Code Lyoko: Reincarnated, twenty years later

Chapter 6- Diving head first

I sat at the teachers' table during lunch, playing around with my food. I didn't really have an appetite. I really wish Odd were hear to lick my plate clean. Why did we all split up? Pushing the thought aside, I swallowed as mush as I could and disposed the tray.

As I left, I was stopped by what I now call the Junior Warriors. "Miss Renaud," Kyoko said. "Do you think you can share some of your adventures with us?" She was curious about how her parents became who they are.

"Maybe another time. I'm kinda busy right now," I said. I headed back to my classroom and began reprogramming the skid. I remember playing IFSCL thirty seven years ago, before I died, and that wasn't very accurate.

I sat back in my chair, remembering the feeling of playing without a real threat. I remember the background music that played every time XANA attacked. I suddenly sat up. How was XANA back anyway?

I rummaged through my bag for my Lyoko diary. There were three possible outcomes for the ending:
1. The ending we all know and love, with the ending being the final episode of season 4
2. The much hated Code Lyoko Evolution, which involved Anthea Schaffer and live action segments. (I actually like this season)
3. And the novels. They covered the secrets of the hermitage and the whereabouts of Anthea.
Could XANA have really survived the multi agent programme? I hope not.

The bell went and the students started pouring in. I was teaching Alex, Rick and Kyoko who were 9th graders, while Mia was in the 8th grade. I stood up, gathering the materials needed for the test I promised, it also gave me time to piece everything together.

With all of the papers on my desk, it was understandable why someone had gotten part of the code needed to programme the skid. As I walked back to my seat, I noticed the class genius, Daze Winters. He had black hair which almost blue in the tinted classroom, and greyish eyes. He also had dark purple framed glasses.

I groaned as I snatched the paper from the curious boy and handed him the actual paper. I sat down at my table and began lightly tapping away on my laptop. After a while a slight beeping was heard, and I saw the superscan had gone off on my computer. Apparently the Junior Warriors had connected the supercomputer to their phones, because I saw them looking at their phones.

I eyed them careful. "Alex, Kyoko, Rick. You can leave." I heard a mountain full of protests. "To get the equipment for the other half of the lesson. You didn't think we'd be doing a test all day. Did you?" The three left with a nod, I heard a scream outside. I rushed out to see a flood of water, quickly filling up the campus. "Actually. Everyone out. Now. We're going to the science building." I saw the other teachers lead their own students away.

"We have a problem," Rick said. "Alex can't swim." Oh great.

"It's fine. We'll connect my laptop to the rooftop and initiate a virtualisation. You three go ahead. Alex, grab my laptop and come with me." We split up. I led my students to the science building, some of them struggled to keep up so I stayed behind on the campus.

"Miss Renaud!" Daze panted. " I'm coming..." How is he exactly like Jeremie? I urged him to hurry.

I pulled out my phone to call Aelita. "Ruby?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"XANA's attacking! He's flooding the school!"

"I didn't see any water," she responded. "I'm heading the the factory."

Something felt off. The factory was underground and the water would damage the supercomputer. This didn't make any sense. As I pulled Daze up the stairs, I found myself on the crowded rooftop. "Miss Renaud!" Alex called. That's probably the only time I've seen him shout.

He handed me my laptop and I got to work. I pulled out my earphones from my pocket. "Everyone ready?" I asked.

"We need help!" Mia screamed. "Do you think you can come here?"

"I can't," I responded. Alex looked down at the water terrified. I placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be alright."

"Miss Renaud!" Someone called my name from above. A figure dressed in pink and blue fell fell from the sky.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming," I muttered to Alex as I caught her.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Why aren't you deactivating the tower at the factory?"

"We're on Lyoko! Mum says this is a simulation bubble!"

"A simulation bubble?" Alex repeated. "What's that?"

"A bubble which makes it seem like we're actually on Earth. Then that water is..."

"The digital sea," she responded. "XANA's trying to get you to swim in the digital sea."

I racked my brain for any possible answer to this. Alex and I had gone to Lyoko to protect Mia while Aelita guided us, when XANA put the simulation bubble we were to only ones effected because Mia was in a tower.

"How do we get out?" Alex asked.

"Don't worry about it," Mia responded. "Mum said she'll take care of it be using her creativity."

We heard a rumbling sound and the sky shattered. The three of us were on a floating platform, Aelita was also there. The blue digital sea of the mountain sector was submerging us all. "Kyoko! Programme the overbike!" A few seconds later, the vehicle appeared and Aelita urged us to get on because we were going to sector 5 and put the sea back to its right level.

I got on, Alex behind me. As I picked up the pace I said, "XANA's already pulled this one on us." The overwing and the overbike skidded to a stop at the edge of the sector.

We waited for the transporter when I heard the sound of a megatank. It opened and shot its attack at Alex, then it shot me. As I disappeared into pixels, Aelita shot her energy field at it.

Alex was knocked out unconscious so Rick ended up carrying him to the lab. Kyoko sat at the supercomputer, awkwardly pressing buttons. "Oh thank god you're here," she said as soon as she saw me.

I took her place and observed the screen. XANA had gotten the chance to reinstall the countdown. "Kyoko! Rick! Get to the scanners!" I began typing. "Aelita do you see the key?"

"Yes, it's at the end of the room, I won't have any problem getting to it."

"Alright, I'll send back up." I virtualised the two teens to sector 5. No time to be amazed, you have to go, now!" They entered another chamber. "There should be a button. Do you see it?"

"Is it shaped like the eye of XANA? Because we can see it," Kyoko said.

"Along with some really ugly monsters," Rick added.

"They're creepers, you have three minutes to hit the key if you can't you'll be stuck. And try not to get devirtualised!"

Aelita and Mia had made it through and we're already working on the programme to lower the digital sea. On my screen, Kyoko had pressed the key and had made it to the Celestial Dome.
"Alright! I've got the programme!" Aelita said.

"Alright." I ran the programme. "I'm bringing you in." The four arrived at the lab. "That was a close one, thanks."

"Don't mention it," Kyoko smiled. "Don't you think this deserves a little... raise?"

"For the hundredth time, I'm not changing your grade!" I laughed. I sighed. "It all felt so... so real..."

"Yeah," Rick said. "You could have been permanently devirtualised."

"Yeah," I muttered. Things like this break the limits of reality.