After Code Lyoko Episode 3: Doomsday

Author: James the Lesser

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own These Characters! Moonscoop Does!

A/N Ok, Real show ended at E95. But am I the only one to see the cliffhanger? Gah, how can they not have a S5? I figure hey, I see the cliffhanger ending, how can they not have it? Well, they might not so I will write it! Also, I wrote other series, look them up under Code Lyoko over 100,000 words and T. And long hiatus, got into my originals, sold a few, but miss FF so coming back for a little bit

A/N Ok, this is more adult then the rest of the series. They are all adults now both age and body wise and they act, speak, and think like adults. Sorry if any one is offended by the language/content or confused by the new style

Berlin

Jeremie leaves his home after a lengthy call with Waldo. "It has to work. We have to stop Xana once and for all." He sighs. "Someone will build another Quantum Computer eventually."

Odd and Yumi

After what happened a week earlier, both had avoided the others. Unique is starting to learn how to talk and asks for Liana. "I'm sorry but uh, she's grounded. She's not allowed to play."

"Lana! Lana! Pway Lana!"

Odd hates to lie to his daughter but has to. "She's not allowed to have friends over. Maybe in a week or two."

Yumi hears him and feels a deep sadness wave over her. "He won't forgive them that quickly."

Stern Home

Liana keeps an eye on Jasper while trying to spy on her parents. "Ulrich, I'm glad you could talk to me. What you, and Aelita did, was needed."

He trembles as he responds. "I know. I ran away. I left the rest to Aelita because I couldn't handle it. I couldn't do it. She was, I can't believe she could do it when I couldn't."

She puts a hand on his arm. "Honey, she, I can't tell you what she told me. Doctor patient privileged. But, what I can say is she isn't stronger or braver or anything else. She had her motivation that let her do something horrific."

"I thought of Liana. Jasper. They're in danger." He hugs Annette. "It wasn't enough."

Liana hears this and worries. "Drake and Suki told me they went to America through the computer. It doesn't make any sense." She looks over at Jasper. "Mom and dad are really upset. They did something bad. I think."

"Couldn't we ask Uncle Odd? Suki said he wasn't part of it."

Liana tries to smile but it soon turns into a frown. "I doubt it. The grown ups won't tell us anything. They want to protect us."

"Isn't that their job?"

"Yes but I want to help. Xana is dangerous. I don't remember it. Drake and Suki do and they said it is scary. Mom and dad don't have to do it all on their own."

Jasper starts to bite on his thumb. A tic he learned from his aunt Yumi. "I don't wanna get hurt."

"Neither do I. But, but mom and dad will get hurt. I think dad got hurt. They don't want us to know he was hurt." She looks through the crack in the door and sees Ulrich coming towards the door. "Pretend we're playing."

As Ulrich opens the door he sees Liana and Jasper sitting on the floor staring at each other. "What are you two up to?"

"Staring contest."

He smiles. Talking with his wife helped. Seeing his kids be kids makes him feel even better.

Warehouse

Jeremie sits down at the computer. "Nothing. No activity. Xana or Maya. Where is she? She had time to get into a tower. When we turned the computer off she should have already been in a tower." He tries to check for her profile but finds nothing. "Unless she let herself fall into the Digital Sea."

The door opens and he turns around to see Aelita. "Hey, food?"

She holds up a bag. "Yes." She sees the look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"No." He turns back to the screen. "Aelita, if you were going to be trapped on Lyoko again, would you throw yourself into the Digital Sea?"

She sees there is no profile for Maya on the screen. "No. But I have you and the others. I love you. She, she didn't have that."

"If she is in the Digital Sea we could try to save her."

"No." Memories of fighting with Maya fill her mind. "No. Maya would only attack me. If she threw herself into the Digital Sea then that's where she will stay."

A black mist forms and attacks Jeremie. "Stop!" The black mist pulls away from him. "Wow, that actually worked."

The screen flashes showing an activated tower. "Jeremie, call the others."

Jeremie takes his phone out and is about to send an SOS Xana but stops. "Even Odd and Yumi? After what happened..."

"Yes. Xana is too dangerous."

He sends the message and waits.

Odd sees his phone. "Yumi, I'll keep an eye on Unique." He can't disguise the coldness in his voice.

Yumi wants to do what he wants but Xana is attacking. "Odd, you know you're better on Lyoko. Healing the others,"

"I'm useless to the others."

Yumi feels like she has been bitten. "You're right."

Odd holds Unique close to his chest and wiggles his fingers at her while Yumi grabs the keys and leaves.

At the warehouse, Jeremie sees Yumi. "He's still mad at us?"

"I'm still mad at you. I just know Xana is too dangerous to let what we feel get in the way. Unique is not going to get hurt by Xana."

She gets in the scanner and Jeremie sends her.

Lyoko

Yumi sees the others are already there on the Overvehicles. The Overboard is open so she gets on it. "Where do we go?"

"East," Aelita points and Yumi sees it. "It isn't far."

"No, but then what is Xana doing?"

Ulrich revs the Overbike. "Doesn't matter."

On Earth, the black mist reappears and forms... "Hello Jeremie."

Jeremie freezes as he feels a hand on his shoulder. "Maya."

"Yes?"

He is cautious as he knows with the power of the tower... "How are you?"

"Me? I'm ready to kill you and everyone else. Forget Xana. I'll kill him too."

When she squeezes his shoulder he feels her nails dig in. "Maya, I'm sorry. You attacked my wife. I had to stop you."

"Of course you did. No hard feelings about that." She slowly turns him in the chair. "However," She leans closer. "You left me trapped for years. You didn't even try to negotiate."

"I believe, if I remember correctly, we did. We offered you a clone of myself. We would move, and we did, which would allow you to stay here."

"After that!" Energy sparks around her. "You could have come back. Someone. My father could have come and given me hope." She smiles. "Instead you left me. Trapped. Like my father left me trapped for years before. I've spent more time on Lyoko than on Earth!" More energy sparks around her face. "While she!" Maya points at the screen. "Gets to live a happy life. You, children, friends. Friends who risked their lives for years for her!"

She takes a few steps back as her power rises. "Ah, they're almost at the tower. I should send monsters but I don't want to fight. I want to live."

"We won't let you hurt Aelita."

"No, you won't let me." She smiles as she turns into black smoke.

Lyoko

The three stand outside of the tower. Aelita is nervous as she gets close. "No monsters. No defense. Did Xana just send one ghost to attack Jeremie and then leave?" She pushes her hand through and then pulls it back out. "I have to do this." She walks in and soon the tower is deactivated.

Two Days Later

Waldo is with Jeremie at the warehouse. "There has been no activity from Xana. Maya appeared and then disappeared. He is hiding. She is... I am unsure. Jeremie, what do you think?"

"Why would Xana hide? He needs a Quantum Computer to attack us."

"What if he is done attacking? He knows Aelita can not live forever. One day she will die like any other mortal. When that day comes..."

Jeremie knows exactly what Waldo is implying. "He'll strike then. Someone will make another Quantum Computer. He will use that one. It can be thirty years from now or a hundred and thirty years. He won't die but we will."

"Jeremie, you know what this means."

"No! You'll kill millions. Do you understand? MILLIONS! Maybe even billions. A world without danger but also a world without science."

Waldo shakes his head. "Science will still exist. The technology it created will not. We lived without computers before."

"Yes, but they have allowed so much more. It is not just computer games. Medical equipment will stop working. Every man, woman, and child that needs that will die. Planes will fall out of the sky. Do you really want all of these deaths on our hands?"

"Jeremie," Waldo knows there are no words that will change his mind. "We should call the others. Tell them the plan."

Jeremie gets up from the chair. "They will tell you that you're crazy. Ulrich killed two people and sent himself back because he couldn't kill any more. My wife has had nightmares for a week even after talking to Annette. Yumi barely tolerates us and Odd won't talk to any of us. That was eight men. You will kill millions."

"It is the only way. Xana will hide until my daughter dies. When she is gone there will be no way of stopping him."

"At the cost of lives now."

Waldo raises a hand. "Oh, you don't think the twins will live longer than their mother? And what of when they find the special man or woman and have kids. Do those grandchildren of yours not matter? They will die when Aelita dies and Xana finally strikes."

Jeremie fights back the urge to hit Waldo. "You're right. No one else will vote for this."

The SOS Xana message goes out from Waldo's phone.

"You'll need to call Odd. He won't come just because you sent that."

"Very well." Waldo finds Odd's number on his phone. "Odd, we need you here. This, this could be the end."

"The end? How?"

"Just get here. Please. I know what they did made you mad but,"

"Mad? No. Far worse. There are no words for what I feel. What Jeremie made Aelita do, and Ulrich, I can't forgive."

"As it was, we need you here."

Odd almost hangs up on Waldo before replying. "Fine, we'll both be there. We'll have Unique since we don't have any sitters."

"That's fine."

Odd hangs up on Waldo. "Yumi, I'm coming with you."

Yumi, holding Unique, nods. "Okay. Help me get the car seat ready."

Warehouse

Everyone stands in a circle. Odd glares at Jeremie the entire time he is there. "Why are we here?"

Waldo takes charge. "Odd, please stay calm." Odd stays silent. "We have a problem."

"Yes, called Xana."

"Yes Annette but this is worse. We destroyed the Super Computer the American's made. Xana should have come here. This is the only one left."

"Yes, that's why you made Aelita and Ulrich into murderers."

Annette screams at Odd. "Ulrich is not! He was protecting us! Liana and Jasper are safer because of what he did."

"Stop yelling. We are here to discuss the end of Xana."

"You mean the end of the world, Waldo."

Everyone goes silent.

Waldo is the first to speak after a few seconds. "Yes, in a way. Jeremie feels this is a drastic step but it is the only way to end Xana for good."

Silence.

"Xana is hiding on the internet. Or in a random computer somewhere in the world. We have no way of forcing Xana here. I thought he would and would attack us."

"He did, two days ago."

Jeremie doesn't look at Odd. "No, that was Maya. More crazy than ever before. You would know that if you had come."

Odd is about to say something when Yumi takes his hand in hers.

Waldo tries to steer the group back to his plan. "As it is, Xana can not be deleted if he won't come here. He will hide until my daughter dies from old age or some other cause."

"So what do we do? How do we draw him to Lyoko?"

"Sadly Ulrich, we can't. He can hide as long as he wants." No one knows what Waldo is planning. "So we have to eliminate where he hides."

"Which means ending civilization as we know it."

Ulrich steps forward. "What are you planning?"

"Killing millions."

"Jeremie, it is millions now or everyone later. What would you rather have? Your children think things are fine and then be killed? Or have a chance to stop Xana now after we plan for it."

"Nope. No. Fuck you Waldo. I'm out." Odd takes Unique from Yumi and walks for the door.

"Unique can either live in a world without computers and technology or she can die when my daughter dies leaving Xana with no one to stop him. Yes some people will die now but we will save everyone else in the world." Odd stops walking. "So hate me. Hate me with words you can't even think of. Hate Jeremie. But know that unless you kill me I will be doing this. It is the only way to stop Xana once and for all and if,"

Everyone is shocked when Aelita strikes Waldo. "No! Dad, you can't mean this. You, it isn't even possible. You're thinking of using an EMP so powerful it wipes out the entire planet. How would you even do it? No one has the technology for that."

"Yes we do, dear." He looks at the Super Computer. "I can use this machine that once created Xana to end him."

"EMP, electric magnetic pulse. Nothing would work. My phone, alarm clocks, even my stove."

"Yes Annette. Everything would stop working. Yet, it means no place for Xana to hide."

Everyone is quiet.

Odd wants to continue leaving. This is madness. Waldo's plan is insane.

Ulrich wants an end to this. He has been fighting since he was thirteen years old. Yet this way to end Xana is too extreme.

Annette had never fought Xana. She stayed on the sideline last time. This time she wanted to help yet... This could end it. In a way they never have to worry about Xana again.

Yumi needs this to be over. Too many years. Too many nightmares. Too many times she almost died. If the only way to end Xana once and for all is to do this...

Aelita wants to go home and hug her children. Make sure they are safe. Yet... This is the only way. Her father is right. One day she will be old and grey. She will close her eyes one last time and never open them again.

"You do what you do. I'm out. You can tell Yumi and she can tell me." Odd leaves the warehouse with Unique.

Yumi wants to follow him but knows she has to stay. "I'm done fighting. I, we have to warn people. Maybe we can hack every computer and release a warning. One month from now all electronics will stop working. Give people time, hospitals time, to be ready for a new world."

Ulrich takes Annette's hand in his. "That I can agree to. We warn the world then, then,"

Annette talked with Ulrich for hours after what happened. She held him after he woke up in a cold sweat from another nightmare."Then end this. I can't imagine a world without computers but we'll learn."

"I, I agree with Odd." Jeremie walks away from the others. "Maybe I'm too hooked in on electronics but I also know there are people who are only alive because of them. Eight people. My wife and Ulrich killed eight people and I know it has been Hell for her since. Now you want us to kill millions? We will kill more than every dictator combined. I can't do that."

"Then leave. I will do it. I will take on the burden of all those lives. If there is an after life, a Hell, I will carry those sins with me. Not you. Or anyone else."

"Daddy, I, I can't say no. I have to protect my babies!" Tears fill Aelita's eyes. "If we have to kill other people, then do it. I'll do it. I don't care I'm not letting Xana ever harm my babies."

"No Aelita, I'll do it. All of you, prepare yourselves. Take all the money you can out of your bank accounts. Sell your electronics. Cash will be king when credit cards and debit cards no longer work. Stock up on canned goods. Paper products too. The world will plunge into chaos but I like Yumi's idea of warning the world."

"We should learn first aid and other skills too." Annette is surprised by how calm she feels. These people in the room with her were going to end the world as everyone knew it and yet she felt calm. "Get books. I know I have dozens of books on my tablet I've never read. Need to find hard copies of them."

Jeremie watches his friends and family discuss ending the world. "After all of these years I can't believe I'm siding with Odd."

As he walks out of the warehouse he sees Odd standing on he sidewalk. "Odd, I'm sorry. You're right. I can't go through with it."

"Nothing we can do, is there?" Jeremie shakes his head. "It's the end of the world as we know it."

"I feel like a monster. I know you hate me for what happened a few days ago. I understand why. But know I feel like shit too. Aelita's not the only one having nightmares about it. Do you think I wanted to kill anyone?"

"Of course not. Why you sent others to do it."

"No! I wanted to go. I wanted Aelita to stay here." Jeremie takes his glasses off as he starts to cry. "Aelita told me no. She would go. She knew I would be too weak to do it. I would have been like Ulrich. I wouldn't have been able to do it." He closes his eyes and tries to calm down. "And now it has come to this. We killed those eight men and destroyed their computer for nothing. Xana didn't come here. He is hiding and waiting for my wife to die."

"And now the rest vote to end the world."

Jeremie wants to connect with Odd in a way he knows is impossible. Too much bad blood between them. "Odd, I'm sorry. It is the end of the world as we know it. The others, they have good ideas. Take all of your cash out. Stock up on supplies. Do it now before they send out their warning so there are still some things on the shelf."

"Waldo is going to do it. He will carry a heavy burden few others ever carried." Odd holds Unique a little closer. "In a way, I know it has to be done. We have to stop Xana. I hate that there is a small part of me that agrees. The rest of me wants to rip that part out and kill it." He looks into her eyes. "Because of her. I won't let Xana hurt her. Never." He leans down and kisses her on the forehead. "I love you, Unique."

Jeremie nods and walks to his car to wait for Aelita.

Three Days Later

Odd is unloading another load of canned goods when his phone starts vibrating. "There it is." He gets his phone out and sees the warning.

In 30 Days An EMP Will Wipe Out All Technology. Prepare Now

At first no one is sure what to do. It can't be real, can it? Then it starts. One store here, another store there. First this bank runs out of money and then another. What starts off as a page six story becomes headline news as another country deals with riots.

In 10 Days An EMP Will Wipe Out All Technology. Prepare Now

Panic rises across the globe. The Lyoko Warriors try their best to prepare. Learning new skills. Working out to be in better shape. Hiding cash in their homes to make sure they had some after the fall of civilization.

In 1 Day An EMP Will Wipe Out All Technology. Prepare Now

The Lyoko Warriors meet up for one last meeting before the end. The kids play together while the adults talk. "You know, without my phone, I won't know what to do on the toilet."

Everyone laughs. "No more checking the news first thing when I wake up."

"I know what you mean, Ulrich. No alarm clocks either so I finally get to sleep in."

Everyone laughs nervously at Annette's comment. They were about to enter a new world. A world without danger from Xana. Unlike everyone else in the world they knew exactly what was going to cause it.

Warehouse

Waldo sits at the computer. "I'm not religious but my father in law was. It makes you think. If there is a Hell..." He brings up the program. "I'm about to condemn myself to it for eternity." He closes his eyes and hits enter.

Three Months Later

After the initial riots and violence, the world has settled down. Many people were lost without the internet. Without computers. For many the transition is painful but it is done.

Drake and Suki sit at a window reading. "Why did mom and dad buy all of those candles if they won't let us burn them at night?"

"I know Suki. I hate going to bed as soon as it gets dark but until they hook up that new power plant that is so old school and manual, we have no power."

Liana sneaks out of her room during nap time to spy on her parents. "Ulrich, this is going better than I thought it would."

"Same. A lot of our machines don't use computers. You're a therapist. You don't need technology. For us nothing really changed except you can't tease me when I'm at work."

"Ew." She sneaks back to her room.

Odd plays with Unique when Yumi gets home. "Any luck?"

"The bike shop is hiring and since I learned so quickly I'm getting bumped to full time starting next week." Bicycles became very popular since they required zero electronics. "How does it feel to be a stay at home dad?"

"Hey, we agreed on this. One of us has to stay home and you said being stuck at home all day would drive you crazy."

"I know I just want to make sure you don't resent me for this. Most men would feel emasculated by their wife working while they stay at home."

He sets Unique on her stomach before standing up and going over to Yumi. "You know me, Yumi. I'm odd like that." He kisses her lightly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Jeremie and Aelita are at Waldo and Antea's home. "So, now that the company is bankrupt and out of business, what do we do?"

"I have an idea." Aelita sets down some papers. "Most power plants were made useless by the EMP. Some companies are trying to get back to the old ways and set up new ones." She points at a couple of things. "We actually have the capital and a chance to get in on this from the start."

Jeremie smiles as he points at a different paper. "I've sent a letter to the appropriate people to make sure we get earmarked for this project. We can do this."

Waldo, much thinner than before, simply nods his head.

Since the EMP blast he had trouble sleeping. Trouble eating. It was all he could do some days to get out of bed. He knew it had to be done and took that burden on his shoulders. Yet the many reports from around the world that the newspaper reported... He was responsible for all of it. Every death. Every riot.

He thought about... Well, he only thought about it. He couldn't go through with it. If he didn't believe in Hell before, he did now. There had to be some place for someone like him to go. You can't be the reason why all of those disasters and deaths happened and not be punished for it...

6 Months Later

The twins turn fourteen and with a very different birthday from when they turned thirteen... "Thank you Uncle Odd." Both give him a big hug.

He smiles at the two. "No problem, kiddos. Your dad never rode a skateboard but I got your mom to do it a few times."

"We even got you helmets and knee pads." Yumi hands them two more boxes. "If you want to learn more, Odd can probably remember a thing or two."

"Thank you!"

Jeremie is nervous about his kids skateboarding but... This is the new world. Any activity that didn't require technology and electronics is one he had to at least let them try out.

Aelita is just happy everyone is together. The first few months things were so strained she wasn't sure if they could still be friends.

Ulrich and Annette hold hands as they watch. This is the first major get together since the EMP. They almost didn't go but Liana missed the twins. They were her best friends.

Things for them, and the rest of the group, would never be the same. They started off as a group of teens trying to save the world. They did. Only for Xana to become a threat again, and again.

Now... The world is safe. At least, it is safe from Xana.

A/N Okay, I had to at least end the series. I might go back to others and try to end them as well if I have the time...