Chapter 9 Cruel Dilemma
A.N. – Last filler chapter before something interesting. I think the priority of changes will come in season 2, but we got a whole full season to get through with first. So, let's begin!
Disclaimer – I do not own Code Lyoko, the plot, or the story idea. I am just a fan of the show, the plot is owned by the creators, and the story idea was submitted by LittleRedRebel.
Principal Delmas is showing the students something outside the buildings. Two large bulldozers are parked on front of them. "Dear students, this magnificent stadium is being built in close cooperation with the board of education. Soon, you will be enjoying in sports equipment! And I personally am delighted since my duty is to provide you with the finest working conditions possible and in all areas, both intellectual and athletic. Since, as Juvenal said, 'A sound mind in a sound body.'"
"Wow, can he talk. Do we really have to listen to all this?" Odd whispers to the other three, already bored out of his mind.
"Not really, you could have stayed with Jeremy if you wanted to" Ulrich whispers back.
"What's Einstein up to anyway?" Yumi turns to them.
"The usual, he's glued to his computer screen in a big cyber conversation with his darling Aelita" Odd tells her, and she smiles in amusement.
"Face it, when she's actually here, Jeremy will be with her 24/7" Nadia adds.
"Just a couple of calculations to go and my devirtualization program will be completed!" Jeremy explains to Aelita on his screen.
"And…do you really think it's going to work, Jeremy? Do I have a chance of finally becoming materialized in your world and becoming somebody…somebody like you?" She asks hopefully. For as long as she knew her friends, that was all she ever wanted, to live like them. They get to learn new things every day, eat good food, and smell the fresh air.
Jeremy eats a piece of candy. "I sure hope so. Anyway, there's one thing that I'm sure of, I've never been close to the answer as I am now."
"Oh, honestly, it's so hard to imagine. We can be face to face in the same room, we can touch each other…even kiss!"
"Uh, yeah…" Jeremy blushes at the thought. He hadn't even thought about that. "That'd be, uh…hmm…uh, interesting. I mean, well, uh, I guess. Now, get ready. I'm starting the test program." He presses enter and cringes in anticipation, scratching his head as he waits. The program ends up not working. "Oh, I don't get it!"
"It's not the end of the world. I'm sure, Jeremy, that one day you'll succeed" Aelita tells him.
"Aelita…I'm beginning to wonder if I'm up to the job. If I'm good enough for such a complicated program." He looks up at her. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired and jumpy, that's all. I'd better go and stretch my legs." He stands up. "See you later."
Odd walks into the hallway, peeking into Jeremy's room.
"Huh, Jeremy? What's this? Another one of Jeremy's materialization programs?" Odd sits down in the chair. "Oh wow, candy!" He throws one into his mouth.
"Odd!" This startles him, making him drop some over Jeremy's keyboard. Jeremy comes into the room. "How many times have I told you not to touch my computer when I'm not here? There are months of work in there."
"Relax Max," Odd stand up. "I didn't hurt your little toy."
Jeremy sits down, seeing the candy on his keyboard. "Oh no, you're such a cosmic creep! Now look what you've done. Those keys are incredibly sensitive."
"Okay, okay, a little piece of candy's not gonna wreck your keyboard" Odd continues chewing.
"Huh? That's crazy! This is really mega insane!" Jeremy types away. Jeremy restarts the testing. This time, the test is positive. "Yes! It works!" He laughs. "Odd, you're a genius, you know that?"
"Make up your mind, am I a genius or a creep?" Odd questions.
"You're a creepy genius! You didn't do it on purpose, but by dropping the candies on the keyboard, you modified and relaunched my program! I don't know exactly what happened, but it works. Thanks, Odd!"
"Who's an Einstein now? Are you gonna materialize Aelita?" Odd smiles with a thumbs up.
"Well, yeah. The problem is I only get one try and that's it. But that's because I didn't see what kind of programming the candy typed in" Jeremy explains, glancing at the keyboard.
"Yeah, so? There's only one Aelita."
"Go and tell the others, I'll announce the good news to Aelita" Jeremy puts on his headset.
Yumi shakes her head, Jeremy standing up. "Yumi, it's now or never. We may not get a second chance. What if there's some kind of bug? I'll never be able to set up the program again!" Jeremy insists, wanting to do this as soon as possible.
"Listen, you can't just materialize Aelita like that, without making a lot of preparations" Yumi explains.
"I've boosted the scans; I've got the program going. Everything's ready."
"That's not what she means Jeremy" Nadia tells him.
"Yeah, in your head. Hey, come back to Earth Jeremy. Try to be practical for once. Aelita has no parents, and she hasn't got a birth certificate. What's more, she's not enrolled in any school. Okay, that's no biggie, but all that together means she doesn't exist in our world" Ulrich states, trying to rationalize the situation.
"Imagine, 'Hello, I'm Aelita. I just got here from a virtual reality.' That's a one way ticket to the nuthouse" Odd replies.
"Listen, we all want to see her, but you're rushing things" Nadia adds.
"You know Jeremy, it doesn't have to be today. I can wait" Aelita explains, agreeing with the others. Jeremy sighs slightly.
"Well, what do we do now?" Jeremy asks.
"I can put her up at my house. My folks wouldn't mind" Yumi suggests.
"And you can plug into the city hall computers. And create a phony identity for her. Find her a new home, all the stuff she needs" Ulrich tells Jeremy.
"Then, you just have to enroll her at our school. And try to put her in our class, that'd be really cool, huh?" Odd continues with a small grin.
"Okay, we'll get started first thing tomorrow" Jeremy concludes.
Night falls and Jeremy can't sleep, still thinking about Aelita. He looks at his Einstein picture before getting into his chair. "Aelita? Are you asleep?"
"Am I asleep? Come on Jeremy, you know that virtual beings never sleep!" Aelita replies as she appears on the screen.
"I can't sleep a wink. I can't stop thinking about your materialization, that's keeping me up. You can't imagine all the things you're gonna discover in our world!"
"You mean like sleeping?"
"That's right. That and all kinds of fun things."
"Tell me more."
Jim snores in his room, placing his pillow over his head. Odd snorts in the room he shares with Ulrich. Nadia sleeps peacefully, laying on her back.
A light shines over the inactive bulldozers. A ghost of Xana exits and enters the bulldozers, and they turn on, the Xana symbol shining from one of the lights. They start moving on their own.
"When you touch an object with your fingers, you have a sort of sensation. It could be a feeling of softness or of heat. It could be cold" Jeremy is telling Aelita.
"Oh I see. I thought you only sensed with your brain" Aelita points to the side of her head.
"That's right, but it's a little more complicated. Here on Earth, everyone has five senses. But you Aelita, you only have two of them. Hearing and seeing. You can only see and hear."
Aelita lifts her head. "Speaking of hearing…"
"Soon you're gonna be able to touch and to-"
"Jeremy, I think I heard Xana. He's up to something" she interrupts, and Jeremy hears the bulldozers.
"What's all that noise?"
"Jeremy, Xana's launched an attack!"
"Okay listen Aelita. Go and hide in a deactivated tower. I'll contact you from the factory" he logs off. He opens the door to Odd and Ulrich's room. "Odd, wake up! Xana's attacking! Odd, wake up!"
"W-What was that? What did you say about carp attacking?" He mumbles.
"Ulrich, get up!" Ulrich doesn't respond, however. Jeremy starts shaking him. "It's a Xana alert!"
Ulrich sits up in his bed, taking off his earplugs. "What did you say?"
"I SAID IT'S A XANA ALERT, XANA'S ATTACKING!" Jeremy shouts in panic.
"Hey, you always sleep with those things in your ears?" Odd wonders.
"Yeah Odd, always. And one of these days, I'll tell you why" Ulrich points to him.
"Come on, we gotta go wake Nadia," Jeremy explains. Jeremy enters her room. She has a picture of Marie Curie above her bed. She also has a pictures of her and her mother as well as her friends a few days after they started fighting Xana. She also has cupboard with shelves next to her desk. "Nadia, wake up, Xana's attacking!"
Nadia starts to wake up. "Wait, what? Who's attacking?" She sits up and is wearing a black long-sleeved t-shirt with a picture of a moon on it.
"It's Xana, he's on the move!"
"With what?" She hears a noise and stands up. She is also wearing dark blue shorts and black socks. "Okay, I get the picture."
The bulldozers start moving across the field. The four run outside to see the equipment. "No need to look any further guys. This time he picked a real winner. He's attacking us with bulldozers. Nice going Xana, how subtle can you get?" Odd says.
"I don't think he's after us, or these things would have tried to run us over by now. He must have another target in mind" Nadia adds.
"Jeremy, rush over to the lab with Nadia and call Yumi. Odd and I are gonna try and stop these monsters," the four run off in different directions. Odd and Ulrich run up to the bulldozers. "I'll take the first one!"
"Gotcha" Odd jumps into one while Ulrich steps into the first one. He tries pulling the levers, but nothing works. He then tries the steering wheel, but it refuses to move. The bulldozer is approaching a fence, and he gasps.
Yumi's phone rings at 2:30 in the morning and she hits the alarm. She grabs her phone and picks it up. "Come on Yumi, get up. We really need you" Jeremy says as he and Nadia are riding in the sewers.
"Do you realize what time it is?" She murmurs tiredly. "Bulldozers? What bulldozers?...What?!" She sits up.
Ulrich tries to work the controls as the bulldozers move into the forest. Odd opens the door. "Hey, Xana's controlling the thing. I don't know what to do Ulrich!"
"That makes two of us. You go and meet the girls and Jeremy at the lab. If I can find out what Xana wants to do with these monsters, that sure would help" Ulrich orders.
"Okay, just be careful" Odd tells him. He gets a thumbs up in response before running off into the forest.
Aelita runs in the forest sector. "Keep your eyes open Aelita, you never know where Xana's monsters are hiding," Jeremy warns, turning to Nadia. "Get to the scanners."
She nods, running off.
"Don't worry Jeremy, no enemy in sight for the moment. But the pulsations are getting stronger. The activated tower can't be too far away" Aelita responds.
"I'm sending Nadia as we speak."
Nadia steps into a scanner, turning around. "Transfer Nadia." The doors close and the scanner process begins. "Scanner Nadia. Virtualization." Nadia successfully virtualizes in the forest sector, near the tree Aelita is hiding behind. She looks around.
"Aelita, you can come out, it's safe" Nadia says, and Aelita steps out.
"Nice to see you" Aelita tells her.
"The same."
Odd climbs down the sewers and grabs his skateboard. He starts skating to the factory. He runs across the bridge and grabs the rope. He lands in front of the elevator and gets in, pressing the button. He gets down to the lab and the doors open. "Nadia, Odd should be there soon. And let's hope that Yumi and Ulrich are on their way" Jeremy hopes.
"Ulrich? He's on the bulldozer, trying to find out what Xana's up to" Odd explains.
"Ulrich, do you read me?" Jeremy dials him.
"Bad news Jeremy. I'm on the riverbank, and I'm afraid Xana's target is the factory" he reports.
"That's gotta be it! If Xana manages to destroy our factory, we can say goodbye to our equipment. No more computer meaning no more communication with Aelita…" Jeremy murmurs in worry. He'd never be able to materialize her and save her from Xana.
"Don't forget about the scanners. Without them, no more transfers to Lyoko. And that means total victory for Xana" Odd points out, running to the elevator.
"Ulrich, listen. Odd's just about to join Nadia on Lyoko, so if you don't mind, hurry up" Jeremy explains.
"I'll do my best, but I can't promise you a graceful entrance" Ulrich tells him as the bulldozers approach the factory. Odd steps into the scanner, turning around.
"Transfer Odd. Scanner. Virtualization."
Odd is successfully virtualized and lands, getting ready for a fight. He looks around, aiming at a tree.
"Relax, we're not the enemy" Nadia says as her and Aelita emerge.
"Oh, hello Odd. You're looking stressed" Aelita places her hands on her hips.
"I'm okay Aelita. It's just that I never know what I' gonna find whenever I come here."
"Come with us Odd. The activated tower's this way" Aelita starts walking.
"Okay, let's go and check it out.'
The three all take off.
The bulldozers enter the factory and the one Ulrich's in is about to crash into a pole. And unfortunately for him, the door locks. He looks back. "Oh no!" He screams as he's driven into the giant pole, breaking the windows and knocking him out. Jeremy looks up, hearing the noise.
"Ulrich, do you read me?" There's no answer.
"Jeremy?" Yumi asks from the phone.
"Yumi, I've lost contact with Ulrich."
"Where was he when you last spoke to him?"
"He was heading for the factory with the bulldozers."
"Right, I'm almost there! I'll find him" Yumi replies as she runs along the river.
Odd, Nadia, and Aelita run along the path. They stop when they reach an intersection. Aelita sees pulsations from the right. "That way!" Aelita says.
Two kankerlots appear though, blocking the way. "Talk about a reception" Odd comments.
"Usually kankerlots move in groups of five" Aelita turns around to see three more. The three are surrounded.
"Wow, and it looks like the committee's at full strength" Odd says.
"Like normally, Xana tries to make us feel at a disadvantage" Nadia adds, drawing her saber.
Yumi arrives at the main room of the factory. She gasps as she sees the damage. Most of the room is destroyed and she gasps when she sees Ulrich's arm dangling from one of the bulldozers. She jumps down using the rope.
"Hello kankerlots. Now which one of you wants to be first?" Odd calls out as he and Nadia protect Aelita from the opposite sides. The one from Nadia's side fires first and she blocks with her saber. Odd jumps up from a laser and gets hit. He pushes himself back up, only for Aelita to get hit in the leg. Odd fires two arrows, missing one, but destroying the other. Another laser is fired, and Nadia deflects it, destroying one. Odd lands near her, turning around. They jump up from more lasers.
"For once, Xana may have us at a disadvantage. We can barely make a move" Nadia says as Odd gets hit again.
"Hey, would you cool it Odd? You mission is to protect Aelita, remember?" Jeremy reminds them.
"You want to trade places Jeremy?" Odd retorts.
"We're doing our best Jeremy. Xana's relentless today" Nadia adds as she's hit in the arm.
Yumi runs to the bulldozer, crawling up to the window. "Ulrich! Ulrich get up. Ulrich! Hurry up!" She tries to pull him out, but he's still unconscious. She gasps and the bulldozer goes faster as it targets a wall. She jumps inside the bulldozer and the machine hits the wall, making them crash to the floor. It continues moving and she stands up. She carries Ulrich out, rolling away from the falling debris. She drags him away.
"Odd, you've used up 4 or your 10 arrows!" Jeremy informs him.
Another laser is fired and Odd flips away. He aims his paw at tow of them, jumping from more lasers. "Here comes three more! Laser arrow!" He fires three. Odd gets the last one blocking their path and they start running.
"Ulrich, you've gotta get up," Yumi hears a bulldozer and looks up. She grabs his arm and starts running with a suddenly awake Ulrich. He staggers and the bulldozer comes closer. They manage to fall into a hatch, Yumi turning to Ulrich. "Ulrich," she touches his check slightly. She carries him over his shoulder to the lab. "Hey Jeremy, can you give me a hand?" Yumi calls out and Jeremy looks up, running to the ladder.
"What about the bulldozers?" He starts climbing up the ladder.
"It's a mess up there."
"I wish it was only up there."
Ulrich lies against the wall. "How are Odd and Nadia doing?" Yumi asks as she checks over him.
"Jeremy, we're starting to get a little lonely over here!" Odd says.
"Maybe a little backup would be nice?" Nadia adds.
"That answer your question?" Jermey asks her.
"Gotcha!" Yumi starts running for the scanner.
"Okay guys, Yumi's on her way. As for Ulrich, let's just say he's fast asleep."
"His hearing must be tough. I mean, without his earplugs" Odd comments.
Jeremy smiles, as Odd still didn't know that Ulrich was referring to him on why he needs earplugs.
The elevator opens in front of Yumi while the bulldozers continue to destroy the factory. A scanner opens up and she steps in. "Transfer Yumi. Scanner. Virtualization."
Yumi virtualizes and lands.
"Guys, figure out a way to slow down the kankerlots! You're way ahead of Yumi" Jeremy tells them.
"Nadia, escort Aelita to the tower, I'll handle the kankerlots!" Odd tells the girls. He jumps behind a tree. "Let's see what the score is. Three kankerlots, three laser arrows left. Odd, this is no time to mess your target."
Odd turns around and fires. He manages to get one and they hide behind trees. Odd starts running and gets hit from behind. "Jeremy, how many life points have I got left?"
"Ten! Hang on, Yumi's almost there!"
Yumi continues running as Odd hides behind a tree. A kankerlot appears and Odd whistles, waving his tail. He appears from behind the tree, destroying it. "That's it for you. Where's your buddy hiding?" Suddenly, Odd gets a vision of Yumi falling towards the digital sea.
"Yumi…" Odd gets hit and devirtualized.
"No!" Yumi throws her fan, destroying the kankerlot. "Hey Jeremy, I didn't make it in time. It's game over for Odd. I'll backup Aelita and Nadia in case they need help."
Odd pants as he steps out of the scanner.
"I don't want to stress you out or anything, but if the scanners are destroyed, you're on a one-way trip girls" Jeremy tells them as more debris falls from the ceiling.
"No problem, we'll hurry. I wouldn't mind a little nap before class" Yumi comments.
"Jeremy, me and Aelita can see the tower" Nadia says.
Odd walks up to Jeremy. "Jeremy, it isn't the scanner she has to worry about. I just had a vision. I saw Yumi falling into the digital sea!"
"Devirtualized forever? Hey Yumi!" Jeremy exclaims.
"I heard him" Yumi replies.
"I'll go and help her" Ulrich says.
"What?!" Odd asks.
"Come on Ulrich, take a look at yourself. The shape you're in, it'd be crazy" Jeremy argues.
"If Nadia falls, Yumi does too. Odd, help me" Odd walks over to him.
The two girls run across a bridge, the tower just ahead. A megatank appears. "Jeremy…" Aelita says.
"I saw it. Yumi is on her way to help you. Give me a visual" Jeremy tells her.
He sees the megatank…and the hole Odd saw.
"There it is! That's exactly where I saw Yumi fall!" Odd exclaims.
"Transfer Ulrich. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization."
"We got to make time so we can save Yumi. I'll hold the blast, you run to the tower" Nadia tells Aelita.
The megatank charges up and fires. Nadia holds the blast and Aelita goes to one side. Aelita stops as the megatank blocks her way. Nadia's blade breaks and she is devirtualized. The megatank rolls into another position and prepares to fire. Aelita runs as the monster fires at her. Yumi comes from behind and pushes the megatank off the edge…along with herself. The megatank falls into the digital sea as Yumi holds on.
"Jeremy, I can't hold on anymore!" Yumi cries.
"Aelita's inside the tower now. Hang on Yumi!" Jeremy urges.
Aelita enters the tower and Yumi starts to slip.
"I can't…" Yumi looks up nervously.
Aelita starts floating and the three look around the lab as more debris falls.
"Yumi, I'm coming!" Ulrich calls out. "Yumi!" He tries to grab her but tis too late. "Nooo!"
Yumi falls toward the digital sea as Aelita walks up to the interface.
Aelita
Code
Lyoko
The bulldozers shut down as the tower deactivates. Jeremy launches a return trip to the past.
Everything is back…except for Yumi.
"I never would have thought it was possible. For one of us to become…" Jeremy starts.
"I tried to hold on. It wasn't enough" Nadia says with tears.
"No, it's all my fault. If I had been faster, she would still be here" Ulrich closes his eyes, feeling guilty.
"But there is a solution. And Jeremy knows what it is" Aelita points out.
"The materialization program. It's operational, but Aelita has to give up her place to Yumi" Jeremy realizes.
"Can you…bring Yumi back here?" Ulrich asks in anticipation.
"Yes, but I can only materialize one person. One and only one."
"Then choose Yumi. She's part of your world already," Aelita explains. "It's okay. I can wait a little longer."
"Okay Aelita. But first of all, I have to track down Yumi in the digital sea. (If Jeremy could already do this, why didn't he do it to track William down in season 4. A lot of things in this first season make no sense later on.)
Line Break
Odd, Nadia, and Ulrich wait as the scanner starts up. It opens up and they gasp as Yumi emerges. She starts to fall, but they bring their hands to catch her.
"It's alright Yumi. You're gonna be okay" Ulrich tells her.
"Welcome home" Odd adds.
"But…how did you get me back here?" Yumi wonders. The others are silent, knowing the sacrifice Aelita had to make.
"I'm happy, and at the same time, I'm sad" Jeremy admits to Aelita.
"Why? At least you know the program works. You just have to set it back up again" Aelita reassures him.
"Yeah, nothing to it."
"I have faith in you Jeremy." He smiles at her. "One day, you'll get me there, I'm sure." She leaves the computer, and Jeremy takes off his headset.
He uses his scooter alone, sulking. The others walk up to him. Ulrich and Yumi place their arms around him.
"Hey Jeremy, want some candy?" Odd holds out a piece to him.
"Hey, what are you doing with that? It's mine!" Jeremy exclaims.
"Oh yeah, I guess it is. Okay, no problem. Here you go."
"Come on, have one," Yumi puts his shoulder. "Candy can fix anything. Even a broken heart."
"And you'll need the energy to find a way to free Aelita" Nadia adds.
"If you say so" Jeremy replies. Odd throws it in the air and Jeremy catches it in his mouth. They all head back and prepare to fight another day.
A.N. – Next time, we get to the first real change in this story. I'm not gonna say anything, because by the time you read the first sentence, you'll know what the change is, if you know the episode. Also, the additions in Nadia's room were submitted by the submitter and this also a reminder this story is interactable. PM me with story ideas! Review with questions or comments! I will respond! As always, till next time! See ya! -lyokowarrior97