Lynn's POV:
School finally ended, freeing me from boring lectures and annyoing teachers. I had intended to head stragiht for the imfary once class ended, but got stuck talking to my father for forty mintues. It was the same old arugement. Stop wasting my time on music and force more on sports. My father was at the point where he didn't care if I continued playing soccer, along as I picked at least one sport to focus on.
"Cam?" Entering the imfarmy, I called out for Cam. I wasn't surpised to see Cam furiously typing away on his laptop. Someone should really take that away from him. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
Cam brefily glanced in my direction, before returing to his work. "No time to rest. There's been an attack."
A chill went down my spine. "What's the attack?" With Xana, there was no telling what he could be planning. Cam and Emi had a theroy that Xana's intelligence grew and developed from each attack. There's no evdience to support this. Only that no attack has ever been repeated. "I'll tell others."
"Don't tell Kya." Cam's hand stopped me from getting my cell. "She has practice this afternoon for the competition. She doesn't need the added stress or distraction."
While I agreed with Cam, I couldn't knowingly keep this from Kya. I didn't like it when she does it to me and I've seen how Alexei reacts when it's done to him. "We need to stop hiding stuff from each other. Remember what happened when you didn't tell Alexei?"
The look on Cam's face said he didnt like it, but wouldn't stop me from telling Kya. Instead of calling I left a text to inform her. She should be extra careful since we didn't know what the attack would be and that we were heading for the manison without her. Kya was going to be mad later that she missed out on the action, but would thank us when she wins the competition.
"Let's head for the manison." Laptop packed away, Cam got off the bad and headed for the door. He didn't get a step out, before the nurse returned.
"Where do you think your going Cam?" Mr. C is the younger brother of Mr. Z. Both refused to tell us what C or Z stood for. Students continue to make guesses, yet neither one has revealed if anyone has made a correct guess. "Your on bed rest today. Return to your bed and get some sleep." Mr. C wasn't as strict as his brother, but wasn't one to be aruged with.
"I'm sorry sir, but there's something important I have to do." Cam answered.
Mr. C rolled his eyes, "The only thing you have to do is rest. Now get back in bed, unless you want to go to the hosptial? That means we'll have to call your sister."
Cam's eyes grew wide with worry. The last thing he wanted is for anyone to contact his sister. Since their parents work alot, his sister has been taking care of him for several years. She's the one the school calls, not their parents. She's threated to disenroll him many times. "I'm truly fine, Mr. C." Cam relucdly got back in bed.
Nodding in approval, Mr. C turned to look at me. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave Lynn. Cam is very exshuated and needs to rest." He pushed me of the imfarmy, then shut the door.
Locked out, I decided to call Alexei. Alexei's cell went stragiht to voicemail, which meant it was off. After leaving a message, I went to Ms. Tiya's office. All staff offices were located in the admirstion building, on the first floor. Ms. Tiya's office was located in the back corner, by the file room. Because of her giant book collection, it was a hazard to walk around. The most of the time the place was a mess, yet Ms. Tiya always knows righth where something is.
"Ouch!" Alexei's voice alerted me to the possblie dangers ahead. "Mom! Becareful, that's my foot!" Alexei hopped on one foot, until he got to a chair free any stuff. He appeared to be inspecting his foot for injuries. Coach would not be happy if anyone on the team got hurt before the big game. Maybe I should rethink entering this room?
"Stop wincing, Alexei." Ms. Tiya patted her son on the shoulder. "You've had worst injuries then that. Remember when you broke your arm and sprained your ankle in the same day?"
Alexei cringed, "Who let's a seven year old go biking down a steep hill?"
"You had a helmet." Ms. Tiya causally said.
Alexei stared at his mom in disbelefit, "I didn't know how to ride a bike!"
Ms. Tiya giggled, while carrying a stack of books. "You learned that bikes have breaks that day." She left her shocked son to carry her books out of the room. "Hello, Lynn. Are you here to help?"
Taking not to sound saracam, I smiled. "No, Ms. Tiya. I was wondering if I could borrow Alexei for a bit."
She frowned, "He's busy at the moment. Can it wait?" While she usually let Cam and Alexei do as they pleased, there were time she needed them and they were expected to make no plans during those rare times.
"Cam's in the imfarmy, refusing to rest. I was hoping Alexei could help talk some sense into him." Tiya knew Cam's work ethic and how he rarely rests once he begins a project.
The look of concern on her face hinted that she was considering my request. "One hour." She set the alarm on her wrist watch. "You have one hour free, Alexei." The words weren't out of her mouth yet, before Alexei dashed out the door mumbling a 'thanks mom.'
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Alexei's POV:
"Thanks for freeing me." Lynn found me in the courtyard doing stretches. Mom's office is huge, but feels tiny and cramp with how messy it was. "So which sector are we going to?" Lynn coming to get me, must've meant there's a Xana attack. Otherwise he wouldn't have risked a lecture from my mom just to see me. Mom's big on responsibilities. Which meant me skipping helping her or my friends trying to drag me away was a no-go.
Lynn began walking in the direction of the dorms. "We don't know what the attack is yet, but we have a bigger problem. Mr. C won't let Cam leave the imfarmy."
Lynn continued into the dorms, going up to the second floor where the girls dorms were. The only time we came here, was to see Kya. Since Kya was at practice, we had no reason to be here. Lynn finally stopped outside of a room, with a purple and pink decorated door. "Why are we here? Shouldn't we be figuring out how to free Cam?"
Lynn's face got sheepish as he knocked on the door. "About that...Just remember, your helping a friend." Confused by his vauge explaintion, I failed to notice the door open.
"Why are you here?" Wearing pink and white striped pajams, Ally greeted us. Blonde hair stood up in disarray, as if she'd just woken up. This would explain her current sour mood. "You've got the wrong room if your looking for Kya." Arms crossed, Ally clearly didn't want us here.
"We're in the right place, we're here to see you." Lynn flashed a bright smile. Ally's face got slightly flushered, either from Lynn's words or his smile. Lynn is the second most popular guy in his grade, behind Avery. He knows this, but perfers to remind in the background. It's another reason he hates sports. Coach usually puts Lynn on the starting line-up, followed by me, and ending with Avery. As Coach puts it, its best not to reveal all of your winning aces at once.
"Mr. C won't let Cam leave the imfarmy. Can you help us? We need Cam's help with something." Lynn explained the situtation to Ally. I'm still not sure why we're seeking her help. She friends with Avery, the mega jerk with a huge ego. That reminds me, I'll have t ask Mara why she's friends with that jerk.
"Okay." Ally answered, suprising me with how easily and quickly she agreed. "But I require something in return." Spoke to soon. Ally would never do anything for us without payment.
"What do you want?" I asked, wanting to get this over with. The longer we take getting to Lyoko, the more time Xana to plan. "We'll do whatever we can, within reason."
Ally's smile was both sincere and creepy. "You have to spend the whole day with Mara this Saturday."
"Why would Mara want to spend time with Lynn?" I asked. Everyone thinks I'm blind when it comes to Mara, but I'm not. I know that she isn't the nicest person. The others don't know my reasons for defending Mara and being nice to her. Mara has her charms and can actually be a decent human being, at times. However, I doubt she's want to willing spend a whole day alone with one of my friends.
"Not him, you." Ally pointed to me. "Everyone but you knows that Mara's been crushing on you."
Shocked, I glanced at Lynn who nodded in confirmation. "This has to be a joke. The two of you never agree on anything." I said in disbeilf.
"Doesn't matter if you believe us or not. Point is, if you want my help, you'll agree to this." Ally held out a hand, "Shake my hand if you agree to the terms."
Lynn's glare told me I'd better agree. "Fine."
Shaking hands, Ally smiled. "I'll be down in ten mintues."
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Lynn and Alexei waited outside, while Ally went into the imfary. Alexei leaned against the wall, still angery at Lynn. Once Lynn had explained his plan, Alexei was less angery. He didn't like being left out of the loop, but agreed Lynn's plan had been their best option. As the younger cousin of the prinpal and Mara's best friend, Ally held alot of power. The prinpal was stern and strict, but vey protective of his younger cousin. Since the two had grown up in the same house together, Mr. Hall viewed Ally more of a little sister then cousin. Ally had been known to use her connection to the prinpal to get her way. She mostly threatened to invovle her cousin of certain situtations, but rarely acted on it if she got what she wanted. Lynn planned to use this get Mr. C to release Cam.
"What eggly is she going to do?" Alexei finally broke the silence. Ally went into the imfarmy twenty mintues ago. They hadn't seen or heard from her since then. Alexei was growing impatient. The hour his mother gave him was almost over. Unless a Return to the Past was used, he was going to be in alot of trouble.
"Who knows." Lynn shrugged, as his cell rang. "Calm down, Kya." Kya launched into a thousand questions the moment Lynn picked up. He tried to explain everything as quickly and belifly as he could. Mainly, he wanted to reassure Kya that they didn't need her, yet. Kya continued to protest that she should meet them at the mansion, but Lynn threatened to stop writing music for her figure skating competitions if she didn't calm down.
"All I'm saying is, I should be there in case you need me." Kya stated calmly. On a break from practicing, she deciede to check her cell. She nearly left practice when she reicved Lynn's voice mail. "Your the one who shouldn't be going, Lynn."
Lynn shook his head. "We're closer to the mansion then you are. Besides, if the school or surrounding areas are the target of the attack, your the only one able to warn and help everyone."
Not able to argue with his logic, Kya agreed to stay at practice. "I'll keep my cell on, call me with an update." Hanging up, she tried to clear her mind before going back to practice.
Just has he hung up, Lynn spotted Cam racing towards them. "Let's go, before Mr. C realizes Ally was lieing." Cam said, as he dashed by.
The three of them headed for the edge of campus, towards the hidden access tunnel. The hatch blended into the ground, concealing it from view. Alexei opened the hatch, allowing Lynn and Cam to go down first, then following behind them. After closing the hatch,Alexei caught up to the others, who were already skate boarding down the tunnel. The trip took several mintues, before they reached the shred. Exiting the shred, they dashed through the overgrown yard towards the manison's enterance. They arrived on the second floor of the manison. Lynn valuted over the railing first, grabbed the hanging rope and swung to the first floor. Followed by Alexei and Cam, who entered the library, then the elevator.
"Emi," Getting into the chair, Cam put on the headphone and connected to Lyoko. "How are things on Lyoko? Have you managed to find the activated tower?"
"I made it to the forest sector, but I can't get pass the hornest circling the area." Emi snuck a look, to see three hornest hovering nearby. "I'm close to the tower through, the plustaions have gotten stronger."
Cam pulled up the viralzual map of Lyoko, "Alexei and Lynn are on their way." Switching commucations to the scanner room, Cam notavited the others of the current situation on Lyoko. "Your off the to the forest sector. Emi is pinned by three hornest, close to the tower."
Alexei and Lynn each stepped into a scanner, awaiting the viratuzalztion process. "Transfer Lynn, Transfer Alexei, Scanner Lynn, Scanner Alexei, Viratuazltion!"
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Alexei's POV:
Arriving on Lyoko, I imedilaty scanned the area for monsters. "I don't see her, general." A thud behind me, signaled Lynn had arrived safely. The transcation from a human body to a digital one is werid. Once inside the scanners, it was a blast of warm air and flash, then poof. We're on Lyoko. Easy, right? According to Cam it isn't that simple, which is why he refuses to teach me how to use the supercomputer. I'm sure the fact that my laptop has had ten viruses and crashed five times within the two years I've had it, had no influence on Cam's deicde.
"She's just ahead of you." Cam said. "You'll spot her easily." We'd really be in trouble if Cam weren't around to guide us. Sure, Kya's done it before, but it's not the same. Kya doesn't understand the full working of the supercomputer to confiendly guide us. We've repeatly reassured her, she'd doing the best she can. It's better then navagating Lyoko blind.
"Any sign of an attack?" Lynn asked, as he took the lead. Lynn often took the lead on Lyoko, since his second ability, Eagle's Eye, allowed him to sense when monsters were near. Eagle Eye is a passive ability that activates randomly. Sometimes Eagle Eye's warning come to late. Although, it has helped during times when Cam isn't able to alert us to incoming monsters.
Several long seconds passed before Cam answered, "No and that's what worries me. I'm going to look into it, while you head for Emi."
No sooner had Cam finished speaking, when Lynn pulled me behind a tree. A veritcal laser whirl by right where I'd been standing. Peeking around the corner, revealed a lone mega-tank. The annoying bowling balls were hard to destory. Kya has the best destroyal rate with these bowling balls. Because of her weapons, Kya should be at a disadvangate. But no. Most times she manages to out mover the mega-tanks, confusing them in the process. Of course, Kya also get devirtalized the most by mega-tanks. Can't when them all.
"Homing Arrow!" Lynn's charkam flew through the air before I could unshealth my sais. "Go, while it's distracted. I'll catch up!" Orders given, Lynn dashed into the mega-tank's attack range. I sprinted around the corner, hoping to aviod detection.
"Hurry Alexei, the hornest have spotted her." Cam's alert came just as Emi came into view. A blouder at her back, three hornets completely blocked Emi's esapce path. Still to far away, I took out three of my ten shurikens and threw them. They didn't need to destroy the hornets, just get their attetion. The shuriken whirled through the air, missing two of them, but destroying the third one. Emi used the timing to sprint away.
Their target lost, the two hornests came to me. I stood my ground, as I gripped both sai. The first one came at me with lasers, while the second on tried to ram me from behind. Rolling to the side, I avioded the lasers. The second hornest use my momentum to ram into me, knocking me close to the edge of the platform. "Shadow!" Not wanting to chance falling into the digtal sea, I actived my ability. Blending in with the virtual environment, I snuck up behind the hornests. I deactivated Shadow, just before buring the sai into the hornets' eye of Xana mark.
"Do you ever play fair?" Lynn asked, as he strolled over with Emi.
Sheathing my sai, I answered. "You can't complain, I did all the hard work."
Emi giggled at our friendly blanter. "Where's Kya? Normally she'd whack you across the head Alexei?" Emi didn't wait for a reply, as she lead the way to the tower.
We didn't get far before Cam chimed. "Guy's, I've figured out the attack. Xana is trying to upload a virus into the supercomputer."
This news stopped us, as we waited for more information. "That's why he's been quiet lately. He's trying to gain access to the supercomputer."
"What will happen if he gets access?" Lynn asked the question I was also wondering.
Emi shook head, looking unhappy with the news. "Xana would be able to erase all of the programs Cam created."
"He'd also have access to the virtualztion programs." Cam sighed. "Which would mean no more trips to Lyoko or worst." There was a berfiy pause. "I'll create a firewall to slow Xana. But you need to hurry."
"It'll be fine once we deactivate the tower." I leaned against a tree, bored with the conversation. We should've continued for the tower while listening to Cam. "This is Xana's easiest attack ever. There's no threat directly on Earth and Kya didn't have to miss her practice. It's a win win."
The worried look on Emi's face said otherwise. "Will you be able focus Cam? Maybe you should call Kya?"
The long silence was enough to inform us that Cam was hiding something. "All right, spill." Arms crossed, I gave a pointed look to Emi. What is with everyone keeping secrets lately?
"It's nothing Alexei, continue to the tower." Cam's stern reply only made me want to know more. "Don't tell them anything Emi."
Emi shook her head. "I'm sorry Cam. But they have the right to know. Plus, I'm worried about you."
Turning to us, Emi appeared sheepish. "Ever since Cam came to Lyoko to access the towers several days ago, he's been experiencing frequent headaches. He's also been having trouble focusing and sleeping because of them."
Lynn shook is head, appearing disappointed at our friends. "This is serious, Cam. You know the sideeffects from Override carry over into the real world. Why didn't you tell us?"
Cam didn't answer for several long moments. "If your that worried about me, contiue for the tower."
Lynn didn't appear happy, but didn't aruge. Taking the lead, we follow behind Lynn towards the tower.
(Above is a picture of Cam.)
*photo found on Google*