Professor Hertz's head was in her hands. By now it was about five in the evening. Earlier, at four-ish, they'd ambushed her in her office, confronted her about her past, and filled her in on their story. Her face had grown more and more slack as she listened.

"You discovered it," she finally whispered. She let out a hollow laugh. "I can't believe...all those precautions, all those safeguards...and one young man found it by accident. You always were too bright for your own good, Jeremie."

Aelita was trembling. She remembered what the major had said in the Mirror: that Anthea was her best friend. Professor Hertz may be able to help them with their current situation, yes, but she was also someone who'd known Aelita's mother. She opened her mouth and found that words escaped her.

Jeremie asked, "Isn't it better this way? At least it's us, and not someone else."

Hertz didn't answer him. Instead, her eyes slide to Aelita, and a bittersweet smile twisted her lips "Aelita... When you were assigned to my class, I didn't believe for a second you were Odd's cousin. I knew it was you and that if you hadn't aged...you must have been stuck on Lyoko for a long, long time."

Aelita's voice finally returned. "Why didn't you say anything?" she whispered.

The professor sighed. "I never agreed with Waldo's decision to tell you about Lyoko...to make you such a central piece in his plans. You were too young. You shouldn't have been burdened by the mistakes and problems of adults. But it wasn't my place to tell him how to parent.

"But when I saw you again… Aelita, you have to understand. Growing up, you were always weighed down by the secret knowledge thrusted upon you. But when I saw you again, I knew you didn't remember anything. You were so happy, so curious, so innocent. This was a chance for you to start over, have the childhood you always should have. How could I take that away?"

She shook her head. "If only I'd known what you all were really doing...the things you were going through…"

"So you didn't lose your memory?" Jeremie asked, rubbing his chin.

Professor Hertz sighed again and leaned back in her chair. When they'd first entered, they had navigated the mess of her office to whatever seats they could find: stacks of magazines piled high, a chair buried under papers, the rare bit of free space on the floor. Aelita swung her legs from her perch on a low cabinet rammed full of science journals. She glanced at Ulrich, skulking in a corner, shoulders hunched, arms crossed, eyes downcast. He looked as if he was trying to shut out the world.

She looked away. It was too hard to face him. He needed comfort, but...she couldn't give it right now. Not when she was still bottling up all her anger and hate for his father.

Hertz began, "Waldo and I needed a method to add everything necessary onto Lyoko: trees and rocks, frozen areas, desert sand, et cetera. We decided that the quickest way to do that would be to take the images directly from our minds and deposit them into the supercomputer. So we built the memory-snatching machine. It was only later that we discovered the machine could also be used to erase memories.

"Someone," Her eyes slid towards Walter Stern, "sold the plans for our device to the Green Phoenix and the men in black. We understood this person could have revealed the supercomputer's location, so I interrogated him and then personally used the machine to erase his memory. Every scrap of data relevant to Lyoko."

"Can you reverse it and return my memories?" Stern asked, leaning forward and bracing his arms against his knees.

"No," Hertz said, shaking her head. "I used a very specific function when I did. I'll explain in a bit, but your memories are gone forever."

Stern scowled.

"After that," Hertz continued, "we erased the memories of the rest of our coworkers, to keep them and their families safe. We were supposed to move again, but before we could, the men in black came. From your story, I'm guessing XANA anonymously told them where Waldo lived…though I didn't know that at the time. They assailed the Hermitage, and Waldo and Aelita fled to Lyoko."

She paused, shook her head. "The men in black and agents of the Green Phoenix combed the city for ages. They didn't know where the supercomputer was, and the sewers are a maze. The only person who knew the way there was me. So, before they could interrogate me, I erased my memory of its location. And this time, I used an experimental upgrade to make the memory loss irreversible. Then I destroyed the upgrade so it couldn't be reverse-engineered.

"It wasn't perfect. This version of the procedure damaged other parts of my memory; that's why I didn't use it on anyone but Walter. I knew it meant leaving you two on your own, but I knew it was more important that no one could ever to extract the supercomputer's location from me. Eventually, both the men in black and the Green Phoenix had to give up."

While Aelita lowered her eyes, contemplating this story, Jeremie pressed, "But who were the collaborators? The people who worked with you and Hopper?"

Hertz chuckled humorlessly. "Some of you know them quite well. The team who helped Waldo build Lyoko was formed by myself, naturally, as well as Walter, who was in charge of financing. Then we had Takeho and Akiko Ishiyama, and Michel Belpois, for programming assistance."

"My father?" Jeremie gasped.

"My parents?" Yumi squeaked at the same time.

"That's right."

The two teens collapsed like puppets whose strings had been cut.

Upon the Green Phoenix's arrival at the factory, they had immediately set about raising up an encampment. Hannibal had, admittedly, not thought very far ahead about how they would actually keep Hopper's work. A supercomputer couldn't just be transported away, silently in the night. While they could certainly set up another base in Paris, he disliked that Dido knew about his presence here. It would make operating from this location...difficult.

This he considered as he lounged in the comfortable, arabian-style cushions and rugs of his tent. He still wore his suit and wide-brimmed hat, but he'd removed his shoes. One corner held a computer with three large screens so he could control his business affairs around the world. His ring-encrusted fingers lightly plucked from a bowl of couscous, eating Arabian-style, with just the index, middle, and thumb.

He grimaced as he chewed. How bland. I should have brought my personal chef.

"May I come in, sir?" Hera asked from outside the tent.

"Of course, my dear."

His assistant stepped inside. Her hair was up in a bun, showing off her slim neck. Hannibal traced his eyes down its swan-like curve, down her figure…

She tensed, barely perceptible, and coughed. "Agent Grigory has finished with our prisoners, sir. He's shifting through the extracted memories now."

He nodded, wiped his fingers with a silk napkin. "Good. Tell him I expect a report on his findings in the hour. Then have him wipe all their memory of the past few days and dump them in some far, deserted location." Killing them would provoke a war with Dido, while holding them here ran the risk that one had some kind of transmitter she could trace. Better to wipe his hands of them-after ensuring they couldn't report what they'd found, of course.

"Very well. Also, I finished the verifications, sir. Everything is ready."

A slow, languid smile spread across his lips. "And the supercomputer?"

"It's still shut down. We're all waiting for you to turn it back on, as you ordered. I've checked all the connections from the third underground level, where it is, up to the first, where the controls are. We are ready to boot it up at any moment."

"Excellent. And the volunteers for the first test?"

"They are also ready."

"Well, let's not waste any more time, then."

He pulled his shoes on and exited the tent. It was enormous, emerald-green, and in the center of the encampment. The ground floor of the factory was rife with soldiers in uniform, defensive measures such as sandbags, and military tents. His men all snapped their heels together and saluted whenever he passed by.

"Give me a summary of the situation," Hannibal said as they entered the lift.

"I used our most sophisticated technology and spent some time carefully examining the supercomputer's hardware. I can confirm, without a doubt, that Hopper acted just as we expected: in order the neutralize the weapon the First City contains, he completely isolated its environment. It's as if the First City is located in a different supercomputer that's disconnected from this one. In excluding it from the network, he rendered it unusable."

"Continue."

"To directly enter the First City would be pointless: we'd be blocked without a means to act. The only way to use its weapon is to virtualize a command unit on Lyoko. Lyoko, unlike the First City, is connected to the network and electronic devices of our world via towers. Once on Lyoko, the unit would make its way to the core-the fifth sector-and find a passage to communicate between Lyoko and the First City. Once this 'bridge' is open, we can access the weapon and, through the towers on Lyoko, use it in the real world."

The elevator stopped on the third floor. The door slid open. Hannibal grinned broadly as he and Hera entered a spacious room dominated by a cylindrical machine. The supercomputer...at last!

The room was enormous and well-lit. Dominating the center was the cylindrical shape of the supercomputer. A dozen soldiers were lined up on the walls. When they saw their commander, they snapped to attention.

Hera approached the massive beast, opened a panel, and gestured to the lever. "By pulling this down, we'll reactive the supercomputer. Then, we'll ride back up to the control room to transfer our men to Lyoko. If you'd do the honors."

He placed a hand on the lever. A wave of anticipation rippled from his feet to his head. He inhaled, committing every detail of this moment-the cold of the lever, the slight metallic smell in the air, the absolute silence of the room-to memory.

He couldn't resist a bit of grandstanding. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for the Green Phoenix."

Hannibal yanked the lever down, and the supercomputer was alive again.

Twilight had fallen by the time Ulrich slunk out of his room. A whirlpool of emotions was still whipping his insides about, but he at least felt able to be in others' company.

"We missed you at dinner." Yumi was sitting cross-legged against the wall opposite his door, a notebook and textbook spread before her. A couple of passerby students shot her nasty glares as they stepped over her things. Rising, she scooped them up and gestured for Ulrich to follow her.

He walked in stride with her down the hall. "Shouldn't you be at home with your parents?"

She shook her head. "I went back to grab an overnight bag and let them know I'm having a sleepover at Aelita's. With everything that happened, and with what will still happen...I don't really want to leave Kadic right now."

He made a non-commital noise. He couldn't look at her. His wonderful girlfriend who had only tried to help him, and who he'd lashed out at. Who was still waiting for him to cool down-or 'stop sulking', as Da-Walter would have put it. Who had just learned something shocking about her own parents. And what had he done as soon as the meeting with Hertz was over? Returned to his room to sulk.

He was so ashamed of himself. "Are you okay? With...what you learned about them?"

"I don't know how to look at them," she admitted. Yumi pushed the dorm door open and they stepped outside. She took only a few steps away before she stopped, looking up at him. "Knowing they worked with her dad. It's not bad, it's just...a shock."

"At least you know they didn't betray her," he said, unable to stop the bitterness pouring out.

She searched his face. "You're part of the team, Ulrich. No matter what your father did. None of us think of you any differently."

"Really?" He couldn't help scoffing. "Not even Aelita?" Aelita, who hadn't once looked at him on the walk back to Kadic, or spoken to him, or gave any hint she didn't hate him.

"I think she just needs some time to process everything. Like you. But I promise, something like this won't make her hate you."

"How can you be so sure?" His throat worked. His chest heaved. Something hot and angry and wet pricked at the corners of his eyes. "I've kept away from the team before just because of my own selfishness. Who's to say that won't someday turn into what D-Walter did?"

Who's to say I won't turn into him?

Yumi stepped closer. "Because Aelita's fair. She didn't blame William for something out of his control, and she won't blame you."

She took his hands. "And also, she knows you. I know you. So you can be moody at times. So what? No one's perfect. We're more than just our flaws. You're brave and loyal and honest. You're the guy who first reached out to accept Sissi when the rest of us couldn't. The guy who applies himself as hard as he can to school and plays with my little brother on weekends and goes with me to check up on my hospitalized parents."

She wet her lips, ducked her head. "The guy I love."

His breath caught. Yeah, he and Yumi both kinda knew they loved each other, but this was the first time one of them had actually said it out loud. The three little words wrapped around him like a warm blanket.

"U-Uh…" Oh, good going, Stern! "I l-love you too."

Not only did he stammer, his voice cracked. Ulrich wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die.

She smiled, and leaned up, and kissed him. Gently, softly. It only lasted for a second, but it was enough to wash away the embarrassment coursing through him. She didn't care if he wasn't perfect. She loved him despite-or maybe because of-it.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you space when you needed it," Yumi murmured when they pulled away.

"Y-Yeah, no problem. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "No problem."

Wanting to move past this emotional moment, Ulrich swallowed and cast about for something to change the subject to. "Have you contacted Dido yet?"

"No. We all wanted to wait for you."

Even when William and Odd might not have had that time...they'd still given it to him. He felt his face warm. Gratitude filled his heart.

Ulrich took a deep breath. "Then let's not keep everyone waiting any longer."

"That's Lyoko, then?"

Hannibal had just stepped into the first underground floor of the factory, before the sprawling control system of the supercomputer. The computer interface was attached to the ceiling, via a circular ring; it looked like it could rotate around the massive platform in the center. Floating from the platform was an image of a small yellow-white sphere, with four differently-colored sections extending from it. Everything was tinted green by the room's lighting.

Hera was sitting in the chair at the computer, surrounded by at least four different monitors. She'd been busy typing commands, but at the sound of her superior's voice, she turned. "Yes, it' a projection of Lyoko. From here, I can manage towers, activate programs, and see where our men are located."

He stepped closer, studying the hologram. On the surface of the green quarter were three red, immobile icons. Hera pointed at them. "These three icons here indicate the position of our unit."

He scowled, impatient. "And why aren't they moving?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. There should be a way to communicate with them, and I've been trying to activate the microphone. They don't seem to hear me."

"Zoom in."

"I can do even better."

Her fingers flew across the keyboard. To their left, a monitor went dark, then lit up again with a new image.

It was like something from a badly-rendered video game. There were no textures on the flat, green ground or tall, narrow trees. The blue sky held neither sun nor clouds. The trees had no branches and their tops rose so high, they couldn't be seen. The waters of a small lake were still, the surface unbroken by the gentle ripples or laps that should have existed.

He toyed with his jeweled rings. "It's a static image?"

"No, it's a video. It shows exactly what…" Hera glanced at another screen. "...Corporal Kalam is seeing."

Well, that was all very well and nice. Except it still didn't answer his first question. He so disliked repeating himself. "But why aren't they moving?"

Hera shrugged. "Again, I thought it was the lack of audio, that they were waiting for our orders."

He stared at the screen hard. "No. No one can remain still for that long. They haven't even turned their heads. Bring them in immediately; something must have happened."

Hera obeyed.

With a hum, the doors of the scanner opened, and the final soldier fell out. Two of his squadmates swooped in and caught him before he could hit his head on the ground.

Hannibal observed as they gently lay him down. A medic stepped forward with a stethoscope to check his vital signs.

This was the third and last man who'd been sent to Lyoko, and Hannibal had already seen this process play out twice before. He tapped his foot impatiently. To his right and slightly behind him, Hera was examining something on her palm-computer, brow furrowed in concentration.

Finally, the medic rose and tucked the stethoscope away. "He's just like the others. Alive, but in a state of shock."

"Do you know why?"

The woman's thin eyebrows rose. "I can perform a more thorough examination, but I imagine I won't find anything. This happened while they were on Lyoko, so most likely therein lies the cause. And that, unfortunately, is beyond my field of expertise."

Hera cleared her throat softly. Hannibal glanced at her, then gave the medic a curt nod. "Move these men to your medical tent and monitor their conditions. The rest of you, back on duty."

He and Hera rode the elevator back to the ground floor in silence. Even when they were in Hannibal's emerald tent, he did not gesture for her to speak right away. He removed his shoes and picked up a silver teapot. A fine trail of steam drifted out of the spout. His personal butler was, as always, punctual, delivering this at seven on the dot. He poured himself a cup, not offering any to Hera. She was to serve him, not the other way around.

Only when he had settled on the cushions and taken a sip of his tea did he gesture for her to speak. "Explain your theory."

"I believe it's due to the virtualization scanners. When a human being is virtualized, their body completely disintegrates, and the computer takes the data and reconstructs it onto Lyoko. However, rather than basing the reconstruction off the physical structure of the real body, Hopper added in something else: he had the computer construct the avatar based off the person's subconscious image of their own self.

"To put it shortly, on Lyoko, everyone takes on the characteristics that correspond with how they see themselves. In a sense, everyone on Lyoko finds their true form, which is very different than the one of our world."

Hannibal finished his tea and dabbed at his mouth with a silk handkerchief.

"I've completed several analyses on the images of Lyoko that I took through the eyes of our soldiers," Hera continued to explain. "They'd taken on monstrous appearances. One, for example, was transformed into a giant spider. Another was a child covered in a yellow substance that seemed like vomit."

He wrinkled his nose. "Lovely."

"Quite. It's difficult for us to face our greatest fears and accept the vision that we have of ourselves. These soldiers have dirtied their hands in all sorts of crime. And when Lyoko forces them to look reality in the face, they crumble and become immobilized. I can't even imagine the long-term effects of this trauma."

He didn't care about the long-term effects of his men's trauma. He cared that they would be useless if they set foot on Lyoko. "Hopper, you mad genius," he swore softly.

He stood and paced. He had to get his men to enter the core of Lyoko and open the bridge to the First City. But how could they succeed if they froze the moment they set foot in the virtual world?

Hera had said this was a feature Hopper had specifically implemented. To Hannibal, that sounded like it was a warding measure put in place just for this purpose: to stop those who would want to use the destructive potential of Lyoko and the First City from even entering.

Hannibal stopped. "Hera, would it be possible to edit this program? To virtualize our men as themselves, not as nightmarish subconscious dredging or whatever you said it was?"

She hesitated. "I'm...not sure, sir. The virtualization process is very delicate. I'm afraid that tampering with it would destroy the ability to virtualize anyone onto Lyoko at all."

A valid concern. He toyed with his rings, twisting them around his fingers. Sending more soldiers wasn't the answer; there was no reason to believe it would turn out differently for them. He only had a limited amount of men, and he couldn't let them all become vegetables.

So, let's review. There was a system in place to stop him from getting into Lyoko. He couldn't change the system without risking its destruction. So he had to figure out how to work with it. But where would he find more information about the system?

Inspiration struck. "Hopper was a scientist. He must have a journal somewhere-probably on this very same supercomputer. Find it and search through it. See if he mentions anything about the virtualization process. Gather information and give me a detailed report tomorrow morning."

Hera dipped her head. "Yes, sir."

"Actually-" He raised a finger, interrupting her departure. "Take note of anything we can use. Not just on this mission, but for the future. Projects to sell or weaponize, and the like."

She nodded again and left.

Perhaps it was a bit of a risk, having her snoop around Hopper's diaries...but she was his best asset for scouring technology. And besides, she'd been loyal for years. There was no reason to think that would change.

With a sigh, he sank into his cushions. He inspected his clothes for any trace of the dust or grime of the factory. Grimaced when he saw lint on one sleeve of his suit. He so despised uncleanliness. It reminded him of ragged clothes and sweat and heat beating down on his back-a poverty far unsuited for someone like him.

He'd order his butler to draw him up a nice, hot bath, he decided. That was just the thing he needed to wipe the stench of this factory and all its failures from his body.