Chapter 37. Stronger After all pt 3

The stairwell door slammed open as Jeremy's foot kicked the metal door.  The feel of the door on his leg was not a pleasant one; in fact he felt his knee sting with pain from the action.

Jeremy ran through the hallway of the hotel floor.  Close behind him was a virtual Aelita, still clutching the System in her grasp. They looked around for a possible way out. Then, he noticed the elevator at the end of the hall.  It was beeping, which meant that something was on its way up.  The numbers on the elevator pinged as the elevator arrived on the very floor the two teens were on.

Jeremy looked around for a possible place to hide.  He noticed the door to hotel room on the left was wide open.  The original occupants must have fled when the battle started. They ran into the room.  It was a large hotel suite with multiple rooms and a bar; the type of room a rich person would rent out.

As soon as the two teens jumped into the room, the elevator doors screeched and scratched as they were pried open. A large claw burst through the elevator door and a large wolf like demon head protruded out of it.  Xervix stepped into the hallway.  His body was so large that he barely fit inside.

Xervix growled loudly as he searched for his targets.  He could smell the odor of the two kids in this hallway, a sweet smell of both fear and panic.  He could also sense the raw energy coming from the System itself.

"I know you're here, children!" he bellowed. "Come out, and I promise I'll let you and your friends live!"
Xervix walked down a few steps and punched a hole in the wall.  He peeked in for  signs of life.  He walked down further and punched another hole.  He spotted no sign of the children, yet the smell from the kids was even stronger. They could not be far.

Meanwhile, Jeremy peeked his head around the corner of the doors to the suite.  He could barely see the large form of Xervix. But it was enough for him to realize that the beast was definitely getting closer.
Jeremy turned to see Aelita was bent over the bar.  She was breathing heavily; it was a sign that she was not only tired, but also on the verge of a panic attack.

Xervix looked through another hole in the wall when he heard it... a recurrent noise. Almost like breathing... breathing in fear.  Xervix looked down the hallway.  He realized exactly where the noise was coming from.

Jeremy turned and grabbed Aelita.  He took her behind the bar and scooted aside the small fridge.  He pushed it up against the wall next to the larger refrigerator.  He tucked Aelita behind it and he nestled himself inside of it.

Xervix's head smashed through the drywall and wooden walls of the hotel room.  He looked around as he sniffed the air.  The scent was stronger here than anywhere. He had no doubt about it, the kids were here.

Xervix walked towards the sofa and tossed it out the window, in an attempt to scare the children out of hiding.
"Do you fear me children?  You don't even know the meaning of the word fear yet."

Aelita curled up inside the small hole under the counter.  She covered her mouth so she did not breathe as heavily.  Her eyes were watering up with both fear and panic.

The room fell strangely quiet as if there was no life what so ever inside. The tension was rising.

Jeremy attempted to peak his head over the counter.  For a minute he thought Xervix might have moved on. Suddenly the counter rose into the air.  The nails and bolts attaching it to the floor broke to pieces as the two kids looked up to see the beast looking down at them.

"Run," Xervix said in a jokingly, mocking manner.

Aelita had enough.  She jumped up and fired multiple energy orbs at Xervix. He blocked the orb with the counter, which exploded into splinters. Aelita grabbed Jeremy and ran down the hallway. She handed Jeremy the System and charged up two energy fields at once.
Xervix entered the hallway through the hole he had created. He held out his hand as a black beam fired from his hand.

Aelita turned around and fired her two energy fields.  The orbs traveled down the hallway and met with the black beam. The blasts collided and exploded, shattering all the windows on that floor, one floor above and one floor below.
Aelita covered her face to hide her face from the glass. Jeremy hit the ground.  He had enough bad experience with the glass and did not intend to let history repeat itself.

Xervix stood there as the glass pelted his body, unphased by the explosion.

Aelita ran up, grabbed Jeremy off the ground and ran towards the other end of the hallway.  
She waved her hand over her bracelet as pink wings appeared.
"Hang on!" she shouted.  Jeremy screamed in fear as he realized what Aelita meant.

Aelita jumped into the elevator shaft as she flapped her wings.  Because of cramped space she was unable to fly as fast as she normally would, yet she was able to gain altitude.

Xervix knew that they were heading up to the roof.  He had them now.



The door to the roof of Caesars kicked open as Jeremy used his legs to once again force his way through. Behind him was Aelita, whose wings were folded behind her back.  The System was still clutched in the grasp of her fingers.

Jeremy pulled out his cell phone and hit the call on hold button.
"Puck! We're in an open area. Can you launch the portal yet?"  he asked as he attempted to catch his breath.

"I can't. You need to be near a source of electricity and if I place the portal on the roof, it could cause the roof to collapse from the force of the portal."

"We need to be on the street?" Aelita asked with disappointment in her voice.

"I'm sorry... it's something I thought you were aware of." Puck said.
Jeremy grimaced in anger. How they were going to make it? It was impossible to go back now, with Xervix chasing them.

Suddenly, the door to the roof opened slowly,  revealing a very aggravated Xervix. Jeremy and Aelita turned to see the beast starring right at them.  But no sooner did they spot the monster than another large object landed next to him.
Aether stood up  next to his master.  The bird man looked like a child compared to Xervix.

"So, children... what is your next move?" Xervix growled.

Jeremy backed up slowly with his arm around Aelita in a protective manner. They slowly backed up to one of the air conditioner vents for the casino.  Jeremy's whole body shook. He realized he failed to protect Aelita. He swore he would protect her... but now they were trapped between three large threats.   Jeremy's shaky hands reached for the small pistol Travis gave him. He pulled it out and pointed the pistol right at the Titans.  However, he only had one magazine. He wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

Aether laughed loudly.  Jeremy's manner amused the creature.  Here was a inferior being standing up to a god like him… It was almost insulting to him.

"Why run?  Surrender yourselves to me and you and your friends will become the rulers of the new world." Xervix growled as he clenched his claw like fists. "Imagine an Eden... for you and your friends.  You will all have everything you ever wanted.  Freedom, love and tranquility.  No one will hunt you down again."

Jeremy slowly turned towards Aelita.  He could tell from the look on her face that she was also afraid.  Her hand was held out, ready to fire a energy orb at the Titans.
Aelita glanced at Jeremy. Xervix's offer sounded very tempting, but it was obvious they were not going to fall for it. Why should they trust the cruel beast?

"I love Aelita... and I would do anything for her.  But I would never sacrifice the world for her, and I know it's not what she wants!" Jeremy shouted.

"Such heroic nonsense." Xervix muttered.

"ENOUGH TALK!!! CREATURES LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! PERIOD!"  Aether shouted as he pulled out his blades.

"AETHER! NO!" Xervix yelled, but it was too late.

Aether jumped into the air, his daggers pointed straight towards the two teens. How dare Xervix attempts to negotiate with these insects, thought Aether. He didn't need the System to control the Earth. He would rule this planet with sheer intellect and power.  He would dominate this planet and surpass Xervix in every way.

Aelita pushed Jeremy out of the way.  She fired two orbs at Aether, but the angle she tossed them at was off due to her shaky hands. The orbs flew right past it.  The attack only aggravated the bird.
Xervix reached out and grabbed Aether's foot. But before he could pull the bird man back,  Aether's beak opened. A laser shot out of Aether's mouth, striking Aelita.

The force of the laser caused Aelita to fly backwards.  The damage from the beam completely destroyed her virtualized nano suit, which shattered like glass as the pieces of it crumbled like ash, revealing Aelita's normal, human form.

Aelita felt a cold breeze hit her. She had not felt it ever since she placed the nano suit on.  As she flew through the air, she felt the crystal orb bounce around. The System was jogged loose.

Jeremy watched his girlfriend fly backwards... and over the roof of the casino.
He turned and reached out for Aelita.  His only desperate thought was to save the girl he loved.  He watched as Aelita began to fall like a rock to the ground.  As he was running towards the side of the roof, Aelita's body disappeared over the ledge. Jeremy screamed loudly as he watched his girlfriend free fall towards the unforgiving concrete street below.

Aelita's mind went blank. She couldn't hear anything except Jeremy's scream and the whistle of the wind. Her eyes became watery. She didn't want it to end this way; to come this far and have the battle end as quickly as it started. Failure was not an option; she was so sure they would win and go home, so she could hang out with her friends and be with Jeremy. She wished she could show how much she loved him...
Then, her ear caught a faint whisper in the air whistling around her. It sounded different, as if  someone was speaking to her. It appeared even louder and closer. Then she heard it loudly as if it was a normal voice.

"Aelita… Time has come…"

Aelita listened to the voice as windows rushed past her. The voice sounded very familiar. Then it hit her.
"Daddy?" she shouted.

"Use the System and progress from the Avatar. Become the next step in your journey. Become the Savior..." The voice said.

"Savior?"
"Yes. When the Avatar uses the System, they are no longer referred to as the Avatar… But the Savior of the world they will create."
Aelita didn't understand that, but she would do anything to see Jeremy again. She wanted more then anything to feel his embrace, and his love. She reached out for the System. Her fingers touched the smooth, warm sides of the crystal.  After a second try, her fingers pulled the System closer to her.

"Fulfill your destiny... And always remember two things. I am always with you and I will always love you." The voice said.

Aelita felt the System in her arms. The sensation was similar to the one she experienced in Area 51… as if she knew how to work it.
"I am Aelita Schaffer. I am the AVATAR!"

Suddenly, Aelita stopped falling in midair.  Her body came to a complete stop. She looked around to see herself just a few feet away from the pavement. The realization of the height gave her goosebumps.

Then, a warm sensation filled her chest. It looked like the System turned into liquid and was being absorbed by her body. No sooner did the System enter Aelita's body than she a feeling of overwhelming power filled her… the exactly same sensation she had when she saved Jeremy from getting hit by the truck or the time at the soccer field.

A bolt of lighting came down from the clear, sunny sky.  It seemed like it came from space.
Aelita felt her body get struck by it. Her whole body was surged with energy.  She had never felt such a sensation before.
As the lightning subsided, Aelita noticed something growing on her arms and chest... It almost resembled the System. It was a smooth coat of glass that covered her arms and chest, forming a kind of transparent armor.

A tearing sensation appeared on her back shoulder blades. She heard her shirt rip in the areas she felt the sensation at.  She turned to see what looked like white feathery objects. Soon the objects grew until she realized what they were.
A pair of White wings. Not like her Lyoko form... But real, angelic wings.

Aelita felt the wind pass through them.  She tried moving them, just like the wings of her Lyoko form. They moved just the same...
Unexplainable instinct told Aelita what she had to do.

Back on the casino's roof, Jeremy's eyes filled with tears. He just witnessed his girlfriend die and he couldn't do anything to prevent it. He felt helpless and lost. It was so unfair to him… he felt he should have died instead of Aelita.

Furious Xervix smashed Aether to the ground. He slammed his claw like fist into its mouth.

"YOU WHORTHLESS IDIOT!!! WE FAILED BECAUSE OF YOU!!!" Xervix yelled louder then he ever had.

"But master... We don't need  these children. We can rule this planet on our own." Aether shouted.

Before Xervix could shout back, he paused. The monster rose his head into the air. Suddenly, he felt that something in the air was different.  Even Aether could feel it.
Then a lightning bolt fell from the sky, almost exactly where Aelita fell. Jeremy looked towards the lighting bolt. A voice inside of him was telling him something was off.

"No! NO!" shocked Xervix shouted.

Jeremy heard a flapping noise. It sounded like the wings of a large, bird-like creature.  But the noise was coming from the right... as if from the Sun. Squinting in the sunlight, Jeremy looked towards the direction of the sound. And then he saw it.

Aelita's silhouette  appeared in front of the sun.  She flew high in the air as she approached the Caesars Palace. Her wings flapped loudly and her new glass outfit glistened like a rainbow in the sunlight.
She dove down towards the roof of the casino. She landed on the roof and wrapped her arms around Jeremy.  

"Ae... Aelita?" Jeremy stammered in both confusion and happiness. He couldn't believe it! Aelita was alive?!

Noticing Aelita's sudden comeback, Aether fired a orange laser beam towards the two teens. However, Aelita saw that coming; she turned around and held her left hand out. Aether's laser hit the smooth crystal surrounding her arm. The reflected beam ricocheted and hit Aether back. It burned Aether's wing, peeling away some of the material his wing was made of. Aether screamed loudly and fell to the ground in pain.

"Hang on," Aelita said. With Jeremy clutched to her arms, she ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped. Her wings spread widely as she rose into the air effortlessly, considering her extra passenger's weight.

Xervix tossed Aether to the ground and opened up his own bat like, black wings. He jumped off the roof as he flew towards the escaping teens.

Aether jumped off the roof himself... but his wings were badly damaged. Instead of gaining altitude, he slowly fell to meet the ground.

Travis  and William ran towards Caesars. They ran past several people as they tried to get towards the action at the casino. People around were running for their lives in multiple directions. William and Travis ran towards the entrance towards the casino when they heard the lightning bolt strike.

Travis stopped dead in his tracks and looked around. William turned around and walked out into the street along with Travis.  He looked around on the streets to see if he could find the source of the noise. It was when he saw two teens running towards them. One was wearing a red and violet suit while the other was wearing a similar suit, but yellow and black.

William tapped Travis on the shoulder,  gathering his attention.  They both looked towards the Ulrich and Yumi, who ran to meet them. They swirled in and out of the abandoned cars and the pedestrians who were fleeing the scene.

"You guys OK?" Travis shouted at them as they approached him.

"Aelita fell off the building!" Yumi said as they continued running past Travis.  But before the three could enter the casino,  they heard a louder noise outside.
All four ran out in time to see what looked like a pink angel flying downwards towards the ground. It was Aelita, who  appeared to be holding a person in her grasp.  It wasn't till Aelita pulled up that the second person came into view. It was Jeremy.

"Is that?" Travis asked.

"Aelita?"  Ulrich and Yumi both said at the same time.

As Aelita rose into the air again, the second object came into view. Xervix roared loudly as it chased after her and Jeremy.

Aelita soared near one of the other buildings across from Caesars. Her shadow even grew larger as she pulled away from the building.

Xervix tried to pull up, but one of his wings clipped the windows of the building, scratching the glass of the front elevation.

The special agent and the two teens stood dumb struck, observing as the two flying objects disappeared.
"Aelita wasn't in her Lyoko outfit... She was in her regular clothes."  Ulrich noticed.

Travis's radio fizzled.  A voice cried out. It belonged to George.
"Travis! Did you see that?"

"Yeah... Yeah we saw it." Travis said as he looked towards Ulrich and Yumi.

"Where are you guys?"  Jessica asked over the radio as she was leading Odd, Sissi and George away from Luxor casino. At the moment they were passing by the Statue of Liberty at New York-New York Hotel.

"We're at Caesars Palace. We're in position. William took care of Tartarus."  Travis said.

"And we took care of Chaos as well." Yumi said.

"Good riddance."  Ulrich added.

"OK... Odd and Sissi took down Atlas.  All that's left are Xervix and Aether." George said as he stopped to check the last magazine he had for his rifle.

At Caesars,  the three teens and agent looked up to see a giant bird land on the ground.  The bird man tried to take off, but his wings were too damaged to let him fly.

Aether landed as his wings folded into his arms.  He slammed his fists on a nearby car in anger.  He was grounded. That tiny, pathetic human grounded him for the rest of the time here. And what's more, he killed her... He saw her fly off the roof of the hotel. She should be splattered on the sidewalk like the ant she was. How come she's still alive?, he wondered.

Suddenly, Aether heard a pair of swords being drawn, followed by a clicking noise.  Aether recognized the swords being drawn, but not the other sound.  He turned around fast to see Yumi holding one sword, while Ulrich held another.  To their left was William. He merely balanced his sword over his shoulder and smiled at the bird man. To William's right stood  Special Agent Dalesman. He held no weapon in his hands, as his M4 was destroyed by Xervix earlier.

Aether stood there, staring at the four opponents that now faced him. Only three of them posed a real threat while the grown man seemed like he was there watch and observe. He could surely defeat three little worms like these.

"Oh. So I get to vent some rage after all?" Aether said, reaching for his daggers.

As he placed his hands behind his back, he heard the same clicking noise again. But this time it was louder than normally.

The barrels of two rifles taped Aether on the back. The Titan turned to see Jessica and George, pointing their guns right at him. But they weren't the only ones.  Odd also had both his hands pointed at Aether. He may have ran out of laser arrows, but had a wave beam or ice arrows in store.

"Honestly... I wouldn't." George said.

Aether gasped a little, then let out a depressing moan as he realized he was not in a position to fight back.  He slowly dropped his arms to his side and admitted defeat.

"You dirty little land creatures... How dare you threaten me... The god of the air! Master of your species!" Aether began to preach.

Sissi heard enough.  She looked around and found a small lead pipe.

"I will rule this world! I will rule the Skies! The Sea! The Earth.  For I am Aether...Your master and-" Aether said until he was cut off by a sharp pain against his head.
Aether collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Standing behind him was Sissi with the very lead pipe she had picked up. Aether laid on the ground, out cold.

"And that's for threatening me on top of the school, you freaky ego maniacal bird!" Sissi said with satisfaction.

The rest of the gang stood dumbfounded after what they had just seen.  They had no idea that Sissi could ever be capable of such a feat.
"What?  He pissed me off" Sissi protested.

"Nice arm..." Yumi complimented.

Aelita soared through the air with her passenger in tow.  His legs dangled around; he had an irresistible feeling that Aelita would drop him any minute.

Aelita stay focused on not only holding on to Jeremy, but flying away from Xervix.  Yet even with her speed at flight, she was unable to lose the Titan. Even with all the dodging and rolling she had been doing, she had a firm grasp on Jeremy. Carrying him was no problem.

Aelita flew towards the Stratosphere hotel and casino.  She flew towards the building with incredible speeds.  Close behind her was Xervix. His wings could barely keep up with the speed that Aelita was flying at.

Aelita flew up in an angle towards the high, needle-like observation tower.  Xervix was flying close behind her, his arm glowing black with energy.  He held it out and fired a round towards the escaping teens, trying to stop them.

Aelita heard the laser fire from Xervix's arm. She flipped upwards into the air, dodging the laser blast entirely.  She heard Jeremy moan a little as if he was on a roller coaster.
Aelita shot straight into the air, twisting rapidly as she flew.

"Jeremy? Do you trust me?" Aelita asked as the wind brushed her hair around.

"Yeah. Wait...WAIT!!!!" Jeremy shouted. When Aelita tossed him up in the air.

Aelita U-turned in midair. She turned to face Xervix and flew right down towards the Titan.  But before Xervix could grab Aelita, the pink angel flew right past him. She flew down and quickly grabbed Jeremy.
She flew close to the deck of the ground.  She rose into the air with her newly acquired passenger. Aelita flew right up Caesars Palace and prepared to land.

"How was that?" Aelita asked.

"I almost heaved!" Jeremy said, covering his mouth.

As Aelita prepared to land, a black laser hit her in the back, causing her to fall on her face and drop Jeremy.  Jeremy fell a few feet away from Aelita.  He landed on the surface of the concrete His glasses fell off his face a few feet away.
Jeremy looked up to see the others were a few yards away. Yumi, Travis and Sissi were already on their way over.  Jeremy also spotted Aether in the area. He seemed to have been captured. He realized it was the perfect location to launch the trap.
Jeremy hit the number on his phone.
"Puck! We're ready."  Jeremy said.

Meanwhile, on Lyoko, Puck heard Jeremy's report.  He triangulated the exact location Jeremy was calling from via the cell phone network he had hacked into.  He stood up and placed his palm on the holo panel.  The panel read: Delta. Code: Avatar.

In Vegas, Aelita slowly stood up.  Even after the hit she had taken, she still felt pretty good. It must have been from the System that was making her feel so alive. Even after she took the laser blast to the back, she still felt relatively normal.

Aelita turned to see her friends running  towards her.  She also spotted Jeremy a few feet away.

"Jeremy, are you OK?" Aelita asked.

Before Jeremy could finish, he saw Xervix slowly lumbering towards her.
"LOOK OUT!!" he shouted.

Aelita turned to see a large metal scythe come down near her. Aelita twisted to her left, narrowly avoiding the blade from Xervix's scythe. Xervix swiped the blade again. This time Aelita blocked the blade with the crystal covering on her arm.  The blade clashed against the hard diamond like covering. Sparks and pieces of metal flew from Xervix's scythe as it slid against the crystal armor Aelita was wearing.

Xervix lifted the staff of the shattered weapon.  He was amazed how easily it broke.  Suddenly, a fist punched Xervix square in the chest. Xervix looked down to see an angry Aelita, who had just delivered the surprisingly painful punch.

Aelita tried tossing another punch, only to have her fist caught by Xervix. He lifted her into the air and kicked the girl hard. Aelita flew backwards and hit a parked car.  The impact shook the car hard as Aelita fell to the ground.

Xervix approached Aelita triumphantly.  Weeks of planning, weeks of hard work was finally about to pay off.
"At last," Xervix murmured.

But before he could get any closer, a white mist approached from his left.  He turned in time to see William appear out of the smoke.  William wielded his sword at Xervix. But before his blade made contact,  Xervix grabbed the sword in midair, then shook the sword loose  from William and tossed him backwards.

As William flew several feet away, Yumi and Ulrich rushed from different sides. They both swung their swords at Xervix at the same time. Using William's sword, Xervix blocked both teens' attacks.  Xervix pushed off with the blade and fired a black laser from his arm. The laser hit the ground where both kids were standing, forcing them to tumble over backwards.

Xervix then turned his attention to Aelita. She barely stood up on her own two feet when she noticed Xervix walking towards her.

Then, Odd jumped right in between both of them.
"If you want Aelita..you gotta go throu-" Odd said until a massive back hand from Xervix sent the cat boy flying as well.

Aelita stood up in time for Xervix's hand to grasp her by the neck.  Xervix lifted the fragile girl into the air.  He continued to tighten his grip as he finally had her within his grasp.

"I WIN!" Xervix growled.

Suddenly, at the other end of the street electricity poured from every source around it: telephone poles, transformers, cars, everything. As the electricity sizzled through the area, it gathered at a central point. The point began to expand widely as it opened a white and blue vortex. The vortex grew rapidly until it was the size of a small house.

"What is this?" Xervix sneered.

"This is our victory!  We're sending you home!" Jeremy shouted as he pulled the pistol from his pocket. He fired one shot.  The gun's kickback hurt the blond teen's wrist, but he didn't care.  He fired a second shot which hit Xervix in the arm, making him release Aelita.

Xervix growled as he turned to face the teen.

Jeremy fired off shot after shot. He began firing in rapid succession, each bullet striking Xervix in different areas.  Jeremy was trying to push Xervix closer to the portal.

The fads watched Aether suddenly jump up and run towards the portal.  George and Jessica opened fire. But before any of the bullets could reach him, Aether jumped inside the portal and disappeared. No sooner did Aether jump through the portal than he arrived at the desert region on Lyoko.

Jeremy continued firing.  Xervix was getting closer and closer to the portal.  Jeremy went to fire another shot, but the gun didn't fire. Instead it clicked… the magazine was empty.
Jeremy looked up to see Xervix staring right at him.

Xervix rushed Jeremy as the nerdy teen tried to flee.  But Xervix caught him by his head and lifted him up into the air.  Jeremy cried out in pain as he kicked and screamed loudly.

Aelita looked up and saw what was transpiring.  She got to her feet and ran towards Xervix in Jeremy.

"Time to die!!!" Xervix hissed as a orange curved blade popped out of his hand.

It was just like the nightmare Aelita had weeks ago. She ran faster as she realized she had to save Jeremy. She couldn't let this dream come true!

Aelita ran up to Xervix; her hands glowed white. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she held out her hand.  Suddenly, a white beam of energy fired from her palm, striking Xervix square in the chest.

Xervix screamed at the top of its lungs as it released Jeremy.  The laser continued to strike him, burning a large hole in his chest.

Everyone looked in shock at what was transpiring. The laser pushed Xervix almost clear back to the portal until the beam subsided.

Aelita looked towards the injured Xervix.  He was not moving, he remained perfectly still, as if he was dead.

Jeremy stood up next to Aelita as the rest of the gang gathered around them.

Suddenly, Xervix moved his arms as he attempted to crawl towards the children.  His face was fractured as white fluid flowed out. The hole in his chest already leaked white fluid.  He was beaten. Xervix moved one arm first, then the other as he slowly tried to reach the gang.

"This... Is… Not... over. I shall... RETURN!" Xervix muttered as he approached the gang.

Aelita walked in front of the group with Jeremy right beside her.  She looked towards the others and back at Xervix.

"And we will be waiting," Aelita said.
She held out both of her palms and fired a second white beam.  The beam shot Xervix straight into the portal.

Xervix screamed NO on the top of his lungs as he disappeared inside the vortex.  Half way around the world in Lyoko he reappeared, as a broken, defeated Titan.

As the portal closed and dissipated, Jeremy pulled out his cell phone.
"Puck?  Is it over?"

"I got both Aether and Xervix..  It's over." Puck confirmed.

Aelita turned to face the others as she began to calm down. Her System powers slowly faded in small bursts of light, leaving an extremely tired and worn out Aelita. She tried to walk towards Jeremy, but her legs gave out from under her, causing her to  fall.Before she hit the ground, two arms reached out and caught her by the chest. She felt her body rotate around to glance up at the bruised, and battered face of Jeremy Belpois. The wind rustled the blond hair across his forehead.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita. Her eyes were glossy and watery, a clear sign she was both exhausted and in pain.

"You OK?" Aelita asked weakly.

"I'm good. Are you okay?" Jeremy asked back with signs of concern in both his face and voice.

Aelita could only nod.  She barely had the strength to speak.

"I told you everything would turn out all right." Jeremy said with a smile.
Jeremy looked up to see their friends slowly begin to emerge from the chaos of the battle. He could see the looks on most of them.  They looked as if they had been through hell and back... And back into hell.

Travis walked up next to them.  He squatted down and glanced at them.  His face was scrapped on the left side and the rest of his face was covered in ash and sweat.
"Is it over?" Travis asked.

Jeremy glanced at Aelita who was squinting from the brightness of the sun above them.

"For now," Jeremy said as he pulled Aelita closer to him.
He slowly stood up while he held Aelita close to him.  She almost fought a whole war and Jeremy knew she wasn't able to move under her own strength.

Odd and Sissi slowly walked up. Odd had been devirtualized from the hit by Xervix. The boy was limping from the hit. Sissi was walking right beside him, making sure her friend would be OK.

"Hey..." Odd said as he was still trying to regain his breath.  "You two OK?"

"We're fine… thank god." Jeremy said.  "How about you?"

"Thanks to Sissi, I managed to take down Atlas." Odd said.

"Wait what? I didn't do much! All I did was help Odd and..." Sissi stammered.

"Don't kid yourself. You saved my bacon." Odd said as he tried to balance himself up enough to stand.

Sissi's face lightened up. "You mean it?"

"Every word."

Sissi suddenly lunged forward towards Odd and wrapped her arms around him.  She squeezed tightly, paying no attention to the painful, yet reddened face Odd had.

William, Ulrich and Yumi walked up next.  All three walked side by side up to their friends.
Yumi handed Ulrich his sword back. Ulrich took the sword and sheathed it.

"Wow, you really gave us a scare, Aelita." Ulrich said as he looked down towards the worn out teen.

"Sorry... I-" Aelita tried to say but was too worn out to finish the sentence.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Yumi said, rubbing Aelita's hair.

"Hey, William!" Ulrich called out to him.
William looked towards Ulrich. He was a little worried about what he had to say.  He was worried Ulrich might scold him or berate him for something.

To his positive surprise, Ulrich held out his hand. In response, William wrapped his arm around Ulrich's and shook his hand.

"Thanks, Will. Good job," Ulrich said.

"Don't call me that... I hate that name."

Yumi walked up and slapped William gently on the shoulder.
"Why? Would you prefer Willy?" she asked jokingly.

George and Jessica walked up to the group as well.  George had the rifle slung over his shoulder while Jessica carried hers with one hand.

"You know, you kids... did pretty well…" Jessica said, clearly impressed.

The gang all looked towards Jessica as the words circled in their heads. It was the first time ever that anyone praised them in their Lyoko battles.

"For a bunch of kids." Jessica added, smiling.

"Wait! What are we gonna do about all this?  The world knows we exist now. And we can't launch a return to the past." Ulrich asked.

"Why would you?" George asked.

"So no one learns about the computer or Aelita."  Jeremy explained.

"Well... they don't know the location of the computer. Besides, if some one did try to go after you…" George explained as he looked around. "After saving one of the largest cities in the United States, I would say you also have the backing of the United States government for this."

"How can you be sure?" Yumi asked.

As Odd glanced towards his left, he saw people starting to gather around the group.  Some were civilians, while others were members of the LVPD that assisted them during the police blockade. They had all witnessed exactly what had happened during the battle. They saw the bravery of these kids and the will power they had to save the city and the people in it, and admiration could be seen on their faces.

Jeremy looked around.  He still held Aelita in his hands.  He was irrationally worried that some one in this crowd might try to capture Aelita or attack them.

Ulrich placed his arm around Yumi as they too were also concerned about what might happen. They were hesitant what these people would do.

One person in the crowd smiled and began clapping his hands.  At first he was the only one.  But soon that one person turned to two, and then four, then eight.  Pretty soon everyone was clapping and whistling at their new heroes.

Odd couldn't believe it... People were clapping... People were congratulating them.

"Are they really?" Jeremy asked. For the longest time he thought their group would be met with fear and distrust, and that they might even be hunted down for all they had done.

"Well, I'm pretty sure about what I said." George said, smiling.

"Besides, you kids are part of a FBI and CIA investigation... I don't think we're gonna leave you kids in this world alone... Your fights now are fight, but in the meantime...You all earned this." Travis said  as he stood up and started clapping himself.

George and Jessica joined in as they smiled towards the young warriors.

The kids just stood there, dumbfounded as they took in the entire scene.  They never figured that in their life time they would receive such an ovation.  They always thought the world would hunt them down if they ever found out... or never cared about their success. Yet now as they took in the energy from the crowd, they realized they were wrong.

Odd slowly raised his hand as the crowd roared. People cheered while others whistled and yelled words of praise and admiration towards the heroes.

"Ever wondered how a super hero feels when he saves the day?" Odd asked.

"I think it's something like this." Yumi said as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.

"Man, but all I need is the girl and this would be so much better." Odd said.

"Odd…" Sissi called out to him. Odd turned only to see Sissi's lips touch his.  Odd stood there for almost five seconds until Sissi pulled back.
"You're an idiot sometimes." She concluded.

Odd didn't move. He just stood there in the same position Sissi had kissed him in... Just like the first time she kissed him

"Not again!" William laughed.

Jeremy looked down towards Aelita who seemed to be fully awake.  Tears streamed down her face as she realized one of her greatest fears didn't exist.

Jeremy smiled. "That's for you… beautiful."

Aelita turned towards her boyfriend and looked up towards him.

"Don be silly. It's for you as well. And so is this." Aelita said as she pulled Jeremy's head down by the collar. She slowly kissed Jeremy on his lips.
She felt the same warm, soft, sweet taste that she tasted the first few times they kissed.  Aelita closed her eyes as she felt Jeremy's heart beat begin to escalate.

Jeremy's cheeks turned red for a few seconds then they quickly disappeared.  He realized that now there was no need to hide his emotions and his feelings anymore.

"WOOOHOOO!!" Yumi said as she cheered on the two geeks.

Both Aelita and Jeremy released their kiss and looked towards their friends. Even Odd had snapped out of it and was gawking towards his two good friends.

"Hey! Can I be the best man?" Ulrich joked.

"Now stop, you two... you embarrass them." Sissi said.  "I get to be a bridesmaid, right?"

Jeremy and Aelita did not feel embarrassed at all. In fact, both of them chuckled at the jokes their friends made.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb... And guess Aelita's wedding dress will likely be pink. As that's all she seems to wear these days." George joked.

"Pink is the new white after all!" Aelita joked back, chuckling.

As the crowd continued to cheer, the gang began to walk down towards the ruined police barricade.

Aelita looked up at her boyfriend… Her best friend... Her Jeremy.
"I love you." She said as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"I love you too Aelita... More than you know," he whispered back.