Note: Happy New Year, everyone! As we say goodbye to last year, we welcome the new year. In the process, we await what will happen in the new year, wondering if it will be better than the last one, or worse. For me, it all depends on what happens. Of course, anyone could be like that, and their hopes and/or fears could be true or false. Either way, it all depends on what happens during the next year.
Anyway, back to the story, things are going to be much harder. The Lyoko Warriors adding more people to the team does not exactly equal easier missions. In fact, it could mean that X.A.N.A has more targets for his attacks. Even if those who had been added to the supercomputer, that doesn't mean that everyone else can be saved. With that in mind, the team is going to have to work to protect the people of Earth from X.A.N.A's powers.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter thirteen.
Chapter 13: Experimenting
It had been a day since Linda was added to the supercomputer, and the Belchers were hesitant about her helping out during a mission. While she was capable of doing anything, facing off against an evil AI was much different. The Belcher family had faced death on numerous occasions, but that was all before they learned about Lyoko and X.A.N.A. Even if they fought against whatever came their way, that didn't mean that everyone could go to Lyoko. As far as Tina, Gene, and Louise knew, only children and teenagers could be Virtualized. If adults could be Virtualized, then Jeremy would have told them by now.
As the family hung around their home, they thought about what they would do during the next mission. If possible, Bob and Linda would have to fight off someone if X.A.N.A had managed to possess them. If there was something else the computer program had in mind, then it would probably be something that no one would be able to stop until Aelita deactivated a Tower. That being said, it would be better for the Belchers to be together during a X.A.N.A attack, as one of them could be targeted or possessed. A wiser decision would be for Bob and Linda to be in the lab with Jeremy, but that wouldn't happen on account of the restaurant being open. Of course, that was unless someone would be willing to run it.
Jeremy was at the factory, looking over the data he had collected on Tina, Gene, and Louise. He noticed that none of them seemed to have an ability outside of their weapons. As such, the spectacled blonde began to work on giving them a power to help them on Lyoko. Looking at their avatars, and working with what he knew about the Belcher siblings, he picked the powers that fit each of them. In the process, the teen worked to give their weapons an update, knowing that the kids couldn't use them forever. After all, X.A.N.A was bound to introduce a new monster, one that was indestructible like the Scyphozoa.
After working on the Belcher kids' avatars, Jeremy moved onto Sissi's. She was still new to being on Lyoko, having not been on as many missions as her teammates. With that in mind, the brunette's avatar needed an update so that she could help the Lyoko Warriors more. Looking into it, Jeremy immediately gave her a power that would suit her best. The spectacled blonde then watched as the updates he made changed the avatars on screen. By the next mission, Sissi, Tina, Gene, and Louise would have new powers and stronger weapons.
Before leaving the factory, Jeremy thought about Bob and Linda being on the team. As far as he knew, adults could not be Virtualized onto Lyoko. The only one who had done so was Franz Hopper, and he wound up being stuck on there with Aelita. In fact, the creator of Lyoko had not gained an avatar when he was Virtualized, so it was doubtful that the Belcher parents would gain one as well. Knowing what became of the late genius, Jeremy didn't want to risk Bob and Linda going to Lyoko, lest they die at the hands of X.A.N.A. Aelita's grief for her father was bad enough, so he didn't want to see Tina, Gene, and Louise mourning their parents as well. Closing up the factory, Jeremy put the thought of Bob and Linda going to Lyoko out of his mind, finding it too dangerous.
The next day, the Lyoko Warriors were in the cafeteria, looking over the papers they were supposed to grade. Jeremy, Ulrich, and Odd didn't have to worry about it so much, given how they rarely gave out worksheets. As for the others, they graded the papers they had, looking in the books to check and see if each answer was right. While Aelita was skimming through each worksheet like there was no tomorrow, Yumi, William, and Sissi were taking their time. Needless to say, they were dumbfounded by some of the worksheets they graded. While some of the students managed to get a good grade, there were some who got grades so bad, it would take a miracle to keep them out of a remedial class.
"Gee, you think that they would just have some of these students retake these!" Sissi said.
"If not outright have them put in the special classes." William stated.
"Either way, some of these students need to improve or be sent to other schools." Yumi spoke.
"And to think," Odd stated, "we've gone from being graded to giving grades."
"That's either ironic or poetic." Ulrich said.
"Neither of you have to grade papers, considering what you do." Sissi said. "Do you mind trading places with me sometime?"
"Depends on how much work we have to do." Odd said. "Of course, I don't really have to do anything."
"You know, grading these worksheets reminds me of something I was doing in the lab." Jeremy spoke. "I updated Sissi's avatar, along with the Belchers'."
"Why, thank you Jeremy!" Sissi said.
"Did you really need to update the other three?" Ulrich asked.
"Tina wasn't going to get by much longer with that staff of hers." Jeremy said. "Besides, Gene's blaster and Louise's knives were bound to backfire at some point."
"Hopefully, your updates increase the power of their weapons," Odd said, "because they often had a risk-versus-reward situation going on."
"And what about the Fire Sector?" Aelita asked. "Will we be able to protect from it in the future?"
"So far, I haven't been able to find a way to make your avatars able to withstand the Fire Sector's devastating heat." Jeremy stated. "We'll have to have more missions there for me to work it out."
Tina, Gene and Louise approached the Lyoko Warriors, apparently having been dismissed from their classes. Seeing their students/teammates nearby, the team stopped what they were doing and decided to speak with them.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Tina asked.
"Grading papers." Yumi said.
"Why are you here?" Aelita said. "It's not time for lunch yet."
"We just came to see you for a second." Louise said.
"If you're grading one of my quizzes, I better get a good grade!" Gene said.
"That depends on if you got a high score." Yumi said.
"Anyway, if you're interested in knowing," Jeremy spoke, "I updated your avatars on Lyoko."
"Really? How?" Louise asked.
"I gave you better weapons and powers that I feel would fit you." The spectacled blonde said.
"And I got updated, too." Sissi said.
"Hey, you guys should get to your next class!" Ulrich said. "You don't have long before the next bell rings."
"Okay." Louise groaned.
"Time for this cowboy to saddle up somewhere else!" Gene said.
"Gene." Ulrich said, rolling his eyes.
"Bye!" Tina said, walking out of the cafeteria.
Once the Belcher siblings were out of the cafeteria, the Lyoko Warriors knew that the bell would ring at any moment. The moment it did, they left the cafeteria and went to give the papers they had graded to the teachers of the classes they were tutoring in. Ulrich and Odd were the only ones not to do so, as they were in charge of tutoring gym class and detention respectively. For now, they had to split up, going to the classes they tutored in. If a X.A.N.A attack broke out, then they would have to meet up and go to the factory. That was unless one of them was incapacitated.
At the restaurant, Bob and Linda were working, serving customers and cooking food. They were also careful enough to keep an eye out for anything X.A.N.A could be behind. If an attack was happening, then they would either call one of the Lyoko Warriors, or the team would call them. Linda was actually looking forward to a mission, as she wanted to see the supercomputer in action again. Bob only wanted to help out, even though (as he knew) he couldn't be Virtualized onto Lyoko. The same went for Linda, assuming that Jeremy couldn't find a way to send grownups into the supercomputer.
"Awful busy today." Linda said.
"It's good for the restaurant, though." Bob spoke.
"Do you think they'll call us when there's something wrong?" She asked. "Or should we call them?"
"They'll probably call us." He said. "Usually, when X.A.N.A is up to something, Jeremy calls and asks for the kids."
"Well, they're all in school now, so it makes sense for him to call us."
"Yeah. We should probably get back to work. I'm still working on that order you gave me."
Walking away from Bob for now, Linda went to attend to the customers. She collected money, picked up dishes, and even spoke to some of them. As she did that, Bob continued to work at the grill, cooking the orders he had received. He hoped that a X.A.N.A attack would happen when the restaurant wasn't open, as he couldn't waste a day of business to go to the factory with the kids and their tutors. Linda would likely be the one to head to the factory, as she had the least amount of work to do compared to her husband. Of course, knowing X.A.N.A, nothing would be that simple.
Back at Wagstaff, Yumi was grading the biology papers she had gotten from the students. William had left the room to grade the papers he had received from the students in health class. Once she had gotten done grading, the brunette heard a buzzing sound coming from her pocket. Knowing that this was her phone, she decided to see what the deal was. At first, the teen thought that this was someone in the team, primarily Jeremy. However, her assumption would be proven wrong when she selected the Messages icon on her phone.
Let's see how much you know about biology. What are the four lobes of the brain and what are they in charge of? You will not be leaving the room until you answer me. You have twenty minutes.
-X.A.N.A
Upon receiving the message, Yumi went to open the door. However, much to her shock, it had been locked. The brunette had just received the message from X.A.N.A, so there was no way he could've locked it beforehand. Of course, knowing the AI, he could've done anything to keep her away from her teammates. With that in mind, the teen knew she had to message them, even if it was the last thing she would do. Looking for Jeremy's number, she dialed it and waited for him to answer.
"Hello?" Jeremy's voice came out of the phone.
"Jeremy," Yumi spoke, "X.A.N.A's locked me in the biology room, and he's not going to let me out unless I name the four lobes of the brain and what their functions are!"
"Want me to get someone who can let you out?" The spectacled blonde asked.
"No, I'll be fine." The brunette said. "I just need to find a book on the brain! You get the others and head to the factory, okay?"
The moment that call ended, Yumi went to look for a book on human biology. A few were on the bookcase, while others were on a shelf. However, there were only three discussing the biology of the human body. One was on bones, another was on the organs, and the third one was about the body in-general. With no time to waste, she grabbed all three, and took them to a desk. Yumi opened the book on organs first, hoping that she would find the answer to X.A.N.A's message.
Louise walked out of her class, intent on going to the next one. That was until she saw Jeremy walking towards her. He seemed worried, as if something bad was currently happening. With that in mind, it wasn't hard to assume that there was a X.A.N.A attack, and someone was in trouble.
"Hey, Jeremy." Louise spoke.
"Louise, we need to head to the factory!" Jeremy said.
"Why?" The nine-year-old asked. "What's wrong?"
"Yumi's been locked in the biology room by X.A.N.A," the teen said, "and he's not going to let her out until she answers a question!"
"Are you sure we can't bash the door open?" The brunette asked.
"Knowing X.A.N.A, he'll use any tactic to stop us from doing so." The spectacled blonde said. "We can't risk it!"
"I'll go get Tina and Gene!" She said. "You go get the others!"
Louise and Jeremy split up, intent on gathering their teammates (sans Yumi). They needed to get to the factory as quickly as possible. Yumi was in trouble and they needed to get to Lyoko and deactivate the Tower before something bad happened to her. X.A.N.A said that he would let her out if she answered the question, but it was possible that he was lying to the brunette. Chances are, the AI was going to kill her if she answered the question or not. With that in mind, the Lyoko Warriors had to hurry.
As the customers dwindled inside the restaurant, Bob and Linda were just about ready to close up for the day. That was until Linda received a call on her cellphone, which caused her to take it out of her pocket. By looking at it, the woman could see that the caller was Jeremy. Hoping that nothing bad was happening, she answered it.
"Hey, Jeremy." Linda spoke into the phone.
"Mom, it's Gene!" Gene's voice came out of the phone. "I'm using Jeremy's phone to tell you we're going to the lab! Yumi's trapped in the biology room at Wagstaff and we need to get to Lyoko before something bad happens!"
"Gene, honey, I'll be at the lab in a little bit!" She said before ending the call.
Hanging up her phone, Linda spoke to Bob before she went to the lab.
"Well, their biology tutor's stuck in the room." Linda said. "Should we call the firemen?"
"Lin, if Gene's going to the lab with the others, then it's a X.A.N.A attack." Bob spoke. "He must've locked Yumi in the biology room."
"How can he do that?" She asked. "Isn't he just an AI?"
"He's not like any ordinary AI!" He said. "He's capable of all sorts of things, such as causing bathrooms to flood with an invisible liquid that can kill you!"
"So that dream where I almost died was true?!"
"It really happened, until Jeremy triggered the Return To The Past!"
"Can you hold down the fort while I'm gone? I told Gene I would be at the lab in a little bit."
"There aren't a whole lot of customers left, so I'll do what I can. Get down to the lab, they're probably waiting on you!"
Running out of the restaurant, Linda went to get in the car. Once she got in, she kicked it into gear and began to drive in the direction of the factory. The Belcher matriarch made it to the boardwalk in no time, getting out to rush to the factory, intent on meeting up with the others. She bypassed the games and food stands, finding where the carnies resided. Going through that area, Linda approached the old dog food factory. Knowing that the Lyoko Warriors were likely inside, she entered the building.
In the lab, Jeremy got the Scanners ready for operation. The Tower that had been activated was in the Desert Sector, so all he needed was to link the Scanners to the coordinates of the Sector. Aelita was inside one of them, so she was ready to get the mission done. Whoever was going with her had not been decided yet, so Jeremy couldn't Virtualize the pink-haired teen. The Lyoko Warriors had no time to lose, as Yumi was locked in the biology room and X.A.N.A wouldn't release her unless she answered the question he asked her. None of them believed the malignant computer program would fulfill that promise, given his track record.
"Alright, Tina, Gene, Louise, head for the Scanners!" Jeremy spoke. "Time to put your new weapons and powers to the test!"
"Want anyone else to go with them, Jeremy?" Ulrich asked.
"They should be able to handle it," the spectacled blonde said, "just as long as Aelita gets to the Tower!"
Upon stepping into the Scanners, the Belcher children waited to be Virtualized with Aelita. Once they were inside, Jeremy began the Virtualization process, starting with the Transfer sequence. Moving to the next part of the process, the spectacled blonde made sure that they would end up in the Desert Sector. Luckily, the coordinates were right, so no errors would occur during the Virtualization. When the process was finally complete, Tina, Gene, Louise and Aelita were sent into Lyoko. Jeremy watched as they were localized into their destination, hoping that they would get the mission done in time.
Inside the biology room, Yumi was flipping through a book on the organs, trying to find the four lobes of the brain. As the first chapter was on the appendix, it wasn't hard for her to get through it. The brunette soon turned to the chapter on the brain. With that in mind, she needed to find a page that showed the brain's sections. She turned page after page, with each being about the medulla oblongata, the cerebellum, white matter and gray matter. Eventually, Yumi ended up on the page about the four lobes.
Taking out a piece of paper and a pencil, Yumi began to write down the brain's four lobes and their function. She did it quickly, due to not knowing how much time was left for X.A.N.A to accept it. Once the brunette was done, she took out her phone and responded to the AI's message. As an addition, she said where they were located.
Frontal lobe: Controls thinking, memory, behavior and movement. Located on the front of the brain.
Temporal lobe: Controls hearing, learning and feelings. Located on the brain's side.
Parietal lobe: Controls language and touch. Located on the back of the brain.
Occipital lobe: Controls sight. Located under the parietal lobe and above the cerebellum.
Sending the message to X.A.N.A, Yumi waited for him to respond. Luckily, she had answered his question in time, which meant that the AI would have to let her out of the biology room. The phone buzzed, meaning that Yumi had been messaged back. As such, the brunette picked it up and looked at her notifications, finding a new one. Without hesitation, she read it.
I am not letting you out of the room just yet. Did you really think that there wasn't a catch to this? For your remaining time, I would like for you to name the first person to perform brain surgery.
-X.A.N.A
Upon seeing that, Yumi could not help but gasp. Naming the four lobes of the brain and their function was one thing, but this? Of course X.A.N.A would choose a subject that no person would get. The AI had always wanted to kill the Lyoko Warriors, so he was now capable of doing so. With the remainder of her time, Yumi decided to not let him get the better of her. She continued to flip through the chapter on the brain, intent on finding the person who X.A.N.A was referring to.
On Lyoko, Tina, Gene and Louise were running through the Desert Sector, while Aelita was flying above them. The Tower was far from them, but that didn't mean they couldn't find it. Given how Lyoko was, there were undoubtedly monsters waiting for them. If so, then the Belcher children had the opportunity to test out the new powers that Jeremy had given them. Even if they got the chance, that didn't mean that they should play around with them. With Yumi locked up at Wagstaff, they needed to get the Tower deactivated as quickly as possible.
As they ran towards the Tower, Aelita and the Belcher siblings were intent on getting it out of the way. However, that was until Gene was knocked down by an enemy attack. It wasn't enough to Devirtualize him, but it damaged him by a bit. Tina helped him to his feet, allowing her siblings to see what was attacking. It was a spider-like creature with blasters on its front legs and the Eye of X.A.N.A on its face. By looking at it, the kids could tell that it was different from the other monsters (except for the Scyphozoa and the Chiropteran).
"What the hell is that?" Louise asked.
"It's a Tarantula!" Aelita warned. "Be careful, they're quite tough!"
"Hopefully, our new powers can defeat it!" Gene said.
"Jeremy, what are our new powers?" Tina asked.
"You've got the ability to freeze your enemies, Tina." Jeremy's voice rang out. "Gene, you're able to create traps by thinking about them. As for you, Louise, you can teleport. The updates to your weapons will be obvious when you use them."
"Can't wait to use them!" Louise said.
As the Tarantula approached them, Tina, Gene and Louise decided to take out their weapons. Now that they were updated, they had been changed significantly. Tina's staff was now a naginata, its blade practically shining in the Desert Sector. Gene's blaster not only increased in size, but he had gained an additional one. Louise's throwing knives were still with her, but she had gained a machete. The Belcher siblings got in combative stances, ready to take on the Tarantula.
Using her ice power, Tina stopped the Tarantula in its tracks. That gave Gene the chance to use his blasters on the creature. However, instead of destroying it, the blasts freed it. As such, Louise ran towards X.A.N.A's monster, aiming her machete at its weak spot. Once she hit it, the Tarantula exploded. With it gone, the kids were ready to take a break, knowing that Aelita was almost at the Tower.
Before Aelita could enter the Tower, a laser blast knocked her down. Another Tarantula stepped out, joined by a few Bloks. Seeing them, Louise signaled for Aelita to enter the Tower while she and her siblings handled it outside. In fact, she had Gene fire at the Bloks, destroying one of them. Tina ran towards another and swung her staff. She failed to destroy the Blok, but she did get its attention.
Deciding to test out her new powers, Louise thought about appearing behind the Tarantula and hitting the Eye of X.A.N.A on its head. Sure enough, she was engulfed in a flash of light and wound up appearing behind the monster. Using her machete, the nine-year-old struck the Tarantula's weak spot. This was an instant hit, as the creature exploded into pieces. Louise was thrown to the ground by the explosion, receiving some damage from it. Luckily, it wasn't enough to Devirtualize her.
In the lab, the Lyoko Warriors were overlooking the progress of the mission. With Aelita in the Tower, all that was needed was for her to deactivate it. Once that was out of the way, Yumi would be released from the biology room. Jeremy felt as though a Return To The Past wasn't needed. X.A.N.A's attack hadn't done any major damage, outside of locking Yumi up. By the time the Tower had been deactivated, the problem would be out of the way.
The door to the lab came open, followed by a familiar voice.
"Hi, everyone!" Linda's voice rang out.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Belcher." Odd greeted.
Linda walked up to the supercomputer, all while Jeremy was seeing how Aelita and the kids were doing. The cards for each showed how much damage each of them had taken. While Tina and Gene had full health, Aelita and Louise had chunks of it missing. In Louise's case, she was almost out of health. One more hit, and she would be sent back to Earth.
"So, am I late to watch any monster slaying?" Linda asked.
"Actually, you're right on time." Jeremy spoke. "Louise just took out a Tarantula."
"I hope the kids are doing alright." The brunette said.
"They are, but Louise will be Devirtualized if she takes one more hit." The spectacled blonde said. "Don't worry, Aelita's about to deactivate the Tower!"
"Let's hope so!" The woman said.
Walking to the middle of a platform, Aelita found herself levitating to the one above. Once she got there, the pink-haired teen was greeted by a holographic screen. Putting her hand on it, she was able to access the Tower's data. The teen then put in Code: LYOKO, managing to deactivate the structure. As that happened, the light on the Tower changed from red to white, meaning that X.A.N.A's attack had ended. It happened just as Gene destroyed a Blok.
Now that the Tower had been deactivated, Aelita and the Belcher kids were ready to be Devirtualized. Jeremy immediately went to do so, typing in codes and getting the Scanners ready. Linda watched as this happened, seeing the structures close and fill with steam. Once they opened again, Tina, Gene, Louise and Aelita stepped out. They were all exhausted, but relieved that the mission was done. All that was left to do was to check if Yumi was alright.
Back at Wagstaff, Yumi was writing down the answer to X.A.N.A's question, having only five minutes to spare. That was until she heard the lock to the door move. Heading to it, the brunette turned the knob, finding that she could open it now. With that in mind, the teen knew that Aelita managed to deactivate the Tower. If it hadn't been for the pink-haired teen, then she probably would've been quizzed until time ran out, giving X.A.N.A the opportunity to do what he wanted with her. Now that the mission was done, Yumi took out her phone and contacted Jeremy.
"It's me." Yumi spoke into her phone. "Yeah, the door's been unlocked. Hopefully, I'll be able to give these papers out tomorrow."
The next day, Tina was in her biology class, waiting for her test back. Yumi had been grading them, and likely wouldn't have been able to finish doing so if X.A.N.A had won against the Lyoko Warriors. As such, Tina figured that the teen would give her a good grade, given how Jeremy had filled her in about the mission. By the time she had gotten the paper, however, the thirteen-year-old saw that she had gotten a B-. It wasn't the best grade she could have received, but she accepted it. After all, it was better than getting something lower, like an F or D.
Yumi met up with the others after class, talking about how X.A.N.A had messaged not only her, but also Odd. Clearly, the AI was trying to play games with them to keep them away from his evil plans. As such, the team agreed to keep an open eye for any additional messages from him. Yumi and Odd had already been contacted and challenged by the enemy, so it could be anyone next. No matter who got messaged, they decided that it would not keep them from fighting X.A.N.A.
Note: Now that X.A.N.A's directly challenging the Lyoko Warriors to games, who will he message next? Will he only focus on the team or will the Belcher family be challenged as well? What could the AI's next dark plan be? Can the team defeat him before he succeeds? Will the rest of the team get new powers? Will Bob and Linda be Virtualized at some point?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!
