Note: With December having arrived, that means that Christmas is coming. Not only that, but the year is coming to an end, meaning that we will be saying goodbye to 2024 at midnight on New Year's Eve. For the time being, stories will be updated and new stories will be posted. Most, if not all, will be centered on either Christmas or another holiday that happens during December, such as Hanukkah. However, some will be centered around winter itself, with the occasional story coming up with a holiday for the author's universe. In the case of this story, it all depends on what happens.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-four.
Chapter 24: Blizzard
In the lab under the abandoned dog food factory, Jeremy was working on the supercomputer while Aelita was fast asleep. They had been working at Wagstaff all day, and it had exhausted the pink-haired teen. As such, once they had entered the lab, Jeremy allowed her to get some rest while he went through Lyoko. He was testing out the data for the Overbike and the Overboard, trying to change the codes so that anyone could use the vehicles. As for the boat needed for the Ocean Sector (which was what the Lyoko Warriors were calling the new Sector), the spectacled blonde only added an additional line of code, so that it wouldn't be destroyed in battle so easily. The Skidbladnir was not a priority at the moment, but Jeremy hoped to find a way to restore it.
Once he was done working at the supercomputer, Jeremy went over to check on Aelita. She was fast asleep on the ground, letting her body rest after such a long day. Knowing that they couldn't stay in the lab without calling Wagstaff and saying that they were sick or providing a cover story as to why they were in a lab underneath an abandoned factory, Jeremy tried to wake Aelita. It was midnight, but they couldn't stay in the lab until morning.
"Aelita, wake up!" Jeremy spoke. "We should get out of here before someone stumbles in here by accident!"
As if she had been hit with an electric current, Aelita jumped awake. Jeremy stood back, not wanting to be hit in the face by her.
"Jeremy, I had a strange dream." Aelita spoke. "It involved everyone in the world turning into gelatin dessert."
"Well, you can resume it when we get back to Wagstaff." Jeremy said. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
Going up the stairs, Aelita and Jeremy left the lab. After that, Aelita closed the door, then made a beeline for the entrance of the factory. Jeremy looked around as he walked, wanting to make sure that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing nothing wrong, the spectacled blonde left the factory with Aelita. They immediately went to Wagstaff, not wanting anyone to notice that they were gone. Even if someone noticed, Aelita knew that one of the others would have an excuse ready for the school's staff.
In the morning, the Belcher children arrived at school, intent on speaking with the Lyoko Warriors. While they were often willing to speak to their tutors/teammates, this was an occasion they wished to speak with them as quickly as possible. There would be a big test that week, and the kids needed as much help as possible. Ulrich, Aelita and Odd were not going to be much help, considering how it was a written test, so the siblings wanted to focus on the others. Tina in particular did not want to fail the test, knowing that it was a major part of her grade. Gene and Louise didn't want to fail, either, though they knew that their grades in other classes were fine.
Upon entering the library, Louise walked up to the table where the Lyoko Warriors set.
"Hey, we need to talk." She spoke.
"What do you need, guys?" Yumi greeted. "Need help with your homework?"
"Actually, it's about the big test that's coming up." Louise said. "It's on Friday and we need advice for it, pronto!"
"Well, you aren't going to get advice from me." Ulrich said. "The teachers say that it's a written test."
"And it only covers math, science and English." Aelita spoke. "That rules out not only Ulrich, but Jeremy, Odd and me."
"There's no time for us to tutor you before the test." Sissi said. "If you guys aren't doing well in your classes, then you're pretty much screwed if you take the test."
"Look, is there ANY advice you can give us before we take it?" Louise asked.
"With all this being said, our advice is to do your best." Jeremy spoke.
"Other than that, we've got nothing." William said.
"Gee, thanks for nothing, guys." Louise snarked.
"And for everything else." Tina said.
"Goodbye world." Gene said. "I didn't think the idea of failing a test would ever get me down, but times have changed."
The Belcher children left the library, dreading the upcoming test and annoyed that their tutors couldn't help them. Once they were gone, the Lyoko Warriors had a small conversation, discussing the test the students would be taking on Friday. There wasn't much the team could do, as there was little time to help anyone out before they took it. When it was time for first period, they left the library, heading for the classrooms they were assigned to tutor. In the process, they hoped that certain students would do well on the test. Of course, that was assuming that something didn't go down that postponed it altogether.
When night rolled around, everyone in Seymour's Bay was at home, sleeping their troubles away. As they slept, dark clouds formed in the sky, looking like a thunderstorm was about to start. However, there was no thunder or lightning booming in the sky. Rather, the clouds gathered, as if they were about to smother the entire area. However, something did fall out of them: a single, white particle. This was the only one to fall, but the clouds did not part, remaining above Seymour's Bay all throughout the night.
In the morning, Tina, Gene, and Louise arrived at Wagstaff, intent on getting the materials needed to help them study for the test. The test was only three days away, so they had little time to prepare. Without help from the Lyoko Warriors, the Belcher siblings knew that it was going to be tough. Every student was expected to apply the knowledge they had used throughout the year on it, but some wouldn't be able to. Gene in particular was worried that he wouldn't pass it, whereas Tina and Louise wanted to do their best on it. The test was mandatory, so faking being sick wasn't going to work.
When it was time for lunch, the Belcher children sat at the table together. They got out the books that they figured would help them prepare for the test. Each was centered around the following subjects: math, reading and science. Reading and writing was the easy one, while math and science were hard. All the students had to do was solve problems and answer questions about certain aspects of science, but there were some things a student wouldn't know. However, Tina, Gene and Louise would have to know what those scientific facts were if they wanted to pass it.
"This test is going to kick our asses!" Louise spoke.
"Big time." Gene said.
"No doubt about it." Tina said. "I did pass the last one, though."
"I wish we could use a Return To The Past every so often." Louise said. "It would give us more time to study."
"But we can only use them when a X.A.N.A attack causes damage to the real world." The thirteen-year-old said.
"That doesn't mean we can't convince Jeremy to let us use the supercomputer." The nine-year-old said.
"Speaking of Jeremy, he's walking by." Gene said.
True to Gene's word, Jeremy was walking through the cafeteria. He passed the table the Belcher kids were sitting at, heading towards the table in the back. Upon seeing the spectacled blonde, Louise decided to enact her plan. She hoped that he would let her use the supercomputer and trigger a Return To The Past so that her siblings could have more time to study. After all, X.A.N.A wasn't in control of a Tower, so what would be the harm in turning time backwards for more studying?
"Yo, Jeremy!" Louise greeted.
"Absolutely not." Jeremy said.
"Absolutely not to what?" The nine-year-old asked.
"I know that you want to use a Return To The Past to give yourself more time to study." The teen said. "Those are a last resort, Louise, not a toy."
"Of course you could say that about the supercomputer itself," the brunette said, "even though we use it to fight X.A.N.A."
"Louise, you have to study as much as you can." The spectacled blonde said. "Even if you get a grade lower than an A, then at least you studied for it. You cannot take shortcuts in life."
"Hey guys, what's happening?" Henry spoke, approaching Jeremy and Louise.
"We're just discussing the test." Louise said.
"And Louise wants to use the supercomputer to give herself extra time to study." Jeremy added.
"Not just me, but also Tina and Gene." The youngest Belcher sibling said.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about the test." Henry spoke. "We're supposed to get a few inches of snow. Currently, it's raining a few snowflakes at a time, but it will get crazy later."
"Did I hear snow?" Gene asked, standing up.
"The high today was supposed to be fifty-three." Tina said. "Why is it snowing now?"
"Weatherman must've made a mistake during his forecast." Louise said.
"I didn't see any snowflakes until I got to school." Henry said. "Not only that, but it got colder when I was about to enter the building."
"Now, everyone, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this." Jeremy said.
"Hopefully so, because it wasn't supposed to snow today." Tina said.
Once lunch had ended, Jeremy and the kids split up. The Belcher children and Henry decided to keep an eye out in case it continued snowing. As for Jeremy, he went to meet up with the others, so that they could find the reason behind the sudden snowing. If it was a X.A.N.A attack, then they needed to get to the factory as quickly as possible. If it wasn't, then they would wait and see what would happen next. Either way, the temperature suddenly dropping and snow raining out of the sky for no reason was strange.
When it was time for school to end, the Belcher kids headed for the exit, intent on going home. Once they reached the door, however, they felt a breeze coming through it. It wasn't uncommon for that to happen, but this breeze was different. It was much colder than usual. No, it was freezing cold, as if Wagstaff had suddenly been lifted from the land it sat on and moved to Antarctica. Clearly, the weather had started to go haywire after the lunch period.
Tina tried to push the door open, but she couldn't. It was as if something was outside, holding it in place. Gene and Louise helped their sister, managing to get the door open. Once that happened, they were greeted by a pile of snow, which nearly covered them. With the door finally open, the Belcher children saw that snow was practically covering the town, not a single soul outside on the street. Not only that, but it was freezing, far colder than it had ever been during winter in Seymour's Bay. Whether it was an incorrect forecast or something X.A.N.A-influenced, something needed to be done about it.
From behind the kids, Mr. Frond was heard screaming his head off. He was possibly shocked by the sudden change in weather, not that anyone could blame him. It had been warm earlier in the day, but now there was a blizzard outside. Mr. Frond didn't know what was going on, but he knew that it was dangerous outside.
"Oh my God, it's a nightmare out there!" Mr. Frond spoke.
"Please tell me that those road-cleaning trucks are coming." Louise said.
"I don't think that anyone who drives a plow would be willing to work through this!" The redhead said. "I'm going to call the parents of every student in the building! No one is leaving the building until this all clears up!"
As Mr. Frond ran to make some calls, Tina, Gene and Louise knew that they wouldn't be able to head to the factory. This time, it was up to the Lyoko Warriors to save the day. Of course, they had been fighting X.A.N.A and saving the day back home, so they knew what they were doing. Unless there was an alternative way they could get to the lab, such as an underground tunnel, the Belcher kids would be stuck at Wagstaff. However, they trusted their tutors enough to know that they would save the day. If only they could make a phone call to Jeremy.
In the lab, Jeremy was at the supercomputer, looking at the data in front of him. There was a Tower activated in the Ice Sector, which X.A.N.A was using to unleash a blizzard upon the world. By looking at all of this, Jeremy was planning to send Aelita to Lyoko with Yumi and Ulrich. If he needed to have Odd, William and Sissi virtualized in the Ice Sector, then he would. However, something felt off, as if the Lyoko Warriors had forgotten about something in particular. In fact, it was only them in the lab.
"X.A.N.A's unleashing another snowstorm?" Odd spoke. "Hasn't he done this, already?"
"He's so eager to take over the world, he's using some of his old ideas again." Ulrich said.
"And to think, he hasn't starting creating Replikas again." Yumi said.
"Then we're going to keep him from making more Replikas." Jeremy said. "The Scanners are ready for you to enter. Head for them and I'll start the virtualization process."
Ulrich and Yumi went to the Scanners, but Aelita stood still, looking around. The Lyoko Warriors had forgotten something and she knew what it was. Ever since the team had arrived at the factory, just in time for the weather to cut loose, the pink-haired teen had thought about it. Now that a mission was happening, she let her thoughts slip.
"Shouldn't we wait for Tina and the others?" Aelita spoke.
"I'm sure they'll come later." Jeremy said.
"How would they be able to come to the factory?" Ulrich said. "It's nuts out there!"
"We only arrived here in time for the blizzard to start!" Odd stated.
Suddenly, Jeremy's cellphone rang, causing him to answer it.
"Hello?" He spoke into it. "Oh no, that's horrible! Stay where you are and don't try to leave the school! Don't worry, we can handle it!"
"Who's that?" Sissi asked.
"It was Tina." Jeremy said. "Wagstaff's been blocked off by the blizzard!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Yumi said. "Virtualize us, Jeremy!"
Aelita had entered a Scanner, while Ulrich and Yumi had been waiting to be sent to the Ice Sector. With the three of them inside, Jeremy began the Virtualization process. First was the Transfer process, in which the Scanners activated and blew air on the Lyoko Warriors who were heading into Lyoko. Next was the Scanning process, where the Scanners accessed their avatars by scanning their bodies. Lastly was the Virtualization, which teleported Aelita, Ulrich and Yumi to Lyoko. They would arrive in the Ice Sector shortly, assuming nothing bad happened during the process.
Upon entering the Ice Sector, Ulrich looked around, trying to see if any monsters were nearby. Knowing X.A.N.A, he could have an army of Roachsters waiting by the Tower. If not that, then a couple of the AI's stronger creatures, from Bloks to Tarantulas, were likely coming after them. Either way, Ulrich, Yumi and Aelita needed to be careful. While being Devirtualized wasn't a big deal for the Lyoko Warriors, they couldn't let it happen to Aelita. If she was Devirtualized before she reached the Tower, then the mission would be lost and X.A.N.A would win.
"See anything?" Yumi asked.
"No, but there could be something waiting for us." Ulrich said. "Keep your guard up, because X.A.N.A could have a nasty surprise in store.
"As long as it isn't the Scyphozoa, we'll be okay." Aelita spoke.
With no monsters approaching them, Ulrich, Yumi and Aelita ran for the Tower. They needed to be quick about it, too. If they didn't get the Tower deactivated, the blizzard would keep going. Temperatures would keep dropping, snow would cover the Earth and there would be mass casualties. The first two could be remedied with a Return To The Past, but if anyone died during a X.A.N.A attack, they couldn't be brought back to life. Not even the Lyoko Warriors were safe, as Yumi almost died the last time X.A.N.A had unleashed a lethal snowstorm on the world.
Back at Wagstaff, things were starting to get worse. Inside the building, temperatures began to drop. Even as the staff put each thermostat on the highest setting, the cold just kept increasing. It got to the point where the students and the teachers had to huddle up in certain rooms, believing them to be the warmest. However, it was only a matter of time before they were overtaken by the dropping temperatures. When that happened, the entire school would be compromised. No one would be safe from the sudden blizzard outside.
Tina, Gene and Louise were inside the library, trying to avoid the worsening temperatures as much as they could. Having already contacted the Lyoko Warriors, the Belcher siblings hoped that they would get the mission done as quickly as possible. If not, then everyone would freeze to death. Not only that, but plant life and other organisms would die. While they would've been happy with a blizzard, the kids only wanted one that would cancel school for a day, not one that would destroy the world. Unless X.A.N.A was stopped, that was what would happen.
As they ran towards the Tower, Ulrich and Yumi saw a few Tarantulas walking by. Needless to say, the two began to fight the monsters in order to clear a path. The spider-like creatures fired their cannons, intent on destroying whoever dared to challenge them. While a blast hit Ulrich in the leg, he responded by slicing one of them in half. Yumi threw one of her fans at another, aiming luckily enough to gain the killing blow. Soon after, they teamed up against another Tarantula, tricking it into walking towards their weapons.
Not to be outdone by her teammates, Aelita formed a massive Energy Field and threw it at two Tarantulas that were blocking her way to the Tower. This destroyed them both instantly, but attracted more to the pink-haired teen. In response, she threw another Energy Field, managing to kill it before it could Devirtualize her. However, one managed to sneak up behind the teen and blast her. This knocked her to the ground, causing a great deal of damage. While it wasn't enough to Devirtualize Aelita, it was still fairly painful.
"Aelita, you shouldn't stay outside for much longer!" Yumi warned.
"She's right," Jeremy's voice rang out, "that attack you took from that Tarantula reduced your life points to fifty! Another attack and you'll be sent back to Earth!"
"Don't worry, I'm heading to the Tower right away!" Aelita said.
Activating her wings, Aelita took flight and starting heading towards the Tower. While she went to deactivate the structure, Ulrich and Yumi continued to fight the Tarantulas. In the process, Yumi was Devirtualized, but not before she was able to kill another one. This left Ulrich to fight X.A.N.A's monsters by himself. He knew that it wouldn't be long until Aelita deactived the Tower, but he hoped that she would be quicker. If not, then the world would be frozen.
Huddling up to protect against the cold was doing nothing for the Belcher children. The temperature had dropped to freezing point, to the point where someone would freeze into ice almost immediately if they stepped outside. Gene in particular felt like his blood was turning into snow. Tina and Louise hoped that the others were almost finished with the mission, but it seemed like that wasn't the case. If Aelita hadn't gotten the Tower deactivated by now, then they would freeze to death. Not only them, but their fellow classmates and the staff.
Upon entering the Tower, Aelita flew up to the top panel and accessed the data for the structure. She was greeted by a holographic screen, causing her to put her hand on it. The pink-haired teen entered "Code: Lyoko" into the screen, deactivating the Tower and ending X.A.N.A's attack. With that out of the way, Jeremy got the supercomputer ready for a Return To The Past, considering how people would start wondering what had happened. A snowstorm wouldn't normally be much of a problem, but one that happened for no reason would raise suspicions in people. The snow would start to melt in no time, so the Lyoko Warriors had no time to lose.
"Return To The Past now!" Jeremy spoke as he typed at the keyboard.
Once the code had been entered, the Return To The Past was triggered. It manifested as a bright light that engulfed the supercomputer, slowly spreading out to the factory's walls. Soon after, it surrounded the entire world. The Return To The Past began to rewind time, sending everyone back to yesterday. By the time it was over, only those who had been added to the supercomputer would remember what went down. Those who had not would remember none of the events that happened during X.A.N.A's attack.
When the Return To The Past was gone, the Belcher children found themselves back in the cafeteria. They felt warm again, meaning that Aelita was able to deactivate the Tower. Not only that, but rewinding time to yesterday gave Tina, Gene and Louise more time to study for the test. While they wanted to thank the Lyoko Warriors, they decided not to waste any time. After lunch, they would head to the library to do some extra studying. Hopefully, the extra time the siblings had amounted to something.
Sitting alone at a table, Aelita watched as the Belcher children made plans for the rest of the day. Knowing that they were alright, the pink-haired teen smiled to herself. However, that smile somewhat faded when she felt a vibration in her pocket, meaning that she had gotten a text. When the teen got it out, her smile had turned into a wide-eyed stare. She let out a gasp of horror when she read the message for her.
I'm coming,
Do you think because I haven't made myself more noticeable to people means that I'm unable to do what I want?
Note: Oh dear, Aelita's got a sinister message of her own. Will she show her teammates the message? How will they react? What will happen next? Are the Belchers going to be involved in the next mission? Can they do anything against the next attack?
Until next time, this is ElectricWizard99, signing off. Peace! Also, have a Merry Christmas!