Fandom Code Lyoko - Rise of Xana

[iShyShy]

Since she had been in gym, Kiara's phone was vibrating in her backpack in the locker room too far for her to even be aware of Ebony's phone calls. The group should know each other's schedules by now for the most part anyway so why would she think they would call her? She was now focused on figuring out why this boy had decided to randomly touch her hair and walk away like nothing happened. Who is he, anyway? She hadn't seen his face of course. He picked up the pace and she did the same to continue catching up, "Hey! What's the big idea?!" She watched him turn into the closet filled with the equipment for all of the sports. Why would anyone go in there? Maybe he's an athlete? She slowed down as she came up to the closet, unsure if she should fully follow. Taking the few slow steps into the closet, she surveyed the room without seeing the boy around. "Uhm...Hello? I saw you come in here. You could just talk to me, you know. I don't bite."

 

[Sensei Fox]

He moved and closed the door as soon as Kiara came into view. In the same movement he hit the lights and took a different position in the room. "It's not quite that simple." A familiar although monotone voice spoke in the darkness. "Not for either of us."

 

[iShyShy]

She turned around to the loud thud of the door closing and the darkness surrounding her. She turned back to the void as the words of the familiar voice set in. She couldn't forget that voice, it had been ringing in her head for so long. With confusion and worry she snapped, "Fox?!...Fox is that you? What are you talking about?" She felt for the light switch, searching for it to possibly regain vision. "Why in the world did you shut off the light?"

 

[Sensei Fox]

"It's difficult to explain so just trust me that it's better you don't see me right now." He shifted slightly around the room. His tone stayed the same. "I found a way to make contact with everyone outside but it's not the cleanest proccess." He voice was in front of her now. "That doesn't matter so much now. What matters is you can't trust the rest of the group right now."

 

[iShyShy]

His voice bothered her. It was the same as she remembered but with no elevation on tone, no drop. At least in Lyoko it was human with a computer type overlay of some sort but now it was so... unemotional and weird. That's not the Fox she remembered but she was just surprised and happy he was here somehow. "Fine. Can you explain it-" The rest of his words processed as she tried to reach out in front of herself for him. "What do you mean can't trust the group? My life has been in their hands..."

 

[Sensei Fox]

"They aren't your friends." He reached out and took her hand in the dark. "They've changed. The Lyoko trips have changed them. It's messed with their heads and they've been influenced by Xana." His grip tightened slightly around her hand. It was a cold and only somewhat tangible grip but still there. "It hasn't effected you for whatever reason and that's why I'm here. They're going to trying and keep you away from me saying that I'm the one that's the illusion. Your next trip into Lyoko will be your last in this grand plan. Once you all go in, he's going to have them eliminate you permanently and then do away with them."

 

[iShyShy]

"What?.." She said shocked. Her hand tensed when he took it in his own since the pressure was sudden and light. "But...how...oh geez." She was left speechless with this news though some doubt still lingered in her mind about it. She had no proof for or against it but here he was, in front of her, real enough to touch just to warn her about the danger. Yes the touch felt cold and light but was enough to know that she wasn't imagining things. She gripped onto the faint presence of his hand harder when her heart sank before she went on. "But...they wouldn't do that...would they? What do I do?"

 

[Sensei Fox]

"You have to stay safe and stay on your toes. You can't let them suspect that you know or they'll just do away with you here and possibly most of the school with you. When you go into Lyoko, you have to take them out before they can corner you. Either that or activate a tower yourself to clean this virus out of their heads." His voice gained a slight level of depth to it and his hand surged and became more faint. "That's all I can do to help you. In Lyoko I'll still be forced to fight you. I can only warn you of what's going to happen."

 

[iShyShy]

She nodded her head, not that he could see anyway, as she let out a stressed breath. "I...Alright. I think I can manage that, I have to. They're going to outnumber me but I'll do what I can." Her heart started pumping rapidly, the stress of the severity of the whole thing was fully setting in. His hand then started disappearing from hers and she gripped her hand closed around what was left of his hand. "Thank you for coming. I don't know how you did it but I owe you when you come back."

 

[Sensei Fox]

"I'll see you again soon. Remember, I was never here." He faded away and the lights flickered back on. The room was devoid of anything now other than sports equipment. Fox himself materialized inside the school grounds. His body was distorted in pixels and veils of static. He laid his hand on a vending machine and strands of electricity jumped from the machine and into his body. It restored him to a more solid and normal form. After running a hand through his hair, he began to walk the school grounds.

 

[iShyShy]

She tried to grab onto his hand but only gripped onto free air, "Fox!" The lights came on suddenly and blinded her for a moment. She rubbed her eyes then opened them to the empty room. "Fox?.." She tensed up and kicked a loose ball in her frustration. Gone. Couldn't keep him before and not now. But he said I'll see him again soon. She ran her hand through her hair with a short breath to relax. Keep it to yourself, Kiara. This is insane but he came here to warn you. Be careful and be ready to do what you need to when you get into Lyoko. She opened the closet and made her way to the locker room to change quickly. When she picked up her phone, she saw the missed calls from Ebony and hesitated when she texted back. "Sorry Eb, had to stay behind and handle some volleyball things and didn't have my phone." She lied...she hates lies but Fox said they can't know or they might take her out in the real world. Grabbing her backpack, she ventured out into the halls and made her way toward the dorms. Hopefully she could give time alone to think.

 

[Shog]

Ebony slowed down and thought. She knew Kiara had Gym, so what was the point of calling? She tried her best to explain to Jay what was going on. The then split up to try and find out what where she was. Ebony tried the Gym first and got directions from her team mates. It then took a while but after asking several people she concluded she was heading towards the dorms. She ran as fast as she could and found Kiara right before she got to her room. "Kiara!" She yelled before stopping to take a few breaths. "We have… a problem. Xana is up… to some thing. Fox is here, but it's not him. Xana wouldn't let him go or devirtualize him, knowing he would also need a scanner to get back in. Remember what happened to Jay? I think it's like that." She had talked so fast her face turned even redder as her heart accelerated trying to get oxygen. She continued panting.

 

[iShyShy]

Kiara could hear hurried footsteps behind her and Ebony's voice yelling her name right before she had gotten to her room. Already? She didn't even get much of a chance to think things over in her head, she was so surprised and conflicted and Ebony's news did not help any. She turned around to Ebony slightly crouched and breathing heavily. "Hey Ebony."They're probably planning to get rid of me before Fox talks to me...too bad for them, he already did. That's a good reason, I would have believed it if Fox didn't warn me prior. I'll have to thank him again later but the priority is getting to that tower and fixing this. She placed her hand on Ebony's shoulder and helped straighten her up. Ebony hasn't been in the scanners so maybe she's telling the truth? Then again she wouldn't know what the others are planning... "Fox? Here? Breathe. I'm sure there's a reason for it. Maybe he managed his own way out or something, he has been stuck for awhile now. Anyway, what do you think is the best plan here? If it's like Jay then maybe Dark Fox is weaker and we can get him out?" Just a random thought but if she could get to Lyoko before the others then she had a better chance. "Where are the boys and Katie, anyway?" With that, where is Dahlia?

 

[Jabrark]

Calvin split up from Jay and Ebony to search for Kiara, perhaps, on a personal vendetta, Fox should he run into him. He trudged on through crowds of students and teachers, roaming the corridors in each building. He eventually came to search outside. He wandered around the track field to see what he could find. He felt a shoulder push against him in the small group by the bleachers, but this time it was him shrugging against someone. After a while of scouring the field, he found Fox himself roaming at the same time. Calvin remained concealed in the group until Fox strolled leisurely into the same group, after which he momentarily revealed himself by running forcefully into his shoulder. His personality alternated to his Lyoko self. He surreptitiously latched on to Fox's arm and pulled him aside through the group into the building, then into an empty classroom, unoccupied for another period, meaning they would not be disturbed.


"Hello, Fox, if you really even are Fox. This is either a remarkable feat on your part, freeing yourself from Xana and materializing yourself on earth, or the first time you've materialized a possessed human on earth. So forget trying to fool me and answer me. Are you Fox, or Xana?" he interrogated. He didn't believe for a second that this was actually Fox, but there weren't any immediate methods of confirmation, so he would simply have to stay vigilant of him and see if it really was him. Xana wasn't stupid and he wasn't easy to fool, but he would not really help his enemies in any long term way.

 

[Shog]

Ebony had mostly regained her composure and her breath had slowed considerably. "We have seen what Xana is capable of. He has commanded Fox to kill each of you several times, all of which he has done rather cynically. Maybe it has weakened Xana enough for us to get him out, but it sounds like a trap to me. Think about it. If it was the real Fox then he would have found the nearest person and tried to talk to us about it. He would not intentionally pass between me and Calvin and hurry away. Some of the others are looking for you of Fox. I don't know where Katie is, though."

 

[iShyShy]

He said not to let them know...like he was never here but they've seen him. Ebony should be fine, she's smart... Kiara shifted her weight and looked at the ground as she spoke weakly, "Well...Fox did talk to me...but I've been trying to mull over if what he said was true or not." She looked back up at Ebony worriedly, "This is a lot, Eb! He came to warn me about what Xana had planned but it was so shocking it's hard to accept." She then started pacing in the hallway as she spoke faster. "I mean it had to be him, it was his voice and he squeezed my hand and why would Xana let him warn me?! It had to be Fox, Eb, at least for that time. Think about it though, he probably didn't stop you because he doesn't know Calvin outside of Lyoko. I was alone and he knew where I was. It had to be him!" Her voice had gotten louder as she paced back and forth, she was panicking, stressed, and confused and she needed time to figure it out but there was none.

 

[Shog]

Ebony grabbed Kiara by her shoulders. "Calm down, Kiara. It won't help anyone if you have a panic attack right now. Now, what did he try to warn you about?" Ebony didn't believe Fox was being truthful, but telling Kiara that would not be beneficial. The more information she got first the better.

 

[Sensei Fox]

Fox didn't protest being pulled into an empty classroom. "You've got the wrong person, whoever you're looking for." He wrestled his arm away and glared Calvin down. He moved and around the room studying it. He stopped in a corner and placed his hand on a red lever in the wall. "Next time you grab someone, make sure there's no way to raise an alarm." He pulled it and the bells rang loud denoting a fire. He walked calmly to the door and turned the handle. "Also, lock the door behind you."

 

[iShyShy]

Kiara froze in Ebony's grasp, eyes widened as she was trying to process the abundance of information. She shook it off at Ebony's direction and took a deep breath but kept her eyes closed. "He said that going into the scanners changed everyone...it 'messed with their heads and they've been influenced by Xana'. But for whatever reason it hasn't hit me. I think it's because I haven't gone in as often." Her throat started feeling tense and she felt like it was closing. "He said that Xana is going to control them all and eliminate me then get rid of them so no one's in his way... We can stop if if I go activate a tower though, Ebony. We can save them and fix it all! He warned us and it'd be silly to not act!" The fire alarm rang and the sprinklers started going off. She looked at Ebony with concern, "I have to go do this while we have a chance." With that she started her run down the hallway, making a break for the factory the long way in her rush.

 

[Shog]

Ebony followed after Kiara. She didn't quite know what she was going to do, but a rough plan was forming in her head. She followed after her, not wanting to lose sight of her, and texted Jay and Calvin to meet at the Factory, but stay hidden and that she would explain later.

 

[iShyShy]

Kiara made it to the factory and slid down the rope to the computer room. She stared at the system in awe for a moment, the computer was not her strong suit but she'd been watching Ebony use it for awhile. She hesitated as she pressed a few buttons that pulled up the scanner program but at that she was lost. "Sai! Can you hear me!? Is there anything funky going on in Lyoko?" Ebony came up not far behind her and she turned halfway to greet her while still watching the screen. "Eb run a scan or something and send me in. I'll handle it." Sai popped up on the screen after that with her new voice that was somewhat robot like. "I am not picking up any abnormal readings in the immediate sector. What seems to be the problem?"

 

[Shog]

"Ok, go" Ebony said and watched her head down. She ran the scan looking for any activated towers. Then Jay jumped down from the ladder and gave her a questioning look. Ebony explained to the best of her abilities and closed the scanner around her. "I'm not going to send either of you in without a real need. The scan didn't pick anything up for activated towers. I will just scan you and show Kiara that there is nothing wrong with you. Please." jay agreed and hurried down into a scanner and let it run a through scan of his body and health. if anything was drastically different from his first scan then there would be a problem, but that shouldn't happen.

 

[Jabrark]

"That son of a-," Calvin grunted as he shifted to pursue while the fire alarms blared through the school. His phone rang simultaneously, almost as if on que. It was a text from Ebony telling him to go to the factory, so naturally, he made a break for it. He had to take the secret passage through the Locker rooms to avoid getting caught by the teachers or the lines of crowd.


Once he arrived in the terminal room, he saw Ebony typing away in her seat. He remained in the elevator.


"What's going on? Where's Kiara?" he asked immediately.

 

[Shog]

Ebony turned to Calvin and explained what the fake Fox had convinced Kiara of and what she was trying to do to convince Kiara otherwise. "now hurry to the last scanner. Kiara's scan is almost over and I don't want her freaking out instantly. I will scan you to try and convince her there is nothing wrong. Now Go!"

 

[Jabrark]

"Got it. I'll be down there ASAP," Calvin said as he reached for the elevator button. Before he pressed it, he paused amd decided to explain his meeting with Fox.


"I saw Fox again, and I called him on his identity. He denied my allegation, despite clearly being the person I claimed him to be. He said he didn't know who Fox or Xana were, indirectly, yes, but he still said it," he explained simply as he hit the button. The elevator moved down slowly, but he reached the scanner room quickly enough. 'Kiara won't trust me at all, but that doesn't matter. I have to do something, or everyone's at risk,' he believed. The scanners were closed due to the scans, and he entered the final on the right for his own scan to begin. The scanner closed and the beam searched his body. He felt its heat travel down from his head to his feet, slowly, tickling his body with its warmth until all that was left was black.


When he regained consciousness, the scanner door opened, revealing Kiara and Jay standing before him. "What's you find? Is Ebony on the PA system?" he inquired.


He heard a group of voices inside his head whisper something, 'We can't let you… We won't let you… Take us…' it said to him. What did that mean? He began to run possibilities through a detached part of his mind silently. As time went on, the voices only grew, steadily more audible with each passing moment.