that I couldn't help it. Blushing slightly, I nodded. We walked in silence, and to my surprise, Odd actually didn't talk. He did smile and look around at the trees and at one part started humming to himself. But it didn't bother me. In fact, I was almost sad when we reached the end of the path and started towards the dorms. Was it really almost nighttime? The sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon in the west.

"Well, I'll see you later!" Odd said, still acting very buoyant. I stared at his retreating figure for a second.

"Odd!" It was out before I could stop it, but when he turned to look at me, his expression almost expectant, I felt doubtful. I shook my head and then smiled at him. "Thanks for walking with me. I guess you're not so bad sometimes."

He grinned. "You too." Then he waved and continued down the hallway.

A few hours later, I lay in my bed, thinking about none other than Odd. I was actually starting to like being around him. And that was... weird. Was Odd changing? Or was it me? Or maybe it was both of us. It was hard to say.

I fell asleep wondering if maybe it was possible for us to be friends.

When I woke, it was dark. I couldn't see anything, and I felt around next to me for my desk lamp.

And then I realized, I wasn't on my bed.

My eyes were getting used to the small amount of light: I looked around me slowly; everything seemed so woozy, so tilted. And it was dark, with a sort of blue electric glow. Getting up didn't seem to be the best idea at the moment, so I continued to lay there, staring up at a hovering platform way above me. Was I... was I in Lyoko? Yes, feeling around with my hands, I felt my weapon at my hip, the leather of my Lyoko clothes. With the other hand, I felt an edge to the ground. It took a few minutes for the world to stop feeling like it was spinning. Finally, I was able to sit up slowly, still looking around me cautiously. The platform still hovered over me, and I appeared to be sitting on one as well. I slowly moved to the edge, still not daring to stand up.

There was no bottom. Since I had no intention of testing this theory, I scooted back away from the edge, a horrible feeling in my stomach. Where was my father? Why had he brought me here? Did he want me to fight again? Or did he want to yell at me again, this time for not allowing him to pull me here last time?

I eventually felt comfortable enough to stand, but from there I had no idea where to go. I appeared to be surrounded by a circular wall, with the platform suspended in the center. There was a path on one side that seemed to lead out to the wall, but I didn't see a way out. Pursing my lips, I sat back down. This was just like when I got lost at the mall once: then, I'd been five and terrified out of my wits. So I'd sat down on a bench and waited until my mom and dad found me.

Dad would find me now, right?

I waited. And waited. It felt like forever, but I had no way of telling time. No way of letting him know I was waiting either. Was that the problem?

"Oh... what's going on?" I said to no one. And then nearly screamed when a flat pixelated screen appeared in front of me. It took me a minute to catch my breath, and then another to realize what was on the little screen.

It was me. I was talking to Aelita, and the sun was shining through our bedroom window. Aelita was laughing and smiling, nodding. I was talking, but I couldn't hear what I was saying. Hesitantly, I reached out and prodded the screen.

My voice, but not my voice, filled the room.

"You think that I've been what? Fighting you and Yumi and the others in a virtual world?" I sounded so disbelieving, and so like myself. But who was saying that, if I wasn't? "That's absurd!"

Aelita shook her head. "I guess it was all just a bad dream then," she said, smiling and shaking her head now. "I guess my imagination is a lot more creative than I gave it credit for!"

I laughed. But I didn't. I watched the screen, heard my own laughter, and I felt myself going numb with fear.

If I wasn't in my body right now... then who was?

~ $*AELITA*$ ~

Gabby was laying quietly on the bed when Aelita returned to the bedroom. Aelita was actually surprised that she was still awake; it was nearly midnight. She looked over at Aelita as she came in and waved.

"Hey Aelita! I was getting worried."

Aelita laughed. "Sorry. I lost track of time. You didn't have to stay up and wait for me though," she added, folding her coat and placing it over the back of the desk chair. At this point, Gabby was sitting up, looking at Aelita with a focused expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," Gabby answered, folding her arms and continuing to gaze at Aelita steadily. Aelita wasn't sure if Gabby was trying to maybe guilt her somehow; she looked like Aelita imagined a mother would look when she'd caught you sneaking back in. But it was Saturday, and Aelita hadn't been doing anything wrong.

"Okay..." Aelita muttered. Was now a good time? she wondered. Gabby was acting a little strange, but maybe she'd just woken up from a nap or something. A drowsy Gabby might not be the best to accuse of going to a virtual world and attacking her friends.

Then again, it was probably just best to not accuse Gabby of going to a virtual world and attacking her friends. Gabby was plenty accepting, in Aelita's case anyways; but if she didn't know any better, she was going to think Aelita was off her rocker. And it was such a random subject to bring up. What was Aelita supposed to say? 'Hey, so Odd thinks that you've been magically transporting your consciousness to a virtual world somehow, and in that world you like to attack the good guys, which would be your friends, with guns and bombs and stuff. I'm kind of starting to think he may be right. I mean, is there any truth to this?'

Because that wouldn't make Aelita seem insane.

Yawning, Aelita changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed. Gabby was still looking at her, as if waiting for something.

Well, fuck it. Just ask her, Aelita told herself. Taking a breath to steel herself, and trying to ignore the weird expression on her friend's face, Aelita just spat it out.

"So, Gabby, I have a question for you..." she started out tentatively. Gabby's expression changed; now she looked interested. So Aelita pushed forward. "I know it's going to sound a little crazy... but I really have to ask. Do you know... anything about a virtual world called Lyoko? Because I just... I don't know, I just have this crazy feeling that you've been fighting against me and our friends in a virtual world." Aelita could feel her face heating, knew she was turning red. Now the weird look Gabby was giving her was completely warranted, but Aelita couldn't help but feel crazy just for mentioning it.

"You think that I've been what? Fighting you and Yumi and the others in a virtual world?" Gabby's voice was filled with obvious disbelief, and her amber eyes were wide. Aelita just felt relieved that she'd clearly understood what she was trying to ask. Now, all that was left was to wait with bated breath for the orange haired girl's response. Aelita half expected fear, anger. But what she got was an encouraging smile. "That's absurd!"

Aelita hesitated for a moment before smiling herself and shaking her head. "I guess it was all just a bad dream then," she said, nearly shaking from relief. "I guess my imagination is a lot more creative than I gave it credit for!"

Gabby laughed and shook her head too. "Don't worry. I have crazy dreams like that all the time. It's probably just stress from classes or something. It happens!"

"Well, good! Now that that's settled, did you dye your hair?"

~ $*GABBY*$ ~

I pursed my lips and paced some more, still occasionally glancing at the pixelated screen occasionally to make sure that I was still asleep. Trying to brainstorm some way to get back to my body was proving a lot more difficult. The only time that I'd managed to not leave my body was with Odd hitting me. Going back to my body: I usually had to be beaten by one of my friends. Who weren't here and had no idea that I needed help. And where the hell was my dad? He'd usually long since shown up and criticized the fact that I couldn't hold my own against four experienced warriors. Was it because I was stuck in this weird room? Where was I anyways?

I sighed and looked around again. The part of the floor leading to the wall caught my eye again. Frowning, I walked out to it, folding my arms and looking at the wall thoughtfully. After a minute's hesitation, I reached out and placed my hand against it.

Except that my hand went right through it. I pulled my hand back in shock and was relieved to see that it was still attached. With a deep breath and a glance back at the screen and the platforms, I plunged through the wall.

~ $*AELITA*$ ~

When Aelita woke the next morning, Gabby was gone.

She thought nothing of this; Gabby usually was pretty reclusive on the weekends. She had probably gone for a run, or maybe to the library. Aelita herself changed clothes and heading to Jeremie's room. Jeremie was already awake, and when he let her in, he returned immediately to his computer.

"Have you made any progress?" Aelita asked, following him over and peering over his head, leaning her cheek against his.

"No, unfortunately not. I should be able to pick up whenever she's there, if she's ever been scanned or if she was created there. It'll just take a little time."

Aelita nodded. "I asked her last night."

Jeremie paused in his typing and looked at her. "And? What did she say?"

"'That's absurd.'" Jeremie nodded and smiled. "I was so scared she'd think I was completely insane. But she just smiled and laughed at me."

"Well, she isn't completely normal herself. Odd's going to be disappointed. He was so sure it was her."

"Yeah. Well, she could be lying. She was acting a little strange, but that was mostly when I had just got there. Before I asked her."

"Strange? Strange how?"

"Well, she was just... staring. Like she was expecting something of me, or she was disappointed in me, or like I was doing something interesting. I don't know."

One of Jeremie's eyebrows raised, but other than that he didn't respond.

~ $*GABBY*$ ~

It was the tower. I'd been inside one of the towers, one of the towers that my father usually had me guarding from the gang. This time, I'd actually been inside it.

But I didn't like it. It was way creepy in there.

Now, I was in the forest. But I had no idea where to go from there. Even though I was no longer trapped in the tower, there was still no way to find help out, or to find my dad. I mean, there was a possibility he'd found his own way out; maybe without me here the last time, he'd been more victorious than usual. How many attempts had we made?

I looked back at the tower again; instead of the red glow that I was used to, it was glowing a pure white. Did that mean that this tower wasn't being used? Was the red glow an indication that this X.A.N.A. was using the tower for some escapade in the real world? So then, was there a way for me to use the tower that would allow me to send for help from my friends? From Odd?

I shook my head. I didn't really want to go back in there. And even if I did, I had no idea how to use the tower. All that was left for me to do was to look around here then. Maybe (and yeah, the chances were slim) I would find something or someone who could tell me how to get back to my body, or what was currently occupying my body, at least.

So I started walking, looking back occasionally at the tower until it finally disappeared from view behind one of the towering trees. I got lost pretty quickly; there weren't even any sounds to keep me company.

It felt like forever. I wondered how long it had been since I'd gotten trapped here. What was my body, and whatever the fuck was in it, doing right now? Could the others tell that that wasn't me? Would they be able to figure out what was wrong?

Was that someone? Way out on the horizon, I thought I saw a shape. So I started walking that way, spying another tower in the opposite direction. I wondered how many towers there were. The tower faded behind me as the shape became clearer. I was pretty sure that it was a person, and I hoped that it was my dad. I broke into a run, the shape becoming more focused with every step. It was my dad! He was surrounded by monsters, and he was watching me closely as I ran, but I felt so glad! I was saved!

I slowed and stopped, finally, about fifty feet away, feeling a shift in the atmosphere. Maybe it was the way they were all watching me, or the expression on my dad's face, but something didn't feel right here. Coming into view behind them was a tower, and this one was glowing red. I caught my breath, still keeping an eye on the group of monsters surrounding my father.

Just as I straightened up, about to take another step towards them, he spoke.

"There you are, Gabrielle."

I froze. The name; why had he called me that? He never used my full name unless I was in big trouble. And his tone was full of... disappointment. Chastising. Resigned. I frowned at him.

"Dad... I've been looking for you! I don't know what happened. I took a nap and when I woke up I was here... but there's someone... something else controlling my body!"

"Ah, yes. That would be your replacement."

I stared at him in shock. "R-replacement?" This was a joke, right? Maybe I was actually just dreaming. None of this was real. None of it ever had been. My father... he would never replace me!

"You've disappointed me, Gabrielle. For the last time. You didn't come to me when I needed you. You've failed me every time you have. You've run out of chances. So... you're being replaced."

I took half a step backwards as the monsters stared back at me. I swallowed nervously. This wasn't heading at all in the direction I had thought it would. "But... I'm your daughter! You can't just take my body away and give it to someone else! I mean, you can't just... what about me?" I found my voice rising hysterically. My dad... was replacing me. The one I had looked up to, and had missed so much. And now he was replacing me with some... who knew what it was.

"Ah... well, you..." he sighed and scratched his head awkwardly. "You're going to have to stay here. Forever. Or, you know... disappear. Which is the easier option, really, for all of us. That way there's no chance that you'll make a re-entrance later on, and you don't have to suffer through eternal existence as a virtual being. It's better for everyone." He took one last look at the monsters around him and nodded. Fear filled me and I took another step back. "Sorry, my princess. It's nothing personal."

I ran.