Chapter 11

Chapter 11

First move.

The Lab was dusty and quiet. The last time anyone had set foot in it was seven months ago. Occasionally Jeremy would go to the lab to make sure things were OK. That no one had found it. The monitor was extremely dusty. There was so much dust on the floor that it looked like it had snowed. Jeremy walked over and wiped the dust from the chair. He looked toward the others. They all had a look of nervousness on their faces. Aelita was shaking. Last time she was here, she said goodbye to her father.


“In order to proceed, I’ll have to activate the Supercomputer.” Jeremy announced.

The group made their way to the main chamber. It was just as dusty as it was in the lab. Slowly the large Obelisk-like tower rose from the room. Aelita attempted to back up to the elevator but stopped herself as she stood behind Jeremy. That machine had ruined her life. Her father went inside of it and never returned. She slept inside of that thing for ten years. And now they were about to turn it on. Sure it was safe, but she still didn't feel alright about it.

The Tower swirled around, revealing the control panel and the on switch. Jeremy started to walk over until Aelita rushed in front of him and stood between him and the controls.

“If it’s okay with you, I wanna turn it on. I feel like it’s my responsibility.” Aelita said.

“If you feel that way Aelita then be my guest.” Jeremy motioned with a slight smile on his face.

Aelita turned around and reached for the lever. She paused for a second and then took a deep breath. Finally she flipped the switch and powered up the computer.

The machine whirled in a loud yet familiar hum as panels glowed brightly. The lights in the room turned on as power began to circulate through the three rooms. Aelita took a step back and watched as the screen on the tower read that everything had loaded okay.

“Looks like everything went okay. No problems or errors.” Aelita said

“Well let’s hurry up and see if anything’s wrong. I kinda want to go to Lyoko again.” Odd said.

“No need Odd, I can run a scan of the computer from the lab chair.” Jeremy responded.

“Ahh, you're no fun...”


Deep in the Internet, Xervix watched through a bug he placed in the supercomputer. It was created to alert him when the Supercomputer was active, and now the gateway to Lyoko was no longer closed. He used several computer systems to monitor the gang, as he led them to finally achieve his goal. A cruel grin showed on his face as he made his way back to the super computer. Back to its home.

Jeremy sat in the chair and stretched his fingers over the keyboard. It had been a while since he touched the keyboard in the lab, but he soon remembered his keystrokes and began to type away.

“Wow… I'm kinda surprised you remember what you're doing.” Ulrich said as he turned and walked over to a corner of the room.

“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget how to ride.”

“Huh yeah interesting and all but I think I'll get back to my old ways as well.” Odd said as he walked over to the same corner, sat down and pulled out his Nintendo DS.

“Didn't take you long to get back to that old habit, did it.” Yumi said as she walked over with them.

“Hey! Why didn't we ever get chairs in here? All we ever do is sit on the hard metal floor.” Odd asked.

“Well what would you have done differently?” Aelita asked as she stood behind Jeremy's chair as she always did.

“Well, maybe some rugs, a mini fridge, perhaps a radio. A nice little lighting, other than the glow from that map system in the middle of the room. A cot, you know, the important stuff.”

“Where would you put all that stuff at?” Ulrich asked.

“Oh don't worry. I would find some places.”

Jeremy flipped through the logs of the supercomputer. They kept records of all the different things that related to the Supercomputer. It showed how many times they performed a return trip, or when Xana attacked, even when it was shut off. But one small record did disturb him a little.

“Hmm. That’s strange.”

The entire room got quiet as they all looked towards Jeremy, as he read the data log.

“November 9th 2007. Data link and connection established. Communicating with Carthage . Data transfer, and statistics exchanged. Computer then set to standby mode.”

Aelita looked over his shoulder and saw the entire entry. “What does it mean?”

Jeremy stared at the computer screen for a while. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Finally he came to a possible conclusion.

“It means that a computer might have communicated with the supercomputer the night Franz Hopper died. The only problem is, I can’t see what or who did.”

“Was it hacked?” Yumi asked.

“No it looked more like it was just... contacted.”

“How is that possible? I mean its not like someone text messaged it?” Odd asked as he walked over to the chair.

“Actually you're right Odd.” Jeremy said.

“Really?”

“Yeah you are. In order to access the Supercomputer outside of the lab, you need to get the access code to its main hub. Plus you need to know what IP frequency it’s running on. I have it on my laptop and PC. But that’s because Aelita got it for me when she was on Lyoko.”

“And seeing as how my father didn't trust anyone at the time, I doubt he gave it to anyone. So it must have been either someone who knew about it from the start, or my father got the computer to contact the outside source for him.” Aelita said.

“Ooh OK. So it’s like screening your calls.” Odd said.

“Yeah… do you get it?” Jeremy asked.

“NO.” Odd growled in a low unsure voice.

“You were probably better off telling him it was magic.” Yumi joked.

“Yeah… that would have been easier.”

Ulrich pulled out a couple of sodas from his backpack and passed them out to every one. He really never got how the supercomputer worked. He usually just sat back and let Aelita and Jeremy work on it. “Well back on subject. Why would the supercomputer try and communicate with something?” Ulrich asked, interrupting Yumi and Odd's fascinating discussion.

“I don't know. It could have been because of the multitasking program I used. It could be a record of the program leaving the computer. Or it could be from…”

“What?” Aelita asked.

“Your father’s death.” Jeremy whispered.

Aelita took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew that her father’s death might surface. She knew that she would have to face it. But she wasn't too scared. She knew he was in a better place. Watching her every day.

Suddenly the computer beeped loudly. The monitor showed a message on the screen. Main system corruption. Unknown object downloading. Jeremy turned to see that a different outside source had somehow hacked into the computer's mainframe, and was attempting to insert itself into the Supercomputer.

“What the hell?” Jeremy shouted as he quickly attempted to purge the virus form the system. He quickly brought up several screens at once as he tracked the virus's movement.

“What is it?” Ulrich asked.

“I think it’s a virus.” Jeremy said.

“Wait! The supercomputer can get a virus?” Ulrich asked.

“No. It can’t. There’s no possible way. Only if it had the computer's access code.” Jeremy said.

“Maybe it’s an internal problem?” Aelita suggested.

“I'm activating the Supercomputer's security programs. Whatever it is, it won’t get far.”


Inside the Supercomputer, Xervix sprinted towards the main Hard Drive. In his possession was the Reset Key to Lyoko. In order to unlock the computer's full potential and secure his goal, he would find what it was that Hopper had hidden from him. And above all, he would extract his revenge on the children who killed his earlier version. It was easy for him to reenter the computer. He still had Xana's remains in him. And he was still able to get past many of the security devices that his former creator had produced. The access code in Xana's Remains had worked perfectly. He was close to the Hard Drive. He could taste it.

He sped down a long tunnel. It was dark at first. But it began to glow with various blue and white symbols. Several laser grids appeared out of the sides as they attempted to delete him. He maneuvered around them and finally located his destination: the hard drive of the Supercomputer.

It sat in the middle of a room, a long tower with a touch screen control panel. The panel floated and looked like it was made of crystal. The tower itself glowed greenish blue, and pulsated every once and a while. Down below was a large sphere. The sphere was connected to the tower by five cylinders. There were also five other cylinders that were merely dangling to the side.

Xervix landed on the platform and walked over to the terminal. In order to input the code, he would have to input a piece of his digital code inside of it… meaning that he would be once again connected to the Supercomputer. But unlike Xana, he could remove his code whenever he wanted.

He walked up to the terminal and placed his palm on the screen. The screen suddenly beeped and showed a message. Access denied.

“Hmm… my creator may have created a mere perfect security system. But not too perfect.”

Xervix's hand glowed as he placed his palm on the screen once more. This time the screen read: Xana. Code: Restart.

“Now, to rebuild my empire, and see what my creator and that fool, Estrada is after.”

The code gave Xervix complete access to the Supercomputer's memory. Every file entry that Schaeffer had made was at his disposal. He knew that the blond boy on the other end would soon learn of what he was after. He had to hurry.
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Jeremy’s heart raced. The Strange Virus had just bypassed the Supercomputer's security systems, systems that were far advanced for even a skilled hacker. The Virus was now uploading and downloading information into the server. The others stood in silence as Jeremy grunted and growled in frustration. Aelita stood next to him, feeling helpless to her friend. Yumi and Ulrich stood next to each other, holding each others hands. Odd knew that now wasn't the time for any jokes or comments. He held his breath, hoping that Jeremy could figure out what was wrong.

“I.... can’t… stop it. It went by everything and just... I was useless.” Jeremy murmured as he slowly sat back in his chair.

“You did your best.” Aelita assured him as she put her arm around him. “Maybe shutting down the computer could stop it?”

“But that might corrupt the computer and cause us to lose all the info we have on the weird connection it established.”

Jeremy quickly turned around and tried to think of something. Something finally came to mind.

“If I can’t stop it, at least I can see what it’s doing, maybe see what its downloading.”

Jeremy typed up several commands. As a screen came on, it showed him all the information the program was downloading. Jeremy suddenly gasped in awe as he read some of the info. He soon realized that the computer, Lyoko, and Aelita were just the tip of the iceberg.
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“So that’s why it all happened.” Xervix growled. “This means that the child has more use than I thought. And the boy will be useful as well.”

Xervix downloaded all the info on the Carthage project. “And there’s even another one. I will need to remember this.”

Xervix finally came across the files for Lyoko. He saw the names of his former enemies.  He knew them,  but needed to be reminded of who he was up against.

William Dunbar, Yumi Ishyiama, Odd Della Robbia, and Ulrich Stern. He growled as he slowly remembered their faces. One he remembered was once his personal pet. The others he despised to the core. He slowly remembered that Odd was some kind of Cat person, Ulrich a type of Samurai, and Yumi a Ninja. William was a sort of Knight person. Then it remembered another. A pink haired elf. Slowly it could see her face.

“AELITA!!!!” Xervix bellowed. “I will not forget what you and your friends have done to me.”

Xervix scrolled down and saw the data for Aelita and Jeremy. Jeremy had not been to Lyoko much. Only about twice. Aelita however spent a good majority of her time in the prison her father made. And now he understood why.

“He sealed her away to protect both her and the earth? That arrogant fool. He knew what she will be capable of in a few months. And now I just need to find it.”  Xervix said.

“ I must have the System...”   Xervix  said as he clutched his hand into a fist.


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“What the heck is the System??” Jeremy asked.

The gang was now standing around in a circle reading the information on the screen.

“Keys to Lyoko. Keys to Carthage , Observer, Avatar. What the heck does it all mean?” Ulrich asked.

“There must have been more to the Supercomputer than just viruses and programs.” Aelita suggested.

Jeremy watched as the information window the intruder was looking through closed out.

“I got a few things he looked up. But not all of them. Wait, what the...?”

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In the mainframe, Xervix deactivated the Return to the Past program. It would be a great loss if the kids used it. He then input the reset key to Lyoko. The sphere below fluctuated and glowed, as it got bigger in size. The five remaining cords attached to the sphere as they also began to glow.

Xervix teleported into the sphere. The sphere was Lyoko. He landed in the desert sector. His impact shattered the virtual ground, leaving a large crater where he landed.

Xervix   slowly stood up.   He noticed several of his old creations. A krab, a kankrelat, and some blocks. They stood there, frozen in time. Frozen in the very moment Xana was destroyed.

Xervix felt a little weak. He would need to recharge himself after a while. But he could still go a little while longer.

He then turned around and stared at the virtual sky.

“Hello Lyoko. Your master is home.”