Anthea hummed in thought as she went through her basic assessment.
Heart rate is a little high along with breathing…
She honestly wasn't sure what to make of what exactly was playing out. She had been tending to her usual duties when all of sudden Patrick and Odd came in with Ulrich hanging between them with his arms. They didn't even give her explanation and just begged her to look him over.
Blood pressure is low too… What on Earth happened?
Ulrich kept as still as possible for Anthea and was fighting to stay awake despite how much his body screamed for sleep.
Anthea noted that Ulrich's free hand was clenching at an area on his chest.
"May I examine your chest real quick?" She asked.
Ulrich nodded, moving his hand away.
"Yeah… You almost done?"
"Just hang in there a little bit longer." Anthea pushed up his shirt, her eyes widening.
Right in the center of his chest was a bruise in a feathery like pattern, that when her hand brushed over it, caused him to wince.
"Agh!"
"Easy, easy…"
Ulrich took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
"S-Sorry…"
"What caused this?" She asked, hurrying to her medicine cabinet, getting what she needed. "And I better not hear the vending machine going crazy again cause I doubt it."
Crap, crap, crap…
His mind raced for an answer, looking across the room where Jeremy and Patrick were in the doorway.
"... I was being stupid trying to fix my computer myself and had the wires exposed. I was trying to pack it up and forgot to unplug it and… yeah…"
Probably the dumbest excuse but given mine and Odd's track record, maybe that'll help?
Anthea shook her head.
"You really need to be more careful."
She sat down beside Ulrich, applying an ointment to the bruises.
"Honestly, you fly in here a little too frequently as it is with the fights you get into with Dunbar during sparring matches during martial arts club"
Ulrich smirked.
"Hey, a few times I've sent him here."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Ulrich. Your health is not something to throw away so easily."
He winced, trying to avert his gaze.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
"I'm making a point. You know at some point a body will just break down and stop, right?" Anthea finished applying the ointment, helping him sit up, wrapping a bandage around his midsection. "You only have this one life. Make it count but don't be foolish. This? This could've killed you if it was worse."
"W-What?!"
"You heard me. Next time, be more careful."
Ulrich nodded, swallowing hard.
"U-Understood."
"Good. Get plenty of rest and see me here first thing in the morning." She looked at the others. "Now, all of you, to bed. It's curfew."
Everyone nodded, filing out of the infirmary. They beelined it for the dorms, heading right for Ulrich and Odd's room.
Ulrich collapsed on his bed, curling up on himself. Odd sat on his own bed, Kiwi curling up beside him. He rubbed at his leg that had gotten shot at.
"I'll need to see if I got those bruises too…"
"Hopefully not." Jeremy sighed, sitting on the floor next to Odd's bed, Patrick joining his side. "I am… really… REALLY sorry for what I put you two through today."
Odd and Ulrich frowned at this, shaking their heads.
"You got nothing to apologize for, Einstein." Odd patted his shoulder. "You're not the one who sicked monsters on us."
"But I'm the one who sent you to the place that allowed them to find you."
"You got us out, didn't you?"
"Yes, after one of you got forced out and ended up with injuries." Jeremy hung his head between his legs. "I… I really screwed up today."
Patrick frowned, rubbing circles on his back.
"Hey, you had no idea that was going to happen."
Ulrich looked up.
"And we kept Aelita safe." He sighed. "Sure it hurt but we all got out alive. Aelita deserved to be saved too."
"Which I'm thankful for…" Jeremy hugged his legs to his chest. "Least I figured out how to devirtualize you… I just…"
Patrick squeezed Jeremy's right shoulder.
"I know… It wasn't a fun discovery about Aelita."
"What? Why isn't it accepting the command for her too?"
Jeremy typed furiously at the keyboard, trying to get it to process the function to allow Aelita to leave Lyoko.
But he was only greeted with a window with a red exclamation mark in a circle along with the message as below it.
"Devirtualization command denied. "Aelita" is incapable of devirtualization."
Jeremy closed his eyes.
"It should've been obvious that she isn't able to. She's a program after all…" Jeremy sighed. "But I really wanted to believe that wouldn't be the case."
Odd frowned, looking at him with a gentle look.
I know that tone… The same kind I get whenever I'm around Sam…
I'm not about to let him down.
"You know… If we keep going back there, I bet we could figure out a way to get her out of there."
Jeremy's head shot up, his eyes wide.
"Are… You… would be willing to go back there!? After what happened today!?"
"Yeah. I mean… I would feel bad to just leave Aelita there all alone. Sure, I didn't get to know her much but she seems like a very sweet person…er… program but let's just call her a person because if you ask me, she is one. I would hate for her to just be stuck there. Especially with how dangerous it is."
Jeremy was stunned, his eyes trembling.
"But… it's… it's so risky."
"What's life without a little bit of risk, hm? Besides I… won't deny. It was kind of cool to do all that." Odd grinned. "It was like being a superhero in there. So… I would be willing to do it again. Besides, I imagine you're not quitting this whole thing, are you?"
"No, not until I can help Aelita and Franz Hopper." Jeremy glanced to the side. "Just… that's asking a lot from you."
"Hey, remember, Franz Hopper asked us to come too. Don't go thinking you're special now."
"I know but… You saw what it does."
Ulrich shrugged.
"And I got a dislocated shoulder from that one bad spar with William, Yumi threw me across the room and I gave myself a black eye just walking into the vending machine last year. It's not new to me and probably won't be the last - and the nurse ain't gonna scare me. And I want to get back at those monsters for devirtualizing me."
"Guys…"
"Bottom line, Einstein." Odd leaned over, ruffling up Jeremy's hair. "You're stuck with us. We'll happily be your proud Lyoko Warriors."
Jeremy let out a small laugh, batting his hand away.
"Okay, okay, I get it! You're in it for the long haul!"
"Yep." Odd crossed his arms. "So, just let us know what to do next and we'll do it."
Jeremy smiled, nodding.
"Alright… I'm gonna need some time to gather information but… I'll figure this out. I'll get Aelita out of there somehow and we'll find Franz Hopper… and… well… a lot of other stuff…"
"And what to do about this X.A.N.A. threat Franz mentioned to us in that message." Patrick chimed in. "Cause if you ask me, I think he might be behind what happened."
"Probably but until we know for sure we can't say." Jeremy sighed. "It's been a long night…"
Jeremy jumped as his phone buzzed, a notification for a message appearing on the lock screen. He brought a hand over his chest, taking a deep breath.
I need to relax…
He unlocked his phone, looking at the message… his eyes widening as he realized who it was from.
"Well done to all of you for protecting Aelita today from those monsters. There's a lot more trouble ahead but I have faith in all of you. I will provide what guidance I can but I have to keep communication sparse so as to not draw X.A.N.A. to my location. Jeremy, please study my journal thoroughly and keep that USB safe. It has vital information that X.A.N.A. must never get his hands on. There's more I will tell you soon but for now, please keep Aelita safe and continue to learn more about Lyoko. I will be in touch. - Franz Hopper"
Patrick leaned over, reading over the text as well.
"Well, looks like we have orders from the man himself."
"Then that seals it." Odd gave a thumbs up. "I'm in."
Ulrich nodded.
"As am I."
Jeremy looked at everyone in the room, still stunned… but a small smile soon came to his face as he bowed his head.
"Thanks, guys."
He looked back at the text, determination coming to his eyes.
I'll pull through… They don't call me Einstein for nothing.
oooooo
X.A.N.A. was trembling, rigid breaths leaving his deformed mouth as his long sharp nails dug into the platform below him. He was currently taking refuge in a tower, absorbing whatever energy he could get from it.
I… I didn't use that much power… Why am I exhausted…?
X.A.N.A. growled, his nails piercing into the metal.
Then again… Franz did everything in his power to weaken me when the computer was shut down.
He could see it all in his mind. The last fight they had…
Franz and X.A.N.A. glared each other down, their hands intertwined as they pushed against each other, blue and red electricity pulsing through both of them.
Tears were running down Franz' eyes, the man clearly in pain from it all.
"You can stop at any time now, Franz." X.A.N.A. hissed, tightening his grip on Franz, causing the man to cry out. "You know you can't beat me. I'm the reason Project Carthage even succeeded. No matter the challenge thrown at me, I will always find a way to win. To adapt… I don't need you anymore to grow. I am beyond you humans… You all will bow to me once I get out!"
Franz lowered his head, a sigh escaping him.
"I did design you that way… You were the perfect weapon that was asked for… I really hoped that maybe you could move past the need to conquer with being content to help me run Lyoko… To help me look after Aelita as I waited for my wife to join us… that our last fight with the remaining members of Carthage would've been enough… but clearly I underestimated your drive to fight…" Franz looked up, his eyes locking with X.A.N.A.'s "Which is why… I won't be making the same mistake again."
Franz' eyes glowed a bright blue as enormous eagle-like wings made of blue energy shot out from his back. They spread out before wrapping themselves around both Franz and X.A.N.A., the program freezing as they made contact.
He tried to break free but to no avail, his body refusing to move.
"W-What are you-!?"
Franz smiled bitterly.
"We're going to sleep for a while."
X.A.N.A.'s eyes widened at this, realizing what Franz was intending to do. He shook his head, red sparks coming off him.
"No… You wouldn't! Aelita is here! You'll kill her!"
"She'll be fine… We'll all be fine."
The world around them started to shake as it began to grow dark.
"STOP! STOP IT!" X.A.N.A. shrieked.
Franz closed his eyes, his smile still remaining.
"Till we meet again, my friend."
X.A.N.A. had finally stabilized, sitting up right in the tower, his eyes narrowed in anger.
To think he had the gall to call me that… To think he has the gall now to think a group of pathetic little humans can stop me… Well… "old friend"…
X.A.N.A. chuckled bitterly.
If that's how you want to play the game…
Then deal me in.