Note: Ah, February: the month of Valentine's Day. To many, it's the month of love. For some, it's the month that reminds us of all the lonely people in the world. As for me, it's both. Other than that, this is another month of new chapters and, possibly, a new story. The new story, of course, depends on what happens during February.
Before we get into the chapter, I should warn you that this chapter has nothing to do with romance or any pairings you might support. I'm not spoiling anything here, but that's just a warning.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter fourteen.
Chapter 14: An Unexpected Visitor
A day after the recent mission, the Lyoko Warriors were taking a walk through Seymour's Bay. They were discussing the idea of recruiting more people into the team. Such an idea was risky, given how it would give X.A.N.A more targets whenever he launched an attack. Even if it would make incoming missions easier, the group figured that they had enough people for now. Tina, Gene and Louise had proven to be as resourceful on Lyoko as they were in the real world. Bob and Linda were unable to be Virtualized, but they could still help everyone who was on Earth. Henry was helpful as well, given how he occasionally joined in on a mission to work the supercomputer alongside Jeremy.
Walking back to Wagstaff, the Lyoko Warriors agreed that they would have to fight X.A.N.A with who they had on the team for now. It was much easier than looking for anyone else, as they worried about making the group much more cluttered. For now, Henry and the Belchers were the only new additions they needed. Of course, they weren't exactly safe from X.A.N.A's mind control and deadly attacks, but Jeremy figured that they would be fine. After all, was the AI going to go after them after a mission had been completed? The Lyoko Warriors hoped not, but reality might've been otherwise.
Once they stepped inside of Wagstaff, the Lyoko Warriors were met with the lights shutting off. Luckily, it was for a brief moment, as everything came back on shortly after. However, that didn't mean that the team didn't immediately grow suspicious. While it could have just been a temporary power outage, it could have also been a X.A.N.A attack. If it was the latter, then they needed to find out what their enemy was planning. Knowing X.A.N.A, it could have been anything, from weaponizing electricity to overloading a power plant.
Right across the cemetery, electricity violently surged through the power lines. It looked almost as if they were about to explode and sever. However, the lines remained intact, as if nothing had happened. Sparks shot all throughout the area, quickly raining down to the ground. One of them landed on a grave, then enveloped it in a flash. The moment the flash dissipated, the top of the grave was left intact, with no signs of damage on it.
A graveyard worker was passing by, keeping an eye out for anyone who had snuck into the cemetery. Upon finding nothing out of the ordinary, he was ready to call it a night. Before we could turn back, he noticed that his flashlight was flickering, even though his hand wasn't on the switch. The bulb exploded, causing him to drop it to the ground and run away. While he ran back to his coworkers, a few sparks came out of the damaged flashlight, then began to travel out of the cemetery.
That was not the only unusual event in the cemetery that night. In fact, a strange blue essence came out of one of the graves, then began to fly through the area. After a little bit, it flew out of the cemetery, going unnoticed by anyone. The essence was flying towards Seymour's Bay, presumably for some unfinished business. It floated above Wagstaff, waiting for its moment to enter. After a few minutes, the being floated down, having found what it was looking for.
In the morning, the Belcher children were walking to school. Bob and Linda had to work, so the kids wound going by themselves. The moment they had arrived at Wagstaff, Tina walked away from Gene and Louise, deciding to head to her first class. As such, the two Belcher siblings stuck together until they reached their respective first classes for the day. They were hoping to meet up with the Lyoko Warriors to talk about the missions they had. Of course, they would have to speak with them during lunch, as they couldn't converse with them while they were busy.
Throughout the day, the Lyoko Warriors overheard students talking about a strange occurrence at the cemetery last night. Some described it as an explosion in the sky, while others claimed that there was a discharged electric current nearby. Either scenario could have been possible, though no one was there to see what happened. One bizarre claim was that something came out of a grave and flew above the cemetery, before flying away. It sounded like something from a zombie movie, mainly one where the zombies were resurrected by magic and not by science. The Lyoko Warriors hoped that it was just a myth, given the amount of crazy things that had happened in their lives.
As the students waited for her in the music room, Aelita gathered the papers she had graded. Each one was a small quiz that she had handed out, wanting to test the children who were under her tutorship. Before she could enter the room, the pink-haired teen saw something floating by. It was white and round, looking like someone had spilled milk on a dodgeball. Thinking that she was only seeing things, Aelita entered the room, carrying the graded quizzes. The students, including Gene, focused their attention on her.
"Hello, everyone!" Aelita greeted. "Sorry if I'm late."
"You're a little late, but you're fine." Gene spoke.
Handing out the quizzes, Aelita made sure that everyone got theirs back. After that, she sat down, allowing Ms. Merkin to speak to the class. The class period went on as normal, with Merkin lecturing the students and giving them an assignment. Once class was over, Aelita kept an eye out for that strange entity she saw. It was nowhere to be seen, but the pink-haired teen didn't think it was gone. For all she knew, it would reappear at any moment.
"Aelita?" Gene asked, being the last to step out of the room.
"What is it?" Aelita asked.
"You gave me a B on my quiz." The eleven-year-old said. "Why?"
"Well, Gene, you got the wrong answer for questions twelve, fifteen and sixteen." The pink-haired teen said. "I'm sure Ms. Merkin will let you retake it, though."
"I hope so." The brunette said.
After that brief conversation, Aelita and Gene went their separate ways. For the rest of the day, Aelita did not see that ghostly entity, even though she kept an eye out for it. Thinking that she was just seeing things earlier, the pink-haired teen, along with her fellow Lyoko Warriors, continued to tutor the students of Wagstaff. By the time for school to close, she was in the library, overlooking the assignment for tomorrow. When she put the book down, she heard a noise. It sounded almost like a lightbulb was going to burn out.
Looking around the room, Aelita saw a spark above her. The pink-haired teen was about to go get Mr. Branca, until a crackle was launched towards her. She dodged, but another one happened shortly after. Unlike the first one, this one was close enough to nearly knock the teen off her feet. However, she wound up tripping over her feet. As she had been facing forward, Aelita was going to fall on her face.
Without warning, Aelita's fall was broken. There was no one in the room with her, nor was she near anything that she could've broken her fall with. Looking down, the pink-haired teen saw the entity she had seen earlier. Once it had caught her, she noticed that the electric sparks had gone away. Seeing that, the teen couldn't help but imagine that the ghostly being influenced the attack in order to get close to her. If that was so, then it was clear the being couldn't be trusted.
"Alright, X.A.N.A, what do you want from me now?" Aelita asked the being.
The being only floated in front of Aelita, unable to speak to her. All of a sudden, it phased into her, causing her to stand eerily still. While that happened, the pink-haired teen closed her eyes and let out a pained moan, a painful feeling surging through her body. In the process, she saw several brief flashes of something, almost as if she were rapidly being shown someone's memories. Whatever the being was, it was clearly not one of X.A.N.A's ghosts. Given the flashes Aelita had seen, this ghost was alive at some point, just not connected to her mortal enemy.
Once the pain had lessened, Aelita fell on her back. Her eyes came open again, taking a look at her surroundings. The area around her looked familiar, but she could not place it. In fact, the pink-haired teen felt as though she was in a strange land. Everything looked new and it caused her to become confused. Standing up, Aelita looked around, as if searching for something.
"Bob?" Aelita spoke. "Junior? Where are you?"
The next day, the Belcher kids went to school, intent on meeting up with the Lyoko Warriors. Having not gotten the chance to meet up with the group and speak about Lyoko, the kids hoped that they would today. Upon entering Wagstaff, they decided to head to the library before any of their classes start, as the group was in there before they had to tutor the students. Gene and Louise in particular wanted to speak to Jeremy, so that they could get better at using the supercomputer. Tina just wanted to speak to everyone, seeing as they were close enough to best friends for her. With their priorities set, the Belchers entered the library, hoping to speak to their tutors.
Walking to the table, Tina, Gene and Louise met up with the Lyoko Warriors. Jeremy was looking at a stack of papers, while everyone else seemed to be waiting on something. Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, William and Sissi were at the table, but Aelita was nowhere to be seen. At first, the Belcher siblings (primarily Gene) assumed that she was in the bathroom, but it was likely that something bad happened as well. The group seemed to be waiting for the pink-haired teen, apparently thinking the same. However, they seemed concerned, possibly hoping that she was okay.
"Hey, everyone!" Louise spoke.
"What's shaking, guys?" Odd asked.
"Nothing much," the nine-year-old said, "aside from the fact that Aelita isn't with you."
"Where is she, anyway?" Tina asked.
"Aelita was in here this morning," Ulrich said, "but then she went to the office. She was acting rather strange, though."
"How strange?" Gene asked. "Like Dr. Strange?"
"She was asking us all this weird stuff." Sissi spoke. "When we spoke to her, she didn't act like she knew us. I think she's just playing a prank on us."
"You don't think that X.A.N.A could be influencing this, do you?" Louise asked.
"I did some checking earlier," Jeremy said, "and there aren't any Towers activated on Lyoko. This couldn't be X.A.N.A's work. But, if it is, then there's something strange going on here. I don't know how, or why, Aelita's acting like this."
The door to the library came open, causing everyone to turn their heads. Standing in the doorway was Aelita, but she wasn't wearing her normal clothes. Rather, the pink-haired teen was wearing a yellow shirt, blue pants and a pink hat. The only part of her usual outfit that remained was her boots, apparently having decided not to replace them. Aelita walked on over to the table, taking her seat next to Jeremy. Everyone was bewildered by this, with it being clear that something was up with their friend.
"Nice outfit, Aelita." Odd spoke.
"Why, thank you, young man!" Aelita spoke. "It's not everyday that you can get clothes that fit you nicely in a school lost-and-found."
"Aelita, are you okay?" Tina asked.
"Why is everyone calling me Aelita?" The pink-haired teen said, sounding genuinely confused. "That's not my name."
"If you're not Aelita, then who are you?" William asked.
"Tell us your name, Ms. Mystery." Ulrich said.
"My name is Lily." Aelita said, her voice having a tinge of wisdom to it. "I was married to a restaurateur before I died and I helped him raise our son."
Tina, Gene and Louise's eyes widened, while the Lyoko Warriors looked puzzled. Unlike their tutors, the kids knew only one person named Lily, having been near her grave. What she had described about herself did not help, considering how it sounded similar to the Lily they indirectly met when Bob took them to the cemetery. If it was the right one, then why was she inside Aelita? What could have caused her to possess the pink-haired teen? Did X.A.N.A cause her spirit to rise from her grave, or was the malignant AI manipulating the teen's thoughts and making her believe that she was Grandma Belcher?
Noticing the shocked expressions on the Belcher children, Jeremy was puzzled. They looked like they had seen a ghost. He knew that they had been in perilous situations before, even before X.A.N.A started attacking Seymour's Bay, so he thought that this was nothing for them. But, given how Tina, Gene and Louise were practically frozen to the floor, the spectacled blonde knew that there was something up. Standing up, he took them to the back, telling the others to head to the classes they tutored when the bell rang. Jeremy entered the room before the kids did, with Gene closing the door once they were all inside.
"Boy, did you guys look scared out there." Jeremy spoke.
"Jeremy," Louise spoke, "this might sound strange, but I think that Aelita has been possessed by our grandmother!"
"I thought that your grandmother was alive." The spectacled blonde said.
"That's our grandma Gloria!" The nine-year-old said. "I mean that Aelita's been possessed by our other grandma! Our Dad's mom: Lily Belcher!"
"How is that possible?" The teen said. "Aside from X.A.N.A, there's nothing in this world that can possess a person!"
"Maybe Grandma Lily decided to leave her grave and come visit us." Tina said.
"If she left her grave, she would be a zombie!" Gene spoke.
"Look, I'm sure Aelita got hit in the head with something." Jeremy said. "If that's not the case, then we need to keep a closer eye on her."
"Hopefully, she doesn't talk to Dad when she's like that, because it would be awkward." Louise said.
Upon leaving the back room, Jeremy and the Belcher kids saw that the group was still sitting at the table. They were right on time for the bell to ring, meaning that they had to separate for the time being. As they walked to their first classes for the day, Tina, Gene and Louise agreed to keep an eye out for Aelita and to keep her away from Bob. Even if he didn't believe that it was actually Lily speaking to him, the Belcher patriarch would be in an awkward position. That was something no one in the family wanted to happen, even if Linda would be thrilled to speak to her mother-in-law. It was troubling, meaning that the Lyoko Warriors needed to find out how Aelita had gotten possessed by a ghost instead of X.A.N.A.
At Bob's Burgers, Bob was grinding meat to make his beef patties. Once he had gotten enough to put on the grill, he was ready to take them upstairs. That was until the man felt a chill go down his spine, as if the temperature had suddenly decreased. He went to look at the thermostat, only to find that it was at its normal setting. Believing that it would be different once he got upstairs, the restauranteur decided to head back to the kitchen. While he wanted to tell Linda about it, he thought that she would assume that he was acting crazy.
The moment he was on the top step, Bob was about to open the door. However, the moment he touched the doorknob, he felt a chill go down his spine again. Not only that, but he could hear a strange noise in his ear. It sounded almost as if someone was whispering to the Belcher patriarch. This unsettled him, given how he was the only person in the room. Whatever was going on, Bob hoped that it wouldn't end with him on the floor, dead as a doornail.
"Bob?" A voice whispered. "My little Bob. Junior, can you hear me?"
Upon hearing that voice, Bob's eyes widened. It was something he hadn't heard in the longest time, belonging to a deceased relative that he wished he could've spoken to. The Belcher patriarch almost cried when it whispered into his ears, a sniffle coming out of him. Regaining his composure, he entered the kitchen, where he was greeted by Linda. She had been waiting for him to bring the beef patties, as business was booming in the restaurant. Needless to say, the woman wasn't thrilled to be waiting for longer than she needed to.
"What was going on down there?" Linda asked.
Bob didn't answer, only handing Linda the beef patties. He then walked towards the grill, turning it on and waiting for it to heat up. Linda was behind him, concerned for her husband's well-being. He had not answered her when she asked him her question, and it meant that something was bothering him.
"Bob, what's wrong?" Linda asked.
"I heard her voice." Bob said.
"Whose voice?" She asked.
"My mom." He said. "I heard her voice just as I was about to enter the kitchen."
Linda was surprised when she heard that, though it was hard to believe what her husband had said. Bob claimed that he had heard the voice of the late Lily Belcher, before he even set foot in the kitchen. It couldn't be possible, not even for a bit. Why would Lily's ghost only talk to Bob instead of possessing him? If not that, then why wouldn't she do something to show that she was in their proximity? Keeping that in mind, Linda decided to be by Bob's side, as to prevent him from doing something drastic in case he heard his deceased mother's voice again.
Aelita opened her eyes, only to find that she was in the infirmary. The pink-haired teen was confused, the last thing she remembered being that she was in the library. She looked around, then saw that she wasn't wearing her usual clothes. Instead, she was wearing a yellow shirt and blue pants. The teen looked in the mirror, only to find that she had a pink hat on her head. What on Earth was going on? How and when did she change her clothes and end up in the infirmary?
Seeing as she was the only person in the infirmary, Aelita walked to the door. Opening it, she looked outside, seeing no sign of the nurse. The pink-haired teen assumed that the nurse was likely on her lunch break, depending on what time it was at Wagstaff. Before she could step outside, she heard a familiar voice ring out.
"Aelita, are you alright?!"
Turning her head, Aelita saw Jeremy approaching her
"Oh, it's only you." She said. "Jeremy, what the Hell is going on? Why am I wearing these clothes? Why was I in the infirmary?"
"Two of the kids you're tutoring said that you collapsed in the music room, so they took you to the infirmary." Jeremy said. "As for the clothes, there's an explanation, but you're not going to believe it."
"Lay it on me." Aelita said. "How crazy is it?"
"Well, the reason you were in those clothes is because you were apparently possessed by the spirit of the Belcher children's grandmother." The spectacled blonde said.
"I thought that their grandmother was still alive." The pink-haired teen said, having a quizzical look on her face.
"That's Linda's mother, Aelita." He said. "I'm talking about Bob's mother."
"Why was she possessing me?" She asked. "For that matter, how was she possessing me?"
"I don't know, but we should keep an eye out for anyone who is acting like her. Chances are, they could be possessed by her spirit."
With that in mind, Aelita and Jeremy agreed to be cautious around the students and the faculty. Of course, Aelita had to change out of the clothes she had put on while possessed by Lily Belcher. After that, they went to gather the rest of the team, intent on warning them. However, Tina, Gene and Louise were not called on, given that Lily was their relative. Henry was not called either, as he likely didn't know about the deceased Belcher matriarch. Despite that, the Lyoko Warriors needed to find out where she was, as her appearance was likely the work of X.A.N.A.
Inside her math class, Louise heard something crackle above her. She initially thought that someone snuck a firecracker in class, but there was no fire or smoke. Looking at the ceiling, the nine-year-old saw that the fluorescent lights were flashing, looking like they were going to die. However, that crackling noise was heard again, meaning that something else was going on. The sound was clearly coming from the lights, but it seemed like Louise was the only one who could see it. Everyone else kept working on their assignments for the day.
"Hey, does anyone else notice that the lights are acting up?" Louise asked, raising her hand.
Without warning, one of the lights exploded. This caused everyone in the room to jump. Soon after, electric sparks came down from the ceiling, floating down like leaves from a tree in Autumn. A few of the sparks fell towards some of the students, which made them run. However, two more of the lights exploded, with more sparks falling from the ceiling. This time, they were much faster, to the point where a few students near them got shocked.
As the lights were exploding and shooting sparks, the teacher immediately got the students out of the room. However, that did not save her from getting a spark on her shoulder. Unlike the students who got a spark, she got a far more severe shock, which knocked her unconscious. The students were frightened, not knowing what was happening. Louise noticed that the sparks were gathering in the air, forming a current. It soon launched itself towards everyone outside, but Louise was quick to close the door, although it was powerful enough to knock her down.
"One of you, call 9-1-1!" Louise shouted.
The rest of the students split up, running to call an ambulance or the police. With them gone, Louise saw that more of the fluorescent lights looked like they were about to explode. As such, she hoped that Tina and Gene were nearby, believing that X.A.N.A was influencing this to happen. If they weren't, then the nine-year-old would have been fine with the Lyoko Warriors. Either way, she needed to get out of Wagstaff as fast as possible. She couldn't stay where lights were exploding and unleashing electric currents.
Back at the restaurant, Bob and Linda were still working, serving all the customers they had. That was until Bob heard his phone ring. Initially, he assumed that it was a call from the school, primarily Mr. Frond calling about something the kids had done. Alternatively, it could have been a call from Jeremy about a mission on Lyoko. In either case, Bob had to take out his phone to see who was calling. The caller was unknown, which made him suspicious, but he answered it anyway.
"Hello?" Bob spoke.
"Bob?" A soft, feminine voice came out of the phone. "Honey, can you hear me? It's Mom."
"Mom, how can you be calling me?" He asked. "Is this really you?"
"Of course it's me, Junior." The voice said.
"If you're Mom, then what did we do every year on Christmas before you died?" The restauranteur asked.
"We made gingerbread houses together, honey." The voice stated. "Of course, we opened presents as well."
"It's you!" He gasped. "I can't believe it!"
"Bob, is your mother haunting the phone?" Linda asked.
"Hold on, Mom, there's someone I want you to talk to." Bob said, handing the phone to his wife.
"Hello?" The voice came out of the phone. "Who am I talking to?"
"Linda Belcher." Linda answered. "Is this Lily Belcher I'm speaking to?"
"You're currently talking to me." Lily's voice spoke. "Now, Linda, I don't believe we've meet. Who are you?"
"I'm the wife of your son, Mrs. Belcher." Linda said. "I spoke to you at your grave."
"Oh, yes, I remember seeing you, Bob and three children near it!" The deceased Belcher spoke. "Are those your children?"
"Yes, they're your granddaughters and grandson: Tina, Gene and Louise." She said. "Before I tell you anything else, how are you talking to us?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I was launched out of my grave by a shock. After that, I wound up flying through town, looking for someone who could see me. I flew through a school building, just in time to save a little girl from being killed by an electric current."
"Wow, that's heroic! What did the little girl say? Who is she?"
"She didn't say anything to me, but I can tell you what she looked like. She was wearing a dress of some kind, boots and, strangely enough, had pink hair."
Linda's eyes widened once she heard that description. It wasn't impossible for her to determine that Lily's spirit, if it really was her, had encountered Aelita. If that was so, then Linda's mind was racing. How did Aelita even react to seeing the spirit at school? How did the spirit react to someone being nearby? Did the spirit of Bob's mother choose to save Aelita out of kindness or out of necessity?
"Lin," Bob spoke, "are you alright?"
"Your mother encountered Aelita!" Linda whispered.
"What?" He said. "That's weird!"
Thinking that Lily's spirit would want to speak to her son again, Linda handed Bob's phone back to him.
"Mom," Bob spoke into the phone, "it's me again!"
"Oh, honey, I've got so much to ask you!" Lily's voice came out of the phone. "When did you and your wife meet?"
"We met at a bar when her ring got caught in my mustache." He said. "Look, Mom, did you tell Linda that you met a pink-haired little girl in a school building?"
"Yes, yes I did!" She said. "I had to use her body for a bit, though."
"Mom, listen, that girl's name is Aelita. She's tutoring my children, your grandchildren, at Wagstaff."
"Aelita? That name sounds familiar. I can't put my finger on it, though."
"Given that you saved her life, I think she'll be glad to speak to you. If only she was around."
Without warning, the restaurant's phone rang, causing Linda to answer it.
"Hello?" She spoke.
"Mom, it's me!" Louise's voice came out of the phone. "Lights at the school are malfunctioning and exploding!"
"What?!" Linda cried. "Please tell me you got out of that place before you got fried!"
"I did," the nine-year-old said, "and I'm at the factory with the others! We're going to head to Lyoko at any minute, so come when you can!"
"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll be on our way!" The woman said.
Linda then hung up the phone, only for the headset to explode. This caused her to scream in shock and stumble back. Bob did so as well, nearly dropping his phone in alarm. Luckily, he caught it before it hit the floor.
"Bob, honey, is everything okay?" Lily's voice came out of the phone.
"Mom, Linda and I are going somewhere with our kids." Bob said. "Should I hang up?"
"Do whatever you have to, Junior!" She said. "I'll try to regain contact with you later! Hopefully, I'll be able to speak to my grandchildren!"
Hanging up his phone for the time being, Bob had Linda close up the restaurant for the day. After that, they got in the car and began to travel to the factory. The kids and their tutors were likely on Lyoko at the moment, so the grownups were intent on speaking to Jeremy. Lily would likely call back once they got to the factory, but that was fine. After all, Tina, Gene and Louise would have wanted to speak to her, even if it wasn't face-to-face. The Lyoko Warriors likely would've wanted to speak to her as well, assuming they weren't mad about the Belcher grandmother possessing Aelita.
Inside the lab, Jeremy was getting ready to send Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, William and Louise to Lyoko. The others watched as he typed the data into the Scanners, so that the five were sent to the Sector where the Tower had been activated. It was in the Desert Sector, so it was nothing too complex or difficult. However, Jeremy knew that there were monsters waiting for whoever was Virtualized, so he hoped to use whatever he could to keep X.A.N.A at bay. If a Return To The Past was needed, then it would have to be triggered when Aelita deactivated the Tower.
Once Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, William and Louise entered the Scanners, Jeremy began the Virtualization process. As he did so, he heard the door to the lab come open. It turned out to be Bob and Linda. Bob was holding his phone to his ear, presumably talking to someone. Linda gestured for Jeremy to carry on, allowing him to finish up the Virtualization. When that was done, those who were inside the Scanners had been sent to the Desert Sector. Everyone watched it happen, hoping that the mission could be completed before there were any casualties.
"Alright, we're here!" Yumi's voice came out of the headset.
"The Tower's just up ahead." Jeremy spoke. "Everyone, watch your step!"
Bob and Linda approached Jeremy, just as he was getting ready to greet them. While he was used to seeing them, seeing Bob on the phone puzzled him. It was likely an important phone call, but who was the restauranteur talking to? Was it a relative of his? Was it the bank calling him about the restaurant's finances? Whatever it was, or whoever it was, they couldn't wait to call him, even in a situation where the world would end in no time.
"Fancy seeing the two of you here." Jeremy spoke. "Although, I wasn't expecting you to be on the phone."
"Sorry, Jeremy, we've got a surprise caller." Linda said.
"Who is it?" The spectacled blonde asked.
"Bob, put your phone on the speaker option." The brunette whispered to her husband.
Nodding his head, Bob hit the icon that represented the speaker on his phone. After that, he held out the phone, so that the caller could be heard by everyone. He had a composed look on his face, but there was a tinge of sadness within. Clearly, the restauranteur was being contacted by someone he hadn't spoken to in a while.
"Bob, are you there?" A voice rang out.
"Yes, I'm here with everyone." Bob said. "Guys, say hello to my mother, Lily Belcher!"
"Hello everybody!" The voice greeted.
Those who were in the lab were shocked, except for Bob and Linda. Gene and Tina had a feeling that they would hear from their late grandmother again after she had possessed Aelita, but not as soon as this. Everyone else was shocked, knowing that they were listening to the voice of a ghost. Jeremy had said to keep an eye out for anyone who acted like Lily Belcher, though he didn't expect her to contact Bob from his phone.
"Uh, hi there, Mrs. Belcher!" Odd spoke. "I'm Odd Della Robbia, and I'm here with my friends Jeremy Belpois and Sissi Delmas. Your grandkids, Tina and Gene, are with us."
"Can I speak to them?" Lily's voice came out of the phone.
"You can speak to us, because we're nearby." Tina said.
"Hi Grandma Lily," Gene spoke, "I'm your grandson! The girl who just spoke to you is Tina, your granddaughter! Louise isn't here at the moment, but I'll give you to her once she comes!"
"Gene." Bob spoke.
"Now, Junior, he's just being nice." Lily's voice said. "While I'm at it, Gene, have you and your sisters been taking care of your father?"
"You betcha!" Gene said. "Hold on, I'll tell Louise you're calling."
Walking over to the supercomputer, Gene picked up the headset and spoke into it.
"Louise, Grandma Lily's calling!" He said. "She's calling us through Dad's phone!"
"Gene, I can't talk right now!" Louise's voice came out of the headset, sounding like she was in the middle of a battle. "Let Jeremy have the headset!"
"Well, Grandma, Louise is unfortunately very busy at the moment." Gene said as he gave the headset to Jeremy. "But, I'll give you to her when I'm able to, okay?"
"Okay." Lily's voice said. "I'll speak to you later, everyone!"
The call stopped, allowing Bob to put his phone back in his pocket. However, everyone was still surprised by what they had just heard. Not only was the spirit of Lily Belcher speaking to them through a cellphone, but it would appear that X.A.N.A had no influence in her making her presence known. If that was so, then would her spirit be affected once the Tower was deactivated?
"Okay, this is the strangest thing ever!" Odd spoke.
"Why is grandma calling us instead of possessing someone?" Tina asked.
"And why use a phone instead of writing down on a chalkboard?" Gene asked.
"And why does Mr. Belcher's mother sound like a forgotten 80s Canadian pop star who got her start working on a kids show about rodents?" Sissi asked.
"This feels like that one Twilight Zone episode where a ghost talks to a close relative through the phone." Tina stated.
"Weren't there two episodes like that, Jeremy?" Odd asked.
"I don't know." Jeremy said. "For now, let's focus on the mission."
"Jeremy, we're near the Tower!" Yumi's voice came out of the headset.
"Alright, just keep your guard up and don't let any of X.A.N.A's monsters Devirtualize you all at once!" The spectacled blonde said.
In the Desert Sector, Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, William and Louise were surrounded by Bloks. With their weapons out, the five immediately rushed to destroy as much of the monsters as they could. Louise was the first to act, throwing one of her knives at a Blok. She managed to hit it right on its weak spot, destroying it instantly. The nine-year-old destroyed another one the same way as the previous one, though she was knocked back by a blast. Luckily, the attack wasn't powerful enough to Devirtualize her, giving her a chance to spring back into battle.
Using his Super Sprint technique, Ulrich swung his saber and destroyed a Blok. After that, he destroyed two others, which was easy as they were on opposite ends. When another approached, the brunette was quick to impale it with a single strike. Some of the Bloks fired at him, but he was able to dodge their attacks. He returned fire by swinging his saber some more. While only managing to destroy two of them, Ulrich knocked the others back.
Yumi threw one of her fans at a Blok, destroying it instantly. She then used her psychokinesis to make the fan fly back towards her. In the process, the brunette destroyed two more Bloks, leaving their remains to digitize. Eventually, she wound up joining Louise in fighting the ones the others had missed. They even killed a Blok together, throwing their weapons in tandem with each other. Once that was out of the way, Yumi and Louise split up, going to destroy more Bloks by their lonesome.
As he was facing a Blok, William swung his sword forward, managing to destroy it with a beam. More of the monsters surrounded him, so he wound up having to use a spin attack to destroy them. Of course, the brunette knew that more were coming. He was fine with that, given how there was a mission on hand. The teen took a few hits, but he gave a few to the Bloks that shot at him. By the end of that attack, William had lost some health, but he hadn't been Devirtualized.
Due to not having a weapon, Aelita used her Energy Fields to destroy the Bloks near her. In the process, she wound up causing two of them to destroy each other. When one fired at her, the pink-haired teen used her wings to fly out of the way. After that, she fired a few more Energy Fields, destroying the Bloks that her teammates had missed. It was right on time, as Yumi would've been Devirtualized if she hadn't acted. With a majority of the Bloks destroyed, Aelita let out a sigh of relief.
"Head to the Tower, Aelita!" Yumi spoke. "We'll handle it!"
Nodding her head, Aelita flew towards the Tower, intent on deactivating it as quickly as she could. In the process, Ulrich, Yumi, William and Louise fought whatever monsters they could. However, Louise was knocked back by a Blok's laser. Soon after, a few more lasers were fired at the nine-year-old, Devirtualizing her. This left Ulrich, Yumi and William to fend off the Bloks by themselves, all while Aelita headed for the Tower. If they were Devirtualized, it did not matter, given how Aelita could still stop the attack as long as she was still on Lyoko.
A Scanner came open in the lab, revealing Louise on the inside. She staggered out, but was caught by Tina. Once she had gotten her sister out of the Scanner, the thirteen-year-old had Gene approach her with Bob's phone. He was intent on having his younger sibling speak with their late grandmother.
"Hey, Louise, guess who's on the phone!" Gene spoke.
"I know, our late grandma." Louise said.
"Are you Louise?" Lily's voice came out of the phone.
"Yes, Grandma Lily, I'm Louise." The nine-year-old said. "Nice to finally speak to you, even through you're dead."
"I wish things had been different as well, sweetie!" The deceased Belcher spoke. "Tell me, who else is with you?"
"I already introduced myself, Jeremy and Sissi!" Odd stated.
"Well," Louise said, "aside from my family and the other three, there's Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, William Dunbar and Aelita Stones."
"Stern?" Lily's voice spoke. "That surname sounds familiar, but I don't know where I've heard it before. As for Aelita, her name also sounds familiar, but I cannot put my finger on as to where I first heard it."
As everyone was preoccupied with the voice of the deceased Lily Belcher, Jeremy watched as Aelita entered the Tower. She was going to deactivate it at any moment, which meant that the mission would finally be finished. However, something still puzzled Jeremy's mind. Would deactivating the Tower cause Lily's voice to fade away? Would she still be contacting everyone through Bob's phone? The Lyoko Warriors would find out once the Tower was taken care of.
The moment Aelita entered the Tower, she flew up to the top panel. She accessed the data within the structure, allowing her to enter Code: LYOKO. After that, the Tower had been deactivated, with the light on the top turning from red to white. Jeremy decided not to trigger a Return To The Past, thinking that X.A.N.A's attack hadn't done a tremendous amount of damage. He had Ulrich, Yumi, William and Aelita Devirtualize, as the mission was done. That, and the spectacled blonde wanted to know what was about to happen next.
Once everyone was back on Earth, Jeremy had them stay quiet, curious as to what was going to happen next.
"So, Mom, everyone's here in the lab." Bob spoke. "Is there something you have to say to them?"
"Thank you, everyone, for fixing what was up with the world!" Lily's voice spoke. "Unfortunately, I have to return to my grave, as everything is back to normal."
"Mother Belcher, wait!" Linda spoke. "Before you go, is there anything else that you can tell us?"
"I cannot say too much, but one of the teens tutoring your children is related to you." The deceased Belcher said. "I want to say who it is, but something is preventing me from doing so. Goodbye, everyone! Bob, tell your father that I miss him!"
Once the call had ended, the Belchers and the Lyoko Warriors decided to leave the factory. They split up for the evening, promising to see each other around. When they had gotten home, the Belchers had dinner and carried on until it was time for bed. As they went to bed, Bob and Linda had a conversation about what they had heard from the spirit of Lily Belcher.
"So, one of our kids' tutors is related to me?" Bob spoke.
"And your mother knew Aelita." Linda said. "Or did she only hear her name?"
"It's weird." He said. "What's more is that Mom couldn't tell me which one was our relative. Who could it be?"
"Well, we can rule out Yumi and Jeremy." She said. "Should we rule out Aelita as well?"
"That would leave Ulrich, Odd, William and Sissi. God, that girl should change her name."
"Hopefully, we'll be able to figure it out. If not, then we're at a loss."
"I guess I could have the kids provide me some DNA that I can take to a doctor. Maybe that we'll tell me who's related to us."
Linda had fallen asleep, leaving Bob alone with his thoughts. He had trouble falling asleep, primarily due to the information that his mother had given him through the phone. Which Lyoko Warrior was his relative? Would said Warrior know that he was related to him? By tomorrow, the restauranteur would have to do some research, as the thought plagued his mind. Even if he wanted to put it aside, Bob couldn't rest until he got the answer he wanted to know.
Note: Looks like the Belchers have a new enigma. Which of the Lyoko Warriors is the family's distant relative? How would they react to the news? What evil plan could X.A.N.A have in store for our heroes? Can they stop him in the next mission? Will there be a large amount of untold damage?
In case you're wondering about what Sissi said, I imagine Bob's mother, Lily, being voiced by Lisa Lougheed. Don't ask why, but I think her voice would fit.
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!