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“I thought you were lost on the network,” Aelita sobbed as her fingers clenched tightly to her father’s shirt. Yes, her father’s. After all this time it was so nice to meet face-to-face once more.
She could feel his grip tighten around her as he said, “Lost, my dear? No. I managed to escape X.A.N.A.’s grasp once he escaped to the network. I have information to give you, but…” He pulled away from her which allowed his glasses to glow in the light of the room. “I just longed to hold you again.”
“How did you…” Get away? Survive for so long? Manage to have a moment’s peace to do this?
“I had to create a simulation bubble so we could properly meet again.”
Aelita wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Oh, this is just fantastic; everything looks the same.” From the piano, to the living room all the way to the stairs, the cottage in the mountains looked precisely as she recalled from her memories.
“Yes.” Her father looked almost proud of this. “It will allow us to do many things, my dear. Like spending an evening together at last.”
She nodded her head. “Right daddy.” Aelita agreed. She allowed him to guide her to the chairs in the living room where she took a seat. Her father’s memory was amazing for him to recall the exact softness in these pieces of furniture.
She wondered how long he’s ruminated on this memory. Was it for as long as they were trapped? Did he fall asleep when the supercomputer shut down as well? Or was he left alone at constant odds against the artificial intelligence that he created?
Odds… She leant back further in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.
Even now, she can’t help thinking about her lost friend. Her supposed cousin, another piece of family that she longed to keep close, all for him to slip through her and their friends’ fingers. How long has it been since she’s seen him? A few months now.
The thought of lost family only brought a sour taste to her mouth. She tried to focus herself, “Is it possible for you to come back to the real world?” Realistically she knew the truth, but…
“As long as X.A.N.A. hasn’t been defeated, I cannot materialize myself.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “But you should be able to free your young friend. What was his name again?”
Odd. She wanted to say, though she doubts her father knew the exact details of what happened there. The most the group could come up with is that X.A.N.A. got rid of him in the digital sea, for they didn’t have any precautions in case the A.I. was already ready to attack. They had to accept the fact they’d never know what happened to their good friend, and that hurt the most.
“William.” She said instead. It would be better to whittle down how many polymorphic specters they have running around Kadic, and it would ease Yumi’s burden in this whole mess. Though she can’t say the same for Ulrich, and least of all Kiwi, who both will have to go on with their charade until who knows when.
Her father nodded as he leant back further onto the couch. “That’s right. I’ll send a program to Jeremie via the supercomputer. By the way, how is your fight with X.A.N.A. progressing?”
Aelita smiled. “We’re hunting him down on the world wide web through our ship the Skidbladnir!” She twirled her finger and beamed at him expectantly.
Though… “Haha, what a strange name.” He didn’t recall the stories he shared. That’s strange.
“You know that name.” She chided. “It’s in the book of Viking legends that you used to read to me before I went to sleep.”
Hopper’s face seemed to shift, then he replied, “Oh, of course! How could I forget the Skidbladnir!”
That wasn’t a very good sign. Not at all.
The more that time dragged on, the more her thoughts began to spiral. It wasn’t just the Skidbladnir, was it? There was something else he’d add, no, someone…
Was this really her father?
She sat up as he asked, “Is something wrong, my precious?”
“Why did you ask me to come to Lyoko, daddy?”
He quickly fell into a quick response, “Because I wanted to see you.”
Aelita huffed. “It’s pretty dangerous. X.A.N.A. could attack us at any time.”
“Not as long as I’m with you.”
That wording. Her eyes narrowed. Time to pull out all the stops then, hm? “Y’know, when I said that everything was as I remembered it, I meant it.”
“I’m glad you like it. I wanted it to feel as if it were your home—our home.”
This was not her father.
“Everything’s here, nothing’s missing… except one little thing.”
“My mother.” Aelita smirked, and she knew she had it.
The fake’s face dropped, and she swore she saw its eyes blink behind those glasses. She certainly caught it off-guard. “But… You remember dear, your mother disappeared.”
“That’s true, but my father’s a perfectionist. He would’ve created her knowing that the thing I want the most would be to see her again. You’re not my father.” She raced out of her chair and took a step back once the thing started to push itself off the couch. “Stay away from me, X.A.N.A.!” She commanded as she turned around and shoved through the door—
“Yo!” Aelita smacked right into someone, and she cursed under her breath. She shoved back only for her eyes to widen as she stared ahead helplessly.
Odd reached out and caught her hands. “Hey Princess, I really think you should get going.”
“You shouldn’t be here!” The gravelly, static voice of X.A.N.A.’s specter boomed from behind them.
Without hesitation, she stormed past and dragged her miraculously living friend with her. She didn’t have time to burst into tears. She can’t interrogate him right now either. They need to go, now!
“Hey, Aelita, you’re going pretty fast.” Odd babbled. She brushed off his words. “I don’t want to be mean here, but you’re going the wrong way.”
“What?” She remembered this place like the back of her hand. This was the way out!
Odd, looking so normal despite being gone for months, jabbed at another way down the halls. “Do you think he’s going to let us go easy, Aelita? Let me tell you, I’ve been dealing with him for months. This guy’s got a knack for misleading directions.”
“Odd. You’re going to tell us everything when we get home, got it?”
Odd threw on a smile. “Sure, Princess. I’ll happily be an open book!” He then took the lead, gripping her hand as he dashed down the next hallway. The walls twisted and her breath caught in her throat as they became hallways at one of the Kadic buildings.
The blond huffed at the twisting changes and quickly yanked her down another path. This was strange.
If X.A.N.A. was willing to pull the wool over her eyes with her father, wouldn’t it be just as easy for it to play pretend with Odd’s form? It wouldn’t care if it stooped so low, all to fish information out of her and her friends.
“Odd,” She spoke up as they took another turn. “How can I know it’s really you?”
She shouldn’t give this fake the chance to deceive her. And yet… Just like the fake version of her father, she still wants to believe with all her heart.
Odd’s amber eyes looked back at her and he murmured, “Well, I could tell you about the incident with the gym?”
Aelita scowled, “Even if I wanted to hear that, X.A.N.A. can recall that too. So, let’s not talk about it.”
The Kadic halls shift again to the dormitory. Odd swiftly turned towards Jeremie’s room, slammed it open, and they landed right into snow. The pinkette looked at her supposed cousin and the blond preened. “I knew it would pick Jeremie’s room this time. Of course it would!”
Well… it seemed like this Odd wanted to help her, regardless of potentially being a fake or not. “I don’t have much to say that’d get you to believe me, Princess.” He planted a hand on his hip and added, “That guy’s shifted through both our memories with a fine comb.”
“Our memories?” Her concerns only rose with his words. “Do you mean…”
Odd looked out at the snow. “I mean, he tries to play nice. He doesn’t like it when I break my toys, but even it had to give it up when I pulled this stunt off.” He puffed his chest out a bit with a grin. “It’ll be a moment before it catches up. I’ve played this game of cat and mouse enough times to know Will’s timing.”
Aelita frowned. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get out of here, Odd. I can break the simulation bubble.”
Odd glanced back at her. “I uh… don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”
“What do you mean?” Her heart began to race. “Odd, what is X.A.N.A. doing to you?”
The blond looked down at the snow again. “Well. It’s quite a long story.”
“I can make time.” She swore. “Please, just tell me.”
“Princess, please don’t cry,” Odd asked. Aelita blinked her eyes and cursed under her breath again as she scrubbed her cheeks. “Oh, I see Ulrich’s tongue finally caught up with someone.”
She sniffled. “Odd, he’s been a mess. No, we all have been a mess. You just disappeared one day without any trace. We thought you died!”
“That’s what he wanted you to think.” Odd said. “I had to get creative enough to figure a way to prove I’m not.”
“Why would he want to do that? No, why would he want to keep you like some…” She didn’t dare say the words.
Odd replied, “Trophy? Treasure?” Those weren’t the words she was afraid to suggest, but they painted things a bit differently.
“I hope you’re not sharing all our stories, kitty.” Aelita’s stomach dropped and she flailed once a hand pushed her forth through the snow.
She fumbled against the false cold, her boots crunching underneath as she dragged herself to a stand and whipped her gaze back around.
Odd’s strained smile was burnt into her memory, especially with the way that he was held close by William. The possessed male hugged him to his chest, his head resting on the blond’s shoulder. X.A.N.A.’s symbol glitched in his eyes as he stared at Aelita. She practically felt the malice dripping from the hardened gaze. “Odd—” She tried.
“Nope! No way!” Odd tilted his head just enough to let the A.I. possessed boy keep his resting place. “I’m just saying hello. You know the deal. I felt a bit lonely!”
“I thought our friends were enough.” They murmured, their gaze finally tearing away from Aelita. Her stomach churned as she watched those eyes maneuver towards Odd. “These people don’t deserve you, kitty. You do so much for them and they’ve let you down again and again… even now.”
Odd tensed. “I want her to leave. You’re the one who stuck your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
He grunted as William’s grasp on him only tightened. “So, you agree she’s in the way, huh, kitty?”
“No, you’re putting words in my mouth. Again.”
“I’m saying what I really feel. Why can’t you? Oh wait, they just ignore you. They don’t take your words to heart like I do.”
Aelita had enough. “Leave Odd alone!” She stormed closer, only to swear again as something jumped out right at her. It was a wolf. Of course it’d be a wolf. Why wouldn’t it?
“Aelita, just go.” Odd said.
She shook her head. “No way, I’m not leaving you with it!”
He looked at her sadly, “Aelita, I’m not really here. X.A.N.A. wouldn’t let me be here. I’m only a specter. I figured out a trick of my own to drag my clone here just so I can talk with you again, even for a little bit.” He grinned. “I’m pretty smart when I want to be.”
“Of course you are, kitty,” William agreed. “Though it’ll be back to the Tundra for you.” Odd’s body tensed.
Aelita bit her lip and clenched her fists. “Odd, we’re going to free you and William someday. Please just… wait for us, okay?”
“We’ll see about that.” The possessed boy scoffed.
The blond flashed a grin. “I wouldn’t expect anything else, Princess. I’ll be waiting for you all. Now get going!”
“Go, now!” William barked, and the wolf lunged right for Aelita. The pinkette twisted and dove out the way from the beast’s attack. Her fingers scrambled in the snow again, but they found purchase at the edge of the sector.
She pressed her palms down into it, took a deep breath, and pushed.
We’ll find you; I swear it.