Note: April is here, so it's time for some springtime updates. Love or Lust, Our Family and The Mighty Loonatics are still going, along with this one. Not only that, but there might be a new story this month. Whether or not it will be only one chapter depends on what happens. Hopefully, you keep your eyes peeled for it, as it could be posted anytime.
As a quick note, I did not intend for the previous chapter to be the first section of a two-parter. I was running out of time to finish the previous chapter and I had a hard time thinking about how it would go. Nevertheless, I hope it doesn't deter you from continuing to read the story. After all, it's far from over.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter sixteen.
Chapter 16: The Answer (Part 2)
The Belcher family was dead silent after that brief phone call Bob had. Not only was his cousin, Vanessa going to be in town for the next two weeks, but she would be paying Bob's Burgers a visit tomorrow. Linda was somewhat excited to hear that her cousin-in-law was coming to the restaurant. Even if Vanessa was in a cult, she was still family. Tina, Gene and Louise were far less excited, despite having never seen or spoken to their cousin before. Given the amount of tragedies that were associated with cult activities, it wasn't a good idea to let Vanessa in.
Bob didn't know what to say about Vanessa's incoming visit. He hadn't spoken to her in-person for years, considering what she was doing in her life. Not only that, but the restauranteur was supposed to get the results for the DNA test on the day that his cousin was going to visit. Was Vanessa coming to visit because Bob had taken a DNA test to see which of his kids' tutors was related to him? If so, then could she be coming to dispose of it or steal it? For whatever the reason, he was somewhat suspicious.
As for Vanessa herself, Bob had no idea what to tell Linda and the kids about her. For years, he had been saying that his cousin had been in a cult, but that was not true. In reality, she had left Seymour's Bay to meet the love of her life. Bob kept forgetting where Vanessa's lover was from, but he remembered that the man was a young businessman who was part of a rich family. In addition to that, the man had a European surname, sounding like it was one you would hear in one where English wasn't the main language. The restauranteur had no idea how his family would react if he told them the truth about his cousin and in-laws.
"So, Vanessa's coming on Saturday?" Linda spoke, hoping to break the silence.
"Yes, that's what she said." Bob stated.
"Is she the one who's in the cult?" Tina asked. "Why is she coming to the restaurant tomorrow?"
"Maybe she's coming to indoctrinate her in the cult." Louise ventured, clearly being mischievous. "Maybe she'll sacrifice us near a fire or make us drink blood."
"I'll offer myself to the fire!" Gene spoke. "There isn't anything that I can do for the cult!"
"Gene, Vanessa's not going to sacrifice you." Bob spoke. "Vanessa's not going to do anything like that. She's just coming to visit us."
"What for, though?" Louise asked.
"That's all she said during the call." The restauranteur said. "Look, everyone, when she comes tomorrow, I want you to be on your best behavior. Even though you've never seen her before, I know her well enough to tell you that she can be rather high maintenance."
"We'll behave." Tina spoke.
"I'm always good around new people!" Gene stated.
"I am not." Louise said.
"Don't worry, Bob, we won't make a fuss." Linda said. "Besides, I bet Vanessa's lots of fun!"
The next day, the Belchers decided to wait in their home instead of opening the restaurant. As Vanessa could've arrived at any moment, it seemed rather odd to greet her during work instead of on an easy day. Bob would rather have worked, but he decided not to go against his family's wishes. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their distant relative, hoping to greet her in the doorway. Linda was hoping to know what her cousin-in-law was up to all this time, cult or not. As for the kids, they were hesitant, but decided to swallow their pride and speak to their previously unseen relative.
A knock came on the door, causing Bob to get up and go answer it. Once he was near the door, he opened it, only to find no one standing behind it. Rather the restauranteur saw that there was an envelope on the ground, which made him curious. While it could've been a bill, it could also have been the results of the DNA test. Either way, Bob picked up the envelope and carried it into the house with him. Of course, he would have to check it before he even thought about setting it on the table for Linda and the kids to see.
Looking at the envelope, Bob could see that the address for the recipient was for him and not the entire house hold. He moved his thumb, only to see that the return address was from the geneticist. Realizing what this meant, the restauranteur was unsure of whether to open the envelope where he stood or to take it in the house and open it in front of Linda and the kids. Some part of him wanted it to be a surprise, though something else told him that the rest of the family wanted to know the answer behind what the ghost of Lily had told them. Putting the envelope under his armpit, the Belcher family patriarch decided to head inside and open it. By doing so, the whole family would be able to see the results of the DNA test.
As he went upstairs, Bob saw that Linda was waiting at the top step. She tilted her head to the side, as if noticing the envelope right away. However, Bob didn't mind, as he was intent on showing what was inside to everyone. He entered the living room and sat down on the couch, dropping the envelope on the table. Upon seeing it drop, Tina, Gene and Louise were immediately curious about what was inside the envelope. Little did they know, they were about to learn about its contents.
"What's that?" Louise asked.
"I wanted it to be a surprise at first." Bob spoke. "Then I realized that you would eventually ask questions about it and try to peak in it like how you would while searching for birthday presents or Christmas presents, so I'm going to tell you what's inside: DNA test results."
"Why did you take a DNA test?" Linda spoke. "Oh right, it's because your mother told you that one of the tutors is related to you."
"Who is it?" Tina asked. "I bet it's Jeremy."
"I don't know." Bob said. "The geneticist couldn't reveal it right away because the machine was broken at the time. Now that the results are here, let's see who our mystery relative could be."
Bob opened the envelope, getting ready to pull its contents out. Before he could even get the DNA test results free, another knock came on the door. As everyone else was preoccupied, Linda went to answer it. She went downstairs, intent on speaking to whoever was at the door. Loving the opportunity to speak to someone about their day, the Belcher matriarch hoped that it was one of their neighbors or even her sister, Gayle. Once she was at the door, Linda turned the knob and pulled it towards her.
Now that the door was open, Linda was greeted by a woman. This woman was dressed in a yellow shirt, a purple jacket, a skirt and high heel shoes. Her hair was brown and it was kept in a ponytail. Linda had never seen this woman before, but she looked familiar. The visitor didn't look like she was in high spirits, looking almost bored. It didn't stop Linda from trying to strike up a conversation with this person, even though they were complete strangers to each other.
"Uh, hello there." Linda spoke.
"Hello." The woman spoke. "Is Robert here?"
"Robert who?" The Belcher matriarch asked.
"Robert Belcher." The visitor said. "You must be Linda."
"Yeah, that's me." She said. "Wait here, I'll go get Bob."
Walking upstairs, Linda immediately greeted her family.
"Bob, there's someone here to see you." She spoke.
"Who is it?" Bob asked.
"It's a woman." Linda said. "I think it might be Vanessa."
"Are you sure it wasn't Gayle wearing different clothing?" The Belcher patriarch asked. "What was she wearing?"
"A jacket, a shirt, a skirt and high heels." The Belcher matriarch said. "You should see for yourself."
With the results for the DNA test in his hands, Bob went downstairs to greet whoever was at the door. Once he got a look at the woman Linda had described to him, his mind went blank. This woman wasn't a stranger, but she was someone the restauranteur hadn't seen or spoken to in years. For the visitor, the feeling was mutual, as her eyes widened upon seeing him. For a moment, they stared at each other, not saying a single word. Eventually, they got a word out, being the first thing that came to mind.
"Bob?" The woman asked.
"Vanessa?" Bob asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"God, what happened to you?!" Vanessa asked, apparently having expected him to look like how he did before.
"It's a long story." The restauranteur said. "To make it short, I probably should've went to more gyms. Anyway, the woman you spoke to was my wife Linda, and we have three kids."
"I figured that was Linda who I was speaking to." She said. "Where's the rest of the family?"
"They're upstairs." He said. "Come in, I'll introduce you to them."
Letting Vanessa into the Belcher household, Bob had her go upstairs before he did. He followed his cousin, secretly hoping that Linda and the kids hadn't greeted her before he had the chance to introduce her. Once he reached the top of the stairs, the restauranteur saw that the rest of the family was sitting on the couch. Vanessa was waiting outside of the room, so that her cousin could give her the signal to enter. Bob didn't mind her entering anytime she wanted, even though he didn't know how the kids would react to seeing her. After all, they had never spoken to their distant relative before.
"Hey, everyone, there's someone I'd like for you to meet!" Bob spoke.
"Who is it?" Tina asked.
"Is it the man who came to sweep Mom off her feet in case you died?" Louise asked.
"I'll say it's Nick Cave." Gene said.
"Nick Cave's too old for your mother." Bob said. "Here, I'll let you see her."
Stepping aside, Bob let a nicely-dressed woman enter the room. Tina was curious, wondering just who their visitor could be. Gene wasn't curious, but rather excited, as this woman could have been a potential friend. Louise was indifferent, even giving a shrug to the woman in front of her. None of the kids knew that they were looking at their distant relative. Linda, on the other hand, seemed to recognize her, despite having never spoken to her as much as she wanted to admit.
"Everyone, meet Vanessa." Bob spoke.
"Hi Vanessa, it's so nice to see you!" Linda greeted.
"Thrilled to see you as well, Linda." Vanessa said. "I must ask, who are the three children sitting near you? Did you adopt?"
"Vanessa, they're your cousins-in-law: Tina, Gene and Louise." Bob said.
"Hi Cousin Vanessa." Tina greeted.
"Where have you been at, girl?" Gene asked.
"Probably somewhere she can't tell us about." Louise spoke.
"So, Vanessa, how have you -!" Linda tried to speak.
"Alright, everyone, let me rest my feet for a moment." Vanessa said. "The journey here is longer than I expected. Even though the town landlord told me that it was around here, I wasn't sure until I saw the address."
"Yeah, our house is hard to find until you remember it's in the same building as a restaurant." Tina said.
"So, kids, what do you do in school?" The Belcher cousin asked.
"Whatever I want." Louise said.
"I try to make everyone around me happy, while still making it to class on time." Gene spoke.
"Doing teen stuff, trying to get with the boy of my dreams." Tina stated.
"Ah, yes, typical child and teenager stuff that you would see in a sitcom." Vanessa said. "You should probably think about your financial futures one day, in case you haven't gotten a part-time job that can help you earn enough money for savings."
Bob let out a chuckle, while Linda tilted her head to the side. With Vanessa in the house and interacting with the kids, Linda wanted to feel happy, but she couldn't. Meeting a distant relative for the first time would have excited anyone, but something just felt off. All this time, it was said that Vanessa had been in a cult for quite some time, but her behavior showed that this was not the case. Given how she was now talking to Tina, Gene and Louise about finances, it was clear that the Belcher cousin had been up to something else. Whatever it was, Linda only hoped that it was good.
Taking Bob aside, Linda decided to speak to him for a second. She assumed that the kids would keep Vanessa company (if she wasn't planning anything bad). Gene didn't seem to mind her presence, though Tina and Louise were quizzical. Perhaps they were wondering if their distant relative was a cult member like their father had said before.
"Bob, what the Hell is going on here?" Linda whispered. "Your cousin has NOT been in a cult!"
"You are right and I am sorry." Bob quietly said. "Lin, the truth is, Vanessa married a businessman from somewhere else and she only came to look for her son!"
"What?!" She whispered. "Where is her son? What does he look like?"
"She didn't say, she just told me that her son was in town." He said. "We'll have to go looking in a little bit."
"If we can get her away from the kids, that is. Hopefully, her son's still in one piece when we find him."
Meanwhile at Wagstaff, the Lyoko Warriors were overlooking the papers that they had to grade. In the process, they wound up looking at the lunch menu for next week, finding it rather unimpressive. While it contained meals that children that would be excited for, such as lasagna and pizza, the teens felt as though it could use some tweaking. It was too late to make the changes, but it was the final full week of the month, so they might have a chance once the next month began. Of course, they would have to contact the Principal of Wagstaff to do so. If not him, then maybe the superintendent.
After grading the papers he needed to, Jeremy put them in the box that would go to the computer lab. The others (aside from Odd) still had to work on theirs, but needed to take a break for a bit. Ulrich in particular decided to stretch his legs, so that he could get circulation working in them. In fact, he went out to the hallway to do so, not wanting to disrupt anyone while they were working. As he did so, the Lyoko Warriors kept on grading the assignments they had gotten back from the children they tutored. Some were great, while others were unsatisfactory.
While they graded papers and got them ready to be passed back on Monday, the Lyoko Warriors thought about the DNA tests they took with Bob. Already, it was rather strange of him to ask them to do that, but it was more so when the geneticist said that the machine wasn't working. Doctors were usually more responsible than that, to the point where they would repair faulty technology or replace it. Given that Seymour's Bay was a small town, it was likely that they didn't have enough funding for better equipment. However, the Lyoko Warriors chose not to criticize medical professionals, as they did what they could to make ends meet.
The moment they stopped grading the assignments from each student they tutored, the Lyoko Warriors decided to head to the factory, just in case X.A.N.A had launched an attack. If that was so, then Aelita would be able to deactivate a Tower before the attack began to harm the real world. Jeremy wanted to call the Belchers, but he figured that the mission would be done before he could contact them. Bob was likely expecting the results for that DNA test, meaning that the family was going to look at them. No one in the group had any idea who was the family's distant relative, but they were fine with that. After all, it wasn't like Bob wouldn't call them about it.
Back at the Belcher residence, Bob and Linda were in their room, talking about Vanessa. While Bob was glad to finally tell his wife the truth about his cousin, Linda was rather shocked that her husband lied to her about this for so long. They were quiet enough for Vanessa not to hear them. Hell, they were quiet enough for the kids not to hear them.
"Bobby, how could you not tell me that Vanessa had married someone overseas and had a son?" Linda whispered.
"I didn't want to talk about it because the kids would be interested in trying to become his heirs, even though they never met him." Bob quietly said.
"Well, where did the thing come from?" She asked.
"To make a long story short, I read too much stuff about cults when I was younger." He said. "It was the first thing I could think of in terms of a cover story for Vanessa."
"Who is her husband, anyway?" The spectacled brunette asked.
"I can't remember his name, but I remember seeing him at my Dad's restaurant one day." The mustachioed brunette stated. "He's not exactly fit, but he's better looking than I am. Also, he's kind of an ass."
"Maybe we won't see him. However, her son's also in town, so we have to look for him. For now, let's get back to Vanessa and the kids."
Opening the door, Bob saw Vanessa sitting on the couch with the kids. Louise looked the most intrigued by her cousin, in contrast to how quizzical she was before. Gene was rather quiet, as if he had seen something so great, it stunned him. Tina seemed interested, even though Vanessa had literally nothing that would interest the thirteen-year-old. It was as if the Belcher cousin had a way with kids outside of her son. Whoever her son was, he was probably glad that his mother was a great person.
Looking over at Bob, Vanessa saw that he was holding an envelope under his arm. She had no idea what it could've been, whether it was a postcard or bill. It was far too important to be junk mail, considering how Bob was holding onto it. Whatever was in the envelope, it seemed to be important enough to hold onto.
"Bob, what's that you got with you?" Vanessa asked.
"They're DNA test results." Bob spoke. "I was just wondering who I share blood with outside of the family."
"Have you read them?" The Belcher cousin asked.
"I'm about to." The restauranteur said. "Want to look at them with us?"
Before Vanessa could answer, she heard buzzing coming out of her jacket pocket. It was her phone, meaning that she was getting a call. The Belcher cousin took it out, her eyes widening when she looked at the Caller ID. She had to answer it right away, but didn't want to run out on her extended family without saying anything.
"I'd like to look at the results with you, guys, but I can't." Vanessa spoke. "My husband's calling me and I can't ignore it. See you guys when I get done!"
Moving aside, Bob let Vanessa go outside so she could have a phone call with her husband. Once she was outside, he sat on the couch and had Linda and the kids sit around him. The restauranteur opened the envelope, intent on reading the results as quickly as possible. After that, he began to look through the results, hoping that the question on his mind would finally be answered. Linda was on one side of him, while the kids were on the other side. They read the results of the DNA test together, hoping to see who the relative Lily's ghost was talking about truly is.
After a bit of reading, the Belcher family gasped. Right in front of them, they had gotten their answer, but it was shocking. Tina in particular was freaking out, as she had been crushing on this individual, not knowing that he had been her distant relative. Gene and Louise could not believe their eyes, having not expected such an outcome. Linda felt as though she was going to faint, being overloaded with this new information. Bob kept his composure, though he was about as surprised as the rest of his family.
With the answer right in front of them, the Belchers began to wonder about the situation? Did the individual Bob shared DNA with know that he was related to him? If not him, then did his family know about it, but didn't tell him? Had they told him anything without giving the answer away? Did Vanessa come to town because of the fact that Bob had taken the DNA test? If so, who was her son and which of the Lyoko Warriors was it?
At the factory, Jeremy had been searching through each Sector, checking to see if a Tower had been activated. There was one activated in the Desert Sector, so it was nothing difficult to take care of. All the Lyoko Warriors needed to do was send Aelita there, have her deactivate the Tower and check and see if a Return To The Past was necessary. It didn't seem like they would need to rewind time, given how nothing bad was happening at the moment. Of course, X.A.N.A could've been influencing an attack the team didn't know about. For a malignant computer program, he could be rather sneaky sometimes.
With the Scanners on, Jeremy thought about who he would be sending to Lyoko with Aelita. At first, he thought about just sending Odd or Yumi with her, but only two on the battlefield would end the mission in disaster. With that in mind, it seemed more sensible to send everyone to the Desert Sector (aside from the Belcher children). Jeremy decided to start by Virtualizing Aelita, then moving onto the others once she was on Lyoko. However, he had to think about who would go after her. While a mission on Lyoko was a team effort, it all depended on how everyone did.
Before he could choose who to go with Aelita, Jeremy heard his cellphone ring. Taking it out of his pocket, he answered the call.
"Hello?" Jeremy spoke.
"Jeremy, are you at the lab?" Bob's voice came out of the phone.
"What do you need, Mr. Belcher?" The spectacled blonde asked.
"I got the DNA test results back and I found out who is related to my family!" The mustachioed brunette said.
"Is it Odd?" The teen asked.
"No, it's not Odd, it's someone else." The man said. "Also, my cousin Vanessa is visiting, so we're kinda preoccupied. However, she's looking for her son and he's in town. Do you think you can look for him when you have the time?"
"I'll do that." He said. "In the meantime, keep your cousin company."
After that brief phone call, Jeremy put his cellphone down. He was about to send the rest of the team to Lyoko when his phone rang again. This surprised the spectacled blonde, seeing as the Belcher children didn't have cellphones. In addition to that, Henry preferred to speak to the team in-person instead of calling them. Just who was calling Jeremy on his cellphone? Aside from his family, teammates and the Belchers, no one else knew his number.
"Hello?" Jeremy answered the call.
"Alright, where is he?!"
Upon hearing that voice, Jeremy was flabbergasted. The voice belonged to someone he had never spoken to, but knew well: Mr. Stern. He had an angered tone of voice, which was normal for him. With him on the line, Jeremy decided not to hand him to Ulrich, given how he had a troubled relationship with his father. The spectacled blonde spoke to Mr. Stern instead, even though he was rather reluctant to speak to the older man.
"Sir," Jeremy spoke, "if this will ease your temper, your son is perfectly fine. He's just working with us on a project."
"What kind of project?" Mr. Stern's voice came out of the phone. "Does it involve bailing on his studies to sign up for some phony tutoring job?"
"No, it's something for the children who attend Wagstaff." The spectacled blonde stated.
"I called that place already and they told me that you had just finished grading papers." The brunette said. "Look, either you're telling me where my son is or I'm calling the police!"
"Your son is safe and we're with him." The teen said. "Are you currently in town?"
"Of course, I came here with my wife." The man said. "We were going to look for Ulrich together, but she told me she was going to visit her cousin at his house. If I find you, you're getting chewed out, young man! See you soon!"
After that phone call, Jeremy hung up, only to be faced with an annoyed Ulrich. The brunette had a troubled relationship with his father, so being near him was the last thing he needed. While the Lyoko Warriors had never spoken to Mr. Stern before, they knew he wasn't the nicest person around. If he was coming to the factory, then the mission would've ended in disaster.
"That was my dad, wasn't it?" Ulrich asked.
"Yes." Jeremy spoke. "But don't worry, he doesn't know where the factory is."
"Wait, he's in Seymour's Bay?" The brunette was surprised. "Oh boy, what did he want?"
"He wanted to know where you were." The spectacled blonde stated. "Also, he said that your mother was going off to see her cousin."
"I wonder who your cousin-in-law could be, Ulrich." Odd spoke.
"Probably some weird guy who lives in a shack." Sissi stated.
"Strangely enough," Jeremy said, " before your father called, Mr. Belcher called me and told us to carry on without him and his family because his cousin was visiting."
"Wait a minute," William spoke, "Ulrich's parents are in town, his mother is visiting her cousin and Mr. Belcher's cousin is visiting him?"
"If that's not a coincidence," Yumi said, "then I don't know what is."
"And wasn't Mr. Belcher expecting the results to a DNA test we did with him?" Aelita asked.
"Yeah, but doesn't it sound weird how Ulrich's family is visiting on the same day that Mr. Belcher is expecting those results?" Odd asked.
Upon hearing the things that his teammates had said, it didn't take long for Ulrich to put it together. He remembered that his mother mentioned having a cousin to him when he was much younger, though they never spoke about the matter. While looking one day, the brunette had seen a letter his parents received from someone who knew his mother well. Now that he was older, he was now at the realization he never knew he would have. Such a discovery was shocking, but it allowed the teen to figure out who the initials on that letter belonged to. It wasn't a random stranger who had written to Mrs. Stern, but a family member he had never known about.
"Mr. Belcher is my cousin?!" Ulrich shouted.
"Ulrich is our cousin?!" Tina cried.
Ever since she had seen the DNA test results, Tina didn't know whether to faint or have a heart attack. Throughout all this time, she thought that Ulrich was a cute boy whose butt she could obsess over, like how she did for Jimmy Jr. Now that she had a confirmation that he was her cousin, the thirteen-year-old was freaking out. Linda had her hand on her daughter's shoulder, though she was also shocked by the news. Bob was completely silent, even if he had gotten the answer to the question that had nagged at his mind. Gene and Louise were shocked as well, though they had a feeling that their distant relative had to be ONE of the Lyoko Warriors.
"Tina, don't worry, honey." Linda spoke. "Even if you didn't know he was your relative, you've gotten along with him well."
"I only got along with him because he's a handsome boy with a handsome butt, but I didn't think that he would be my relative!" Tina said, then looked down. "There goes my erotic friend-fiction."
"You can write about the rest of the team." Louise suggested.
"Make William the main star!" Gene spoke.
"Gene." Bob spoke. "Look, everyone, I'm just as shocked as the rest of you. In fact, once Vanessa comes in, we'll tell her we've seen Ulrich without giving away the secret."
The door downstairs came open, then it closed again. Vanessa had come back in, meaning that the Belchers would have to talk to her about Ulrich. Of course, they couldn't tell her about the lab, Lyoko or anything like that. Dealing with X.A.N.A was one thing, but having to deal with an angry Jeremy was another. Even if Vanessa didn't believe them about Lyoko, she likely would've wanted her distant relatives to take her to the lab. Hopefully, it didn't come to that, because it would add more stress to the team.
"It was fun to speak to all of you, but I have to go." Vanessa said. "My husband said that he's going to pick me up so that we can continue looking for our son."
"Before you go, can I ask you something Vanessa?" Linda spoke.
"Ask away." The Belcher cousin said.
"Your son's name wouldn't happen to be Ulrich by any chance, would it?" The spectacled brunette asked.
"Yes." She said. "How did you know that? I never told you his name!"
"Vanessa, we've seen him before." Bob spoke. "He's tutoring at Wagstaff and our kids have been attending each session he's in charge of!"
"That's true." Louise spoke.
"He's an inspiration in the tutoring world." Gene said.
"And none of us have been crushing on him without knowing he was our relative!" Tina chuckled nervously, still shocked by the revelation.
"Well, Walter's going to rip his head off!" Vanessa stated. "Part of the reason we came here is to investigate as to why Ulrich was drafted to be a tutor for the Seymour's Bay local school district. He doesn't even have a degree!"
"None of us know how he got selected, either." Gene said.
"But we think it might have something to do with that virus that attacked the school computer lab." Louise said.
"A computer virus?" Vanessa was puzzled. "Ulrich wouldn't know how to take care of a virus! He doesn't work with electronics!"
Suddenly, there was a fierce pounding at the door downstairs. Alarmed by this, Bob and Linda decided to handle it, leaving Vanessa with the kids. Once they were at the door, the husband-and-wife decided to open it slowly. For all they knew, their visitor could've been Teddy, as he would only knock at the door like that in case he was excited about something. Bob honestly hoped that no one, not even him, would knock at it so vigorously. The Belcher family never had enough money beyond what they needed to live on for the week, and they rarely got money to do repairs to the house.
Pulling open the door, Bob and Linda were greeted by a man dressed in a business suit. He was a brunette with an average build, though he came up to Linda's height. The man had a grumpy look on his face, looking like he had never smiled in his life. While Linda didn't know this person, Bob had known him ever since Vanessa announced that she was getting married. The person standing in front of the Belcher parents was her husband: the infamous Walter Stern. He did not look thrilled to see them, a feeling that was mutual for Bob.
"Robert." Walter spoke.
"Hey, Walter." Bob spoke. "Vanessa's upstairs."
"I'm not here for Vanessa." The suited brunette said. "I'm here for my runaway son, who somehow became a tutor in this hellhole of a town."
"Well, he's not here." The mustachioed brunette said. "I'll go get Vanessa so that you can look for your son."
"Now, you listen here, Bob!" The Stern patriarch said. "Already, I have had the misfortune of meeting you in the past, but now I have learned that my son has been staying in the same town you and Vanessa grew up in! Did he come here to tutor struggling kids or did he come to find you? Either way, tell me where Ulrich is or I'm calling the police!"
"Back off, Walter!" Linda spoke. "As Bob said, Ulrich's not here, but we don't know where he is!"
"That's my wife, Linda." Bob said.
"Bob, Linda, is Walter there?" Vanessa's voice called from upstairs.
"Yeah, he's here!" Linda called upstairs, then turned to face Walter. "Look, we might have an idea to where Ulrich is, so we can go look for him together. However, it might be a shock when we show you."
"Just. Have Vanessa. Come down." Walter said.
"Okay, but we're bringing our kids with us, because your son's been tutoring them." Bob said.
In the lab, Jeremy had sent Aelita, Odd and Yumi to Lyoko. As for Ulrich, William and Sissi, they decided to wait for their turn in the virtual world. In Ulrich's case, he was expecting his parents to show up at some point. To him, them finding the abandoned dog food factory would be dumb luck on their part. No one in the Stern family had set foot in Seymour's Bay since the brunette's mother moved away with his father after the wedding. Even if he had due to becoming a tutor, Ulrich didn't know everything about the town, so there were things he didn't know.
Eventually, Ulrich saw a car pull up next to the factory. He knew that this was the Belcher family car, so he figured that they had finished talking to his mother. Bob was the first to come out of the car, followed by Linda and the kids. As glad as he was to see them, Ulrich had a gut feeling that his parents were coming next. He didn't want to speak to either of them, but he felt that it was nice to see them. They were about to meet the Lyoko Warriors, so they would know that the teens weren't the bad influence they thought they were.
After a minute, Ulrich saw a car pull up next to the Belcher car. He recognized that this was his parents' car, so he prepared to be greeted by them. To his surprise, they didn't immediately come into the factory. Rather, Mr. Stern looked up at the factory's wall, curious as to what it used to be. Mrs. Stern, on the other hand, looked somewhat mortified, as if she had seen something scary. The Belcher family were on the side, looking like they were ready to clear something up.
"An abandoned dog food factory?" Mr. Stern spoke. "Great, Ulrich's friends are drug dealers!"
"Oh, I've always feared him choosing a dark path in life." Mrs. Stern said, shaking her head.
"They're not drug dealers, guys." Bob spoke. "There's something in the factory, but you need to follow us inside."
Seeing as his parents and the extended family he never knew he had were coming in, Ulrich went back into the lab. He wasn't shy to face any of them, but he figured that it would be better for his parents to see what he and his friends had been up to. In the past, the Lyoko Warriors wanted to keep what they were doing a secret, but it was clear that wouldn't be an option anymore. More and more people were learning about it, some of them wound up joining the team, although most helped the team without even realizing it. Even if more people saw what was going on, the Return To The Past was always an option, though the team had to use it less as time went on. With that in mind, Ulrich was reluctant to let his parents see Lyoko and the supercomputer firsthand.
The door to the lab came open, causing the Lyoko Warriors who weren't on Lyoko to turn around. One by one, the Belcher family came through the door, looking eager to help the team. While they were glad to see them, the teens were shocked to see those who came in after them: Ulrich's parents. Mr and Mrs. Stern had a grumpy expression, but it changed to one of shock and awe. It was apparent that they had come to chew out their son, only to see the technology that was all around them. The Lyoko Warriors didn't know what to say to them, none of them having interacted with Ulrich's parents before.
"Well, Mom and Dad, like what you see?" Ulrich rhetorically asked.
"Young man," Mr. Stern spoke, regaining his composure, "you better explain to me and your mother what is going on here! Are you kids dealing drugs?"
"Are you members of a hacker group?" Mrs. Stern asked.
"Mr and Mrs. Stern, your fears are unfounded." Jeremy spoke. "We are up to nothing malicious, but we are trying to save the world."
"Save the world from what?" Mr. Stern asked.
"From an evil computer program named X.A.N.A." The spectacled blonde said. "I know this might sound crazy, but we have to use technology to access a virtual world known as Lyoko in order to fight him!"
All of a sudden, one of the Scanners came open, revealing Odd on the inside. He stumbled out of the device, but Bob was quick to catch him. Once that happened, Mr. Stern went over to Jeremy, curious as to what the Hell he was seeing. Clearly, this was something more than a simple school project. After all, Kadic Academy would never have a contest for something like this. Each piece of technology was from a bygone era, and modern children wouldn't know how to use it.
"The Hell is this?" Mr. Stern asked.
"Well," Jeremy spoke, "since you were kind enough to ask, this is the supercomputer we use to access Lyoko. There's one near Kadic as well, being the one we used to fight X.A.N.A in the past."
"Do any of you even do your schoolwork or are you wasting your time playing with technology that can access a strange video game?" The brunette asked.
"It's not a video game, Mr. Stern." The spectacled blonde said. "It's a virtual world that was created by a man named Franz Hopper back in the day. He helped us back at the lab near Kadic, though he unfortunately sacrificed himself to help us stop X.A.N.A before."
Upon hearing the name that Jeremy had said, Mr. Stern began to think back to his childhood. He had been a student at Kadic Academy, much like Ulrich and his friends. During his time as a student, the brunette had taken a science class taught by a local scientist who had allegedly been working on a top secret project. The name of the project had been unknown to those who didn't know the man personally. However, a select few were told about the project on the condition that none of them told anyone else about it. The scientist's name was Franz Hopper, and Mr. Stern was one of the individuals told about the project.
Now that he knew that the Lyoko Warriors had been using a computer to access Franz Hopper's project, Mr. Stern didn't know what to say. Aside from those who had been told about Lyoko before, the only other person who knew about it was his wife. Granted, Ulrich and his friends knew about it, considering that they had been in it not only back home, but here as well. Once everyone was in the same room, the brunette was intent on getting himself and his wife out of Seymour's Bay. For all he knew, the authorities were possibly still chasing after Franz Hopper, despite the fact that he had not been on Earth for decades. Adding that to the fact he had apparently died on Lyoko, this made the situation far more dangerous.
On Lyoko, Yumi was dealing with Hornets while Aelita made her way to the Tower. Once she was inside, the pink-haired teen walked to the middle of the platform. She soon floated up to the one on the top, intent on deactivating the Tower as quickly as possible. Accessing the database, the teen was met with a holographic screen, which she put her hand on. Inputting the code Lyoko, Aelita was able to deactivate the Tower, stopping X.A.N.A's attack. From the outside, the aura around the top turned from red to white.
With the mission done, Jeremy Devirtualized both Yumi and Aelita. Once they returned to Earth, the two were surprised to see that Ulrich's parents were standing in the middle of the lab. Neither one of them had interacted with the Stern parents before, so it was a shock. However, the grownups seemed to be rather preoccupied with the technology around them. It was as if neither one of them had seen the machines inside the lab before. This was justified, as Franz Hopper had kept it secret for years.
"Okay," Ulrich said, "Mom and Dad, I know that I haven't been getting the best grades at Kadic Academy, but that's because not only do I have trouble living up to expectations, but because of the fact that I'm constantly under attack by the monster connected to the virtual world inside the supercomputer. I'll try to get better grades when I get back to Kadic, because X.A.N.A might actually be gone at some point."
"Well, Ulrich, that's great to hear, but your father and I have to get going." Mrs. Stern spoke.
"It's a very important meeting!" Mr. Stern quickly said. "No time to scold all of you! Bye!"
Without warning, Mr. Stern tossed a smoke bomb on the ground. It exploded, causing everyone to close their eyes and start coughing. Once the smoke was gone, the Lyoko Warriors opened their eyes, only to see that Mr and Mrs. Stern were gone. This somewhat disappointed Bob, as he had more questions to ask his cousin. For the time being, speaking to Ulrich would have to do. After all, the teen was the mustachioed brunette's cousin-in-law.
"Ulrich, are you okay?" Bob asked.
"Weird," Ulrich spoke, "usually, I'm the one who tries to avoid them."
"Should we launch a Return To The Past, Jeremy?" Odd asked.
"I'm sure we'll be fine." Jeremy said. "In the meantime, Ulrich, how do you feel about the Belchers being your relatives?"
"Honestly, I'm surprised." Ulrich said. "Then again, a DNA test has results."
"If you're surprised, then I'm horrified!" Tina spoke. "I had a crush on you, thinking you were just some cute boy, but that test said that you were related to me! I nearly had a heart attack!"
"Tina didn't take it well when she read it." Louise stated.
"I could tell." Ulrich said.
"Hey, since this day brought us such a whammy, I think we should do something fun to take our minds off it." Aelita spoke. "Let's go look at the stars, everyone!"
Seeing as they all needed a break, the Lyoko Warriors and the Belchers left the lab, so that they could go look at stars and constellations. It wasn't exactly what any of them would consider fun, but it was just something to help them relax. As they left the building, Mr and Mrs. Stern watched from inside their car. Once everyone was away, they knew they had to leave.
"Must we do this?" Mrs. Stern spoke. "Ulrich is our son and we need to tell him something."
"It's too dangerous to tell him." Mr. Stern said. "For years, Franz Hopper has been out of this dimension and he's apparently dead. He left behind a project that could be used for a weapon, one that our son and his friends have been using to fight a virus that infected it."
"Do you think the authorities will chase after them?" She asked.
"Possibly." He said. "For now, let's get out of here. When we get back, I will see if we can access the supercomputer under that old bicycle factory."
After a little bit, Mr and Mrs. Stern left the area, then drove to the airport right outside of Seymour's Bay. The moment they got back home, they knew they needed to access the lab near Kadic Academy. Considering how the Lyoko Warriors had used it, that meant that it was still operational. In addition, it would be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. With that in mind, Mr. Stern was intent on finding it before anyone with malicious intent did. Even if it was used by Ulrich and his friends, that didn't mean it wasn't vulnerable to being weaponized.
Note: It appears that Ulrich's parents are familiar with Franz Hopper and Lyoko. Aside from that, they seem intent on finding the supercomputer near Kadic Academy. What will they use it for? Will what they do tie into the supercomputer in Seymour's Bay? Are the Lyoko Warriors going to have to deal with threats from back home? Can the Belcher family help them? What does X.A.N.A have in store for our heroes next?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!
