Sithking Zero: Code: Lyoko, Megaman, Capcom, France 3, Canal J, and Moonscoop don’t belong to me.
Here it is… On the eve of season three, here is the final chapter…
Heart of a Warrior
Chapter 23:
Redemption and Resurrection
“Well, it’s official: I have absolutely no idea what’s going on.”
Jeremie and the rest had watched for the last ten minutes as first Aelita, then Bass, disappeared into the large mass that was Alpha. Then, to their confusion, a strange being had shown up on the monitor labeled “Candance.EXE,” who had immediately started to attack XANA.
For about ten minutes, Candance and XANA exchanged blows before Candance disappeared from the screen for a moment. Then, Candance reappeared, but seconds later, the screen showed the following message:
ERROR 102
SECTOR NOT FOUND
The area of Lyoko you have been observing is not available.
Would you like to reset the monitor?
Y/N?
Jeremie looked back at his friends for a moment, before reaching out with his index finger and hitting the “Y” button.
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IN LYOKO…
Bass was thinking.
Now in the ice sector, he had laid the two humans-turned-programs on the ground, keeping a vigilant watch as he considered what the proper course of action would be in a situation like this.
Granted, he wasn’t all that prepared for a situation like this. The obvious solution would be to send the humans back, head to the forest, go through the portal to the undernet, and spend the rest of his life in solitary loneliness, killing who he could in a futile attempt to get back at humanity.
But did humanity in general really need to be annihilated? That was the big question. Ever since he got sick and was nearly killed when XANA attacked him with a Scyphizoa, Aeilita showed him that not all humans were evil monsters bent on his destruction. With a level of kindness and care that he had never seen before, she had nursed him back to health, despite the obvious risk to her own health and safety.
But when had anyone else ever shown him that courtesy? Megaman had offered his friendship after Bass was beaten by him for the second time, but he had refused, his pride overwhelming him. What would have come from that choice had Bass decided “Yes?”
Well, Bass thought with a chuckle, I wouldn’t be here, now would I?
He looked back on the last two years of his life, reflecting.
His journey to Lyoko had started about a year and a half ago, when a crazy Doctor named Wily had attempted to create the ultimate virus to decimate the net and get his revenge for some reason or other. During the confusion after Megaman and Lan Hikari destroyed the ultimate virus, the Life Virus, Bass had snuck in and stolen the Life Aura, a nearly impenetrable shield that protected his almost-invincible form well. After a several-month vacation, he began to find clones of himself wandering the undernet, but those were quickly dispatched. Not long after, Doctor Wily approached Bass and asked for his help in reviving Alpha, who was destined to assimilate the entire internet. Bass had agreed, at the time, any attempt to annihilate the humans was a good one.
Things apparently got better, as his own father, Dr. Cossak, attempted to stop him personally using the Pulse Transmission System, a method of transmitting one’s mind into the internet (but not the whole body, as the Lyoko Scanners would do.) Bass had nearly killed his father, but his father was shortly avenged by Lan Hikari and Megaman, and Bass was assimilated by Alpha.
However, he grabbed onto some passing junk data as he entered, he discovered the most power he had ever felt: The remnants of the Gospel Beast. Seeing a chance for new life, he fused with them, and fled to the undernet. However, Megaman, acting on the orders of Queen Serenade, Queen of the Undernet, attacked and nearly destroyed Bass, yet again. Bass limped away, running away from all of the civilized net and its navis, to a secret location where he could live in peace and quiet while he regained his strength. However, a mere week later, a mysterious portal had opened up, and Bass had hopped in, and thusly entered Lyoko.
Now, the dilemma. With XANA dead, and all threats gone, he could use the Lyoko tech to go to the real world and exact vengeance on Lan Hikari, Dr. Cossak, and anyone else who got in his way.
But... he knew in his heart that they didn’t deserve it. They were only human, and thus made mistakes.
Bass turned back to his sister and her father.
In that instant, he chose his destiny.
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ON EARTH…
Jeremie and the rest waited patiently for the computer to reboot itself, a small digital timer counting down the seconds until the screen could resume its normal operation.
03… 02… 01… SUPERCOMPUTER MONITOR SUCCESSFULLY REBOOTED. RESUMING NORMAL OPPERATIONS.
Jeremie and the others breathed out a sigh of relief, until a loud beeping noise sounded, followed by this message:
WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO RESTRICTED FILES HACKED. DIGITAL BEINGS MATERIALIZED IN THE REAL WORLD. INSPECTION OF SCANNERS ADVISED. ENERGY BUILDUP-
However, no one was paying any attention to the rest of the message, which deleted itself for a moment, but not before a strange symbol flashed across the screen, a bizarre one that resembled multiple diagonal slashes to resemble a letter…
The gang members that were not on Lyoko, that is, Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Jeremie, raced to the elevator, pressing the button that sent them all one floor lower, to the Scanner room.
Within seconds the elevator traveled the distance between the two floors, opening in time to show all three scanners open at once, revealing three figures.
The first one was Aeilita, who was curled up on the floor, just like she was when she first came to our world. Out of the second scanner tumbled a middle-aged man in blue jeans and a white Lab coat, moaning slightly. This was Franz Hopper.
Out of the last scanner came a tall, cloaked figure with massive yellow fins on his head. His helmet carried a four-pointed star between the fins, but his ruby eyes no longer carried the pure hatred it had when Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and Aeilita had first gazed upon them.
“We need to talk.” Bass said, motioning to the two unconscious figures lying in the scanners.
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“And that’s what happened.” Bass finished.
Bass had just finished telling the rest of the gang what had transpired after Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd were devirtualized, from Aeilita’s death to the Banishing World attack by Candance.
By this point, Aeilita and Franz were awake and were watching Bass tell his story.
Bass stretched, then stood up.
“Well, it was nice, knowing all of you, but I have to go now.” He stated.
He then began to move towards the elevator, when Franz asked, “Where are you going?”
Bass stopped, sighed, and turned back to Franz.
“I’m going to Japan. I have some… friends… I need to see there.”
Bass turned back to the elevator and continued speaking. “I… have not been a good person. I have killed, maimed, and destroyed wantonly. I’m at the top of more hit lists then anyone else in the net.”
Aeilita spoke up, “Then why don’t you live with our father-”
“Don’t say it, Aeilita.” Bass said. “He’s not my father, he didn’t create me. And as to your question, if I stayed here, as much as that would make me happy being your brother, I have no idea how to not hate humans. I have a lot to unlearn… as well as learn.
“Not only that,” he continued, “but I am going to work to redeem myself and help those whom I have hurt in the past.”
Franz stood up and stood in the way of the cloaked computer program (this is an EXCEPTIONALLY bad idea, by the way.)
“Now, Bass, as your Father-” he began, but was cut off by Bass’ hand at his throat.
“Listen VERY carefully.” Bass growled. “You are not my father. My father raised me, cared for me, and loved me. My father wouldn’t use me as a guinea pig for some ‘Fusion experiment’ and he wouldn’t have done it with my sister. Now get out of my way.”
He dropped Franz Hopper, who darted out of Bass’ way, and Bass stepped into the elevator.
He turned back to them.
“Farewell, humans. We will meet again.”
And then the door closed.
EPILOGUE
After Bass left for Japan, things got quieter around Kadic. Jeremie and Aeilita started dating shortly after Bass left, while Ulrich and Yumi took almost two more months before they finally decided to get together. Aeilita and Franz Hopper moved back into the Hermitage, after straightening out the legal records and such. Franz also talked to the school board so that Jeremie wouldn’t get in trouble for falsifying documents.
Sissi and Odd got along much better after Bass left, mostly because Odd was feeling more brave after not being annihilated by Bass. However, they were both pulled into Bass’ troubles once again almost half a year later.
But that’s another story.
About two weeks after Bass left France, Beach Street hospital, Japan, received a new visitor to the outpatient ward…
A figure, wearing a long brown trench coat with a massive hood, walked in out of the rain that had been besieging Japan for weeks.
Anna, the nurse on duty, watched as the visitor walked across the lobby, looked around, and walked towards her.
“Excuse me,” he asked, “Where is Dr. Mikhael Cossak’s room?”
“Down the hall, to the left, room 134.” She answered in a bored sort of voice.
“Thank you.” The man replied, turning in the direction that she had previously indicated.
After about two minutes, the figure entered room 134.
Dr. Cossak was sitting up in his bed, a newspaper out, doing the crossword puzzle.
“Now, an eight-letter word for ‘Savage…’” he wondered for a moment, his mustache twitching slightly.
“AHA! ‘CANIBALL!’” he cried, scribbling down the answer quickly.
“You recovered quickly for almost having your brain fried by Bass,” came the stranger’s voice.
Dr. Cossak jumped slightly, turning to the new arrival.
“I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t notice you there! And by the way, who are you? Your voice sounds familiar, but I-”
“Maybe this will refresh your memory;” the figure pulled back his hood, revealing two large yellow fins. “Father.”
Dr. Cossak jumped back, then calmed down.
“Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect this. You’ve come to finish the job.”
“Not exactly. I want two things. The first of which is information.”
“So you discovered my work on the Lyoko project, didn’t you?”
“How’d you guess?”
“You’re in my world when that would normally be impossible. Do the math.”
Bass stared at his father coldly.
“Who am I? What was my original purpose? Are you my real father, and what’s the deal with the ‘Heart of a Warrior,’ thing?”
Dr. Cossak sighed and turned towards his digital son. “True, I did design you as a guardian program for Lyoko. And true, Franz Hopper does consider himself “your father.”
Bass nodded.
“However, while it may not be true that he’s your ‘Father,’ Aeilita is your sister.”
Bass’ eyes widened at this. “How-?”
Dr. Cossak cut him off. “When I designed you, I had a copy of your frame coding saved to a separate disc. When Franz wanted to create a virtual identity for his daughter, he used your coding as the primary structure. That’s why the two of you were able to fuse together, once. But I’m not sure if it’ll work now…”
“Why not?”
“Because,” Dr. Cossak explained. “When I erased your memories of Lyoko, I accidentally erased all memories of how to fuse with Aeilita. So recreating Candance is impossible…”
“Two things, Doc.” Bass growled. “I DID fuse with Aeilita to create Candance. I killed XANA. I had some help from Franz Hopper,” he added, “But please, elaborate. What was that you said about erasing my memories?”
“I had no choice!” Dr. Cossak responded quickly, seeing lighting crackling around Bass’ forearms. “The French special ops teams were closing in. I took you and ran, barely escaping with my life. If I had stayed, both of us would have died in a French interrogation chamber. And remember, these are the people who invented the guillotine as a way of ‘merciful death.’”
“…Point. And the ‘Heart of a Warrior,’ thing?”
“It was a test bed, a prototype. It was never supposed to be tested, or even used. Basically, it was intended as a way to link up two dissimilar systems, such as Mac and Windows, and fuse them together. It was never intended as a battle form.”
“Yet, it was frighteningly effective at that.”
Dr. Cossak nodded.
“Towards the end, before Franz and Aeilita were taken, we had the sneaking suspicion that there was something wrong with Lyoko. We ran a scan, and it was revealed to be XANA. We don’t know how or where XANA comes from, but we know it’s not a virus. We’re not sure what it is, though. Anyways, you and Aeilita volunteered to use the ‘Heart of a Warrior’ program, and you were fused together. As Candance, you easily defeated XANA, but you two were stuck with the programs.”
“So why am I forced to protect Aeilita, then?”
“I protested against it, but I think that Franz modified the program in the two of you so that you would be forced to protect her.”
Bass stood there for a long while, staring at the floor, trying to process the wealth of data that his father had just provided him.
“Now, Bass, you said you were here for two reasons. The first was information, which I gave. What was the second?”
Dr. Cossak’s words startled Bass out of his state of shock. Immediately, he looked embarrassed, almost scared.
“Father, I just wanted to say…” he took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I wish that I had never attacked you, and never put you in this state. I wish I could take back the last ten years of my life.”
Tears were now rolling silently down Bass’ cheeks, rolling over the stripes of purple tattooed onto his cheeks.
“My son…” Dr. Cossak took a deep breath, “I forgive you.”
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TWO MONTHS AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF CARTHAGE…
In the depths of an old factory in France, a dark force rolled and bubbled, finally making its move after making sure no one was watching it.
With a hiss of pressurized gasses, A scanner opened wide, and a man in a white lab coat stepped out. His hair over his ears was ruffled and out of place, while his bald spot was coated with moisture. He grasped his cane tightly, and stretched.
After a moment, he walked towards the elevator and got in.
Once he got out of the elevator, the old man sat down at the chair, and typed in a few passcodes, and a young woman’s image popped up.
A female with raven hair and a black samurai helmet with a red eye of XANA on it appeared on-screen.
“Did I do well, father?” asked XANA.
The old man paused for a moment, before answering, “Yes, my dear XANA. You did very well indeed…”
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Hi! I’m Sithking Zero, of Sithking Zero Fanfictions, inc, and I wrote the story that you just read. I’d just like to say a few words about the project that I just finished.
First off, the story in general. I really didn’t expect to do anything, really, with that, except have Bass come to Lyoko and pretty much tear around, blowing up random crap, and destroying everything in sight. However, things have come so far since that… I didn’t even plan a quarter of the things that have been written so far. My goals for this story have changed so much, it’s absolutely amazing. This story has gotten way more popular then any other story that I have ever written. Impressive, no? But, story stats alone don’t tell all there is to know. What of the fans? Did they like it? Were they satisfied with the results of the fanfiction? Did they like the ending? What parts confused them? How bad did I screw up your favorite character? Will I give out Cameos? That’s why there’s the review function. Without the reviews, this story would suck. Really. The input is valuable and tells me where I did wrong and how I could have done better.
I just want to personally thank everyone who has helped make this fanfiction a reality. First off, I’d like to thank Blitz Chick, my little sister. Without her to proofread my stories and to bounce ideas off of, this story would REALLY suck. Next goes to EE’s Skysong, who really helped inspire some of the chapters. Also, thanks to Mirielle, who’s fiction “Odd One Out,” was a great inspiration. Also to Vulpix 1000 for being the first person to really review my stories (ever), to Ulrich’s Little Brother and Gamma Sage for constantly reviewing, to Vector Z, who’s fic “A monster of a Problem,” was another great inspiration, to Ryo Takamisaki, writer and drawer of the Megaman NT Warrior Manga (who was really the one who came up with Bass’ backstory, I just modified it), to Chise-san, Telith, Mori, and others like you (friends in real life), Artreyu452, whose fic “Hikari Enzan,” was one of the main reasons I became a fanfiction author, to Robert Cloud, who is a more obsessive fan of Bass then I would ever fear becoming (seriously-the guy is obsessed.) Other thanks go out to Briana and Almighty Tallest Angie, though I first knew Almighty Tallest Angie as Taelia from the Lyokofreak boards. More thanks to Otritzri, to Gia, my psychologist (did you really think a sane person was responsible for this?) to my mom and dad, and definitely Mr. McMeel and Mr. Thomas, the directors of my local anime club. They are on the threshold of insanity; any more, and they’d be thrown in the loony bin. They rock. Lastly, I’d like to thank Shademan V.39. Where to begin with this guy? Without him, the story would be radically different. He started reviewing around chapter three, and we started exchanging ideas soon afterwards. He inspired me to have many of the major points in the story happen. Alpha appearing? The virus assault? The reason as to why Bass flipped out in chapter twenty? All inspired by his ideas. Without him, the story would be… lacking, to say the least. Thanks to all who reviewed the story too!
So, you might be wondering, “What’s next for Sithking Zero? Will we ever meet up with the brave and noble cast of ‘Heart of a Warrior,’ again? What’s XANA up to, and Who’s XANA’s father? I’m not saying much, but let’s just say that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Bass and Aeilita… I also have some pretty cool stuff coming down the tube, including some oneshots and romance Fanfictions. Some short Megaman stuff is in the future, including possibly getting re-started on Sigma.exe: Wraith of the Mavericks (first fanfiction!) Maybe I’ll do some Danny Phantom, or Avatar, or some other stuff. Really? I’m not all that sure myself. I never really thought about what would happen after this story. Once it’s done… I don’t really know what I’m gonna do with myself!
But thanks to all of you who helped make this story a reality. Thanks to all those who read it, and now, I’m afraid, we have reached the end of our journey together. Who knows? Maybe someday, we once again travel the path as one. Until then… I bid you adieu, and never stop dreaming…