Note: It's September, and that means ... nothing. Outside of a few things in my personal life, I have nothing much going on. That means that I am able to continue on with my stories, even if I do get distracted by something every now and then. Hopefully, none of you mind that it happens. After all, who doesn't get distracted by something while they work? Well, maybe not someone who is only focused on their job.
In order to avoid rambling, I'll let the chapter start. It's time for chapter nine.
Chapter 9: Red Mist
It was a Friday night at the Belcher home, and the family was getting ready for bed. Saturday would be another work day, so they had to be ready for it. As long as nothing went wrong, the day would go by smoothly. Of course, something going wrong now involved activity from the supercomputer, courtesy of X.A.N.A activating a Tower. If not that, then it would be a lack of customers or a visit from someone the Belchers could barely stand, from Hugo Habercore the health inspector to Jimmy Pesto. Either way, as long as nothing went wrong, everything would be alright.
As it was her turn in the bathroom, Tina went to brush her teeth. While doing so, she noticed that something was making a noise in the drain. The brunette was ready to assume that it was just the water and toothpaste going down, but it still made the noise, even as everything drained. Looking at the drain, she saw that something was coming up. The liquid slowly came to the top, as if the pipes had been blocked. However, it wasn't the water and toothpaste, but a red liquid.
The liquid soon formed a bubble, as if it was starting to boil. Unnerved, Tina stood back, afraid as to what was going to happen. Once she was a few inches away from the sink, the bubble popped, spraying some of the red liquid on the sink. It continued spraying, starting to splash onto the wall of the bathroom.
"Dad!" Tina yelled.
"What's wrong, Tina?" Bob asked as he came into the room.
"That's what's wrong!" The thirteen-year-old said, pointing at the sink.
By the time Bob had entered the bathroom, the liquid had spread to the floor. The sink was not overflowing, but it was making strange noises. At that point, Bob and Tina were shocked by what was going on. Having his daughter walk out of the bathroom, the Belcher patriarch spoke to her.
"What was that stuff?!" Tina spoke.
"Was that blood?!" Bob asked.
"I don't know, but it reminds me of a movie!" The teen said.
"This is bad!" The man said. "Sinks shouldn't do that! It wasn't even plugged!"
"Why would it throw liquid all over the place if it wasn't overflowing?" She asked.
"It's probably some sort of plumbing problem." He said. "Tomorrow, I'll call Teddy and see if he can see what's wrong. Until then, we can't let your mother see this!"
"Agreed."
In the morning, the Belcher family was sitting around the table, eating breakfast. When Linda announced that she was going to the bathroom, Bob tried to persuade her to use the restaurant's bathroom. Tina even told her that something was wrong with the one in the apartment. However, Linda ignored them, choosing to use the bathroom that was the closest to her. Knowing that she would see the stained bathroom, Bob and Tina tried to get her away from the door. She was already a few inches away from it, so they figured that they could persuade her before entering.
"Lin, you don't want to use the bathroom." Bob said.
"I don't want to use the bathroom, Bob, I need to!" Linda said.
"I know you do, but something weird happened in it last night." He said.
"Weird how?" She asked.
"A blood red liquid came out of the drain and splashed everywhere." Tina said. "It was acting weird and everything!"
Puzzled by what she heard, Linda opened the door. The bathroom looked exactly the same as it did the other day. At least, that was what it looked like to Linda. Bob and Tina could see that it was still covered in the liquid, as if someone had painted everything in the room with red paint. It seemed as if the liquid was only visible to those who had been added to the supercomputer. The liquid could not be seen by anyone who wasn't with the Lyoko Warriors.
"Well, it looks alright to me!" Linda said. "Are you sure that you saw some strange fluid splashing all over the place?"
"Tina and I both saw it." Bob said.
"You must've been having a bad dream or something!" She said.
"Mom, it wasn't a dream, it was real!" Tina said.
"Can you let me go to the bathroom now?" The woman said. "It's kinda creepy to watch someone use it!"
Stepping out of the bathroom, Bob and Tina joined Gene and Louise at the table. They continued eating, knowing that they had a day of work ahead. However, the younger Belchers immediately knew what was going on. It wasn't exactly easy to fall asleep when they heard the conversation from last night.
"So, the bathroom's covered in some weird goop?" Louise asked.
"Yeah, but I think it might be blood." Tina said.
"Like in IT?" Gene asked.
"Probably." The thirteen-year-old said.
"I was gonna call Teddy to work on the drain, but it's fine now." Bob said. "For now, we should try to clean up the bathroom."
"Not it!" Gene said.
"Not it!" Louise said.
"Sorry, Tina, looks like you'll have to do it." Bob said.
"Okay." Tina said. "But, don't worry, I've got a cleaning crew of my own!"
"Hopefully, they know how to deal with the tougher stains, which are usually left by Gene!" Louise said.
"I like to leave my imprints everywhere!" Gene said.
An hour later, Bob and Linda were in the restaurant, carrying on with the busy day they had. Tina was waiting for her "cleaning crew" to show up, wanting to get rid of the blood-colored liquid that was all over the bathroom. Gene and Louise were given the task of keeping an eye out for them, even though they wanted to do something else. But, given the urgency of the situation, the younger Belcher siblings knew that it had to be done. While it couldn't be explained at the moment, it could still be cleaned. If it was something X.A.N.A had caused, then all that was left was to find evidence.
Louise entered the house, going upstairs to get Tina. She knocked on her older sister's bedroom door, trying to get her attention. After all, it was important for the thirteen-year-old to come out. If she didn't, then the cleaning of the Belcher bathroom couldn't happen.
"Tina, they're here!" Louise spoke.
Opening her door, Tina left her room and went downstairs. Exiting the Belcher family residence, she saw the Lyoko Warriors standing near Gene. The only members of the team who were absent were Jeremy and Aelita. While Tina could come up with a dozen of reasons as to why they weren't there, she put those thoughts aside. For now, she needed the help of her tutors, even if it was for something small. If they worked together, then it would be quicker.
"Glad to see you've come, guys!" Tina greeted.
"Not all of us." Yumi said.
"Aelita's talking to Jeremy back at Wagstaff." Odd stated. "Let's just say, she's not too happy about your dad joining the team."
"She'll warm up!" Gene said.
"The bathroom's still red," Louise came out of the house, "so you guys know what to do!"
"Don't think you're getting out of this, Louise!" Yumi said.
"Yeah, you're helping us!" William spoke.
Louise let out an annoyed sigh, knowing that she was going to spend her day cleaning the apartment bathroom. The Lyoko Warriors (sans Jeremy and Aelita) were let into the apartment by Tina. However, this was going to leave Gene outside by himself. With Bob and Linda working in the restaurant, one of them would likely come out to dispose of the trash. As such, the eleven-year-old was caught in a conundrum. Even if Bob was now part of the Lyoko Warriors, Linda wasn't, and she would get suspicious by what was going on.
"Wait!" Gene spoke. "What if Mom and/or Dad come out here?!"
"Do what you do best: whatever comes to your mind." Tina said.
"My imagination is a gift!" The eleven-year-old said.
Going up the stairs, the Lyoko Warriors walked into the Belcher residence. Tina showed them to the bathroom, and they were shocked by what they saw. To them, it was like looking at a crime scene, but with no corpse. The team thought that Tina had been exaggerating in her phone call, but it turned out that she wasn't. With the liquid staining the entire room, it was going to take a while to get it clean. That was, unless, they worked together on it.
(Soundtrack: When I Come Around - Green Day)
On Yumi's order, the Lyoko Warriors and the Belcher sisters gathered whatever cleaning supplies they could. When they came back, they began to work on the bathroom. Ulrich and Odd handled the walls, using antibacterial wipes to do so. Yumi focused on the sink, having both a sponge and drain cleaner on hand. William worked on the toilet, using a cleaner on the bowl and a washcloth on the tank. Sissi cleaned up the bathtub and the window, having two different cleaners with her. As for Tina and Louise, they handled the floor, much to the latter's chagrin.
When the bathroom looked like it was clean, the Lyoko Warriors checked to make sure that no stains were left. After that, they were ready to leave the Belcher apartment. However, Tina wasn't letting them leave just yet. If they had seen the stains like her, her father, and her siblings, then there was something going on. Jeremy might not have been with them, but that didn't mean that they couldn't explain what happened. For all they knew, X.A.N.A could have influenced it.
Outside the Belcher residence, Gene was doing dances to distract Bob and Linda from what Tina, Louise, and the Lyoko Warriors were doing upstairs.
"Told you that I had the moves!" Gene said.
"Gene, we like your dancing, but we want to know why you're doing them." Bob spoke.
"Because I really wanted to show you what I can do!" The eleven-year-old said, eventually ceasing his dancing.
The door came open, causing Bob and Linda to look the other way. As the Lyoko Warriors came out, the Belcher parents were surprised to see them. Bob figured that they were the clean-up crew Tina had been talking about, while Linda hoped to speak to them. However, both of them were perplexed by the absence of Jeremy and Aelita. While it wasn't such a big deal, Bob was concerned about where they could've been. For all he knew, they could have been prey to a X.A.N.A attack.
"What are you guys doing here?" Linda asked.
"Oh, we were just giving Tina and Louise a hand with their homework!" Yumi lied.
"And we helped them correct their answers!" Ulrich spoke. "Is that right, Tina?"
"Yep," Tina said, "and they even helped clean the bathroom!"
"I kinda figured you called them in for that." Bob said.
"Anyway, we gotta go!" Odd spoke. "Jeremy's probably waiting for us to come to his aid from Aelita's scolding!"
"No, stay!" Linda said. "You have to come in for a drink or two!"
"Maybe later Mrs. Belcher, but thanks for the offer!" Yumi said.
The Lyoko Warriors walked off, leaving the Belcher family by themselves. That was until Jimmy Junior came towards them. However, there were red blotches on his skin, looking like he had a rash. While one would assume that there was an accident the boy had with tomato sauce, given how the Pesto family owned a pizzeria, something told Tina, Gene, and Louise that it wasn't the reason. Bob had that feeling as well, even though he hadn't been well-versed with the happenings on Lyoko. If Jimmy Junior was having problems with the bathroom at his place, then something was wrong.
"Hey, Jimmy Junior, that's a new look for you!" Tina spoke.
"Yeah, the sunburn style is in season!" Gene said.
"It's not from the sun, it's from my dad's restaurant!" Jimmy Junior said.
"What do you mean?" Bob asked.
"When I went to use the bathroom, the sink shot red stuff at me!" The boy said. "Then it just went everywhere!"
"That's weird!" Linda said.
"Our bathroom did the same thing last night!" Louise said.
"Is there anyone working on the bathroom at your restaurant?" Bob asked.
"Dad's making Trev clean it up." Jimmy Junior said.
"Well, hopefully he gets it clean, because a bad bathroom means bad business!" Linda said.
Looking at each other, the Belcher children had to conclude that X.A.N.A was causing certain people to see red, blood-like liquid spraying out of their bathroom sink. Knowing that Bob could see it as well, they knew they would have to get his help on the mission. Even if he couldn't go to Lyoko like how they could, their father could still lend a hand. Be it driving them to the factory or holding off someone who was under X.A.N.A's control, he would be an excellent asset to the Lyoko Warriors. Aelita might not have approved of the man being on the team, but she would have to deal with it. They needed all the help they could get, even if the help came from a grown-up.
Jeremy and Aelita were at Wagstaff, talking about the idea of Bob being in the Lyoko Warriors. While Jeremy had already added the Belcher father to the supercomputer's database, he had done so without telling Aelita beforehand. Needless to say, the pink-haired teen was not happy to hear about it. Even if the Lyoko Warriors needed additional members, that did not mean they needed to involve everyone they had spoken to. Unlike the Belcher siblings, Bob and Linda didn't trustworthy when it came to keeping a secret. If Bob was, then Linda wasn't.
"Jeremy, I am appalled that you made Mr. Belcher a part of the group without asking me if it was a good idea!" Aelita said.
"I didn't want to do it, either, but he insisted!" Jeremy said.
"My father died on Lyoko, Jeremy, I don't want Mr. Belcher to die next!" The pink-haired teen said.
"He's only been scanned." The spectacled blonde said. "Don't worry, he's not on Lyoko. He'll be fine, Aelita!"
Walking down the hallway, Aelita decided to head to the bathroom. Once she got inside, however, she saw that the entire room was drenched in a red liquid that looked like blood. Not only that, but Ms. LaBonz was on the floor, her eyes wide open. Stepping out of the room in shock, the pink-haired teen met up with Jeremy. It didn't take much for him to see what was wrong, as there was a red smudge on Aelita's shoe. The sole of her shoe left behind red footprints that came all the way from the bathroom.
"Jeremy, we need to call an ambulance!" Aelita said.
"Way ahead of you!" Jeremy said, taking out his cellphone. "Call the others, and tell them to meet you at the factory!"
Nodding her head, Aelita ran out of Wagstaff. She went in the direction of the factory, intent on getting to Lyoko as fast as possible. While running, the pink-haired teen called her teammates, starting with Odd. The moment she was at the factory, she dialed the number for the Belcher residence, hoping that one of the kids would pick up. Even if Bob was part of the team now, the teen felt as though his children should be the ones to answer the call. Upon dialing the numbers, Aelita waited for someone to answer.
Back at the Belcher house, the phone rang, causing Tina to answer it.
"Hello?" Tina spoke.
"It's me!" Aelita's voice came out of the phone. "I'm at the factory, and I'm going to launch a mission on Lyoko!"
"Why?" The brunette asked. "Did X.A.N.A activate a Tower?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out!" The pink-haired teen said. "Remember how you said your bathroom was drenched in a red liquid? Well, the girl's room at Wagstaff was the same way! Ms. LaBonz was even on the floor, covered in it!"
"Jimmy Junior had the same stuff on him as well!" The thirteen-year-old said. "His family's restaurant was having the same problems as ours and the girl's room!"
"X.A.N.A must be influencing bathrooms to spray a toxic liquid that can render people comatose!" The time-displaced girl said. "I'll send whoever I can to Lyoko, get here as quick as you can!"
Putting down the phone, Tina saw that Gene and Louise were determined to get to the factory. Knowing that they had time to spare, the Belcher siblings decided to get there as quickly as they could. Before they could go out the door, they saw Bob standing in front of it. Clearly, he was willing to go to the factory with them.
"Let me guess: X.A.N.A attack?" Bob asked.
"Yeah, and Aelita's expecting us at the factory!" Louise said.
"The stuff that came out of the sink this morning is a toxic liquid," Tina spoke, "and we need to get to Lyoko before more people fall into comas!"
"We must save our bathrooms from X.A.N.A!" Gene said.
"Hey, Lin, I'm going to take the kids out for a walk!" Bob called upstairs.
"Okay, but be back before dinner!" Linda shouted.
Walking out of the house, the Belchers (sans Linda) immediately started going in the way of the factory. They bypassed Wonder Wharf, going in the direction Tina, Gene, and Louise had shown Bob to go if he ever wanted to go to the factory by himself. Once they arrived at the building, they expected someone to greet them. However, there was no one at the entrance. Despite that, Louise led her family members down to the lab, intent on meeting up with her teammates/tutors. The moment she was at the door, she opened it, finding Aelita at the supercomputer while Sissi stood by.
"Hey, it's about time!" Sissi spoke, having noticed the Belchers enter.
"Alright, Gene, Tina, enter the Scanners!" Louise said. "Dad, you and I will join Aelita and Sissi at the supercomputer!"
"Not really what I had in mind, but okay." Bob said.
Meanwhile on Lyoko, Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and William were fighting off Bloks and Hornets in the Forest Sector. So far, they were doing well, as none of them had been Devirtualized. However, Odd had taken two hits from a Hornet. Likewise, William had been shot at by a Blok. Outside of that, the Lyoko Warriors were progressing through the mission. All they needed was for Jeremy to arrive, so that Aelita could join them on Lyoko. If the Belcher siblings came as well, then the battle would've went on for longer.
A Blok snuck up on Odd, ready to shoot him to z Devirtualization. However, a laser distracted it long enough for the Lyoko Warriors to see the monster. Ulrich sliced it in half, destroying it instantly. Once that happened, a few more Bloks approached, only for two to be destroyed after being hit with a staff. Gene and Tina then joined the battle, using their weapons to fight the incoming monsters. With them on Lyoko, the Lyoko Warriors knew that it would be easier to fight.
"Need a hand, fellas?" Gene asked.
"Was kinda hoping that Aelita would join us there for a moment." Ulrich said.
"I'll join you in a moment!" Aelita's voice said. "We've just got to wait for Jeremy!"
Back in the lab, Aelita, Sissi, Bob, and Louise were watching the others traveling through the Forest Sector. That was until the door to the lab came open. Luckily, it was Jeremy who entered, and no one who was curious about the factory. Seeing that it was now or never, Aelita got up and went to a Scanner. Once Jeremy got to the supercomputer, he began the Virtualization process, allowing Aelita to enter Lyoko. If she didn't go and deactivate the Tower, then the mission wouldn't be finished.
Once she was on Lyoko, Aelita turned on her wings and decided to fly to her teammates. She got there before Yumi could be Devirtualized by a Hornet, using her Energy Field to destroy said Hornet. The pink-haired teen turned off her wings and landed on her feet, then fired another Energy Field, hitting a Blok. However, this got her hit with a Hornet's laser. While this didn't Devirtualize the time-displaced girl, it did cost her thirty life points. Of course, she returned the favor to the Hornet that fired.
"Aelita, don't mess around!" Jeremy warned. "If you get Devirtualized, then you can't deactivate the Tower!"
"I'm heading to the Tower right away, Jeremy!" Aelita said.
As Aelita made her way to the Tower, the Lyoko Warriors found themselves fighting the monsters that had shown up. Odd was immediately Devirtualized by two Bloks, so Ulrich and Yumi took them down as well. William killed a few that were surrounding him, though he had to face a Hornet next. Gene was firing at any monster that came his way, focusing on both the Bloks and the Hornets. Tina used her staff to whack anything that approached her. While her weapon didn't do a whole lot of damage, she pressed on, continuing to strike her enemies down.
The streets of Seymour's Bay started to flood with the blood-like liquid, causing whoever approached it to collapse. It seemed to cause people to become comatose, perhaps inducing it by touch. Those who had seen it either called EMS or the water station, wondering what was going on. However, that did not save them from falling victim to the liquid, even those who could not see it. As the liquid was invisible to many, they were unable to protect themselves from it. Everyone else ran as far as they could, even if they would fall victim to it.
Inside the Belcher residence, Linda felt her body start to shut down. Once she had left the bathroom, the woman tried to get to the living room, where she began to feel bad. The Belcher matriarch made her way to the couch, letting out a gasp for air. Her heart began to slow down, her eyes blurring. As she reached for the phone, Linda hoped that Bob and the kids would be alright. If she couldn't make it to the hospital, then at least she would've died trying.
Aelita entered the Tower, intent on deactivating it as quickly as possible. She walked to the middle of the panel, then levitated to the next one. Once she was on the next platform, the pink-haired teen was met with a holographic screen. Touching it, she entered Code: Lyoko into the Tower's database. With that out of the way, all that was left was for Jeremy to run a Return To The Past. If not, then the damages that had been caused would be permanent.
With the Tower deactivated, Jeremy entered the code for the Return To The Past. Once that was out of the way, time began to turn backwards, with a white light engulfing the planet. As that happened, those who had fallen comatose were awakened. However, that did not apply to anyone who died during X.A.N.A's attack. The Return To The Past did not resurrect the dead, it only saved those who were still alive. When it was done, time had gone back to the morning, and only the Lyoko Warriors would remember what happened.
With time having gone back to morning, Bob, Tina, Gene, and Louise sat around the table, knowing that they were the only members of the family who would know what happened. As Linda joined her family for breakfast, they ate, waiting for when she was going to use the bathroom. That was not what wound up happening. Rather, Linda began to speak about an odd dream she had. She told her husband and children that she dreamed about dying in a painful manner. It primarily involved her body shutting down and her heart beating slowly.
"And the weirdest part is, I was about to die before a white light overcame me." Linda spoke. "I thought it was God at first, then I heard what sounded like time reversing. That was when I woke up. It might have been a dream, but it felt so real!"
"That was certainly an odd dream, Lin." Bob said.
"I gotta use it." She said. "Save some bacon for me!"
As Linda went to the bathroom, Bob and the kids were tense. If the bathroom was still red on the inside, then it meant that the Return To The Past didn't work. Even if Linda couldn't see X.A.N.A's poisonous liquid, that didn't mean she wouldn't fall victim to it. They heard a flush, knowing that she was done. The Belcher matriarch came back and continued to eat breakfast with her husband and children. In response, they let out a sigh, knowing that all was well ... for now.
Hopefully, we can involve her in our missions as well. Gene thought to himself.
Note: That might be a bad idea, Gene. Linda's not really good at keeping secrets, and Lyoko is one big secret. Then again, she might turn out to be a good addition to the Lyoko Warriors. Not sure what she can do at the moment, but I'm sure she'll get some moments. After all, if X.A.N.A threatens the Belcher children, then Linda might go after him. She might even fight Jeremy to get on the team.
What dastardly plan could X.A.N.A have next? Will the Lyoko Warriors be able to fix the damages of his attack with a Return To The Past? Can they stop their enemy from doing a massive blow to Seymour's Bay, let alone the world? Who will be the one to go on the mission? When all is said and done, will anyone still be alive? Will there be unexpected allies?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!
