Code 12: CONFLICT
"Dude..." Odd said, clasping Zaber on the shoulder.
"I'll be fine. I'll just have to refrain from using it anymore. Not like it's being useful anyways. Freaking portals." Zaber muttered.
"Well... It’s already done some damage… your life expectancy is down twenty years." Jeremy explained.
"We all have a life expectancy of about an hour unless we come up with something." Yumi urged.
"Oh, Jeremy, their is a file I found in the data dump that might interest you." Zaber walked over to the computer and opened the text document. "Right here. All it says is "Xenocidal Adaptable Network AI". Know what that means?"
"Hm... it's an acronym!" Jermey exclaimed after pondering it for a moment. "It's Xana's name... I don't even know the meaning of the first word... but the rest is pretty straight forward. Adaptable means it can change it's programming and choose it's own directives based on the situation. Network means that it uses a network of computers as it's power source, and AI just means artificial intelligence."
"An acronym?" Zaber blinked, and then slapped himself on the forehead. "That was too obvious. I should have thought of that." Although they now knew the messages meaning, it had no effect and was still useless. They all returned to the news broadcast, which had few developments, but they could see that the forces outside were close to breaking the ice barrier.
"I'm going to go up and try and negotiate with them." William said.
"What?" Ulrich said in shock.
"Look. They've been looking for me for a year, right? If I go up there, they won't shoot me, because they'll think you're releasing a hostage. I'll explain everything, and if they believe me, we might make it out of this without bloodshed." He explained.
"To be honest, I like William's plan." Aeltia said quietly. It was the most reasonable thing any of them could think of.
"Alright. Just be careful. We just got you back." Yumi said.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine." He smiled and stepped into the elevator. Jeremy reactivated the newscast to see that a drilling machine had been brought in and that the ice wall had been penetrated. A camera feed showed the rope that lifted the elevator moving slowly upwards, as several officers pointed guns at the door, the door lifted up to reveal Willaim, standing empty handed with his hands-up, in a gesture of non-aggression. He stepped out and said something, but an FBI officer ordered the camera shut off, and the feed was lost, and coverage returned to outside the factory. Above, they heard muffled shouting, several rounds of gunshots, and then heard the elevator moving again.
"JEREMY! LOCK THE ELEVATOR!" Zaber ordered him. Jeremy keyed a quick command and the power to the elevator was cut. "We've got to get out of here before they find the ladders. We can't stay here anymore!"
"But... where are we supposed to go?" Aelita asked him anxiously.
"And how are we supposed to get out? There's one entrance, and they've got it covered!" Ulrich stressed. Zaber gritted his teeth, and then shoved Jeremy out of the way, his chair moving across the room. He furiously keyed onto the supercomputer, and after about a minute, typed "SCPIO" and then enter. The transporter appeared on screen, and then faded out.
"Everyone huddle close around me. This could get rough." Zaber said, as he pressed the transfer button on his scanner as he held it over his head. A black light shot from the supercomputer into the device instead of his usual red, and a Xana mark appeared instead of his usual Kanji. The golden rings of light appeared around his hand as everyone gathered around him, but he slammed his hand palm down onto the ground, and a white aura began to surround them, and then a white mass began to grow from Zaber's hand on the ground, beginning to form a white sphere around them. The transporter appeared, completely engulfing them just as a group of soldiers entered the computer room through the ladders and opened fire, but their shots bounced off the sphere. Inside the sphere, they could see the outside through the semi-transparent walls of the sphere. Zaber's hands grasped a pair of handles on either side of the roof of the transporter. He grunted in strain and pulled the handles forward and up, and the transporter lurched forward and upward, they flew through the factory, passing through walls like they weren't there. They burst out of the top of the factory, and the crowd outside began to point up and scream. The military fired on them, but they dodged most of the fire as they jolted off in the direction of the school. News crews left all but their most mobile cameras and shot into their news vans and news copters and gave chase, but they could not keep up with them. Inside, Zaber panted in strain, as if he was running at high speed for an extended period, the transporter living off his own stamina.
"How did you..." Jeremy started to question.
"I figured we might need an escape root someday. I was working on this all night." Zaber answered in a panting breath.
The orb swiped into the school and right back out again, sucking up Kiwi as they passed through Odd's room. Inside, Odd petted him to calm him as he was startled.
"Thanks for taking the detour Zaber." Odd said.
"Only because you'd whine the rest of your life if we didn't go get him." Zaber moaned, as they changed direction with another thrust of his arms, heading out of town.
"So what happens now?" Ulrich asked.
"They know who we are. The factory has been captured. We're probably wanted dead or alive. We do the only thing we can do: go into hiding." Jeremy responded dejectedly as he sat down on the invisible floor of the orb, which was actually flat.
"I know a place that should be good for at least a few hours, but we'll have to get much more creative afterwards. They won't look at my "parents" house yet because it's too far away. They won't think we could get there in such little time, but they'll come there quickly after that. But it's a stepping stone. And the red tape should slow them down, since it's outside the country." Zaber muttered, as he urged the sphere onwards, but he was losing strength. They had lost the media and military some time ago, but if didn't set down soon, they'd be found sooner or later. He directed the sphere into a snowstorm to help camouflage them, and after they had eclipsed nearly two-hundred miles and crossing the British channel like a blur. The orb hit the ground on British land and the sphere broke like a glass bulb, sending them all scattering and rolling across the snowy plain. Zaber lay on the ground on his back, gasping for breath, using the transporter for such a prolonged period had put a tremendous strain on him. The others all stumbled about for a bit, with a bout of motion sickness. After a few minutes, Odd and Ulrich propped Zaber up between them.
"Which way now?" Yumi asked Zaber.
"The summer home is only about a mile from here." Zaber gestured to the snowy coastline. "I'd walk out here almost every day in the Summer when I was younger. That way." He pointed to a dirt pathway that led inland, and into a thick wood. The six of them trudged into the wood solemnly.
At the factory, something had happened that the warriors had not seen. When the camera feed had been cut off, a man approached William. It was Sanderson, the enforcer who had captured them after Aelita's wings had been discovered. But when he got within five feet of William, William phased for a second, and grabbed Sanderson's arm, throwing him to the ground. The other soldiers opened fire, emptying rounds and rounds into the wall, but William phased again and dropped into the floor. They never found him after that.
After walking through the forest for about half-an-hour, they entered a clearing with a moderately sized building, which they approached from the rear. It had a domed roof but the building itself was square. It had a door and porch on the front, which had a large driveway which led about a quarter of a mile straight to a normal paved road. It had a porch on the west side as well as a pool, a large picture window on the left side, and a back porch with patio furniture and a single sliding door. Finally regaining some of his stamina, Zaber let go of Odd and Ulrich and slid open a panel next to the door to reveal a keyboard. He keyed a twenty-two character sequence and a tone sounded, and he pushed the door open, and it slid with ease.
"Welcome in." Zaber said as he stepped into the house. The others walked in and looked around in awe. The inside of the house was ornately decorated, clearly an upper class home. Hardwood flooring, panel lights, obsidian countertops, and leather everything in terms of furniture. Zaber noticed the shocked looks on some of their faces. "I told you my adoptive parents were well off. My adoptive father is CEO of a company that manufactures DVD's through a factory in China, and my adoptive mother is the head accountant for a movie studio. This is the summer home." Zaber said, stressing "adoptive" each time he said it. "We should be safe here... at least for a little while. They'll come looking here eventually, but by applying the principal of reverse psychology, it should buy us some time."
"So long as they don't opt for reverse reverse psychology." Jeremy muttered as he closed the door behind them. Zaber booted up a computer in the corner of the room, then yanked open the refrigerator, pulled out a can of soda, and popped it as he slammed the door, taking a swig as he walked back to the computer. He picked up a remote off the counter on his way by, and pressed the power button while pointing to a large television hanging on the wall. It flickered to life, and he hit a few buttons and CNN appeared on the screen.
"Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable everyone. Explore, sleep, I don't care. If anyone's hungry, there should be some non-perishables in the cellar." Zaber gestured to a small wooden door in the floor with an iron pull ring. "They don't keep fresh stuff stocked during the off-season." He plopped down in the chair in front of the computer and keyed a quick password, and the computer revved up. It was an older model, so everything was considerably slower than usual. The others began to explore the house. Odd and Ulrich immediately made for the cellar and tried to find some food, and ascended the cellar steps laden with bags of pasta, jars of sauce, and other canned foods. Aelita, Jeremy, and Yumi explored most of the main floor, discovering three bedrooms, and a front room that was even more ornately decorated than the rest of the house. Jeremy made a beeline for a room down the hall the others had not yet been in, and nudged the door open. He jumped in shock after a moment. The room inside was one he had seen before. It was the drawing room where Zaber and the psychiatrist had their conversation while they were in Zaber's memory. It was plastered with dust, but the chair and couch were still in their same place. Shelves upon shelves of books covered in dust covered up the bulk of the walls.
"No way..." Jeremy said as he wandered into the center of the room, awestruck. He walked to the center of the room, and ran his finger through the dust on one of the end tables, leaving a mark. On the table sat a small, hardcover bound notebook, it's pages and spine considerably worn. He picked it up and blew the dust away, and opened it up, standing with his back to the door as read.
"October 1, 1999
Mr. Green was being nosy again. He can probe my psyche all he wants, but I've already told him the truth, it's his problem now. And I suspect you're reading this Mr. Green, so I'm not going to bother putting anything in here that I didn't already tell you.
A. My father, Hopper, killed my sister, and my mother died of grief.
B. I changed my hair color to break my connection with him.
C. You are the worst psychiatrist ever.
I think that about sums it up. You're not going to "cure" me because nothings wrong with me. Deal with it.
This was scribbled in the margins in red ink.
"Very funny Zaber. I told you to right down you thoughts, not a stupid rant."
This was written beneath it in green ink.
"These are my thoughts you stupid ass."
"Whoa... this is..." Jeremy muttered, connecting that Mr. Green must have been the psychiatrist from Zaber's memory.
"...a problem." Zaber said, having snuck up behind him.
"Z-Zaber!" Jeremy exclaimed and stuttered as he slammed the book shut.
"What are you doing Jeremy?" Zaber questioned him, an angry look on his face.
"N-nothing! I was just..." Jeremy tried to explain himself.
"Let's get one thing straight Jeremy. I respected your privacy and kept what I read in your journal a secret. If you tell ANYONE, ANYTHING that you read in there, Aelita finds out all about EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR SICK LITTLE FANTASIES! COMPRENDE?" Zaber raised his voice and slammed his fist on the wood table, cracking it due to it's age. Jeremy nodded vigorously, too scared to say anything. Zaber snatched the book away from Jeremy and stormed out of the room muttering intelligibly. Jeremy remained frozen in place for a few minutes, a mixture of fear and guilt holding him there. After he regained some composure, he walked out of the room and sat down in a chair in the front room, breathing deeply, trying to figure out a way to make things right, but could not think of anything. He eventually wandered back into the living room, where Zaber now sat at the computer on a travel website, trying to figure out a better hiding place. He had not seen Aelita since he had gone into the study. Yumi sat watching the television, and he heard Odd and Ulrich behind him in the kitchen area.
"Odd, you can't make pasta in the microwave." Ulrich said.
"What are you talking about? You can make ANYTHING in the microwave." Odd shot back as he emptied a bag of bow-tie pasta into a pot of water.
"Odd, you don't even know how to cook!" Ulrich argued.
"How hard can it be?" Odd placed the pot in the microwave and closed the door, setting the clock for a minute.
"Odd! Wait! You can't put a metal pot in the micro..." Ulrich exclaimed, but was cut off by a loud cracking sound as sparks flew inside the microwave, but Ulrich managed to press the off button before things got too intense. The door burst open and black smoke billowed out of the door. Zaber had bolted from his chair when he heard Odd put the pot in the microwave, and had just reached the side.
"Odd, you idiot!" Zaber said as he reached for a small canister fire-extinguisher from under the counter. He sprayed a white foam from it onto the smoldering metal, which stopped smoking.
"Way to go Odd, you killed the microwave! Now what are we supposed to eat?" Ulrich shouted at him. Yumi walked over with Aelita.
"Just step aside boys." Yumi said as she cracked her knuckles and reached for a fresh pan and began to cook pasta properly.
"You boys would be lost without us." Aelita said smugly as she began to help. Zaber just walked away, Ulrich groaned, but Odd just blushed and apologized. Jeremy watched this unfold with slight amusement, but then returned to his reflections. What he had read was just another piece of evidence pointing to Zaber's memories being true. But if they were true, than how could Aelita have possibly survived, and what was Franz Hopper really trying to accomplish? He ran every imaginable scenario through his mind, but still drew a blank. He would need absolute proof from the one person who could possibly know... Hopper himself. He pulled out his laptop, which had still been strapped to his back since they had left the factory. He opened his e-mail, and began to write an e-mail, sending it to the E-mail address that the real Franz Hopper had last contacted them with.
TO: FRANZ HOPPER
FROM: JEREMY BELPOIS
SUBJECT: ANSWERS
Hopper... I don't know where you are or what your circumstances are, but I need answers. If you're reading this, please respond. The factory has fallen, and we're deep in hiding. The return to the past is gone. We need your help.
Jeremy closed the window before anyone could see what he had done, and then tried to link to the supercomputer, but quickly shut the link. He remembered that now that they had the supercomputer, they could trace his location. They ate ten minutes later, but found little motivation to do anything afterwards. Zaber continued to plot their escape, but everyone else simply tried to get their mind off their dire situation. Around ten, the four boys drew straws to see who would get the last available room, and Odd won. Ulrich rolled up on the floor on a bunch of pillows while Zaber and Jeremy tried to sleep on two of the couches.
Jeremy had another nightmare. It was the Zaber nightmare again, but it had changed AGAIN. The person who Aelita was protecting, which had been a blur before, was now crystal clear, but after seeing Zaber's memory, Jeremy had already guessed his identity. It was Hopper. The dialogue was still the same, but it made perfect sense this time. But when it reached the end, a second change took place.
"You leave me no choice Aelita. Get out of the way... or die with him." Zaber said as he snapped his fingers, and the Devil Arm appeared which he aimed at Hopper, with Aelita standing between them. It was then that Jeremy found himself able to move and speak for the first time in the dream.
"Aelita!" He rushed forward and shoved Aelita out of the way, but then felt himself engulfed by light and a pain like nothing he'd ever experienced, and he screamed out in pain. The last thing he saw was Aelita on the ground staring at both him and Hopper, crying in sorrow. Jeremy was awakened by the ring of his cell phone. He pulled it from his pocket sleepily and pressed the button.
"Hello?" He muttered as he rubbed his eyes.
"Hello Jeremy." A voice rang on the other end of the line. Jeremy shot into full consciousness with ludicrous speed.
"Hopper?" Jeremy responded, as Zaber rose quickly from the couch. He had been awake the whole time, but had leapt up when he heard who Jeremy was talking to.
"Yes. I'm sorry for not contacting you sooner. This line is tapped... so I can't talk long."
"Where are you? What have you been doing?"
"I can't tell you right now. Meet me in New York in three days." Hopper said.
"Hopper, wait! I've had enough of all this secrecy... at least tell me something!" Jeremy shouted at him. Zaber snatched the phone out of his hand.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" Zaber screamed into the phone, waking up everyone in the house. "TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE SO I CAN COME KILL YOU OLD MAN!" The connection was cut, a dial tone played in the cell. Zaber threw the phone on the ground in a fit of rage. "DAMN IT!" He grabbed Jeremy by the shirt collar. "WHAT THE HELL DID HE TELL YOU?"
"Nothing..." Jeremy said as he tried to pry Zaber's hands away from his collar. "He said to meet him in New York." Zaber let go and stormed across the room rebooting the computer.
"Zaber... Jeremy... what the hell is this about?" Ulrich asked.
Zaber responded quickly and grimly.
"Don't make yourselves too comfortable. We're leaving for America."
A receiver was hung up into the phone sitting on a dark cherry wood desk. The hand which had been holding it was moderately tanned, with a simple gold band ring on it's middle finger. The man seemed to be in his mid-20's, he was wearing a black suit with a white tie. He had crisp, neat black hair and was clean shaven. The room was painted a yellow cream color, with bookshelves and paintings on the walls. A box with a speaker on his desk buzzed and he pressed the button, and a voice came through the line.
"Sir. I have my report." Said the voice, it was Sanderson.
"Go on." The man said, his voice perfectly normal.
"We managed to infiltrate the Kalis tech building after the incident. As we approached, William Dunbar appeared. He took aggressive actions against me, and then disappeared before we could incarcerate him. A few other agents report seeing the remaining suspects fleeing the building in some sort of flying sphere. When we further explored the building, we found the supercomputer room we had been searching for. I believe you've been debriefed about Franz Hopper's "Xana Project". Preliminary analysis of the mainframe indicates a vast user history, a student at a local school had been accessing it for nearly three years. The boy in question, Jeremy Belpois, is currently missing, we believe he is one of the suspects who fled. His roommate is gone as well, plus four other students they commonly associated with. Also connected to the computer are three molecular scanning devices, which recreate physical matter in virtual space. My degree is in intelligence, not computers, that's just what my technical crew told me. Were still combing for data, but most of the files are encoded, I'll keep you updated on anything of importance we find."
"Very good Sanderson." The man said. "Carry on." The man pressed a button and cut the line. The box beeped again.
"Representative Alexander, the new intern is here." A female voice rang.
"Good. Send him in." He pressed another button on the desk and the door opened. William stepped through the door, which closed behind him. The man hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Well?" William's eyes shut for an instant, and then burst back open his eyes replaced by Xana marks.
"They believed every word." William said melancholy.
"As expected." The man said as he flung his feet up onto the desk.
"And Zaber?" William asked him.
"The trap is set." The man said as he shifted a chessboard sitting on the desk in front of him. On the black side of the board, there was a king, a bishop, a knight, and a dozen pawns. The pawns were all huddled in one corner, guarding the bishop. The king and knight were in the other corner. On the other side of the board, lined up in a row, were a compliment of white pieces, a king, queen, two rooks, two knights, and two bishops. "But unlike real chess... I don't need to trap the king to win. I need only run out the clock. Seven moves... just seven moves until my plan is complete." The man said as he smiled wickedly. He began to laugh evilly, as the view zooms in on a gold stick pin holding his tie in place. A single, golden Xana mark.
Code 12: CONFLICT... END
