Welcome to Gaia! ::

Woot! That was epic! Once again, it was just like one of those really good episodes of the show. *nodnod*

Sorry if I seem impatient...

...but when will the next part of the story be up? ^^;;

Project: Xandra
Phase 11: Homecoming

Xandra’s cheerful demeanor as she left the factory didn’t fool anyone; now that she was starting to comprehend the details surrounding her origins, it left her with more questions than answers. Why were her parents building androids? Why all the secrecy? Who were after them, and why? The largest that weighed on her at that point, above any circumstance that brought her to that point, was what befell her parents. If she had blanked out for thirteen years, they would have been considerably older by now. Did they know she was still alive? Had they looked for her? Given the tenacity with which their assailants went after them, had they even survived this long? A single tear rolled down her eye as she skated back to school ahead of the group, too many thoughts flooding her mind for a single word to escape her lips. Aelita was tempted to rush forward and comfort her, but Jeremy placed a hand on her shoulder with a solemn shake of his head; he remembered what his pink-haired girlfriend was like after she realized her origins. She had needed a couple days to sort everything out, to reconfigure her entire idea about life and her self in general.

The rest of the weekend passed without any sight of the energetic android; she skipped every meal, locking herself in her room and ignoring all contact from the others. The Lyoko group was concerned, but half of them had larger problems, namely exams. Aelita took over Xandra’s job of tutoring William, knowing that it wasn’t fair for him to suddenly stop the lessons right when the important exams were the following Monday.

“You think she’ll be alright?” He asked out of the blue, running through some history flashcards.

“Probably,” Aelita said, her voice somewhat hollow, “I mean, I turned out alright...I just hope she lets herself out of that room soon. Isolation won’t help anything.”

“It’s really gotta suck,” he commented absently, flipping over another card, “to suddenly have your reality flipped upside down like that...not once, but twice. I suppose we’ve all been through that, though. You with your dad, and me with XANA.” Aelita stayed silent for a moment, thinking back over all the times they had had since her discovery...each person had had something strange happen to them over the course of the battles. Getting rid of XANA had taken its toll on everyone...in a way, they were all in the same boat, and somehow, it made her feel a bit less alone in it all. She gave a soft nod before handing him an English worksheet she threw together while they were talking.

Exams brought the campus to a silent standstill as every student sat in their classes taking an endless barrage of tests questioning everything they had learned over the semester. Jeremy and Aelita completed their exams first in each class, unsurprisingly, while the rest of the students trickled out, handing in their forms before moving to the next class’ test. Once the majority of the students had finished their tests, the campus began to return to its usual lively state, the students discussing everything from their performance on the exams to their plans for winter vacation. By the time Odd, Ulrich, and William finally got out of their exams, the group began to get nervous; after all, the student getting out before the tutor wasn’t normal, even among the stranger students in the school.

“Thompson...time’s up,” Ms. Hertz said gently, reaching for the exam.
“That’s okay...I’ve been done for a while,” Xandra replied, still staring down at the desk. The teacher flipped through the pages and, to her amazement, they were all filled out in Xandra’s legible, but far from immaculate, handwriting. Before she could even ask, Xandra stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the classroom, taking the back way to her dorm room. As she looked up towards her room door, she found the group, in its entirety, waiting around in the hallway. She began to walk forward through the group, but Ulrich and William quickly blocked the path, Aelita peeking out from behind them.

“Am I not allowed in my room now?” She asked, her eyes still out of focus, staring off into space even though they were fixed on Aelita’s face.
“Xandra...you can talk to us about this. You don’t have to go through it alone; we’ve all had our problems with this,” Aelita pleaded, hating to see the girl so downhearted.
“Alright,” Xandra replied with a sigh, “my parents are missing, all my old friends have graduated college by now, I’m in a mechanical body fighting a megalomaniac computer virus bent on destroying humanity...and I plan on spending my winter vacation with the Williams family.”
“But we’re- wait...you’re still going through with it?” Jeremy asked, honestly surprised.
“Jeremy...they’re the only lead I’ve got on what happened. There’s just too many questions that need answers, and I won’t find them here.”
“You should take someone with you,” William blurted out, even though his parents already planned on having a serious discussion with him over the holidays. “It’s just...it sounds crazy, but what if those guys are still out there?” Everyone looked at him, both surprised by his idea to accompany Xandra and alarmed at the thought. The suits that chased down the Hoppers, ran the Thompsons off the road in broad daylight...still at large, still searching. If he was right...things just got much more dangerous.
“William...that was thirteen years ago. I doubt they’d still be looking, and even so, they’d be searching for people in their 30s, not kids like us,” Xandra said with a nervous grin...of course they’d give up searching after a decade, right? It just didn’t make sense to keep looking for missing persons that long; no faces on the milk cartons, no bulletins on city blocks. Most assumed they were dead after a week...it had to be over. “Besides...the Williams will be with me; they won’t let me get hurt. Now, if you guys would be so kind as to let me pack...” She pushed gently through the group and opened the door to her room, shutting it behind her and locking it to keep the others at bay. Her hands shook as she began to stuff her clothes in a suitcase; William’s suggestion had touched on the deep-seated fear nagging at her.

What if her parents had gotten caught, whatever they were doing? What if those suits had reached them, threw them in prison, or even worse? She took a few deep breaths, stopping the shaking enough to fold and pack her laundry, listening to the group dispersing outside; she knew that Yumi had a flight to catch, as did Odd, while Jeremy’s family always came early to pick him up. Aelita would go with him...so that only left Ulrich and William to deal with. No, she shook her head as she realized, Ulrich would see Yumi off to the airport...one on one made for good odds.

Ulrich followed Yumi home, talking about anything and everything to take their minds off William’s grim thought. XANA was enough of an enemy without people in the real world coming after them as well...and would they even come, or simply single out Aelita and Xandra, the two who seemed to share virtual secrets in common?

“Face it, we’re all at risk...we’ve known it for a long time now,” Ulrich replied, waching Yumi shoving the last of her necessities in her suitcase.
“I knew that we were are risk,” Yumi shot back, her glance wandering towards the stairs, “but that story...I’m afraid for Hiroki.” Ulrich gave a quiet nod; he knew Yumi didn’t say it, but their parents were a concern, too. Keeping them in the dark seemed to be the best thing to do, but if those suits came knocking and they knew nothing, it could likely cause some major trouble.
“That’s okay, Yumi,” Ulrich said at last, trying to reassure her, “we’ll just eliminate him before that becomes an issue. We can go back to normal lives, and no one would be the wiser. We haven’t been caught yet...why would it start now?”

Jeremy and Aelita sat in the back of Mr. Belpois’ car, driving back towards his house in the suburbs. They smiled, though it was partially forced; they had a lot to talk about, things to do and try in the virtual realm, but any activity was extraordinarily difficult with someone so nearby.

“You two are so quiet! Cheer up; it’s the holidays!” Mr. Belpois said loudly into the awkward silence in the car. “Mom’s even cooking up your favorite this year, Jeremy, since you’re bringing a guest!”
Aelita looked over to Jeremy with a grin. “Your favorite...? You never told me.”
Jeremy chuckled slightly, shaking his head. “It’s kind of a family tradition more than anything else. Since our family is rather small, and we find it to taste better, we cook a duck instead of a turkey.”
“I’ve never had duck on the holidays...is your mother a good cook?”
“Are you kidding?” Mr. Belpois chimed in joyfully. “My wife could open a five-star restaurant with her wonderful home cooking. It’s a miracle I haven’t gotten fat yet!” The discussion turned into quite the icebreaker, until a rather taboo subject came to the fore.

“So, why aren’t you going home to see your family, Aelita?” Mr. Belpois asked, looking back at the rear view mirror to meet the young girl’s downturned gaze.

“Well...my mother passed away when I was young...and my Dad is abroad on business. Even if I went home, he wouldn’t be there.” Inwardly, she was somewhat disgusted that she had become such a good liar over the past year or two, but it came in handy. Who would believe her, after all, had she said her father had gone missing on a computer network?

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Belpois replied, shaking his head. “A man has to learn to get his priorities straight...leaving a daughter alone for the holidays? That’s just not right.”

“He does a lot for me!” Aelita shot back defensively, her cheeks getting slightly red. “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here at Kadic...I wouldn’t have such a good education, such wonderful friends...” She clutched her jumper in her hands, fighting back her desire to tell the truth, to say that her father saved her life, twice, and continued to keep her safe.

“I...I didn’t mean it like that,” Mr. Belpois said quietly, the awkward silence once again taking over the vehicle...

Xandra finally had her suitcase packed with merely the basics, leaving behind most of her books and pictures, though she found room for her framed family portrait and her mythology encyclopedia. Creaking open the door slowly, she found William leaning against the opposite wall, his arms folded.

“Took you long enough,” he said, pushing himself from the wall and approaching the door, “or were you just waiting for me to leave?”
“To be honest, a bit of both,” Xandra retorted, casting an annoyed glare at the boy. “I’m going to London, I’m going myself, and I really don’t need an escort, so why don’t you just go get ready for your own break, huh?”
“Because I don’t trust you to be careful when you’re pissed off like this.” William walked forward and snapped the cable hatch on one of her bracelets shut. “Until you agree to let me come with, or calm yourself down enough to think this through, I’m not letting you leave.”
“You’re not my knight in shining armor, William Dunbar!” She shouted, meeting him eye to eye.
“Maybe not, but you sure are acting like a spoiled princess!” Xandra clenched a fist, tempted to simply knock him out of the way, but took a breath, shaking as the adrenaline protocols subsided. He was right...if she was going to find out anything about her parents, she couldn’t get this reckless.
“You’re right...but you’re still not coming.”
“Fair enough,” William replied with a smirk, stepping out of the way with a bow. “Pleasant journeys, Princess.”
“Oh, shut up,” Xandra chuckled as she shut the door behind her and pulled her suitcase down the hall. William shook his head, walking the opposite direction; he knew his parents wouldn’t be happy when he returned, since his exams would likely barely keep him at average for the year. Still, he guessed that it was better than the emptiness that emanated from a campus at vacation. He barely had enough time to pack what he needed after waiting on Xandra, but he wasn’t exactly looking to bring anything but the essentials. It wouldn’t take long, and if his parents had to wait, it wouldn’t be a big deal.



“Taxi!” A cab drove up quickly, a rather nice looking vehicle with a grinning man at the wheel. Xandra pulled herself and her luggage into the backseat before giving her directions. She kept a reasonably cheerful smile on her face, though her mind was racing. For the first time in likely over a decade, she was going home, and the memories started to wash over her. She could remember having her school friends over, playing in the small yard, school trips across the countryside, the decision to transfer to Catic...she sat back with a contented sigh. Even if it was so long ago, even if there was nothing left of what she knew, it was still home to her. This dreamlike reverie stuck with her, almost making her board the wrong train, but as she crossed under the Chunnel, she began to return to a somber state. There would be time for reminiscence later; there were mysteries to solve, and she couldn’t afford to lose herself in thinking of the past unless it directly helped.

“Here we are!” Mr. Belpois said happily as they pulled into the driveway at their humble little house. “Feel free to make yourself at home, Aelita. We’ll make sure you’ll have a Christmas to remember!” Jeremy chuckled and shook his head. He knew that he didn’t bring home company often, but this was a little much, even for his family. Aelita grinned and gave a nod, but the holidays were still hard on her without her father around. She took Jeremy’s hand, and the pair walked into the house together, looking forward to a little break from Lyoko, XANA, and the more ordinary problems of school.

“You better have a good time,” Ulrich said, giving Yumi a quick and friendly hug. They had never made their relationship official, and the last thing they needed was to embarrass themselves in front of the Ishiyama family.
“You should try, too...I know your father is overbearing, but this IS supposed to be a break,” she replied before climbing into the car and riding off toward the airport. Ulrich heaved an annoyed sigh at the thought, but turned and walked back towards Catic. Yumi looked through the rear view mirror, worried about her good friend but shaking her head before Hiroki could tease her more about her “boyfriend”.

Ulrich arrived back on campus to find William waiting at the gates, looking down the road.
“You tell her yet?” William asked, his arms folded as he leaned against a pillar.
“That’s none of your business,” Ulrich replied tersely, walking past him towards the dorms.
“What? I just wanted to know if I can still beat you to it,” William replied, watching with a smirk as Ulrich’s head whipped around, giving him the classic “don’t you dare” glare. The thought flashed through Ulrich’s mind to ask William about Alexandra, but he bit his lip lightly and chose to walk away instead. If something was starting between the two of them, so much the better. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin that, especially since it got rid of the tension of a love triangle within the group.
“What’s taking him so long? They both know how they feel...” William asked himself, shaking his head before he heard a car horn from down the street. He quickly grabbed his suitcase and made his way to the vehicle, more than ready to get away from school.

“Here it is,” Xandra called to the taxi driver, jostling slightly as he hit the brakes. He turned around, thinly veiling his annoyance at the young girl who had forgotten the house number, but quickly quelled his emotions with the size of her tip. The taxi drove off as Xandra stood, staring forward towards her old home. The exterior looked exactly the same, yet it felt so alien to her anymore. Before she could ring the bell, Henry Williams opened the door, walking out and picking up her suitcase.

“Glad we could have you over!” He said merrily, giving Xandra a clap on the back that shook her out of her enchantment. She looked over with a forced smile, cringing slightly with the stinging of her back, and followed him inside. “I know you already know your way around, so make yourself at home! Natsuko’s working on dinner; I hope you like chicken. Oh, there’s...” Xandra started to tune him out, taking in the sight of the house. It seemed like they hadn’t changed a thing. Sure, the pictures were different, some of the décor and colors used, but it felt like she had never left.

“...Xandra?” Henry asked, waving a hand in front of her face. “We kept a lot of the older stuff in the attic, if you wanted to take anything back with you.”

“Th-thank you,” Xandra replied, “I’m hoping I can use some of it to find where my parents disappeared to. I can imagine they’re worried about me.”

“Well, we’ll help you in any way we can, Xandra. The Thompsons were friends of ours; I’d love to see them reunited with their daughter,” Henry replied, sounding oddly distant and wistful when he spoke of the previous tenants.

“Father, it’s okay,” a voice called from down the hall. A girl around Xandra’s age sat on the steps, her eyes betraying wisdom beyond her years. She stood up and walked closer to the pair, glancing out the window for a moment.

“You’re...Miriku?” Xandra asked, holding out her hand, “Nice to meet you...but what do you mean ‘it’s okay’?”

Miriku took Xandra’s hand, giving it a firm shake before looking over to her father. “Helizabel has been activated...she knows.”

I have a topic in the main forum to direct them this way, and I'd hate to clutter up the front page, especially with my occasional (and LONG) hiatus times.

BTW...preview time!

Phase 12: Gods and Heroes

Holy exposition, Batman! Visiting the Williams family was a good idea, since they seem to know something about what happened. But this trip down memory lane goes both ways; when the past begins to catch up to the present, suddenly time doesn't seem so plentiful anymore. To the remains of Avalon; maybe we can find some information there!

Thank you. ^_^ I'll be working on Phase 12 when I'm not writing my papers for my classes...it's starting to be crunch time.

Oh, and [You're wrong about Miriku.]

Also, more cameos are coming up! biggrin

[Goodness, so much dialogue here! Don't worry, more action coming up!]

Project: Xandra
Phase 12: Gods and Heroes
Part One: Song of the Sibyl

“W-what?!” Xandra said, backing away towards the interior of the house. “How the hell?”

“Xandra,” Henry said, trying to reassure her despite his daughter’s penetrating gaze, “Calm down. Sit down, have a cup of tea, and we can talk about this.” He took a couple steps, only to watch the Thompson kid take the exact same action away from them.

“How. Did. You. Know?!” Xandra demanded, each word a harsh staccato. She knew this house backwards and forward, and she could back right out the back door if it came to that. Had she made a mistake coming here, especially with no backup? She suddenly felt a pressure behind her ear, and fainted into a woman’s waiting arms.

“Such a racket,” Natsuko said, shaking her head with her motherly grin. “Did you really have to scare her so much, Miri-chan?”
“I thought she’d remember us,” Miriku explained, giving a shrug. “I guess things didn’t go quite as planned, huh, Daddy?”
“Better wake her back up soon, or she’ll be hysteric. The attic, maybe?” The family Williams headed up towards the attic, bringing Xandra in tow.

Xandra opened her eyes once again, finding her in the attic surrounded by some mementos of her old life. In front of her, in a plush armchair, was the girl from before, Miriku. The parents, on the other hand, were nowhere to be seen. Xandra pushed to stand, to leave, to do anything.

“Don’t make us go through that again,” Miriku said with a sigh, a heavy pressure suddenly settling itself on Xandra’s shoulders. She sat back down, scowling at the Williams girl with anger, and just a hint of confusion. “I thought you’d be a bit calmer up here...a little more homey, don’t you think?”

“Who the hell are you?” Xandra asked harshly, sparks almost literally in her eyes. Her hands tensed up on the arms of her own chair. “How did you know about Helizabel, about me?!”
“I’m Miriku Williams, just like always. As for the rest of that...well, we have a lot to talk about.”
“Thank you, Mistress of the Obvious,” Xandra retorted, rolling her eyes and relaxing her grip slightly. “So, start talking. Now. Give me a reason not to stand up, give you a metal punch, and storm out.”
“Project Pantheon.”
“Huhwhawhat? That anything like Project Galatea?”
“Bigger....much bigger. You, little Galatea, are just the tip of Pantheon’s iceberg.”
“Call me Xandra, for God’s sake. I feel creeped out enough as is about the whole android thing.”
“Ah...freshly unlocked, I suppose. This will be a long afternoon.”

Henry and Natsuko sat downstairs, sipping the pot of tea originally meant for all four of them. Henry gave a heavy sigh, shaking his head sadly as he set his cup down.
“Honey, don’t blame yourself...you did everything they asked,” Natsuko comforted him, placing her hand on his.
“I know, Natsuko...but seeing her, after all this time, it just re-opens those wounds.” He picked up her hand, kissing the back of it with a romantic smile. “But I should thank them...otherwise I wouldn’t have met you.”

“Project Pantheon,” Miriku started, “was an international scientific think tank, a gathering of the greatest minds on Earth, the ‘Gods of Science’ if you will.”
“Thus the name.”
“Exactly. Each of them had their own projects, all for the sake of promoting worldwide innovation and goodwill. However, they knew that their respective governments would want to exploit their ideas for political means, and so met under the radar, effectively becoming their own secret society.”
“A mad scientist convention. I love where this is going.”
“They weren’t mad, Xandra! They were brilliant, came up with things far ahead of their time, and for the most part, completed them. You’re an example of that.”
“You mean—“
“Yes. Your parents, the Thompsons, were members of the Pantheon. Your father was working with plant genetics, hoping to make supercrops that would turn Africa into a fertile, hunger-free continent. Your mother was the one who commenced Project Galatea. You.”
“But...why didn’t they tell me? Why didn’t YOU tell me?!” Xandra about stood up from her chair, wondering why she seemed to be the only one left in the dark about everything.
“You wouldn’t have believed me before Helizabel was activated. They didn’t tell you because most of them had fallen under government suspicion. Long hiatuses from their normal jobs, flights to bizarre locations...Pantheon was smart, but it’s hard to cover your tracks when you’re so limited by conventional transportation.”
“So...those suited people...they’re from the government?” She sat back down, eager to hear about all of this and finally put to rest those deep-seated fears awakened by both her memories and William’s theory.
“We’re...not sure who they were. They may have been, or maybe they were specifically formed to end Project Pantheon entirely. Either way, once they were discovered, that organization swept the globe, hunting down any members they could find and driving the rest into abandoning their ideas.”
“Ooookaaay...and HOW do you know all this? You’re as old as I am...you must have been, like, two when this happened.”
“Perhaps I should properly introduce myself. My name is Miriku Williams...I come from Project Sibyl.”

Natsuko climbed up the stairs with a tray and enough on it to give two teenage girls a proper tea time. She looked around at the pictures on the wall as her steps make the house creak and moan from its age. It was a cup of tea that brought her and Henry together, those thirteen years ago, and hopefully, she thought, it could do the same to these children.

“Sibyl...where have I heard that before?” Xandra asked, staring off into space as she thought about it. The idea of checking her encyclopedia crossed her mind, but her bags were nowhere to be seen, likely already placed in her room.

“Hm, a mythology fan. I should have known,” Miriku replied with a smirk. “After all, we all seem to have that in common.”

“Sibyl sibyl sibyl...no way,” Xandra said as the proverbial lightbulb lit over her head. “Sibyls were ancient prophetesses...does that mean...?”

“Much like you are a living artifice, Galatea,” Miriku smiled as the door opened, revealing Natsuko with both her hands on her tray, “I have some attributes of my namesake.”

“Okay, I’m drawing my line here,” Xandra protested after a moment of initial shock. “I’ve seen and heard a lot of bizarre things, but there’s no way I can believe that some micro-nation of super-scientists came up with a psychic girl.” She stood up from the chair and walked towards the open door as Natsuko entered the room to put down the tray. Just before the android hybrid could walk through the door, it slammed in her face, the knob turning back as the door latched with the loudest click she had ever heard. She turned slowly towards the mother-daughter pair, knowing that neither of them were close enough to do that themselves.

“I asked you not to make us go through this again, my mechanical friend,” Miriku said calmly, shaking her head. “You’re the first person I’ve physically met from Project Pantheon...the first person who is even capable of understanding all this and accepting me. I’m...I’m tired of living in the past, of seeing all these scientists and their projects in my mind. Maybe if I can help you reconcile your past...I can escape the one in which I seem to be trapped.”

“Miri-chan,” Natsuko said quietly, tears forming in her eyes, “why did you not tell me of your pain?” Miriku just looked back at her mother with a melancholic face, even though she didn’t shed a single tear. Natsuko hesitantly nodded, and Xandra couldn’t help but watch the empty tray shaking in the woman’s hands. She opened the door for Mrs. Williams, watching her walk by with her head downturned. The door closed with a soft click again, and Xandra’s sympathy immediately turned into anger.

“What the hell was that for?! She’s been nothing but kind since we walked in the door!” Xandra ranted angrily, storming over to Miriku’s armchair, glaring down at her. “If that’s the way you plan on helping me out, then no way. You can just stay here with your imaginary friends!”

“And you can live chased by your past and haunted by the ghost of your parents,” Miriku replied calmly before lifting her gaze to meet the furious android’s. “The only way this story is going to resolve itself is with the Heroes banding together. Where the Gods failed, we must succeed, saving the worlds from the Hounds of Hell.”

“M-Miriku...?” Xandra waved a hand in front of the young girl’s faced. Her eyes had glazed over, fixed on the opposite wall as her voice just seemed to speak on its own.

“I can see them...the Heroes who remain, the children of the Pantheon. Galatea stands before me...but behind her are the shadows of others. My distant twin in spirit, and...ah! She lives! The child of Carthage lives! And another...one across the dark blue ocean!”

“Miriku, you’re scaring me...!”

“What is this...? A God...and a Devil...Titans...and Mortals! Mortals blessed by the Heavens to fight! Yes...the end comes soon! The story will end, and-“

“Miriku!” Xandra shouted, shaking the girl’s shoulders as Miriku snapped back into reality, gasping for breath. “Oh, God...Miriku, are you alright? You just started spouting nonsense!”

“Nonsense...janakatta,” Miriku said, her eyes wide, “Vision...that was a full-on vision!”

Natsuko sat down at the table downstairs, shaking visibly. “I...had no idea...”
“Darling, it’s okay. She’s known how to handle it...she probably didn’t want to worry us any more.” Henry wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, kissing the top of her head.
“My little Miri-chan...seeing all those ghosts of the past...”
“Most of whom were our friends...that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To protect Corbinic?” Natsuko looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and gave a small nod before burrowing her face in his shoulder again. He held her tightly, looking upward at the attic.
“They’ll be okay,” he said reassuringly. “They have each other.”

“What did I say?” Miriku asked quickly, her eyes wide and mad with impatience.
“I...I don’t know. You just started going off about Heroes and Titans and Devils and stuff...”
“Dammit, Xandra, this is serious!”
“I was too worried about you to write it down!”
“Access memory playback mode, auditory to vocal conversion. Authorization Code Delphi!” Xandra meant to ask what all that was about, but she found herself unable to speak, hearing Miriku’s vision again escaping her own lips in her new ally’s voice.

“...The story will end, and-“ She finished before her voice returned to her. “Dammit, WARN me before you pull some sort of hax like that!”
“Carthage...” Miriku said quietly, thinking to herself and completely ignoring Xandra’s angry protests.
“Or at least teach me to do that! Having all my classes recorded would be great to help my friends during exam week!”
“Carthage...the French contingent is still around?”
“France? I just came from France...I go to a school there, Kadic Academy.”
“Have you seen Carthage?!”
“Ummm...never heard of Carthage,” Xandra said with a tilt of her head, “...but there was Lyoko, I guess.”
“What the hell is Lyoko?” Miriku tilted her own head this time, wondering if the two of them were even speaking the same language anymore.
“Ah! Nothing, nothing...I’m sworn to secrecy. My friends would kill me if I dragged someone else into this.”
“Friends? Jesus, Xandra, you’ve been busy for a top-secret project.”
“What, like I knew? I had no idea what was going on until Aelita-“
“Did you just say...Aelita?”
“As far as I know, yes, unless you decided to show some more mad skills on my CPU.”
“You’ve met her...the child of Carthage, Aelita Hopper.”
“But she has nothing to do with Carthage. I’ve never even heard of it!”
“This Lyoko...what is it?”
“I told you I’m sworn to secrecy!”
“Then let me ask them.”
“What?
“You’re not deaf, Xandra. Set up your computer and let me ask them myself.”

Xandra nodded and headed towards the door, Miriku closely behind. She had just blabbed about Lyoko and Aelita to a near-perfect stranger...and she was about as strange as they came. Project Sibyl...the creation of a psychic girl, the very frontiers of science. Project Pantheon, the group responsible for them, most of them missing or otherwise. Miriku’s vision stored in her databanks which told in riddle about Gods and Heroes, Devils and Titans...and so far the only known portions were Galatea, herself, and the possibility that her friend back in France, Aelita, was the child of Carthage that brought so much joy to Miriku’s prophetic voice.

Why couldn’t she just have a normal winter break?

A side-effect of one of XANA's attacks gave Miriku telepathic ability in the RP, so I just expanded on it. I've now included a bit of precog, postcog, and a smidge of PK for kicks.

As for the scientific conventions, it makes all those random abandoned factories and supercomputers finally MAKE SENSE. 3nodding

A little secret? [I'm still figuring out what's so special about the Hero across the ocean.]

Another little secret? [Tori will be making her appearance soon!]