When the Towers Wake | Code Lyoko FanFiction | Project Carthage

Jeremy

Yumi and Ulrich argue over what to do with Lyra—Ulrich wants to confront her, but Yumi hesitates.

Aelita remains quiet until finally saying:

"She's not like XANA. Not yet. But she's drifting."

I worked on isolating the signal used by Lyra to access towers.

"If we can trace it, we can lock her out."

Lyra

We were underground, in a secret room.

Dad gave me a data chip—a failsafe to shut down the Warriors' access to Lyoko.

I hesitated.

"They were never my enemies," I said softly.

"They made you doubt. They made you weak," my Dad snapped.

"You're not weak, Lyra. You're simply unbound." XANA said calmly.

"Dad, Aelita is my friend—" he cut me off.

"Was," he corrected me.

"Okay, was, but still—"

"Aelita and Franz are weak. If they are weak, cowards, we are not, Lyra!" he snapped again.

I was sitting in the library, reading a book, in the corner of my eye, I saw Aelita sitting down.

"You're not alone, you know. I know what it's like to be torn between past and present." Aelita said.

"And who were you, Aelita? Before Lyoko? Before the war?" I asked.

"Someone who believed in peace. Someone who lost everything for it," she said.

"Don't let XANA take you like he took my father," she continued.

"But what if XANA gave mine back?" I asked.

Aelita

Jeremy detects a new, organic-like signal forming.

We enter Lyoko—and see Elias in full humanoid form.

"Uncle Elias?" I said.

"Oh, Aelita, it's really nice to see you again," he said.
"You—how?" I asked, confused, in shock.

Elias speaks cryptically:

"Lyra gave me a second chance. Just like XANA gave her one."

When we wanted to attack him, he disappeared.

Odd

I went on the rooftop again, and Lyra was there again. For the first time in my life, kinda, I was serious. No joke, like usual. I don't know if I regret kissing her.

"You're not one of us anymore, are you?" I asked.

"I don't know what I am," she said, with a sad tone in her voice.

"Then figure it out before you hurt someone," I said, turning around and walking away. I heard her calling for me, to let her explain everything, but as much as I want to give in, to even kiss her again...I can't do it, I just can't.

Lyra

XANA meets me in a hidden area, showing me her blueprints to override tower functions—giving me full control.

I see my father's signature embedded deep within the code.

"He made this. You just... repurposed it."

"All creators are thieves. I just admit it." XANA said.

I reach out... and touch the central code.

My eyes flicker—part human, part code.

I entered the tower, I took a deep breath.

"Now or never, Lyra," I said.

I entered the code on the interface and put my hand on it.

Code XANA.

Code Lyra.

And for very first time, tower got purple. I, Lyra Durand activated the tower. I am attacking, I am activated the tower, not as XANA anymore, but as me, myself.

Jeremy

Every screen in the lab flashes a warning:

"UNKNOWN ENTITY ACTIVE."

"XANA attack?" Urlich asked.

"No. This time, it's Lyra." I said.