Code Lyoko: Digital Destiny [[Started // Not Accepting]]

[Hydra of Ages]

Devine rolled her eyes as Basil gave a flick of his hand and started walking down the shadowed corridor, but followed nonetheless. Wallflower -she'd never gotten her name- had also appeared, but despite her bright blue hair, seemed to blend in with the surrounding bricks enough to be safely ignored.

She had to admit, there was something... off, about this part of the sewers. She hadn't really noticed until she saw Basil staring at the walls, but the style of the construction seemed to be far more archaic than she would have expected. Though the french weren't exactly known for their amazing sewage treatment technology, it was quite obvious that these tunnels were built a long, long time ago- and if that didn't give it away, the thick layer of dust on everything certainly did. Nobody had come to maintain them in a rather long time.

They stopped at a random ladder, Basil having stopped suddenly. As he and Wallflower proceeded to climb up, she figured she may as well follow- after all, being left in a creepy sewer wasn't on her plans for the day.

[Vector Nightmare]

"Looks like the group's almost gathered." Basil noted cynically, as already four people had climbed out of the underground complex into the outer world. The place was strangely idyllic - a river crossed by a bridge, on which they were currently standing, and lush vegetation on either side. The forest extended well into the distance. Judging by how far they had walked underground, they might have walked past the academy grounds, though Basil could recall no area such as this being located anywhere near the school. In front of them, a building that had seen better times beckoned. Basil connected its appearance to an old - quite old - factory of sorts, though he could not say more without exploring the inside, and that was something he was not keen on doing until he received some explanation from that Dominic boy.

"For having followed him this far, he certainly chooses to keep us in the dark." He addressed no one in particular. "I can't help but wonder what possessed you to agree to his outrageous proposals and go to that meeting, wait for him, and then follow him all the way out here, all the while being fed such ludicrous, incomplete explanations."

Basil himself liked to think he knew what had driven him here - curiosity, as well as a desire to see if anything important was to be learned from this whole farce. He had began to doubt the latter - the situation seemed something middle-school children chasing after fictitious adventures might find intriguing. But he couldn't help but feel that, if something had drawn such an odd misfit group of people as themselves together, even on such precarious terms, it might be worth seeing it through to the end.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG] [b]GM Post: Abandoned Factory[/b] [IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG][/center]

[spoiler=GM Post: Abandoned Factory]After a brief moment of delay, Cerce appeared from the second entrance to the sewers, climbing up the treacherous ladder rungs with remarkable dexterity. With a swift and clean movement, he lifted himself up and out of the opening and onto the expansive bridge, which was entirely abandoned save for the others. Presently, Dominic also emerged from the sewers; with an effort, he managed to slide another nearby manhole covering over the opening. While he did so, Cerce strode forward and then spun around, taking in their unusual surroundings. They must have been underground for longer than he had thought—from his current vantage point, the city was only just visible past the thick greenery which characterized the land at either side of the island. A fairly wide band of water, perhaps an outreach of the Seine, wrapped the island in its shimmering curves. Taking in the many new sights, Cerce noted that the other four seemed equally entranced with the area.

[spoiler=Abandoned Factory][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/AbandonedFactory.jpg[/IMG][/spoiler]

Dominic cleared his throat at the group to break their reverie and catch their attention. "I'm sorry," he said in a crisp tone, "but we don't exactly have time to stop and appreciate the sights of this area. I'll explain more once we're inside; for now, just follow me."

Having said so, Dominic strode past the five students and across his bridge; the others followed behind slightly uncertainly, awed by the quiet dignity and immensity of the abandoned factory that crowned the island like a forgotten temple. As they passed through the entrance, they could make out that they were standing upon the second floor of what appeared to be an empty warehouse, which was dominated by a combination of wide dusty floor, narrow stairs, and rusted but solid-looking support bars that stretched upwards into the gloom of the ceiling.

"Hurry up!" Dominic said to the others, moving towards the edge of the floor, where the surface dropped away into a steep fall—the atmosphere of the factory seemed to have increased his confidence. Several cords of rope hung from a horizontal support bar above them; despite the obvious age of the abandoned factory, they seemed as if they would hold. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Dominic gripped one firmly in both hands and climbed slowly down, his feet hitting the dusty floor with a muffled thump.[/spoiler]

===

[spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Okay everyone, we're finally coming up into the last few posts before the group has their first encounter with Lyoko and gets a chance to appreciate the mysterious threat that has Dominic so concerned. Just keep posting as well as you have been doing so far and we'll be fine. The image spoiler is there to help you visualize the setting. Remember, any questions should go in the OOC Thread (which you guys should try and use more often)![/spoiler]

[Yang Xiao-Long]

Alistair moved aside as Dominic brushed past. He seemed to notice that Dominic was getting more confident as he got closer to the factory. Alistair followed. As he stopped at the edge of the factory's entrance, he almost gasped as he took in his surroundings of the quiet, yet awe-inspiring abandoned factory. Noticing large cables, Alistair grabbed one in his powerful grip, and pushing off, he swung, carefully calculating his descent of sliding down the cable as his swing brought him to the ground. Upon reaching the ground, Alistair let go of the cable, and without falling flat on his face or slipping on the cold floor of the abandoned factory, he landed on his feet.

Alistair looked up. He could see at least one or two of the group seeming a bit apprehensive of the idea of coming down via old rope cords. He glanced at Dominic. He seemed to be confident, now that he was in an area that only he was quite familiar with. Looking around, Alistair finally received the full impact of his surroundings. He was in a building that seemed as ancient as time itself, yet was only frozen by that same force. After a few seconds, Alistair returned to his senses and, upon noticing that Dominic was no longer standing next to him but instead walking into a doorway, he followed suit.

[Saiba Aisu]

In spite of all the weird circumstances that characterized the current situation and the creepy atmosphere of the Abandoned Factory, Cerce managed a small smile as he stepped forward and caught expert hold of one of the lengths of rope. [i]Now[/i] this [i]is something I know how to do[/i], he thought to himself, tugging briefly on the rope to make sure it would hold his weight. Satisfied that it would—and resisting the temptation to show off—he kicked off the edge forcefully, swinging across space for a moment before letting go and landing lightly on the ground.

Cerce got to his feet and tossed back the rope to the others still on the second floor. Dusting himself off while looking around, he could see Dominic and Alistair moving towards what appeared to be a large, square-shaped elevator—where it went, however, was anyone's guess.

[---------------]

(OoC: Okay, going to post from when y'all started to leave Student Commons)

This is where temptation bites back. Ceodore, in the midst of his addiction (and his homework), crashed. The [s]sugar[/s]caffeine rush had ended, and now he was two seconds away from throwing up. Must. Resist. Looks like it's time to head for the infirmary. Ceodore headed through Student Commons, trying his best to hide how sick he-- hey, look, Alistair and co. are still there, with a new friend. Looks like they're... leaving? Into the park? With Crotch-Mouth?! Hey, if there's gunna be a beating up session then... Well, Fancy Pants couldn't have said something [i]that[/i] bad. Could he? Ceodore quickly forgot the sick feeling in him stomach and began to follow from a distance.

Ceodore hid behind a tree, as the group seemed to have reached their destination. Nothing. Yea, seriously, they were looking at no-- holy crap a manhole. Wait. The sewers? Suddenly, Ceodore remembered his sickness and held his lunch back. He watched as one by one they entered the abyss. He could hear one girl make a witty comment at Fancy Pants, and Fancy Pants sounding snotty. Well, at least they weren't beating on him. Yet. As the last person entered, he noticed that they left the manhole open. Well, you followed them this far. Ceodore stealthily entered the sewers and began pursuit. After a few moments in gut wrenching stink, Ceodore watched from a good distance as they each began to climb up another manhole. Just where the fulch were they going??? When the last person was up, Ceodore was going to approach the ladder, when he heared the manhole slide over the opening. Well, s***. Sigh. Welp, better wait a minute before going up.

(OoC2: I know you said Ceodore could get lost in the sewers, but I'd rather get lost in the factory, that way, Ceodore can at least know where the group keeps disappearing to (and maybe he can find out about Lyoko, too). Then again, if you do a return to the past, it wouldn't make a difference. :3)

[Vector Nightmare]

Basil followed the others into the factory. There was an eerie air about this place, something which Basil could not pinpoint. Whatever the case, he felt that something quite troublesome, something which Dominic, despite his apparent confidence, had barely even begun to explore, was being staged here. Basil wasn't one to give in to wild fancies, but he had a good sense for the irregular.

He sneered slightly as the pair of male students, the attention-craving giant and the show-off with the big mouth, followed Dominic without hesitation into the bowels of the factory's lower floor. He opened his bag and shuffled through his belongings. Earlier in the day, he had attended a first-aid seminar. He had little interest in helping others in need, but his interest in broadening his experiences and increasing his knowledge was so intense that rarely did a course occur without him applying for it, no matter how random to his studies it might seem. Case in point, he withdrew two pieces of cloth bandage that had been used to practice dressing light wounds. After ensuring they were clean and in a suitable state, he prepared to wrap them around his hands in order to avoid scraping them during his descent - but he reconsidered. Shaking his head, he turned around, tossing them at Devine.

"Tie them around your hands so that you won't get scraped while climbing down, if you still feel like following. Unfortunately, I only have this pair, so you two are going to have to make do with it." He nodded briefly at Estelle and, without waiting to observe their reactions, after selecting a different rope than the ones the other three had chosen, began climbing down himself. It took him surprisingly little time, and almost to his disappointment, he found the cord in a well-lacquered condition, suitable for a smooth descent. Shrugging it off, he looked around, searching for where Dominic had headed to.

[Hydra of Ages]

Devine sighed and shook her head. "Right then. Sewers, abandoned factories, why not? At this point, I think the back alleys would be a welcome change. The fact we haven't met anyone homeless... or at least a swarm of rats... is rather surprising."

But she followed, nevertheless. She had to admit, the derelict building sitting in the middle of the river like that was oddly scenic, almost serene. She vaguely found herself wondering what they made here, and why it shut down; the building didn't look incredibly decrepit, but it had obviously been abandoned for a rather long time.

The thick layer of dust coating everything as she entered validated her thesis, and she pinched her nose to keep herself from sneezing. It seemed to be more of a warehouse than anything from the inside, lacking any sort of conveyor belt or the like, though a few support wires did exist at the edge of an oddly steep edge.

Vaguely wondering why there weren't guard rails or anything, she rolled her eyes as Cerce and Alistair both jumped at the chance to descend using the wires. This trip was getting stranger and stranger the more it went on, and she started wondering if she'd end up arrested for trespassing by the end of it.

[encapturer]

Estelle could not believe that she walked for such a long distance; perhaps the fact that she was in a [I]sewer[/I], sneaking into a complex where a great [I]evil[/I] lay, would explain her mental lapse. Following the others inside, she found herself getting more and more tense as she went deeper within. It felt like a modern ruin - the technology avaliable was overflowing, yet it gave the feeling that no man ever explored the entirety of the area. Truly a place fit for a sentient computer.

Basil seemed to mellowed out a bit, apparently caring about the wellbeing of another. Perhaps he had finally understood what may be going on. In fact, she now feared for [I]Dominic[/I] if his 'proof' turned out to be a hoax; if Basil decided to chew him out, she would not mind at all. Grabbing on the rope used by Basil after he was done with it, she slid down alongside Devine and caught up to the others.

Eventually she found everyone walking towards a large elevator - a large and fairly conspicuous one. She figured it was for transporting large objects, and began to question exactly what this factory originally was built for. If she had time, she made it a point to visit the library and try to look it up later.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG] [b]GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Laboratory[/b] [IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG][/center]

[spoiler=GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Laboratory]"Well," Dominic said to the group as they assembled inside the elevator, "going down!" He pushed his hand against a nearby button on the wall; with a firm clicking noise, it depressed and a metal sheet rolled slowly down over the entrance to the lift. With a small lurch, the elevator began to move downwards at a steady pace; despite the obvious age of the factory, it still seemed to be in excellent condition. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the smooth electric whine of the lift as it moved down the shaft; then there was a second lurch as it came to a halt slowly. The metal wall rolled upwards, revealing an imposing golden-colored door—however, as Dominic stepped forward, it also opened, splitting down the middle with a hissing noise. One by one, the five students followed warily, dazzled by the incredibly futuristic appearance of the sight before them.

[spoiler=Laboratory][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/Laboratory.png[/IMG][/spoiler]

"Welcome to the Laboratory," Dominic said, gesturing to the incredible room in front of them. The walls of the Laboratory were a polished shade of metallic green, stretching high above them into the shadows. The center of the room was dominated by a circular metallic pedestal, from which a detailed display of holographic lights originated, creating the major source of illumination for the room. Around the pedestal, a circular track on the floor indicated the rotational capabilities of the solitary chair that was situated near a complex-looking keyboard and several flatscreen monitors angled towards it.

"This is the interface that allows me to interact directly with the supercomputer," he continued, striding forwards and hopping into the chair, which instantly swiveled and moved along the track, stopping in front of the keyboard and monitors. "Come over here," he called to the group, "there's someone I want you to meet."

The five students walked over slowly, obviously dazzled by the incredible display of futuristic technology contained within the Laboratory. As they came to a halt behind him, Dominic's fingers flashed across the keyboard, quickly inputting a series of complex commands. There was a computerized beeping noise as a new window opened on the screen, its backdrop filled with small green numbers on a black background. Much more remarkable, however, was the pale-skinned girl with short pink hair in the foreground.

"Everyone, I would like you to introduce you to Aelita," Dominic said. The girl smiled and waved.[/spoiler]

===

[spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Ahh, Lyoko is so close I can almost taste it! We just need to address this final hurdle and we should be good to go. Keep up the fantastic work, everyone.[/spoiler]

[Yang Xiao-Long]

Upon entering the room, Alistair was instantly fascinated. He began walking around the polished green room, running the walls with his fingers as he walked around. He looked at the center of the room and was shocked to see a massive computer in the center. [i]Whoa...[/i] was all he could think of at the moment he saw the massive computer mainframe. He was instantly shocked upon seeing Dominic being transported from his original position to the interface. Alistair heard Dominic call them over. He walked up and saw the intricacy of the system; a complex matrix in the background of the screen, many powerful displays, and an albeit simple keyboard that controlled it all.

Upon hearing Dominic's keystrokes, he almost lost his balance upon seeing a girl appear on screen. With cherry blossom pink hair, this girl by the name of Aelita was most certainly an intelligence far beyond anything - or [i]anyone[/i]- known. Alistair managed to wave to Aelita, and all he could think about was how a girl could be in a computer as amazing as this. Then again, this girl, Aelita, was probably the reason the supercomputer was so amazing in the first place. He tried talking to Aelita.

"Aelita, my name's Alistair. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a bright smile.

[Saiba Aisu]

Cerce was surprised by Aelita's appearance as well; however, he recognized that her presence posed more questions than it presented answers—was she truly a sentient being somehow trapped in the supercomputer, or just an elaborate computer program created by Dominic to further a prank? Although his mind told him that a girl existing inside a computer network was logically impossible, he realized with a sinking feeling that going through so much trouble for a simple hoax would be too much, even for Dominic. Meanwhile, on the computer screen, Aelita was speaking.

"Alistair," she repeated, as if she were tasting the name on her tongue for the first time, relishing its sound with profound curiosity. Her voice was surprising light and clear, even with the distortion created by the computer's speakers. "It's nice to meet you, too," she replied, a sincere smile appearing on her features. "I like him, Dominic," she said, addressing the other boy casually, before turning her attention back to Alistair. "Are all humans this tall, or are you the exception?" she asked, her tone indicating that she was being serious.

"Something tells me this isn't the evil supercomputer you mentioned earlier," Cerce said dryly to Dominic, crossing his arms and moving a step closer to the computer screen, where Aelita was regarding the group with intense curiosity. "Hey there, Aelita," he said to her, lifting one hand in greeting—for the moment, he had decided to believe in Dominic and take the situation seriously. "It's good to meet you, I'm Cerce."

[Hydra of Ages]

"I'm not so sure of that," Devine said with pursed lips. "Pink hair seems pretty evil to me. Nothing against the color personally, but you know, that's starting to push it...", she shrugged a little and walked around the console. It looked futuristic as far as she could tell, with its sleek look and hologram display, but something was bugging her.

"What's this doing in a random warehouse?" she asked. "I mean, I know I shouldn't be questioning anything after 'sentient evil computer', but wouldn't something like this take, like, a ridiculous amount of hardware and power? Why not in a more obvious location? Or, if you're looking for something that's secure, why not in a factory that actually has at least a padlock? I'm surprised hobos and thieves haven't arrived yet. Or at least rats..."

she looked around for the telltale signs of small rodents and didn't see much of anything hinting at an infestation, but supposed that alone wasn't much evidence. She hadn't seen anything in the sewers either, which was even more surprising.

[Vector Nightmare]

When Basil walked into what seemed like the headquarters of the factory, the whole group was there, barring Estelle. Basil had taken his time carefully examining every area they passed along, making sure to memorize the way back and also check for alternate places of interest. He found little to speak of - but when he joined Dominic and the others, he experienced quite the shock.

The top-tier technology was not enough to fascinate him, of course. If anything, it was modelled in a rather oudated fashion for modern cutting-edge standards. Neither did the appearance of a digitalized picture in the form of a girl startle him, like the rest of those simpletons. Whatever it was that Dominic had named 'Aelita', if it existed within the boundaries of the computerized interface, it was nothing to be surprised about.

No - the real shock came when she addressed Alistair's height. Carrying on a conversation was something an artificial intelligence could manage, easily. Even recognizing unusual patterns such as gigantism wasn't out of the question. But when she asked about whether that height was regular or not - what was this? Queries formed on the basis of a perceived irregularity? An attempt to fulfill incomplete data? In an artificial intelligence so advanced, it was almost laughable to notice such flaws - if they were flaws at all. No, what had utterly stunned Basil was not some feeble imitation of a real person's reaction to the unnatural.

It was a pure desire to learn, a question formed not out of some predetermined pattern, but out of sheer need to expand one's knowledge, not for the sake of achieving something, but for the simple sake of satisfying one's curious nature, a nature found only in sentient, living beings. The defining characteristic of mankind - not the need to broaden one's horizons, but the ability to turn that need into a purpose onto itself.

From that simple statement, Basil had 'understood' - Aelita was far more than an artificial intelligence.

Unwilling, as if his feet almost dragged him forward, Basil moved closer to the computer screen. "Hello." He spoke, maintaining a controlled politeness despite his surprise. As he was used to, he kept his thoughts to himself, performing what would actually seem a half-mocking bow to the bystanders. "Aelita, was it? My name is Basil Clives. It is... a pleasure to meet you." He decided not to say any more, and allow the girl to take her own time to react to him, as well as the others. Or, perhaps, allow Dominic to explain the true purpose behind taking them here. As Cerce had - admittedly, astutely - noted, there was a missing link between what Dominic had told them earlier, and what they had found here. And Basil wanted to discover that link, fast.

[encapturer]

As usual, Estelle was the last to enter the room. She was pretty used to that, letting everyone do their thing, and asking her for her input as needed. But when the image of Aelita appeared, she... wasn't really sure what to think. The way she spoke, the way she interacted with the others was not what she was expecting. She expected some sort of malicious energy-being threatening to kill, or something. Even taking into the account that this girl was not the great evil she was expecting... she was floored. If not for the fact that she was in a computer monitor, this Aelita could be mistaken for a real human.

Not wanting to be outdone by Basil, Estelle introduced herself to Aelita as well. "Hello Aelita, I'm Estelle," she said, in such a soft tone that she wondered if Aelita heard her. She wasn't sure what to do in front of a computer intelligence, so she settled with smiling towards Aelita, figuring that she seems to respond kind of like a human, at least, and a smile would seem friendly enough.

[Saiba Aisu]

Dominic's contented gaze towards Aelita shifted as it fell upon Devine, his eyes narrowing slightly into a pensive expression as he answered the girl's question. "I'm not entirely sure I know all of the details," he replied, "but from what I understand and what Aelita has told me, this factory used to be the site of a top-secret government project. For more than half a century, this place's classification as 'structurally unsafe' has helped keep it hidden."

He cleared his throat and gestured at the magnificent room around them. "As for the homeless and thieves you're concerned about, there's virtually no other way to access this complex except for a few secret passages, and like the one that we took to get here, they're all well-concealed."

Meanwhile, Aelita smiled and nodded in greeting as both Basil and Estelle presented themselves, putting an end to the series of introductions. "It's good to meet both of you," she replied in a friendly tone. "As for being evil.. I'm afraid I'm not much help in that respect—XANA tends to dominate that particular category on Lyoko."

Seeing confusion blossom on the faces of the five students at the mention of the unfamiliar words 'XANA' and 'Lyoko', he sighed and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his temples softly. "Listen guys," he said, "I know this is a lot to take in right now; all I can tell you is that XANA is the name of the artificial intellect that's threatening our world. As for Lyoko, it's the virtual world where XANA resides—things will be much clearer once I've virtualized you onto it so you can see for yourselves."

[Hydra of Ages]

the words 'virtualized' and 'world' clicked into Devine's head, and not in a positive way.

She shook her head and sighed to herself, walking over to a railing and leaning on it a bit as she tried to process everything. Things weren't quite going the way she expected them to, and she was playing a rather quick game of catch up to remedy that situation.

"So, what you're saying is, we're going inside a computer. [i]lLiterally[/i] inside a computer. [i]Tron[/i]-levels of inside a computer. I'd say that's impossible, but once again, redundant as all hell."

She threw up her hands. "But whatever. Let's go. Quicker we get on with this, the quicker reality can make sense again. I'm sure Necktie's got it all figured out and the rest of you don't care, but I like knowing that things make sense, and I'd like to get back to that feeling as soon as possible."

[Vector Nightmare]

"Would you please stop calling me that? I stated my name already." Though Basil seemed to be complaining, it was in truth a mechanized response that his mouth had automatically formulated to cover the gap. It was of no importance to him, merely something to be said, while his mind raced.

Virtual world. XANA. Those words didn't make the least bit of sense to him, of course. But, within those unknown words, he had found another piece of the puzzle.

Virtualization. The process of transferring a human being to a space that was not accessible via reality as was commonly perceived. It required quite a suspension of disbelief, yes. But it was likely. That this top-secret project Dominic was referring to - a virtual space. And a corrupt supercomputer controlling it? It was all beginning to tie in.

"I will accept this explanation." He told Dominic. "You mentioned 'virtualizing' us - then, do you have a process to do it? Have you tested it?"

[Saiba Aisu]

"Well," Dominic said tentatively in reply to Devine, "it's not as simple as that—from what I understand, Lyoko is a virtual world, not just the inside of the supercomputer. As such, it's tied intricately to our own networks in more than way; for the time being, however, your explanation works."

He then turned to face Basil, the swivel chair accommodating his weight, but Aelita managed to address the question he had asked more quickly than Dominic. "Yes," she said in her clear, breathless voice, "the process is known as 'Virtualization,' and I'm quite familiar with it. It involves scanning the target in a specialized machine before their particles are digitally reformatted onto Lyoko."

Dominic nodded and entered a single stroke on the keyboard—as if by an unseen command, the imposing door they had used to enter the Laboratory split apart, once again providing access to the elevator. "The Scanner Room is directly below here," Dominic added, pointing downwards. "Once you're there, I want you to take turns entering one of the three scanners—it doesn't matter which one. Once preparations are complete, I'll launch the Virtualization Program with Aelita's help and we'll take it from there."

[---------------]

57... 58... 59... 60. Ready or not, I'm going to stalk you. Ceodore climbed up the ladder in the sewers and opened the manhole. He climbed out, first a little shocked at the sudden intake of light. Later shocked by where he was. A warehouse. On a little island. Aww, how cute. They must be smoking something. Oh, well. Followed them this far. What would a mentally disturbed stalker be if he didn't follow to the end? He finally crawled out of the hole, and made his way to the warehouse(factory). He looked intensly at the building as he made his way, in a trance by its beauty. Finally, as he entered, he jumped back, nearly falling in both directions. He didn't notice the huge gap in the floor as his right foot moved over it, so he pushed backwards with his left foot, almost falling on his ass. Don't worry, he's still standing. Welp, they couldn't have gone down there. What would they have done? Slid down these cables? Hah, yea right. Looks like fun though. Might as we- OH FUUUUUUU.

As Ceodore grabbed the cable, he tripped, and began to fall, still holding on to the cables, but not tightly. As he reached the ground, he grabbed the cable tightly, which caused him to swing in the other direction. He lost his balance and let go, falling to the floor. Heh... how about I just... bleed... internally... here.... ow.

[encapturer]

Estelle nodded in response and made her way to the elevator, ending up being the first on it. She was a little worried, unsure of what will happen next, and almost cried out that she wanted to leave. She knew little of computers, and now she would be 'virtualized'? It was frightening. Perhaps deep down, she thought Dominic was full of hot air, so she would have every reason to abandon him. But if she did now, she could never live with herself. Dominic provided enough proof to convince her, thus even if she is scared of actually being virtualized, she would have to go through with it.

Estelle could not read the faces on the others; she was busy keeping her own fear in check. She cursed herself at not being like any of the others, even Devine and Basil, both of whom were turning out to be better people that she pegged them (though she still didn't like them much). In the end, she only helped others for herself, for the acknowledgment, and to keep her mind off of her home life. If she felt like she would end up trying too hard, she would apologize for being unable to help and make up some excuse; since she always kept up her appearance, no one doubted her. The fact that she helps selfishly would not change, but she decided that this time she would see this through to the end, regardless of how scared she may be, and regardless of how difficult it would be. After all, the others seem to be doing the same.

[Hydra of Ages]

Finding herself in the elevator without really recalling walking there, Devine figured she wasn't really thinking about this like she should be. This was ridiculous. She was a skeptic, and she'd followed some strange boy into a sewer, a deserted warehouse, and now am going down into the basement to take part in some shady experiment. She wasn't alone, mind, but that barely seemed to register- thing was, she knew she was being [i]really really stupid[/i].

But did she care, honestly? It was an interesting question. Did she really care if something happened to her? Not really. Her self preservation instincts were pretty shot, which was probably why she went this far. And why she'd see it to the end; the horrible, horrible end that would probably involve someone going entirely insane and shooting all of them. It was the only explanation she could see, really. That supposed AI was kinda confusing, as were the holograms, but there was no way that stuff could be [i]real[/i], could it?

But... Looking at him, Basil seemed pretty confident about it. While the opinions of the others weren't worth much, if nothing else, Basil seemed too arrogant and uppity to put his life in danger. If he seemed to think this was worth a shot, there might just be a worth a...

she cut that thought off before finishing it, and hummed an annoying tune to counteract the inevitable elevator music.

[Saiba Aisu]

[spoiler=OoC #1. Please read.]Okay, so Shion Kaito contacted me recently via PM telling me that he'd be unable to post from Thursday to Saturday (today). I am hoping that he'll be able to start posting again soon (preferably before we go to Lyoko), but in the meantime he has given me basic control of Alistair.[/spoiler]

[center][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG] [b]GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Scanner Room[/b] [IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG][/center]

[spoiler=GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Scanner Room]Dominic looked up awkwardly from the computer screen at the group as the doors of the elevator closed once more—it was clear that despite the circumstances that had brought the six students together, they had yet to establish a comfortable friendship. Aelita, on the other hand, waved cheerily from the display window open on the monitor, evidently excited at the prospect of meeting them on Lyoko.

There was silence in the elevator as the lift rumbled down towards the Scanner Room; each of the members of the group were occupied with their own thoughts and not in any particular hurry to share with the others. All too soon, and with a slight lurch, the elevator's movement down the shaft came to a halt, and the doors slid apart, revealing yet another futuristic room. As the five students stepped forward, they could make out the metallic gold color of the walls, which stretched high above them just like those of the Laboratory. Their attention, however, was dominated by what was situated at the center of the room—resembling open stalls or vertical coffins more than anything else, three tall, complex-looking devices stood close together. From both the top and the back of each scanner, a complicated tangle of wires burst forth in a blaze of different colors.

[spoiler=Scanner Room][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/ScannerRoom.png[/IMG][/spoiler]

The group might have stood there appreciating the futuristic appearance of the room forever had it not been for Dominic's voice. "Well, don't just stand there!" he chided, his tones amplified by unseen speakers located somewhere in the room. "One of you needs to hurry up and get in a scanner so I can launch the Virtualization Process."

The aggregate of students regarded the three scanners with varying amounts of skepticism, anxiety, and distaste—no one seemed particularly eager to take the first step into the unknown that awaited them. In light of the current situation, the scanners really did look entirely too much like coffins.[/spoiler]

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[spoiler=OoC #2. Please read!]Da-na-nuh! The moment of truth has arrived, we're finally ready to proceed and enter the world of Lyoko for the first time. As usual, if you guys have any questions at all, I will address them in the OOC Planning Thread.[/spoiler]

[encapturer]

In this tense atmosphere, Estelle was surprised that she was the first one to step forward. "I... I guess I'll get in one first..." she said, as she carefully stepped toward the closest scanner. After opening it, Estelle stared inside, the voice in the back of her head telling her this was a horrible idea, that even being a slave to the family head would be preferable to stepping into the unknown like this.

And yet, Estelle soon found herself inside. As the scanner closed on her, her eyes closed as well, with her body tensing up as well. In the end, Estelle found herself hoping that the other two would be filled - and soon; else she'd die of anxiety even before facing whatever unknown dangers lie ahead.

[Saiba Aisu]

[center][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG] [b]GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Scanner Room[/b] [IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/XanaSymbolPosts.png[/IMG][/center]

[spoiler=GM Post: Abandoned Factory, Scanner Room]"Okay then," came Dominic's voice from the hidden speakers; he sounded more than a little surprised that the shy Estelle was the first one from the group to have volunteered, but to his credit he recovered quickly. "Alright, I'm launching the Virtualization Program—Transfer, Estelle!" At his words, the doors of the scanner closed pneumatically with a slight hiss, obscuring the blue-haired girl from view.

"Scanner, Estelle!" he continued, entering another complex series of commands into the computer. Slowly at first, but then with greater speed, a humming noise could be heard coming from inside the scanner, as if a large colony of bees were busily at work within. Meanwhile, on Dominic's computer screen, a small window opened, displaying an opaque, slender female figure clad in what appeared to be armor. The dull figure began to gain a steady green color from bottom to top with a computerized beeping sound.

"Virtualization!" Dominic said in a triumphant tone, striking the enter key on the keyboard. The cracks at the edges of the scanner's door were briefly lit from within by a brilliant flash of white light accompanied by a mechanical whining sound. For a moment, there was silence as the remaining students waited for the doors to open, uncertain of exactly what they would find inside. After a moment, the scanner's doors slid apart once more, and a cloud of steam burst forth into the room, coiling and swirling upon itself. Once it had dissipated, they could make out the empty scanner, its interior unoccupied, as if Estelle had never been.

===

When Estelle finally dared to open her eyes and look around her, she blinked in confusion—for some reason, she seemed to be floating in place above the ground. After a brief delay, however, she felt gravity once again take sudden hold of her body, and with a small yelp, she plummeted downwards a few feet, landing gracelessly on the green, moss-covered ground. Temporarily stunned, she took a moment to catch her breath before picking herself up and regarding her surroundings with shock and awe. She appeared to be on some kind of path, covered in a thick carpet of grass and moss, winding forward in a sinuous, narrow curve. All around her, thousands of unnaturally tall and slender trees floated in place, their roots dangling serenely over the abyss, their graceful forms stretching high into the gold and green-tinged sky where they formed a canopy. Looking ahead of her, Estelle could see that this platform was not the only one; at many points, it seemed to join with others, forming an intertwining path that wove between the endless trees.

[spoiler=Forest Sector][IMG]http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv219/GXCyber_Ice/ForestSector.jpg[/IMG][/spoiler]

"Welcome to the Forest Sector, Estelle," came a voice, booming from the air around her. Estelle jumped but then relaxed slightly as she recognized the voice as Dominic's—it appeared that he could also project his words onto the virtual world. "What do you think of Lyoko?" he continued, "and how do you like your new look?"

Confused, Estelle looked down at herself and the unique clothing she was wearing—it was then and only then that she realized just how bizarre this adventure was.[/spoiler]

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[spoiler=OoC. Please read!]Okay everyone, Estelle has now been successfully virtualized onto the Forest Sector of Lyoko. Encapturer, feel free to have Estelle look around or comment on her changed appearance, but don't wander for the moment, as we're still waiting on the other four characters to be virtualized, too. Who's next, guys?[/spoiler]