Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Footsteps echoed through the alleyways of Paris. In the moonlight, several female figures could be seen walking in the shadows.

“Frankie we shouldn’t be here!” The second figure hissed, her voice laced with a heavy Brooklyn accent. As the light illuminated her, it appeared as though she were part wolf, covered head-to-toe in thick, brown fur.

The first figure, Frankie, waved a mint-green, stitched up hand dismissively. “It’s not like we’re actually doing anything wrong,” She scoffed peeking around a corner. A pair of mismatched eyes scanned the streets. “Besides! No one is here to even see us!”

The second girl let out a low, non-threatening growl. The third figure placed a pale pink hand on the wolf-girl’s shoulder. “It’s okay Clawdeen! Like Frankie said there are no laws preventing us from walking around here in the open!” She said with a thick Transylvanian accent.

Clawdeen gave a faint smile. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up Draculaura.”

Draculaura opened her mouth to say something, only to have a shrill shriek stop her. “Cleo?!” The pink-skinned girl said in surprise.

“There was a giant rat in that alleyway carrying who knows how many diseases on it!” The ex-Egyptian princess shrieked at an ear-grating level.

“All it did was look at yeah mate...” Another girl said walking out.

Cleo gave her a sour look. “Well excuse me then!” Cleo sneered, “I’m sorry I don’t want to get the plague Lagoona!”

Lagoona rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to feel like Deuce had the right idea to stay at the hotel...”

“Do not see problem,” The third and final figure spoke. “A rat is nothing more than overgrown mouse.”

“Of course Abbey’s fine with it,” Cleo mumbled.

“Hey! As fun as it is to be in some abandoned alleyway,” Clawdeen snapped crossing her arms, “can we get a move on?”

“Clawdeen’s right,” Frankie said, “Let’s get going.”

Frankie held a map close to her face. She turned it to the right. Then the left. Then back to the right again. “Okay, it should be just around… Here!” She said turning a corner. Right into a dead end. The girls looked at her. She chuckled nervously. “Okay… Maybe not.”

“Frankie, do you even know how to even read a map?” Clawdeen asked crossing her arms.

“Uh…”

Clawdeen facepalmed. “Okay. Do you know where we even are?”

Frankie bit her lip.

“Frankie!”

“Are you kiddin’ me?”

“S-so we’re lost?”

Frankie’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry guys… I thought I knew where I was going…” She said looking at her feet.

Lagoon stood by Frankie. “It’s okay love,” She said placing a hand on the simulacrum’s shoulder, “any one of us could’ve made that mistake.”

Frankie gave her a soft smile. “Thanks, Lagoona.”

Clawdeen took a step towards Frankie. “So… what are we to do now? There’s no doubt we’ll not have time to get to the Petty… Petty…”

“Petit Palais” Cleo answered.

“Thanks. To the Petit Palais, and we definitely have no clue where we are!” Clawdeen finished.

Draculaura spotted a girl with dark hair dyed blond, sitting on a nearby bench. “I might have a way to find out!” She said cheerfully. She walked over to the girl, a slight bounce in her step. * “Excusez-moi?” The girl looked up. “Pourriez-vous me dire où nous sommes?”

The girl rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. “Oui, vous êtes au Brasserie Billancourt…”

“Brasserie Billancourt...” Draculaura echoed, “Uh… Où est-ce?”

“Boulogne-Billancourt…”

“Boulogne… Uh, je vous remercie-” Draculaura trailed off.

“Elizabeth.”

“Merci Elizabeth!” Draculaura shouted, walking back to her friends.

“When did you speak French?” Clawdeen asked as Draculaura rejoined the group.

“Since forever ago!” The vampire chuckled. “Anyway, we’re in Boulogne-Billancourt, one of the sections surrounding Paris.”

“Got it!” Clawdeen said pulling out her phone. She tapped away at it. “Yeah, no way we’ll get to the Petit Palais in time before closing…” She put away her phone. “So that means we either go back to the hotel or find something to do here.”

Immediately all the girls pulled out their phones.

“There's a few restaurants nearby,” Draculaura reported.

“Didn’t we eat lunch before we left the hotel?” Cleo asked flipping her hair.

“There’s a pool nearby! I wouldn’t mind going for a swim,” Lagoona pitched in.

“But none of us brought bathing suits with us and I don’t have my supplies and time to whip something up for us,” Clawdeen said.

“What about ice rink?” Abbey asked, “Has not gone skating in long time.”

“Oh! Oh! I think I found something!” Frankie said, both eyes and neck bolts lighting up.

Frankie stood on a concrete bridge. Before her was a giant, old factory, the shipping port wide open.

“This is your idea of having a good time?!” Cleo whined, “An abandoned factory?!”

“I know right?!” Frankie squealed. "Just look at it!"

Cleo just stared at her.

“Come on! It might be fun!” Draculaura joined in, moving to stand next to Frankie, “Imagine what might be in there!”

“Let's see…” Cleo said sarcastically, tapping her chin. “Oh yes! Broken down equipment, scrap metal, dust, disease infected vermin-”

“All right Cleo we get it!” Clawdeen snapped. She turned to Frankie. “Honestly what else can we do? Everything else here we either can’t do, or we already did somewhere else. Let’s just trust Frankie on this one.”

Frankie smiled. She stepped into the factory. In front of her were several hanging ropes. “So… Who’s first?”

“Might as well,” Lagoona said. She took a running leap, latching on to one of the hanging ropes. The girls crowded around the edge of the platform. “Well? Is anyone else coming down?” Lagoona called, her voice echoing throughout the empty lower floor.

Clawdeen reached forward grabbing another rope. “You only live once right?” She said chuckling nervously. She slid down. Frankie and Draculaura followed, with Abbey going last.

Well almost last.

“Come on Cleo! Hurry up!” Clawdeen barked.

“But what if I get rope burn, or break a nail-”

“Cleo you have nail extensions.”

“But-”

“Mate, we’re on this trip together,” Lagoona shouted, “Besides everyone else is already down here. You wouldn’t want to be the one to flake out while we’re off on another adventure right?”

Cleo groaned throwing her head back. “Fine…” She nervously grabbed a rope. She slid down screaming.

“See Cleo, wasn’t so bad now was it?” Clawdeen sneered.

Cleo shot the werewolf girl a dirty look. “Let’s get this over with already…” The ex-princess growled.

“Great! So where should we go first?” Frankie asked eyes scanning the first floor.

“Your idea, you choose,” Clawdeen said.

Frankie turned around slowly. “Uh, how about there!” She said pointing to what appeared to be an old elevator. She jogged up to it, the rest of the group following reluctantly.

“Frankie there’s no way that old thing still works anymore,” Clawdeen said raising an eyebrow, “It has to be over a century old-”

The elevator whirred to life.

“-Or it could still be working…”

Cleo clasped her hands of over her ears as the elevator pulled up to the floor. “Great Ra! Why is it so loud?”

“It’s an old elevator Cleo,” Draculaura said as she and the other girls stepped in, “It probably hasn’t been oiled in years!”

The girls rode in silence, everyone standing there awkwardly in the elevator. Finally, the doors reopened.

“Whoa…” Clawdeen breathed.

In the room, they had arrived at sat a large, bulky, computer. Frankie’s eyes light up along with the bolts on her neck. “Check it out!” She squealed jogging up to it. She took a seat in the connecting chair, inspecting the computer. “What do you think this is for?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the screen.

“Frankie are you sure that’s a good idea to be messing with that?” Lagoona asked walking over the simulacrum.

“I can’t really do anything if I can’t get it to turn on,” Frankie grumbled, her excitement being replaced with frustration as she tried to find a power switch.

Clawdeen looked around the room. On the right-hand side, clawing up the wall was a ladder leading to a square hole, roughly 40 feet above the floor. Following the ladder down, she could see a sealed hatch resting right at the base. She walked over and knelt down. She slid the hatch open and stuck her head in the newly opened hole. Underneath was another room, much, much larger, with a mass of tangled cords leading from what she presumed to be the supercomputer, to something she couldn’t quite make out. “Yo Frankie! There’s another floor down here!” She shouted.

Frankie turned around. “Can you see if that’s where the power supply is?” She asked.

Clawdeen nodded and started to climb down. She landed, hearing the echoes throughout the large room. She let out a long whistle. “Looks like something out of Howldon’s sci-fi shows…” She said to herself. In front of her were a trio of hollow, golden cylinders. She stepped closer to the center one. “What are these things for?” She muttered, taking a step into it.

“For mummification of course…” Cleo sneered.

Clawdeen whipped around in surprise. “When did you get here?” She asked crossing her arms.

“I followed you,” Cleo said rolling her eyes, “Unfortunately, watching Frankie mess with that thing isn’t the most fun thing in the universe…”

Clawdeen rolled her eyes in annoyance. She walked back over to the hatch. “I’m not seeing any sort of power source down here!” She shouted as she climbed back up. “Nothing more than a bunch of weird pod things…” She continued as she rejoined the group.

Frankie’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t get it…” She said shaking her head, “Why is this here if there is no way to turn it on?”

“There are just some mysteries that don’t want to be solved mate,” Lagoona said. 

“What about third floor?” Abbey butted in. The four girls looked at the Yeti. “If power source not on second or first floor, then must be on third.”

Frankie’s eyes once again lit up. She bolted towards the elevator, Draculaura and Clawdeen reluctantly following close behind.

Lagoona facepalmed. “Frankie you can’t be positive there’s another floor mate,” She said stepping into the elevator, “For all we know it’s just the two floors and there really isn’t-”

“-a third floor…”

The elevator doors opened as the group filed into a large, mostly white room, a sharp chill in the air. A large, dark-colored platform raising just above their waists sat, taking up most of the room. A large grin spread across Frankie’s face as if she were a kid in a candy store. She walked up to the platform. The rest of the group watched as Frankie placed her hand on a lever.

“Wait… Frankie, are you sure this is a good idea?” Clawdeen asked softly as she walked up to the girl.

Frankie looked at the mainframe. “I- I don’t know why… But something is telling me to turn it on,” She said. She gripped the lever tightly. “Hope I don’t regret this later…” She muttered. In a swift movement, she threw the lever up.

The mainframe sprung to life. Golden plates lit up as a taller, thinner cylinder rose from the platform, smoke almost dripping off of it. Slowly the room began to heat up. 

Frankie threw her hands into the air. “IT WORKS!” she screamed with joy. She bolted back to the elevator, dragging Clawdeen behind her. Frankie pounded the button the second she stepped in, her neck bolts sparking dangerously. She ran out of the elevator as soon as it reached the first floor,  not even bothering to wait for doors to open fully. She vaulted over the armrests of the chair, taking a seat at the computer. She watched ecstatically as multiple programs began popping up running what appeared to be system checks. “Look at all of this!” She said grabbing the mouse and scanning through the windows, “This- this is some sort of marvel in science! I’ve never seen something so complex! Not even in Hexica’s lab!”

“Frankie…”

A large hologram popped up in the middle of the room, showing a sphere surrounded by two ‘plates’. “It looks as though there’s some sort of game here!”

“Frankie.”

“No! This can’t be some ordinary game! Its size is way too big! There appears to some sort of labyrinth area, surrounded by two other areas, one some sort of mountain plain and the other a desert!” She clicked away at the keyboard. “It looks as though there are two others but… Their data looks corrupted…”

“FRANKIE!”

Frankie jumped in surprise. “Frankie…” Clawdeen said again, this time more softly, “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

“But-”

“Frankie, something about this place isn’t settling well with me. I can’t tell why but-” Clawdeen’s ears folded down, “It feels like something doesn’t want us here.”

Frankie looked at the other girls. “D-do you all feel the same?” She asked nervously. Sounds of agreement came from them. Frankie’s shoulders slumped. “Oh… Okay.” She pulled out her phone, brushing a lock of hair from her face as she checked the time. “We- we should probably go… It’s getting late and Deuce is probably waiting for us.”

Frankie got up and walked back into the elevator. She took one last look at the computer before the doors shut.

As the elevator left the floor, the screen on the supercomputer flickered. All windows closed and the screen turned black.

A red eye-like symbol flickered on the screen.

The door to the hotel room opened. Inside was a boy around their age and had snakes for hair sat on one of the beds flipping through channels on a television. He looked at the girls, adjusting a pair of sunglasses. “Hey! I was wondering when you all would get back!” He said with a light chuckle.

Cleo sashayed over to him. “Sorry Deucie, Frankie dragged us to some abandoned factory,” She said rolling her eyes.

“An abandoned factory? I thought you guys were going to some museum?” Deuce asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cleo set her purse down on the bed Deuce was sitting on. “We were. But someone-” She looked at Frankie. “-got us lost so we improvised.” She kicked off her heels. “And what did you do while we were gone?”

“Watched TV, ate dinner, called Clawd,” He said leaning back on the bed. He looked at Draculaura. “By the way, he wanted me to tell you he loves you and misses you. Like, a lot.”

“Aw! How sweet! I really wish he could’ve come with us...” Draculaura gushed.

“Oh so he’s going tell his girlfriend that he misses her, but even mention his own sister? I’m so going blow up his phone about this!” Clawdeen said pulling her phone out of her bag.

“Aw come on Clawdeen!” Draculaura said walking up to the werewolf, “You know Clawd loves you too!”

Clawdeen rolled her eyes playfully. “I know that!” She said, “I’m still gonna give him a hard time! That’s what siblings do!”

“Well while you girls do that-” Cleo said standing up, “-I’m going to take a nice, long shower and head off to bed.”

“Yeah… That sounds like a good idea,” Frankie said walking to a connecting door. “Night guys!”

A chorus of ‘good nights’ followed.

Moonlight filtered into one of the hotel rooms. A power outlet sparked as a thick, black smoke seeped out. It slithered along the floor. It came to a bed. It slinked up the bedpost, and over the covers. There Deuce was sleeping, an eye mask covering his face and Cleo cuddled up in his arms. The smoke floated up to him and entered his nose.

Clawdeen dropped her make-up bag onto the bathroom counter. She opened it and pulled out an eyelash curler. In the mirror, she could see Lagoona walk-in rubbing her eyes. “Morning” Clawdeen said.

“Morin’ love,” Lagoona yawned, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She sat on the toilet, opening her own toiletries bag and pulling out a bottle of location. “Sleep well?"

Clawdeen sighed as she put away the eye-lash curler and pulled out a bottle of mascara. “Honestly?” Clawdeen asked, shaking the bottle, “Not good… That damn factory was on my mind the whole night.”

“You have nightmares too?” Abbey asked as she walked in.

Clawdeen recapped the bottle. “So you had a dream about that factory too?”

Abbey looked at her. “No, had dreams about rotten yak-cheese,” She said rolling her eyes. “Of course had bad dream about factory. Felt like-”

“Something was watching you?” Lagoona asked.

“Yeah!”

“So it’s not just me huh?” Clawdeen said, one again digging through her bag. “It was so weird!” She started, “I was back in that the room with those pods and it felt like something was after me. Something really bad. Worse then like, the Revenant, or the Kraken.”

“Same here!” Lagoona pitched in, “But I was on the bridge, and something was chasing me!”

“Had similar dream too. But in elevator. Water pouring in and couldn’t freeze it,” Abbey explained, “Was scared I was going to die…”

“That’s so weird! All three of us had similar dreams about that same factory…” Clawdeen said tapping her chin, “This can’t just be some coincidence…”

“What are you thinking mate?” Lagoona asked.

“We go back to that factory,” Clawdeen declared.

“Are you sure?” Abbey asked skeptically.

“Listen the three of us having similar dreams on the same night, at the same place,” Clawdeen said, “Something wants us there, and I want to find out what and why…”

“I’m in.”

Clawdeen looked at Lagoona in surprise. “You sure?”

“Your right about something being in that factory. I want to find out what it is too,” Lagoona said standing up.

“Count me too,” Abbey said, chest puffing in pride, placing a clawed hand on Clawdeen’s shoulder. “Am not letting bad dream keep me back.”

“Alright. Let’s get dressed and-”

“Well I see we’re up bright and early,” Cleo said stepping into the bathroom. “What’s with the secret meeting?”

“We going back to factory,” Abbey said crossing her arms.

“Why in Ra’s name are you three going back there?!” Cleo demanded. She jabbed Clawdeen’s chest. “And weren’t you the one who convinced us to leave in the first place?”

Clawdeen let out a low growl. “I know that! But it’s just-”

“We’ve all had weird dreams about that place,” Lagoona butted in, wedging herself between the two girls, “It can’t be a coincidence, so we’re going back to check it out. If you want you can come with.”

Cleo rolled her eyes. “As if!” She shouted, “I’m not going back there unless absolutely necessary!” She pushed her way to the mirror. “Instead, I’m getting myself breakfast down in the lobby cafe. If you wish to join me before your little ‘dream quest’ you may.”

“Nah, we’ll probably get something on the road,” Clawdeen said. “Meet you girls at the front doors?” She asked looking at Lagoona and Abbey.

“Sounds like a plan,” Lagoona said.

With that Clawdeen walked out of the bathroom and continued getting dressed. Once all three girls were ready, they began to make their way back to the factory.

Chapter Text

“Laura?”

“Yes?”

“Did Clawdeen tell you where she was going?” Frankie asked closing the connecting door.

“No… She didn’t...” Draculaura said, “Did she leave?”

Frankie nodded her head. “Lagoona and Abbey are gone too. Cleo left a note that she was going to see what the lobby cafe had for breakfast,” She said, “But, nothing from either the three of them…”

“Not even a text?”

Frankie shook her head again.

Draculaura bit her lip. “That is strange… I’ll try calling her,” she said, pulling out her bag and fishing out her phone. A large shadow fell over her. She jumped as she looked behind her seeing Deuce standing over her. “Oh! Deuce!  You frightened me!”

Deuce stared at her.

“Uh… Deuce are you alright?” Frankie asked walking over.

Deuce grabbed her shoulder and threw the girl to the ground. Frankie hit the ground dazed. He clenched his fist and raised it above his head.

Draculaura jumped in, grabbing his raised arm. “Deuce what are you doing!” She cried as he lowered his fist. He growled, swinging his fist back. Draculaura gasped, and swiftly ducked.

“Laura!” Frankie screamed as Deuce’s fist smacked into the footboard of one of the beds. She rushed to Draculaura’s aid as Deuce growled in pain.

“Deuce what is wrong with you!” Frankie shouted as she helped a shaking Draculaura up.

“D-Deuce?” Draculaura said nervously.

He lunged, fist raised once again. The girls separated, causing the Gorgon to crash right to the floor. He got back to his feet and turned around breathing heavily.

Frankie quickly introduced his face to the hotel room’s lamp.

Deuce stumbled back, putting a hand to his face. Frankie pushed past him, grabbing Draculaura’s wrist, and running out of the room.

Clawdeen landed, the cable she used lightly swinging back and forth. Lagoona and Abbey dropped down, standing next to the werewolf.

“Do not like it here...” Abbey growled, “Feels like someone watching...”

“Yeah… I feel the same,” Lagoona pitched in, rubbing her arm.

“Listen if you two want to go back go,” Clawdeen snapped, her fur lightly standing on end, “But I am staying. Something wants me here… I don’t know what or why, but I just can’t help but feel like I’m supposed to be here...” Her fur flattened. “Yeah know?”

“Hey. We’re in this together,” Lagoona said, placing a webbed hand on her shoulder, “You think I’m just going to abandoned my friend after everything you’ve done for me?” She hugged Clawdeen. “Besides!” She chuckled, “I willingly faced Kala head on! You think a little factory is goin’ scare me off so easily?”

“Says the girl who still has a crippling case of stage fright,” Clawdeen teased.

“Hey! I’m getting over it!” She retorted, “Just going about it with baby steps!”

“Sure you are,” Clawdeen said with a smirk.

“Hey!” Abbey’s voice echoed across the room. “While you two argue, I brought up elevator...” She said gesturing to the now summoned elevator.

Lagoona and Clawdeen smiled at each other. The two girls walked over and climbing in, followed by Abbey.

The gears whirled as the trio of monsters decedent down to the lower floor. “So… What are we gonna do when we get down?”

Clawdeen stayed quiet.

“So we go down without plan?” Abbey asked raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, I’m not Frankie okay?!” Clawdeen snapped. The Yeti didn’t flinch.

The elevator jerked to a halt, ending the conversation. Before the doors could open, Clawdeen’s ears perked up. “Someone’s here...” She whispered as the doors slid open. Her companions looked at each other as Clawdeen removed her platforms. The werewolf girl took soft steps as a rhythmic clicking filled the room. She approached the giant mechanical chair connected to the computer. As she approached she saw a pink haired girl (A human from the smell of her) sitting at the desktop typing away ferociously. Clawdeen took a look at the screen, seeing line upon line of complex coding flash up. “What the?” Clawdeen muttered, leaning closer to get a better look. The girl froze. Clawdeen, just realizing what she’d just done, muttered one simple phrase. “Shit...”

The human girl launched herself out of the seat and bolted to the elevator. “Stop her!” Clawdeen barked, pointing at the girl.

Abbey jumped into action, sending an ice blast at the human, freezing her legs to the metal floor. The girl immediately began trying to pull out as the three monsters moved in. The girl looked at the three of them in fear. She reached into a backpack Clawdeen hadn’t noticed earlier and pulled out a pocket knife. “Pas un pas de plus Xana!” She snarled, pointing at the knife at Lagoona’s direction.

“Whoa! Clam down Sheila!” Lagoona said putting her hands up defensively.

Clawdeen moved next to Lagoona. “None of us are this ‘Xana’ guy but we aren’t here to hurt you,” She said taking a step forward, “so please put the knife down.”

The girl lowered it. “You- y-you speak English?” She asked, her whole body shaking.

“Well. Technically her native language is Russian,” Clawdeen said pointing at Abbey, “But yes, we all speak English in some way.”

The girl looked at them. “Who are you and why are you here?” She growled.

Clawdeen looked at her friends. “I’m Clawdeen, and these-” She gestured to her friends, “-Are some of my friends, Lagoona-” She pointed at the sea monster, “-And Abbey.” She pointed to the Yeti. “And you are?”

The girl looked at them. “Aelita… Aelita Stones...” She said slowly, lowering her knife, “Now why are you three here?”

Clawdeen shrugged. “Me and rest of my friends were exploring this place yesterday-”

“So you were the one to turn it back on!” The girl— Aelita- shouted re-raising her knife.

“Whoa! I’m guessing that was a bad thing then?”

“Yes, it was a bad thing! Because of you, that monster is free to roam again and make my life a living hell!” She shrieked louder than a banshee.

The three girls winced at the girl’s harsh tone. “What are you talking about?” Lagoona asked.

Aelita sighed. “Let me free and I’ll explain...” She said softly.

Clawdeen looked at the human. “Get rid of the knife and we’ll free you...” She said, fur standing on end.

Aelita looked at them for a moment. She sighed, tossing the knife to the other side of the room. Pleased, Clawdeen looked at Abbey. The yeti moved forward, cracking open the ice with her bare claws and freeing the girl.

Aelita sighed and took a seat back at the computer chair. “Alright… This computer isn’t just any normal computer-”

“Ya, don’t say...” Clawdeen sneered

Aelita sent her a deadly glare. “It holds one of our- my greatest secrets… And its name is Lyoko…”

“Come on Clawdeen! Why won’t you pick up?!” Draculaura shouted as she fumbled with her phone. 

“Forget it!” Frankie shouted as they ran through the corridor, “We need to get out of here before he-” She was cut off as she ran smack into someone, sending her to the floor.

“Frankie!” Draculaura shouted, screeching to a stop.

“What in Ra’s name- Frankie?!” Cleo, who was now sprawled out on the floor, shouted. “What the- Why on earth are you two running in a hotel?” She demanded, helping Frankie off of the floor.

“Deuce lost it!” Draculaura shouted, “He just tried to kill us!”

Cleo looked at the two. “No- No! That’s not Deuce! He wouldn’t hurt anyone let alone try to commit murder! ” Cleo defended.

“Better believe it!” Frankie shot back. She sighed. “Listen, do you know where Clawdeen, Lagoona, and Abbey are?” Frankie asked.

“No, I don’t… Last time I saw them they were rushing back to that infested factory you dragged us too yesterday!” Cleo said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Then we’ll check there first. Come on Cleo-”

“Oh no! No absolute way in the name of Ra, Nut, Isis, and any other god watching over us am I going back to that disease ridden shell!” Cleo screamed.

“Uh… Girls?” Draculaura muttered softly.
“Cleo we have to go back there! We need the others if we have any chance of standing up against Deuce-”

“Girls!” Draculaura said louder.

“ Excuse me?! We don’t need them to do anything ! Deuce is one of the kindest people you will ever meet and I refuse to believe that-”

A loud sickening crack echoed throughout the hallway.

“Deuce?” Cleo whispered seeing the gorgon boy appearing out of nowhere. He stood over Frankie who was back on the ground screaming in pain as she grabbed her shoulder.

“FRANKIE!” Draculaura screamed.

The world went in slow motion around Cleo. Draculaura snapped, rushing up to Deuce, fangs bared. Deuce reacted quickly, however, grabbing the black-haired monster and slamming her into the wall, crashing her right into a picture frame and shattering the glass. Draculaura slid to the ground, the broken glass leaving small puncture wounds in her face.

“Draculaura!” Frankie shrieked trying to stand up. Deuce swiftly kicked her back down.

“DEUCE GORGON!”

The boy looked up to see Cleo standing in front of him, seething with rage. “I have no idea what has gotten into you but this behavior towards my friends will not be tolerated any further!” She shouted, stomping over to him.

“Cleo stop!” Frankie begged, watching the mummy march straight up to Deuce.

The boy swung his fist back, aiming to hit her in the face. With all of his might, he threw the punch.

A loud cracking sound was heard.

Cleo stood there, digging her press-on nails into the boy’s clenched fist. She stared at the caught punch for a moment, before slowly looking back at Deuce’s face. She took a deep breath. “Deuce Gorgon…” She said eerily calmly. “Not only did you attack my friends… But you also try and attack me… ” She growled. She curled her free hand into a tight fist.

Deuce was on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose.

“Deuce Gorgon!” Cleo shouted, using a voice neither of her friends had heard before, “We are through... ”

Frankie watched as Cleo helped Draculaura to her feet, before moving to help her up.

“Let’s go...” Cleo said turning and walking towards the elevator. The other two girls followed hesitantly.

“Are you two girls okay?” Cleo asked as they waited for the elevator.

“Other then a few cuts and my head is throbbing… I’m alright,” Draculaura said softly.

“I think my shoulder’s broken...” Frankie said, gripping said injured shoulder.

Cleo touched it. “It feels likes it’s dislocated… Laura? Be a dear and hold Frankie still for me please,” Cleo asked, well, commanded.

Draculaura nodded, grabbing Frankie’s other shoulder.

“Now Frankie… This is going to hurt for a bit, but you can’t fight alright?”

“What do you mean by hurt-”

Just as the elevator arrived, Frankie Stein let out a blood-curdling scream.

“Does it still hurt?” Draculaura asked, gingerly touching Frankie’s non-injured shoulder.

Frankie shifted her arm awkwardly in the makeshift sling. “Kind of yeah...” She muttered. “Cleo? Where did you- Cleo?”

The mummy girl kept her eyes super-glued to the floor, hugged herself tightly.

“Cleo?”

“How could he do something like that...” She muttered softly.

“Oh, Cleo...” Frankie cooed, wrapping her good arm around Cleo’s shoulders, “It’s going to be okay...”

Fat, wet tears spilled down Cleo’s cheeks. “He’s never acted out like this!” She sobbed, burying her face into Frankie’s chest.

“It’s okay-”

“No! No it’s not!” She cried, “I can’t believe he could do something so- so-”

“Horrible?” Draculaura suggested.

“Monstrous!” Cleo sobbed harder, her mascara and eyeliner joining the flood of tears.

“It’s okay,” Frankie said, stroking Cleo’s hair, “When we find Clawdeen and the others, we can call up your father and explain to him-”

“No!” Cleo shouted pushing Frankie away. “Anyone but my father! If he hears about what happened, I’ll never hear the end of it! How he was right not to trust him, or how I should’ve seen it coming-” More tears began to spill.

Draculaura placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can call my father. After we get the others, we can get our things and leave… Does that sound good?”

Cleo nodded slowly.

The elevator doors opened, revealing the hotel lobby. Ignoring any stares from the patrons, the three ghouls walked out of the door in silence.

“So what your telling me is-” Clawdeen said as she, Lagoona, Abbey, and the human girl stood in together, “-that this computer holds a virtual world call Ryoto-”

“ Lyoko ”

“Lyoko, and that people can go to using those pods-

“The scanners.”

“-the scanners . And in Lyoko is this evil Virus named Xana out to destroy the world, and only you can stop it...” Clawdeen finished.

“Kind of…” Aelita said.

“What mean by ‘kind of?’” Abbey asked crossing her arms.

“This is Xana’s doing, but...” Aelita hesitated, “It’s not working alone...”

“So not only is this Xana guy we’ve got to worry about, but someone might be helping it...” Clawdeen let out a long sigh. “Great...”

“Xana has a tower activated right now… It could be doing anything as we speak,” Aelita said looking at the computer.

“So? You can stop it right?” Lagoona asked.

“I can...” Aelita said, “But not without someone to protect me.” She looked at the girls. “Xana has monsters he sends to try and stop me from ending his attacks. If I get devirtualised, I have to wait another 12 hours before I can go back. And in that time...”

“Then turn it off.”

“What?!” Aelita said looking at Clawdeen.

“If this thing is so dangerous, then turn it off ,” Clawdeen repeated. “If the computer isn’t on Xana can’t do anything! It’s simple-”

“NO!” Aelita shouted, “I am not turning it off!”

“But it’s the easiest way to avoid this entire thing! No computer, no evil virus, simple as that!”

“Y-you don’t understand! I can’t turn it off!”

“And why not?”

“Because- Because-”

“Hey!” Lagoona shouted, silencing the argument. She held up her phone to show an incoming call. “It’s Frankie...”

The group when silent as Lagoona put the phone to her ear. “Frankie? What’s going- What do you mean Deuce has lost it?” The other girls listened intently. “He what? A-are you three okay?”

“Yo, what’s going on?” Clawdeen asked.

Lagoona put her hand over her phone. “Deuce attacked them...” She said softly.

“Are you serious?!” Clawdeen said in shock.

“Is not in Deuce’s nature to harm friends,” Abbey growled.

Lagoona turned back towards her phone. “Yeah… We’re in the factory now… That room with the computer… Yeah, we’re fine… Hey is Cleo crying ? Are you serious!? Alright… We’ll see you in a bit...” Lagoona hung up.

“Well?” Clawdeen asked.

“Deuce attacked Frankie and Draculaura back in the hotel room. He dislocated Frankie’s shoulder, and slammed Draculaura into the wall...” Lagoona relaid.

“Holy sh- Are they okay?!”

“Yeah… Nothing too serious but...” Lagoona bit her lip. “Cleo is a mess right now … She broke up with Deuce. Draculaura is contacting her father to get us a plane out of here...”

“They broke up?! ” Clawdeen asked. “God… Deuce never fights! And when he does he uses his powers and never gets into anything physical!”

“The tower!” Aelita gasped. “Xana must be possessing him!”

“It’s able to do that?” Lagoona asked.

“Listen. I’m able to stop it before it can do any serious damage. But please… I need someone’s help,” Aelita begged.

The three girls looked at each other.

“I help,” Abbey said proudly, “Am yet, we built to fight and survive in harshest climate.”

“If that things as dangerous as you say, then count me in too mate,” Lagoona said, placing a webbed hand on Aelita’s shoulder.

Clawdeen sighed. “This thing hurt my friends… I’m not going to let it get away with that. Count me in too.”

Aelita looked at them. “Thank you. This means a lot to me… And afterward, I promise to explain everything.”

“Alright, so how do we get to this Lyoko?” Clawdeen asked, placing her hand on her hips.

Aelita smiled. “I’ll take care of that part.”

Frankie, Cleo, and Draculaura walked into the factory they had explored only yesterday.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to get down...” Frankie said looking at the ropes, “At least not with this arm I’m not...”

“I’ll carry you then!” Draculaura said with a toothy smile.

“Oh- Laura that’s sweet of you but you don’t have to-” Frankie yelped as she suddenly picked up and held bridal-style.

“Cleo, do you think you can be fine getting down on your own?” Draculaura asked turning back to look at the ex-princess. Cleo gave a soft nod. “Alright...” With that, Draculaura with Frankie in her arms leaped off of the loading dock and landed on the lower floor. She set Frankie down just as Cleo slid down the ropes to join them.

“So… were you always that strong?” Frankie asked as they walked towards the old elevator.

Draculaura nodded while she pressed the button to bring it up. “Just another handy ability we have!” She said in her ever cheerful voice.

“That’s strange...” Cleo muttered staring at the empty shaft.

“What it?”

“The elevator made noise when it’s coming up-”

“Yeah, you mentioned it yesterday about how loud it was...” Frankie said, “So?”

“Then why is it dead quiet now?”

The three ghouls looked at each other.

“S-so the elevator is out of commission?” Draculaura asked, her already big pale pink eyes, growing wider.

“Looks like it… We’ll have to find some other way in,” Frankie said, “I’ll try calling Lagoona again to see if she can find another entrance.”

Lagoona hit the ground with a yelp.  Picking herself up she looked around her to see the ground was now purple with large, rock-like structures floating in the distance.

“Holy- What happened to us?” Clawdeen asked as overlooking her body.

Her chocolate colored fur had grown in length giving it a more ‘shaggy’ appearance, her thick, brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail. Sprouting behind her was a long wolf tail matching her fur color. She also now was a dark purple tube top that exposed her midriff, dark gray short-shorts, black, thick combat boots reaching just under her knee, and a long, dark trench coat. Strapped to her waist was a belt with two gun holsters containing what appeared to be a pair of pistols. An orange visor covered her eyes.

Abbey had gone through similar changes. Her glistening white hair was almost cut choppy in varying lengths, giving her a more ‘wild’ appearance. Dancing up and down her body was dark blue tattoos in a swirled pattern. Similar to Clawdeen, she had a form-fitting halter top that exposed her midriff. However, all similarities stopped there, as her top was an icy blue, only a few shades darker than her skin. Hugging her shoulders was a series of chains interwoven together to make some sort of cape held together by a glittering, white gem resting on the yeti’s collar bone. On the bottom of the chain-cape where small, clear, crystals hanging off of the loose threads. Tied tightly around her waist was a thicker chain, holding up a skirt wrapped around her waist in a dusty indigo color. She wore brown boots that appeared to be made of some leather-like material. Strapped to her back was a large, clear, light blue staff with a white, chunky crystal attached to one end. On her face were a trio of dark blue dots under each eye and two stripes in the same color on each cheek.

They weren’t the only ones to have gotten outfit upgrades as Lagoona looked at her own body. She wore a sea green, one-piece swimsuit, with an exposed back, a short, clear jacket, a set of white, thigh-high boots with slits to allow the fins on her back legs to peek through, and golden bangles hanging loosely around her wrists. Her once long, wavy blond-and-blue-streaked hair was now cut short, just above her shoulders. Clutched in her hand was a golden trident, the staff twisting around an ivory pearl embedded in the end, and a trio of bright blue aquamarines encrusted in the head.

“Where did these come from?” Clawdeen said, caustically holding out one of her pistols.

“Lyoko generates outfits and abilities based around one’s self. It reads into your desires, your interests, and your past to form your avatars,” Aelita’s disembodied voice explained.

“So what you say is-”

“These forms are made just us?” Lagoona said, finishing Abbey’s sentence.

“Exactly. ”

“No freakin’ way!” Clawdeen said laughing, “Can’t ever let mom know about it… She’d kill me if she found out I was playing with guns!” She accidentally fired a shot in Abbey’s direction.

The Yeti reacted quickly, pulling out her staff and generating a wall of ice in a single swift movement. “Watch was aiming! Nearly took out eye!” She growled.

“Be careful! Each pistol has a limited amount of ammo! With no one to man the computer, there’s no one to restock them. ”

“Noted...” Clawdeen said with a wince, placing the pistols back into their holster. “So… How do we stop this Xana thing?” She asked looking up into the sky.

“Give me a moment. ..”

After a few seconds, a wired form appeared in the sky. It materialized, the figure dropping down. “Alright… Ready for a test run?” Aelita asked, standing up.

“Test run?” Lagoona echoed.

“Remember the monsters I mentioned?” The three girls nodded. “Xana sent some. They’re called bloks and they can fire two types of attacks-” A red beam of energy flew past the girls.

“I’m guessing that's them then?” Lagoona asked pointing at a trio of cubes with legs.

“Unfortunately...”Aelita said. She flicked her wrist, a ball of electricity forming in her palm.
The trio behind her pulled out their weapons. “On your command Pinky,” Clawdeen said, aiming her pistols.

“Now!”

With that command, the girls jumped into action.

Clawdeen was the first to attack, pulling out one of her new pistols and firing. Small indents appeared around the ground surrounding the monster. “Five shots and NONE of them hit it!” Clawdeen shouted.

“Everyone improves with time!” Aelita shouted, flickering her wrist. A pink ball of energy formed in her hand. “Energy field!” She shouted extending her hand. The ball flew out and hit one of the creatures, square in the eye symbol.

“Nice job!” Lagoona called, trying to hit one of the two remaining bloks with her trident. The block fired a laser, hitting the swimmer in the shoulder. Lagoona stumbled back as sparks faded around the area she was hit. “Crikey… These little buggers really pack a punch don’t they?” She groaned as she gripped her trident. The blok she was fighting fired another laser. Lagoona acted instinctively. The gems on her trident began to glow as she swung it. A stream of water followed the head of the weapon, redirecting the red beam to her feet. “Whoa...” She said softly. She gripped her weapon tightly and swung it again, this time aiming to hit the ground. The water acted as a whip, leaving a glowing gash in the creature. The blok stumbled before exploding only leaving its legs.

Aelita looked over. “Alright, one down and-” A loud crunching sound caught the girls’ attention. There was Abbey standing triumphantly on the last blok as she removed her staff. Ice shards were embedded both in the monster, and the area around. Abbey calmly walked over.

The three looked at the trio. “On your command,” Clawdeen said putting her gun back into the empty holster.

Aelita nodded, waving her hand over a star bracelet on her wrist. A pair of pink wings sprouted from her back. “Alright… Let’s go.”

Frankie stumbled through the dark, trying her hardest on to trip and pull her stitches. She cursed as her foot hit something. She stretched her hand out, feeling a ladder. “Okay… Okay, there we go!” She said with a small smile. She slowly began to climb, reaching a concrete ledge. There was a hole emitting light. She looked through, seeing the inside of the computer room they had explored yesterday. She crawled through the hole, and down the ladder. As she landed, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She put her phone up to her ear. She after three rings, she heard a soft click. “Cleo! I think I-”

“Hello. You’ve managed to reach the Cleo De Nile. I’m afraid I’m attending to matters far more important then to answer at the given monument. If you wish, leave a voicemail after the beep and I will see if your worthy of getting called back.” A sharp beep followed.

“Cleo! It’s Frankie. I found another entrance! You have to listen to me carefully okay” She said moving over the computer. She recounted the steps she took to get back into the room. She hung up as she took a seat. The screen was on showing what looked like a map with several dots clustered together. Five red dots that appeared to be in the air, and four blue at where on the ground. Sitting on the desk was earpiece now emitting noise. “Hello?” She said nervously.

“Frankie?” Clawdeen’s voice said, “Holy sh- Is that you?!”

“Clawdeen?”

“Frankie? Oh thank god you're here!” What sounded like Lagoona said next.

“It is about time! In deep trouble! ” Abbey said next followed by a loud grunt.

“What is going on?!” Frankie asked.

“I’ll explain. Listen. Frankie is it? I’m Aelita. Your friends are helping me stop a dangerously violent program called Xana.”

Meanwhile, Cleo and Draculaura stood in the control room messing with a set of switches. Cleo felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out and tapped the top notification. Frankie’s voice message began to play.

“-There’s a machine room on the lower floor. Go all the way to the end and you’ll see a set of stairs. Go down and go through the two rooms.”

“We need your help Frankie. I thought we could do this alone-”

“After that, you should find a ladder. Climb it and go through the hole you find. That’s where I’ll be.”

“-Frankie I need your help to guide us...”

The message ended. “You heard her,” The mummy said, “Let’s go.”

“Are you willing to lend a hand?”

Frankie took a deep breath. “Tell me what I need to do.”

Cleo opened the door to the control room. Her eyes widened seeing Deuce standing there. He lifted his hand, electricity crackling in his palm.

Draculaura watched on in horror as Cleo was tossed across the room like a rag doll. “CLEO!”

Chapter Text

“CLEO!”

Cleo laid sprawled out of the ground, the world around her fuzzy. She tried to sit up, only to have a hand clamp tightly around her throat. She squirmed in her, now ex, boyfriend’s grasp. She cracked open her eyes while she tried to pry open the gorgon’s fist. Through the lens of his sunglasses, she could see his eyes flicker, pupil and iris quickly replaced with a strange eye-like symbol before returning to normal. Draculaura pounced, her vision red. She landed on Deuce’s back, gripping his vest tightly. Instinctively she clamped her mouth on the back of his neck. Hard. Deuce let go of Cleo, dropping the mummy to the ground, gasping for air. Cleo looked up in time to watch Deuce shake Draculaura off of him. Draculaura picked herself up, looking right at Deuce.

Cleo could only watch in horror as Deuce removed his sunglasses, making direct eye contact with Draculaura.

Clawdeen growled in frustration as one of the monsters, hornets as Aelita called them, fired at them. A greenish liquid hit her feet.

“Careful! They can spit poison!” Aelita shouted as she flew out of the way of another hornet’s fire.

“You couldn’t have warned us before we took them on?!” Clawdeen snarled, firing several more shots at the hornet. One of the bullets hit the monster in the eye symbol, killing it instantly.

“Nice shot mate!” Lagoona grunted as she slashed at another hornet. The aquamarines on the trident’s head glowed and a ball of water appeared. Using the movement of the weapon, she wrapped the water around the hornet. She pulled back hard, rocketing the ensnared monster right at her. She quickly threw her trident forward, not letting go of the staff, shish-kabobing the monster. She lowered her trident as the monster burst into thousands of red pixels.

“You too...” Clawdeen said with a slight wince. “Abbey how you holding up?!”

The Yeti didn’t respond. Instead, Abbey swirled her staff, frost gathering around the gem. She gave a mighty swing, launching the gathered frost at the hornet. The monster froze in mid-air, completely encased in ice. It fell, followed shortly by a bright pillar of white light.

Aelita landed. “That should be the last of them. Frankie, how are things on your end?”

“All clear,” Frankie reported, “Only 20 meters left to go!”

“Twenty meters? How far is that exactly?” Clawdeen asked, a knot tying in her stomach.

“About 21 yards, give or take...” Lagoona responded.

“21 yards?! We’ll never make in time! There has to be a faster way!” Clawdeen cried out.

“There is something , but I don’t know if…” Aelita said. She gripped her arm. “Frankie, how good are you at programming?”

“Well… computer science isn’t really my forte, I’m much better at biology than anything. In fact, if you ever need to have something reanimated-”

“Frankie! Now is not the time!” Clawdeen barked.

“Sorry.”

“Okay… If there is a set of instructions for you to follow could you program something?” Aelita asked.

“I don’t see why I can’t...”

“Okay… Okay good,” Aelita said softly. “Frankie, there should be a set of backpacks on the lower floor. Find the plain purple one . You're going to have dig for a bit, but if I know him it should still be there. There should be a large packet. It has instructions about some of the important programs. Find it and I’ll guide you from there,” Aelita commanded.

“On it!”

“In the meantime, we can’t waste time let’s get moving,” Aelita said turning to her companions. The four girls sprinted off.

Frankie spilled the contents of the bag out onto the floor. She dug through years old tests, uncompleted homework, and doodled on line paper. She quickly found what she was looking for, and climbed back up the ladder. “Cleo?”

The teary-eyed ex-princess looked at her. “Frankie! Oh, thank the gods above!” She cried lunging at the simulacrum with open arms. She squeezed the stitched up girl tightly. “I so worried when I didn’t see you right away!”

“Don’t worry I’m okay!” Frankie said with a smile. She tapped the ear piece. “Clawdeen! How are things on your end?”

“Not good!” the werewolf growled.

Clawdeen and Lagoon stood crouched behind a rock as a makeshift barrier. “We barely got ten feet before we got jumped!”

“Frankie, who are you talking to?” Cleo’s voice said.

“Who is that with you in the lab?!” Aelita shouted as a wall of red energy flew past them.

“My friend Cleo… Wait a second… Cleo! Is Laura with you?”

“Frankie what are-”

“Aelita! Can you guide me on sending people to Lyoko?!”

“Do you have the booklet?”

“Yes!”

“Then, yes I can,” Aelita said.

“Great!” Frankie said, flipping through the pages. “Then get ready! We’ll have back up sent your way!”

“Frankie what are you talking about?!” Cleo shouted.

“Clawdeen, Lagoona, Abbey, and another girl named Aelita are in this game. I don’t know how it works, but Aelita was able to tell me that people can be sent back and forth. I can send you and Draculaura to them to help them out!” Frankie explained almost at rapid-fire speed. “Where is Draculaura?”

Cleo’s face darkened. “Frankie… She’s… She’s gone,” Cleo said softly.

“What?”

“Deuce turned her to stone… And with how he’s been acting-” Cleo broke down sobbing.

Lagoona and Abbey shared looks of disbelief from their hiding places.

“W-what happened?!”

“He was trying to choke me! She attacked him but he shook her off! Next thing I know his sunglasses are off and she’s completely turned to stone!” Cleo sobbed.

Clawdeen slid to the ground. Her breathing became ragged as tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. “She’s g-gone?” She choked out.

Lagoona put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay mate. We can find a way to reverse it,” She said softly. The sea monster pulled Clawdeen into a tight hug.

“I’m going to kill that thing...” Clawdeen muttered.

Clawdeen brushed off Lagoona. She got to her feet and left the rock.

“What are you doing?!” Aelita shrieked as Clawdeen stood in the line of fire. “Clawdeen you’re no match for a megatank, let alone four! ”

Clawdeen looked at the pink haired girl. Her golden yellow eyes were now glowing. “ Watch me… ” She growled.

Her head raised back, letting out a long, deep howl. Her head snapped forward. She dropped on all fours, running at the first megatank. The spherical monster let out a wall of energy. Clawdeen leaped out of the way, rolling and landing back on her hind legs. She charged, once again on all fours. She punched, landing on the closed shell of the monster. She pried open the shell, exposing the eye in the center. She used her feet to keep the shell open as she reached in. The other three girls watched as a loud mixture of ripping and cracking, as though it was the sound of someone’s arm being torn away from the shoulder, echoed through the valley. The monster exploded, dropping Clawdeen. She quickly got back to her feet.

“Go!” She shouted. “I’ve got this!”

The other girls looked at each other. Lagoona and Abbey moved first, raising their weapons. As Clawdeen jumped at the next megatank, Aelita, Lagoona, and Abbey made a beeline out of there.

Frankie stared at Cleo in shock. “B-but Draculaura can’t be gone ?! S-she was supposed to outlive all of us! Not the other way around!” Tears formed in the simulacrum’s eyes.

“But she is! Frankie, Deuce has completely lost it! We need to get out of here before-”

A loud pounding sound came from the elevator.

“-He finds us…”

The loud sound of metal being forcibly bent backwards, filled the room. Deuce fell from the ceiling. He rose slowly, making direct contact with the two girls.

Frankie pressed the button on the earpiece. “Aelita… He’s in the lab…” Frankie said shaking.

“Frankie get out of there! He’ll kill you!” Aelita screamed at her.

Frankie tried to run. But her legs refused to work.

Deuce ran at them, fist once again raised, aiming right at Frankie’s face.

“NO!” Cleo screamed. The mummy grabbed the gorgon’s arm. The two struggled. “I’m not letting you take another one of my friends away from me!” She shrieked.

“Cleo don’t!” Frankie screamed rushing to pry the two apart.

Deuce shook the two off of him, knocking both to the ground. He reached for his sunglasses, looking right in Frankie’s eyes.

“There it is!” Aelita shouted pointing to a cylindrical structure. It was white with a large, black mass at the bottom, and it had a red halo around it. The three girls slowed to a stop. Aelita looked up at it.

“What are waiting for?!” Abbey snapped, “Hurry before friends become lawn ornaments!”

Aelita nodded, walking up and through the mass.

Cleo shoved Frankie off of her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a compact mirror. She opened it just at Deuce’s glasses were completely removed. She looked away and pointed the mirror at Deuce.
Aelita walked to the center of the lower platform. A glow covered her, lifting her feet up. She floated upwards to the second floor. As she landed, a holographic screen appeared before her.
Cleo looked away, shutting her eyes tightly as a ‘crackling’ sound was heard. She peeked her eyes open, to see Deuce Gorgon, the love of her life, completely turned to stone.

Aelita placed her hand on the screen.

AELITA

CODE: LYOKO

“Tower Deactivated...” She said to no one. She tapped the screen a few more times.

In the scanner room, the trio of scanners hissed open. Clawdeen, Lagoona, and Abbey stumbled out, shaking their heads.

“What just… What just happened?” Clawdeen asked rubbing her temples.

“No clue. Head feel like someone splitting it in two...” Abbey moaned.

The middle scanner whirled to life. It hissed open. Aelita stepped out calmly. “The three of you did well for your-”

A heart-wrenching wail erupted from the upper.

“Cleo!” Clawdeen shouted. She and her two friends ran to the elevator.

Once the doors reopened, there they saw Cleo, her arms wrapped around a stone Deuce. Frankie was rubbing her back. “Cleo I’m so sorry...”

“H-He c-c-can’t be gone!” The mummy wailed.

“Cleo it’s going to be okay!”

“B-but who knows how long it’ll last!” Cleo sobbed. “W-what if-” she broke down crying.

“Frankie, what happened?” Lagoona asked walking up to the mint-green girl.

“Deuce tried to attack us...” Frankie said softly, “And Cleo…” Frankie turned away.

“Oh god...” Lagoona muttered.

“F-Frankie… Where’s Draculaura?” Clawdeen asked.

“T-The control room,” Cleo said with a sniffle. “Deuce-” Cleo stopped herself. “ He ambushed us. She should still be there...”

“Wait I’m confused. Are- are you all implying he turned you friend into- into stone ?” Aelita asked looking at the stoneified Deuce.

“Deuce is Gorgon,” Abbey explained, “Gorgon has ability to turn people to stone.”

“A Gorgon?! Like Medusa from Greek mythology?"

“There has to some way to reverse this!” Frankie said.

“How?!” Clawdeen shouted, “Frankie, the only person that knows how to undo a Gorgon’s stare has been turned to stone , and I doubt any of us what to go talk to mama Gorgon herself!”

Lagoona shook her head. “If only we had some way to go back in time and stop all of this from happening!”

Aelita looked up nervously. “There is actually...”

Clawdeen perked up. “Are you serious?!”

Aelita nodded. “There’s a program on the computer… It allows time to reverse-”

“Then what are you waiting for!” Cleo shouted, letting go of Deuce. She grabbed a hold of Aelita’s shoulders. “Launch it please!”

Aelita stepped back out of the mummy’s grasp. “That’s the thing… It can’t bring back the dead...”

Frankie’s eyes lit up. “Deuce’s stare can’t kill!”

“What?”

“Frankie’s right!” Clawdeen jumped in. “Deuce’s stare doesn't kill! It can wear off!”

Frankie nodded. “He told us it only turns the person inanimate! You have no idea how many times Deuce has accidentally turned himself or someone else into stone!”

“If it doesn’t kill… Then maybe...” Aelita looked at the monitor.

“Launch it hurry!” Clawdeen begged.

“Alright… Give me a second...” Aelita said walking over to the computer. The girls crowded around her as she typed away. “Return to the past now!” She shouted, hitting the enter key.

Clawdeen bolted awake. Her head was pounding as she looked around the room. Both Lagoona and Abbey sat upright in their beds, dazed.

“W-what happened?” Abbey asked as she crawled out of her bed.

“No idea mate…” Lagoona said.

Clawdeen’s eyes widened. “Draculaura!” She shouted bolting out of bed. She ran to the door separating the two rooms. She threw the door open. The werewolf bolted to Draculaura’s bedside. She shook the still girl. “Laura! Laura please wake up!” She begged.

Draculaura lifted her eye-mask. “Clawdeen?”She asked rubbing her eyes, “What are-” Clawdeen hugged her tightly.

“You’re alive! Oh thank god you’re alive!” Clawdeen cried, nuzzling the confused girl.

“Of course I am?” Draculaura said confused. She pried Clawdeen off of her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Are you serious?!” Frankie shouted in surprise.

“One hundred percent mate…” Lagoona said.

Deuce, Cleo, Draculaura, and Frankie sat on Draculaura’s hotel bed shocked over the story they just heard.

“So what you say is… I tried to…” Deuce said shaking his head. “Dude…”

“But then why don’t we remember anything but you do ...”Cleo asked raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms.

“You think we know?! One second I’m hearing my best friend is gone forever , and the next my day is starting over again!” Clawdeen shouted, waving her arms for emphasis. Her eye widened. “But I think I know someone who will…”

Aelita could hear the sound of the scanner opening. She looked up, blinking at the lights. As her vision cleared she saw seven familiar looking girls and one boy looking at her.

“So…” Clawdeen said with a smirk and crossing her arms, “How about the explanation you owe us?”

Chapter Text

Aelita sat in the chair connected to the computer, the large group of friends standing in front of her. “So… What do you want to know first?”

“How about ‘how did we go back in time?’” Clawdeen demanded.

“The Return to the Past program,” She explained, “It has the power to reverse time up to a few days. I don’t fully understand how it works, only that it does.”

“So if time really did reverse-” Cleo butted in, pushing Clawdeen back, “How come they-” She gestured to Lagoona, Abbey, and Clawdeen. “-Remember it and we don’t?”

“Like I said, we-” Aelita winced. “- I don’t understand the program too much. One thing I do know is that those who’ve been scanned by the supercomputer keep their memories when time reverses,” She continued, “I’ve only met one person that managed to get past it. But that was after she managed to get access to the supercomputer.”

“So… Everything they told us is the truth?” Deuce asked, “I really?” Aelita nodded her hand. Deuce put a hand to his forehead. “Dude… That’s- that’s fucked up…”

“Trust me, that’s not even the worst he’s done…” Aelita said, her eyes growing dark.

“There’s worse things then forcing someone to nearly kill their friends?” Deuce asked skeptically.

Aelita took a deep breath. “Kidnapped and replaced someone I knew with a clone, nearly drowned another friend of mine, tried to cook two of other friends alive , made amnesia a contagious disease, started a zombie apocalypse, tried to nuke a close friend of mine from space- ”

“Holy shit!” Clawdeen said, “And your 100% serious?!”

“I wish I could say no…”

“God damn… How are you still sane?!”

Aelita sighed. “I have no clue…”

“Okay. So what is this ‘Xana’ anyway?” Frankie asked taking a step forward.

“That I do know,” Aelita said, almost glad to have the subject changed. “Xana was designed as a counter to a military project known as ‘Project: Carthage.’ It was designed to learn and adapt in order to complete its mission. Only problem was…”

“It grew too smart,” Clawdeen finished, crossing her arms.

“Exactly. It turned on humanity, and it’s creator. My father.” There was a stunned silence. “The people that made Carthage, went after my father. So he made Lyoko as a place to hide. But when we escaped…”

“Xana turned on you…” Frankie said.

Aelita nodded. “Xana was too strong for my father, so he was forced to shut it down, locking the two of us away,” She finished.

“Until we came along and turned it back on huh?” Clawdeen said raising an eyebrow.

Aelita shook her head. “No, not exactly...” She said sheepishly. “Someone else found me, and turned the computer back on…” Her eyes darkened, becoming clouded with sorrow. “He worked day and night to save me, and to make sure Xana was gone forever.”

“What happened to him?” Draculaura asked.

Aelita sniffled. “I- I don’t want to talk about it,” She said, her voice cracking. She dried her eyes. “What important is, now that the computer is back on, Xana is free to do whatever it wants.” She looked at the girls. “And honestly, I don’t want to think about what it might try to do… Unless-”

“Unless what?” Cleo asked.

Aelita looked up at them. “Xana has a counter. Me. I’m able to deactivate its towers, putting an end to its attacks. But I can’t do it alone. I need someone to protect me while I’m on Lyoko.” She took a deep breath. “Clawdeen, Lagoona, Abbey. Can you three continue helping me fight Xana?” She asked.

The trio looked at each other. “I- I don’t know how to respond…” Lagoona stuttered.

“I do,” Clawdeen said. “I’m in.”

“Are you positive ?” Aelita asked nervously, “Because if so, there is no going back.”

Clawdeen looked at Draculaura. “That thing almost took my best friend away from me. No way in hell am I letting it do that to other people,” She said, a confident smile spreading across her face.

“Count me in too!” Abbey said. “Yeti’s known as warriors in past. Would be most honor to be warrior in present.”

A glimmer of hope sparked in Aelita’s eyes as she looked at Lagoona.

“Clawdeen’s right,” The sea monster said, “That thing is just going to keep hurting more people if we stand back and do nothing. I’m in.”

“Me too!” Frankie said, neck bolts sparking. Aelita looked at her shocked. “Me and my friends have done so much together in the past-” She looked at the trio, “-So no way in hell am I going to let them do this alone!”

“And me!” Draculaura said, waving her hand up high.

Cleo rolled her eyes. “I suppose if everyone else is doing this, I might as well...” She sighed. A smirk then appeared on her face. “I’m in.”

All the girls looked at Deuce. He put his hands up defensively. “No offense dudette, but that thing took over my mind and forced me to attack my friends. If your honest about that thing living in there, then no way am I going to where that thing lives!” He said. He adjusted his sunglasses. “But, if you need help in the real world, I can try my best…”

“Thank you-”

“Deuce,” He said sticking his hand out, “Deuce Gorgon.”

“Thank you Deuce,” Aelita said. “And thank you all for this. None of you know just how much this means to me.”

Frankie smiled, placing a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “Of course! Helping others is what we do best!”

Aelita returned the smile. “We need to get the three of you scanned, so that way you can keep your memories after Returns to the Past,” She said, taking a seat at the computer.

The three unscanned girls look at each other nervously.

“Will it hurt?” Draculaura asked nervously.

Clawdeen put an arm around the smaller girl. “Don’t worry, you barely realize it’s happening!”

Frankie stumbled out of the scanner, trying to regain her balance. “Whoa…”

Cleo stepped out of her scanner, dignified as ever. “Finally! That felt like it took a millennia,” She complained, brushing her hair over her shoulders. She looked at Frankie. “And what’s wrong with you?”

“I don’t think my body likes the scanner…” Frankie chuckled nervously. She shook her head, as she followed Cleo back into the elevator, followed closely by Draculaura.

“Frankie you don’t look well…” Draculaura said timidly as the elevator began to ascend.

“I don’t feel well…” Frankie groaned as the doors reopened.

“How it go?” Clawdeen asked as the trio rejoined the group.

“It felt really tingly,” Draculaura said, walk over and leaning against the supercomputer chair. “Is it suppose to feel that way?” She asked looking at Aelita.

“That’s normal. As time goes on, you’ll get used to the feeling.” Aelita typed away at the keyboard, Draculaura peering over her shoulder.

“Is that what I’ll look like on Lyoko?!” The girl gasped.

Aelita nodded. “I’m just making sure the scanning process went okay. The last thing we is for you to be missing something important when you go to Lyoko for the first time.” She hit several keys, pulling up some additional information. “Judging from the data gathered it looks like your-”

“I look so adorable!” Draculaura squealed. “Clawdeen come take a look!”

The werewolf walked over. “What-a-know. The computer’s got style,” She said. She chuckled. “Hey look it included your parasol.”

“Parasol shotgun,” Aelita corrected.

“What about you Clawdeen? What do you look like?” Draculaura asked, turning to look at her best friend.

“Some sort of bounty hunter with a dash of cyberpunk mixed in,” Clawdeen said with a shrug.

“That’s strange…” Aelita muttered.

“What is?” Clawdeen asked.

“Frankie I think you should look at this,” Aelita said, turning to the green skinned girl.

Frankie walked over. “What is it?”

Aelita pointed to the screen, at chunk of data. “Something is going on with your data. I don’t know what, but this is something I’ve never seen before…” Aelita explained. “Frankie… What exactly are you?”

Frankie bit her lip. “I’m a simulacrum. I’m made up of different parts that my father created in his lab over years… I was given life during a lightning storm.” 

“You thinkin’ Frankie’s body might be the cause?” Clawdeen asked.

“It might be…” Aelita said. She shook her head. “Until I can figure out what’s going on, I’m afraid you can’t go to Lyoko…”

Frankie’s shoulders slumped. “Oh. I understand.”

Aelita gave her a worried glance. 

“So is there anything else you need to do or are we free to go?” Cleo asked placing her hands on her hips.

Clawdeen chuckled seeing Aelita’s slightly annoyed expression. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the trademarked ‘De Nile’ attitude.”

Aelita got out of the chair. “Yes, that should be it…” Aelita said facing the group.

“Great!” Cleo said stretching. “Well, how do you girls feel about trying the Petit Palais again? And this time not let Frankie guide us?” Cleo asked, “I want to spend at least some of our vacation sightseeing, instead of wasting it in this dusty ol’ factory.”

“Wait vacation ?” Aelita said with wide eyes, “What do you mean by vacation?!”

Cleo laughed. “ Sweetie- ” She said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “-All of us are here for our fall break. And when the week is over we go back home to America.”

“B-but you can’t go back! What if Xana attacks?!” Aelita said panicked, “If all of you are in America, then how are you supposed to get to the supercomputer, o-or Lyoko?!”

Cleo scoffed. She sashayed over and ruffled Aelita’s hair. “Don’t worry about it,” Cleo said patting Aelita’s head. She snapped her fingers. “Deuce! I’ll need help gathering ink, a paintbrush, round, size 6 should do, and help locating the perfect spot to open up a connecting passageway.” Cleo looked at Aelita. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I can goats blood do you?” she asked.

“What?!”

Cleo rolled her eyes playfully. “Calm down! I was joking!” She chuckled, climbing into the elevator. “I wouldn’t dream of using goat’s blood in a ritual. I only use lambs.” The elevator’s doors shut.

“S-she’s not serious is she?!”

Clawdeen looked at the pinkette. “Honestly I stopped questioning a long time ago...”

Draculaura put a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “Don’t worry! Cleo knows what she’s doing!” She said cheerfully.

Lagoon spoke up. “The days going fasts mates, I’m sure Aelita’s family is getting worried sick ‘bout her.” The sea monster looked at said girl. “While Cleo gets to that, we can walk ya’ home. Where ya’ live mate?”

Aelita looked down.

“What’s wrong?” Lagoona asked.

“I don’t have a home…” Aelita said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What?!” Frankie shouted, startling everyone, “W-what about your father? And mother?”

Aelita’s face darkened, and her eyes became clouded. “M-my father d-died…” She choked out, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. Clawdeen jumped in pulling the girl into a tight hug.

“What happened?” Frankie asked.

Aelita sniffled. “W-when the supercomputer was first turned on-” She said in between tears, “-He sacrificed himself to provide energy to a program made to destroy Xana… Only. It didn’t work. Xana found a way to come back, making my father’s death-” She stopped herself, bursting into heavy sobs.

Frankie covered her mouth. “Oh god…”

“W-what about your mother?” Lagoona asked.

Aelita wiped away tears. “S-she vanished when I was five. The group my father was out to stop found us and kidnapped her…” She said, “After years I found her again, only…”

“Only what?”

Aelita pressed into Clawdeen’s chest. “The man holding her captive… He found us poking around and threaten us to stop or else-”

“You would never see her again?” Clawdeen said, finishing for Aelita. The pinkette nodded, nuzzling Clawdeen.

“Any other family? There has to have been someone you’ve been staying with!” Frankie asked, desperate.

“I- I stayed at a boarding school. My friends had gotten me enrolled,” Aelita said breaking the hug, “But I don’t think I can return. Not without questions I don’t want to answer.” Aelita looked away. “But other than that I’m all alone…”

Frankie looked at the group. “Huddle.”

“Frankie what are we supposed to do?” Clawdeen whispered, looking back at the red-eyed girl. “We can’t just leave her!”

Sound of agreement came from the group.

“What can we do?” Lagoona asked.

Frankie’s bolts sparked up. “I got!”

“Got what?” Clawdeen asked skeptically.

“We can take her back to Monster High with us!”

“Frankie are you serious?!” Clawdeen hissed. “We can’t just take her back with us! How do we explain her to Ms. Bloodgood?!”

“Tell her the truth,” Frankie said bluntly.

“Oh yeah I can see that going down well!” Clawdeen snarked, “’Hey Ms. Bloodgood! We have a new student wanting to join the school! We found her in a computer!’”

“Not ta’ mention she’s a normie,” Lagoona butted in, “Everyone would go after her like piranhas after a piece of fresh meat!”

“What choice do we have?” Frankie asked. “If we leave her here, Xana has an easy target. We have to bring her back with us!”

Clawdeen and Lagoona looked at Frankie skeptically.

Frankie sighed. “Listen! We don’t have to tell Bloodgood the whole truth. All we can say is during a trip to France, we met Aelita and helped her. Told her about Monster High and she wanted to join. Sound good?”

Clawdeen sighed. “Fine. But you’re not dragging me down if it goes south got it?”

Frankie nodded as the huddle broke. She took a deep breath and clapped her hands together. “Alright! Aelita. We think it’s best if you come back with us to America!” She said with a smile.

Aelita stared at the group in shock. “W-what?”

“We want you to come back to our school with us,” Lagoona explained, “That way we’re all together.”

“No! I can't, I have to stay with the computer-”

“But do you really want to?”

Aelita stayed quiet. 

“Wants and needs are two very different things love,” Lagoona said, placing a gentle hand on Aelita’s shoulder. 

“I want to go with you…” Aelita said in a soft voice.

“So it’s settled then,” Frankie jumped in, “Aelita will come back home with us. We’ll talk to Cleo’s dad about-”

“Talk to my father about what?” Cleo asked stepping out of the elevator.

The girls all looked at her. “You’re finished already?” Clawdeen asked.

Cleo rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m done. The connecting doorway is tied to the entrance to the catacombs back home. Now what about my father?” She asked, scanning the room.

Frankie put her hands on Aelita’s shoulders. “We want to take Aelita home with us. Back to Monster High. We were hoping that your father could-”

“-Pay for the extra ticket?” Cleo finished. “On it,” She said pulling out her phone, “At the same time I’ll have him order the servants to clear out one of our guest rooms for her-”

“Whoa whoa whoa! Back it up!” Clawdeen said stepping in, “Who said she’s staying with you ?”

Cleo laughed. “Well it would only be natural for her to stay with me,” She said rolling her eyes.

Clawdeen crossed her arms. “Uh, yeah sure. If we wanted to have the poor girl put up with you and Nefera’s constant fighting. If she stays with anyone, she stays with me.”

“Oh because mine and my sister’s bickering is worse than living with a bunch of untrained mutts .”

There was a look of murder in Clawdeen’s eyes. “What did you just say.”

Cleo smirked dangerously. “I wouldn’t dream of having the poor girl getting stuck with that wild pack of yours. Let alone on the full moon,” she said with a scoff.

Clawdeen let out a low, threatening growl. “You want to go mummy breath?!”

“Is that the best insult you’ve got?”

“ALRIGHT!” Lagoona shouted jumping in between the two, “ Ms. Bloodgood will decide where she can stay. Not us...”

The two bickering teens looked at the sea monster. “I suppose you’re right…” Cleo sighed, relaxing her shoulders.

Clawdeen looked at the mummy. “Fine… We’ll let Bloodgood decide,” she said, forcing her fur to lie flat.

“So… Now what do we do?” Draculaura asked, the mood of the room beginning to calm down.

“Well like I keep mentioning , we have the Petit Palais to go see,” Cleo said.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Lagoona said, “Let's get going.”

The massive group begin to file into the elevator. All while Aelita stood back and watched.

Frankie looked behind her. “Aren’t you coming?”

“What?” Aelita looked at Frankie perplexed.

“Don’t you want to come with us?” Frankie asked, “I mean if we’re going to be working together we should get to know each other right?”

Aelita looked at the elevator for a brief moment. A soft smile appeared on her face as she joined the group.

Chapter Text

Cleo sat on one of the freshly-made hotel beds. "All I'm saying-" She ranted as she busily filed her fake nails, "-Don't any of you notice a pattern forming?"

"Oh is there now?" Clawdeen said, not even paying the least bit of attention to Cleo. Instead, she was focusing on the open sketchbook laying in front of her. She laid on her belly on one of the other hotel beds in the room.

"Seriously! Every single time, we leave New Salem, we end up whisked away on some adventure. Somewhere along the way we meet someone, befriend them, and 9 times out of 10 we bring back to Monster High, begging to Ms. Bloodgood to let them join!"

"Really."

Cleo put the file down. "All I'm saying is, why can’t just for once we have a normal trip.

"100% agree Cleo..."

She looked over at Clawdeen. "Are you even listening to me?!" She shrieked.

Clawdeen looked up. "What did ya' say?" She asked, closing her book and sitting upright.

Cleo shot Clawdeen a deadly glare. She grabbed one of the pillows resting on the bed and threw it at Clawdeen.

"Hey!" Clawdeen shouted, batting the pillow away. "What the hell?!"

"Here I am trying to vent, and you have the gall to ignore me?!" Cleo shouted, crossing her arms.

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. "Sorry princess, but not everyone has to bow down to you every second of the day," She snickered.

"I'll have you know that I could've had you hung -"

"Alright, that's it!" Lagoona shouted, slamming the book she was reading. She stood up from the desk in the hotel room, a sour look on her face. "We have until 3:30 for our flight back home. So for the love of god do not get us kicked out..."

Cleo huffed, scrunching her nose.

"- And, Clawdeen has a point," Lagoona continued, "She doesn't have to listen to you if she doesn't want to."

Before Cleo could retort, the door flung open, revealing the group's missing members, and the newest member to the group. "We're back everyone!" Frankie said, taking a step into the room.

"So how did it go?" Clawdeen asked climbing off the bed.

"Deuce has been successfully scanned into the computer's memory, so any return the pasts won't affect his memory," Aelita explained, hanging an olive green backpack on the chair connecting to the desk

"What about the Bloodgood situation?" Lagoona asked, "Does Aelita officially have a place to stay or will she be crashin' at one of our places for a while?"

"All sorted out!" Frankie said with a confident smile, "Aelita's host family will be at the airport to pick her up when we land."

"Well that's at least one weight off our chests," Clawdeen said. "So Deuce is scanned, Aelita's living situation is wrapped up, and there's been no alerts since we turned the computer back on... So what do we do now?"

"Well if I'm remembering correctly..." Cleo started, "The last time we came to Paris we never truly got to do the exploring that we intended. So I was thinking that we could possibly walk around the Louvre and Tuileries district-"

"Cleo that's a shopping district..." Clawdeen intruded.

Cleo looked almost offended. "And how exactly do you know that it's-"

"Back at the boot camp Madame. Ghostiere took us on a trip to that district to show us the do's and don'ts of fashion." A sly smile spread across Clawdeen's face. "You just want to do some last-minute shopping."

"Alright fine! " Cleo groaned. "Toralie ruined our last trip by dragging us around to all the stores she wanted to go to and I've been dying since we landed to go and walk around!"

All of the mummy’s long-time friends let out light chuckles, while Aelita watched on confused.

"You know what? I think Cleo might be right-" Frankie started.

"Of course I'm right."

"-The last time we came to Paris, Clawdeen spend all of her time at the fashion boot camp, I was helping Rochelle hunt down Garrot, and from what I heard, you guys spent most of your time trying to keep Toralei from wandering off," Frankie continued, ignoring Cleo's interruption, "None of us really had a chance to just walk around. Even this trip, being the make-up trip, most of the time has been spent trying to get Aelita set up at Monster High. So let's do what we came here for! To make up for lost time!"

Sounds of cheering came from the tight-knit group.

"Well if we're going to go walk around let's get started right now! We have only 3 and a half hours until we need to get to the airport!" Clawdeen piped up, holding her phone for all to see.

"Then I guess we don't have any time to lose!" Frankie said with a determined smile.

Each girl moved around the store, browsing about the tables or racks of clothing scattered around the store, occasionally calling another over to look at something or to shove a bundle of clothing into their arms and push them into a changing room, all while eagerly chattering to the others.

But Aelita barely paid attention to what was happening around her.

She sat in one of the overstuffed loveseats stationed by the dressing rooms, messing with her flip phone, the only thing of hers she was able to get that didn’t require her to sneak into her dorm at Kadic.

“I didn’t know people still used flip phones.”

Aelita turned to look at Frankie. “It’s special to me… I can’t really bring myself to get rid of it,” She said shifting in her seat. She squeezed the first-ever thing she had truly owned since arriving back on earth.

Frankie sat down beside her, brushing a strand of black and white hair from her eyes. “Yeah, I get that. I have an old chemistry set in my room my parents got me for my first Christmas present after waking up. I lost most of the pieces to it, but I can’t bring myself to toss it out.”

Aelita nodded. She stayed quiet, looking at the tiled floor.

“Your not really chatty are you?” Frankie asked, a playful smirk appearing on her face.

Aelita flipped the phone open then back shut. “I guess I’m not used to people outside of my friend group… With Xana attacking almost every other day, we didn’t really have time to make or keep friends outside of the group.”

“I can imagine,” Frankie said, tapping her finger against her knee, “Having to drop everything in a heartbeat wouldn’t rub well with others.” She straightened her posture. “But-” She popped the ‘but’, “I think we can find a way to work around it when we get you Monster High. There’s so many people there you’ll no doubt find someone to-”

“Frankie, please stop.”

Frankie’s ever-present smile fell as a mixture of hurt and confusion took its place.

“I’m incredibly thankful for all of you for helping me with Lyoko, and fighting Xana...” Aelita started, her eyes becoming cloudy with emotion, “But… I can’t get too attached… This is incredibly dangerous and I’ve almost died more times than I can count… I have died once…” Aelita hugged herself tightly. “I can’t handle innocent people getting hurt because of me.”

“Not even us?”

Hazel met Blue-green.

“No. Right now we’re acquaintances and it’s best if we all stayed that way.”

Small sparks licked the large bolts embedded into Frankie’s neck. “Alright then… Challenge accepted.” A determined glint shone in her eyes.

“What?” Aelita said with a faint laugh.

Frankie got to her feet, pulling Aelita up with her. “If your going to be working with us, one of the first things you need to know is I can be very stubborn,” She said with a wide grin, “and I am not going to sit by as you seclude yourself from everyone.” She grabbed Aelita’s wrist tightly.

“H-hey!”

“Clawdeen, me and Aelita are going out on our own for a while!” Frankie shouted as she pulled Aelita to the front of the store.

“Alright! We’ll let you know when to meet up back at the hotel!” Clawdeen shouted, looking up from the table she was browsing.

Frankie smiled, dragging Aelita out the front doors. “Okay… So first I think we should get some basic necessities, we’ll need to get you a suitcase, a few outfits for you until we can truly take you shopping, basic hygiene-”

“Hold on a second!” Aelita shouted, breaking out of Frankie’s grasp. “Slow down! This is- This is going too fast!”

“I’m sorry, we can focus on what you-”

“No I mean- this week! It’s going way too fast! We’ve barely known each other for a few days but your all so- so accepting of everything !” Aelita shouted, “Of virtual worlds, killer AI, of me?”

Frankie looked at the pinkette. She chuckled. “With some of the things we’ve gone through, this isn’t all that weird,” She said with a shrug.

“Really?” Aelita asked skeptically.

Frankie sat down on a nearby bench. “Well…” She started, “I had to help stop Clawdeen’s sister from nearly imprisoning the school while under the control of an evil genie.”

Aelita looked at Frankie with surprise. “Really?”

Frankie nodded. “Also had to win a skating tournament against a rival school from literally falling apart, and had to stop Draculaura’s evil ex from sucking all of the love out of her,” She continued. “What about you?” She asked, patting the spot beside her, “I’m sure you have some stories to tell.”

Aelita stood there for a second. She hesitantly sat next to Frankie. “I guess.”

“Do you feel comfortable sharing any of them?”

Aelita looked at the ground. A faint smile appeared on her lips. “When I first came to earth, everyone was excited to show me around.” She gave a small laugh. “They wanted to give me a ‘true earthling experience’. Their words, not mine…” she eyes grew cloudy with emotion. “Odd was determined to show me everything. He forgot that because it was basically my first time on earth, that I didn’t know some of the unsaid rules of earth.”

“Like what?”

“Don’t eat ice cream too fast for one.”

Frankie laughed. “Made the same mistake when I first woke up!” She said, “My parents were so excited they forgot that they basically left their newborn daughter alone with a carton of ice cream. Scared them to death when I got my first brain freeze. And don’t even get me started on the nightmare that was my first week of school.”

“Why what happened?” Aelita asked.

Frankie groaned, sinking in her seat. “It was a complete disaster!” She said, “Not only did I embarrassed myself in front of Cleo several times, but I also ended up nearly wrecking her and Deuces relationship. Talk about a horrible first week…”

Aelita was quiet. “I walked into the boys' dorm bathroom… While they were showering...”

Frankie stared at Aelita wide-eyed. “Really?”

Aelita nodded, a faint blush roseying her cheeks. “I was… acting on misleading information at the time,” She said sheepishly.

“I can understand that,” Frankie said, “Going to school was hard for me. Because I didn’t have the experience like everyone else, several of the students decided it would be ‘fun’ to get me to do things that would get me in trouble...” Her cheerful tone dropped. “I kept getting in trouble and soon Lagoona found out what was going on. Because we shared several classes together she’d walk with me, or sit with me at lunch. She and later on Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo were there to help guide me and catch me up on everything I needed to know. I don’t know do without them.”

“We were like that…” Aelita said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

“We?” Frankie asked, “You mentioned someone found you before us if you feel comfortable talking about them...”

Aelita hesitated. “They where… my family…” Aelita began softly, “They risked their lives all so I could have one, and when Xana escaped the computer they continued to fight right by my side…” She wiped away a tear. “I couldn’t have asked for better friends.”

“If it’s okay to ask… What were their names?”

Aelita gripped her knees. “There was Odd…” She said, allowing herself to get lost in her memories, “He was the jokester of the group. Even if they were horrible, his jokes would always make us smile… “

“Then there was Ulrich. He was the strongest and was the bravest of all of us. We all knew we could count on him when things went haywire.”

“Yumi was the oldest of us and was like an older sister to us all. We could go to her if we needed someone to vent to. And we would be there to listen if she needed someone to talk too.”

“William joined us much later. He-” Aelita hesitated, “He ended up getting captured by Xana on his first trip to Lyoko… We fought tooth and nail to free him, but when we did… We all struggled to let what happened when he was under Xana’s control go… And it wasn’t fair to him. He was hurting and we kept pushing him away for things he had no control over. We let him back into the group when we needed his help again.” 

“And then there was Jeremie. He was everything to me. He saved me. He gave me another chance, and I-” Aelita stopped herself. Tears filled her eyes.

Frankie looked at her concerned. “You don’t have to continue,” She said placing a hand on Aelita’s.

“I- I- Thank you…” Aelita said softly.

Frankie stood up, pulling Aelita to her feet. “We should get moving,” She said, a soft smile, “We have a lot to do and little time to do it.”

Aelita gave a small ‘okay’ and let Frankie guide her.

The two girls walked along the streets, peering into the occasional shop. “So… How long have you been back on earth?” Frankie asked.

“Around two years at this point,” Aelita answered.
“Oh cool,” Frankie said, hoping for a longer answer. “So... have you always lived in France or was it recent-”

 “Yes, I’ve always lived here.”

Frankie closed her mouth, groaning internally. Apparently getting Aelita to open up again was going to be harder than trying to give Watzit a bath. 

“So, have you ever left France before?” Frankie asked, hoping to get more than a one-sentence answer.

“No,” Aelita answered, “My father felt it was too dangerous.”

“He must have really cared for you,” Frankie said smiling.

Aelita stopped in her tracks. “He really did.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

Frankie gently placed a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “Do you wanna-”
“No,” Aelita said, her voice cold. She took a deep breath, putting on a fake smile. “Shouldn’t we continue? We don’t have all day after all,” She said with fake cheerfulness to match the smile.

Frankie looked at Aelita. “I don’t want to push but maybe we should talk about- Hey!” She shouted as Aelita suddenly grabbed her wrist. Frankie suddenly found herself now being the one lead by Aelita. She tried to pull out of Aelita’s grip the best she could without ripping her stitches. To her surprise, the girl was much stronger then she appeared to be.

Then suddenly Aelita stopped dead in her tracks.

Frankie looked up at Aelita confused. She stood there staring at a flier hanging up on the side of a building. Frankie looked at the flier closer see what Aelita was staring at.

On the flier what looked like a yearbook photo of an Asian girl smiling. While Frankie couldn’t understand what most of the flier said she could make out a name.

Yumi Ishiyama.

It was a missing flier.

Frankie’s heart sank at the realization of what she was looking at. “Oh, Aelita...” She looked at the pink-haired girl. Large tears streamed down the girl’s face. Frankie wrapped the girl into a tight hug as Aelita sobbed into her shoulder. “Aelita what happened?”

“It’s my fault…” Aelita whispered, her voice so faint Frankie doubted she would’ve been able to hear it if it wasn’t for the fact Aelita was pressed right next to her ear. “If never went to Lyoko that day-” She cut herself off with another sob.

Frankie broke the hug holding Aelita gently by the shoulders. “Aelita, you’re hurting I can see it, and I want to help but I can’t if you keep pushing me and the others away. We want to be friends with you and help you but you have to let us in first,” She said gently, “Please, why have you been secluding yourself from us?”

For several heartbeats, a thick silence stood between the two girls. “I don’t want you all to leave me…”

Frankie looked at Aelita.

Aelita broke down again. “I don’t want you to all leave me when you see what Xana can do. I don’t want to hurt again!” Aelita was shaking. “I’ve lost everything, my parents, my friends- the only family I had ever known, and suddenly I have new people trying to come into my life and I don’t want to have to go through this pain again if something happens to any of you!” She sobbed, collapsing to her knees.

Frankie bent down, cradling Aelita’s face in her hands. “Aelita, I’m not going to leave you,” She said gently, moving her hands from Aelita’s face and now gently holding her hands, “I promise you that no matter what is thrown my way I will fight right by your side. Even if we had our backs against the wall and it was just us two left, I would still fight right by your side, because like it or not you’re my friend, and friends stay together, through thick and thin.”

The tears slowed as Aelita meet Frankie’s eyes. “Promise?” She asked, her voice just barely above a whisper.

“I promise.”

Aelita relaxed, wiping away the tears from her eyes. “Thank you… I’m sorry you had to see that,” She said with a sad smile.

Frankie helped her up off the ground. “You don’t have to apologize for how you feel,” Frankie said, smiling. “I think we should stop our shopping trip here,” she said taking Aelita’s hand, “How about we go get ice cream to help you cheer up, and go back to the hotel room and watch terrible movies until the others get back. Deal?”

“Deal,” Aelita said, an actual smile spreading across her face.

The bolts on Frankie’s neck sparked as the green-skinned girl smile wider. She took Aelita’s hand, and the two girls started to walk away, Aelita taking one last glance at the flier.

Chapter Text

There’s always a certain ‘energy’ of airports. The hustle and bustle of people as they move quickly from station-to-station, eager friends and family welcoming back loved ones, and bright eyed tourists ready to make memories.
“Oh thank Ra we’re finally back,” Cleo groaned, stretching her limbs.

But currently there was just a group of exhausted teenagers arriving home.

“Did the flight take this long the last time we visited France?” Clawdeen asked with a yawn.

Frankie fished out her phone. “I think...” She said, squinting at the screen, “Gosh, is it really 2 in the morning?”

“Alright who votes to crash until our parents get here?” Clawdeen asked. She didn’t even need to get a response as the group was already claiming chairs and nodding off.

Aelita rubbed her eyes as she claimed a chair slightly further away from the group. Compared to the others’ large suitcases and carry-on luggage, all Aelita had was her old backpack with borrowed clothing she wasn’t sure even fit her. She hugged her backpack tightly as Frankie took the chair next to her. 

“What are you doing all the way over here?” Frankie asked as she sat down.

“I just… Don’t really have the energy to interact with a lot of people right now,” Aelita said nervously.

“I don’t think you have to worry about anyone being really chatty,” She said with a soft chuckle looking over at her jet lagged friends. She grabbed Aelita’s hand. “Hey, I know this is a big change for you, leaving everything behind, but we’re here for you okay?” She said with a soft smile.

Aelita looked a Frankie for a second. “Thank you, that means a lot to hear-”

“CLEO!” A shrill voice shouted, piercing the air. 

Cleo groaned. “I’m coming Nefera…” She said, grabbing her bags and standing up, “Until tomorrow, ta-ta!”

“HURRY UP CLEO!”

“I’M COMING!” 

Aelita watched confused as Cleo walked towards a woman that looked similar to her. Even if they couldn’t hear them, it was clear to all the two where bickering. “Who is-”

“Nefera. Cleo’s older sister,” Frankie explained, a slight disdain in her voice.

“Oh…” Aelita looked at the spot the two sisters had once been. “Is that-”

“Totally normal for them,” Frankie said with a sigh, “ Hopefully , you won’t have to interact with Nefera since she isn’t to big of a fan of all of us…”

“Class differences?”

Clawdeen snickered catching both girl’s attention. “That’s one item on a long list,” She said stretching, “Think she’s still pissed at us for what happened in New York?”

“What happened in New York?” Aelita asked.

“It’s a long story…” Frankie said with a wince.

A woman with long, black hair walking up to the group caught Aelita’s eye. “Who- Who is that?” She asked, her grip on the bag tightened, as if she were preparing to run at a moments notice.

Frankie followed Aelita’s gaze. Both her eyes and bolts light up. “Mrs. Jekyll!” She said, rushing out of her seat to give the woman a hug with the other girls giving the woman tired ‘hellos’.

“How was France?” Mrs. Jekyll asked as Frankie broke the hug.

“It was-” Lagoona let out a loud yawn. “-Eventful,” She said giving a small smile in Aelita’s direction.

Mrs. Jekyll looked at Aelita who was still posed to run. “I can see,” She said with a light chuckle, “Aelita Stones I presume. My name is Sydney Jekyll, you’ll be staying with my family while you attend Monster High.”

Aelita nervously looked at the woman, then at Frankie. “It’s nice to meet you,” She said cautiously, forcing her body to relax.

Mrs. Jekyll looked at Aelita’s backpack, still clutched tightly in the younger girl’s hands. “Is that all?” She asked.

Aelita hugged her backpack. “Everything else was lost by the airline,” She lied.

Mrs. Jekyll looked at her with a funny expression. “Well, let’s get you loaded up in the car...” She said. The older woman turned to look at Frankie. “Tell your parents I said hi for me okay?”

Aelita got out of her seat, giving one last glance to the other girls as she followed Mrs. Jekyll out to the parking lot.

They came to a white SUV, which Mrs. Jekyll climbed into the driver’s side. Aelita followed suit by hopping into the passenger’s side. She leaned back into the seat, closing her eyes as the cars engine hummed to life in the background.

Aelita blinked her eyes open, rubbing away sleep. Instead of lying in the overstuffed passenger’s seat, she was now in a twin sized bed in a mostly bare room with only a dresser and a desk with a chair. She sat up, seeing her backpack sitting on the floor beside the bed. She threw off a heavy, knitted blanket as she climbed out of the bed. She swiftly changed out of the clothes she had been wearing since the computers reactivation and into a plain tank top was slightly too big for her, and a pair of tight fitting, multicolored leggings. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to neaten it up the best she could. She left her room, quietly closing her door and walking down stairs, a skill she had mastered from sneaking out during many late-night Xana attacks.

She made her way downstairs, entering the living room. As she entered she noticed a black haired boy sitting on a couch. He noticed Aelita walking into the room, turning around to face her. "Uh, hi there. Are you Aelita?"

Aelita nodded. "Yes... You must be…"

He stood up, reaching out his hand for a shake. "I'm Jackson. You met my mom last night..."

"Oh... Is it just us?" Aelita asked, noting the empty feeling of the house.
"Uh, yeah. My dad works nights so he normally sleeps in, and my mom is at work right now," Jackson explained sitting back down. "So you met Frankie huh?" he asked as Aelita joined him on the couch.

"Is that a bad thing?" She asked timidly.

Jackson shook his head. "Well, there isn't a reason for a human to transfer to an all monster school, let alone one in another country. The only real logical assumption is that you met Frankie and she convinced you to come to Monster High."

"Oh..." Aelita looked at her lap.

"But it's not a bad thing!" Jackson said frantically, "It'll be nice having another human at the school actually."

"I'm guessing a place called 'Monster High' wouldn't have a large human student base," Aelita said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Jackson chuckled. "Yeah... It can be pretty tough but a lot of people are learning to at least tolerate me in some way." He looked at Aelita. "But you should have an easier time."

"Why is that?" Aelita asked.

Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "Well. It's sort of an unspoken rule of Monster High to never go after anyone Frankie either befriends or brings back with her after one of her adventures. By messing with them you risk upsetting Frankie, and by upsetting Frankie you end up getting the wrath of Lagoona, Clawdeen, Cleo, and about half of the student body, and no one is that dumb. Not even my cousin," He explained, "By befriending Frankie you set up a security network for yourself."

"Oh... That's handy I guess..." Aelita had a feeling that Frankie had least a somewhat large friend group, but she didn't think it was that big. "So... Why do you go there? It sounds like it would be really hard for you to be accepted without this 'security net'."

Jackson sighed. "Because my cousin Heath goes there..." He groaned. "My parents thought it would be easier for me if we went to the same school, and for another reason..."

Aelita looked at him curiously.

"I have a... thing... " He said nervously.

"A thing? "

Jackson shifted in his seat. "It's something I get from my mom's side. It's complicated to explain," He said, "But basically it does something to me and I'm not really 'in control' of my body…"

"Well..." Aelita said trying to change the subject, "How about you tell me more about what I can expect from Monster High?"

“Well, don’t use the water fountain on the second floor near the girl’s bathroom,” He said strictly, “It’s been broken for over a year and I doubt they will ever fix it at this point...”

“Doesn’t every school have that fountain?” Aelita snickered.

Jackson chuckled. “I guess so.” He looked at Aelita. “You know you’re really easy to talk to-”

“-It’s been a while since I’ve had someone-”

“-I really connect with.”

Aelita sat frozen in her seat. Her heart fluttered in her chest. J-Jeremie? She thought.

“I get that feeling too,” She said with a smile. Even though the two where separated, she still felt a strong connection.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, jolting her back to reality. “Aelita? Are you okay?” Jackson asked, looking at her concerned.

“I’m fine,” She lied. “You just remind me of someone…”

“I hope they’re a friend of yours,” He joked pitifully.

Aelita stayed silent.

He shifted in his seat. “So… What was your school like?” He asked, looking at her with an awkward smile.

“It- It was fine...”

“What is school going to be like?” She asked as the group guided her. The city as they called it felt so vast compared to the sectors of Lyoko.

Jeremie smiled. “Well, you’ll be given a list with all of your classes.-”

“Aelita?”

“No Aelita, it’s our job...” He gently took her hand.

Tears trickled down from her eyes.

Jackson grabbed her shoulder. “Aelita w-what’s wrong?”

-“I WISH I NEVER TURNED ON THE SUPERCOMPUTER!” he screamed, his knuckles growing white.

Aelita shoved Jackson off of her, tears pouring heavier and heavier as she raced off the couch. Jackson caught her wrist forcing her to stop.

“Aelita?” He asked desperately, “Did-did I say something wrong?”

“No! It’s just-”

-She watched in horror from the safety of the tower. They where gone. All of them.

She yanked her arm free. Anything she tried to say kept getting caught in her throat.

“Hey… I get it,” Jackson said softly.

Aelita looked up at him.

Jackson sat down. “Going to a new school, starting all over, and as big of a heart Frankie has, I don’t think she understands how overwhelming it can get.”

Aelita stayed quiet. “It’s not just that,” She said softly, “You wouldn’t understand...”

“Maybe I can try…” Jackson said, giving a weak smile.

Aelita sat next to Jackson, her body stiff and rigid. “Jackson… I did something horrible. Something I can never forgive myself for…” she clenched her fists, feeling her nails digging into her palm. “It’s only a matter of time before Frankie and her friends realize what I bring with me...”

Jackson stayed quiet. “I get it...” He said softly, not looking at her.

Aelita looked at him puzzled.

“That thing I told you about… His name is Holt.” Jackson leaned back into the couch. “For whatever reason, when I hear loud music I turn into him. I completely blackout and he takes over. Everyone loves him and I don’t get why.” Jackson looked at the ceiling. “He’s everything I hate about myself. But everyone at Monster High would prefer Holt over Jackson any day.”

“I really like Jackson right now.”

Jackson looked at her with a sad smile. “You’re only saying that because you haven’t met Holt yet…”

“Well maybe it won’t change when I meet him...” She gave a soft smile.

Jackson returned the smile. “Hey, if you want… If you need some school supplies, I know of a store close that sells some. If you want to go pick some up that is...”

Aelita looked at him. She smiled. “Yes. Most of my things were lost by the airline so I don’t really have much for school supplies.”

Jackson pull out his cellphone. “Well if we leave now we can maybe catch a bus so we don’t have to walk all the way,” He said getting up. Aelita followed suit, allowing Jackson to guide her out the door.

Chapter Text

Aelita stared up at the massive open doors in front of her, tightening her grip on the strap of an olive green messenger bag slung around her shoulder. All around her students of varying species pushed past her, giving her the odd glance. Her throat felt dry as her heart pounded in her chest. She felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

“Nervous?” Jackson asked, adjusting his glasses.

Aelita relaxed slightly. “Yes… Very much,” She said shuffling her feet.

“Frankie and the girls will look out for you,” Jackson said.

“Aelita!” Frankie’s voice rang out from the crowd of students. There, on the steps leading up to the front entrance, was the green-skinned girl waving ecstatically.

“Speak of the devil,” Jackson said. “I’ll see you at lunch? That is… If you aren’t sitting with Frankie and her friends that is...”

Aelita nodded, giving a weak ‘goodbye’ before walking up to Frankie.

“Ready for your first day?” Frankie asked, her hair slightly rising from her sparking bolts.

I guess so…” Aelita said with a shrug.

Frankie’s hair flat. “Uh, well… How about a quick tour! Your first day should be easier when you know your way around!” She looked at Aelita. “Trust me, as the queen of bad first days, I say you’ll fit in just fine.”

“It’s not fitting in, I'm worried about...” Aelita said, biting her lip.

“What’s wrong then?” Frankie asked.

Aelita sighed. “I’m worried about Xana. I’m afraid of it attacking and not being prepared to stop it,” She said looking at the floor of the entranceway.

“Well… Is there a way to tell if it’s attacking?” Frankie asked, giving Aelita a soft smile.

Aelita frowned. “There was a way…”

“Was?”

Aelita sighed, not making eye contact with Frankie. “Jeremie made a program to locate and alert us whenever a tower was activated. The main problem is that the program is on his old laptop, which I can’t get working…”

“Well is there a copy somewhere?” Frankie asked, “Like, to transfer it over to another computer or something?”

Aelita shook her head. “No. With how important it is, Jeremie made the program incredibly hard to mess with and was updating the security around it constantly. It could take months, even years to copy the program… Right now, the only way to know if Xana is attacking is to sit by the supercomputer around the clock and wait for the scan to pick something up, so unless we want to constantly be doing rounds, the laptop is the only hope we’ve got. And I’m far better at programming than doing computer repairs.”

Frankie paused for a brief moment. “Okay! How about this,” She said with a clap of her hands, “after school the two of us can go hunting through the local computer repair shops and see if they can do anything,

“And if we can’t find anyone?”

Frankie placed a hand on one of Aelita’s shoulders. “We cross that bridge when we get to it,” She said with a confident smile.

Aelita sighed. “Alright…” She said grabbing onto the strap of the messenger bag.

“So… How about a quick tour to your locker to take your mind off?” Frankie offered, giving a cheeky smile.

Aelita playfully rolled her eyes. “I might as well get it over with,” She said.

Frankie’s smile widened. “Awesome! Come on!” She said, taking hold of Aelita’s wrist.

“I think someone to keep an eye out the most is Spectra. She runs the school’s journalism club and runs the Gorey Gazette. She always has an eye and ear out for her next big story,” Frankie explained, pointing to a ghost girl that was floating by a set of coffin-shaped lockers. As the two walked by, Aelita shivered at a cool breeze that came from seemingly from nowhere.

“So no talking about Lyoko when she’s around. Got it,” Aelita noted lowering her voice and giving her arms a quick rub to warm them up.

Frankie nodded. “That’s Heath, Jackson’s cousin. He’s been known to be a bit…” She trailed off trying to find the right words, “- flirtatious with the girls around school,” Frankie said gesturing to the fire elemental as they walked past.

Aelita stifled a laugh. “Sounds like Odd,” She said, a small glint in her eyes.

“Is he the flirt of your school?” Frankie playfully asked.

The glint died as Aelita hugged herself. “Yeah… He was,” She said softly.

“Well…uh, some other people to keep an eye on,” She said changing the subject, “There’s Rochelle, she’s the hall monitor, you can often see her around the school, there’s Clawdeen’s siblings, at least the ones that go here, Gil, Lagoona’s boyfriend…” Frankie tapped her chin. “Uh Mr. Hack the science teacher, he can be kinda strict and… eccentric, he can go kind of fast in that class but I’ve learned how to deal with it so we can just sit next to me if we share that class. There’s Mr. Rotter. He’s known for being one of the strictest teachers here.” They stopped a set of lockers. Frankie’s bolts lit up, taking Aelita off guard. “Oh! Keep an eye out for a vampire girl with short black hair with purple streaks. Her name’s Gory Fangtell, and she came from an all vampire school, and she is not going to be happy having a normie here,” Frankie said, giving Aelita a serious look.

“I’ll keep that in mind…” Aelita said as the rest of the group walked up to the two girls.

“Morin’ loves,” Lagoona said, stopping by Frankie, “Given’ our new student a tour?”

“Frankie was just telling me about some of the students here,” Aelita explained.

“Well, I hope that you told her about Toralei… ” Cleo sneered.

“Toralei? Who’s Toralei?” Aelita asked looking at the girls bewildered.

There was this look in Cleo's eyes. “Oh ho ho… Toralei -” She spat the name with a venom. “-is only one of the worst people at this school, hands down .”

Clawdeen rolled her eyes. “Here we go,” she muttered.

Whether Cleo heard the werewolf or simply ignoring her was not known, as Cleo continued on. “Not only did she manage to convince everyone to quiet the team on the same day, but she also went and joined my sister and banished us from the team before the qualification rounds for nationals!”

Aelita looked desperately to the other girls for answers.

“Cleo, Frankie, Clawdeen, and Draculaura are on the cheer team. Cleo’s sister, Nefera was hired as a coach for the team,” Lagoona explained, “Nefera went and replaced them with Toralei and her friends.”

“ And- ” Cleo continued, “Not only did she help my sister in forcing me into an arranged marriage, and help Draculaura’s crazy ex, but she went and publicly embarrassed Lagoona in front of the whole school!”

Frankie placed a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “Toralei is a werecat who is very… Well known throughout the school,” Frankie explained, “Hers and Cleo’s rivalry is also very well known in the school.

The first bell rang.

“Classes are starting…” Frankie noted, “What class do you have first?”

Aelita pulled out her school schedule. “Uh, Geography in room 207,” She read aloud, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.

“You want one of us to walk ya’ mate?” Lagoona asked.

“No, I should be fine.” Aelita looked up at a nearby wall clock. “I better be going, I don’t want to be late for my first class.”

The group watched the girl walk off, melting into the crowds of students heading to their first classes of the day. “Should one of us follow her?” Frankie asked, her mismatched eyes, locked onto the spot where Aelita had been.

“I think she’ll be fine,” Clawdeen said, patting Frankie’s shoulder. “Besides how much trouble could she get into heading to class?”

“101, 103, 105…”Aelita’s eyes scanned each of the number plates on the classroom doors. The hallway was mostly empty, with only the occasional passerby. She frowned looking at the school map given to her. “Where do I go-” She yelped as the floor slipped from under her feet. She grunted as she hit the hard linoleum flooring, her schedule sheet being knocked from her hands. She sat up, reaching for the paper. A pale-skinned hand plucked it out of her grasp. “Hey!”

“So you’re the new girl?” The person who snatched her sheet sneered. Aelita looked up seeing a tall, lithe girl, with skin so pale as though it has never seen the sun and pitch-black hair with purple streaks. A pair of glasses framed the girl’s blood-red eyes.

“May I have that back?” Aelita asked politely as she stood up.

The stranger gave her a look over. “Give me a reason why I should?” She said with a smirk, revealing a pair of fangs.

“That’s my class schedule and I need it back,” Aelita said sticking her hand out. She felt the air leave her lungs as she felt her back slam into the wall. One of the stranger's arms was pressed against her chest keeping her firmly in place.

“I’m only going to say this once,” the stranger hissed pressing her face close to Aelita’s, “I don’t care about whatever little speech Stein and her little gang gave you, but you shouldn’t be here…”

Aelita’s heart pounded in her chest. “You’re Gory Fangtell, aren’t you?”

Gory smirked, losing her grip on Aelita, but not letting the smaller girl go from the wall. “So they told you about me huh? Figures,” She said, “It’s bad enough that Stein brought back another stray, but a normie to boot. Your kind doesn’t belong here. Everyone here knows that but none of them aren’t going to say that. But I will. Humans and monsters don’t mix, and they never will, so save everyone the embarrassment and go back to New Salem High where your kind belongs…”

Aelita’s mouth felt dry. She tried to retaliate, but the words kept getting trapped in her throat.

The sound of something clicking caught both girls’ attention.

Both looked on, seeing a werewolf girl with long bubblegum pink hair tucked under an orange beanie. The girl held a phone in her clawed hands, the camera’s lens pointed at them. “Not even her first full day and you're already going after the new girl,” the newcomer said shaking her head, “Wonder how Ms. Bloodgood would react seeing you harassing the new girl.” The girl narrowed her eyes. “Or better, how my sister and her friends might react if this picture is leaked to Spectra-”

“Save it, Wolf,” Gory growled, letting Aelita go from the wall. “I was just going anyway.” Aelita watched as Gory’s body was engulfed by a plume of smoke, a small bat fluttering out and flying down the hallway.

The werewolf girl scoffed. She turned to Aelita, picking up the girl’s class schedule and handing it back to her. “Forget about Gory,” She said, flashing Aelita a gentle smile, “She can’t be happy unless everyone around her is miserable and scared shit-less of her. I know from experience.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Howleen.”

Aelita shook her hand. “Aelita. Aelita-”

“Stones, I kinda know who are already,” Howleen said, giving a sheepishly shrug. “My sister told me that you were coming to Monster High,” She explained.

“Your sister?”

“Clawdeen. She’s my older sister,” Howleen explained.  She looked down the hall where Gory had vanished. “Hey, don’t listen to Gory okay? Her bark is worse than her bite so don’t let her push you around.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Aelita noted.

Howleen looked at Aelita. “Hey, if you want I could walk you to your next class. I have kinda this…” She tried to find the right words. “ Reputation… That causes people to be… weary, around me. You know like, to avoid another ‘Gory’ encounter.”

Aelita gave Howleen a soft smile. “Yes, please. I wasn’t expecting how much of a maze this school was,” She said light-heartedly.

“Yeah, it can feel that way if you don’t know where to go. What class do you have first?” Howleen asked.

Aelita looked at the sheet. “Geography in room 207.”

“What-ya-know! Me too! Follow me I know a shortcut!” Howleen motioned for Aelita to follow her.

The classroom’s doors flew open catching a few students’ attention. Howleen dragged Aelita behind her, guiding the girl through the university style seats and taking a seat by a girl with lilac skin with teal-and-purple hair, and dressed in  “Yo Twyla, is Mr. Rotter here yet?” Howleen asked, looking at the lilac girl.

Twyla looked at the two. “Nah, it looks like he’s late today,” she said. She eyed Aelita. “Who’s this?”

“New girl,” Howleen said, “The one my sister was talking about. Found Gory pinning the girl in the hallway.” Howleen turned to Aelita. “Aelita, this is my best friend Twyla!" Howleen said gesturing to Twyla.

“Hey.” Twyla gave a small head nod to Aelita.

“Hi there,” Aelita responded.

“So you met Frankie?” Twyla teased.

“Is that something she’s known to do?” Aelita asked jokingly.

“Yes,” All two girls answered in unison.

“Frankie is one of those people that can go into a room knowing no one, and come back out knowing everyone’s name,” Howleen explained.

“I see…”

“So where are you from new girl?” Twyla asked.

“Boulogne-Billancourt, France,” Aelita said. She glanced around the classroom. “When is the teacher suppose to-”

As if on cue, the doors flew open once again, causing Aelita to jump and other students to give disinterested stares. “Good morning students!” A man shouted stepping into the classroom, his voice was deep with a heavy Transylvanian accent. His skin was a sickly blue that appeared to cling to his bones as if there wasn’t any muscle underneath. The man moved to the front of the classroom. “As you can see we have a new student joining the class. Now let us get to roll call,” The teacher- Mr. Rotter said breezing onward, “Now, as I have to remind you at the beginning of every class when I call your name you are to say ‘here’. Not ‘ya’, not ‘yes’, not ‘uh-huh’, ‘here’. Understand?”

Sounds of muttered agreement came from the class.

“Now let’s begin…”

Aelita leaned to Howleen. “That’s quite strict,” She whispered.

Howleen rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it,” She whispered back, “Mr. Rotter is one of the worst teachers here next to Mr. Hack. You have to really impress him if you want an A. If you don’t, the highest you’ll get is B+.”

Aelita winced. “Wow… Not even some of the teachers at my previous school were that bad,” Aelita whispered.

“Ms. Wolf, Ms. Stones, I truly hope I’m not interrupting your conversation,” Mr. Rotter said quietly loudly, causing the rest of the class to turn and look at the two.

“Sorry, Mr. Rotter…” Howleen said, her ears folding back.

“Sorry sir,” Aelita said shrinking in her seat, her face burning with embarrassment.

Mr. Rotter turned back to the roll call. “Alright, then… Let’s see. Dahlia Cloudweaver.”

“Here!”

Aelita looked at Howleen, getting a sheepish grin as a response. Aelita focused on Mr. Rotter waiting for her name to be called.

“I’m telling you! Mr. Rotter has it out for me!” Howleen ranted as the three girls exited the classroom, the ringing of the school bell still lingering in the hallway.

“Well, I’m pretty sure if you didn't talk so much in class you wouldn’t get called on so much,” Twyla said flashing a playful grin at Howleen.

“This time I have a good excuse!” Howleen retaliated, “I was just informing Lita here about Mr. Rotter’s unfair grading practices!” Howleen turned to Aelita. “It’s okay I call you Lita right?”

“I’m okay with it,” Aelita said with a shrug.

“Awesome! So I was doing my duty by helping out Lita here!” Howleen continued, “Speaking of, what class do you have next?”

Aelita fished out her class schedule. “English 1 in room 118.”

“I’ve got a class nearby,” Twyla said, “I can walk you.” The lilac skinned girl gently took Aelita’s arm. “We better hurry though. The teacher, Ms. Scalette is one of those teachers that make you go get a tardy slip even if you're 30 seconds late,” She said pointing over her shoulder and down the hall.

Aelita nodded, letting Twyla guide her.

“Do you think she got lost?” Frankie asked nervously as she scanned the crowd of students.

“She did look kind of confused when I passed by her in the halls,” Draculaura said, swinging her legs under the table.

Frankie, Cleo, Draculaura, and Clawdeen sat at their usual table in the school’s cafeteria, with Abbey trapped in the lunch line, and Lagoona nowhere in sight.

Frankie frowned as she sat back down. Small sparks flickered off of her bolts, causing her hair to slightly move away. “Maybe one of us should go find her,” She said, poking her lunch with a fork.

“Relax Frankie,” Cleo said looking up from her phone, “Surely someone had to have taken pity on the girl.”

Frankie pouted.

Clawdeen grabbed Frankie’s wrist. “I’m sure Aelita’s doing fine Frankie,” She said, “Cleo has a point-”

“Thank you.”

“-Someone had to have helped her out,” Clawdeen finished, ignoring Cleo’s interruption.

“Looks like someone did find her,” Draculaura said pointing to the doors of the cafeteria. There was Aelita walking in followed by Howleen and Twyla.

A smile returned to Frankie’s face. “Aelita!” She shouted, waving a hand erratically.

Aelita turned her head in Frankie’s direction. Howleen said something to the pinkette, something none of the girls at the table could make out over lunchroom chatter. Aelita broke away from the two girls and walked over to the seated monsters.

Frankie slid over in her seat, making room for Aelita. “So… How has your first day been?” she asked as Aelita sat down.

“It’s-” Aelita paused trying to find the right words. “-been,” She said with a shrug, “I didn’t realize just how big this school is.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll have your routes totes memorized after a week or two,” Draculaura chimed in.

Aelita looked around. “Where’s Abbey and Lagoona?” she asked. There was an edge to her voice, and her body tensed up.

“Calm down,” Cleo said, rolling her eyes. “Abbey is in the lunch line from hell-'' She pointed at Abbey’s spot in line. “-and seeing that Gil isn’t here, then it’s safe to say Lagoona is with him.”

“‘Gil’?” Aelita looked at Frankie.

“Gil Webber. He’s Lagoona’s boyfriend,” Draculaura explained, “The two are on basically most of the sports teams together. They train together whenever they can.”

“Especially swimming,” Clawdeen pitched in, “Lagoona’s been the swim team captain for a while now, with Gil coming second. They’ve been working hard to keep their places for when swim season comes, so they’re most likely working out together.”

“Or making out in the locker room!” Cleo added with a smirk.

“Or that,” Clawdeen chuckled.

“So what about you?” Frankie asked, turning the conversation to Aelita, “How've your classes been?”

“They’ve been fine I guess,” She said absentmindedly, “Mr. Rotter seems like an… interesting teacher.”

a chorus of groans came from the other girls.

“Oh do not get me started on Mr. Rotter!” Cleo ranted, “I swear no matter how much effort you put into any of his classes you will almost always get a B+ for your top-grade!”

Clawdeen chuckled. “You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who likes Mr. Rotter,” She said with a snicker.

“I guess that’s one thing that’ll be that same for every school. There will always be that teacher,” Aelita said, gently scuffing one of her shoes against the ground. “May I ask something?”

“Of course!” Frankie said, “Ask away!”

“Why do people keep calling me a ‘normie’?”

The four girls looked at each other. “Uh well… Normie is…” Clawdeen started, clearly not knowing what to say, “It’s like a slang term…”

“Not a bad one!” Frankie interrupted, “It’s just what we call regular humans. The normal ones. Ya know, normal, normie.”

“Then why not just call them humans?” Aelita asked.

“I’m human.” They all turned to Draculaura. “At least, I was…” She pulled down the collar of her shirt revealing two faded scars that had once been clearly bite marks on her shoulder.

“I’m human,” Cleo pitched in, “I just need to be wrapped in bandages or I’ll die.”

“And some of the were-kids were turned,” Clawdeen explained, “Same with a few of the vampire kids, and Spectra.”

“I’m technically a human,” Frankie said, “My parts are made up of human parts with human DNA. I just don’t kinda look the part all the way…”

“Basically,” Draculaura said, “It’s just a word so that way people know what kind of human we're talking about.”

“Oh, I see,” Aelita said, turning to her unopened lunch bag.

Clawdeen’s ears perked up. The three girls watched curiously as Clawdeen got up from the table, none of them noticing Aelita’s body tensing up. Clawdeen made her way to the front of the cafeteria. “Yo, Gil!” She shouted, walking up the freshwater monster as he walked in. She scanned the students that followed after him. “Where’s Lagoona?” She asked, crossing her arms.

Gil looked at Clawdeen surprised. “I thought she was with you…”

“We thought she was with you!” Clawdeen said, the rest of her table getting up and walking over to the two.

“No, she didn’t even message me that she would be missing a practice session,” Gil said, pulling out his phone.

Frankie stepped forward. “I’m sure Lagoona is okay,” She said getting between the two, “She’s probably running a bit late! I’m sure she’ll be coming through those doors any second now!”

The doors swung violently open. Panting, Lorna McNessie burst into the cafeteria. “Someone call for help!” She screamed through her heavy Scottish accent, “There’s been an accident at the pool!”

Chapter Text

“Everyone! Please clear away from the pool at once!” Ms. Bloodgood shouted as she forced her way through the crowd of students. Following close behind her was Lorna. “Ms. McNessie, could you please explain to me what happened?” Ms. Bloodgood asked, looking out into the pool.

There lying sprawled out on a plastic pool float was Lagoona’s (hopefully) unconscious body.

“La- Lagoona offer’d ta help me out with some picture taken’ for a project. She- she went out first while I went ta get the equipment, b-but I heard a scream and-” Lorna burst into tears.

Ms. Bloodgood placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, you don’t need to continue.” She turned to the crowd. “But we must find a way to get out of there as soon as we can. Before she can fall in.”

“Shouldn’t someone cut the power first?” Someone called from the crowd.

“We’ve tried. The generator is malfunctioning and we aren’t able to shut it down safely,” Ms. Bloodgood explained, “and unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of waiting for first responders to arrive. We need to find a way to remove her from the pool as quickly and safely as possible.”

Spectra Vondergeist floated through the crowd. “Ms. Bloodgood? May I try?” She offered, “Being a ghost I don’t have to worry about getting hurt.”

Ms. Bloodgood looked over at Lagoona’s body. “Alright. But please be extremely careful Ms. Vondergeist. Her life is in your hands.”

Spectra gave a nervous nod. Everyone watched with bated breath as the ghost girl glided over the electrified waters and to the pool float that held Lagoona. She gently grabbed any of Lagoona’s limbs that were in the water and placed them in a more secure position on the float. Spectra gripped the sides of the float and slowly guided the float to the other side of the pool where Ms. Bloodgood was waiting. Once Spectra retched the edge, Ms. Bloodgood quickly reached out and pulled Lagoona to safety.

The crowd went silent as Ms. Bloodgood checked over Lagoona.

“She’s alive!”

Sounds of relief came from the crowd. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance. The crowd was forcibly parted as EMTs made their way to Lagoona, and loaded her up onto a stretcher.

“May I have everyone’s attention!” Ms. Bloodgood’s voice rang out, as Lagoona was carried off, “Due to this horrific accident, classes are canceled for the rest of the day. Please make your way into the school, gather your belongings, and call a parent or guardian to come pick you up. And please stay within the foyer of the school until they are able to come to collect you.”

As the crowd of students filtered back inside of the school, one stood frozen in place, her gaze locked onto the pool like a deer trapped in the headlights of an oncoming truck.

“Aelita?” Frankie asked, gingerly placing a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “You heard Ms. Bloodgood. We need to-”

“No!” Aelita shouted, jerking out of Frankie’s grasp, “We need to get to the factory! Now!” She turned to run.

Frankie grabbed Aelita’s wrist before she could get too far ahead of her. “Why do we need to get to the factory?” She asked, pulling Aelita back beside her.

“Because right now we are in the middle of a Xana attack! That’s why!” Aelita snapped. “Electrifying the pool when one of us is vulnerable, going after the generator to prevent anyone from shutting it off, and doing all this when I’m unable to detect any activated towers!”

“Uh, news flash,” Cleo chimed in strutting up to the two, followed by the rest of the team. “Monster High is old, like almost as old as I am. Even the more ‘modern’ additions like the pool for example, dates back a decade. Everyone knew the old generator was going to blow at some point.”

“Cleo, kinda has a point,” Clawdeen pitched in, “As awful as this is... I wouldn’t be surprised if a pool light came loose.” Clawdeen looked out to the pool. She grimaced. “It just sucks that Lagoona was the one who got hurt.”

Aelita balled her fists, tears brimming her eyes. “But- but it has to...” She whimpered, tightly hugging herself.

Frankie pulled Aelita into a tight, side hug. “Bad things just happen...” She said gently.

“And isn’t Xana still in France?” Draculaura piped up.

“But-”

“But nothing!” Cleo snapped, “What happened with Lagoona was an accident. A devastating accident, but an accident. Xana is in France with no possible way to reach us.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “And honestly... What’s the worst that it can do? Jam cell phone signals? Shut down the wifi?”

Aelita broke out of Frankie’s grip. “I’m going to go find Jackson...” She muttered, eyes glued to the floor. She walked away, not making eye contact with any of the girls.

When Aelita was no longer in sight, the remaining girls glared at Cleo. “What?”

“Nice one Cleo...” Clawdeen growled, her ears pressed flat against her head.

Cleo rolled her eyes. “All I did was tell her the truth,” She fired back.

“You could’ve been nicer about it,” Draculaura mumbled.

Cleo crossed her arms. “What happened with Lagoona was an accident. Plain and simple. We can’t be looking over our shoulders every second of the day just because something might happen. If she wants too. Then fine. Let her,” Cleo snapped, “But I’m not. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to let my father know to come pick me up.”

The girls watched as Cleo walked off. Clawdeen sighed. “I better go find Clawd and Howleen… See you girls later.” Clawdeen turned and left.

“I should go too. Bye Frankie, bye Abbey.” Draculaura hurried to follow Clawdeen.

Frankie sighed, preparing to turn and follow suit. She stopped at the feeling of an icy hand on her shoulder.

She looked up to see Abbey staring down at her. “You think this is accident too?” Abbey asked, her purple-gray eyes locked on to the empty pool.

Frankie sighed again. “I don’t know honestly… Aelita’s worried for a reason. At least I hope. And she has been fighting Xana longer than us…” She winced. “But… You remember how fast the school fell apart when we lost the school crest. It’s not totally impossible that Lagoona was just at the wrong place in the wrong time…” She groaned. “Abbey, you Clawdeen, and Lagoona where the only ones that remember what happened, what do you think?”

“Was in Lyoko all time for attack,” Abbey explained, “Only saw after.”

Frankie kicked the ground in frustration.

“But she may have point.”

Frankie looked back up in surprise.

“Pool lights taken out early last year yes?”

“Yeah… Ms. Bloodgood had them removed because they kept coming loose all the time…”

Abbey narrowed her eyes. “Then how did pool become danger, when nothing to make it danger?”

Frankie’s heart pounded against her rib-cage “I- I need to call my parents,” She said taking a step back. She turned around before Abbey could respond.

Abbey watched as the last member of the group vanished into the school. She began to follow Frankie, only to stop in her tracks, a sound caught her attention.

A soft crackling sound.

A soft crackling sound coming from a set of bushes by the bleacher overlooking the pool. It was soft enough that with the chattering crowd, and arguing, she had failed to hear it. She made her way through the bushes. She knelt down, ready to move the branches out of her way. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she-

“Abbey!” Ms. Bloodgood’s voice rang out, startling Abbey from her thoughts. “Ms. Kindergrubber has agreed to drive you home while I… handle this situation.”

Abbey turned her attention back to the bushes, finding the sound had gone silent. She grunted as she picked herself up off the ground, and headed back into the school. She paused. She looked back at the bushes. She shook her head as she walked back into the building.

Nightfall had begun to take over the town. Many were beginning to settle down for the night, Aelita was still awake, sitting at the desk in her barren room. Her backpack laid haphazardly by her bed. After arriving back at the Jekyll house, she ran straight up to her room and slammed the door, brushing past Jackson, and his parent's attempts to talk to her. She took a seat right at the desk and immediately went to work on the laptop. She pressed the power button, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears. She taped the top of the desk erratically as the sound of the computer fan began to start up. Her attention was laser-focused onto the screen as it flickered to life.

Just as easily it turned on, it shut back off.

And it tried to turn back on again.

And shut right back down. And once again it tried to turn boot back up again.

She slammed her white-knuckled fists into the top of the desk, a frustrated scream slipping out.

Her door creaked open. “Aelita?”

Aelita sighed. She made eye contact with Jackson, letting her fists relax. “Everything’s fine Jackson…” She mumbled, looking away.

“Hey… I’m sorry. About what happened with Lagoona I mean…” Jackson said shifting in place.

“It’s fine…” She said.

“If… If you want to talk about- uh… what happened…” He said rubbing the back of his neck, “I mean, I’m not the closest with Lagoona but if you just want a listening ear-”

“I just want to be alone, Jackson.”

Aelita tried hard to focus on the desk and not the hurt etched into Jackson’s face.

“Alright… If you need anything I’ll be across the hall,” Jackson said.

Aelita winced as she heard the door shut behind her. She sighed, closing the laptop as it continued to boot-loop. She pushed herself out of the desk chair, the exhaustion of the day’s events finally weighing down on her. She swiftly threw off the clothes she was wearing and changed into some pajamas. She climbed into bed, pulling the covers over and tried to fall asleep.

Tried.

She tossed in her bed. Her eyes snapped open as another frustrated growl slipped out. Every time she closed her eyes the image of Lagoona’s floating body would appear, forcing the guilt gnawing at her to force her awake once again. Something about this didn’t feel right. It felt like a classic Xana attack. Every part of her being screamed at her that this was a Xana attack. But…

She had also seen the cracks in the bricks, rust on the metal door frames, the wooden floorboards that had lost its shine from years of foot traffic. It wasn’t that far out of the realm of possibility. And if it truly was a Xana attack then why was Lagoona still alive? Why didn’t it kill her when it had the chance. Lagoona truly had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. It could really be just an accident.

It wasn’t an ‘accident’ when that plane with Jeremie in it lost control. Was it? A voice hissed in the back of her mind, or when Yumi and Ulrich almost choked to death? Or when that pack of wolves nearly mauled your friends?

She groaned burying her face into her pillow. She sat up in the bed, throwing the sheets off of her. She reached into her backpack pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts. During nights like these, she had someone she could talk too. She paused her scrolling highlighting Yumi’s name, hovering her thumb over the call button. She froze re-reading the name. The bitter taste of reality came back to her. She clenched her teeth and went back to scrolling, moving past the names of her friends and randomly choosing one of her new teammates. She bit her lip listening to the ringing of the phone. She heard the tell-tale click of someone answering the other end.

“ ‘Ello?” The upbeat sound of Draculaura’s voice asked.

“I’m sorry! If it’s a bad time-” Aelita said, moving to hit the ‘end call’ button as a sinking feeling of regret building in her belly.

“No no! It’s okay!” Draculaura said, “Is there a reason you’re calling me?”

Aelita chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I- I can’t stop thinking about what happened with Lagoona…” She said “Every time I close my eyes I just see-Her-lying there helpless.” There was a deathly silence on the other end, making Aelita’s already racing heart pound faster. “Draculaura?”

“Oh! I’m sorry! I just- I don’t really know what to say,” Draculaura replied, “I’m not really the person people go to for advice. That’s more Frankie and- uh, well, Lagoona’s job…”

Aelita’s shoulders slumped.

“But… I’m willing to be a listening ear if you need it.”

Aelita picked at the loose and torn skin surrounding her thumbnail. “I-” She hesitated. “I’m scared. Really scared,” She whispered, “I’m scared that what happened was an accident like everyone else is saying. Wh-what if we’re letting our guards down and Xana will take advantage of it? And we're just sitting ducks while Xana readies the shotgun?” She could feel tears prickling in her eyes. “And it’ll all be my fault because I was the one who dragged you all into this!”

She heard a tapping sound on the other end. “I- I don’t really know what to say exactly…” Draculaura said, “I mean, Monster High is pretty old. We all were just waiting for something to go wrong, so it was only a matter of time before something went wrong… No one just knows how to deal with it now that something finally happened.”

“How- How is she by the way?” Aelita asked forcibly changing the subject, “Is she okay?”

Aelita could practically hear Draculaura perk up on the other end. “Clawdeen and Frankie stopped by to see her! She’s awake but the doctors and her aunt and uncle want to keep her for a few days for observation, but then she should be back at school!”

Aelita relaxed slightly. That’s good to hear…” She picked at the hem of her pajama shirt. “It’s getting late, I better let you go…”

“I don’t mind staying up if you-”

Aelita hit the ‘end call’ button in a hurry. The feeling of anxiety that had been building throughout the call had vanished and was replaced by a crippling feeling of regret. She placed her phone by her pillow and pulled the covers over her head, trying to shove the guilt down to the best she could.

The air was heavy in the halls of Monster High. With each passing class, Frankie could feel the growing tension between students as she walked the halls. It didn’t help that the pool had been roped off and a teacher was stationed as a guard during all hours while the pool was still under investigation. While Lagoona and her family had assured again and again they wouldn’t press charges against the school, Frankie could still see the staff were tense every time she would pass one in the halls. She shut her locker a little harder than she had intended. She let out a long sigh, clutching her book tightly against her chest. She leaned against her locker, gently picking at the worn corners of her textbook. She looked up in time to see a flash of short pink hair walking by her. “Aelita!”

Aelita stopped in her tracks. “Oh, hi Frankie,” She said, slight tiredness in her voice. Frankie noticed the faint dark circles under Aelita’s eyes.

“Are you okay?” Frankie asked walking up to Aelita, “Draculaura told me you called her last night.”

Aelita tensed. “Oh, uh… I had some trouble sleeping last night-”

“Alright Aelita, what’s wrong?” Frankie asked sternly.

“What are you-”

“You’re upset about something Aelita, I can see that, and I want to help,” Frankie said gingerly grabbing Aelita’s wrist, “You can talk to me.”

Aelita bit her lip. “I- I still think that Xana is behind what happened to Lagoona,” She whispered, looking at the ground ashamed.

“Aelita-”

“I know it’s silly, and that this school is old, and Xana is in France,” Aelita said, raising her voice but keeping it just out of earshot of the passing students, “But Frankie please trust me on this. I know Xana and-” Frankie grabbed Aelita’s shoulders.

“I think you're right Aelita.”

Aelita looked at Frankie. “Y-you do?”

Frankie quickly scanned the students walking by. She pulled Aelita closer to her locker. “I do. After you left, Abbey pointed something out to me. The pool lights were removed last year because whoever put them in didn’t do it right and they kept coming loose. Ms. Bloodgood didn’t see any reason to have them in the first place so it was just easier to remove everything,” Frankie explained quietly, “and when Clawdeen and I went to visit Lagoona yesterday, even she found it weird over what happened. So… I think you’re right, something weird is going on. How can we see if Xana is behind what happened?”

Aelita relaxed. “If Xana activated a tower, it’ll be logged in the super-scan,” Aelita explained, “Jeremie and I made sure to keep a log in case Xana tried to do something to the alert system we had in place.”

“Great!” Frankie’s bolt’s sparked, causing Aelita to flinch, “We can sneak out during lunch to investigate!”

“Investigate what?”

Both girls looked at Clawdeen who was standing arms crossed and foot tapping. “Frankie what are two planning on doing during lunch?” She asked.

Frankie glanced at Aelita. “Well… Me and Aelita have some concerns about what happened with Lagoona so we though-”

Clawdeen let out a groan. “Frankie, I know what happened to Lagoona was awful, and it sucks knowing something like that happened to one of us, but can we just… let this one go?” Clawdeen asked, “Can we just let an accident be an accident and move on with our lives?”

“Clawdeen, this isn’t something we should be taken lightly! Lagoona is in the hospital! This isn’t like with any of our adventures before, none of us has gotten seriously hurt before- okay maybe except that time with Jackson and Holt getting framed -but we should be taking Lyoko and Xana more seriously than normal…” Frankie argued, “We don’t want to act too late on something like what happened with Howleen and Wisp.”

Clawdeen’s fur bristled. She shook her head, her fur smoothing with the movement. “Fine. Go and check. I still think it’s a waste of time…” Clawdeen looked at Aelita. “But… If it’ll help settle your nerves, then go on ahead.”

Frankie smiled. “Thanks, Clawdeen. We’ll keep you and the others updated!” Frankie said as the school bell rang.

Clawdeen watched as Frankie and Aelita melted into the crowd of students rushing to their next class. “I really hope you aren’t right Frankie…” Clawdeen muttered to herself, the image of Cleo sobbing over the stoned Deuce returning to her. She shook her head in a feeble attempt to get rid of the image, as she walked to her next class.

Chapter Text

Clawdeen walked into the cafeteria, her ears perked as she tried to pick out the familiar sound of Frankie's voice. She let out a deep sigh, grabbing a lunch tray, and getting in line. She held a snicker back at the sight of Heath glumly passing her a plate of spaghetti. As she walked to her and her friends she still kept her eye out for either Frankie or Aelita. "Hey girls," She said as she sat down, "So what did Heath do this time to get lunch lady duty?"

"Word on the grapevine is that Heath gave Mr. Hack an -and I quote-'unwanted bath of maple syrup' before the third period," Cleo said, a devilish grin spreading over her face.

Clawdeen rolled her eyes with a head shake. "Abbey, what in the world do you see in him?"

Abbey snorted. "Do not know," She said. She eyed Clawdeen. "We missing people. Where Frankie and Aelita?"

"Yeah… Where are Frankie and Aelita?" Draculaura asked looking around the lunchroom, "Frankie left class so quickly…"

Clawdeen picked up her fork. "They're at the supercomputer," She whispered leaning slightly forward to prevent eavesdroppers.

"What are they doing with that hunk of junk?" Cleo snickered.

"Aelita's still paranoid over what happened to Lagoona yesterday," Clawdeen explained taking a bite of her spaghetti, "So Frankie and her went to go check it out to see if it was the problem…" She paused. "Hey, does the spaghetti sauce taste a bit funkier than normal? Like, more bitter?" She asked, poking her food.

Draculaura took a bite of her own food. "No. Not that I can tell at least."

Cleo rolled her eyes. "It's cafeteria food Clawdeen," She said, "It always tastes terrible."

Clawdeen grunted, taking another bite, trying to move past its strong bitter flavor.

"Do you think that Aelita might be right?"

The three girls looked at Draculaura. "Right about what?" Cleo asked.

"About Lagoona and her accident," Draculaura said softly looking at her barely touched food, "When she called last night she sounded really scared."

Cleo stiffened. She looked down at her tray. "I think that girl is just working herself into a frenzy," She said, not meeting the other three's eyes.

"I think she right," Abbey argued, "Things not adding up…"

"How?" Draculaura asked.

"Too many things line up," Abbey said. She held up a finger "Lagoona is hurt when alone, no one to see her get hurt-"

"Lorna was with her, remember," Cleo said, "She was the one to bring Lagoona out to the pool."

"But… Didn't she say that she left Lagoona alone?" Draculaura said. "S-she said that she left Lagoona to go get the equipment they needed."

Abbey smirked and held up a second finger. "Two. Generator suddenly not work, preventing power from getting turned off,"

Clawdeen frowned. "That- that is kind of weird when you say it out loud…" She muttered. "I think I got a bad batch or something. Any more and I'll have to go to the nurse's office from how sick it's making me feel," She said pushing her plate away."

Abbey put up a third finger. "Still don't know how Lagoona was hurt," She said.

"Yes we do," Cleo said, "It was damn pool lights. Those things kept coming loose all the time, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two-and-two together."

Abbey waved a finger. "Not fast. Pool lights gone now."

"What?"

"Abbey's right…" Draculaura said, "They were removed last year, remember!"

A feeling of dread washed over the group.

"So you mean-" Cleo asked, her whole body growing tense.

"Lagoona's 'accident', not accident."

"But then-" Clawdeen cut herself off, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She let out a high pitched whine.

"Clawdeen?!" Draculaura shouted kneeling by Clawdeen, "Clawdeen what's wrong?!"

"It- it's my stomach," She forced out, "It hurts!" She let out another whine.

"Clawdeen!" The three girls looked up seeing Clawd forcing his way over, followed closely by Howleen. "What happened?" He asked, looking frantically between the girls as he knelt by his sister's side.

"We-we don't know!" Draculaura said, a small crowd starting to form around them, "She- she was just fine a few seconds ago, then she just collapsed!" Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Someone call 911!" Howleen shouted, turning to the crowd, "Hurry please!"

Clawdeen's breathing grew shallower by the second.

"She did say that her spaghetti tasted funny," Cleo said.

"Excuse me! Coming through!"

The three girls looked up to see Venus McFlytrap forcing her way through. "Did she say how it tasted?" she asked. She was slightly out of breath.

"She said it bitter," Abbey stepped in, "Brushed off as it school food. Then she complained she sick."

Venus paled. "Batsy!" She called out frantically, "Do you remember the flowers we were going to transport away from the school this morning?"

Batsy Claro flew to the front of the crowd. "The aconitum? You don't think?"

"Venus, what do you know?" Clawd pleaded, holding his sister tighter to him.

Venus swallowed. "I think someone fed your sister Wolf's Bane."

Frankie watched Aelita work from the back of the supercomputer chair. "Have you found anything yet?" She asked, skimming over the complex program coding absentmindedly.

Aelita's nose wrinkled. "No, not yet. Everything looks to be in order. The superscan isn't detecting any towers currently, and the logs don't show anything out of the ordinary other than a scan starting a few seconds later than normal yesterday." She sighed, looking at her lap. "Everything seems to be in working order. I'm sorry to have dragged you out here…"

"Hey, don't apologize!" Frankie said, sitting on one of the chair's armrests, "You didn't drag me out here, I wanted to come."

Aelita smiled softly. "Thank you."

"So… Do you feel any better?" Frankie asked, placing a hand on Aelita's shoulder.

"Uh- Well- Um…"

"Okay stop right there," Frankie said sliding off the armrest, "Aelita be honest with me, please."

Aelita looked at her lap. "No… Not really," She tightly gripped the hem on her shirt, "Xana has pulled many different tricks on us in the past. From making decoy towers, to activated and deactivating towers before we can even get to Lyoko. The program says everything is fine but I still have this- this-"

"Gut feeling?"

"Yes. A gut feeling that something is wrong," Aelita finished.

Frankie hummed. "Okay. So let's go over both scenarios," She said, "First, Xana is attacking, and it messed with the scan. What do we do?"

"Well… we would need to find the tower first, but that's only assuming that the superscan was messed with by Xana-"

"So let's assume it is," Frankie said, "What next?"

"Well… I would have to get the reboot program designed for the superscan and launch it." Aelita frowned. "But… That's on the laptop, and that needs to be fix, and knows how long-"

Frankie grabbed Aelita's wrist stopping the girl mid-sentence. "Alright, so how can we fix it without the reboot program?" She asked.

"I would have to go through the coding line by line to find and fix the problem," Aelita explained, "that would take a long time however, so I would need to go over every tower in each sector to find the activated tower."

Frankie nodded. "And if it isn't Xana?"

"Then… We continue on with our lives."

Frankie nodded. "Okay. So now we have a game plan," She said, "Let's take things one step at a time. I only have a few classes after lunch, so we can take the laptop to some computer repair stores and see if they can do anything-" Frankie's phone rang. She swiftly pulled her phone from her back. "Hey, Draculaura- Whoa, whoa, whoa hold up what's going on?"

"What's going on?" Aelita asked, getting out of her seat.

"Draculaura I can't understand you, you need to calm down. Dracu- Draculaura can you hand the phone to someone else I can't underst- Abbey? Abbey what is going on?!" Frankie asked desperately. Frankie's eyes widened as she listened. "W-what?! Okay, me and Aelita will be there shortly." Frankie hung up, making a beeline for the elevator.

"Frankie, what happened?" Aelita asked, following Frankie into the elevator.

Frankie looked at Aelita. "Someone poisoned Clawdeen."

As the girls entered the courtyard, they were greeted with the sight of an ambulance in the parent drop-off, and a large crowd of students watching something. As they closed in, they could see Heath nursing a black eye and busted lip, and Clawd who was being restrained by several students.

"You think this sort of thing is funny Heath?!" Clawd screamed, trying to break free, "You nearly fucking killed my sister!"

"I didn't do anything!" Heath fired back, the flames making up his hair flare up.

"You were on kitchen duty. You were the only one who could've done it!" Clawd shouted, teeth bared, and eyes burning with fury.

"I couldn't because I wasn't even at lunch!" Heath argued.

"What is going on?!" Frankie shouted, forcing herself between the two boys.

"That fucker poisoned my sister with Wolf's Bane!" Clawd said, pointing at Heath, "It was slipped into her lunch and he was the only one who could've done it!"

"Do you seriously think I would try to kill someone?!" Heath shouted back, "Everyone knows how deadly Wolf's Bane is! Do you think I'm stupid or something?!"

"SILENCE!"

A deathly silence came over the crowd. It parted quickly as Ms. Bloodgood made her way through. Her eyes seemed to have a faint, haughtily glow to them. "Heath Burns, go to the nurses office immediately," She said calmly. She looked to Clawd, all fight dying quickly from the werewolf. "Clawd Wolf. I am giving you two options. You may go with your sister to the hospital while I inform your parents of your sister's well being and the actions you took following-" the ghostly glow of her eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter. "-or you may come with me to my office and tell them yourself."

Clawd's ears flattened against his head. He made his way to the back of the ambulance. The ambulance doors shut, and it drove off, siren blaring.

Ms. Bloodgood turned to the crowd. "Classes will resume as normal!" She announced, "Please return inside and continue onward with your day!" For the second time in two days, the air was thick with tension as students made their way back inside the school.

All of course but one group of girls.

"I-I don't understand. The scan was clear! We were there and it didn't detect any activated towers!" Aelita said running her hands in her hair, "It didn't show anything!"

"Aelita, calm down-" Frankie said.

"Frankie? What happened?" Draculaura asked, her eyes red and puffy.

"Yeah, what happened Frankie!" Cleo shouted, "Clawdeen said you two were checking things out, shouldn't you two had tried to warn us Xana was trying something?"

"We didn't see anything!" Frankie said, putting her hands up, "We watched the scan the entire time! It didn't detect anything!"

"Then how this happen?" Abbey asked, "How Xana hurt Clawdeen without notice?"

"Xana most likely found a back entrance into the superscan and messed with the program," Aelita said, holding herself tightly.

"So it's broken?" Draculaura asked, her already big eyes growing wider.

"Well- yes it technically is-" Frankie said, "but, there is a way to fix it, right Aelita?"

Four pairs of eyes turned to the pink-haired girl. "I- I-" She stammered trying to find her words.

"W-we can fix this right?!" he asked as the two hid.

"There is a way-"

Aelita gave a fearful look at William. "I- I- don't know!"

Aelita could feel her breathing grow heavy.

"Aelita?" Frankie asked.

"I don't know!" She cried out again, "Xana has us outnumbered, outmatched on all fronts! I don't know what to do! M-maybe if we-"

"AELITA BEHIND YOU!"

"Aelita."

Aelita met Frankie's eyes, snapping back to reality. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "There is a reboot program on Jeremie's old laptop," Aelita said. She noticed the confused look on Abbey, Cleo and Draculaura's faces. "He- he was the one who originally found the supercomputer," She explained, "The laptop is currently broken however and the only other copy I can think about is back in his dorm at Kadic. The only option we have is to find a way to repair it and run the program to find the tower."

"So… we just hope someone can fix it?" Cleo asked, "And if no one can we're just what? Up shit creek without a paddle?"

"Not exactly," Frankie said, "Aelita told me that we could search each sector to find the tower manually. It might take a while but it's still an option."

"But till then, we sitting geese," Abbey said.

"Which is why I'll need to move fast," Aelita said, "I don't have a class at this time so I can leave now and start hunting for repair shops."

"I'm going with, power in numbers after all," Frankie said.

Cleo sighed. "Sign me up too," She said, lazily raising a hand.

"Are you sure Cleo?" Frankie asked.

"If there is a homicidal computer virus still hanging around here, then this is the last place I want to be right now," Cleo said. There was a split second of fear in her eyes.

"I want to come too," Draculaura said softly, "I- I don't feel safe here…"

Frankie looked at Abbey. "Are you coming to Abbey?"

Abbey shook her head. "No. Left art homework. Could not finish yesterday, so need to do it today," She said.

"That's alright, the four of us can handle ourselves," Frankie said looking at the other members, "We'll keep you updated okay?"

Abbey nodded.

As three of the four started to leave, Aelita looked up at Abbey. "Please be careful," She pleaded.

Abbey smiled. "Am yeti. It take much to bring yeti down," She replied confidently.

Aelita didn't look as reassured. "Okay…" She muttered, turning to follow the other three.

Abbey watched them vanish into the parking lot. Once the four were out of sight, she turned to head back into the school, disappearing behind the old iron doors. Nearby, hidden around the edge of the school, was the figure of Heath, his face clean of injuries. He stepped out, a blank look on his face. He looked to the parking lot, then to the front doors of the school. He turned to follow Abbey's lead into the building, forcing his way past students that only gave him either a confused glance or an annoyed look.

However, all missed how, for a brief moment, his eyes flickered like a broken television set becoming the eye of Xana.

Chapter Text

As Abbey walked into the art room, she could hear the sound of a blow torch. She looked, seeing Heath sitting at a table, using his fingers as a makeshift blowtorch, heating up a chunk of scrap metal with his hands. A welder's mask covered his face and a pair of headphones playing loud music. She walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder. He stopped what he was doing, paused his music, and flipped up his mask, and looked at her. "You suppose to be in with nurse," She said slyly, pointing to the black eye and split lip the fire elemental had.

Heath scoffed. "Nah, she let me out early," he said trying to give a charming grin to the yeti, "It just looks worse than it actually is ya' know?"

"You not go."

Heath chuckled weakly. "How could ya tell?"

Abbey huffed. "You bad liar," She simply said.

Heath sighed. "All she would've done was just give me an ice pack and make me call my parents," He said turning back to the mass of metal on the workbench. "Besides, this way I can blow off some steam!"

Abbey looked at him for a brief moment. She shook her head, moving towards the large kiln set up in the back of the classroom.

"You don't- you don't think I poisoned Clawdeen too do you?" Heath asked looking back at Abbey, his normal cocky attitude gone.

Abbey turned to look at him. "No. Do I think you do dumb things? Yes very much," She said flatly. "But would you hurt sister of friend? No. It not like you," She continued, her voice growing soft. She smirked. "Beside. You bad liar. Could see you telling truth."

Heath seemed to relax slightly. "Thanks, Abbey. Everyone else seems to think I did, but it feels nice to have at least one person believe me," He said.

"They just stressed," She said, opening the lid of the kiln, "With Lagoona, then Clawdeen in little time, everyone on edge of seat.

Heath turned back to his project, flipping back down the welder's mask. "You want to know the weirdest thing?" He called, his voice slightly muffled, "I don't get how everyone keeps saying that I was at lunch when I couldn't even go in the first place."

Abbey froze as she reached down to grab an unfinished pot. "What mean by that?" She asked, her heart starting to pound harder in her chest, "Saw you behind counter."

The door to the art room creaked open.

"I don't know who you saw but it wasn't me," Heath said, putting his music back on, "I got locked inside the boy's bathroom. Had to wait for the janitor to come to get me out, and by then Clawdeen was being hauled to the ambulance."

Abbey could feel her blood freeze in her veins. She sprung back up to her full height and turned around to face the door. Her heart pounded further at the sight of a second Heath, the eye of Xana flickering in his eyes. "Xana," She growled clenching her fists.

The clone lunged. It moved lightning fast, going from the door of the art room to the back where Abbey was in a matter of seconds. The clone was quick.

But Abbey reacted quicker.

She sidestepped, letting the clone smack right into the side of the kiln. It stumbled backward a few steps. Abbey took her chance, grabbing a hold of one of the clone's arms and twisting behind the clone's back. "You picked wrong fight," She hissed, "I not go down easy."

The clone smirked. With its freehand, it grabbed a hold on one of Abbey's legs. A wave of pure pain flooded her body, forcing her to let go and to fall to her knees. The clone held up a hand, electricity crackling between its fingers. Abbey tried to pick herself up off the floor, fighting against the spasms in her muscles. She let out a wordless scream as another bout of pain washed over her, once again crumbling to the floor. She panted, trying her hardest to catch her breath. A hand clasped tightly around her throat and yanked her to her feet.

"Some fight," the clone said, it's voice sounding as if it was speaking through television static.

Another surge of pain went through her body, sapping any remaining strength from her body, and turning her limbs to jelly.

The clone slammed her against the edge of the kiln, making Abbey suck sharply through her teeth. The clone let go of her throat and grabbed a hold of her knees, tossing her into the kiln. The lid sealed shut with a 'click'. She grunted as she tried to shift around in the cramped space. She kicked as hard as she could. "Heath!" She shouted, praying to catch Heath's attention. A feeling of dread swallowed her as she grew warm. Very warm. "HEATH!" She screamed, trying to pound against the kiln as hard as she could. She panted, her body growing weak with the heat. She slumped over, the heat of the kiln consuming her.

"You can't fix it?" Aelita asked, looking at the were-rabbit behind the counter.

The store clerk shook his head, Handing Aelita back the laptop. "Sorry kid, the thing is just too old for our equipment. You'll need a specialist or to try fixing it yourself."

Aelita clutched the laptop to her chest. "Well, thank you for trying," She said turning and walking out of the store. Outside the other three girls were waiting.

"What did he say?" Frankie asked as Aelita walked up.

Aelita sighed. "It's too old and the only way to save it is to either find a specialist or-"

"Or to fix it yourself," the three girls said in unison.

Frankie struck out a name in a notebook. "That's the place on the list," She said, dropping the notebook back into her bag, "Now what do we do?"

"What about fixing it ourselves?" Draculaura asked, looking at Aelita.

Aelita shook her head. "I would need to find out the exact problem, buy the needed parts, wait for them to arrive, take the whole thing apart-" She stopped herself, "It's just- That's time I don't have…"

"So that leaves finding a specialist then," Frankie sighed, "The question is how are we going to find someone that might have the parts needed to fix it on short notice?"

Cleo looked to the parking lot. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I might know someone," She said stepping away from the group and into the parking lot. "Oh Ghoulia! What perfect timing!" She said flagging said girl down. Cleo slung an arm around Ghoulia's shoulders and guided her to the waiting girls. "Ghoulia, you remember me telling you about Aelita? The new transfer student?" Cleo asked gesturing to Aelita.

Ghoulia moaned in response.

"Aelita, this is Ghoulia, the smartest girl in our school," Cleo said motioning to Ghoulia. "Ghoulia, we have this problem you see," She said removing her arm from Ghoulia, and taking a hold of Aelita's shoulders, "Aelita has this laptop of hers, however, whenever she tries to use it-" Cleo looked at Aelita. "What's wrong with it again?"

Aelita rolled her eyes. She walked up Ghoulia, holding the laptop out to her. "It's stuck boot looping. I have no clue how to fix it. I'm a better programmer then engineer."

Ghoulia took the laptop and gave it a look over, studying the model. She looked at the girls and gave a high pitched moan.

"Really?!" Frankie said excitedly, her bolts sparking, "How long do you think it'll take?"

Ghoulia looked over the laptop again. She gave a short, deeper sounding moan.

Frankie's smile feel. "Are you sure? Is there any way to speed it up?"

Ghoulia shook her head. She moaned apologetically.

Frankie smiled softly. "Well, thank you Ghoulia. You're a lifesaver," Frankie said as Ghoulia slipped the laptop into her bag and walked into the computer store.

Aelita looked at the other three girls confused. "What did she say?" She asked.

"Well, she should be able to fix it," Frankie summarized.

"But?"

"But, it'll take a while…" Frankie said.

"A while?" Aelita asked, "How long is a 'while?"

"Two weeks longs," Cleo answered.

"Two weeks- Two weeks?!" Aelita said, "We don't have two weeks!"

"Well sorry but that's the best she can do," Cleo fired back. "She might be able to fix it, but can only focus so much time on fixing that old thing."

"But who knows how much damage Xana can do in two weeks! It's already taken out both Lagoona and Clawdeen in two days!"

"Knock it off you two!" Frankie said getting between the two before the argument could escalate. "Aelita, this could be our only chance to get the laptop fixed. If we have to wait two weeks to do it, then we will wait for two weeks."

"But the superscan's reboot-"

"Then we fix it by hand if we have too," Frankie said sternly, "If it's the only way to fix it for the time being, then so be it."

Aelita looked to the ground. "Alright. We- we better get a head start then. We still need to hunt down the tower and shut it down," She said looking back up.

"Alright, let's get back to Monster High and head to the factory!" Frankie said, taking lead and walking out into the parking lot. The other three followed closely.

Heath took off his headphones and paused his music. He looked at the metal sculpture in front of him. "Hey Abbey, I have an idea-" he looked over his shoulder, seeing an empty classroom. He took off the welder's mask and took a look around. "Huh, guess she left or something…" There was a faint buzzing sound. Heath frowned, spotting Abbey's backpack laying next to the kiln on the floor. He walked over and pulled out Abbey's phone. Frankie was calling. He answered. "Uh, hello?"

"Heath? Why do you have Abbey's phone?" Frankie asked, "Do you know where she is?"

"Uh, no. She was in the art room with me, but she left her backpack behind," He said awkwardly.

There was some background chatter. "Did you see where she went?"

Heath glanced around the room again. The kiln was on. Weird. "Uh, no. I can tell her you called when she comes back," Heath said turning the kiln off, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yeah, yeah! If you could? Just tell her to meet me and the others-" Frankie's voice grew quieter as she talked with someone off-mic. "-Tell her to meet me at 'the new hangout'."

He lifted up the lid. "Yeah, no problem-" He lost his grip on the phone as he looked inside the kiln.

Abbey was lying there (hopefully) unconscious.

"O-oh god. OH GOD ABBEY!" He shrieked. He shook her desperately trying to get a response. "Abbey! Abbey please wake up!" he cried, shaking her harder. He pulled her out of the kiln and laid her on the floor.

"Heath? Heath, what's going on?"

Heath grabbed Abbey's phone with a shaky hand. "Frankie I need to go! It-it's Abbey! She- She's-" he forced down a sob, "Fucking shit, Frankie I need to call an ambulance." He hung up Abbey's phone and dug out his own from his jacket. He dialed a number quickly. "I'm at Monster High, I need an ambulance. M-my friend, she was-" He choked back another sob, "She's not waking up!"

Frankie looked at her phone as Heath hung up.

"What happened?" Aelita asked.

"I-I don't know," Frankie said, her voice shaking slightly, "But something happened to Abbey."

Glances were exchanged by the other three.

"Did he- did he say what happened?" Draculaura asked timidly.

Frankie shook her head. "No. Just that it seemed like- like she wasn't waking up," She said, blinking back the tears trying to form.

Aelita's lips pressed into a hard line. "Xana's on the move, and it's moving fast," She said, slowly scanning the other girls, "We need to get to the factory now before Xana can get to us." She began walking quickly, forcing the other three to pick up the pace before they were left behind.

The group arrived at Monster High to a familiar sight of an ambulance sitting outside the front of the school. Ms. Bloodgood was busy talking with the first responders, not noticing as the group snuck back onto school grounds. Cleo had taken the lead, guiding the other three to the courtyard entrance to the catacombs. The entrance slid up from the ground. Once it was fully above ground, Cleo placed her index finger on the arch of the entrance, a faint golden glow appearing underneath. She moved her finger, spelling out a word in hieroglyphs in the golden light that only Cleo understood. Once the word was spelled out, the word faded, and the light traced around the arch of the entrance. Cleo stepped in, followed silently by Frankie, Draculaura, and Aelita. The elevator plunged down, the entrance the following suit, sinking back down into the earth. The elevator stopped at a door. Frankie grabbed the knob and pushed it open, revealing the interior of the factory. As each girl stepped out, they noticed the little light of the first floor.

"It's night here?" Draculaura asked, bewildered as Aelita took charge, leading them to the elevator shaft for the supercomputer room.

"Well… We did just magic our way into another timezone," Frankie said as the group stopped at the elevator.

Aelita called the elevator. "Alright. Some rules for your first Lyoko mission," She said, turning to face the group.

"Rule 1: Stay together, and help each other. Just because it might look like a video game, it's not. The only 'winning' you should focus on is getting to the tower and protecting your teammates as once your life points are depleted, that's it. You'll need to wait for either a return to the past to reset your avatar or for twelve hours for it to repair itself.

"Rule 2: Stay on guard. For both of Xana's monsters, and of yourselves and allies. Just because Frankie is at the controls doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Xana's monsters can find places to hide that Frankie might not be able to see right away. And be aware of your powers and weapons, that last thing needed is for a stray shot to hit and devirtualized a teammate.

"Rule 3: Listen to Frankie when she gives orders. She's the only one in control. She is the one operating the supercomputer. She's the one who will spot monsters before we do, and the one with a constant view of the tower and whatever happens on earth."

Aelita pinched her forehead. "I can't tell you how many time Odd nearly got either him or myself devirtualized for disobeying orders." She focused back on Cleo and Draculaura.

"And lastly, rule 4: stay away from the edge of the sector. Underneath all of Lyoko is what's known as the Digital Sea. It's the connection point for Lyoko to the rest of the World Wide Web. If you fall in, your body and mind will be ripped to shreds, byte by byte until every ounce of your data is scattered across the network," Aelita said, a dark look in her eyes, "Once you fall in -unless you are extremely lucky- You'll be permanently virtualized. So stay away from the edge, understand?"

Both nodded nervously as the elevator arrived.

Aelita's expression softened as she stepped in followed by Frankie. "And a word of advice for your first virtualization," She said with a soft smile, "It'll feel like you've gone completely numb for a few seconds before you drop in."

Cleo and Draculaura stepped into the elevator. Frankie looked at them. "Ready for our first official mission as a team?"

Draculaura nodded, a determined look in her eyes. "I'm ready," She said, "For Clawdeen, Lagoona and Abbey."

Frankie gripped Draculaura's hand. "For Clawdeen, Lagoona, and Abbey."

Cleo placed a hand on Draculaura's shoulder. "For Clawdeen, Lagoona, and Abbey."

Aelita paused as her finger hovered over the 'down' button. She didn't turn to look as the three girls made their pledge. She took a deep breath and pressed the button, taking them into the underbelly of the factory.

Chapter Text

The thick metal doors opened, the gears clunking echoing throughout the elevator. Draculaura pressed closer to Frankie, as Cleo visibility tensed. Aelita stood in front of all of them, a determined look etched in her eyes. The clunking stopped, greeting the girls to the sight of the supercomputer lab. Aelita was the first to move, making her way to the computer, taking a seat, and beginning to work. Frankie followed next, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. Cleo and Draculaura followed after, staying close to Frankie. "So… What's the diagnosis Doc?" Frankie asked, trying to desperately ease some of the tension.

Aelita frowned. "The superscan is still giving the all-clear, but we know that's not true…" She said, her mouth pressing into a tight, thin line. "And these aren't false readings either. So just what is going on?" She tapped away at the keyboard. The three other girls watched her curiously as Aelita went over line after line of coding, none of which any of them could understand. Aelita's eyes caught something. "What just-" She typed away for a few more seconds. "Are you kidding me?!" She shouted, banging a fist on one of the armrests.

"What happened?" Frankie asked.

"Xana found and exploited a bug in the superscan!" Aelita growled, typing away again. She hit the enter key. A window popped up, showing rows of Lyoko's towers. It stopped at one that was glowing red. "Xana found a way to send the program into a perceptual loop," She said leaning back and running her hands through her hair.

"Meaning?" Cleo pressed.

Aelita sighed. "The superscan's job is to detect any changes in Lyoko's towers. It's like an antivirus program, in where it scans the tower, compares it's coding to its reference copy of a normal tower's coding and if something is off it sends an alert out," Aelita explained, "What happened is that Xana found an exploit to send the superscan into scan one tower instead of all and send the information as an all clear." Aelita stood up. "The concordances are locked and loaded. We'll be dropping in the Desert Sector." She handed Frankie a paper packet. "Everything you need to know is right here. From virtualizations to bringing up the vehicles, to running a Return to the Past," Aelita said, "We're ready when you are."

Frankie took the packet from Aelita's hands. She flipped through the pages, skimming through the whole thing. She took a deep breath. "It's showtime," She said, nodding. Frankie slipped into the chair and placed the earpiece in her ear.

Aelita looked at Cleo and Draculaura. "Let's get to the scanner room!" She said re-entering the elevator.

Cleo and Draculaura both gave one last glance at Frankie before following.

Frankie watched as the doors closed and sank down. She took a breath to steady her nerves. She flipped through the packet, stopping at the page with the virtualization process. She pulled up the camera feed of the scanner room. "Is everyone ready?"

"Is everyone ready?" Frankie's voice asked coming from an intercom.

"Almost!" Aelita called. Draculaura waited in her scanner while Cleo stood stiffly outside of hers.

"It's- it's not going to be- to be dark in there is it?" Cleo asked softly.

"Don't worry, the scanners are well lit inside," Aelita said, climbing into the last scanner.

Cleo held her breath as she stepped in.

"We're all ready Frankie!" Aelita called.

Frankie looked over the instructions. "You can do this Frankie," She whispered to herself. She cleared her throat. She typed in the first set of commands. "Transfer, Cleo."

Cleo flinched as the scanner doors slammed shut around her.

"Transfer, Draculaura."

Draculaura let out a frightened squeak as the scanners doors shut.

"Transfer, Aelita."

Aelita watched as the doors slid shut. She took a deep breath, readying herself for her entrance to Lyoko.

Frankie typed away. "Scanner, Cleo. Scanner, Draculaura. Scanner, Aelita." She hit the enter key.

Each scanner whirled to life. A thin metal ring swirled around each girl, taking their information and sending it back to the computer.

Frankie readied the final command. Her finger hovered over the enter button. She took another steadying breath. "Virtualization!" She said as she hit the enter key.

In the scanners a bright light engulfed each girl, forcing their eyes shut. And, just as Aelita had said, a numb feeling spread over each of their bodies.

The first thing both Cleo and Draculaura had felt coming to was the feeling of falling. Both yelped, with Cleo reacting quickly and repositioning herself to land on her feet, and Draculaura instinctively turning into a bat.

"Good job Cleo, people don't normally land feet first on their first trip to Lyoko," Aelita said as Cleo stood back up and Draculaura transformed back.

Cleo scoffed. "What kind of cheerleader would I be if I couldn't land a fall?"

"Whoa, Cleo!" Draculaura said pointing at Cleo, "You look so… Different."

Cleo looked at herself. Her body was wrapped from the neck down in bandages with a few loose strands tied around her middle and at the ends of her wrists. She also now had on a cotton colored tube top and matching box-pleated mini-skirt, with varying hieroglyphs embroidered in a golden thread at the hems of each piece. A rope belt styled in the shape of a tyet hung around her hips. A large, beaded necklace made of lapis lazuli, obsidian, and turquoise, hung off of her shoulders, and a golden circlet in the shape of a snake rested on her head. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, wrapped tightly in golden cloth. A pair of gold gladiator sandals reached up to her knees, and the Eye of Ra painted around her eyes. The thing that caught Cleo's attention first however was the reed longbow slung over her shoulders. Cleo carefully slipped the bow off and gently pulled on the bowstring. A reed arrow appeared. As the Cleo relaxed the bowstring it vanished.

"It's a good different!" Draculaura said quickly, throwing up her hands.

Cleo looked at the vampire. She smirked. "Well I'm not the only one with a wardrobe change," She said gesturing to Draculaura's new clothing.

Draculaura instinctively looked down. Her usual outfit was replaced with a dark burgundy, asymmetrical, lolita dress with a blouse-like bodice with lace flounce sleeves, ruffled underskirt, and front laced corset tied tightly around her middle. A black choker was around her neck, and a pair of glittery, blood-red mary-janes on her feet. A pair of pantyhose made the already pale skin of her legs look ghost white. Her black and pink-streaked hair was now hanging loose in a mass of curls, with portions tied up into a pair of space buns, held by a pair of dusty pink bows. Gripped tightly in one hand was a pitch-black parasol with matching lace on the edge. And, true to Aelita's word, the handle of the parasol was the stock of a double-barrel shot-gun.

"This is all real…" Draculaura said breathlessly, gripping the parasol-gun, feeling a sleekness of the parasol's fabric.

"Welcome to Lyoko girls," Aelita said as the two looked around the yellowish-orange plain in wonder. She looked to the sky. "Frankie, we made it to the desert sector safe and sound!"

"Oh thank goodness!" Frankie's disembodied voice echoed, "I was really scared for a second that I messed up and-" She cleared her throat. "Uh, let's get moving then."

"Frankie, can you bring up both the Overwing and Overbike?" Aelita asked.

There was the sound of rustling papers. "Uh, gimme a second!"

Two vehicles appeared before the trio, one a single-wheeled motorcycle, and the other a large saucer with handlebars that hovered over the ground.

"This is the Overbike and Overwing respectively," Aelita said, "Go ahead and take your pick ladies."

"What about you Aelita?" Draculaura asked.

Aelita smiled. She waved her hand over the star-shaped bracelet, bringing her wings into existence. "I have my own method of getting around Lyoko." She swiped her hand over the bracelet again, deactivating her wings.

Cleo walked up to the Overwing. "Well then, I'll take this one, as it visually is similar to the chariots we had back-" She shrieked as the Overwing buckled under her weight. The others (Frankie included) chuckled. "Oh laugh it up!" Cleo said getting fully on the Overwing, "but it's not easy getting on something that's hovering!"

Draculaura walked over to the Overbike. "I guess that means I get this one then," She said nervously as she climbed on. She gave the engine a quick rev.

Aelita chuckled softly. "Now be careful with the Overbike or else Ulrich will have my head for letting you damage his favorite toy!" She said playfully.

Cleo and Draculaura shared a confused look. "Who's Ulrich?" Draculaura asked.

Aelita's expression fell. "He's- It doesn't matter," She said forcibly changing the subject, "Frankie, can you let us know how far the tower is?"

"Uh… the computer says it's about 40 meters away," Frankie answered.

"40 meters," Aelita muttered to herself. She took a deep breath. "Alright. Cleo, Draculaura, stay close behind me. Xana will soon realize that we're here and send its troops our way," Aelita commanded, "Be ready to fight at a moment's notice." She summoned her wings again, this time taking to the air.

Draculaura and Cleo shared a quick glance, before following.

The smell of disinfectant was strong, even for Clawd's sensitive nose. Even with the doctor's assurance that Clawdeen was stable and they managed to flush the poison from his sister's system he didn't want to leave her side until either their parents arrived or-

Clawdeen's eyes slowly fluttered open.

-Or Clawdeen woke up.

"Clawd? What happened?" Clawdeen groaned as she tried to sit up, "Where are we?"

"The hospital," He said simply as he helped Clawdeen into a sitting position, "Heath slipped wolf's bane into your lunch."

"The hospital-" Her eyes widened as she fell back on her back. "Shit," She muttered running her hands down her face, "Ah fuck, Aelita was right…"

"Right? Right about what?" Clawd asked as Clawdeen sat back up.

"I-it's not important right now," She said, swinging her feet over the edge of the hospital bed, "Do you know where Frankie and the others are?"

"No," Clawd said shaking his head, "I rode in the ambulance with you so I don't know, but I can call up Leena or Howie-"

"Don't," She said standing up on wobbly feet. She started to make her way to the door.

Clawd grabbed Clawdeen's arm tight. "Where do you think you're going?" Clawd asked sternly.

"Let go Clawd!" She said trying to tug her arm free.

"No, Clawdeen you need to rest!" Clawd said, trying to pull her back to the hospital bed, "You were just poisoned not even 3 hours ago!"

"Draculaura is in danger Clawd!" Clawdeen shouted.

Clawd let go. "What?"

"Draculaura, and Frankie, and the others… They're all in danger," Clawdeen said. She took a deep breath. "When we went to France, we found something. This computer in an abandoned factory at the edge of town. It had an entire virtual world and a way to enter it, and with it was the new girl," She explained, "And something else…" She sat down, with Clawd following suit. "It's called Xana. It's an AI that went rogue and is bent on wiping out humanity. Aelita is the only one that can stop it, and we all agreed to help her out. We thought we would be leaving back in France… But I guess not."

Clawd was silent. "So this Xana guy…" He said slowly, "He's the one that poisoned you? Because you all agreed to help the new girl?"

"Yeah. And I'm pretty sure he had something behind what happened to Lagoona yesterday," Clawdeen said.

Clawd ran a hand through his hair. "And he's going to hurt the others too?"

Clawdeen nodded.

"And you can't get the authorities involved?"

"Aelita's been doing this long before we found her so if the authorities got involved, it didn't end well," Clawdeen said with a shrug.

Clawd sighed. "You girls just seem to just attract trouble around you?" He said with a breathless chuckle, "and you always seem to get out of it one way or another, so I'm going against my better judgment and letting you go-"

"Thanks, Clawd."

"-but not without me."

"I can take care of myself!" Clawdeen said standing up, "You just said-"

"Yes, I know. But that was when you girls were healthy and not poisoned just a few hours ago!"

Clawdeen groaned. "Fine… You can come, but don't blame me if you get caught in the crossfire," She said rolling her eyes. She walked over to the door and reached for the doorknob. The hospital door swung open, forcing Clawdeen to jump back to avoid being hit in the face.

Heath stood in the doorway, an emotionless look in his eyes. His eyes flickered, the eye of Xana replacing his iris and pupil.

Clawdeen's hackles raised. "Xana."

Clawd pulled Clawdeen back behind him. "Oh no! I'm not letting you hurt my sister again!" He snarled, baring his fangs.

"Be careful Clawd!" Clawdeen said, "I don't know fully what that thing can do!"

'Heath' stepped into the room, electricity crackling around his fingers.

Clawd and Clawdeen braced themselves for an ugly fight.

"Clawd!" Heath's voice came from the hallway. A second Heath stepped into the room. "Listen Clawd, I know I'm the last person you might want to see right now, but I just want to…" He stared at the scene before him. "What uh, what is going on?"

Both Wolf siblings looked at each other. Clawd rammed himself into the clone Heath, knocking it to the ground, while Clawdeen grabbed the real Heath and ran out and from the room, Clawd following Close behind.

"What is going on?!" Heath shouted as the trio made their way down the hallway, "Why was there a second of me?!"

They stopped at an elevator. "Long story short, we pissed off an evil AI during our France trip and now it wants us dead!" Clawdeen said, calling the elevator up.

"Okay, then what's with the evil twin?" Heath asked, gesturing down the hall.

"Wish I knew, this is my second time dealing with this!" Clawdeen answered.

Clawd looked back at Heath. "Wait, what are you doing here?" he asked.

Heath looked at the floor. "Abbey, she- there was an accident and she was-" He hesitated. "S-she got locked in the kiln in the art room."

Clawdeen tensed. "Xana got her too," She said. "Then… What is it doing back here?" She asked, "Xana got Lagoona, me, and Abbey. What is it doing back here? It should be going after the others."

"Why not ask him yourself," Clawd growled, staring down the hall.

The Heath clone was running down the hallway, eyes locked on the three, mainly Clawdeen.

"Fuck," Clawd muttered, looking back at the closed elevator, "How do we lose this thing?"

Heath looked at the clone. "This Xana thing was the one that hurt Lagoona, and poisoned you Clawdeen?" He asked, eyes not leaving his double.

"Yeah, why?"

He took a deep breath. "Then that has to be the one who tried to kill Abbey then," He said. He looked at Clawd and Clawdeen. "You two get to wherever you need to go." He cracked his knacks. "I'll handle the copy-cat."

"Heath-" Clawd protested.

"I've got this," He said, giving a confident look. He looked at Clawdeen. "You girls go save the day like always alright?"

The elevator dinged as the door slid open. Clawdeen nodded. "Good luck Heath!" She called as she and Clawd stepped into the elevator.

The doors slid shut. Heath looked at the clone as it nearly made its way to him. His hands ignited with orange flames. "Alright, let's see just how good of a copy you are," He hissed, running up to punch his clone.

Chapter Text

Aelita flew over the orange plains of the desert sector, scanning the ground below. Cleo and Draculaura followed close behind.

"See anything?" Draculaura asked.

"All clear!" Aelita called down.

"With the fact that Xana is supposedly a murderous AI, this is very underwhelming…" Cleo said, slumping onto the handlebars of the Overwing.

"But that should be a good thing right?" Draculaura said, driving alongside Cleo, "That means an easier mission for us right?"

Aelita slowed her flight. "Not necessarily," She said pulling to a stop in front of the girls, "When Xana's quiet like this, it means that it's planning something, some sort of trap…" She frowned. "Frankie, can you check the surrounding terrain?"

"I'm not seeing anything on the monitor."

"Then let's keep moving then. If Frankie isn't finding anything then that means all we're doing is wasting time!" Cleo argued, crossing her arms.

"Xana is most likely plotting something and we need to be on guard," Aelita shot back. "The last thing that needs to happen is to have Xana jump us at the tower or to have a hidden monster take out one of the vehicles in mid-air. Frankie, scan the area around our route to the tower. Have the computer look for anything that might be out of the ordinary," She ordered.

Frankie flipped through the packet, looking for the command. "Okay, gimme a second while I look for the-"

The sound of the elevator echoed through the room.

"Uh, Aelita… The elevator just started moving," Frankie whispered into the mic.

"Be careful! You're going to be Xana's next target!" Aelita warned, "If Xana gets to the console it's all over."

"Okay." Frankie slowly got out of the chair, tensing for when the elevator doors opened. She scanned the room for any sort of weapon, make-shift or otherwise. She saw nothing. She frowned. She'll have to go with her fists. She removed the earpiece and placed it on the keyboard and moved to stand in front of the elevator doors, (thankfully) still closed. The clunking sound returned, a signal of the doors opening. She closed her eyes trying to psych herself up. The clunking stopped, replaced with the soft tapping sound of someone walking.

"Frankie-"

She cut off the intruder, letting out a war cry and throwing a fist wildly in the direction of whoever just spoke. She let out a yelp as something grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her into the air. She tried to pry her attacker's hands-off while trying to kick them in the legs.

"Frankie! Frankie, it's okay it's me Clawd!"

She stopped fighting. She opened her eyes and looked up seeing the werewolf awkwardly holding onto her.

"Clawd?" She looked around the elevator, seeing he wasn't alone. "Clawdeen?"

Clawd set her back on the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked, as Frankie brushed any dust off of her skirt.

"I'm fine," She said, "Sorry for uh, trying to punch you."

"Guess we're not the only ones on edge," Clawdeen said looking up at Clawd.

Frankie's eyes brightened. "Clawdeen! Oh my ghoul you're okay!" She cheered, throwing her arms around the female werewolf's neck, "W-what are you two doing here?"

Clawdeen stepped into the lab. "We ran into Heath's evil twin at the hospital," She explained, "I gave Clawd the CliffsNotes version on the way here."

"Whoa, whoa, there's two Heaths?"

"Apparently." She looked at the computer. "So how's it going in there?" She asked, pointing at the setup.

Frankie trotted back to the computer, getting back in her seat. "Pretty smoothly so far!" She put the earpiece back in. "They've been pretty lucky, not running into anything-" She looked back at the screen. "Uh oh."

"Frankie, care to explain just what 'uh oh' means?" Cleo asked, a slight edge to her voice.

Frankie chuckled nervously looking back to the packet. "Hey Aelita, the red triangles represent Xana's monsters correct?"

"How many and what type?" Aelita asked.

Clawd and Clawdeen stood behind the supercomputer chair, watching Frankie work. "Uh, The computer calls them Krabes… and looks like there are six of them," She reported.

"Six?!

"Oh goodie two each," Cleo said dryly

"Frankie are you sure you counted correctly? They've never moved in groups greater than three!"

"No, that's how many are on screen."

Aelita cursed under her breath.

"We also know Xana's attack," Clawdeen said, leaning close to Frankie.

"Is that Clawdeen?" Draculaura asked excitedly.

"Yeah, Clawdeen and Clawd just arrived-"

"Clawd's here too!" Frankie could practically see Draculaura's beaming smile.

"H-Hey Laura," Clawd said, awkwardly leaning in. There was a look of relief on his face. "She's really in there," He said looking at Frankie.

"She is."

"Frankie where are the Krabes?" Aelita asked.

Frankie snapped back. "Right!" She typed in a command. "Uh, 15 meters or about 16 yards!" She reported back.

"And Clawdeen you said you figured out Xana's attack?"

Clawdeen shifted, using an arm to support herself against the side of the chair. "Yeah, Xana made a double of Heath," She explained. "Heath, uh the real one, is holding the fake one back."

"Sounds like the Polymorph Spector. Frankie, are there any alternative paths we can take?" Aelita asked.

"No, the tower is on the other side of a cannon. Going around will take too much time," Frankie explained, "And the Krabes are already on the move. They moved 5- wow, they've already moved 5 meters!"

"I forgot how fast Krabes can be… And there's six you said? Alright. Cleo, Draculaura, ready your weapons, looks like you'll be having your first fight!" Aelita commanded.

Clawdeen pushed away from the chair. "Alright. I'll head to the scanners, get ready to send me in Frankie!" She said moving towards the elevator.

Frankie looked at her dumbfounded. "What? No!"

Clawdeen stopped. "What do you mean no? They're going to need all the help they can get!" She shouted, hackles raised.

"Clawdeen you were poisoned not even an hour ago!" Frankie argued, getting out of her seat.

"Four actually," Clawd said, crossing his arms, "And she's right, I'm gonna let you go in there either."

"That's not fair!" Clawdeen said, "They need me! I'm the only one who's fought Xana before!"

"Well, I'm not having my sister put her health at risk!"

"He's right Clawdeen, we don't know the full effects of the virtualization process! What if there is still some of the poison in you and it gets amplified on the return trip?" Frankie reasoned, waving her hands for emphasis.

"And what if Cleo and Laura can't handle Xana's monsters? Hell, we had a hard time in our first fight and there were three of us!" Clawdeen argued.

"No Clawdeen! You're staying here and that is final!"

"But-"

"No buts!" Frankie shouted, her neck bolts beginning to spark, "A-as the one who gets the final say of who goes in and who stays, I forbid you from entering Lyoko and that is final!" A loud crack of electricity echoed throughout the lab. Clawdeen flinched, her ears pressing flat against her head as her eyes grew wide. There was a monument of silence.

Clawdeen looked away from Frankie. "Fine…" She muttered. She turned around and walked to the wall where the elevator rested. She slid down the wall, curling up on the floor.

Frankie opened her mouth. Clawd placed a hand on Frankie's shoulder. "I'll talk to her. You focus on the others," He said. He walked over and sat next to his sister.

Frankie turned her attention back to the screen, taking just a glance back at Clawdeen and Clawd.

"Is everything okay out there?" Draculaura asked.

Frankie took a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, everything is fine…" She took a deep breath, "How is everything going?"

"I can hear the Krabes but can't see them," Aelita reported, "It won't be long until they arrive however, what should we do Frankie?"

"Uh, try to thin their numbers then brute force your way through?" She suggested, trying to sound confident.

Aelita frowned. "Alright… Cleo, Draculaura, ready your weapons," She commanded.

Cleo nodded, nocking her bow, while Draculaura readied her gun.

Something approached them. Something mechanical, and massive.

"Here they come," Aelita said, electricity crackling as she summoned energy fields in both of her hands.

Three mechanical creatures stepped into view. They towered over the girls and walked on four legs with massive saucer-like bodies.

"That's what we're fighting?!" Draculaura squeaked, lowering her gun.

"Yep! Energy field!" Aelita cried, firing both energy fields at the Krabe closest to her on the far left. The Krabe stumbled before exploding.

Three more Krabes joined the remaining two. Together, all five began firing at the trio. The girls reacted quickly, Aelita bringing up her shield, Cleo ducking behind the closed area of the Overwing, and Draculaura unfurling her umbrella.

"Now what?!" Cleo shouted, trying to aim while staying hidden. She fired, her arrow landing a few feet away from one of the far-right Krabes. She growled standing up, another arrow nocked. She fired, hitting the Krabe in one of its legs. The Krabe stumbled back slightly. It turned and aimed at Cleo, firing a shot and hitting her in her shoulder. She yelped as she dropped back behind the closed section, gripping her shoulder

"Stand your ground!" Aelita ordered, dropping her shield momentarily to fire an energy field at the Krabe that Cleo had hit, killing it. A laser hit her in the shoulder before she could put her shield back up. She hissed, gripping her shoulder instinctively. Another shot hit her shin. She quickly put her shield back up before any more shots could hit her. "Frankie, how many life-points did I lose?" She asked, gritting her teeth against the force of fire.

"Uh, you're at 70 now, so you lost 30," Frankie reported, "And Cleo you lost 15 so you're at 85."

"30?! But- but you were only hit twice!" Draculaura said, looking at Aelita with wide eyes. She yelped as a shot narrowly missed her foot.

"How do we kill these things?!" Cleo asked, readying another arrow.

"Two ways," Aelita said, "Chip away at the monsters' life points, or hit the eye of Xana symbol for a one-hit kill!"

"And where is that?" Cleo asked.

Aelita bit her lip. "It's… on their backs…" She said slowly. She gave Cleo a sheepish look.

Cleo stared at her silently. "Alright… Then how the fuck are we supposed to KILL THEM?!"

Aelita dropped her shield and summoned her wings. "Be creative!" She shouted, taking to the sky, narrowly avoiding a barge of fire.

"Be creative?! How can we, when we can barely get any good shots?!" Cleo protested, firing another arrow, it landed just short of the line of Krabes.

"W-what about using gravity?"

"Care to elaborate on how we do that exactly?!" Cleo asked, flinching as a shot barely missed her.

"If you aim at the right angle Cleo, you might be able to get the arrow to arc just enough to land in the right area of the Krabe's shell," Frankie explained.

"Frankie, do you just understand just what you're asking of Cleo?" Aelita asked, firing an energy field at one of the Krabes in the middle. It missed landing just short of two of the Krabes. "You want her- an untrained fighter- to fire an arrow at a certain angle to get it to arc right and hit the symbol she can't see?!"

"Okay so saying it that-"

"Frankie, what angle do I have to fire at?" Cleo snapping, cutting Frankie off.

"Uh… You're around 20 feet away from the looks of it… So, about a 75° but that is just a rough estimate-"

"75°? Alright," Cleo muttered to herself. She stood up and aimed at the sky, making slight readjustments to her form.

"-and of course that's not taking account of wind resistance-"

Cleo fired. The arrow found its mark, embedding itself in the Krabe closest to her, just off-center of the symbol on the monster's back. The monster stumbled, before bursting.

Draculaura and Aelita looked at Cleo slack-jawed.

"Cleo… Where did you learn to shoot an arrow like that?" Draculaura asked, slightly lowering her umbrella. She squeaked, as more laser fire was sent her way.

Cleo smirked, readjusted her footing, and nocked another arrow. She fired, hitting the Krabe on the far right, hitting it in its 'eyes'. "My sister-" She fired again, killing the Krabe. "-was to inherit the throne after father, I had to find other ways to occupy my time while father readied Nefera, so I picked up a few hobbies." She readied another arrow, aiming at the left of the two remaining Krabes.

Frankie looked over the various windows on the screen. "Only two left! Cleo, you have five arrows left," Frankie reported, "Cleo you just lost another 15 life points, putting you at 70 with Aelita, Draculaura you're still at full health.

"Sounds like things are going well in there," Clawd said, watching Frankie work.

"I guess…" Clawdeen muttered.

Clawd frowned. "You're not going in Clawdeen," He said, knowing full well what his sister was thinking.

"They need me in there!" She snapped.

"Nice shot Aelita, just one left!" Frankie cheered, "Cleo, I'm getting the refill command ready, just say the word when you run out!"

"Doesn't sound like it," Clawd said.

Clawdeen's ears flattened. "I should be there… Fighting alongside them! Clawd please I need to protect them!"

"Hold on a sec," Frankie said the sound of rapid typing filled the room, "Xana's sending reinforcements and it looks like- like they're flying? They look like really ugly insects-"

"Hornets," Clawdeen called, "They're called Hornets! And be careful they spit poison!"

Frankie smiled at Clawdeen. "Thanks!" She looked back at the screen. "Clawdeen says they're called Hornets and that they spit poison. You have three coming southwest and they're coming in fast!"

Clawdeen's fur bristled. "I need to be in there."

Clawd placed a hand on Clawdeen's shoulder. "Clawdeen, I know you want to but right now, you need to stay here. Remember what Frankie said? We don't know how it'll affect you after you were poisoned."

The elevator began to move.

Clawdeen and Clawd looked at each other before scrambling to their feet. "Uh… Frankie-"

"Did either of you tell Lagoona to come?" Frankie asked, quickly looking between the siblings.

"I left my phone back at the hospital so no," Clawdeen said, while Clawd shook his head.

"Might be the clone. Be careful you three!" Aelita warned.

Clawd and Clawdeen nodded, hackles raised. The doors slid open revealing Heath. The siblings relaxed.

"It's just Heath," Clawdeen said, letting out a sigh of relief. She looked at Frankie who was peeking out from behind the back of the computer chair. "It's fine Frankie. It's just Heath," She reported.

"Does he-?

"Yeah, we gave him the rundown back at the hospital," Clawdeen explained as Heath stepped out of the elevator.

His eyes were focused on Frankie. He started to walk towards the chair. Clawd placed a hand on Heath's shoulder, stopping the fire elemental in place.

"Hey, how did you even find this place? I wouldn't have if it wasn't that Clawdeen was guiding me," Clawd asked, gently squeezing Heath's shoulder, keeping him from moving.

Heath looked up at Clawd. He shrugged. "I followed the clone here. After you two split off in the hospital, it lost interest in me. I followed it back to that portal you guys set up in the courtyard but lost track of it after I went through," He explained, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets.

"So the evil twin still running around?" Clawdeen asked, crossing her arms.

"Guess so," Heath said shrugging. He pulled from Clawd's grip and walked to the computer chair.

Clawdeen sniffed the air. "Hey, did you get into anything on the way here?" She asked slightly too loudly.

"You smelled it too?" Clawd whispered.

Clawdeen narrowed her eyes. "Yeah…" There was an edge to her voice.

Heath leaned uncomfortably close to Frankie. "So the others are in there now?"

"Hey! My sister asked you a question!"

"Uh, yes. I'm not fully sure how it works-" Heath leaned in closer. The bolts in Frankie's neck popped loudly. "Sorry!" She laughed, nervously rubbing her bolts. "That's weird… That's never happened before," She muttered to herself.

Clawdeen and Clawd shared a look. "Hey… How did you find this place again?" Clawdeen asked, narrowing her eyes.

Heath looked at her. "Why do you ask?"

The elevator began moving again. Everyone in the room turned to look, seeing the doors open. Inside was another Heath, looking slightly winded. He looked at the first Heath. "YOU!" He shouted, pointing accusatorily at the first Heath.

Chapter Text

The elevator began moving again. Everyone in the room turned to look, seeing the doors open. Inside was another Heath, looking slightly winded. He looked at the first Heath. “YOU!” He shouted, pointing accusatorily at the first Heath.

There was a brief glance between the siblings. They sprung into action, Clawd grabbing a hold of the first Heath and slammed him to the ground, gripping the Heath’s wrist tightly, and Clawdeen slammed her body into the new Heath, one hand on his shoulders and the other clasping his wrist.

“Fuck!” The second Heath shouted as his body hit the metal of the wall. “Oh, Today is just not my day!” He groaned.

“There really are two Heaths,” Frankie squeaked, peeking out from the back of the chair.

“One of these things is the Poly-something, right?!” Clawd asked, looking between the two Heaths. “How do we tell which is the real one?”

There was a moment of silence. Then a sigh. “There isn’t...” Aelita finally spoke, “Unless it reveals itself, the Polymorph is completely indistinguishable from whoever they copy…”

“Oh, come on!” Clawdeen complained, “That’s not fair!”

A sharp beep came from the computer, snatching Frankie’s attention.

“Frankie the Hornets are here!” Aelita shouted, the faint sound of buzzing in the background.

“Shoot! Uh, okay!” She said frazzled, frantically looking between the computer screen and scene playing out behind her.

“We’ll handle the ‘Heath’ problem you take care of the others, Frankie!” Clawdeen said. She looked at the Heath she had pinned. She caught a whiff of his jacket, the rancid smell of week-old sweat hitting her nose. “Gah! Ugh Heath, when was the last time you washed this thing?!” She gagged, trying to pull her face as far away as she could while keeping her grip on Heath. Her eyes widened. “Clawd! What is Heath’s scent normally like?” She asked.

“What? Why?” Clawd asked, looking at her puzzled.

“I’m wondering just how ‘indistinguishable’ Xana can make this thing!” She said, a massive grin spreading across her face.

Clawd’s ears perked up. “Uh, smoke mostly, with ash!” He said, “And kind of woody! Like a campfire!”

Clawdeen leaned close, inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes, picking out each scent. “I’m getting a campfire from mine!” She reported. “And week-old gym socks. Seriously Heath, wash this thing.” Her Heath chuckled nervously.

Clawd leaned in close to sniff his Heath.

“Clawd dude, it’s me I swear!” The Heath shouted, trying to squirm out of Clawd’s grasp.

“If you want to prove it, then hold still!” Clawd snapped, applying more pressure onto his Heath’s back. He leaned close, taking a deep breath. His eyes widened. “This one doesn’t have a- GAH!” Clawd hit the floor hard.

“Clawd!” Clawdeen shrieked, dropping her Heath, the real one, and rushed to her brother’s side.

The clone got to its feet, brushing off any dust. Its eyes flickered, pupil and iris replaced with the eye of Xana.

“That’s not good, is it?” Clawd groaned as Clawdeen helped him to his feet.

“Uh… Aelita, I think we found the clone…” Frankie chuckled nervously.

Aelita felt her stomach churn. “We need to hurry!” She shouted down at Cleo and Draculaura. She charged an energy field and aimed at one hornet that had them surrounded. The hornet ducked, letting the shot fly right past it, and turned its full attention to her. It fired, hitting Aelita in the foot. She hissed, readying another energy field.

Cleo readied an arrow, trying to aim at another Hornet that had its attention focused solely on her. “What do you think I’ve been doing?!” She snapped, letting the arrow fly. The Hornet ducked, flying around behind Cleo. Cleo twisted around, trying to keep her balance on the Overwing as it wobbled as she moved. “Who’s bright idea was it to make this thing fly?!” She shouted. The Hornet acted, spitting out a thick, bubbling, green liquid at Cleo. She hissed as it splashed on her shin. She readied an arrow, aiming at the Hornet. Searing, white-hot pain exploded in her shin. She yelped, releasing the arrow. It flew, just barely grazing the Hornet’s side. She gritted her teeth, trying to shake off the poison from her leg to no avail.

Aelita swooped down, just narrowly avoiding a laser clipping her wings. She fired an energy field. It hit, engulfing the monster in pink electricity. The Hornet let out a shriek as it exploded. Aelita let out a sigh. “That’s one down.” She looked over at the other two, Cleo who was doing her best to fight the pain and aim at the Hornet fighting her, and Draculaura who had been hiding behind her umbrella as the final Hornet relentlessly fired away, trying to break through her shield. “And two to go…” She muttered. She swooped down, flying directly in front of the Hornet attacking Draculaura, drawing its attention away from the vampire.

Cleo fired again at the Hornet, the arrow missing its mark. “Ra, damn it!” She shouted, trying to fire again and missing. The stinging sensation returned. She bit her lip, holding back a scream. She reached down and quickly brushed the liquid off of her. The Hornet took the opportunity, firing a shot that hit her shoulder, forcing her to her knees.

“Cleo!” Draculaura cried out. She looked at the Hornet targeting Cleo, narrowed her eyes and furled her umbrella, and took aim. She pulled the trigger, her body jerking back from the gun’s recoil. The bullet flew past, missing the Hornet by a mile.

The Hornet battling Aelita stopped and turned its attention to Draculaura. It charged its laser.

“Draculaura behind you!” Aelita shouted.

The Hornet fired, hitting Draculaura right between the shoulder blades. She involuntarily pulled the trigger of her shotgun. She fell onto her back on the Overbike from the recoil, not having any time to ready herself.

The bullet found its mark in the Hornet’s side, killing it instantly.

“Draculaura you did it!” Frankie cheered.

Draculaura picked herself up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I- I did?” She looked up. “I did it!” She cheered. She looked at the remaining Hornet and readied her gun, steadying her aim. Draculaura smirked as she pulled the trigger, letting the bullet soar from her gun. It hit smack dab into the eye of Xana on the monster’s head, exploding it mid-flight.

Aelita looked over at Draculaura as she landed. “Good job,” She said, “Now come on! We need to get moving!” She took to the air again, soaring past Cleo and Draculaura.

Cleo and Draculaura nodded, readying their vehicles and following Aelita.

Clawd stood up on shaky feet. “That thing is a lot stronger than it looks,” He said with a wince.

Clawdeen snarled. “Keep your filthy hands off my brother Xana,” She growled, her hackles rising, and eyes narrowing into slits.

The clone smirked. Electricity crackled in his palms. He took a step forward. Clawdeen lunged, teeth bared. The electricity stopped. The clone reached out and grabbed a fist full of her hair. She let out a yelp as it pulled back hard, swinging her to the floor. She crashed face-first into the metal plating of the floor, lights dance in her vision.

“Clawdeen!” Clawd shrieked.

She looked up, seeing the clone rear back its foot. She shut her eyes tightly and covered her head.

“GET AWAY FROM HER!”

Clawd punched the clone. The clone reeled back, a hand clutching its eye. It let out an animalistic growl, firing daggers at Clawd. Clawd stepped in front of Clawdeen, teeth bared and claws ready.

“Hey!”

The clone looked behind it. Heath launched himself, clinging onto the clone’s back. He threw an arm around the clone’s throat in a feeble attempt at a chokehold. The clone thrashed about, trying it throw Heath off of it. He only tightened his grip. “God, this is so weird!” He shouted.

Clawd helped his sister to her feet. “Are you okay?” He asked, checking her over.

“Yeah- yeah, I’m fine,” She said shakily. She looked at the clone, then back at Clawd. “We doing this?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Both readied themselves. They pounced, moving almost in sync. Clawd attacked first, swinging a fist, clocking the clone in the jaw. Heath slid off the clone as it stumbled back, gripping its jaw. It looked up wildly. It roared in pain as Clawdeen raked her claws over its face. A thick black ooze dripped from the wounds before quickly healing.

“Alright, that is just unfair,” Heath said, moving to stand next to the siblings.

The clone lunged, swing at Clawd. Heath grabbed onto Clawd’s arm, pulling him out of the clone’s path. The clone stumbled. Clawdeen punched, aiming right between the clone’s shoulder blades, sending it crashing into the ground. The three surrounded the clone.

“What’s the matter, Xana?” Clawdeen taunted, staring down the clone, “Lost your fight?”

A twisted grin spread across the clone’s face. A loud crack echoed out as bolts of electricity sprung from the clone’s back. The three jumped back, trying helplessly to not get shocked. Frankie, still sitting in the chair, gripped her bolts, feeling them violently react to the added electricity in the room. The clone got to its feet, electricity popping around its arms.

Clawdeen felt her back hit the computer chair. Frankie popped her head out. “Still wanting to go to Lyoko?” she joked, looking at Clawdeen.

Clawdeen glanced back at the clone. She cracked her knuckles. “I think I might be more useful here,” She said. She focused back on the clone. “Is that all you got, Xana?” She taunted, “Flashy lights and a shitty knock-off that can’t take a hit?!” She braced herself. A bolt of electricity flew at her. She ducked into a somersault, just narrowly avoiding being hit. Hurry, guys! She thought, getting back to her feet.

“Almost there! The tower should be on the other side of that cannon!” Frankie said.

“We see it, Frankie!” Aelita reported. She pulled to a stop, hiding behind a large rock. “And the welcoming party…”

Cleo and Draculaura pulled up behind her. “And what are those things?” Cleo asked, looking at the monsters guarding the entrance.

The monsters had long, thin, worm-like bodies with four stick-thin limbs with rounded numbs at the end. They sat on their back ‘legs’ and balanced on their front.

“Tarantulas,” Aelita answered.

“Tarantulas?” Draculaura squinted. “They don’t look like spiders thought…”

“Odd named them, we just went along with it,” Aelita explained. She looked out behind the rock. “Alright, two are guarding the front, and one on each side… How should we do this? We can’t go around, the cannon’s sides extend too far around…” There was a loud clang from the lab followed by a faint ‘I’m okay!’ from Heath. “And things sound like it’s getting messy out there…”

“What about going above?” Draculaura suggested.

“Yeah, you can fly and these things look like they might as well,” Cleo added, gesturing to the vehicles.

“No. Not with yours and Draculaura’s inexperience with the vehicles,” Aelita said, “The Tarantulas will shoot you down instantly.”

“So we’ll be fighting our way through then?” Cleo asked, crossing her arms. She peaked out. “And just how do we do this? In my personal opinion, we need to take out the ones on the wall since they’ll be the ones giving us the most problems.”

“But then we still have the ones on the ground to deal with,” Aelita argued, “We need to focus on the ones on the ground and ignore the ones on the side to save time!”

Cleo scoffed. “Oh, yes, that’ll be cinch… If you ignore the fact that we’re going to be shot at on all sides!” She snapped.

“W-what if me and Cleo focus on the ones on the wall and you focus on the ground? Then you can take care of the ones on the ground?” Draculaura suggested.

“It could work, but unfortunately the Tarantulas work like a machine gun. Once they fire, they don’t stop. It’s overwhelmed me and my friends many times,” Aelita explained, “Now imagine that power coming from both sides, and front all at once.”

Draculaura grimaced. “So, how do we get past them?” She asked.

Cleo looked at the Tarantulas, then at the Overwing. “I have an idea,” She said boarding the Overwing.

“Cleo, what are planning?” Aelita asked, narrowing her eyes.

Cleo smirked. “Well… These things try to overwhelm their ‘targets’ correct?” She said. She gripped the handlebars.

“Just what are you doing?!”

Cleo grinned. “Well… Let’s see how they handle being ‘overwhelmed’ themselves.” She piloted the Overwing out from behind the rock.

“Cleo, wait!”

She ignored her, making her way to the Tarantulas. She leaned forward, picking up speed quickly. The Tarantulas noticed her. They pointed their cannons at Cleo. The two on the ground charged, getting ready to fire. Cleo came barreling through, ramming the Overwing into the right Tarantula, killing it instantly.

And destroying the Overwing.

She yelped as she was thrown into the air. Years of cheer kicked in. She threw out her hands and launched into a front handspring. She ducked into a somersault and landed in a low crouch. The remaining three Tarantulas began firing at Cleo, noting giving her a chance to recover. Cleo cried out in pain as a shot hit her shoulder. She rolled, trying to get out of the way, and pressed herself against the wall and nocked an arrow. She aimed at the Tarantula on the left wall and fired. The arrow hit the Tarantula square in the Eye of Xana. A shot hit her ankle, and she hissed in pain. She dropped to a crouch, quickly crawling away, letting out yelped as a shot hit her shoulder blade, sending a sharp stinging sensation down her arm and neck. She somersaulted out of the cannon, pressing herself flat against the front of the cannon wall. “Your turn!” She shouted, rubbing her affected arm. She winced as a few shots narrowly missed hitting her.

“Cleo, did you even think this plan through?!” Aelita shouted back.

“There’s only two left! We can take them!” Draculaura said reeving the engine of the Overbike.

Aelita sighed before nodding. She summoned her wings. “I’ll take the one on the wall you take the one on the ground!” She commanded. She swooped, firing an energy field at the Tarantula. It squealed as the energy field hit, engulfing it in electricity and killing it.

Draculaura swerved the Overbike to a stop. She unfurled her umbrella, just as the Tarantula opened fire. “Please be aimed right, pleased be aimed right, please be aimed right-“ She pulled the trigger. There was an explosion. She peeked out, seeing the Tarantula gone. “Yes!” She cheered, pumping the air with a fist.

“Great job girls!” Frankie cheered, “The tower is just on the other side!”

Cleo stood up. She walked over to Draculaura. “Have room for one more?” she joked.

Draculaura giggled and scooted forward, making room for Cleo.

“Oh, and Cleo?”

Cleo climbed onto the Overbike. “Yes?”

“You have 45 life points left.”

She winced.

“Let’s get a move on, ladies!” Aelita shouted from the air. She dove into the cannon, Draculaura and Cleo following close behind.

“Aelita’s almost at the tower! Just hang on for a bit more!” Frankie reported.

Clawdeen yelped, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt. “You know that’s a little easier said than done!” She snapped. She yelped as a bolt just barely missed her head.

Heath ducked, missing being hit by a lightning bolt. “What’s the matter? Too afraid of getting your ass whooped in a real fight?” he taunted. The clone growled, lunging at Heath, fist ready and aimed at his head. He sidestepped, letting the clone ram itself into the wall. “Not only is it a coward, but it’s dumb-“ A sickening crack echoed in the metal room. Heath clutched his jaw, the taste of blood filled his mouth. The clone watched triumphantly. It punched again, fist colliding with his nose, sending Heath stumbling back. He fell back, hitting the floor hard, knocking him out cold.

“Heath!” Clawd shouted. He ran to Heath’s side, looking him over.

Clawdeen snarled, pupils shrinking into pinpricks. “HEY!” She shouted. The clone looked at her. She bared her fangs and broke into a full sprint at the clone. She slashed. It ducked. It rammed an elbow into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled, desperately trying to regain her footing. The clone grabbed a hold of her hair, pulling her close to it. It took a hold of her shoulders and slammed her hard into the floor.

“CLAWDEEN!” Frankie screamed, leaping out of the chair and to the werewolf’s side.

Clawdeen groaned, her vision blurry and spots of light dancing about in her vision. Frankie pulled Clawdeen close. The clone stood over them, electricity crackling up its arms. Frankie fought back a gasp as she felt her own bolts reacting.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY SISTER!”

Clawd flew at the clone, tackling it to the ground. There was a look of murder in his eyes. He punched, one hand gripped tightly on the clone’s throat. He punched again, harder this time. And again.

And again.

And again.

With each punch he tightened his grip on the clone’s throat until his claws were firmly dug into the clone's skin’, black ooze dripping from the wounds. The clone grabbed a hold of his wrist. Clawd squeezed tighter.

It smirked.

Clawd screamed, his body arching back as pure pain flooded his body.

Clawdeen snapped back to reality. “CLAWD!” She shrieked, watching Clawd collapsed to the ground screaming. The clone still holding onto him, pumping more painful shocks into his body. Clawdeen broke free, just as the clone let go.

Clawd laid limp on the floor.

Clawdeen checked desperately for a pulse. She breathed as she felt a faint thumping under her fingertips. “Clawd! Come on Clawd, you gotta wake up!” She begged, shaking her brother desperately, “C-Clawd, please! I’m sorry! Please, just wake up!”

The clone turned to look at Frankie.

“S-stay back!” She shouted, standing back up on shaky legs. The clone lunged. It clamped a hand tightly around her neck. She tried to free herself, kicking feebly at the clone’s legs. She screamed as electricity filled her body. The clone let go, leaving Frankie on the floor gasping desperately for air.

“Aelita deactivate the tower, hurry!” Clawdeen screamed, cradling her brother.

The three stood outside the tower. “He got Frankie…” Aelita whispered, her eyes wide.

A chill ran down all three girl’s spines.

“What are doing standing around?! GO!” Cleo shouted, gesturing at the tower.

Aelita nodded. She ran to the base of the tower and glided inside. The inner rinds of the lower floor glowed as she walked to the middle.

The clone looked at Clawdeen triumphantly. “Now… Who to save you?” It spoke, its voice garbled like television static.

Clawdeen whimpered, pulling Clawd closer to her.

The clone raised a hand, preparing to strike.

Aelita lifted off the ground, gracefully landing on the second floor.

A loud crack filled the room.

The clone stumbled, trying to regain its footing. It and Clawdeen stared in shock.

“Get away from them…” Frankie said slowly. She stood tall, hair fanned out behind her. All around her body was electricity crackling dangerously. There was a dark look in her eyes. One that Clawdeen had never seen her have before. “Now!” She snapped, her hands curling into tight fists.

The clone scoffed. It ran at Frankie, preparing to punch her.

“Fine then,” She muttered. Frankie grabbed a hold of the clone’s arm. She swung the clone around. She kicked, hard, in the clone’s back, launching the clone into the wall. A massive bang mixed with the creaking of metal erupted as she embedded the clone into the wall.

Clawdeen stared in shock, eyes dancing between Frankie and the clone.

Aelita placed a hand on the tower’s console.

AELITA

CODE: LYOKO.

“Tower deactivated she breathed.

Frankie looked at Clawdeen, panting. She smiled. Then her eyes rolled back. She collapsed, unconscious.

Aelita re-summoned the console, typing in a command.

Outside the tower, Draculaura and Cleo watched in shock as their bodies faded away.

The scanners hissed open. Aelita stepped. “Welcome back to earth,” She said, looking at a dazed Cleo and Draculaura.

“Did we do it?” Draculaura asked, looking at Aelita, eyes wide.

Aelita nodded.

Cleo and Draculaura looked at each other, smiling.

“We did it,” Cleo said breathlessly. She laughed. “We did it!”

“G-guys?“ Clawdeen’s voice echoed from the upper floor.

The three looked at each other before rushing to the elevator. They stared in shock at the scene in the lab as the elevator doors opened. “What happened?!“ Aelita asked, looking at the massive dent in the wall.

“Clawd!” Draculaura cried out, dropping beside Clawdeen. “I-is he-?”

Clawdeen shook her head. “No. He took a beating by Xana but he’s alive,” Clawdeen said, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her chest heaved as she let out a whine. “I-it’s all my fault! I-if I didn’t let him follow me! If I just made him stay back at the hospital!” She cried, burying her face into Clawd’s neck. Draculaura hugged her tightly.

Aelita dropped beside Frankie. She reached out to shake her. “Ow!” She rubbed her hand. Small sparks popped around her stitching. “Clawdeen, what happened to her?” She asked as she got to her feet.

“T-the Poly-thing. It grabbed her and started shocking her. I- I thought she passed out but-“ She looked at the dent. “She stood up and threw it into the wall… I’ve never seen her do anything like that before… T-then she passed out for real and the clone vanished.”

Aelita looked around the room. “We’ll need to launch a Return to the Past,” She said, climbing into the chair. “I’ll set it to bring us back to yesterday morning. I’ll need one of you to message the others letting them know what happened,” She said, typing away.

“I’ll do it,” Cleo said, raising her hand.

Aelita nodded. She finished typing in the command. “Return to the Past now!” She hit the enter key.

Frankie jerked awake. She looked around frantically, trying to recall what just happened. She had been in the factory and Xana had just taken out Heath, Clawd, and Clawdeen. It had grabbed a hold of her, then a rush of energy, far stronger than anything she had felt before. She had attacked the clone and threw it then… Then nothing. Frankie looked around, finding herself back in her room, dressed in her pajamas and hooked up to her charging station. She unhooked herself and stepped down. Wazit sat at her feet, wagging his tail. She smiled and bent down, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Wazit crawled into her lap, purring. She scratched behind his ears as she pulled her phone off of her nightstand. She opened a text from Cleo, noticing the phone’s date showed it was apparently yesterday.

We did it. Day saved & Aelita turned back time to b4 everything.

Frankie beamed. “Wazit we did it!” She cheered, picking Wazit up, being careful of his wings. “We saved the day!”

“Frankie, Liebling, are you up yet?” Her mother asked, knocking.

“I’m up!” Frankie shouted, getting up off the floor. She put Wazit down and hurried to get changed into her everyday wear. She grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder and headed downstairs.

“You should’ve gotten me if things had gotten that serious!” Lagoona said as she finished listening to the recap.

“We didn’t really think about it,” Frankie said, smiling nervously. The group, minus Clawdeen and Aelita, stood on the steps leading up to the school’s entrance, walking the students as they walked past them.

Draculaura perked up as the three Wolf siblings walked into view.

“You’re sure you’re fine?” Clawdeen asked (clearly for the umpteenth time judging from Clawd’s expression.)

Clawd rolled his eyes. “Really Clawdeen, I’m fine! Are you sure it was just a ‘bad dream’ you had?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah… it was just a dream,” She said, looking away.

“I’m going to go find Twyla! Later!” Howleen shouted break away from her siblings. She paused by the group. “Hey… Can guys keep an eye on my sister? She apparently had a really messed up dream last night and now she’s acting weird around Clawd,” She asked. The girls nodded and Howleen made her way into the school.

“I’m going to go hunt down Robecca. SKRM season is kicking off soon and we need to get permission from Ms. Bloodgood to use the Catacombs for practice,” Clawd said. He smiled at Draculaura as he walked past.

Clawdeen watched him leave. She let out a long sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. She joined her friends on the stairs.

“How’s Clawd?” Frankie asked.

Clawdeen sighed. “He’s just as he was yesterday…” She said slowly, “He doesn’t remember a thing. Not like me, I almost lost it when I saw him this morning. I convinced everyone that I just had a bad dream.” She leaned back against the stair railing.

“At least it’s all over now…” Frankie said. Her eyes lit up. “Aelita! Over here!” She yelled, waving her hands frantically.

Aelita said something to Jackson and walked over. “How are you two feeling?” She asked, looking over at Lagoona and Abbey.

“Right as rain!” Lagoona said with a laugh.

Abbey grunted. “Better. Nearly had a heart attack when woke,” She said.

Aelita relaxed. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“So…” Draculaura piped up. “What… do we do now?”

Aelita looked at the group. “We live the day over. Go to school, do our homework, and wait for Xana’s next attack.” She looked at the messenger bag around her shoulder. “Actually… Cleo, after classes are over, can you introduce me to your friend again? I need this laptop fixed as soon as possible so I can get everything transferred over to a new one as soon as possible.”

Cleo smiled. “Alright.” She stretched her arms. “I’m going to go find Deuce. He’s been wondering about the Return to the Past. Bye, everyone!” She said walking off.

“I should get going too,” Aelita said, looking up at the doors to the school. “I don’t want to get lost again.” She walked into the building, pausing when she noticing Howleen and Twyla standing together, looking at something on Howleen’s phone. She took a deep breath. “Excuse me?” Both girls looked up at Aelita. “I’m new here. Could one of you show me room 207 is? This school is so big,” She asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure. We have that class first too, so if you want you can walk with us,” Howleen said. She stuck out a hand. “I’m Howleen and this is Twyla.

“I’m Aelita.”

“Yeah, my sister told me you were transferring,” Howleen said as the three walked off. “Hey is it okay if I call you Lita?”

“That’s okay.”

Frankie watched them vanish into the school.

“You think we can really do this?” Clawdeen asked, “This won’t be anything like what we’ve been through before.”

“It may be harder than normal, but… There hasn’t been nothing we haven’t gotten through yet!” Lagoona said.

Frankie looked at the remaining members. “I think we can do this. It might tough, but we’ve pulled crazier things in the past! Fighting an evil AI will just be another thing to add to the list!” Frankie said. She walked up to the doors, took a deep breath, and stepped in, ready to relive the day.

Chapter Text

It was a somewhat busy day at the Maul. Students just released from school bounced from store to store, a few couples chatting in the food court, and a group of girls (minus a saltwater monster) sitting at one of the outside tables of the Coffin Bean.

“This isn’t fair!“ Cleo whined as she slumped onto the table. “Why is it taking so for it to attack?”

Aelita took a sip of her tea. “I’m sorry Cleo but this is normal behavior for Xana,” She said, setting her drink down, “Xana can go attacking almost every other day to going silent for weeks.”

“Besides,” Clawdeen pitched in, leaning back in her chair, “Having been through two Xana attacks already, I’m happy for this silence!”

“Uugh!”

Frankie lit up. “Ghoulia hey!” She said, waving.

Ghoulia walked up to the group, smiling.

“Hey Ghoulia, how’s it going?” Clawdeen asked as Ghoulia approached the table.

Ghoulia shrugged, making a ‘so-so’ motion. She looked at Aelita and grunted, holding up a finger while reaching into her bag. She pulled out Aelita’s laptop and held it out to her.

“Oh, you did you finish fixing it?” Aelita asked. She reached out, trying to tug it out of Ghoulia’s grasp. “Can I have it back, please?”

Ghoulia looked at her, puzzled. She moaned, clearly asking Aelita a question.

The group’s eyes went wide.

“What did she say?!” Aelita whispered.

“Uh… Well, while Ghoulia was repairing the laptop, she found some programs that she uh- wanted to ask you about…” Draculaura explained.

Aelita paled. “Uh- well, you see!” She stuttered, trying to think up an excuse.

“It’s my fault!” Frankie shouted, getting up from her chair. “I mean, I gave the laptop to her. It was one of my dad’s and you know my dad- always using tech that was long since outdated before he and mom made me! A-anyway, she wanted to video chat with her friends from France, so I got a spare from my dad and gave it to her!” She gave a weak chuckle.

Ghoulia looked at them suspiciously. She let out a low grunt.

Cleo stood up. “Ghoulia, you have my word. If something serious was going on, we would tell you,” She said.

Ghoulia sighed, then looked up at them with a smile. She turned away, giving a quick wave as she walked off.

A sigh of relief swept through the group.

“That… was a close one,” Aelita said, looking at her tea.

Frankie hit her head against the table. “I just lied to Ghoulia! I can’t believe I just lied to her!”

Aelita looked at Frankie. She sighed. “I’m sorry Frankie, but it’s a necessary evil-“

Cleo slammed her hands against the table. “Oh, come on!” She said rolling her eyes. “Why on earth are we hiding this from her! Ghoulia is one of the best students in the school, and she’s an incredible programmer! She could help us with our little Xana problem!”

“Yes… We could,” Aelita said, crossing her arms, “And give Xana a new target.”

Cleo narrowed her eyes. “Explain.”

“Part of Xana’s programming is to eliminate any threats to its existence. For example, us. I am the only one who can deactivate Xana’s towers. Normally it could easily kill me on Lyoko, forcing me to wait 12 hours until I can return. That would give it enough time to wreck as much havoc as it wants. It can’t because Frankie can guide me to the towers and alert me of incoming monsters, and the rest of you to help fight and defend me so I can deactivate the tower. As you get in the way of Xana’s goal to kill me, Xana targets you all. If we let Ghoulia in, and Xana realizes she can program a way to destroy it, it will not hesitate to shift its focus from me to her. As you saw with Xana’s last attack, it is not afraid to do whatever it takes.”

Clawdeen looked away, while Abbey tensed up.

“So. To protect friend, we must hurt friend,” Abbey said with a growl, “It not feel right.”

Aelita sighed. “I know… But unfortunately, it’s something we’ve had to do to protect people.” She gently grabbed her cup, looking down at her tea. “It’s also a reason we didn’t keep many friends outside of the group.”

“Do we also have to lie to our parents?” Draculaura asked softly.

“Yes.”

The group looked at the table.

“Well, aren’t we all in a glum mood!”

Frankie smiled as they all looked, seeing Lagoona walking up to them, followed by someone else.

“Hey, Lagoona! Hey Robecca!” She said standing up and hugging the saltwater monster.

Lagoona giggled as she returned the hug. “Sorry for bein’ so late! SKRM practice ran longer than normal.”

“Scream?” Aelita asked, looking at the others.

“Skater Extreme Roller Maze,” Clawdeen explained, “S-K-R-M. SKRM.”

“It’s a sport where two teams enter a maze where they must race to the finish line while avoiding traps in the maze! The first team to have someone cross the finish line wins!” Draculaura pitched in.

“Anyway, I hope you don’t mind if I invited an extra,” Lagoona said gesturing at Robecca.

“Not at all! The more the merrier!” Frankie said. “Hey Robecca, have you met Aelita yet?”

“I think we have a few classes together, you're the normie girl from France, correct?” Robecca said.

“Uh, yes I am…” Aelita said nervously. She looked over at Frankie. “Are you sure about letting her join us?” She whispered, “What if Xana-“

“Oh, shush!” Cleo said, waving a hand dismissively, “As you said, Xana could go from attacking every day to going quiet. Xana hasn’t attacked today, so clearly it’s still having its pity party for losing.”

“First, that’s not how Xana works, second if Xana launches an attack, we’ll just put her in danger,” Aelita said.

“Come on, Aelita,” Frankie said, lowering her voice, “Cleo’s right, we’ve seen nothing from Xana, so what’s the harm in letting Robecca join us?”

Aelita frowned. Then she sighed. “Alright…” She said finally.

Frankie smiled. “Alright girls!” She yelled, with a clap of her hands, “Where to first?”

“I saw this new boutique a few days back, I’ve been meaning to go check it out,” Draculaura piped up.

“That sounds good to me,” Clawdeen said, followed by the agreement from the rest of the group.

“Oh! I need to run and pick up some oil from Severs,“ Robecca said.

Frankie’s bolt’s popped. “Hey… Why don’t you go with her, Aelita!” Frankie said, walking up behind Aelita and placing her hands on Aelita’s shoulders.

“Oh no, i-it’s okay!” Aelita said waving her hands. “I-it’s just a quick trip, right? I’m sure she doesn’t need someone to go with-“

“I don’t mind a bit!” Robecca said with a laugh, cutting Aelita off, “More the merrier and all that!”

Aelita forced. “Oh, alright then, I guess we should get going…” She said glancing back at Frankie.

Frankie gave her a thumbs up. “You have my number, I’ll text you the store name when we get there!” Frankie said, quickly rounding up the rest of the group and walking away. “You two have fun now!”

Aelita watched them walked away. Robecca placed a hand on Aelita’s shoulder. “Shall we get going then?”

Aelita sighed. “Alright. Let’s get moving, show me the way.”

“Well, it’s quite the boodle in ‘ere now isn’t it!” Robecca said with a laugh.

“A what?”

“You know-“ She gestured at the semi-packed store. “-A boodle,” She said weakly. She sighed. “It’s an old slang term.”

Robecca guided Aelita through the store’s varying clothing racks, shelves selling varying gadgets, and what-not until stopping at the hardware aisle. Aelita watched as Robecca bent down, browsing through the many brands of oil.

“So… How are you enjoying Monster High?” Robecca asked, glancing at Aelita through the corner of her eye.

Aelita shrugged. “It’s… Different. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to Mr. Hack’s class, or ‘Home Yuck’ was it?”

“Oh, you’re taking home Ick with Ms. Kindergrubber?” Robecca said.

“I needed an elective, and it sounded like something I could catch up quickly,” Aelita said with a shrug.

Robecca laughed as she picked up a can. “I doubt ‘potion brewing’ isn’t part of your Home ec classes at your previous school?” She teased.

“I will say ‘bat wings,’ and ‘newt’s eyes’ weren’t common ingredients back at Kadic.”

“Kadic? Is that the name of your old school?” Robecca asked, putting the can back on the shelves.

Aelita stayed silent.

“Don’t want to talk about it? It’s alright, I understand,” She focused back on the shelf. “I’ll tell you, things have changed so much since I last attended. Back before my… accident, the Wright brothers had just taken their famous flight, and now airplanes are just about everywhere! Not to mention just how thrilled to find out that there are now professional woman’s leagues in sports-“

“Wait, the Wright brothers? You there when they took their first flight? In 1903?” Aelita said, looking at Robecca, wide-eyed.

Robecca laughed. “Well, I wasn’t there in person, that was what December? I just remember my father getting the news and getting ecstatic over the possibilities of machine-assisted flight,” She said. Her smiled fell. “I miss him dearly.”

Aelita felt a sharp pang in her chest. A very familiar pang.

“But that was quite a long time ago,” Robecca said with a sigh. “If only that blasted dragon wasn’t-“ She wiped her eyes, the soft sound of metal scraping against metal from her ‘skin’. “Ah! Here we are!” She grabbed a can and stood up. “Shall we get going then?”

Aelita nodded, following Robecca to the checkout line. As the two stood waiting for their turn, Aelita taking the occasional glance back at Robecca. A nagging feeling in her gut that only seemed to grow with each look. The look in Robecca’s eyes, the tone of her voice, that hesitation.

It reminded Aelita of herself.

When she would think about her father or places she used to frequent long since closed down. The feeling of isolation from her friends whenever she would mention something that had been common when she had been growing up but had fallen out of fashion. That sting when she realized that the world continued without her. Things that her friends tried to understand but just couldn’t.

But Robecca could.

She could actually understand. Understand the confusion, the isolation, the feeling of being trapped in a time you don’t quite belong in. Right beside Aelita was someone who could finally understand everything.

“When were you created?” She asked, trying to make the question sound as casual as she could. “If you don’t mind the question.”

“Oh, not one bit!” Robecca said cheerfully. “I believe I was created in 1869? Or was ‘96? Good golly, I can’t quite remember… Then again, I’ve never been all that good at keeping track of time now!” She said with a laugh.

Aelita nodded. “The 1800s? That’s quite been a long time ago,” she said, looking over at the robot. “Your father must have been a genius.”

Robecca looked at the can of oil as a sad smile spread across her lips. “He truly was…”

Aelita looked at Robecca. “I lost my father too,” She said.

Robecca looked up at her.

“I understand how you feel,” Aelita said, grabbing ahold of Robecca’s arm.

Robecca smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to know that-“

“-That you're not alone?” Aelita finished.

Robecca nodded. “Exactly.” She looked back at the can of oil. “I wish I could back and change time, all so I might stop him or to just tell him I loved him for one last time.” She tightened her grip on the can.

“I would do anything to hear my father play the piano again,” Aelita said, hugging herself.

The two stood in silence.

“It doesn’t look like the line will move for quite a while…” Robecca said looking at an angry woman bickering with the cashier. “What do you say to getting out of line and looking around for a while?” She asked, looking at Aelita.

“Aren’t we supposed to meet up with Frankie and the others?” Aelita asked with a cheeky grin.

“I think they can wait a tad longer now, don’t you luv?” Robecca said, gently pulling Aelita out of line.

The two girls browsed through the many racks of shirts. “Is it alright if I asked how you work exactly?” Aelita asked, pulling out a teal blouse and putting it back on the rack.

Robecca chuckled. “Not the slightest!” She chirped. “I have a miniature steam engine in my chest cavity-“ She patted the spot where her heart would have been, “-It’s surprising enough energy to run all the components for my body.”

“But what about the more… mental parts, such as your personality?” Aelita asked, “You know where made in the 1800s correct? So your father wouldn’t have been able to use circuitry.”

“You… You have me there honestly,” Robecca said, pausing her browsing. “That was something my father kept closely guarded. He didn’t even include it on my schematics when he first designed me.”

Aelita hummed. “Did your father have many enemies?” She asked. A cruel part of her wanted to hear Robecca say yes.

Robecca laughed. “Good heavens, I hope not!” She said. She calmed herself. “I mean, yes he had many people who disliked him, he was a normie that actively sought the company of monsters and fought hard for equality for both monsters and humans, but I can’t say if he had anyone he viewed as an enemy.”

Aelita looked back at the shirts. “Your father sounds like he was a good person,” She said.

“He was,” Robecca said, “He saw the ugly in the world and he wanted to improve it.”

“My father was the same way.”

Robecca looked at Aelita, making the pinkette realize what she said.

“I- I mean…” She stammered, her mind racing as she tried to think up a lie. She cleared her throat. “M-my father was a computer scientist. He…” She struggled, trying to find the right words. “The company that he worked for… wasn’t the best. He found out that a project he was working on would hurt people, he left and started his own uh- project to help people…”

Of course, Xana didn’t stay that way, she thought bitterly.

Robecca nudged Aelita with her elbow. “Looks like we may have more in common than we first thought!”

Aelita smiled. “I guess we do.”

The two returned to their browsing, noticing a nearby outlet sparking. A thick black mist seeped out, slinking it's towards the two girls.

Robecca pulled out a shirt, holding up herself. She frowned. “Why is it they never seem to have things I like in my size?” She asked playfully at Aelita.

The mist stopped at Robecca. It made its way into her through any gaps in her plating.

“Why don’t we go meet up with the others? They’re at a boutique, correct? Maybe there-“

Robecca fell to the floor, seizing.

“Robecca!” Aelita cried, dropping beside the robot. “Help! Someone! M-my friend she needs help!”

Onlookers crowded around the two, all while Aelita helplessly watched on as Robecca’s body continued to spasm. Then her body went still. Robecca bolted up, a hand at her throat, coughing up the mist.

“T-that never happened before,” Robecca said, her body shaking.

Aelita’s blood turned to ice as she saw the mist vanished. “W-we need to find Frankie,” She said, helping Robecca to her feet. Robecca could only nod, letting Aelita lead her out of the store.

Frankie shifted through the varying belts. She pulled a studded belt and held it up to herself in the mirror. “Hey, Clawdeen! I need a second opinion!” She called out.

Clawdeen put down a vest she was looking at and walked over. “What’s up?”

“Do you think this belt might look good with those jeans I have? You know with ones with-“

“The ones with the star embroidery on the sides?” Clawdeen finished tapping her bottom lip. She hummed. “Maybe… Yeah, it could work with you pair them with the right shirt,” She said with a shrug.

“Frankie!”

The group looked up as Aelita and Robecca walked in. Aelita walked over to where Clawdeen and Frankie were. “Frankie, we need to go, now,” She said, grabbing onto Frankie’s wrist.

“Why, what happened?”

“Xana,” Aelita whispered.

Clawdeen and Frankie looked at each other. “Whoa what? What did it do?” Clawdeen asked.

“Xana tried to possess Robecca,” Aelita explained, keeping her voice low.

“What do you ‘tried’?” Frankie pressed.

Aelita took a deep breath. “It tried to possess her but failed. I don’t know why, but it did. We need to regroup and leave.”

Frankie nodded. “Alright. I’ll let everyone know,” She said, pulling out her phone. “Cleo went to go get a smoothie from the food court, and Lagoona is at the shoe store picking up some new track shoes and Abbey went with.”

“Let Deuce know too,” Clawdeen pitched in, “Just in case things get sticky.’

“Robecca! We’re going to head out, do you need a ride?” Frankie called out.

“I’m fine!” She said with a weak chuckle, “I just need to go sit down for a bit.” Robecca walked out of the store.

“Then let’s go,” Aelita commanded. Clawdeen quickly fetched Draculaura, and the four walked out.

Aelita paced back and forth. “I just don’t get it!” She said, running a hand through her hair, “Xana has never failed at an attempted possession of someone that hasn’t been to Lyoko before! Why now?!”

The group had gathered in Draculaura’s bedroom. Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Frankie sat on Draculaura’s bed, Abbey was leaning up against a bedpost, Lagoona sitting crossed-legged on the floor, and Cleo and Deuce stood beside the bed with Deuce’s arms wrapped around Cleo’s shoulders.

“Maybe Xana just wasn’t in the mood to attack?” Draculaura said with a shrug.

“No, that’s not it,” Aelita said, shaking her head. “Xana had every opportunity to use Robecca to attack me. We were alone, with Robecca no doubt able to overpower me! It won’t just give up! Xana runs on logic and algorithms, not emotion! That’s the reason it never launches the same attack or possesses the same person twice! It had every opportunity to kill me. So why did it fail?!” She grunted, gripping her hair. “It doesn’t make any sense!”

“What if Robecca, like, pushed it out?”

Everyone looked at Deuce.

“What do you mean ‘pushed out’?” Aelita asked.

Deuce rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, Robecca’s a robot, right? What if her dad put like, some safety feature to keep this kind of thing from happening?” He said with a shrug.

Clawdeen snickered. “Yeah, sure. Like Mr. Steam could’ve seen a killer computer virus coming along and made sure Robecca could handle it accordingly. Wasn’t she made in the early 1900s or something?”

Aelita stopped in her tracks. “That is,” She muttered, her eyes growing wide. “That’s it!”

“What it?” Cleo asked.

“Did ya’ figure somethin’ out mate?” Lagoona asked looking up at Aelita.

“Why Xana couldn’t possess Robecca! Her hardware is just too old! It’s not compatible with Xana!” Aelita said, a look of pure joy on her face.

“That means… That Xana has a weakness!” Frankie said, sliding off the bed. “Xana can’t possess every monster! There have to be other monsters it can’t possess too. How does it work?”

Aelita tapped her chin. “We had our theories, but we couldn’t ever truly test them out for obvious reasons. We had settled on that Xana manipulated its hosts via releasing controlled electrical currents into the victim’s nervous system, allowing it to manipulate the host’s brain, making them do whatever it wants,” She explained.

“And now in layman’s terms?” Clawdeen asked.

“Well, the brain and nervous system use electrical currents to, well work,” Frankie explained, “what Xana does is send its own currents to send the signals it wants, thus making the host to, well do whatever Xana wants them to do.”

“So… No nervous system or modern tech to possess-“ Clawdeen started.

“-No control for Xana,” Abbey finished.

“I guess then you don’t need to worry about ghosts,” Deuce said shrugging, “No bodies to possess.”

“What about Sirena?” Draculaura asked. “She’s a hybrid, so can Xana possess her because of her mermaid half?”

“That’s something we’ll just have to wait and see,” Frankie said. She perked. “We should make a list! You know to keep track of who can and cannot be possessed! You know for reference! Like if Xana uses the polymorph to take the form of someone who can’t be possessed, so then we can know if something is up!”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Aelita said.

Draculaura rolled off her bed and grabbed a notebook. She tore out a clean page and grabbed a pencil. “So, we have Robecca, Spectra, and Johnny that we know are immune,” She said plopping back down on the bed with a clipboard. She jotted down each name. “Should I put down each of our names?”

“I don’t see why not,” Aelita said as everyone started around Draculaura.

Clawdeen leaned over Draculaura’s shoulder. “Put Skelita down too. She’s just a skeleton so no nervous system,” She said pointing at the paper.

“Who else should I put down?” Draculaura asked, looking up at the group.

“Oh, oh! Rochelle! Gargoyles are made of stone so they don’t have a nervous system!” Frankie said. “Wow, I never realize just how weird monster biology can be.”

Draculaura looked down at the list. “What about Venus? Should I put her down?” She asked.

“Well, she’s like a sentient plant, right?” Deuce said, “Do plants even have nervous systems?”

Frankie frowned. “I… Don’t really know,” Frankie said, “I don’t think so… You know just put her down just in case.”

Draculaura put her pencil down. The group looked at the list. “It small,” Abbey said bluntly.

“It’s small for now, but we’ll fill it out!” Frankie said, clapping her hands together. “But, hey! At least we have a few people that we don’t have to worry about Xana possessing!”

Venus moved through the rows of potted plants of different sizes, shapes, and colors. She stopped in front of a large planter box.

“How are the seedlings doing?” Batsy asked, walking up behind her.

Venus smiled. “They've already grown another two inches this week,” She reported, “My dad is talking to a few of his coworkers about getting them sent over to one of the local conservatories so the botanists can talk over.”

Batsy smiled. “Just last month there were only 332 Ghost Orchids left in the world, and if all the seedlings make it, we can add another twelve,” She said, hugging Venus around the shoulders.

Venus kissed Batsy on the cheek. “ Let’s make sure they all make it then!” She said.

Batsy’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out. “I need to leave. Can you handle the rest without me?” She asked.

Venus nodded. She watched her girlfriend grab her bag and leave. She grabbed a spray bottle and began watering the plants. Above her, a sunlamp flickered. A dark mist seeped out and floated down towards Venus. She dropped the spray bottle and gripped the side of the planter box. Her eyes became glassy as her body relaxed. Her pupils flickered, taking on the eye of Xana.

Chapter Text

The school bell rang, a faint echo sounding through the halls.

"Alright then! Class is now over!" Mr. Hack shouted as students hurried to pack their things. "Gather up your belongings, and remember to read chapter 9 in your textbooks!" He slammed down his butcher knife, embedding it in the desk. "Or else."

Many just rolled their eyes and continued on their way.

Frankie stretched her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Is it just me or did class take longer than normal?" She asked, looking at Aelita sitting right beside her. Aelita stared at her still open notebook page filled with different equations and strings of what Frankie assumed was coding. "Hell-o! Earth to Aelita!" she teased, waving a hand in front of the pinkette's face.

Aelita snapped to attention. "Huh? Did you say something?"

"Aelita, class is over," Frankie said as she stood up from her seat. "Are you okay? You seem pretty out of it," she asked with a frown.

Aelita forced a smile, closing her notebook and sliding it into her backpack. "I'm fine," she said, standing up and slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "I'm just a little tired. I was up later than normal."

"Was it-" Frankie looked around. "-Was it Xana?"

"No," Aelita said, shaking her head. "No… I was- uh, I was working on…" Her eyes glazed over. "I was working on something else," she said, giving out a long sigh. She looked at Frankie. "Come on, we don't want to be late for our next-" She froze, staring at the classroom doorway. "A-actually you know what? There was something I wanted to ask the teacher real quick!" She said with a weak chuckle, trying to turn and walk away.

Frankie looked at the door. There were Robecca and Venus. Robecca laughed at something Venus said and vanished into the hall, Venus following close behind. "Ooohh… Oh no. We are not doing this!" She said, grabbing the back of Aelita's shirt collar and pulling her towards the door.

"H-hey! Let go!"

"No! I am not having you avoiding Robecca all day!" Frankie snapped, pulling her out into the hall. She looked around, trying to spot Robecca. She let Aelita go, not seeing the robot in sight. "Seriously Aelita! Why are you avoiding her? We know she's immune and I can tell you she's able to hold her own in a fight, so why are you avoiding her?" She asked, looking at Aelita.

Aelita away. "I-It's complicated!" She stammered.

"Please talk to me," Frankie begged, her voice growing softer. She gently gripped Aelita's shoulders. "We're friends right?"

Aelita tensed at friends. She hunched her shoulders up as if it was an attempt to fold in on herself. "I-" She hesitated.

"Aelita?"

"I don't want her to hate me!" Aelita blurted out.

"What?" Frankie said.

"I- I don't want Robecca to hate me…" she said again, more softly. She ran a hand over her face. "Robecca was almost possessed by Xana because we were alone together. She got hurt because of me. I-if she finds out..." Tears dripped down her face.

Frankie's face softened. "Oh, Aelita," she cooed, pulling her into a tight hug. "She won't hate you," she said.

"H-how can you know?!" Aelita said, pulling away from Frankie.

Frankie paused, trying to think of what to say. She took a deep breath. "I don't know how it was at your old school, but we look out for each other here at Monster High. Robecca has gotten mixed up in our more… messy adventures," the fusion incident came to mind. "But she's still here. We're still friends. And yes we haven't ever faced an evil AI before-" At least not one that was intentionally trying to kill them. "-but I know Robecca and she won't leave you if she finds out what happened."

Aelita looked down the hall.

Frankie took Aelita's hands in her own. "Think about this. In twenty or thirty years from now, when you look back at this moment- this choice -will you regret it?" She asked. "Do you think that you'll regret not trying to become friends with Robecca because you were too scared of rejection?"

Aelita frowned, looking at her feet.

"And yes! Maybe she won't want to continue being your friend if she finds out about Xana. That's a risk yes, but all relationships are going to have that risk," Frankie continued, letting go of Aelita's hands. "The question is if you're willing to take it."

Aelita let Frankie's words sink in. Even if she couldn't be completely honest with her, Aelita enjoyed having someone to connect with. Someone who understood what it was like to be an outsider. Someone who was also fascinating to listen to. She wanted to get to know Robecca better. She really wanted to.

Aelita let out a long sigh. "I-I still have two more classes, but… Before lunch I'll talk to her," she said meeting Frankie's eyes.

Frankie's face (and bolts) lit up. "It's going to go great, Aelita! I promise!"

The bell rung.

"Shoot. That's the warning bell. We better hurry, or else Coach Igor will have us running extra laps for being late," Frankie said, readjusting her backpack.

Aelita kept her word. As soon as her history class let out for lunch, she waited by the doors, scanning each student that went in. She froze as her eyes picked out the glint of copper. "R-Robecca, wait a second!" She shouted, a hard lump forming in her throat.

Robecca looked over at Aelita with a hollow stare. She walked over silently.

"I- Robecca uh-" Aelita stammered, trying to think of what to say. She swallowed. "I-I wanted to see if you were okay… After what happened yesterday."

"I'm fine." There was no emotion in Robecca's voice.

The hair on the back of Aelita's neck stood up. "A-are you sure? You don't seem alright," She said reaching out a hand.

Robecca grabbed a hold of her arm and threw her to the ground. Aelita yelped as she collided with the wood floor. She blinked, her brain trying to process just what was happening. Cold metal hands wrapped themselves tightly around her throat, cutting off all air. The entire time, Robecca just stared at her with hollowed eyes.

"R-Robecca-" Aelita wheezed trying to pry Robecca's hands from her throat, "P-please."

"Robecca, get off of her!" Howleen shouted. A pair of furred hands wrapped around Robecca's waist, desperately trying to drag her off of Aelita.

"Whoa, what's going on?"

"Isn't that Robecca Steam?"

"What's she doing to the new normie girl?"

"YO! There's a fight going on outside the lunchroom!"

Something cold and wet splashed over both girls. Robecca bolted up, letting go of Aelita's throat. Aelita sat up, coughing, as air filled her lungs.

Robecca's hair was drenched, as was the front of Aelita's shirt. Twyla stood holding an empty fast-food cup. She dropped the cup and helped Aelita to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked, glancing between Aelita and Robecca.

Aelita rubbed the throbbing red mark on her neck where Robecca's hands had been. "I- I don't know," she stammered.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Howleen shouted, shoving Robecca away from her. "You could've killed her!"

Robecca looked around, dazed. "I- I what? How- I don't-"

A camera clicked. "Robecca Steam attacks new girl outside the lunchroom! What a story!" Spectra said floating through the crowd and up to Aelita, shoving her phone in Aelita's face. "Aelita, what could you have possibly done to have set Robecca off? Or was this attack unprompted?"

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," Aelita said.

"I didn't attack anyone!" Robecca defended, looking frantic.

"I'd say otherwise!" Howleen snapped.

More people surrounded them, whispering. A loud whistle cut through the crowd, hushing it. Rochelle Goyle forced her way through. "That is enough!" She shouted. "Please continue on your ways, there is nothing to see here!" She said to the crowd. She then turned to the small group. "Mlle. Wolf, Mlle. Bogey. Please take mlle. Stones to the nurse to tend to her…" Rochelle winced at the sight of the red marks on Aelita's neck. "-To tend to her injuries." She looked at Rochelle, letting out a heavy sigh. "Mlle. Robecca… I will accompany you to Mme. Bloodgood's office to report of your actions," she instructed.

"Rochelle. Please-" Robecca begged.

"Robecca, as the head of the safety monitor team at Monster High I am to make sure that the rules are enforced… among all the students regardless of my relationship with them…" She kept her gaze to a notepad as she wrote a slip. She tore it out and handed it to Aelita. "J'espère que vous irez mieux," she muttered. She turned on her heel and guided Robecca away.

"Come on 'Lita," let's going too," Howleen said, placing a hand on Aelita's shoulder and gently pulled her away.

Aelita took one last glance down the hall as she was led away, a strong sense of dread gnawing at her stomach.

"-It was so strange. It was as if she wasn't even there," Aelita said as she finished recounting the events. She closed her locker door as the rest of the girls listened on. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Clawdeen leaned against the lockers. "That is weird… What would cause Robecca to flip like that??" she asked, crossing her arms.

Draculaura gasped and covered her mouth. "W-what if-" She looked around the hall. "What if it was Xana?" She whispered.

"But Robecca immune," Abbey said, frowning. "How she controlled then?"

"But, if she wasn't under Xana's control, why would she attack Aelita out of nowhere," Clawdeen pointed out. "Howleen mentioned that she practically had Aelita's neck in a death grip."

Cleo glanced down the hall. "Hall monitor incoming," she warned, pointing down the hall.

Rochelle approached them, her eyes hollow and face blank.

"It's alright Rochelle, we were just heading off to our next class," Clawdeen said, pushing away from the locker she had been leaning against.

Rochelle said nothing and just continued walking, her gaze focused on Aelita.

Frankie stepped in front of Rochelle. "Rochelle, are you okay?" Frankie said, reaching out. "You don't look ri-IAHH!"

Rochelle grabbed a hold of Frankie's wrist and threw her into the lockers. She lunged at Aelita, hands outstretched.

"Frankie!" Lagoona shouted, rushing to Frankie's side.

Clawdeen and Abbey jumped into action. Clawdeen slammed her knee into Rochelle's stomach, wincing as pain rocked up her leg. Abbey grabbed a hold of Rochelle's wrist, trying to twist the gargoyle to the ground. Clawdeen regained her composure, wrapping her arms around Rochelle's shoulders in an attempt to help Abbey.

Aelita watched on in horror and the two tried to wrestle Rochelle to the ground. She looked into Rochelle's eyes, expecting rage, or at least frustration. But all there was- was just… nothing. Her face was just blank, not a trace of emotion as she fought against Abbey and Clawdeen. Her eyes had a hollow look to them. Just like…

Just like Robecca.

"D-does anyone have water on them?" She shouted, an idea popping into her head.

"What?! I don't think now is a good time for getting a drink!" Clawdeen snapped.

"I-I have an idea! Just trust me!" Aelita begged. Lagoona slipped off her backpack and tossed a metal water bottle at Aelita. She caught it and unscrewed the top. "Abbey, Clawdeen, hold her still!" Aelita commanded.

"Said easier than do!" Abbey growled, ice creeping up Rochelle's arms.

Aelita rushed over and poured the water on Rochelle's head, soaking her hair. Rochelle stopped fighting, looking around, confused. "Q-Quoi? Que S'est-il Passe?"

Clawdeen and Abbey let her go. Aelita stepped forward. "C'est bon," She said gently, trying to keep Rochelle calm, "Ton coffre maintenant."

"Rochelle, are- are you okay?" Frankie asked, walking up to Rochelle.

Rochelle rubbed her head. "I- I do not know…" She said. She looked around at the group. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Cleo snapped, jamming a finger in Rochelle's chest, "How about attacking Frankie and Aelita! That's 'what happened!"

"Stop Cleo!" Aelita scolded. She looked back at Rochelle. "Rochelle, what is the last thing you can remember?" She asked.

Rochelle rubbed her temples. "I am not sure… I had broken up the fight between you and Robecca. Then I escorted her to the office. After, I had patrolled the halls as it was my free period…" She frowned. "I do not remember anything after that."

Frankie patted Rochelle's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," she said. "You should probably go see the nurse, though. Memory loss is serious."

Rochelle nodded. "You are right, au revoir." She turned and walked down the hall, leaving the group alone.

The gang exchanged glances among each other once Rochelle was no longer in sight. "So uh… What the hell just happened?!" Clawdeen said, breaking the silence. "Was she possessed or something?!"

"But she couldn't be she's supposed to be immune!" Frankie argued.

"Well, apparently not!" Cleo snapped, waving her hands for emphasis. "How in Ra's true name did the two people who were supposed to not be able to be possessed suddenly are?!"

"Where we wrong then? About possession?" Lagoona asked.

Everyone looked at Aelita.

Aelita felt her heart start drumming in her chest.

"Well?! What's going on, Aelita?" Cleo asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I-I don't-"

"Aelita, what do we do?!" Ulrich shouted. "There's no way we'll be able to get a hit on him! Not when-"

Aelita stepped back, shaking her head. She hit the lockers, preventing her from going any further as the room seemed to loom around her.

"It makes no sense! How could Xana possess one of us without using the Scyphozoa? That's never happened before!"

Her breathing grew heavy, her lungs no longer seemingly big enough.

"It should be!" She defended, "I- don't understand How this could be possible!" This couldn't be happening. Not to him.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she tightly gripped her hair in her hands.

"Alright, that's enough!" Frankie shouted, putting herself between Aelita and the rest of the group. Aelita opened her eyes and looked up at Frankie. "Yes. Something really weird is going on and we don't know why… But hounding Aelita will not fix anything! Look at her!" She scolded, gesturing at the pinkette. "We just- We just need to calm down and keep a level head." She looked at Aelita, still shielding her. "Do you want to go to the supercomputer?" She asked gently, placing a comforting hand on Aelita's shoulder.

Aelita took a deep breath to steady herself. "N-no. I have the laptop with me so I should be able to perform all the necessary scans. I just-" She struggled to take another breath.

Frankie pulled Aelita into a hug. "Let's get you somewhere quiet, like the library," she offered.

Aelita nodded against Frankie's chest.

Frankie looked over her shoulder, still holding onto Aelita. "I'll take Aelita to the library. Keep your phones on you so if I need to contact anyone I can," she instructed.

"I come too," Abbey grunted. "If Xana comes-" She pounded a fist into the palm of her other hand. "-There is pay I want to give," she growled.

"I want to come too, safety in numbers!" Draculaura said, raising a hand.

"I have SKRM practice," Lagoona said, "I can keep an eye on the other members and Rochelle if she shows up."

"Same. Uh, not with any sport, but I can keep watch on the other Fashion Club members. The last thing we need is Jinafire or Wydowna coming after us next," Clawdeen said.

"I'll go find Deuce and update him on what's going on," Cleo said. "I'll go stay with Frankie in the Library after."

"Alright. We'll keep everyone updated! Stay safe, girls!" Frankie said, guiding Aelita down the hall. Abbey and Draculaura followed. Cleo left without a word.

"Stay safe," Lagoona said, looking at Clawdeen.

"You too."

The two split and went their separate ways.

Clawdeen walked down the oddly empty hallway as she headed to her clubroom.

"Hey, Clawdeen!"

She stopped and turned around, seeing Venus speed-walking up, a bundle of brightly colored fliers in her arms. She smiled. "Hey, Venus. New group clean-up planned?" She asked, pointing at the fliers.

Venus smiled, holding out a flier for Clawdeen to get a look at. "Yep! Environmental Protection Club is doing a massive clean-up of the park Saturday. It's shame just how much litter has build up. It's our job to protect mother earth after all!"

Clawdeen looked at the flier. "This Saturday? I have nothing going on, yeah I'll join," she said, reaching out to take the flier from Venus. She gave it a sharp tug, trying to pull it free from Venus's grip. "You know, you might get more of these passed out if you'd let go," she teased.

Venus let the fliers she had been holding drop to the floor, curling her freed hand into a tight fist.

"Venus? What are you-" Clawdeen's blood went cold as the Eye of Xana flickered in Venus's eyes. "Ah shit."

Venus brought her fist to her mouth and took a deep breath.

"LAGOONA!" Clawdeen screamed, turning to run. Venus grabbed a hold of Clawdeen's wrist, holding her back. "LAGOONA HEL-"

Venus blew a cloud of pollen in Clawdeen's face, sending the werewolf into a coughing fit. Clawdeen's body went slack, her face becoming devoid of all emotion and her eyes growing hollow.

"Now," Venus commanded, "Bring Aelita to me. Now."

Clawdeen pulled out her phone, her movements stiff and robotic. She dialed a number and put her phone to her ear. "Frankie? Meet me outside the Fashion Club's clubroom. I think I have an idea what might be going on."

Chapter Text

Lagoona walked into the gym, expecting to see the rest of the team getting ready. As she stepped in, something felt off.

Very off.

Gil sat on the bleachers, dressed in his uniform, and scrolling on his phone. He was completely alone. No Heath and Manny goofing off, no Rochelle or Clawd telling them to knock it off. No Operetta humming her latest song. The only sound was the occasional bubbling from Gil's tank. "Where is everyone? Was practice canceled?" She asked, looking around.

Gil looked up. "I was wondering the same thing," He said. "Rochelle said that she was going to be missing practice, and Robecca-" He winced. "She's still upset about the fight earlier. She hasn't left the girl's changing room for a while now. It looks like Ms. Bloodgood is going to suspend her for a week."

Lagoona frowned. "Really? It was her first time- Goodness getting in trouble at all!"

"I heard it was a pretty nasty fight," Gil responded.

Lagoona looked over at the changing rooms. "I'll talk with 'er," she said, readjusting the strap of her backpack. She started to walk over, trying to ignore the knot that replaced her stomach.

Gil grabbed her wrist. "Hey… is there something going on?" He asked. "I just- I don't know. Robecca attacking someone out of the blue? It's not like her at all. You girls are normally in the loop whenever something weird is going on…" He said rubbing the back of his tank.

Lagoona bit her lip. She hated lying to Gil, especially with how strained their relationship could be. She also knew how dangerous Xana was. Two weeks ago Xana tried to fry alive and left for dead in the middle of the pool. She shuttered, the feeling forever burned into her mind. If Gil were to get trapped in the middle of an attack- if he got hurt… She could never forgive herself. There was also the possibility that he could be in greater danger by not telling him.

She had the advantage of knowing what to look out for. How to protect herself. Gil didn't have that. Hell, they still didn't know what was going on. It may be a good idea to tell him everything. About Xana, about Lyoko, about everything. He could keep an eye out, protect himself, even warn them if needed. He would be prepared. If she could tell him. She made a promise to Aelita.

Lyoko was to remain a secret. That was stressed to them before they left France. Telling people could lead to one of two things; They would shut down the supercomputer, taking away their only method of fighting Xana (although Lagoona thought that if they explained why it was so important to keep on, this could be avoided), or they would get involved, thus let them get hurt or worse. Aelita had almost seemed scared while she explained this. Their fight would remain a secret, that was the unspoken agreement they had made. Lagoona was going to honor that.

But should she?

Girl could get hurt either way. Should she go behind the others' backs and tell him? Or lie and keep Xana a secret? They still didn't even know if Robecca and Rochelle's 'incidences' were even connected to Xana or if something else was going on. So many weird things had happened to them all long before they had met Aelita. Could this be something else? But if it was Xana, shouldn't Gil be allowed to know what exactly was going on? To protect himself? She would also break Aelita's trust in her. It would affect her the most out of everyone if word got out. Lagoona was trapped in a horrible game of tug-o-war, where no matter which side she pulled on, someone would end up getting hurt. "Gil- I-" she stammered.

"Wait, do you know?"

"I-" She let out a sigh, taking a seat beside Gil. "I don't know. That wasn't like 'er at all." She couldn't tell him. Not yet. "If I find out anything from the girls, I'll let you know."

"Promise?"

She smiled. "Since when 'ave been known to go back on me, word?" She teased, playfully elbowing him.

He chuckled. "Alright! Just… keep me in the loop. Please?" He asked.

She kissed the glass of his tank. "I will," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. She got to her feet. "I better go changed just in case practice is still happening," she said.

Gil smiled. "I'm going to see if I can find Clawd," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lagoona walked over to the girl's changing room. She stopped at the door, picking up the soft sound of someone sniffling. She walked past the lockers, seeing Robecca, sitting hunched over and hugging herself. "Robecca? What's wrong?" She asked, dropping her bag and taking a seat by the robot.

Robecca handed over her phone (Something that surprised Lagoona that she even had).

Lagoona took it, seeing the front page of the Gory Gazette. She could feel her stomach sinking before even reading the title. "Oh Spectra, what did you do…" she muttered as she began to read.

Lunchroom Showdown!

by Spectra Vondergeist

Ever since her arrival at Monster High, Aelita Stones has been the talk of the school. Brought back by minor school celebrity Frankie Stein, the second-ever normie to walk the halls has been quite the mystery! But now her name is on everyone s lips after getting into a fight with one of Monster High's SKRM team captains Robecca Steam!

It s still currently unknown why the fight was started but, what we do know is that it got violent fast . Robecca Steam was seen tackling Aelita to the ground-

"Isn't it great?" Robecca snapped, "Front page too! I haven't been on the front page since my first championship win!"

"You know Spectra," She said, rubbing Robecca's back, "She gets so caught up in a story, she doesn't stop to think about how you might be feeling-"

"But now the entire school thinks that I went on some blind rampage-" her voice hitched. "I don't even know what happened! One second I was walking to my class, and then the next I was outside the lunchroom soaking wet!" She rubbed her nose. She pulled her knees to her chest. "I was going to see if she wanted to hang out after practice today. I enjoyed talking with her yesterday, and I want to be her friend, but I guess that's not going to happen now…"

"Are you sure that you can't remember anything else?" Lagoona asked.

"No," Robecca said, setting her feet back down on the ground, "It's just-" Her eyes widened. "Venus."

Lagoona looked at her, puzzled. "Venus? What about Venus?"

Robecca placed a hand on her temple. "We have classes that are close so we walk together… But, she was acting weird today…"

Lagoona felt the knot in her stomach become tighter. "Weird how?" She asked, sitting straight up.

"When she was speaking, it wasn't her. It was like she was reciting from a script. Almost as if someone was telling her to say something…" Robecca said, "I thought that maybe she and Batsy had a fight, but then she looked at me." She dug through her backpack, tearing out a piece of paper and scribbling something down on it. "There was almost… this- this symbol in her eyes." She handed the paper to Lagoona. "Then I blacked out."

Lagoona felt her blood go cold. On the paper was a ring with a circle in the middle, one line on the top, and three on the bottom. The same symbol was on each of Xana's monsters. "Oh, no."

"Lagoona?"

"Oh no. Shit. Fuck. This is bad." Lagoona felt her grip tighten on the piece of paper. "I need to call Frankie!" She dug desperately through her bag.

"Lagoona, what is going on?" Robecca asked, grabbing the sea monster's arm.

Lagoona cursed under her breath. "Where is it?"

"Lagoona, you're scaring me!"

Lagoona sighed, giving up her search. "During break, while me and the girls were in France, we found this old factory. We did some explorin' and found this-" She waved her hands trying to think of the right, "-sci-fi supercomputer lab. We found the power source and turned it on. In doing so, we also accidentally released a homicidal AI that's out to destroy all humanity. That's also how we met Aelita. She's the only one who can stop it and it's me and the rest of the girls' job to protect 'er," She explained.

"What does that have to do with Venus?" Robecca asked, getting to her feet.

"Xana- the AI -can possess people it can't possess everyone. It must 'ave found a loophole with Venus," Lagoona said, standing up. "That's what happened to you and Rochelle. Venus must 'ave used her pollen on you two!"

"So you are saying is that Venus, under this Xana's control, used her pollen on me to attack Aelita? Isn't that a little complicated?" Robecca asked, "Why didn't it just go for me instead?"

"It tried. That's what happened yesterday at the Maul," Lagoona explained. "We think that your hardware is too old for Xana to control."

Robecca went silent. She met Lagoona's eyes. "It'll take over the entire school, won't it?" She asked softly, "And you can stop it right?"

"Yes, but I'm going to need Frankie and Aelita first. Frankie to guide us, and Aelita to stop Xana," Lagoona said.

Steam bellowed from Robecca's boots. "Then let's waste not another moment-"

"Mind telling me why we're havin' a secret meeting?" A southern laced voice asked. Operetta stepped in, gym bag tossed over her shoulder.

Lagoona felt a horrible shiver go down her spine as Operetta stared at her. "Uh… It's a long story," she said, tossing Robecca a nervous glance. "Operetta, is Gil still outside?" she asked.

"Nah, the gym was empty except for you two," Operetta said, shaking her head. "Actually… There was somethin' I meaning to ask you," She said, looking over at Lagoona.

Lagoona looked into Operetta's eyes. They were hollow. Like anyone under Venus's control. "Run."

Robecca looked at her, confused.

"She's under Venus's control. We need to run."

"Mind sharin' just what you two are whispering about?" Operetta asked malice hinted in her voice.

"Go," Robecca whispered sternly.

"I'm not leaving you-"

"Lagoona, you and I both know that I have a better chance of outrunning her. I can hold her off. Go find your friends, and save the day," Robecca whispered, giving Lagoona's hand a tight squeeze. "Like you always do."

Lagoona nodded. "Alright. Good luck," she said, giving a small smile.

Robecca let go of Lagoona's hand. "Actually Operetta… There's something I want to ask you about," she said, her boots pumping out more steam. She pushed herself forward, not giving Operetta the chance to react. Her metal body slammed hard into the phantom, sending them both to the floor. "RUN LAGOONA!" Robecca screamed, trying to use her weight to keep Operetta down.

Lagoona sprinted, grabbing her bag from the floor, and getting out of the gym as fast as she could

The Library was quiet, save for the soft clicking of a keyboard.

"Anything?" Frankie whispered, peering over Aelita's shoulder to watch her work.

"Not yet," Aelita whispered back, not taking her eyes off of the screen, "It's just starting to scan the Desert Sector."

Abbey leaned against a bookshelf as she scanned the library. "It quiet."

"Well… It's just about the end of the day," Draculaura said, fiddling with one of her pigtails.

"No, Abbey has a point. This is weird," Frankie said, "Where is everyone? We haven't seen another student since we split with the others. Something doesn't feel right-"

"There you all are!" Cleo's voice rang out.

"Gah- Cleo!" Frankie hissed as the mummy strutted into view, followed by Deuce. "Keep your voice down! We still have zero idea what's going!"

Cleo rolled her eyes as she took a seat at the table the group had claimed. "Sorry, I forgot just how wound up everyone is."

"Hey dudes," Deuce said, taking a seat on the table, right next to Cleo, "Find anything?"

Aelita typed something. "Uh- no, not yet. It's just started scanning the Desert Sector-" Frankie's ring tone cut her off.

Frankie dug out her phone. "Hello?" She said, keeping her voice low, "Clawdeen? What's up?" Her brows furrowed, and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Really? Alright, we're just waiting on the superscan to-"

A sharp beeping cut her off.

"Speak of devil," Abbey said, eyeing the laptop.

Aelita tapped several keys before closing the lid. "Coordinates are locked," she said, sliding the laptop into her bag. "Go ahead to let her know that we're coming now."

Frankie nodded. "We've located the tower, so we'll go meet up with you," she said, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "We'll pick up Lagoona first-" She cut herself off. "Oh, you did? Okay, then we'll head over!" She ended the call. She turned to face the group. "Alright, here's what's up," she started. "Clawdeen seems to have figured out what Xana's attack is. She already gave Lagoona the heads up, so once we collect Clawdeen, we'll meet up with Lagoona at the factory. Got it?"

"She not say attack over phone?" Abbey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no… I didn't ask," Frankie said sheepishly. "But-" She clapped her hands together. "We'll know what it is when we meet up with Clawdeen. So are we good to go?" She asked. Sounds of agreement came from the group. Small sparks popped from her bolts. "Then let's get a move on then!"

The group swiftly packed their things and left the library.

The gang traveled down the empty hallways, a growing unease washing over them.

"Where is everyone?" Draculaura asked, glancing around. "It's so… Quiet."

"Do you think it might be connected with whatever Xana is plotting?" Frankie asked Aelita.

Aelita frowned, trying to ignore the goosebumps appearing on her arms. "It might. Everyone be on guard," she commanded, pushing forward ahead of the group. They followed her.

They continued on in silence. After several minutes, Clawdeen came into view, leaning against the wall.

Draculaura smiled, breaking away from the group. "Clawdeen!" She said, hugging the werewolf around the waist, "I'm so glad that you're okay!"

Clawdeen broke out of Draculaura's grasp, "Don't worry, I'm fine," she said, her voice flat.

Draculaura frowned. "Are you sure-" Clawdeen brushed past her, walking towards the rest of the group. "Clawdeen?" she said with a mixture of confusion and hurt.

"I'm pretty sure I know what Xana might be up to," Clawdeen said, her focus on the group.

"Well, what did you find out?" Frankie asked.

"So, I was waiting for the rest of the club members to arrive, when suddenly I hear this loud clang in the hallway-" Clawdeen started.

"Get to point," Abbey snapped. "Remember, we sitting ducks for Xana!"

"I'm getting there-"

"Then say what it is! There no time for stories when danger is high!"

"It's important-"

Frankie's ring tone went off. She answered, covering one ear to block her friends' bickering. "Hey- yeah, we're all fine, why?" The rest of the group looked at Frankie. It's Lagoona, she mouthed. "Yeah, we're with Clawdeen right now, then we're going to meet you at the factory-" Her body stiffened. "What? Clawdeen said that she-"

"Frankie, what is going on?" Aelita whispered.

Frankie held up a finger. "Okay, stay safe. We'll see you soon. Hopefully." She hung up. "Hey, Clawdeen?"

Clawdeen went silent, looking over at Frankie.

"Didn't you say that you told Lagoona to wait for us at the factory?" Frankie asked forcibly.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Clawdeen's voice was flat.

Frankie pushed Aelita behind her. "Because Lagoona said that you never called her," she said, her voice growing low. "So 'Clawdeen', care to explain?"

Abbey let out a low growl, stepping beside Frankie and flexing her claws. Deuce pushed Cleo and Draculaura behind him, bracing himself for a fight. Clawdeen did not react.

"Wait, are we seriously dealing with that morphing thing again?" Cleo said.

"Not exactly."

A thick web sprung up, separating the rest of the group from Aelita. Abbey extended her hand, frost growing from her fingertips. A blast of ice fired from her hand. Before the blast could even come close to touching the web, a flash of fire burst out, melting it. Webonna dropped from the ceiling, with Jinafire and Skeletina stepping out from a nearby hallway. All three had hollow looks on their faces.

"That's all on me," Venus said, stepping from where she had been hidden. On the side of the web that Aelita was on. The eye of Xana flickered in her eyes.

"Venus?!" Frankie shouted, "What are you doing?!"

Aelita stepped back. "She's not in control! Xana must be possessing her!" She warned.

"Venus?" Cleo said, waving her arms in Venus's direction. "All she does is make people recycle! Why would Xana want to control her, of all people?!"

Venus Showed no sign of hearing her, curling one of her hands into a tight fist.

Frankie's eyes widened as her stomach twisted. "Her pollen- AELITA HOLD YOUR BREATH!" She screamed, her bolts sparking violently.

Aelita didn't react fast enough. She coughed as a fist full of pollen was blown into her face. Her body went slack, and her face grew blank.

"No, no no! Aelita, fight it please! W-we still need to deactivate the tower!" Frankie pleaded.

"She can't hear you, Frankie," Venus said, patting Aelita's shoulder. "The only person she listens to now is me."

"Until it wears off!" Deuce chimed in, putting a hand on Frankie's shoulder, "Everyone knows that Venus's pollen only last for a short time-"

"Actually," she interrupted, "it only lasts until revoked. If I wanted, it could last all day!"

"It's still four against five either way!" Frankie said, "a-and Deuce and Abbey are our strongest members!"

"Oh, is it?" Venus snapped her fingers. Their classmates filled in on both sides of the web.

"Clawd! No!" Draculaura cried out as the werewolf took a place next to his sister.

"Holt?" Frankie said, her stomach twisting as he stepped into view.

"Heath," Abbey said, a hint of sadness in her voice, but not breaking her stance.

"Ah shit," Deuce muttered, spotting Manny on the other side of the web.

"Frankie, you honestly think I was going to stop at Robecca and Rochelle? I had all day to do what I want!" Venus boated. She turned to Aelita. "Take me to the factory. Manny, guard us," she commanded. Aelita wordlessly nodded, walking down the hallway. Venus looked at the crowd. "Make sure they don't follow us," she said, before following Aelita out of sight.

Many heads snapped towards the group.

"This- this is bad, isn't it?" Deuce said, glancing around them and trying to shield Cleo and Draculaura to the best of his ability.

"Frankie, what do we do?" Draculaura asked, clinging to Abbey.

Frankie, looked out at the crowd, the faces of her classmates- her friends -staring back at her. "I- I don't know…"

Lagoona stumbled through the halls, her stomach tied into a tight knot. She needed to find the others before Venus could, praying that she could get to them first (although that possibility shrank immensely after the phone call with Frankie.) They had given Xana all day to have Venus build an army of their peers. The worst part, while they had immunity from Xana possessing any of them, they had none from Venus. Xana could take control of them making them do whatever Xana wanted.

"Lagoona?" The airy sound of Sirena's voice forced Lagoona away from her thoughts. The hybrid 'swam' up from the floor a few feet in front of Lagoona.

Lagoona forced herself to stop. "Sirena! Wha- What are ya' doing here mate?" She asked, noticing the hollow look of Sirena's eyes. She tried to swallow her nerves.

"I was just looking for you!" She said, 'swimming' up to Lagoona.

"Oh," Lagoona said with a nervous chuckle, "Where ya' now?"

"Yes! Venus told me to come find you. She wants to talk to you about something," Sirena said, floating around Lagoona. "It was really urgent."

"Is it?" Lagoona looked around, "Unfortunately, the girls are needing me's attention-"

"Venus said she needed you now."

"Sirena please, this isn't you," Lagoona begged.

"Venus also said to bring you to her by whatever means are necessary." Sirena dove towards Lagoona.

Lagoona threw her body to the wall, just escaping Sirena's grasp. The hybrid vanished into the floor right where Lagoona had just been seconds before. Lagoona took off running down the hall.

"Lagoona!" Sirena called out.

Lagoona pushed herself, feeling more grateful for her time in track than ever.

"Oh Lagoona, wait up!"

She rounded a corner, sneakers sliding against the tile floor. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Sirena pop up before vanishing back into the floor. Lagoona pushed herself to move faster, a slight burn creeping up her calves thighs and. A classroom door opened in front of her. Before she could react, someone grabbed a hold of her arm and yanked her away. Lagoona crashed into the floor as a door clicked shut. She struggled to get her bearings as adrenalin still pumped through her veins.

"Lagoona! Are you alright?" a familiar voice filled her mind.

Lagoona looked up, seeing Scarah standing by the door, her hand still on the knob. She tensed up.

"It's alright!" Scarah 'said', putting her hands up. "I'm not under Venus's control."

Lagoona relaxed, seeing genuine emotion on the banshee's face. She picked herself up off of the floor, brushing dirt from her shorts. "Ya' have to been really lucky, mate, to 'ave avoided 'er for this long," she said with a breathy laugh.

"More so skill than luck." Lagoona looked at her, puzzled. "Skilled enough telepaths gain an immunity to others trying to manipulate our minds and memories," Scarah explained. She looked at the classroom door. "Just what is going on?" She asked.

"I can explain that one," Lagoona said, walking up to Scarah, "To make a long story short. We may have brought an evil AI bent on world domination back with us from our trip to France. It's gained control of Venus and is now using her to take over the school."

Scarah frowned. "Does this virus have anything to do with the new girl?" She asked.

"Yeah, she's the only one who can stop it," Lagoona responded.

"And the rest of your friends are involved with this?" Scarah pressed.

"Uh, yeah. No one outside of Deuce knows about all of this," Lagoona said. She sighed. "Venus got a hold of Clawdeen and lured the others into a trap. If she gets control of Aelita, it's all over. We won't be able to stop Xana- uh, that's the name of the virus." She bit her lip. "And who's to say that she hasn't gotten the others yet too… Crikey, this might be harder than I thought." She looked at Scarah. "Do you… Can you do something? You managed to help Hoodude with his self-esteem problems. Do you think you can free Venus?"

Scarah rubbed her chin. "I'm not sure…" she said. "It will have to depend on this Xana's strength of control. I might free 'er, or I could barely make a dent."

"Alright, what about freeing the people that are under Venus's control?"

"It takes a lot of energy to free someone from another's control," Scarah explained. "Fighting Venus's influence over every person we come across will get tiring quickly."

Lagoona sighed. "Shoot. That's going to make escapin' much harder. With Sirena and who-knows-else trying to hunt me down, we're basically sitting ducks."

"There might be a way, however," Scarah said, grabbing Lagoona's shoulder, "She 'ad just brainwashed everyone."

"There's a difference?"

"Mind control needs to have the controller be in constant control over their victim. Brainwashing is much more passive. The controller doesn't need to have a constant grip on their victims," Scarah explained. "Mind control victims are much harder to free, as there is another force fighting to keep control. With brainwashing, you don' have to worry about that."

"I think I get it," Lagoona said. "Xana will fight to keep its control over Venus. For Venus's victims, we won't 'ave that as she can't fight back?"

"Essentially, yes," Scarah said, "We might even free an entire group if we can figure out just how to break them out."

"Hold on a second! Earlier, Rochelle was under Venus's command and she attacked us. Aelita poured some water on her, and it seemed to snap her out of it! Maybe we can use the sprinklers to do the same thing?" Lagoona said.

"It must 'ave been the shock that snapped her out of Venus's control… The sprinklers might just work!"

Lagoona frowned, leaning against the door. "How do we get them to trigger? I'm not exactly keen on setting a fire now," she said, tapping her chin.

"Me cousin set 'er school's fire alarm from screaming too loud by accident," Scarah said. "I doubt it's the same system, but I can try doing the same thing."

Lagoona peeked out from the door. Sirena was still there, 'swimming' back and forth through the hallway. She shut the door as quietly as she could. "Let's hope so, because Sirena will jump us the second we step out of 'ere," she said. "I'll keep her distracted while you trigger the sprinklers, alright?"

Scarah nodded. "Alright. Be ready to cover your ears. I'll have to get pretty loud to trigger them."

"Thanks for the heads up. Wish me luck," she said. She threw open the door and stepped out into the hallway. Sirena floated at the end, her back turned. "Now or never," she muttered. "HEY! SIRENA!"

Sirena turned around to look at her.

Lagoona tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "You said that Venus wanted to see me, right?" She extended her arms out. "Well then, I'm right 'ere! So come get me!" Sirena lunged, dipping into the floor before 'swimming' back up a few feet closer. Lagoona took a step back, her heart pounding in her ears. Her body froze as Sirena appeared right in front of her-

"NOW LAGOONA!"

Lagoona looked, seeing Scarah take a deep breath. Her eyes widened, with her hands quickly clamping over her ears.

Scarah let out a high pitch shriek. Sirena collapsed to the floor in pain. Lagoona fell with her, still able to make out the sound. The sprinklers remained untouched. Scarah raised her pitch, her face taking on a red tint and eyes scrunching shut. Glass shattered in nearby classrooms as water poured down on all three of them. Scarah stopped, collapsing to her knees, panting hard.

Sirena rubbed her eyes. "Why are the sprinklers on?" She asked, looking around. She spotted Lagoona. "Oh! Hi Lagoona!" she said, floating around the sea monster. "Is there a fire? Do we need to evacuate?"

Lagoona gave a breathless laugh as she brushed a piece of wet hair from her face. "No, not really," she said, getting to her feet. The sprinklers stopped spraying.

"Alright then!" Sirena said. She turned and 'swam' away, leaving the two alone in the hallway.

Lagoona walked over to Scarah. "You alright there mate?" She asked, gently putting a hand on Scarah's shoulder.

Scarah nodded. "Just… Give me… A bit…" she said in-between pants.

"I get the feeling that we won't be doing this again?"

Scarah shook her head. "I wasn't expecting to be needing to go that high. I don't think I'll be able to keep hitting it every time…" she 'said' speaking telepathically again.

"It's fine. We know now that the plan works. All we need now is to get them to trigger," she said, tapping her chin. "We just need to figure how…"

"May we offer our assistance then?" A voice with a heavy French accent asked.

Lagoona felt a massive sense of relief wash over her. Rochelle and Robecca walked up to them, looks of determination in their eyes.

Chapter Text

The group pressed close together into one tightly packed lump. Their classmates- their friends, surrounded them, staring down with emotionless faces.

"Clawd, Clawdeen, please!" Draculaura begged. She screamed as Clawd swiped dangerously close to her face, scrambling to hide behind Deuce.

Deuce latched onto Clawd's wrist, grunting as he tried to push back against the werewolf's strength. "Dude! Come on, this isn't you!" Deuce begged, "Fight this!" He flinched as a blast of fire singed his face. Heath's arm was consumed by flames. He raised his arm and fired another shot.

Fire met ice, leaving a puddle of water on the floor. Abbey lowered her hand. "Not fast," she warned, letting frost rebuild on her fingertips, "this is not fight you win." Heath looked at her. There was no malice, hate, or even anger in his eyes. There was no emotion at all, an uneasy nothingness when he looked at her. Abbey's stomach twisted, and steps unsteady.

Clawdeen lunged, slashing Frankie's cheek open, a mix of blood and formaldehyde dripping from the wound. Frankie stumbled back in a mix of pain and shock. Her eyes were wide and bolts were sparking dangerously. "Clawdeen! W-we still have to stop Xana! We have to save Aelita and the school-" She jerked back, Clawdeen's claws coming inches from her throat.

Cleo grabbed a hold of the fur collar of Clawdeen's jacket. She pulled Clawdeen away from Frankie, kicking Clawdeen in the stomach. Clawdeen crashed into the tiled floor, her face unchanging as she picked herself up. Shivers went up Cleo's spine. "I think this is worse than if they would just react," she said, nose scrunching up tightly. Cleo shrieked as Clawdeen ripped the bandages wrapped around her sides.

Frankie leaped in front of Cleo, a hand clamping around one of her bolts. Electricity flowed to her free hand. "Everyone stay back!" she shouted half pleading, and half warning. Fingers twitched as energy surged from her nerves. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I know you can’t really understand-". One of her shoulders jerked, knocking her off-balance. She grabbed a hold of the first sturdy thing her hand landed on. It was hard and black as night. One of Wybonna's arms. The arachnid screamed, letting go of the webbing that was stuck to Frankie's shoulder. Her face twisted in pain as her body convulsed as thousands of volts were pumped into her body.

Frankie let go, watching horrified as Wybonna collapsed to the floor, twitching as soft groans escaped from her lips. "Wybonna, I- I'm so-" Her throat swelled, and her hands shook. The world was crashing around her. Literally and figuratively. Hands clamped around her shoulders and tossed her to the floor. She looked up, meeting Holt's face. A deep part of her wanted to see him looking down at her with horror, anger, and even disgust. Instead, there was nothing. That terrified her more. He reared back a leg.

Deuce grabbed Holt by the shoulders. "Holt, dude, I need you to listen to me-" he grunted out, trying to wrestle Holt to the ground. "Snap out of this!" Holt shook him off, and Deuce fought hard to recover. Holt turned his attention away from Frankie, who scrambled back to her feet and onto Deuce. He threw a punch, hitting Deuce square in his stomach. Holt swung again, and Deuce went on auto-pilot. His body moved without thinking. His fist flew, making contact with something. Deuce's vision cleared. Holt stumbled backward, a garish red mark staining his cheek.

Deuce's stomach sank. "Holt- Dude, I- I'm so-" He cut himself off with a scream. A pulsating agony erupted from his shoulder. His hand latched onto the wound, coating it in a warm, sticky mess. He forced himself to look behind him, insides twisting at the sight.

Clawd stood motionless. Blood coated his claws. Deuce's blood.

" DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"

Deuce's brain kicked back into gear. "Cleo no!"

He didn't react quickly enough. Cleo lunged for Clawd, fists ready to strike. Clawd swiped, aiming for her face. Cleo's body twisted, years of cheer training kicking in, and dodging the strike. She swung her fist, sights locked onto his stomach. A hand clamped around her wrist. Her heart pounded in her ears. Clawd slammed her into the floor, knocking the wind from her lungs and blasting a sharp ringing sound in her ears. She fought against a dull ache spreading throughout her body, forcing herself to stand. Heat blasted her as a burst of flames narrowly avoided Cleo's face. Jinnafire stood, smoke billowing with every breath she took. Cleo's eyes widened, and the muscles in her chest tightened into a knot. Jinnafire let loose another blast. Cleo folded in on herself, holding onto her cotton wrappings with a protective grip.

Draculaura screamed as Catrine De Mew's claws swiped close to her throat. She stepped backward, shielding herself with her arms. Her back collided with something, sending her heart beating faster. She forced herself to look up, meeting Clawd's emotionless eyes. "Clawd… Please don't," she whimpered. Perhaps it was a trick of the eyes, her brain searching for any signs of the boy she loved, she swore his face twitched. He raised a fist and swung. Draculaura screamed, ducking down, and covering her head.

Abbey flung a chunk of ice, her attention split between fighting Heath's flames, and Draculaura's shrieks. "Do not run!" she barked, "Stand and fight like warrior you are!"

Draculaura scrambled away from Clawd. Her eyes darted from person to person. Her stomach churned at the metallic smell of Deuce's blood. Frankie's cries trying to break through to Clawdeen brought an ache to Draculaura's heart. The sight of Cleo cowering before Jinnafire flooded ice into her veins. Her throat swelled, eyes watered. She couldn't stand, steps brittle as she tried to find a place to run to. She was a mouse cornered by a vicious cat. "I- I- I can't," she sobbed.

Abbey grunted, heat stinging against her skin. She fired a blast of ice, relishing in the comforting chill spreading over her body. Shades of red, yellow, and orange clashed against purple, blue, and teal. "Heath, I not want to hurt you," she warned, forcing her voice to grow soft, "this not fight you will win." He increased the intensity. Abbey retaliated, pushing herself further, the cold seeping deeper into her body. Despite the amount of ice she created, the harder she pushed herself, it wasn't even close to matching Heath. The ice melted faster than she could generate, the puddle of water standing between them growing larger by the second. Her heart raced, and her stomach churned as her body grew warmer the further Heath pushed.

Clawdeen jammed her elbow into Frankie's stomach. She grunted, grabbing it out of reflex. Clawdeen took the opening. She took a fist hold of Frankie's hair, yanking her head back. Frankie twisted, trying to pull free but Clawdeen held on, pulling Frankie to the floor face-down. She grabbed Frankie's arm, twisting it. "Clawdeen you're hurting me!" Frankie shrieked. Clawdeen twisted further, straining the stitching, and shifting her weight to keep Frankie pinned under her.

Frankie forced her head to turn. Deuce gripped his wounded shoulder, trying to shield Cleo and Draculaura the best he could. Abbey fired blast after blast, legs shaking under the strain. A tight band wrapped around Frankie's chest as realization hit her.

She failed.

They had been jumped and overwhelmed with a brutality they had never faced before. She had lured her friends into a trap where Xana got what it wanted. She failed. Frankie Stein failed to protect her friends. To protect Aelita. They handed Monster High to Xana on a silver platter, and now everyone was to suffer because of her. They had only gotten a taste of what was to come with the polymorph. A sob escaped her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't witness what was about to happen to her friends.

A vampire boy fell to the ground, groaning on impact. The fighting paused.

The sound of heels clicking against the tile almost echoed through the room. "I will only ask once," Rochelle warned as she stepped forward, standing tall, "Let. Them. Go."

Jinnafire let out a wave of flames. Rochelle didn't flinch, throwing up her arms to shield her face. A thin coat of ash covered her stony skin. She dusted herself off before running at Jinafire at full speed. She grabbed Jinnafire's shoulders and threw her to the floor. Holt lunged for Rochelle. She threw an elbow into his chest, then a knee to the stomach. She grabbed his arm, flipping him over her shoulder and on top of Jinafire. Clawd attacked from behind, raising a hand to strike.

His head whipped to the side, knocking him off balance. A thick coat of steam coated the ground as Robbeca turned with a finely tuned grace only acquired from years of training. She pulled her leg up and gave a roundhouse kick to Clawd's jaw.

Clawd's eyes snapped wide. " Gah! What the fuck!" he cried out, clutching his jaw.

Robecca winced. "Sorry, Clawd!" She yelped, narrowly missing a swipe of Catrine's claws. Her leg flung out on instinct, swiping Catrine's feet from under her. "Apologies!"

Lagoona rushed onto the battlefield, dancing to avoid the grasp of her brainwashed classmates. She wrapped her arms around Clawdeen's waist pulling her off of Frankie. "Looks like we managed to get here in the nick of time!" she said, helping Frankie to her feet. "You alright mate?"

Frankie latched on to Lagoona, holding her tightly. Her body quivered as she buried her face into Lagoona's shoulder, sobbing. "I- I thought we- That I-" she choked out, squeezing Lagoona tighter.

Lagoona stroked Frankie's hair. "It's alright."

Frankie let go, holding tightly onto Lagoona's hands. "Venus has Aelita. I can promise you that Xana isn't going to let us get to either of them easily," she said.

Lagoona smirked. "Fortunately for us, we have a secret weapon. Robecca! It's time!"

Robecca nodded, swerving out of reach of another student. "Deuce! Can you give me a lift?" she shouted.

"Uh, yeah sure!"

Robecca skated over, linking arms with Deuce where her back was to his chest. He hoisted her up, her legs dangling in the air. "Aim me towards the sprinklers!" she commanded.

"Got it!" he grunted, shifting his footing.

Robecca raised her legs, letting out a cloud of steam from her boots. There were loud pops, followed by water pouring down on everyone.

Yelps and shrieks came from the crowd. Deuce let Robecca down, removing his vest and throwing it over Cleo to keep her dry. The water stopped, leaving a bunch of confused, soaked teenagers.

"Is it over?" Draculaura asked, eyes darting around the room.

Clawd massaged his aching jaw. "Seriously Robecca what the actual fu-" He stopped seeing Draculaura quaking. "Laura! Oh my god, are you okay?!"

Draculaura's body relaxed, throwing herself into Clawd's arms. "Now that you're back I am," she said, nuzzling his chest.

"What happened, I was just in the gym a second ago," he asked, looking around at the carnage.

Deuce patted him on the back. "It's a long story dude," he said with a breathy laugh.

"Whoa! What happened to your shoulder?!" Clawd said, pulling away from Draculaura, and assessing the damage done to Deuce.

Deuce only gave a weak chuckle. "Uh… You kind of did," he said as Cleo handed Deuce a few of the torn bandages from her side to patch up the wound.

Clawdeen steadied herself. "Oh god, what happened?" Her eyes snapped open. "Frankie! It's Venus! Xana possessed-"

"It's a little too late for that!" Cleo snapped, pressing down on Deuce's shoulder.

Clawdeen's eyes landed on Frankie, her face falling. "Frankie! Are you okay?"

Frankie nodded. "I'll be fine. Just a little shaken up, that's all." She laughed pitifully.

"What do we do now?" Draculaura asked, stepping up to Frankie, Lagoona, and Clawdeen. "Xana has Venus and Aelita right?"

"Thankfully, we have a plan," Lagoona said, "Xana isn't as powerful as we thought. All we need is someone to combat it on its own turf." She waved a hand as Scarah stepped into view. "Thankfully we have someone who can do that."

"How is Scarah going to help us?" Cleo asked, crossing her arms.

" I'll be able to fight back Xana's influence on Venus's mind," Scarah explained, "I can 'old it off but not forever. You'll have to get what you need done quickly."

The team looked at each other. "It's worth a shot," Frankie said, "Come on girls, let's go save the day."

"Not without me," Robecca said, gliding up.

" Mon aussi," Rochelle said, standing next to Robecca, "You girls will be needing all the help you can get."

"Count me in," Clawd said, wrapping his arms around Draculaura's shoulders.

Clawdeen's hackles bristled. "No! I mean, no, you should stay here! We've got this all under control."

"But what about-"

"We've faced worse and come out the other side, Clawd. Trust us. Go find Howleen and the boys and get them as far away from here as you can," she said, cutting him off.

Clawd looked down at Draculaura. "We'll be okay Clawd," Draculaura said softly, pulling free.

He sighed. "Alright. Go kick ass." He pecked Draculaura's forehead.

Frankie looked at the web. "Abbey! Could you do the honors?"

Abbey took hold of strings, letting frost spread out from her fingers, freezing the entire web in solid ice. With one sharp pull, she sent the entire thing crashing down. "After you," she said, gesturing to the newly opened hole.

The group steeled their nerves and marched forward.

The group hid behind the corner of the main building of Monster High. Manny paced outside of the outer courtyard entrance. "Alright… Anyone got a plan?" Frankie asked.

"Even with it being-" Deuce counted each member, "-11 vs 1. Manny is like all muscles."

"It's why we 'ave him as our front runner," Robecca added, "I've seen him go toe to toe with some of the toughest monsters on the field."

" 'E was always our biggest threat back when I was a part of the Gargoyle City team. Rocko always had taking him out of the game first as our top priority," Rochelle explained, "He charges at you like a speeding truck. Once he starts, you must be prepared to either get out of the way or stand your ground."

"Sounds like this will be a real walk in the park then," Cleo muttered under her breath.

Frankie looked at Abbey and Deuce. "Do you two think that you can handle him?" she asked. "All we need is long enough to hold him off so we can slip through."

Abbey frowned. "Yeti is strong, but Manny is stronger."

"Yeah, I've seen Manny on a bad day dude. Even if I tried to petrify him, he would have to hold still long enough for him to take effect," Deuce said, holding his hands up, "and I'm not dumb enough to try."

"So that's a bust. Scarah can't you do some sort of mind thing to him?" Clawdeen asked.

"It's 'ard to say. With Manny in his current state I may end up doing more 'arm than good," Scarah said.

"She has a point there," Lagoona said.

"Okay, so we can't tackle Manny, we can mentally subdue him, and there is no way I'll be able to shock him back to reality," Frankie said.

"So we're all out of options then," Clawdeen said bitterly.

"Not exactly," Lagoona piped up.

"What are you thinking?" Frankie asked.

"We just need enough time to activate the portal right?"

Cleo crossed her arms. "It's a doorway, not a portal."

"Aren't those the same thing?" Clawdeen asked.

"It doesn't matter. We just have to activate the spell and step through right? What if we tried luring Manny away? Just long enough for the others to slip through."

"Question then. What happens to the person that stays behind?" Cleo asked, crossing her arms, "Because I doubt that they'll be able to get Manny off their tail long enough to join us."

Silence fell over the group.

"And whoever plays bait won't be able to outrun Manny forever," Cleo continued, "So if anyone wants to volunteer, be my guest."

They all exchanged glances with each other. "I'll do it," Rochelle said, taking a step forward.

"Rochelle, are you positive ?" Frankie asked.

Rochelle's posture straightened. "Unlike everyone else here, I have experience facing Manny on the battlefield. I know how to handle an opponent that is larger than myself," She affirmed. She smirked. "I know I can outrun him."

Frankie pulled Rochelle into a tight hug. "Alright. Be careful, please."

Deuce patted Rochelle on the shoulder. "Good luck dude."

Rochelle gave a firm nod and marched from their hiding place. She stood out in the open, chin raised and eyes firm. "Manny!" He stopped, head whipping to face her. Rochelle held out her arms, "Come and get me!" Manny charged, and Rochelle took off running.

"Let's go!" Frankie shouted, bolting from the hiding place, everyone else following after. Cleo's fingers flew, writing out the code. A golden light framed the entryway and the gated door slid open. Everyone crammed into the elevator and began the descent. The door opened into the factory.

They began to file out. "Hang on," Clawdeen said, stepping back into the elevator, "What phase is it?"

"It's a quarter moon," Frankie reported.

Clawdeen relaxed, stepping out and joining the others.

Frankie called up the service elevator that lead to the computer lab. "Venus and Xana no doubt know that we are here. We have no idea what we might be walking into, so let's make a game plan."

"Scarah should stay in the back. We don't know how much of Venus's own memory Xana has access to," Lagoona said, "We can't risk Scarah getting attacked the second the doors open."

"Venus should also be restrained," Clawdeen suggested, "It would be stupid to just assume that she won't fight back."

"Then Deuce and Abbey should be in the front, to battle back anything Venus can throw. The rest slip through and work on overpowering Venus and holding her down," Frankie explained, "just long enough so Scarah can break Xana's control. We get Venus to recall her pollen on Aelita, send you all to Lyoko, and deactivate the tower. Everyone got that?" Sounds of agreement came from the group. Frankie extended her hand. "Nightmares on three?"

Deuce placed a hand on Frankie's. "Let's do this."

Clawdeen followed. "Let's kick Xana's ass."

Draculaura, Lagoona, and Cleo followed. Then Scarah, Robecca, and Abbey.

"One, two, three-" Frankie counted down.

"-NIGHTMARES!"

They broke. "Let's save the day!" Frankie cheered, everyone, piling into the elevator.

The elevator jerked to a stop. The door opened, and everyone tensed for what would be waiting on the other side.

"Hey, Frankie!" Venus sat back in the command chair and turned to face them. One leg was crossed over the other, holding a knee, and flashing a sharp, toothy grin. Her pupils had been replaced by the eye of Xana. "I'm surprised you guys made it here! Getting past Manny couldn't have been easy. Of course-" Her eyes softened, pride leaking through, "-you guys always find a way through."

"Venus… This isn't you-" Frankie said, pushing her way forward.

"-and you have no choice but to stop me…" Venus' face twisted into a mock sadness. "I really don't want to hurt any of you… But-" She swung the chair back around, showing the monitor. Desert Sector, one blue dot surrounded by red. Venus put a finger to her ear. "Aelita. It's time to finish what you started." There was a crack in Venus's voice. The dots began to move.

Frankie's eyes widened, and hands flew to her and moved to her mouth. "She's heading towards the Digital Sea."

Cleo and Draculaura looked at each other terrified. "What's that?" Clawdeen asked with a waver.

"A really bad thing! If you fall in, it's game over forever," Frankie said, voice shaky.

" She's trying to fight back," Scarah's voice filled Frankie's head, "This is the time."

Frankie clenched her fists. "You can't win, Xana. You have Venus, we have Scarah. Hold her down!"

Deuce and Abbey ran at Venus, both grabbing hold and trying to wrestle her to the ground. Venus shrieked, and electricity crackled around her fingers.

"That's new!" Deuce said, tightening his grip.

"We not able to hold her long!" Abbey barked, her fingers twitching as ice started to form.

Scarah pushed forward and placed her hands on Venus's temples. Venus's body grew slack. Deuce and Abbey let go, stepping back as Scarah got to work. She let go of Venus, her hands moving to her own temples. "I managed to break 'is hold but 'e's fighting back 'ard!" she spoke, "Hurry!"

Venus looked up dazed, blinking past the lights. "What happened? Where am I?"

Frankie helped her up. "Long story short, evil AI took over your brain, made you do bad things, and now someone is about to die and you have to stop it!" she explained.

Venus looked at her dumbstruck. "What?"

Frankie shook her head. "Please just recall your pollen from Aelita!"

"Where are they?" Venus asked, looking around the room.

"In a virtual world! Please you're the only one who can stop her!" Tears pricked in the corners of Frankie's eyes.

"I- Frankie I can't recall it unless the person is in front of me!" Venus explained.

"Can you make her stop at least?" Lagoona asked, stepping up to her.

Venus fumbled with the earpiece. "Aelita stop!" All of the dots stopped moving.

"Great, we got her to stop, now what?" Clawdeen asked, "It's not going to us any good when Xana takes back over and just tells her to jump again!"

Scarah grunted. "Could ya' girls try to 'urry?" Scarah begged, "Xana is getting mad."

"Maybe Venus can transfer control?" Lagoona suggested, "That way we don't have to worry about Xana trying anything."

"Do you think you can do that?" Frankie asked.

Venus fiddled with the earpiece. "I've never done something like that before… But I'm willing to try." She cleared her throat. "Aelita. Whatever happens, don't listen to me alright? Just do what Frankie and her friends tell you to do okay?"

Silence. "Okay."

Frankie let out her breath. "I'll take it over from here," Frankie said, taking the earpiece from Venus. She slid into the command seat, nudging Venus out.

"What else can I- Ugh!" Venus grabbed her head.

"Venus?" Draculaura asked, taking a cautious step forward.

Venus fell to her knees, her body thrashing in pain. Scarah screamed, a deep horrid chill flooding everyone's bodies. Scarah collapsed to the floor, Robecca swooping in to catch her. "Xana really didn't like that."

Venus's body jerked before going still. She strengthened up and got to her feet, each move methodical and with an inhuman level of control. A smile spread wide across Venus's face, and she opened her eyes. She looked over to Frankie in the chair and extended a hand. With a snap of her fingers, electricity flared around her arms. She paused, smile fading. "No. Not you. Not again." Her words were flat and lacked any hint of emotion. She turned, aiming toward the elevator. Towards the remaining members. To Frankie's friends.

" NO!" Frankie screamed, vaulting from the command chair. She latched onto Venus's arm, her own bolts beginning to spark from the added electricity in the air, and forced Venus's aim towards the ceiling as a bolt of energy was released. Deuce and Abbey rushed over, latching onto and restraining Venus.

"Time to move!" Abbey barked, "I stay and help, the rest head to Lyoko!"

Frankie nodded. She took a seat once again, flipping through her reference packet, and typing out necessary programs with shaking hands. "Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo will go in first, then Lagoona," she said.

"That's our queue girls!" Clawdeen said, gently pulling Draculaura into the elevator, Cleo and Lagoona following after. The elevator doors shut around them and plunged itself down.

Frankie adjusted the earpiece, trying to ignore the sound of struggle behind her. "Is everyone ready?"

"They're in position, Frankie!" Lagoona reported.

"Got it," Frankie's fingers flew. "Scanner, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo."

Lagoona watched as each of the scanner doors closed around each of her friends. "See you soon girls!"

"See you soon," Clawdeen called out.

Frankie glanced at the packet. "Transfer, Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo."

Each scanner flared to life, a bright light swirling around each girl. Fans whirled, blowing each girl's hair around them.

Deuce and Robecca slammed Venus into the metal wall. Abbey let loose a blast of ice, freezing Venus's arms and legs to the wall.

"That should buy us a little time," Robecca said, gliding over and helping Scarah over to the base of the holographic map stationed in the center of the room, and easing her to the floor as Frankie hit the enter key. "Virtualization!"

A blinding light engulfed each girl's vision. Their bodies went numb, and air left their lungs. It was the feeling of falling that snapped them back to reality. Clawdeen and Cleo swiftly landed on their feet, while Draculaura shifted into a bat and fluttered down. "We're all here and in one piece Frankie!" Clawdeen reported.

" Alright, sending Lagoona over!" Frankie reported.

A wireframe appeared in the air that soon solidified into Lagoona's avatar. She dropped down, landing on her feet. "A much smoother landing this time around!" she said, dusting off her legs.

"Woah! Draculaura look at you!" Clawdeen said, her tail beginning to wag. "A few color adjustments, a touch of lace here and there…" She circled Draculaura muttering to herself.

"Sorry to interrupt your train of thought, but I think we have a mission to complete?" Cleo snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

Clawdeen straightened. "Right." She looked Cleo up and down. "Huh."

Cleo's head snapped towards Clawdeen. "'Huh', what?"

"It's just… You're a little more plain looking than I imagine," she said with a shrug. "Not exactly what I would expect a princess to wear."

"What would you know about the fashion of Egyptian royalty-"

"Girls!" Lagoona snapped, "We can go over this another time! Aelita is counting on us, remember?" She looked towards the sky. "Frankie, where do we go?"

"She's northwest of where you guys are now," Frankie reported, "The computer says she is around 135 meters. I uh, not really sure how far that is in miles but this should help you guys get there faster!" The Overwing and Overbike materialized before them along with a thin board in varying shades of purple that hovered over the ground. "It's called the Overboard-" There was a loud cracking sound in the background. "Uh, you guys are going to have to decide who gets what! Abbey, she's breaking free!"

"I call dibs on the motorcycle!" Clawdeen shouted, leaping on board the Overbike. She revved the engine, her tail thumping against the seat.

"I want to ride with Clawdeen!" Draculaura said, taking a seat behind Clawdeen.

"I guess I'll take the wing-thingy again," Cleo said, stepping aboard the Overwing, with far more grace this time.

Lagoona eyed the Overboard. "I guess I'll be taking this then." She sat down on the board, pushed herself to her knees, and got to her feet. "Alright let's get going girls!" She took off, with the rest following after her.

Frankie flinched, watching as Venus fought to break free from her icy restraints. Abbey flung layer after layer of ice, filling any cracks that had formed from Venus's struggle. Deuce and Robecca watched the computer screen over Frankie's shoulder. Frankie tore her attention away from Venus and back to the screen. "You guys are moving fast, but Abbey won't be able to hold Venus back forever," Frankie stressed.

"Can't you get Aelita to meet us halfway?" Clawdeen asked.

"She's surrounded by Krabes on all sides, and she's standing just over the edge of the digital sea. I don't want to risk them firing at her if we try anything," Frankie explained. "It's a miracle that they haven't tried anything yet!"

A loud shattering noise stole away everyone's attention. Chunks of ice scattered across the ground as Venus looked triumphantly, flexing her fingers. She flicked her now freed hand, thick vines sprouting from her wrist and entangling Abbey's arm. A hard pull sent Abbey sprawling to the floor. Abbey used her free hand to grab a hold of vines, ice clawing its way up. She pulled her captured wrist, shattering the vines. Abbey let out a low growl as she returned to her feet. Venus curled her fingers into a fist and brought it to her mouth and took a deep breath. She screamed as steam sprayed her face, letting go of the pollen and attempting to shield herself.

Robecca lowered her boot. "Sorry Venus!" she said with a wince.

Deuce gently pulled Abbey back. "We're going to have to stay out of her range or it's going to be game over for all of us," he said.

"That should be easy at least," Robecca said, "As long as she's stuck to the wall-"

A loud cracking cut her off. Venus rubbed the wrist of her other hand. She grabbed a hold of one of her legs, and with one sharp pull, her leg was now free. One sharp kick and her other leg was freed. A large toothy grin spread across Venus's face.

"That's not good…" Scarah spoke standing up.

"You all need to hurry as Venus just got loose!" Frankie shouted, her voice full of panic. The girls could make out loud metallic thuds echoing in the background.

Clawdeen brushed a piece of hair from her face. "We're trying to Frankie!" Clawdeen said, "I'm just starting to pick up on Aelita's scent so we have to be getting close!"

"I think I see 'er!" Lagoona pointed.

A large ring of around five Krabes stood close to the edge of the sector. In the middle was Aelita, completely still.

"We're closing in Frankie!" Clawdeen reported, flooring the Overbike.

Lagoona stopped the Overboard. "Hang on one second!" she shouted, "We should have a game plan!"

"What do you mean?" Cleo asked, pulling the Overwing to a stop.

"Think about it. Xana has Aelita on the edge surrounded on all sides. If we just start firing Xana could order the Krabes to shoot at Aelita and knock her off the edge. We need to be careful about this."

"Lagoona's right," Clawdeen added.

"It is strange though…" Cleo mused, "Xana has the perfect opportunity to get rid of its biggest enemy, and yet it doesn't. "

"Maybe that is part of Xana's plan?" Draculaura piped up, "Get us to attack then shoot her off the edge so we feel like it's our fault?"

Lagoona frowned. "We'll have to figure this out later. Right now we need to focus on getting Aelita somewhere safe so we can get rid of those damn Krabes."

"Well… The umbrella part of my gun seems to be a shield," Draculaura said, holding up her shotgun, "I could protect Aelita while everyone else fights."

Lagoona continued. "Draculaura it would be best if you transform. It'll be harder for them to spot you-"

"Wait, you can't send her in alone!" Clawdeen protested.

"Draculaura can handle herself," Cleo fought back, "The rest of us can't get through undetected and we'll only be putting Aelita in more danger."

"Laura-"

Draculaura placed a comforting hand on Clawdeen's shoulder. "I won't do any good anyways. I'm not really the best against Krabes."

Clawdeen hesitated. "Alright… I guess Laura is on protection duty while the rest of us goes after the seafood special."

"She better get going now then," Cleo said, "We're pushing our luck as is debating all of this."

Clawdeen twisted around, pulling Draculaura into a tight hug. "Go kick ass."

Draculaura squeezed Clawdeen tightly. She took a deep breath, and with a puff of smoke transformed, a tiny black fluttering off. Draculaura pumped her wings, making a beeline toward Aelita. She weaved through the Krabes' legs, staying just out of their lines of sight. She transformed back, and swiftly unfurled her umbrella. The Krabes turned on her and began to fire. Draculaura squealed, shielding herself and Aelita. It came down heavy on Draculaura. She gritted her teeth as braced herself against the force.

One of the Krabes stopped firing. It wobbled, trying to steady itself before toppling over. Lagoona slid down, just before the Krabe exploded into code. She hissed as burning pain erupted from her shoulder as she reached for her trident. Two of the Krabes tore their attention away from Draculaura and Aelita, and onto Lagoona. Clawdeen skidded to a stop in front of Lagoona, shielding her. "Crikey! They really aren't going easy on us!" Lagoona said, peeking out.

"It knows now what to expect from us!" Clawdeen's eyes took on a faint glow as energy rushed through her body. "But so do we." She slipped out her pistols and began to fire.

An arrow embedded in the leg of one of the Krabes still focuses on Draculaura and Aelita. Cleo swiveled the Overwing to a stop and nocked another arrow. She angled it towards the sky, making minor adjustments to her form, and fired. The arrow soared, landing square in the center of the back of the Krabe, killing it instantly.

"That's two down, three to go!" Frankie called out.

Draculaura grunted against the force of the remaining three Krabes trained on her. "Aelita! Snap out of this!" she pleaded, only to be met with silence. She peeked out at the Krabes surrounding her. A hard lump formed in her throat as her arms moved. Her umbrella shut and was raised. A finger pulled the trigger. One of the Krabes stumbled, an ugly red gash branded its front leg. The Krabe fired back at her in retaliation, hitting Draculaura square in the chest. She squealed, unfurling her umbrella. Pins and needles stabbed into her foot as another shot hit her. Draculaura stepped back, jolting as her and Aelita's backs touched.

Clawdeen's ears swiveled. "Draculaura!" The glow in her eyes grew stronger, and she broke into a sprint. She latched onto the leg of Krabe that had hit Draculaura, claws tearing into metal. She heaved herself up the leg of the Krabe, climbing up to the top of its shell, and leaving deep gouges. The Krabe swerved, trying to knock Clawdeen off. Clawdeen clamped down, feeling her feet slip out from under her. She pulled herself back to her feet, slipping out one of her pistols from its holster. She opened fire, aimed right at the eye on its back, sliding off before the monster exploded. A sharp pain shot up her spine. One of the krabes that had been focused on Lagoona and Cleo had turned to her, preparing another shot.

An ugly gash tore into the front leg of Krabe. Lagoona swung her trident, whipping the bubble of water that surrounded the head of the trident, cutting into the Krabe's leg again. "Come and get me ya' bogan!" Lagoona taunted, placing herself in front of Clawdeen. The Krabe reared back on its hind legs. Lagoona rolled, barely missing being skewered. The Krabe raised its leg again, positioned over Lagoona's head.

Clawdeen grabbed on, wrapping her arms around the Krabe's leg for a better grip. The glow of her eyes burned brightly as she bared her fangs and let out a low growl. "Not on my WATCH!" Her body twisted, throwing the Krabe off balance and wrestling it to the ground. "Lagoona now!" Lagoona stabbed her trident into the exposed eye on the Krabe's shell, killing it.

"What the fuck was all that?" Cleo asked firing an arrow into the Krabe she was locked in battle.

"What was amazing!" Draculaura cheered. "How did you two do that?!"

"We're not sure," Clawdeen said, the glow dying from her eyes. "I guess Lyoko gives us powers or something, we didn't really ask Aelita about it."

"Do we get anything too?" Cleo asked. She yelped as the Krabe fired a shot into her shoulder.

Lagoona threw her trident, embedding it into the leg of the Krabe focused on Cleo. "We can discuss it with her later!" she said. Cleo grunted, aiming an arrow up and killing the Krabe.

"We're down to the last one!" Clawdeen said, cocking one of her pistols.

"About that…"

"You had to open your mouth Clawdeen?" Cleo snapped.

"We have a group of something the computer calls 'Mantas' coming right for you all," Frankie reported.

"Just great! Now what?" Cleo complained.

Lagoona frowned. "We'll have to split up. One of us gets Aelita to the tower and the others stay behind to provide a distraction."

"And who will that be?" Cleo asked.

Draculaura eyed the trio. "Clawdeen should."

Clawdeen straightened up. "Me? Why?"

"You're the fastest out of all of us! You'll be able to get Aelita to the tower quickest!" Draculaura argued.

"And what about you?!" Clawdeen fought back, "Leave you- Leave all of you behind?!"

"We can take care of Draculaura, just take Aelita and go," Lagoona said, placing a hand on Clawdeen's shoulder.

"But-"

Cleo rolled her eyes. "Draculaura can handle herself, just go!"

Clawdeen gave a sharp nod, hopping back aboard the Overbike. She pulled up towards Draculaura and Aelita. "Get on Aelita, we have a tower to deactivate!" Aelita climbed aboard, wrapping her arms around Clawdeen's waist. Clawdeen floored the Overbike, speeding off.

Frankie kept her eyes on the screen, trying to block out the sounds of fighting behind her. To fight the urge to help. "Lagoona, the Mantas are about… maybe 1 and a half miles from where you are now, but they are moving pretty fast-" She cried out as her body lurched as the back of her chair jerked forward.

Deuce picked himself up off of the ground, readjusting his sunglasses. "Sorry, dude!"

Robecca yelped as she hit the ground. Thick vines were wrapped around her ankles, pulling her towards Venus. She twisted her body, trying to kick herself free. "Help!"

Abbey and Deuce rushed to her aid, each taking hold of one of her arms. "I never knew Venus was this strong!" Deuce grunted.

Abbey eyed the vines as they tightened around Robecca's ankle. "Hold her!" she commanded Deuce. Abbey let go of Robecca and dug her claws into the vines. A comforting chill surged through her arms, spreading out through the vines. Thick ice crystals covered the vines as they stopped moving. Abbey squeezed Robecca's restraints, shattering them and freeing her.

Robecca scrambled to her feet. "Thanks love." She looked over to Venus. "There's no way we'll be able to get anywhere close to 'er. Not with her pollen."

"And those Vines definitely aren't making it easy to stay back," Deuce added. "Aren't you and Venus like good friends? Can't you 'power of friendship' this or something?"

"It won't work," Scarah explained, "Even if you could get through to her, Xana's control over her is too strong."

Abbey narrowed her eyes. "Then maybe… it time to fight with ice." She clawed at the air, sending a blast of ice at Venus, freezing her legs and keeping her locked in place. Venus banged her fists against the ice, struggling to smash her feet free. Venus locked eyes with Abbey. She straightened her back, flicking her wrist. Tendrils of vines wrapped around Abbey's wrists, crawling up her arms for a tighter hold, and pulling Abbey towards her. Deuce and Robecca wrapped their arms around Abbey's waist, combining their strengths to hold Abbey back. Abbey closed her eyes, sending ice crawling up against her restraints. Ice clawed up Venus's hands, sending a shutter out of the plant monster; however, she kept pulling, even as frost covered her elbows.

"What is up with her?!" Deuce asked, struggling to maintain his footing, "She's acting like it's nothing!"

"I- I can't 'ear 'er voice anymore!" Scarah cried out, her panic seeping out to the others.

"What does that mean?" Frankie asked, twisting around in the chair.

"Xana has taken full control of 'er."

"Clawdeen, how close to the tower are you?!" Frankie asked, panic coating her voice.

"I see it now Frankie!" Clawdeen reported, "Why what's going on?"

"So we have a bit of a situation and we really really need Aelita to deactivate the tower like now!"

A feeling of dread spread through Clawdeen's body. "Got it-" A sharp mix of fermented cheese, and burnt flesh hit her nose. "Hang on Frankie I'm picking something up!"

"Hornets. Three of them, and they're coming in fast," Frankie reported.

Clawdeen cursed under her breath. She took a deep breath, slamming her foot down on the pedal. The tower grew closer into view, all she had to do was keep pushing forward. A yelp escaped her throat as pain stabbed through her shoulder. She looked behind her, spotting the three Hornets tailing her. "Fan-fucking-tasitc," she muttered under her breath. Clawdeen swerved the Overbike, dodging the Hornets' shots. She kept her gaze locked on the tower, a virtual heart ringing in her ears. She had to be at least half a mile away, all she needed to do was keep pushing forward. To just keep pushing-

The Overbike disintegrated out from under her, sending Clawdeen colliding into the ground. Poison from the Hornets splattered the ground around her. She whipped to her feet, holding out one of her pistols, letting loose an entire clip at the Hornets. Aelita laid sprawled out unmoving in front of her. "We don't have time for this!" Clawdeen re-holstered her gun, scooping Aelita into a bridal carry. A rush of strength she had only ever felt under a full moon flooded her systems and she bolted towards the tower.

Abbey strained against Venus's might, with Deuce and Robecca struggling to help hold her. Their feet slid against the metal flooring as Venus yanked on the vines. Abbey's heart pounded as fear consumed her. "FRANKIE!" she cried out.

Frankie leaped from the chair, latching onto Abbey. "Clawdeen hurry!" She screamed into the earpiece.

Abbey was torn from their arms, sending the three crashing to the floor. Venus picked Abbey up by the jaw, nails digging into Abbey's skin. "Now… where was that payback you were supposed to give?" Venus hissed into Abbey's ear. Vines ensnared Abbey's arms, keeping them locked together. Venus closed her other hand, bringing it to her mouth, and blowing a fist full of pollen into Abbey's face, sending the yeti into a coughing fit. Abbey's body grew slack, and all emotion drained from her face. Venus retracted the vines, and Abbey got to her feet. Venus pointed to the group. "Get them." Chunks of ice build around Abbey's arms.

"Clawdeen hurry!"

Clawdeen's heart stopped. She was close, the tower had to only be yards away from her. She needed to keep running. She needed to get to the tower. Once Aelita made it to the tower it would all finally be over. Just a little further.

She yipped as a burning hot fire spread up her leg. A thick green sludge coated her ankle. She gritted her teeth, skidding to a stop and setting Aelita down. She slipped out her other pistol, taking a shaky aim at the hornets. A horrible, burning itch settled in her claws as her vision focused on the Hornets. There was no time for this. Any of this. "Aelita!" She barked, "Deactivate the tower! Now!"

Aelita got to her feet, breaking into a sprint. Clawdeen returned her focus to the Hornets. She pulled the trigger, meeting only a click. Empty. As was her other pistol. She squeezed her eyes shut, sliding her guns back into their holsters. She opened her eyes, spotting Aelita sliding through the black mass at the base of the tower. Her chest loosened as she threw out her arms. Pain flooded her body as it slowly broke away into coding.

Abbey swung her fists, forcing the group to scatter. Abbey swung again, smashing into the back of Deuce's skull. He collapsed to the ground, vision blurry and ears ringing. Robecca threw herself at Abbey, trying to tackle her to the ground. Abbey flung her to the side and focused her attention on Frankie.

"Please. No," Frankie begged.

A loud thug echoed through the room as Venus hit the floor. Abbey stopped moving, her eyes rolling back into her skull, and she fell to her knees.

Frankie felt her legs give out from under her, her body trembling as sobs escaped from her throat.

Deuce picked himself up, rubbing the back of his head. "Is it over?"

Scarah walked over to Venus placing a gentle hand on her temple. "It's quiet," she spoke.

Relief washed over everyone.

Deuce helped Frankie to her feet. "Are you going to be okay?"

Frankie gave a shaky nod.

"So… what happens now?" Robecca asked.

Frankie sat down in the chair. "Well… I think we're going to have to reverse everything… Time-wise I mean."

"Like… Time travel?" Robecca asked. "Frankie, my father's machine can only send people back-"

"I'm not talking about your father's machine. The supercomputer has a program that can reset everything back up to a few days." She hesitated. "But you and Scarah aren't going to remember any of this."

Scarah stood straight. "What do you mean?"

"It erases the memories of everyone that isn't scanned into the computer," Frankie explained.

"So that means only you and your group will remember all of this."

"Basically."

Sarah's face shifted as if the long-awaited final piece of a puzzle fell into place. "That explains it."

Frankie looked at Scarah. "What?"

"Nothing Frankie. Go ahead and do what you need to do."

Frankie nodded, shoving Scarah's words to the back of her mind. "Aelita deactivated the tower so brace yourselves." She flipped through the reference packet, carefully typing in the code. "See you earlier girls. Return to the past now!"

A blinding white light consumed their vision.

Ghoulia sighed, then looked back up at them with a smile. She turned away, giving a quick wave as she walked off.

Frankie collapsed into her chair, giving a breathy laugh as the world came back to her. "Oh my ghoul I did it!" she cheered, pumping her fists into the air.

Abbey groaned covering her ears. "Not loud, head hurt, like used as a ball for mammoths."

Aelita groaned as she rubbed her temples. "Ugh. What happened?"

"What happened was we-" Clawdeen gestured to the group, "-kicked Xana's ass!"

Aelita's eyes shot open wide. "What?"

"A friend of ours, Scarah, managed to break Venus's hold over you long enough to get you to the tower," Frankie explained.

Cleo checked through her phone. "Deuce is alright. A little shaken but he'll be fine." She slipped her phone back into her bag. "Now… Why didn't you mention we would get superpowers on Lyoko and what are mine?!"

Aelita chuckled. "Yes. Lyoko gives everyone an ability or two to help them. I don't know what they are, you'll have to find them out in time." Cleo pouted, crossing her arms. "Hold on, Frankie, did you launch a Return on your own?" Aelita asked.

"Uh, yeah. Did I launch it wrong?"

"No! No, I'm… Impressed," she said with a smile, "You're adapting to all of this very quickly. All of you are. Good job everyone."

Clawdeen held up her cup of decaf coffee pride swelling in her chest. "A toast! To our first victory as a team! May Xana learn to kiss our asses and learn to suck it while we're around!" The group cheered.

Lagoona walked up to the group chuckling. "Sorry to interrupt the celebration!" she said, followed by Robecca. "And I hope you don't mind if I bought a guest along!"

Aelita's body went cold and her smile fell.

Frankie leaped from her seat. "Not at all!" she said, "Hey, Robecca have you had a chance to meet Aelita yet? She just transferred from France!"

Robecca looked at Aelita with a soft smile. "No, I don't think we've had the pleasure." She stuck out a hand. "I'm Robecca Steam, one of the captains of the SKRM team!"

Aelita took Robecca's hand hesitantly. "Aelita. Aelita Stones."

Robecca laughed. "Like the British rock band?"

A lump formed in Aelita's throat. "Y-yeah kind of…"

"There's this new boutique that we're going to take a look at if you want to come with!" Frankie offered.

"I would absolutely love to, but I have to pick up a can of oil first. My supply is starting to run a tad low at home," Robecca explained.

"Why don't you go with Aelita!" Frankie pushed.

Aelita's body went still. "No."

"But it would be-"

"How about I go with Robecca," Lagoona said, "I need some SKRM advice anyway, I think I might be taken' the turns a bit too sharply anyway."

Frankie deflated as Lagoona and Robecca walked off. She turned to Aelita. "I thought you wanted to be her friend?"

"Frankie I- I can't! I can't put her in danger again!" Aelita looked at the floor, her fists clenched. "The fewer people I associate myself with, the less chance of innocent bystanders getting injured because of Xana," She said firmly.

"Aelita-"

"Frankie, can we drop this for now?" Aelita's voice was no higher than a whisper.

Frankie sighed. "Okay. Let's… Let's get going."

Like before, the group splintered off once they reached the store, spreading out between the different racks of clothing. Frankie kept stealing glances back at Aelita as the girl absent-mindedly browsed. She let out a deep sigh.

"You okay?" Clawdeen asked, popping up.

"I don't get her! She wanted to be Robecca's friend, but now she doesn't. I just don't understand her!"

Clawdeen took a look at Aelita. "She must have gotten pretty messed up before us."

"She's trying to isolate herself, Clawdeen! That's not a good thing!"

"And Frankie you're not being as helpful as you think you are." Clawdeen's words cut into Frankie's. "Girl, you know I love you. Platonically at least, but trying to shove Aelita at every person before she's ready is only going to push her further away." Clawdeen set her purse on the ground and took hold of Frankie's shoulders. "Watching you two is like watching my mom and dad make Packlynn or Pawker eat their veggies. The more you force, the more they fight." She ran a hand through her hair. "Man Lagoona is way better at this than me. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Frankie nodded. "I think so."

"Frankie you have the biggest heart I have ever seen but you need to learn to read other people better okay?"

"I'll work on it," Frankie promised.

Lagoona and Robecca stepped into the store. Lagoona spotted Aelita alone and stepped up to her. "Hey there."

Aelita looked up. "Oh, hello."

Lagoona looked over the table of graphic tee shirts before the two. "Find anything interesting?"

"Nothing really worth the price honestly," Aelita answered with a shrug.

"Hmm… You know it's a shame you didn't get to see 'er in action," Lagoona mused.

Aelita's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Robecca. Shelia- The girl has a mean fight to her. If it wasn't for her help, I don't think we would have even gotten to Lyoko without 'er help."

Aelita looked away, pressing her lips together.

"You're scared and that's okay mate," Lagoona said, gently lifting Aelita's chin to look at her. "But you can't let fear run your life. All you're doing is letting Xana win."

"No, I'm not!"

"But you are." Lagoona looked over at Robecca. "None of us want Xana to hurt our friends. Or worse, having Xana use them to 'urt us. " She looked back at Aelita. "I don't know what happened to you and your other friends and it's okay if you never want to talk about it, but putting up walls is only going to make healing harder okay? Don't let fear take away something. I'm talking from experience."

Aelita's breath hitched. "I just want her to be safe."

A smile tugged at the corner of Lagoona's lips. "Trust me. She can handle herself. I've watched her go toe-to-toe with the toughest werewolves, gargoyles, and any other monster SKRM has thrown at 'er." She nudged Aelita. "Go on. Talk to her."

Aelita looked over to Robecca. Her feet moved, walking over to Robecca and tapping her on the shoulder. She asked something Lagoona couldn't make out over the general chatter and the store's music but, Robecca lit up, eagerly engaging in conversation.

"How did you do it?" Frankie asked walking up to Lagoona, "Talk to Robecca I mean."

Lagoona shrugged. "I saw where she was coming from and took it from there."

Frankie looked at Lagoona. "Do you… Do you think that we're up to this? All of this Lyoko stuff I mean. If you didn't get to us we would have-" Her throat swelled, preventing the rest of her sentence from escaping.

Lagoona hugged Frankie. "I think we've got this, but we'll have to be much smarter going forward. This won't be like Whisp. Or Kala, or your grandfather's creation. Xana is much more dangerous than we gave it credit for." She took Frankie's hand. "But, we can't let that fear consume us. I let Kala take away my love of dancing, we can't let Xana take anything away from us."

"So we just go then…" Frankie said, clasping Lagoona's hand, "Letting Xana know that we aren't afraid of it. Living our unlives to the fullest and rubbing it in Xana's stupid face!"

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Lagoona cheered, "Now… let's see if I can find that cute hoodie from before!"

The white-hot, burning feeling of rage filled the air.

LAIR.

Pain coursed through his body. The years had forced him to grow used to it, but this was far greater than what he had experienced. "I didn't know!" he cried out, "I didn't know that they knew someone that could break your control over her!"

LIES.

He screamed. "This isn't Kadic! You aren't dealing with just humans anymore!" The pain stopped, and he struggled to fill his lungs with air.

THE RULES HAVE CHANGED.

His body shook. "They have," he choked out. "But that does mean you'll win." He gritted his teeth as another wave took over his body. "I- I've seen it! This school isn't like ours! They will stop you!" The pain stopped and Xana's voice grew quiet. Jeremie's body trembled as he was once again alone. "Keep fighting, Aelita," he begged, knowing the words would never reach her, "Keep fighting."