A/N: Here is the next installment of my Jerlita Roleswap AU. Hope you all enjoy it~
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko in any way, shape, or form.
Note: Remember, any episodes not mentioned either as the inspiration for a chapter or just in passing are not part of the AU, mainly because the roleswap makes them useless, and those only mentioned in passing are just filler and/or would be the same no matter who has what role.
Beta read by swordsdownforreview
Some people want Jérémie to start driving the Skid more. Well, here you go. By the way, there's a reason for the roles I put the characters in. Just be patient.
!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!
"XANA manages to alter the path of a comet, which threatens to crash into the academy, thus endangering the lives of Yumi and William's class, along with Hiroki and Johnny's."
Episode 51: Celestial Body
(Based on Hot Shower)
In outer space, a large comet was getting closer and closer to the planet named Earth.
It had its own trajectory, unaware that a certain artificial intelligence was planning to use it for its own goals...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The Digital Sea was a nice, calming blue color today as Jérémie piloted the Skid through the waters.
"Alright, I'm uploading the program over to you," Aelita informed him, at the controls this time. "With this, the Skid's sonar should be able to differentiate biosignals from the rest of the computer code in the Digital Sea."
Jérémie received said program just two seconds later, "Got it. Program received and activated."
"So you two think," Odd interrupted, curious, "that with this, we'll be able to find where XANA is making Michel and Sophie hide themselves from it, essentially keeping them prisoner?"
"Let's hope so," Aelita replied. "It's the best chance we have of bringing them back to the real world."
"Ah, I see now," Odd said. "Since we're searching for your parents, it's no wonder that you're piloting the Skid today, Jérémie, instead of Aelita. I didn't know we were taking turns."
"Odd, knock it off," Ulrich warned.
"What? There was no insult there!"
"No, but sometimes, you're a bit too much," the samurai finished.
Odd feigned offense, "Only sometimes?! I must be slipping!"
Though they couldn't see it, Aelita was gently rolling her eyes, "Anybody can pilot the Skid, Odd. You just have to study my notes in depth before you're allowed behind the controls."
Jérémie cut in here, mostly to change the subject, "You know, I kind of envy Yumi and William. I wouldn't mind being in their shoes today."
"Are you kidding?" was Ulrich's response. "Helping run the outdoor science lab with eighth graders isn't exactly Yumi's idea of fun. Nor is William too keen on being around Hiroki right now."
"Oh, come on!" Jérémie playfully protested. "I bet they're loving it!"
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
They weren't, in fact, loving it, judging by the unamused expressions on both of their faces, as they stood on the sports field with their twelfth grade class and the eighth graders while listening to Ms. Hertz lecture on.
Their teacher was standing next to a large, yellow sphere, talking using a megaphone, "To mark the exceptional event of the comet VG-724's passage near Earth, we are going to build a giant mock-up of the solar system to plot its path and better understand its periodic extrasolar orbit. Behind me is a scale model of our sun, as you can see. What you're going to do now is create eight planets which will orbit around it, so we'll break off into different teams, with each team responsible for one planet and its orbit. Eighth graders will make their planets to scale, where as the twelfth graders will have the responsibility..."
Yumi's attention was captured by Johnny as the boy gently nudged her arm, "Uh, Yumi, I'd really like to be on your team."
"What?!" Hiroki heard him. "No way! Not if it means I have to be on a team with him!" He jerked a thumb to William, who was standing at Yumi's side, now with an exasperated expression on his face.
Yumi just wagged a finger, "Sorry, Johnny, that's not up to me. It's up to Ms. Hertz."
Said teacher had just finished explaining everything. "Are there any questions?" she asked, still using the megaphone.
Johnny waved his arms, as he loudly asked, "Ma'am, can I be on Yumi's team, please?"
Yumi frowned as other students began laughing.
To her dread, Ms. Hertz's answer was quick and disappointing, "Alright, Mr. Cleary, but don't let me catch you clowning around with Mr. Ishiyama."
Johnny winked as he gave the teacher a thumbs-up. He then turned to Yumi, "This is gonna be a lot of fun, huh?"
Yumi gave a small, bored smile in return, as William just offered her a smile of sympathy while ignoring the glare Hiroki was giving him.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Aelita was keeping an eye on the comet VG-724 today mainly for Jérémie's sake. Knowing his fascination with all things outer space likely came from his trauma of being trapped inside his room when sick with that tumor, she had volunteered to keep track of it for him whenever he was unable to.
She was watching a news broadcast while she worked, and the screen had a picture of the comet in the top corner.
The female newsreader was saying, "The mass and velocity of the comet known as VG-724 are so great, that striking the Earth would provoke an explosion equivalent to a thousand atomic bombs. Subsequent earthquakes and tsunamis would destroy the world's major cities. Atmosphere debris would block out the sun in a long night lasting two centuries. Consequently, this would spell mass extinction for flora and fauna, and the entire human race. Now, of course, there's no risk of this happening, since the comet will pass no closer than, um, well, two million kilometers from our planet. We have also been informed by highly confidential sources that the government operates a secret military satellite armed with laser cannons, sufficiently powerful to be able to alter the course of any interstellar threat such as this."
The image changed from the comet to a satellite that Aelita was very aware existed. After all, XANA had taken control of one of those satellites once.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The radar in front of Jérémie was flashing red, as it was picking up a red blip heading towards them.
"The detection spectrum is honing in," he reported. "The sonar is picking up a faint trace of digital DNA in the area. It might be..." His breath caught in his throat.
Fortunately, Ulrich finished for him, "Your parents? Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!"
Right. If there was a chance, he had to take it. "Okay," the elf replied, before tilting the joysticks forward.
As the Skid accelerated, Jérémie heard Odd comment, "I hope it's them, Jer. I really do."
A normal life like the one they had before Lyoko, before the tumor, was impossible—Jérémie was well aware of that. So, just a send-off, or a blessing, anything for closure...that was enough for him. Anything was better than nothing.
The elf sighed, "So do I..."
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jim was helping now, manning a wheelbarrow full of various supplies, such as paint, brushes, stakes, and so on, as Ms. Hertz handed out envelopes to a member of each group—the assignments. There was a general chatter among the students as they all grouped up after receiving their assignments and supplies.
Yumi and Johnny had also been partnered up with William and Hiroki, much to the latter's dismay.
Johnny opened their envelope and gawked at their assignment, "Wow! Too cool! Guess what? We get to do Earth!"
"Yeah, great," was an unenthused Yumi's response. "This is our lucky day."
"Earth and the moon," Hiroki corrected, after looking at their paper. He turned to William, "You already want to ruin my sister's relationship with Ulrich. Don't you dare ruin this!"
"Ulrich and Yumi are two of my dearest friends," William flatly replied, because he had been saying this for the past hour and a half. "The last thing I want to do is to ruin their relationship." Besides, he had Laura to pine for.
Hiroki didn't say anything, just motioning to William with his fingers and eyes, 'I'm watching you.'
Yumi leaned in to William, whispering in his ear, "I'm sorry about my brother." William just shrugged it off. He could handle it. "And to think Jérémie wanted to take our place." But this project was solely for the eighth and twelfth graders, and Jérémie was an eleventh grader—neither, to his disappointment.
William whispered back, "I'd gladly let him take our place if today's mission with the Skid wasn't to locate his parents on the network."
Yumi couldn't help but nod in agreement here. Jérémie was a fan of stellar phenomenon, yes, but his desire to find his parents far outweighed that excitement.
"Now," Ms. Hertz spoke through the megaphone again, still next to the sun, "don't forget that the sun here should be the center of your calculated orbits. Eighth graders, make sure you note your planetary scale in relation to the sun. And don't forget: this exercise will be graded and will count towards your grade for the term. Now, get to work!"
Jim walked over to her and took the megaphone out of her hands, "Just a second, Suzanne. I have an important safety announcement to make." He placed the megaphone to his mouth, amplifying his voice, "Now, about the poles," the students stopped what they were doing and looked up at Jim, who was holding up a thin metal pole, "I'd like to call your attention to an important technical aspect: they have two ends! One is pointy and sharp—that's the one that you put into the ground. If you try to do it the other way, you might hurt yourself pushing on the pointy end."
With some muffled laughter and quiet chatter, the students went back to work. Sandra Dialo ran past and grabbed the pole out of Jim's hand, "Come on! You'd have to be an idiot not to figure that out!", before heading back to her partner, Samantha Knight.
The joke was on Jim, as the palm of his now empty hand was covered with a bandage. He and Ms. Hertz looked at it before he sheepishly hid it behind his back, embarrassed, and cleared his throat.
Ms. Hertz almost rolled her eyes, "Is that so?" Almost.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
In the Desert Sector stood a tower at the bottom of a spiral crater, with only a small platform at the bottom to hold said tower, but no other ground. The tower's halo turned from white to red as pulsations raced towards it...
The superscan picked up the change in control right away.
Aelita rolled her eyes, annoyed, "Why now?! Why can't we just go on an exploratory mission in peace for once, XANA?!" She sighed, "Fine, I'll bite. What do you have in store for us this time?"
XANA's answer was orbiting the military satellite as mentioned earlier on the news, before aiming its laser at something, before opening up in preparation to fire. As the comet VG-724 approached, the satellite fired at it, creating a large explosion.
A few small pieces of debris fell to Earth, followed by a larger piece, and then the bulk of the comet...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
"Sorry, Jérémie," Aelita cut through the blue-colored waters filled with hope that the Skid was traveling through. "You're needed back on Lyoko, on the double. Activated tower in the Desert Sector."
Ulrich immediately shook his head, unimpressed, "Of course. Should've known that XANA wouldn't let us explore in peace."
Jérémie just sighed, "Got it, Aelita. I'm turning around." Reluctantly, he turned on the propellers and served the ship in a 180 degree turn, going in the opposite direction.
He'd just have to find his parents another day.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The students had started setting up stakes and rope fences around the model of the sun. William was waiting by the spot designated for their planet, Earth, and the moon, as Yumi walked away from the sun, taking very deliberate and measured steps while looking at a notebook in her hands. William had his own notebook, which he was glancing down at as he mentally counting the steps Yumi took.
Once she returned, he offered her a smile, "I think our measurements are good."
Before she could respond, Hiroki cut in, "Okay, I'm done!" The two glanced over at him, and saw that he was spinning on his index finger an oval-shaped model of a planet that was painting red with white splotches. "What do you think of my Earth?"
Beside him, Johnny was balancing a model of the moon on top of his head. It was painted the right color, but it had a smiling face moulded into it as well as a flower attached to it. "Look, Yumi, I reached the moon for you! It's yours for the asking!" He then gave a short laugh, clearly thinking that he was clever for thinking of those puns.
"Um, Hiroki," William was trying his best to be polite, "doesn't the Earth have another name?"
"The blue planet, I know," Hiroki was sending a smirk in the elder boy's direction, however, as he spun the model on his finger. "I was using a little imagination, like if there was a Mars attack."
"No, you were just trying to get on my nerves."
The Japanese boy's smirk just got wider, "Was I? You have no proof of that."
Yumi sighed, before addressing the other younger boy, "Johnny, I appreciate the gesture, but do you really think anything can grow on the moon?" She was referring to the flower attached to the top.
"Well, no," Johnny replied, "but I figured it would be more poetic with–"
The only female in their group interrupted him, "Both of you start over and fix it!" She yelled at them so vehemently that the models were knocked to the ground amidst them being startled. She pointed to the side, where the paints and models were.
Hiroki pat Johnny's shoulder before leading him away, "Forget it. Imagination and poetry are wasted on them."
William was rubbing his temple to ease his oncoming headache, "Your brother is a menace. I don't think I can handle much more of this."
"Please, send us a miracle to get us out of this," Yumi muttered into her notebook. In that moment, her phone began to ring, and she picked it up without a second thought. "Hello? Yes, Aelita?" She looked up, smiling, "An activated tower?"
Beside her, William noticeably perked up as well. An activated tower meant an excuse to leave. And neither wanted anything else.
"Wow! Thank you, XANA!" Yumi never thought she'd say those words, sincerely.
On the other end, Aelita was rightfully confused, "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Yumi quickly shrugged off, pleased to have an excuse to get away from her annoying little brother and equally annoying friend. "William and I are on our way right now."
She then hung up, before she and her project partner walked right past Hiroki and Johnny, who were busy repainting their models, and ran off the field, towards the park passage.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The news report was still playing on Aelita's screen. Being live, the update here came in real time. "Some breaking news," the newsreader said. "It appears that the comet VG-724 has broken apart..."
This immediately piqued Aelita's interest. What? A comet that large just split up?
"...following a shot from a satellite, uh...uh..." The reporter put a finger in her ear, listening to an update. "Uh, for reasons yet unknown," she continued, becoming increasingly nervous. "Correction: uh...international observatories have now confirmed that all is well with the comet, and it will simply crash on, uh..." the woman dug through the papers on her desk at random, clearly looking for an out, "uh, nowhere! A-As you know it will pass very far from Earth. And anyway, we could always obliterate it with military satellites." She listened to her earpiece again. "Which, of course, don't exist. In fact, this is just a very clever April fool's joke from our producer!" Her papers scattered, as she grabbed the front of her dress shirt and nervously held it closed. "So that's it! Enjoy your afternoon and farewell–! I-I mean, see you tonight!" She laughed before the broadcast ended, as emphasized by the window closing out.
Aelita just narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Okay, first of all, it's not April. It's November. Second, 'broken apart following a shot from a military satellite for reasons yet unknown'. Something tells me that our friend XANA is responsible for everything going haywire." She leaned forward and began typing on the keyboard. "Let's see if we can make sense of all this gibberish."
She opened a 'Kiwi' web search (a search engine she and Jérémie had created together last autumn that helped keep XANA out of their searches), with the window featuring an animated picture of Kiwi waving a magnifying glass. She then typed in, 'orbital observation program, comet VG-724' and pressed enter.
The holomap was showing the Skid travelling back to Lyoko when she found what she was looking for, "Jérémie, I just figured out XANA's attack this time. It used a satellite to change the course of the comet, the one everyone's keeping track of." Including Jérémie himself. "It's going to create a meteor shower that will pour down on Earth."
"What?!" The elf was justifiably alarmed. "Are you sure?!"
"Well, according to my calculations," Aelita focused on the trajectory map, as it centered on France in particular, and then the region Paris was located in, "most of the meteorite should burn up completely in the atmosphere." The map zoomed in on Paris and then the area of Boulogne-Billancourt, where the school and factory were located. The factory stood out as a pink dot. "But there's a huge chunk coming behind it that will crash directly into..." She gasped, deeply troubled. "Oh, no! Into the factory!"
"What?!" Ulrich and Odd both asked in alarm.
"Aelita, you have to get out of the computer lab. Right now," Jérémie urged. "If I'm too slow..."
"There wouldn't be any point to that," the pink-ette replied. "I wouldn't get very far. Besides, I can't leave you guys all alone. If the factory is destroyed, you three will be stuck in the Digital Sea completely at XANA's mercy..." She tapped her finger against the armrest. "No, I need to stay here. Deactivating the tower is our only option." Anything to feel useful, and not just run away.
She had made up her mind, and the three guys knew that.
"Relax, Aelita!" Odd encouraged. "We'll get the job done in no time!"
"Yeah, but deactivating the tower alone isn't going to stop the meteorite from falling," Ulrich reminded them all.
"I know," Aelita solemnly replied. "This may be when we all find out for sure what happens when I launch a Return before the tower can be deactivated. Try not to let it get to that point, though."
"We'll try our best," Jérémie promised. "Full speed ahead." On the holomap, she saw the Skid increase its speed.
"You've got a hub bearing northwest of your position," she relayed, "under the databank shelf."
"Got it," the young genius steered the Skid in that direction. "Hub dead ahead."
Sure enough, it was in sight on the holomap.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Yumi and William were almost at the manhole when William's phone rang. He answered while running, ignoring how breathless he and Yumi were.
"Yes, Aelita?" A pause. "Yeah, we're on our way." He halted in his tracks when he heard her news. "What?!"
Yumi, when she heard the alarm in his voice, stopped as well, a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked.
William promptly put the call on speaker. "Did you say a meteorite, Aelita?" he asked, partly to make sure the pink-ette wasn't joking, but mainly for Yumi's benefit.
"Yes, a meteorite," they heard Aelita reply. "And considering its mass, it'll obliterate not only the factory but also the entire surrounding area, including the academy. The others are on their way back. They'll meet up with you two on Lyoko." A pause. "Yumi? William? Are you two there?"
Yumi looked like she was about to throw up. William worriedly watched her as she glanced back at the school. "Hiroki..." she whispered. She then took off towards Kadic without second thought.
"Hello?!" Aelita asked. "Answer me!"
"Sorry, 'Lita," William replied. "We have something very important to take care of first."
Yumi was right. Annoying as he was, Hiroki was still Yumi's brother, and thus her responsibility. And Johnny. And everybody else that was there. No one at Kadic knew the truth.
So it was up to them to ensure everyone's safety.
"But this is not the time!" Aelita protested. "Timing is crucial here! We need all hands on deck!"
"Sorry." He then hung up.
"Will–!" And cut her off.
But he didn't care. Not at the moment. He quickly caught up with Yumi, and she quickly noticed his presence.
"Only one of us needs to stay behind, William! Why aren't you heading to the factory?"
"Two heads are better than one, Yumes," he replied, as the two kept running back towards the sports field.
Her response was a soft, grateful smile.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The Skid was approaching the hub when Aelita asked, distressed, "Did...Did William and Yumi just hang up on me? In the middle of a crisis?!"
"Aelita," Ulrich softly explained, "the area surrounding the factory includes the academy. Yumi's brother is there, and she feels responsible for his safety."
The three guys could hear the realization in her voice, "That's right...they don't know about the meteor shower..." Their teachers, their classmates—someone had to warn them.
As the Skid approached the hub, the lighting suddenly turned red.
"Uh-oh," Odd asked, "that's bad, right?"
The Skid was suddenly surrounded by a series of glowing red rings, trapping the submarine inside a barrier and forcing it to halt in its tracks. Jérémie pushed the Skid against the front of the barrier, but it eventually snapped back like elastic under the strain.
Inside the ship, the lights flickered as an alarm went off, and the controls fizzled with electricity.
"Holy cow, what is this?" Odd asked, alarmed.
"A firewall," Jérémie replied, as he started tapping on the touch panel in the middle of his controls. "Obviously a gift from XANA. Hang on, I'll get us out."
A screen came up, showing the status of the Skid and its various components. All were flashing red. Jérémie pressed a button, and the Skid pressed against the front of the barrier again before being forced back.
"It's not working," he whispered. He then called out, slightly distressed, "Aelita? We've got a problem here..."
"I see it, Jérémie," she reassured him. "I'm already on it."
He didn't doubt it. He just hoped it didn't take too long.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The students had made progress on their scale model. A number of orbital circles had been set up around the model of the sun. Yumi and William ran back onto the field, before going their separate ways. Yumi headed towards Hiroki and Johnny.
At least they had made progress fixing their models. Hiroki's Earth was now purple with red splotches, and the flower was gone from Johnny's moon, as was the smiley face. Mostly.
"Hey, where'd you go?" Hiroki asked his sister. "Look, I painted over it with blue. Now look at this awful color."
She was panting as she replied to him, having run the whole way here. "Hiroki," she grabbed his shoulder, "I want you to go home right now, okay? Take Johnny with you, and I'll meet you there later."
"What?!" he exclaimed, before motioning to the people around them. "But what about everybody else?!"
"You heard me," she replied, strict and firm. "Go. Now."
"Hey, what's the matter with you?" the boy asked. "You get into a fight with Ulrich again?" His expression lowered into a glare, "Did William cause it?"
Yumi was quietly growling now, "William has nothing to do with this! He and I are just friends! Now, you and Johnny go home!"
Meanwhile, William had gone straight to the teachers.
"By the way, Suzanne, how's it going with Pedro?" Jim was asking Ms. Hertz.
"Not around the students, Jim," she replied, a light blush dotting her cheeks. "What I do with my boyfriend is none of their business."
"Ms. Hertz!" William was panicked as he ran up to them. "We have to evacuate the academy!"
The teacher turned to him, curious and confused, "What are you talking about, Dunbar?"
"I know this may sound crazy," William replied, "but a meteorite is going to hit right here where we're standing!" He pointed to the ground to emphasize his point.
Ms. Hertz raised a skeptic eyebrow, and Yumi ran up to them, as Jim frowned and asked, "Hold on now, Dunbar, do you think you might've watched too many sci-fi movies last night? I keep telling you kids to get more sleep!"
"No, we swear it's true!" Yumi interjected here, as William sent her a grateful smile. "We just found out from a, uh, friend of ours who works at the Space Agency!"
They were running out of time, to their dismay. The first small pieces of debris began to fall through the planet's atmosphere. The students looked up and pointed at the sky, with some waving their arms excitedly.
"Wow!"
"Hey, do you see that?"
"Check it out!"
Yumi, William, and the two teachers looked up as well as the students continued to chatter in amazement. Two pieces of debris fell through the clouds.
"Wow!" Jim exclaimed in awe through the megaphone. "Great fireworks!" The other three flinched at his loud volume.
To Yumi and William, this was a reminder that they were running out of time, that XANA was not joking around this time, but fortunately, because of this, they also gained an ally.
"Jim, we have to evacuate the academy," Ms. Hertz ordered.
He looked at her in confusion, "Eh?"
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The Skid attempted, yet again, to move past the firewall, to no avail.
Jérémie tapped on the touch pad, bringing up a code window on the screen showing the ship's status. "The firewall's energy is set up along a fairly basic algorithm," he relayed to the others. "All we have to do is crack it, and we'll be able to slip through a breach in security."
"Good idea," Aelita replied. "Hey, I think I finally understand what XANA's really up to."
"Bravo, Miss Einstein!" Odd sarcastically told her, causing her to gently roll her eyes. "You finally realized that it wants to destroy the supercomputer to keep us from coming in and pulling the virtual carpet out from under it?"
"And it only took us three months to figure that out," Ulrich quipped, being sarcastic at Odd.
"Well, obviously," Aelita replied, "but this time, it picked the most perfect moment." She was referring to the comet, and the three guys knew that.
"Of course," Jérémie deduced. "By destroying the supercomputer, XANA will not only destroy Lyoko, but more importantly, our only way back into the real world." But something still bothered him. "But why would it want to trap us here?"
"To get a hold of you, Jérémie," Aelita reminded him. "You're the one XANA has wanted to capture since we recreated Lyoko. It's called 'killing two birds with one stone'."
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Mr. Delmas had joined them on the field now, having been called here by Jim, on Ms. Hertz's urging. The headmaster had to know. He was quick, though, having seen the commotion from his office window.
"Come on, Suzanne," the man said, once he'd been informed of what had just happened. "Are you absolutely sure that it couldn't have been from...something else? Fireworks, for example?"
"Mm-mm," the science teacher firmly shook her head.
"That's what I keep telling her," Jim cut in. "It's just my professional opinion, sir, but I think she overdid it with the mint verbena tea this morning."
Ms. Hertz pushed up her glasses, "I know what I saw, Jean-Pierre. It was a meteor shower. We have to get to the students to safety now." Yumi and William both admired her for putting up a calm facade. They were freaking out, and it was showing on their faces—but not Ms. Hertz's.
Mr. Delmas hummed as he looked around at all of the students still setting up the scale model of the solar system. Whether it was a meteor shower or a fireworks display, if a student got hurt, the academy would be at fault for not taking the proper safety precautions. So he relented.
"Very well. As a precaution, I'm willing to go ahead and evacuate the academy, but," Jim began to move, but he stopped when Delmas continued, "I don't want any panic." He then walked back to his office.
Ms. Hertz shared in Yumi and William's relief, as Jim smiled, Yumi gave two thumbs-up, and William offered a salute.
The debris continued to fall towards Earth...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
"Got it!" Jérémie exclaimed. "I found the weak link in the algorithm! It's as plain as day: the system overcompensates pressure, but it takes three milliseconds to reverse its polarity. By synchronizing the initial pressure, we can neutralize the sinusoidal distortion."
"Um, translation?" Odd asked.
Aelita softly giggled, "Rubberband system. You and Ulrich might want to hang on to something."
Jérémie pressed the three white buttons surrounding the big white one that controlled the turbo propeller, "Reverse propulsion," before pulling back on the joysticks.
The engine kicked in reverse and starting moving the Skid backwards. The firewall reacted to the movement, but it let the vehicle move backwards a little bit, as it stretched and contorted. One of the rings in the middle disappeared, before the firewall and the Skid both began to shake under the strain.
"Stand by for stopping the turbo-prop," Jérémie warned his two passengers. "Three, two, one, now!" He slammed his fist on the red button, cutting the rear propeller.
The Skid blasted out of the firewall, obliterating it and freeing the teens. Said teens were all pushed back into their seats from the speed they were travelling at, as the whole ship shook.
Once the Skid began to slow down, Jérémie was able to sit forward again, shaking it off, "We made it, Aelita."
"Nice job, Jérémie," she replied, as the light of the Digital Sea turned back to blue. "Now hurry on over to the hub. You're needed on Lyoko ASAP."
"Roger." He turned his attention to his passengers, "Ulrich, Odd, you two okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ulrich replied.
"My breakfast wants to come back up and say hello," Odd sounded sick on the other hand, "but otherwise, all is all..."
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Aelita watched the blue arrow representing the Skid approach the hub.
"They're not gonna get there in time..." she muttered to herself. XANA's firewall was clearly meant to just run down the clock, to waste precious time that could've been used to clear the passage to the tower. Now, there was a chance that time would run out before they even got to the tower.
XANA had taken over this satellite before, if only to take control of its powerful laser and just get rid of them outright. Their friend had gotten smarter or more clever, or both, this time using it for a more creative purpose, probably because of it wanting to capture Jérémie.
"Unless..." she rubbed her chin in thought.
An idea came to her mind, one that didn't come up last time. She had no idea if it would even work—she'd never done it before—but in a situation like this, it was better to try and fail rather than not try with the possibility that it could've worked lingering in the back of her mind. She had to try.
She snapped her fingers, "Yeah! If I can gain control of that satellite, even for a minute, I just might get the meteorite to change its course again!" She began strumming her fingers against the keyboard, though not pressing any keys just yet. "Let's see...defense department...top secret data..." Yeah, this was definitely illegal, but she had no choice. She began typing, and immediately encountered a password window, "Password..."
Another window popped up, overlaying the password window. This new one showed the decoding of the password, featuring the animation of an orange Rubik's cube with coding symbols on it.
Aelita inspected her fingernails while typing with her other hand, "Piece of cake!"
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Johnny and Hiroki had just placed their Earth and moon models on metal poles in the ground, amidst the general chattering from the other students. Hiroki was giving his model another coat of purple paint, when Jim began speaking over the megaphone again.
"Okay, fire drill, everybody!" he announced. He and Ms. Hertz had agreed that it was the best way to prevent panic. "I want all of you to make your way calmly to the main gate."
The students left the work behind and began walking in that direction, some of them complaining. Hiroki unceremoniously threw the paint roller on the ground before leaving, as the students all left the field as a group. Yumi and William didn't mind the complaining, though. It was better than panicking and realizing they were all likely to die.
The two carefully watched Hiroki and Johnny walk past them, before following them, but they stopped when Yumi's phone rang.
"Aelita?" Yumi answered. "Yeah, William is with me. Yes, we're still at school. Okay." She then put the call on speakerphone. "Look, we're really sorry, 'Lita, but we had to–"
The pink-ette calmly cut them off, "Don't worry, guys. I understand. Good job on thinking to evacuate the academy, because it had slipped my mind until after you hung up on me. Actually, I'm glad you two haven't left school yet. Plan B time."
"Plan B?" William asked.
"Yeah," Aelita began to explain. "Thanks to XANA delaying the others with a firewall, there's a good chance they won't be able to deactivate the tower in time. So I've hacked into the satellite XANA used to break up the comet, to try and alter the meteorite's course again. Keyword: try."
"Got it," Yumi replied. "Good luck. But why do you need us?"
"Well, I've gained access to the satellite, but I need a transmission relay to sync up to it. And by transmission relay, I mean–"
Yumi cut her off, "–your laptop."
"Yep," Aelita replied. "It should be in my room, on my bedside table."
"Don't worry. We'll go and get it," William said.
"Thank you," the pink-ette added, "and stay on the line, okay?"
The two teens then ran away from the group of students still evacuating, heading towards the dorms as Lyokowarriors on an important mission.
Johnny noticed them run in the opposite direction of the group. He nudged his friend, "Hey, where are they going? That's the wrong way."
Hiroki glanced where Johnny was looking. "Only one way to find out..." he shrugged.
The two boys promptly separated from the group and followed the two elder students without another word.
Many small pieces of debris made their way towards the atmosphere. Among them was the meteorite. Flaming pieces of rock fell from the sky, as the students, now in the park, took notice and began to scream in fear.
"Take cover!" Jim exclaimed, before diving to the now-tremoring ground.
Once the rocks stopped falling and the ground stopped shaking from the impacts, he stood back up, holding a broken half of the megaphone. He tossed it to the side as he turned back to the students, all of whom were freaking out.
"What was that?!"
"I don't know!"
"That was a meteor, man!"
"Calm down!" he cried.
"Oh, god, that was a meteor!"
"Jim, are we going to die?!"
"No, we are not going to die!" Jim replied, trying to calm down the panic. "We are all going to survive, as long as you all listen to me!"
Meanwhile, William held Yumi's phone as it remained on speaker with Aelita, while Yumi ran into Aelita's room (which was thankfully unlocked) and grabbed the pink-ette's laptop from off her bed.
"Okay, we've got the laptop, 'Lita," William relayed as Yumi rejoined him outside the room. "Now what?"
"Head to the roof of the science building," she told them, "and hook it up to the antenna."
"On it," he replied, before the two took off down the hallway, towards the staircase.
"Please, hurry," Aelita urged. "The others are back in Lyoko's network, but we're running out of time!"
"We're doing our best!" Yumi, breathlessly, answered.
The two ran down the dormitory staircase, unaware that Hiroki and Johnny had followed them. The younger duo came out of the door the elder duo just came through, before wordlessly following them down the stairs.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The Skid finally broke the surface of the Digital Sea, emerging into the Desert Sector. As it flew up towards the sector platforms, Jérémie relayed to their mission control, "Aelita, we're back on Lyoko. Where's the activated tower?"
She was quick with the answer, "Desert Sector, quadrant 57-42."
"Roger," he replied, steering the ship in that direction. It didn't take long to spot the red halo barely visible on the horizon, due it being at the bottom of a spiraling canyon.
"Spotted," Ulrich said. He and Odd prepared themselves to fight.
Jérémie stopped the Skid not far from the spiraling canyon. "Skid stabilized," he announced. "Disembarking." He typed in a sequence on the keypad located on his left.
The trio teleported from their respective cockpits and reappeared on the ground next to the Skid. A Kankrelat scuttled into view, emerging from the spiral pathway leading to the tower.
"The tower is only fifty meters away, down that path," Ulrich noted. "How much time do we have left, Aelita?"
The Kankrelat turned towards them, as Aelita answered, "Enough. If you can get rid of your welcoming committee, that is."
"Oh, no sweat," Odd cracked his knuckles together, before the trio noticed that it was a single Kankrelat—the weakest of XANA's army. "What? That's all?"
The Kankrelat began to charge its laser, before it then looked around and dashed back down the spiral path.
"He ran away!" the cat exclaimed. "Why waste a Laser Arrow on a coward?" He gently nudged Ulrich in the side. "Go on, buddy. He's all yours."
"It's gotta be a trap," the samurai warned. "Be careful."
Jérémie began running towards the tower, with Ulrich and Odd hot on his heels. But the trio was soon forced to stop when what their welcoming committee was changed right in front of them.
"Uh-oh..." Odd muttered.
A Tarantula emerged into view from the spiral path. Ulrich immediately unsheathed his blades, as two more Tarantulas quickly joined the first, as well as XANA's favored creation.
The Spectre, wearing its William mask.
It summoned William's Zweihänder from black smoke before stabbing it into the ground. It then crossed its arms, as if waiting for the heroes' next move.
"I hate always being right..." Ulrich muttered, subconsciously pushing Jérémie behind him.
"All of a sudden," Odd cautiously commented, "that tower seems a lot farther away, doesn't it?"
Well, frick. Now what?
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Yumi and William reached the door that led to the roof of the science building. She turned the handle, only for it to remain closed.
"Uh-oh," she muttered. "It's locked." She pat down her pockets with her free hand (the one not holding Aelita's laptop). "And I forgot my hairclip at home!" She aimed a kick at the door, to no avail.
William held her back, "Let me try." He then hit the door with his shoulder, but the door remained locked. He stumbled back a bit, holding his now hurt limb, "Ow! Man, that is one tough lock!"
Hiroki's voice cut through the tension, "Security door versus Yumi's ankle and William's shoulder—I'll bet on the door."
The elder duo immediately turned around in surprise. The last thing they were expecting, and needed, was Hiroki and Johnny interfering with a time-sensitive mission.
"What do you two think you're doing here?!" Yumi demanded, frustrated.
William's patience was a bit thicker, "You guys shouldn't be here."
"Neither should you," Hiroki replied, as he and Johnny walked up the stairs towards the elder duo. "We'll keep quiet, though, if you tell us what you two think you're doing here."
"We haven't got the time for you brats!" Yumi yelled. "Go back outside!" She then turned back to the locked door, attempting to open it by pushing against it. To no avail.
Hiroki and Johnny shared a knowing smirk with each other. "We know how to open it," the little brother chuckled.
Yumi clearly wasn't in the mood, "Shut up, Hiroki! I don't want to hear your lies right now!"
William, to his credit, tried his best to keep the peace, "Please don't talk nonsense, you two. This is a crisis."
"It's not nonsense," Johnny insisted. "It's true. We can open any door!" Hiroki nodded.
Yumi rolled her eyes, but she relented, stepping away from the door, "Well, if you two think you're so good, then be our guest."
"Okay, but first," Hiroki replied, "you two have to tell us what you're up to."
The elder duo both inwardly sighed in annoyance. They needed that door open, but telling them about Lyoko was out of the question.
"C'mon, we don't have time for this!" William reminded them. Time was just running out.
"Or anything to lose!" Yumi told him, before indulging her brother, holding up her friend's pink laptop. "A meteorite is going to crash on the school, and if we don't connect this laptop to the roof antenna now, then Aelita won't be able to access the satellite that might change its course! Understand?!"
"A meteorite?" Hiroki asked, before sharing a skeptical glance with Johnny. "Not bad. Now tell us what's really going on."
Right as he said this, a small meteorite plummeted to the ground, causing the science building to shake violently. The impact tossed all four against the wall.
From his spot on the floor, as he recovered, William asked the younger duo, "You believe us now?"
Hiroki just nodded, fear visible on his face, before he crawled towards the door. He pulled out from his pocket two small metal tools. Yumi watched in awe as her brother used these tools to unlock the door, not making a single mistake.
"Amazing," she muttered. "Where did he get such professional-looking tools...?"
William just shrugged.
The door was open in no time.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Deep in the heart of the Desert Sector, the elf, the samurai, and the cat had taken cover behind some rocks, while the Tarantulas approached and fired at them.
Jérémie groaned in frustration, "I need to get to that tower!" Time was just running out.
In response, Ulrich ran out, dual katanas in hand. He sprinted up to the monsters and jumped at a Tarantula. But he got shot in mid-air, and he flew back over to the rocks Odd and Jérémie were hiding behind. Odd flinched as Ulrich crashed to the ground.
Jérémie watched as the Spectre—still wearing its William mask—stood at a distance, smirking as it watched the scene.
Odd stepped out from behind the rock and fired two Laser Arrows at the monsters. But he missed, as Ulrich got back to his feet, panting.
"This is getting a bit too heated..." the samurai muttered, referring to the fight.
"Yeah, well, this is the desert," the cat replied.
"It's not looking good for us," Jérémie cut in, wearily watching the Clone. "We'll never get through..."
"You should never say never, Jer!" Odd exclaimed, offering a smile, but it didn't make Jérémie feel any better.
The Tarantulas continued their approach, alternating between walking on all fours and walking on their hind legs to fire at the heroes' cover.
Behind the rock, Jérémie concentrated a bit and formed an energy harpoon that he promptly threw, briefly emerging from their cover to do so.
The weapon hit a Tarantula's eye dead on, destroying it. Meanwhile, the lone Kankrelat from earlier walked out behind Odd as he and Ulrich turned to Jérémie.
"Nice one, Prince Charming!" the cat complimented. The Kankrelat suddenly fired a shot between Odd's legs, barely missing his tail. "Huh?"
He looked down between his legs as Ulrich turned around. Odd turned and took aim, but Ulrich was faster, Sprinting up to the Kankrelat as it fired again and promptly skewering it with a katana.
"A coward and a cheater? Hey!" the cat asked, as the Kankrelat exploded to signal its defeat.
"We've gotta change tactics," Ulrich explained.
"Yeah, I know, but I had that..."
XANA-William pulled its Zweihänder out of the ground and began running towards them, filling Jérémie with dread.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Yumi and William at last emerged onto the roof of the science building, Hiroki and Johnny hot on their heels. Yumi was tightly clutching onto Aelita's laptop, while William was still holding onto Yumi's phone, which was still on speakerphone with the pink-ette.
"Okay, Aelita, we're on the roof now," he said as the wind blew the quartet's hair around. "Now what?"
"Try to find the antenna cable."
The four glanced up at the antenna, all of them quickly spotted the cable dangling from the antenna. William promptly jumped up and grabbed it mid-air. "Got it!"
"Great," Aelita replied. "Now cut as cleanly as you can and stick it into the blue plug that's in the back of my laptop. Push as hard as you can. We can't strip the wire; there's not enough time. But it should work."
Sounded like a plan, but there was one problem. William disappointedly patted down his own empty pockets, "Great! How are we going to do that without a knife?"
Johnny walked up to him, and William and Yumi both watched in shock and awe as the boy pulled out a swiss army knife, its numerous tools all opening out at once, including but not limited to a small knife.
The elder duo shared a glance of troubled surprise. They were concerned about what these two boys did, what trouble they actually got into. But this was hardly the time for that. William gratefully accepted the knife and used it to cut the wire. He then handed said wire to Yumi, who quickly plugged it into the plug that Aelita had pointed out.
"Okay, Aelita, it's in!" Yumi reported.
"Great job," the pink-ette replied. "Now let the duel begin."
The four all carefully watched the laptop, on which was a window showing the status of the satellite, as Yumi held the cable in the back of the laptop. The roof's antenna crackled with purple electricity, before the four noticed the same electricity coming from a satellite dish on top of another building nearby. Electricity then shot out from that dish, up into the sky.
After a moment, another window opened up on screen, showing lots of code highlighted in red. Yumi and William's stomachs dropped when seeing it.
Still on speakerphone, they heard Aelita groan in frustration, "Thanks a lot, XANA! How the hell did you get onto me already?!"
Hiroki and Johnny joined the elder two in their dread.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
"How's it going, guys?" Aelita's voice cut through the tension.
"Not so good!" Ulrich replied, the trio retreating as the remaining two Tarantulas reached their hiding spot. "Judging by the sound of your voice, things aren't going well on your end either!"
"They're not," the pink-ette admitted. "That's why I asked. Please, tell you guys have a plan."
"Besides running away?" Odd asked, as the trio quickly came upon a platform that a short path led to, a platform right beside a drop straight down to the Digital Sea. "Nope!"
They were very quickly cornered, and XANA-William just smirked at the sight while running towards them.
"Stay behind us, Jérémie!" Ulrich cried out, becoming increasingly panicked by the second. "If you get devirtualized, we'll never be able to deactivate the tower!"
The Tarantulas arrived, trapping the trio on the small path. Ulrich unsheathed his katanas as Odd took aim. The monsters opened fire, and the samurai started blocking lasers with both blades, while the cat jumped past Ulrich and flipped into the air.
As he did so, he muttered in the midst of exerting energy, "How can...anyone...be such a...bad shot?!"
He was shot in mid-air, and fell back down to the ground, lying there on his stomach.
"Odd!" Jérémie exclaimed, as he ran up to his friend and knelt at his side. "You okay?"
The elf then glanced up at the nearest Tarantula. It eyed him for a moment before, surprisingly, turning its attention to Ulrich and opening fire on the samurai instead. Ulrich continued to block the lasers of both Tarantulas, as Jérémie looked between the brunette and the monsters, before helping Odd slowly get back to his feet.
As Ulrich stepped in front of them to keep blocking shots, Jérémie couldn't help but comment, "The Tarantulas haven't fired at me yet..."
Odd put his hand beside his mouth as though sharing a secret, slightly weak, "That's because...you've got a couple of great bodyguards, Prince Charming."
That wasn't it, Jérémie felt. Not to downplay the importance, dedication, or talent of his friends, but there was something else behind it...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Aelita was trying her best to hack her way past XANA's programming within the satellite, but to no avail. One of the open windows on her screens was a map of the meteorite's trajectory, and it was now showing the main part of the object entering the atmosphere.
"Too late..." she muttered, as her stomach dropped with dread. She tried her best, but it wasn't good enough.
On the other end of the phone, Yumi seemed to understand what was happening. She addressed Hiroki and Johnny, "Get going, you two! Hurry up!"
"But what about you?" Hiroki asked his sister, understandably panicking.
"I can't let go of the cable!" a stressed Yumi replied. "Beat it! William, get them out of here!"
"You wouldn't get very far," Aelita warned, still typing away. "It's too late for evacuation now." This time, however, she was focusing on the Return to the Past, entering the time coordinates that would give them enough time to stop XANA.
"Aelita, you can still gain control of that satellite, can't you?" Aelita heard Johnny ask her.
"I'll never make it," she solemnly informed him. "XANA is a flawless program, and I'm only human..."
In the midst of hope becoming lost, however, William offered her some comfort, "Even the most flawed human, Aelita, is better than the most perfect program."
The pink-ette couldn't stop the tears from forming in the bottom of her eyes.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Jérémie didn't know how much time was actually left, but his gut kept telling him that they had just run out of it. He had a choice, and it was time to make it.
He, Odd, and Ulrich slowly backed up towards the edge of the platform. Ulrich was struggling as he continued blocking lasers, "This time, it's all over!"
"No!" Odd cried out, his voice holding the same hint of despair. "This can't be how everything ends!"
"It won't," Jérémie muttered. Not if he had anything to say about it, and he did. He had made his decision, and it was one only he could make.
He waving his hand over his transwatch, summoning his wings, before flying over his two bodyguards and landing between them and the two Tarantulas. Sure enough, the laser fire immediately ceased, as he let his wings disappear, making it clear that he had no intention of moving.
"Jérémie?!" Ulrich asked, he and Odd both confused. "What are you doing?!"
The elf glared at the Spectre, "I'm forcing XANA to make a choice: me...or its perfect plan." XANA-William glared right back.
The following three seconds was tense, so it felt like much longer. XANA seemed to be aware of what Jérémie was thinking, even if his friends didn't, as it pointed William's Zweihänder at the boy, warning, "Don't try it...", before advancing.
Jérémie quickly ordered, "Odd, devirtualize me. Hurry."
"What?!" the cat exclaimed in shock. "Are you crazy?!"
The Spectre just continued to walk towards the elf, dragging its sword along the ground.
"Do what I say," Jérémie replied, sternly.
"But why?!" Ulrich asked after sharing a worried and surprised glance with Odd. "What can you do off Lyoko?!" He turned to the sky, "A-Aelita?", for some answers.
"Do it," was Aelita's solemn response. "Jérémie's right. It's our only hope."
Odd sighed, relenting, before shooting Jérémie with a single Arrow and devirtualizing him. The elf flew backwards, his wireframe landing at the Spectre's feet just before disappeared. XANA-William promptly jumped straight off the edge of the platform, right into the Digital Sea.
Ulrich and Odd looked over the edge, with the cat asking, "What in the world was that all about? Do you understand any of this, good buddy?"
The samurai just shrugged, "You're asking the wrong person..."
In the scanner room, Jérémie stumbled out of one of the scanners, holding his chest in pain, as he walked to the elevator.
On the roof of the science building, Yumi was squatting beside the computer, holding the plug in and staring at the sky. Johnny put his hand on her shoulder and sat down next to her. She promptly let go of the laptop to take him under his arm. On his other side, Hiroki wrapped a scared arm around William's as the elder joined them. William and Yumi both sat with the younger duo in between them. All four hugged each other tighter as they all watched the sky darken, with a shining dot growing within it, getting larger and larger until it was obvious that it was the meteor...
Jérémie arrived at the lab via the lift, and made his way over to Aelita's side, "To win, sometimes you have to know how to lose."
She understood his meaning, "You think XANA understands that?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder, "We're about to find out."
The two both looked at the screen in anticipation...
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
The model of the sun down on the field blew away in the wind, as did most of the dark clouds. The sky brightened just before being engulfed by a shadow as the meteorite drew closer.
Yumi and William tightly clutched onto the two boys between them as well as each other. A single tear of mourning and desperation fell from the girl's eye as the laser on the satellite suddenly fired again.
The solid hit on the meteorite caused it to explode into numerous, smaller pieces. Said shards of rock shot from the sky and landed in the water surrounding the factory, creating large splashes.
The sky darkened again as embers and small fragments began to fall on school grounds, as the ground all around the city was soon darkened with soot.
Johnny lifted his head ever so slightly, "I-Is it over?" They weren't dead yet. Why not? He paused when he and Hiroki saw all the debris, the meteor shower. "Wow."
The two boys stood up simultaneously, "We're saved!", and celebrated.
Yumi picked up her phone from the ground. "Great shot, Aelita," her voice was filled with relief as she leaned her head on William's shoulder, exhausted. "Real bullseye."
"It wasn't me," the pink-ette revealed to them. "That was XANA. Looks like it gave up on its plan."
In the lab, she gave Jérémie a comforting smile. The boy beside her was tearing up in relief. He had made the right choice.
Still on Lyoko, Ulrich and Odd both watched on as the tower's halo turned from red back to white. The two Tarantulas in front of them then disintegrated into white pixel dust. They were still trying to make sense of what was happening, but it was clear that XANA was admitting defeat.
Fortunately, Jérémie had explanation for everybody, those on Lyoko as well as on the roof of the science building, "XANA wants to capture me more than it wants to destroy the supercomputer. With me back on Earth, it can't do either one of them."
At Kadic, the burning fragments stopped falling and the clouds disappeared. It was no longer quite so windy on the roof. Yumi and William were still resting against the wall, both leaning on each other, both exhausted from relief.
Hiroki and Johnny both approached them. "Well, Yumi, William," the young Japanese boy said, "don't the 'brats' get a thank you?"
"Yes, thank you, 'brats'," William replied, before chuckling as Yumi leaned over and kiss both of them on the cheeks.
Hiroki immediately wiped off his cheek in disgust, while Johnny grinned and gave two thumbs-up.
Yumi and William both got to their feet, as she added, "Yes, thank you. The two of you were very brave, and you really helped us out."
"You're welcome," Hiroki replied, before smiling in amusement. "But you know I'm not gonna let you forget it. I'll make sure to keep reminding you of how useful we were today."
William amusedly shot back, "You'd have to remember it in order to do that."
Hiroki and Johnny shared a glance of confusion, as Yumi and William shared a knowing glance. Yumi then clapped her hands once.
As if on cue, a bright white bubble began to engulf everything.
!~~C~O~D~E~~L~Y~O~K~O~~!
Time rewinded to the beginning of the day, when the eighth and twelfth graders began their solar system project. This time, however, the other four Lyokowarriors chose to instead lounge in Jérémie's room. On his desk sat the blonde genius's laptop, open to the news broadcast that was keeping an eye on comet VG-724. Everything was normal so far, but just in case...
Meanwhile, Aelita was sitting in Jérémie's desk chair, as Jérémie himself was lounging on his bed, in between Ulrich and Odd.
"So, XANA avoided firing at Jérémie," Odd was saying, just to see if he understood everything, "because its 'perfect plan' would result in his death if he was devirtualized? And that's why XANA gave up?"
"Yes," Aelita nodded, "and yes."
"I still don't know what XANA wants from me this time," Jérémie quietly explained, "but apparently, it needs me alive for it."
"It's good to have that in our back pocket," Ulrich admitted, "in case we have no choice. But to be honest, I'd rather we get the job done without having to use Jérémie as a human shield."
"Agreed," Aelita quickly replied.
"Me too," Jérémie added. "But knowing XANA, I can't make any promises." A knock came to his door in that moment. "It's open."
Said door opened to reveal Yumi and William. They stepped inside the room, leaving the door open.
"Hey, how was the project?" Aelita asked them.
"It wasn't too bad in the end," William replied. "Hiroki left me alone after I told him about Laura. He definitely still favors Ulrich, though." Said brunette just shrugged, amused.
"Well, you guys won't believe it," Yumi cut in, after shaking her head with a smile, "but we got the highest grade. And so, I promised Johnny I would keep his moon as a present." She held up a small, red ball. She bounced it off her chest before easily catching it. "I owe him at least that. Even if he doesn't remember anything."
"See?" Odd asked. "Your brother's not that bad after all."
"Yeah, he can pretty handy when he wants to," Yumi replied, before donning a slightly troubled expression. "That's why I'm worried."
"Oh?" Ulrich asked, curious. "How come?"
Yumi closed the door and leaned against it, "Because now, I know it's useless keeping the door locked to my room."
William couldn't hide his resulting chuckle.
!~~~J~E~R~L~I~T~A~~R~O~L~E~S~W~A~P~~A~U~~~!
Next Episode: 52 - Experiments / Jérémie and Aelita have developed a way to destroy the Forest Replika, while Yumi is upset with Ulrich, who isn't sure why.
A/N: The canon episode is also one of my favorites, if only for how smart and clever Jérémie and Aelita are shown to be (and how easily Jérémie decided to do some illegal hacking into a government satellite, lol), and Yumi showing that she cares about her brother and Johnny despite how annoying they can be.
Hiroki would certainly not appreciate William getting between his Ulumi OTP, so here, I thought of the idea of Hiroki not liking William and making that displeasure known. Keep in mind that, in this AU, William's already moved on from Yumi's rejection to Laura, but in canon, I believe his reactions here would be completely different. Fanfic fodder, anyone?
The tower XANA activates is the one from canon "Double Take". Also, a callback to 'A Girl's Diary'/"Log Book", where Yumi knows how to pick locks (the idea that she's instead awed by how professional Hiroki's tools are compared to her measely hairclip is AO3 user's dunnoduo's idea). And remember, Sam is in Yumi and William's grade in this story (refer to Chapter 45: Renaissance).
Fun Fact: The original intent with this episode was to keep Jérémie behind the controls like in canon (including him trying to take over the satellite), while Aelita joined Odd and Ulrich in clearing the passage, resulting in more use of footage from "Double Take". When the time came for Jérémie to make his choice, he'd choose to stay behind in the lab, thus resulting in XANA to call off its attack like it does here and in canon when time finally ran out. What made me change my mind was the fact that seeing XANA unwilling to fire at Aelita in the episode was an important factor that leads to her choice and XANA's surrender.