Code: MUNK (Ch.1)

A fiery explosion, searing flames, and a roof partially collapsing; where did these things come from?  Simon vaguely remembered the three events, the details escaping him.  He wasn’t even sure how he was involved, only that the accident had occurred early in his childhood.  After his latest futile attempt at recollection, the bespectacled chipmunk sighed and continued walking.  Best not to delay, he thought; he had to be back home in time for a concert later that night.

Standing a lofty 6 feet, 2 inches tall and still growing, Simon was easily the tallest of his siblings.  His fur was a dark, chocolate shade of brown, and his bright, blue eyes were aided by a pair of black, circular glasses.  Simon boasts an IQ upwards of 200 and is profoundly intelligent, allowing him to learn and adapt very quickly.  He’s no slouch when it comes to athletics either, being the captain of West Eastman High’s varsity baseball and basketball teams.

Today the bespectacled chipmunk was working on a project for the upcoming school science fair, a competition he’d won handily the past two years.  Smiling in anticipation, he rode his scooter through an old water line, the two-wheeled vehicle traversing a surprisingly clean sidewalk alongside the idle fluid.  This old, rusty pipe would take him to a long abandoned factory, inside which he hoped to find some spare parts and a few wires for circuitry.

Arriving at a ladder leading to the surface, Simon set his scooter against the wall and ascended the metal rungs.  Stepping out of a manhole, the bespectacled teen found himself standing on a tan, concrete bridge mere yards from the factory.  The building, formerly used to make cars, was an old, decrepit structure left untouched for over a decade.  Entering through an opening fitted with an overhead door, Simon used a steel cable to swing down to the ground level of the factory.

Now inside the structure, the bespectacled chipmunk began scavenging for parts.  The factory was in decent condition despite peeling paint, innumerable cracks and patches of mold throughout it.  Simon ignored the obvious signs of abandonment, because the machinery was still in fairly good condition.  This was why the teen always came here; the parts were free and required minimal restoration.

As he gathered parts, Simon came across an old lift he’d never seen before.  The bespectacled teen’s curiosity overwhelmed his better judgment, leading him forward into the long-idle lift.  Inside, the lift had simple controls, but required an access code for them to work.  Intelligent as he was, it only took Simon a few minutes to figure out the passcode.  With the lift unlocked, he pressed the down button, causing an overhead door to close before the lift began descending.

The trip downward was quick, and soon the lift had slowed to a stop.  Most surprisingly, the back wall of the machine rose up, revealing a strange door with a round mechanism in the middle.  The door opened automatically, revealing a dimly lit, round room with a strange terminal in the middle.  There were several connected computer monitors and a chair, the latter of which could revolve around what appeared to be a holographic projector in the center of the room.

“Interesting...” Simon remarked, walking over to the chair.  He noticed that the monitors and projector were dark, and hypothesized that the room’s power source was turned off.  Deciding to try and locate it, the bespectacled chipmunk returned to the lift.  Going down another level, he was met with a second, identical door leading to a room containing three pods of some sort.  Still lacking power, Simon decided to explore this level later.

Another trip downward led Simon to a third mechanical door, which opened to reveal a cube-shaped room.  Inside he could see cables below the glass floor, connected to what looked like a round, black and yellow cyber-pedestal.  Simon knew instantly that it was a supercomputer, his jaw dropping at the sight of the powerful machine.  To have such a powerful computer at his disposal was a dream come true.

After closer observation, Simon found a panel on the computer that retracted, revealing a handle.  The bespectacled teen pulled the apparatus, and moments later a humming sound could be heard.  With the computer now running, Simon returned to the lift and ascended two floors to the terminal room.  Taking a seat in the large, cushioned chair, Simon popped his knuckles.

“Now then, let’s see what you’ve got under the hood...” he remarked, booting up the computer with a simple keystroke.  The monitors and projector flickered to life, bringing up several windows and a holographic map.  One window was unique, displaying the face of a chipmunk like Simon himself.  Weirder still, the stranger looked as if he was inside a video game!

The teen’s hazelnut-furred head and tail resembled that of a computer animated character similar to those in Pixar movies.  His attire was no less virtual looking, consisting of an orange jumpsuit with black sides and a matching belt.  The two colors were broken up by a mix of white and yellow lines, except on the arms which featured yellow tiger stripes.  As if that weren’t enough, the suit made the teen’s hands look like claw-tipped paws.

“Ugh... where am I...?” the teen asked, “Who are you?”  Simon glasses slipped from his nose as he recoiled in shock; he hadn’t noticed the other chipmunk yet.  Regaining his composure, Simon repositioned his glasses and inhaled deeply.

“My name is Simon Seville, what’s yours?” he asked.

“I...I don’t know... I can’t remember anything,” the stranger answered.

“Let me do some digging; maybe I can find some info on the hard drive,” Simon responded.  His fingers moved busily on the keyboard as he searched through the computer’s stored data.  He stopped after a few minutes, turning his attention back to his mysterious companion.

“Well, I found a few things. You’re in a virtual world called Lyoko, which seems pretty consistent with the kind of stuff you see in video games. You, on the other hand... you’re something different,” Simon remarked.

“Different? What do you mean?” the other teen questioned.

“Well at first I assumed you were an advanced artificial intelligence, but now I’m not so sure,” Simon answered.

“Damn right I’m not an AI!” the other teen roared, glaring at Simon. The bespectacled chipmunk scooted backward a few inches.

“Calm down, please.  What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have a source code, or anything else an AI would have for that matter. It’s like you’re a real chipmunk trapped inside a video game!” Simon explained.

“Well, I’m not an AI, so that must be the case,” the stranger responded, still a bit frustrated.

“I suppose so. Anyway, I think it’s best if we come up with a name for you; it’ll make things a little easier on us,” Simon remarked.

“Sounds like a good idea. Got any suggestions?” his companion questioned.

“Hmm... how about... Andrew?” Simon responded.

“I kinda like that,” the stranger commented, smiling.

“Andrew it is,” Simon confirmed, “Now let’s get you out of there; look for a door or something.”

“That’s the best you’ve got?” Andrew questioned.

“Hey, I’m not very familiar with this stuff; give me a break,” Simon replied defensively.

“Sorry, I guess I’m a bit eager to get out of here,” Andrew apologized, looking around, “I don’t see a door.”  The teen walked towards the edge of the round room he stood in, if you could call it that.  Andrew stood on a circular platform which filled nearly the entire floor space and resembled a strange eye.  Said platform stopped short of the wall, however, revealing a bottomless pit below.

(A/N: This is the platform seen inside the towers. It’s hard to describe in words.)

There were two spots where the circle extended, however, forming bridges to the wall.  Andrew walked onto one, reaching out to touch the strange surface in front of him.  When the teen’s hand made contact, ripples spread out across the wall like it was made of water.

“What the-?” Andrew gasped, “Simon, I may have found something.”  Simon looked up from the supercomputer equivalent of a My Computer window just in time to see Andrew slip through the wall.  The teenage chipmunk stepped out the other side of the wall, now in some kind of forest.  Looking back, he found that he’d just stepped out of a large tower.

“Hmm, a tower... why don’t you explore this place; see what else you can find. I’ve got a few files to look through...” Simon remarked.

“Alright Einstein, you got it,” Andrew responded.  While his chipmunk friend explored, Simon dug through some interesting files detailing the use of the scanners in the room below.  Apparently they could be used to send people to Lyoko, which would explain Andrew’s presence in the virtual world.  The bespectacled chipmunk was also looking into a strange program called "Return to the Past".
--
Frantic screaming, flashing lights and strange men in suits.  It was a scarring memory from Theodore’s childhood; the source of his first nightmare.  To this very day, however, the reason for it all escaped him.  He knew now that the men were firefighters, but still had no idea why they’d been at his house.  Sighing, the young chipmunk let his thoughts drift as he returned his focus to the matter at hand.

Theodore- Simon’s fraternal twin- had just changed out of his workout clothes after a long jog.  The formerly chubby chipmunk had made being healthy a habit, and now he had a trim new look to show for it.  His short height of 5’10” and bright, green eyes went unchanged, however, so fans still called him the “Theodorable” one.

Preparing for the concert scheduled that night, Theodore showered and thoroughly brushed his teeth.  Pulling on some concert-appropriate clothing, he took a quick look in his bathroom mirror.  Making sure that his light, brownish-tan fur was styled neatly, Theodore headed off to find his siblings.  The chipmunk teen started off by checking on his closest brother, Simon.

Arriving at the bespectacled teen’s door, Theodore looked into his brother’s bedroom.  Alas, Simon was nowhere to be seen, which was very odd this close to a concert.  The young chipmunk was always on time for everything; this wasn’t like him.  Concerned, Theodore left the room and hurried to the next door down, entering the bedroom of his older brother Noah.
--
Confusion; that was Noah’s reaction when he arrived at his new home for the first time.  The members of his adopted family all exhibited strange behavior for the first month or so after he arrived.  Clearly they were hiding something, but he dared not ask about it.  No, instead the four year-old remained silent, hoping day after day that things would change.  Eventually they did.

Noah, now 16, pushed aside his thoughts as someone knocked on the door.  Turning off his PS3- he’d been playing DC Universe Online- Noah straightened his lime and forest green hoodie as he stood up.  The thick, cotton garment was emblazoned with the classic Green Lantern logo, making its wearer’s favorite superhero obvious.  Dusting off his jeans, the brownish tan chipmunk made his way over to the door.

“What is it Theodore?” he asked as he revealed his younger sibling.

“Simon is missing, and the concert is only a couple hours away. I’m worried...” Theodore explained.  Noah’s eyes widened; this wasn’t right.  Simon was always on time for everything, so why would he go missing like this?

“You’re right to worry, Theo. Let’s see if Charlene has seen him,” Noah responded.  Nodding, Theodore followed his brother down the hall.
--
Even after 13 years, Charlene still couldn’t believe just what had happened that fateful day: a tragic, scarring accident that would change her life forever.  It was why she’d become who she was now, and was the reason she acted so protective of her brothers.  Charlene remembered every second of that day, but never spoke a word about it.  This silence, which she’d thought would help her cope, instead ate slowly away at her conscience.

Pushing the memories to the back of her mind, Charlene looked up from the TV show she’d been watching.  The hood of her black and purple t-shirt slid off as she sat up; her black, spiked belt temporarily exposed.  Charlene’s black skinny jeans wrinkled as she climbed off her bed, her black Converse squeaking as they met the floor.  Brushing aside her short, dark hair- with purple highlights- she reached for the knob on her bedroom door.

"Hey sis, have you seen Simon?" Noah asked immediately.

"Not since this morning. Did you check his room?" Charlene questioned.

"He's not in there; that's why we came and got you," Theodore responded.  His sister was shocked.

"He's missing with only two hours before the concert?" she exclaimed worriedly, "We've got to find him!"  Charlene quickly turned off the TV and grabbed her phone, eager to find her missing brother.  Before she could move another muscle, however, something stopped her.

“Charlene!” Theodore cried, a fearful expression etched on his face.  His sister was lifted feet first into the hair, her seemingly-possessed hair dryer wrapped around her ankle.  The DVD player came to life as well, attacking its immobilized foe.  As if that weren’t enough, both devices had a mysterious, glowing logo on them that none of the teens had ever seen before.

“Help, do something!” Charlene cried.  Thinking quickly, Noah slid beneath his sister and yanked the dryer’s cord out of the wall.  Disconnected from power, the device immediately fell limp.  Freed from her ensnarement, Charlene drop kicked the DVD player into the wall, destroying it.  Picking up the remains of the appliance-turned-robot, Theodore turned to his older sister with a worried look.

“Simon’s missing before a concert and we’re being attacked by appliances. Could this day get any weirder?” he questioned.

“I don’t know, but we really need to find Simon,” Charlene responded.  Her brothers nodded in agreement.

“He’s been working on his science fair project lately; we ought to check the old factory,” Noah suggested, knowing his brother’s habits.

“My thoughts exactly,” Charlene replied.
--
“I’m not finding much of anything, Simon. Having any luck there?” Andrew asked.

“Well, I’ve figured out a few things, and now I’m taking a look into this strange device I found. Perhaps- with a few modifications- it could be of great use,” Simon answered.

“Glad to hear it, Einstein. Hey, this tower looks different...” Andrew responded.  As he took in the strange, red glow around the structure, a laser suddenly whizzed by his head.  “Shit!”  Andrew dove behind a rock as more lasers flew by, then ran back towards the other tower.

“What’s going on?” Simon asked worriedly.

“I’m being attacked!” Andrew exclaimed as he ran.  Simon almost dropped his headset.

“What is this place?”  The bespectacled chipmunk’s shock doubled at the sight of his three siblings entering the room.  “Simon? What’s going on here?”

“Uhh...” Simon balked.  As Charlene began questioning him, Theodore began to look around.  Curious, the green-clad chipmunk climbed down the ladder to the room below, and looked inside one of the pods.  No one noticed this action; the other three teens focused on the interrogation.  As Charlene inched closer to his face, Simon stumbled whilst fending off her questions, landing on the keyboard.  A muffled scream was heard from the room below, and then there was silence.

“...what just happened?” Charlene asked aloud.  Simon gulped.

“I think Theodore just got sent into Lyoko...” he announced fearfully.  The three siblings turned to the monitors, which showed two images of the virtual world.  One was Andrew, the mysterious chipmunk fleeing from a slew of laser fire.  The other was Theodore, now clad in a green, gold and black jumpsuit with a matching sleeveless trench coat.  The youngest chipmunk sibling also held a hammer with a short handle; a strap protruding from the end.

“Guys, what happened to my clothes?” Theodore asked, looking down at his new attire.

“I think that just happens whenever you’re virtualized,” Simon explained, “I don’t know how or why, though.”   Remembering his friend’s current plight, Simon hastily typed in Andrew’s coordinates and sent them to his brother.  “Theo, head to the coordinates I just sent you and see if you can help Andrew!”

“Who’s Andrew?” Theodore asked as he began walking.

“He’s a chipmunk like us who’s trapped on Lyoko,” Simon explained, “He’s being attacked, so I’d hurry if I were you.”  Nodding, Theodore quickened his pace, running through the forest towards Andrew’s position.  He quickly arrived, finding Andrew attempting to outrun several creatures in the shape of elongated skulls on mechanical spider legs.  The strange monsters were firing red lasers at him from a strange symbol on their heads.

Brandishing his hammer, Theodore swung at one of the monsters and crushed it.  The monster disintegrated in an explosion of data, attracting the attention of its comrades.  Andrew stopped as the monsters diverted their attention to Theodore, preparing to fire at their new enemy.

“Get out of there!” Andrew shouted, mortified.  Theodore dove to the side, dodging a flurry of lasers.

“Thanks for the heads up!” Theodore responded.

“No problem! Follow me; there’s a tower we can hide in!” Andrew replied, running off.  Nodding, Theodore followed his mysterious companion through the forest.  The monsters gave chase, however, firing lasers at their fleeing foes.

“They’re gonna hurt Theodore!” Noah remarked worriedly.  His anger soon got the better of him, though.  “Simon, send me in!”  The bespectacled teen balked as his adopted brother darted down the ladder to the scanner room.  Sighing, he turned back to the supercomputer and prepared to send the teen to Lyoko.

“Scanner, Noah. Transfer, Noah. Virtualization!” Simon remarked.  With that, Noah appeared inside the virtual world.  He was now clad in a black, spandex jumpsuit with green boots, gauntlets and armor on his shoulders, back and chest.  A glowing, white circle was seen on his chest, appearing carved out of the armor while leaving an ‘N’ inside it.  To top it all off, there was a familiar-looking green ring on his finger.

“Woah, I’m like a Green Lantern!” Noah exclaimed.

“Great; fly on over to Andrew and Theodore so you can give them a hand!” Charlene barked  Ignoring his sister’s impatience, Noah focused his powers and began flying.  Simon sent him Andrew’s and Theodore’s coordinates, so he immediately headed that direction.  A quick flight later, Noah slowed over the aforementioned chipmunks as they continued to evade lasers.

“You two alright down there?” he asked.

“Aside from the crabs chasing us, we’re fine!” Theodore answered sarcastically.

“Correction, kankrelats,” Simon interrupted, “They’re in a database I found, written by someone named Jeremie.”

“Interesting; perhaps this ‘Jeremie’ knows more about Lyoko...” Andrew responded, curious.

“Maybe he does,” Simon concurred, “That aside, you’re almost back at the tower. Once you’re inside we can come up with a strategy.”  Glad to hear that his marathon-like run was almost over, Andrew managed to slightly quicken his pace as the tower came into view.  Glancing back at the persistent little monsters, he sorely wished he had some kind of weapon with which to fend them off.  Suddenly, his hands and wrists were surrounded by the outline of something virtualizing around them.

To everyone’s shock, a pair of black, fingerless gauntlets with yellow markings appeared on Andrew’s body.  Each gauntlet had three glowing circles over their wearer’s knuckles, which gave the chipmunk teen an idea.  Looking back as he ran, Andrew made a fist and aimed it at the middle monster of the trio.  Suddenly the the gauntlet fired three laser arrows; the projectiles homing in on the monsters’ eye-like symbols.

"What did you just do?" Charlene asked as the arrows pierced through and destroyed the monsters.

"I don't know, but we should save the chatter for later!" Andrew responded.  Nodding in agreement, Noah and Theodore followed their virtual friend towards the tower.  Soon they stepped inside the tall structure, promptly taking a seat on the floor.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat..." Theodore huffed.

“I’m just glad we’re all safe,” Noah responded.  Andrew nodded in agreement.

“Simon, what’s the plan?” he asked, breathing heavily.

“Well, I want to take a look at Charlene’s DVD player before we do anything else,” the bespectacled teen responded, “Give me a few minutes.”  The three virtual teens nodded in agreement as Simon began inspecting the crushed device.  Charlene answered a few of her brother’s questions as he did so, leading him to one conclusion.

“Well, if what Charlene says is true, I think her DVD player and hairdryer were possessed by whatever controls those monsters in Lyoko,” Simon announced.

“Hey, is there anything about it in that database you found?” Andrew questioned.  Simon’s eyes lit up, and his hands immediately began flying across the keyboard.  Silence hung in the air like fog as the bespectacled genius scanned several pages of data before looking up.  Charlene, who had also seen the database entries, put a hand to her mouth as it sunk in.

“You guys aren’t gonna like this,” Simon warned, “We’re dealing with an extremely powerful A.I. called X.A.N.A. that’s capable of launching attacks in the real world.”  The others gasped.

“W-What kind of attacks?” Theodore asked, scared.

“It can manipulate computers and electricity, and… even possess living things…” Charlene answered hesitantly.  The others gasped.

“On the bright side, Jeremie also left us a clue,” Simon announced, “X.A.N.A. launches these attacks by activating a tower within Lyoko. We just have to deactivate it to stop him.”  He then let out a nearly inaudible sigh.  “The only problem is that Andrew is the closest thing we’ve got to Aelita; the only person capable of doing so. That, and if he is anything like her, he’ll die if he’s devirtualized.”  Andrew’s eyes widened in horror.

“Wait… if X.A.N.A. possessed my hairdryer and DVD player, he must have already activated a tower!” Charlene remarked, “We’ve gotta deactivate it before he does something else!”  Simon’s eyes widened in horror.

“She’s right! We’ve gotta find that tower, and fast!”
--
“Honey, it’s time to leave for the concert! Get the kids!” Dave ordered as he headed for the door.  The house remained strangely silent, however, and soon Vinny entered the foyer in shock.

“Dave, they’re gone! The kids are gone!” she exclaimed worriedly.  Dave’s eyes widened in shock; surely that wasn’t true!

“G-Gone…?” he sputtered.

“I checked everywhere; there’s no sign of them!” Vinny confirmed.  Dave swallowed hard as the severity of the situation sank in.  After a moment, he handed Vinny his keys.

"Take the car and start looking for them. I'll call the police," he instructed, dialing 911.  An operator answered almost immediately.  "...yes, I'd like to report a group of missing minors."

As Dave fed the police information about his children, Vinny rushed to the family’s Ford Explorer crossover.  Driving the vehicle crazily in her haste, she began searching the neighborhood for her kids.  The police arrived shortly thereafter, joining the search effort.  Standing in his office back home, Dave ran his fingers through the fur atop his head.  He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he sorely hoped his kids were okay.
--
“Simon, I don’t want to go back out there!” Theodore protested.

“Calm down Theo, I’m coming in to help,” Charlene responded, “Simon, get ready!”  The bespectacled chipmunk nodded as the strong-willed female headed for the scanners.  Bringing up the virtualization program, Simon sent his sister into Lyoko.  His hands soon busied themselves with the wrist-mounted computer he’d found, pausing only to send Charlene the others’ coordinates.

Charlene, on the other hand, looked over her new virtual attire.  It was a spandex jumpsuit that was primarily a dark, slightly faded purple.  The suit was a strange mix between futuristic and samurai themed, with a lot of dark gray on the side and around the shoulders.  Charlene also sported black boots and fingerless gloves; the whole outfit topped off with a pair of sharp, dangerous swords.

“A girl could get used to this…” the teen remarked, pleased with her appearance.

“Glad to know we won’t hear you complaining,” Simon toyed.

“Oh shut up,” Charlene shot back, rolling her eyes.  Without further ado, she headed towards the tower that held the others.  Thankfully the trek was short, so it wasn’t long before she joined her brothers inside the tall, virtual structure.

“Charlene!” Theodore cried instantly.  The female chipmunk smiled as her youngest brother smothered her with a hug.

“Theodore...” she remarked, giving him a squeeze.

“Not to be rude, but if everyone’s here we’d better get started,” Andrew cut in.

“He’s right. Simon, where’s the tower?” Noah asked.

“Sending you the coordinates now,” Simon answered.   Receiving said coordinates, the other four chipmunks exited their safe haven and headed for their target.

“Remember, the active tower will be glowing red, literally,” Simon remarked as he continued his work.  The others nodded in acknowledgement, their focus remaining on the path ahead.  Soon they could see the faint outline of the structure in the distance, a red glow surrounding it as expected.  Suddenly they were attacked; several kankrelats appearing in front of them.  Theodore quickly lost his patience with the crab-like creatures.

"Will you leave us alone already?" he roared, swinging his hammer and destroying one.  Another jumped back, catching its attacker's eye.  "Get back here!" Theodore shouted, pointing at the creature with his hammer.  Suddenly a lightning bolt struck the kankrelat and it exploded.

“Woah, copying Thor much?” Noah questioned.

“I don’t even… what?” Theodore sputtered.  Clearly he had no idea where the lightning had come from.

“Theo, you’re like Thor! You can fly and attack with lightning,” Simon explained.

“Oh…” Theodore replied, understanding.  Spinning up his hammer via its strap, the usually quiet teen began hovering off the ground.  “Well then, let's end this fight!”

“What he said!” Charlene added, brandishing her twin blades.  Simon could just imagine heroic music playing as the four chipmunks on his screen charged towards the tower.
--
Vinny sighed as she pulled her otherwise empty Ford into the driveway.  Where were her children?  Hurrying inside, she found Dave speaking with a couple of officers.  Their conversation ended abruptly when Vinny embraced her husband.

"Have the police found anything?" she asked.

"They found some footprints and tire marks. It looks like the kids went to some abandoned factory," Dave answered.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Vinny cried, heading for the door.  Dave hesitated, but soon followed his wife outside.  He just hoped the kids were okay.
--
As the four teens neared the tower, the kankrelats were joined by monsters known as krabs.  These tall, reddish creatures could only be destroyed by piercing the emblem on their topside.  Naturally Theodore had no trouble with them, but they were a real pain for the others.  Almost finished with his project, Simon watched as the group came within 10 meters of the tower.

Then, however, inexperience and a trio of krabs led to their downfall.  Several kankrelats appeared and devirtualized Theodore as he took out the first large monster.  The little pests then prevented Charlene from destroying the second one and attacked Andrew while Noah defeated the third.

Noah was defeated by the second krab, however, leaving Andrew alone.  Simon watched tensely as the teen subdued the remaining krab before the kankrelats blasted him towards the edge of the grassy platform.  Acting on impulse, Simon activated the wrist computer and slid it onto his arm.  Wasting no time, he used it to send himself into Lyoko.

Simon virtualized just as the kankrelats fired another round of lasers.  Pulling a high-tech, steel bow off his back, Simon fired a trio of arrows at the creatures.  The kankrelats were destroyed, but one of their shots had hit home.  Simon pulled a special arrow from his quiver, firing it at the edge of the platform as he jumped off.

The grappling arrow hit its mark just as Simon grabbed hold of Andrew.   Pulling them both up onto solid ground, the bespectacled teen let out a sigh of relief.  His virtual friend remained frozen for a moment, his mind still reeling from his near-death experience.  Simon, who had yet to release his virtual companion, gave him a firm pat on the back.

Giving his friend a moment, the teen genius looked over his new attire.  Simon was now clad in a navy blue, spandex jumpsuit with a black belt.  He also wore a black combat vest, matching boots, black fingerless gloves, and-along with his metal bow- a high-tech quiver.  Pleased with his outfit, Simon turned his attention back to his still-stunned friend.

“You alright, Andrew?” he asked.  The virtual teen snapped out of his daze.

“Yeah; thanks,” Andrew answered, “Come on, let’s get inside before more monsters show up.”  Suddenly, lasers whizzed past their heads.

"Speak of the devil!" Simon cried, "Get down!"  The two chipmunks dropped to the ground, dodging another volley of shots.  Jumping back to their feet, the teens hightailed it towards the tower.  Within moments they were safe inside the confines of the structure.
--
"You guys alright?" Charlene asked as she and her brothers exited the scanners.

"I have a headache now, but otherwise I’m fine," Noah answered.

"Same here..." Theodore added, rubbing his temples.

"Sorry…” Charlene replied, “Come on, let's head upstairs.”  The three siblings climbed up the nearby ladder and into the now-vacant terminal room.

"Hey, where's Simon?" Theodore questioned.  Wondering the same thing, Charlene stepped over to the terminal and was shocked to see Simon on the screen.  Everything became clear when she spotted the wrist computer on his arm.  Before she could tell her brothers, however, the lift opened and several people rushed into the room.

“Charlene, Noah, Theodore! Oh thank God, you’re alright!” Vinny cried, pulling her kids into a group hug.

“Hey, where’s Simon?” Dave questioned, noticing the teen’s absence.  Before anyone could answer, the police looked at the terminal.

“Hey, who are these kids on the screen?” one officer asked.  Dave hurried over, his kids frozen in fear.  Charlene cringed at her father’s inevitable gasp.

“That’s Simon!” he answered, shocked, “I don’t know who the other guy is, though.”  The police were taken aback; how could someone get inside a computer like that?

“If this thing’s sucking people in, we need to shut it down,” an officer stated.

“No! My brother’s in there!” Charlene protested.  The police ignored her until Dave stepped in, sparking a full scale argument between the Seville’s and the police.

As if that weren’t enough, X.A.N.A. decided this was the perfect time to attack.  Large cables previously attached to the supercomputer rose up and attacked the terminal room’s occupants.  The three kids were hoisted into the air, and the police were electrocuted before they could respond.  Dave and Vinny looked on in horror as their children’s lives dangled before their eyes.
--
“Alright, how do I deactivate this thing?” Andrew asked.

“I’m not sure…” Simon responded.  A scream alerted him to some kind of chaos back in the real world.  “We’d better hurry, though!”  Nodding, Andrew stepped further into the tower.  Surprisingly, the white rings on the platform lit up as he stepped forward, coming to a stop in the center.

“What’s going on?” the teen asked.  Simon shrugged.

“I don’t- whoa!”  Andrew had begun to rise upward, so Simon grabbed his hand to pull him back down.  Shockingly, the teen genius began levitating as well.  In a matter of seconds, the two were placed gently on an upper platform in the tower.  A holographic computer interface was floating in the middle of said platform, its screen blank.

“What’s this?” Andrew questioned, walking over.  Before Simon could say a word, the virtual teen had put a hand on the interface.  Suddenly the screen lit up, displaying a name and then “Code: LYOKO”.  All the little holographic panels on the tower’s walls cascaded downward before suddenly shooting back up to their original positions.  “What just happened...?”

“I think you just deactivated the tower, Andrew!” Simon answered excitedly.

“Great!” the teen responded, “But my name’s not Andrew.”

“What?” Simon questioned, “What do you mean?”  Andrew explained what he’d seen on the screen when deactivating the tower, and how it brought a few memories to light.

“My name is Austin,” he concluded.
--
Just when all hope seemed lost, the cables suddenly clattered to the ground, sparking lifelessly.  The three weary teens ran back to their parents, relief washing over the family as they embraced.  Worried about her brother, Charlene separated from the group and returned to the terminal.

“Simon? Did you deactivate the tower?” she asked.  Her face appeared on the virtual interface, surprising the two virtual chipmunks.

“I think so, Charlene,” Simon responded.

“Good, now get out of there because you’re all grounded!” Dave interrupted.  Simon sighed and looked down at his wrist computer.

“Sorry dad, I can’t do that,” he replied hesitantly.

“What?” Dave sputtered, “Simon, what are you doing?”

“Return to the past now!”

---

Dedicated in memory of Diane Disney Miller
May imagination live on forever