Chapter 7 Ally or Foe? (Image Problem)
A.N. – Okay, so this chapter will be a little different concerning the future Aelita. How? Only one way to find out. Lots of points of view change and a big story moment will happen here. Enjoy!
Short Summary – With the possibility of rematerialization becoming more real, Aelita takes time to relax and think about the situation. But for Xana, evil never stops.
Disclaimer – I do not own Code Lyoko or the story idea. I am just a fan of the show, and the story idea was submitted by James Marshall.
Some time passed between the last attack where Aelita had to force Jeremy to save Yumi over Aelita with his rematerialization program. With the risk of Aelita leaving too early becoming more real, Aelita had no way of stopping Jeremy if he were to succeed in the coming weeks. She was just lucky that Yumi was in danger of falling into the digital sea. She emerged from her habitat in the mountain sector to discuss what was to happen.
"Xana come here" Aelita called out to him.
"You ready for this week's attack?" Xana asks.
"Actually, I was thinking of taking a week off."
"Not possible. The more we delay them, the longer Jeremy has to finish a program. If she leaves, I die, and I'm not dying yet."
"Then do this one yourself but be subtle. Or I will assist them. I'll be watching" Aelita warn shim before retreating to her home.
"Subtle huh? I got an idea. Wait, I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Play the part of the Lyoko Warrior."
Aelita had no idea what Xana was planning, but if it had something to do with her, she had to play the part.
Aelita returned to Earth and then back to Lyoko a couple of hours later. She was instructed to go pay Jeremy a visit and Xana would activate a false tower. She was then instructed for her and only her to go help current Aelita investigate it. They arrived at the tower that Aelita sensed the pulsations pointed too, but it wasn't activated.
"Strange, I felt pulsations. But the tower isn't activated" current Aelita says.
"Maybe you should go investigate the tower Aelita, just to see if Xana is up to something" Jeremy tells her.
"I'll stand guard here" future Aelita tells her.
Current Aelita enters the tower and Xana appears next to future Aelita.
"Time to launch our attack" Xana informs her.
Suddenly a scream is heard from outside the tower and Jeremy's earpiece. The mystery woman had disappeared. The future Aelita was blinded by a bright white light and found herself in their meeting place in the mountain sector.
"What happened?" Aelita asks.
"I took you out of the ice sector and transported you here" Xana tells her.
"What did you do?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."
With that Aelita returned to her home while the attack continued.
Jeremy's Point of View
After the scream was heard, Jeremy immediately rushed down to the scanner room and found A passed out on the floor. "A! Wake up!" Jeremy listens and hears her breathing and then he immediately phones Ulrich and Odd. The two arrived shortly after and still saw A passed out.
"What happened to her?" Ulrich asks.
"I don't know. She was on a routine mission with Aelita, she screamed, got devirtualized, and then next thing I know she is passed out on the floor" Jeremy responds.
"Should we take her to a hospital?" Odd asks.
"Probably best."
The guys checked Aelita into the hospital, but since they don't know anything about her, they couldn't answer any of the questions. But being middle school students, the nurse decided not to question them any further. She got her a room and then they hooked her up to the machines. Her vitals and everything else checked out. A doctor came in to monitor her.
"All seems good. No sign of anything serious. We'll keep her under observation for a day or two, make sure it doesn't happen again" the doctor tells them.
"Call us when you're ready to release her. We'll pick her up" Jeremy tells him, and the doctor responds with a nod and the guys leave.
Aelita's Point of View
A few hours later, Aelita wakes up and sits up. She looks around and sees a nurse in her room. "Oh hello, nice to see you awake." She slides her feet onto the floor and stands up. "No! Calm down. You shouldn't be moving around. You passed out earlier." She then grabs the nurse by the throat and eventually knocking her out. She walks out of her room and closes the door and then checks herself out. She heads out to complete her specific agenda.
Current Aelita's Point of View
Aelita was still in the tower in the ice sector, trying to figure out what Xana had planned. She heard something and went outside. She then saw pulsations leading to the tower she was at, but it was still not activated. She then used the tower to transport between sectors. She then arrived in the mountain sector. She went back into the tower before Xana noticed her.
Jeremy's Point of View
Jeremy and his gang were sitting at the bench, still discussing the situation with A.
"I still find her situation weird. No monsters or any abnormalities with her virtual structure and she just instantly devirtualizes and ends up passed out" Jeremy explains.
"Maybe virtualizations are getting more dangerous. We only had a few missions and maybe we are starting to see what the scanners can do" Yumi suggests.
"Or A is just unlucky. This could be a rare event" Ulrich adds.
"Then how do we prevent it from happening again? I don't want to place you all at risk or even Aelita."
"Miss Ishiyama, principal Delmas would like to see you in his office right away!" Jim told her from behind.
"But what for?" Yumi asks.
"The police are here, and they want to ask you some questions."
The others follow her and are then instructed to wait outside the office.
Yumi's Point of View
Yumi enters the office and takes a seat before the police starting asking her questions.
"Miss Ishiyama, we would like to know why you assaulted a nurse?" the police officer asks.
"Assault? But I was never at the hospital" Yumi asks.
"Then why does your name appear as the one who was admitted to the room and discharged from the same day. And the room you discharged from was the same one that nurse had been assaulted in. Luckily for you she survived, so we're not putting a murder charge under your name, but this is still a serious offense."
"But how can you prove it's me?"
"We can't right now because the footage is lost, so for now you're the only suspect and until we figure this out, you are coming with us." The police picked her up and put her in cuffs.
Jeremy's Point of View
A few minutes later, the group saw Yumi being taken out in cuffs.
"Hey wait! Where are you taking her?!" Ulrich asks.
"She is being detained until we find out who assaulted the nurse at the local hospital" the police officer told her.
"You can't prove it's her!"
"Her name is the only one that relates to all the evidence we have currently. She is not being charged, just under our watch."
"Jeremy, do think A is behind this?" Odd asks.
"She is the only one that went to the hospital today, but why would she single out Yumi?" Jeremy questions.
"I told you we shouldn't have trusted her! She infiltrated our group and she's trying to frame us!" Ulrich says with anger.
"Well until we know anything about what's going on here, it's best we forget about this incident. Yumi is innocent and she will not be charged."
They thought they were in the clear, but Aelita was watching them and knew who she was going after next.
Current Aelita's Point of View
Current Aelita was in the tower as she was meditating. She was waiting to tell Jeremy that Xana was on the move, but during this time she felt something strange coming from this sector. She stepped out and found out that there were still no monsters. Considering the strength of the pulsations, the tower was still far away. She used her senses to find the source of the disturbance and went towards it.
Future Aelita's Point of View
Aelita was going to put her plan into motion. When the group disbanded, Aelita snuck up behind Ulrich and knocked him out. She then dragged him into the archive room and then went ahead with her framing of him. She went into the secretary's office and carefully knocked her out. She then entered the principal's office.
"Yes, how can I help you?" The principal asked.
"Yes, you can. But you need to be hurt for that to happen."
After severely assaulting the principal, she used his phone to dial the police. "The is emergency services. What is your emergency?" The dispatcher said.
"I'd like to report an assault at Kadic Academy. I also know the assailant. His name is Ulrich Stern" Aelita reported.
Ulrich's Point of View
Ulrich woke up minutes later with his head hurting. He found himself in the archive's room. He then exited and at this time Aelita caught a picture of him, looking like he was exiting the principal's office.
Current Aelita's Point of View
Aelita traced the source of the signal and then found it stronger on a lone mountain. She then used her creation ability to build a bridge to the platform. She went to the platform and found a glowing bubble inside one of the tunnels. Considering how Xana wasn't guarding this, it probably had no importance, but something inside of her told her this was important, or she wouldn't have sensed it. She entered the object.
Jeremy's Point of View
Ulrich reconnected with Jeremy and Odd and he explained the situation he was just in.
"I know you don't like A Ulrich, but you can't pin her to an unrelated incident. Yumi will be released soon" Jeremy tried to reassure him.
"I don't know. She's crafty and mysterious Jeremy, remember that" Ulrich says as more police walk towards him. "Hello officers. Are there any updates with Yumi?"
"Ulrich Stern, you are under arrest for assault!" The officer said cuffing him.
"Assault! Of whom?!"
"Principal Delmas and his secretary. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court of law. You have the right to an attorney to be present during questioning and being a juvenile one will be appointed to you at no cost."
"You think A is behind this?" Odd asks.
"Maybe, but we don't know she did this."
"But who else has it in for Ulrich?"
"No one and no one would risk expulsion just to frame Ulrich."
Current Aelita's Point of View
Current Aelita found herself in a different place than Lyoko. She had on a skirt and jacket with a shirt on underneath as well as shoes. She saw a cabin in the distance and ran towards it. She entered the strange place on high alert from any nasty surprises. She looked at herself in a mirror and saw herself in human form. She then went into the main living room and saw someone who looked like her. "Hey, who are you?"
The future Aelita opened her eyes from concentration and what she saw shocked her. "What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you the same question."
"No, I mean how did you get here? I had this place secured."
"Well, I picked up some strange signals and I followed it. But your bubble wasn't hard to enter. I pressed against it, and I was let in."
"Great. I didn't consider the possibility that my past self could also access this since she and I share the same DNA and virtual signature" future Aelita said quietly. "Listen, you can't tell Jeremy about this place."
"Why?"
"Because this place is incredibly special to me. I use this as a safe haven between missions."
"Then you must have a way of getting back to Earth.
"I do," future Aelita shows her the Lyoko band. "This little device allows me to instantly transport between Lyoko and real world at will."
"Then why not use it to free me?"
"Because…" future Aelita tried to find a good excuse. She then remembered how naïve she was. "Because you have no materialization code for Earth. You would disintegrate immediately."
"How come I look like a human in here?"
"Because tis is a simulation. If you were materialized, this is how you would look on Earth. You're still on Lyoko, you're just separated from the virtual part of it. Listen, what's going on?"
"Xana's activated a tower somewhere in this sector."
"That much I figured. What's he up to this time?"
"No idea. Jeremy hasn't contacted me yet."
"Then that's something you need to do and fast. Remember, don't tell him."
"I think there's more to this than you're letting on."
"There is, but there is no time for that now. Go."
Current Aelita exited the house and bubble and contacted Jeremy.
Jeremy's Point of View
Jeremy's laptop started beeping and he pulled out to talk to Aelita.
"Aelita, what's going on?"
"Jeremy, we got big problems."
"We got ones too. Yumi and Ulrich have both been arrested and we think A is behind it."
"No Jeremy. That's not A. Xana has activated a tower. He sent you a clone. Do not engage her."
"Okay Aelita. Me and Odd are on the way."
"Okay, see you soon."
"Xana's been playing us from the start. He sent us a fake A to frame us. Divide and conquer."
"That means Ulrich and Yumi are innocent."
"Yes, but until we deactivate the tower there's not much we can do for them. Let's get to the factory."
Xana Aelita's Point of View
The clone of Aelita was already at the factory waiting to pull off part 3 of his plan. He just needed Odd to be sent. And right on cue, the two arrived. Everything went as planned and then Xana Aelita started to disable the scanners. Jeremy noticed this from his monitor.
Jeremy's Point of View
"Odd, the scanners just went offline. I think we have an uninvited guest in the factory. You can't get devirtualized or you'll be gone forever."
"Okay. That just means the stakes are higher this time."
After about 10 minutes, Aelita and Odd arrived at the tower, but also at this time Xana A has also arrived at the lab. She grabs and pulls Jeremy off his chair.
"You really are persistent, aren't you? Well, I really threw you a curveball this time. Even though this won't work, I will deliver this quick message. Live in fear Jeremy, because I got a weapon up my sleeve and from now on, I'll always be one step ahead of you."
At this time, the clone disappeared, and the tower was deactivated. "Time to end this nightmare. Return to the past now!" Jeremy pressed enter and time was reversed.
"Who is this secret weapon Xana has?" Yumi asks.
"A. There is no other explanation. He sends us a clone and real one is missing in action" Ulrich replies.
"We don't know that yet. We should keep an eye on her when she's here on Earth though. That way, if she is working with Xana, we can expose her."
They all agreed on this new assignment.
Aelita's Point of View
Aelita was still thinking of ways to delay the Lyoko Warriors. She just decided to play it out and stop when she can. But she also couldn't think clearly because of the incident from earlier. She just hopes Aelita doesn't tell them. She needed this safe haven for as long as possible.
A.N. – And so ends this chapter. I hope you liked this one. I put a lot of effort into this one creating a problematic chapter involving future Aelita and a clone Xana created. I also moved the tower from the ice sector to the mountain sector to add that little bonus scene. PM me story ideas if you have any! Don't forget to review with questions or comments! I will respond! Stay safe and healthy out there! As always, till next time! See ya! -lyokowarrior97