Sithking Zero: Thank you to Bobbyneko, Earthpaw, and anyone else who reviewed! Oh, and Bobbyneko? Your question will be answered this chapter. Bass’s backstory will remain a secret for later chapters.

To a mister Otzri, Sorry if I got your name wrong:

It all depends on the Bass that you use.

Bass.exe, when you first meet him: 1000 life points, with a 100 point aura (a shield that deflects all attacks that have power under the points of the aura)

Copy Bass.exe: 1000 life points, no aura.

Bass.exe GS: 2000 life points, with a 200 point aura. I’m using him for the story.

Bass.exe Omega: 3000 life points, with a 300 point aura. The most powerful incarnation of Bass ever.

Bass.exe, fused with Dark power: 2000 life points, no aura, but the attacks are the most powerful ones in the game.

BassXX.exe (more powerful version of Bass+ Dark power): 3000 life points. No aura. Most powerful navi in MMBN4, but is still less powerful then Bass Omega.

This chapter is dedicated in loving memory to my parakeet, Snowy, who died November 11, 2005. May she live in all of our hearts forever.

Disclaimer: I. Don’t. Own. Code. Lyoko. Or. Megaman. ‘Nuff said.

            The five figures currently standing in the middle of the forest sector did not move for many minutes.

            On one side, a cyber-entity known to the world as Bass stood in front of a huge chasm, over which the debris of the platform Bass had obliterated were now falling.

            On the other? Our four Lyoko heroes: Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aeilita. All staring at the being who had just destroyed four Megatanks in one blast.

            Ulrich was the first to move, slowly tightening his grip on his katana-style sword.

            “Jeremy!” he hissed. “What do you have on this guy?”

            “Nothing!”

            “What?!?”

            “It’s like he’s not a monster! I’m trying ever scan I know, and I still can’t get anything!”

            Odd slowly raised his arm, placed his other hand on it, then sighted down it.

            “How about I get the information for you, Einstein? Remember the Marabounta?”

            “Oh, yeah! I’m transmitting a virus that will scan this thing to one of your arrows. If you get the arrow into him, we’ll find out what ‘Bass’ really is.”

            Several long seconds passed.

            “Virus implanted, Odd! Fire away!”

            Odd sighted down his arm.

            Odd was at point-blank range. There was no way that he could miss.

            With a slight burst of light from the end of his arm, Odd’s virus arrow fired straight towards Bass.

            Bass’s arm was barely a flicker of movement, and only Aeilita saw it.

            Bass extended one arm towards the cat-esque human.

            “I believe that you dropped this,” he said calmly, opening his hand to reveal Odd’s laser arrow, resting gently in the middle of his palm.

            Odd, who had never had one of his arrows blocked before, had his jaw hanging open in shock and horror.

            Naturally, Ulrich and Yumi took steps back, knowing that this was an obscenely powerful monster.

            “I would also suggest, unless you’d like to lose your arm, that you not do that again. There is a reason that no one has ever faced me and lived.”

            Bass’s tone hinted of coldness, death, and… was that a hint of smugness?

            In the real world, Jeremie was tracking this development with interest. This creature, “Bass,” was unbelievably powerful. What his intentions were, however, was decidedly less clear…..

            “I have reason to believe that you  four can help me get home. I do not wish to stay in this place. Furthermo-” but the Black Shadow was cut off by Jeremie’s frantic yell.

            “Guys, you have two more megatanks and a Skipazoa heading towards you. I sugg-”

            Bass gave a growl, knocked Aeilita and Ulrich out of the way, and flung his arm forward as if to say, “STOP!”

            Aelilta and Yumi both let out a huge gasp. In flinging out his arm, Bass had pushed the cape out of the way, and gave them a good look at his body.

            A gash stretched from his right shoulder to his left hip, bisecting a circular object that seemed attached to his chest. Over his body, he wore a black jumpsuit On his sides were two white stripes that ran straight from his boots, colored gold and black. His wrists and forearms were done in a similar color scheme.

            To say that the blast of pure energy that leapt from Bass’s hand destroyed the Skipazoa and one of the megatanks is actually a huge understatement. The term “completely wiped off the face of the planet like dust off a plate,” comes close, but still does not describe the level of the energy used.

            The other megatank, noticing the loss of its companions, prepared to fire a blast of energy at Bass.

            It was almost like Bass teleported, he moved so fast.

            Picking up XANA’s monster with one hand, he flung it with all of his might.

            Jeremie has hypothesized that if the megatank went unimpeded, it would have sailed right into sector 5. However, a tower got in its way, and the effect was similar to that of an egg hitting a brick wall, complete with a slight splatter effect.

            Angrily, Bass turned back to the four humans, who were now almost cowering in fear.

            Bass let out a weary sigh. “Be at peace,” he said tiredly, “If I had wanted to harm you, I would have deatomized you from halfway across this abysmal place.”

            Bass sucked in a breath, then spoke again. “My name is Bass. I come from a land that is far from this one. I wish nothing more then to get home, because I have an important mission.”

            “So…” Aeilita asked tentatively. “You’re NOT from Lyoko?”

            “Is that what this place is called?” Bass asked mildly. Aeilita nodded.

            “Then no. I come from Scilab and the Cyber Network, in Japan.”

            Bass turned towards the nearest tower. “What is that?”

            Yumi answered this one. “That’s a tower. They control Lyoko and are a link to the real world. They also help regulate Lyoko itself by keeping the monster population in check; when XANA takes one over, he can overbreed the monsters and create armies of them. Then, he uses those monst-”

            Bass flung out his hand. Naturally, considering what happened when he did it last time, the four humans leaped out of the way.

            Angrily, Bass let out a furious snarl, and plasma began to crackle around his fingers.

            “I told you, I have no intention of harming you yet. My word is as good as gold.”

            However, Ulrich never quite let go of his grip on his sword.

            “Now,” continued Bass, “Who is ‘Zah-Nuh’?”

            A voice from the sky answered him.

            “XANA is a computer program that wants to create a perfect, peaceful world. To do this, he’s trying to destroy the one obstacle to his goal: humans.”

            Bass whipped around, energy again crackling around his fingers. However, seeing that this voice was not worrying the humans, he gradually lowered his gauntleted hands.

            “What… was that?” he breathed.

            Odd fielded this question with his usual nonchalance.

            “That’s just Jeremie. He’s the one who transfers us to and from Lyoko.”

            Mentally, Bass shut that little piece of information away in his brain for future reference. Perhaps he had an ally in this world after all…

            “Recently, XANA has gained the ability to assimilate humans and turn them into puppets.”

            Bass then scratched any ideas that he might have had of allying himself with XANA. Anyone so desperate as to integrate directly into HUMANS…

            “To attack our world, he takes over a tower, and uses that tower’s connection to the real world to attack us.”

            Aeilita stepped forward. “It used to be that the only way that we could detect if a tower had been infected by XANA was through pulsations that only I could feel. However, Jeremy has devised a way to scan for infected towers that-”

            “Wait.” Bass held up his hand again.

            “When XANA takes over a tower, you say that you can feel it?”

            Aeilita nodded.

            Bass continued. “Is it like energy waves?”

            Aeilita shrugged. “Yes, why?”

            “Just a hunch.”

            While he had been speaking, underneath his cloak, Bass had been pointing his hand at each member of the party in turn.

            Turning, Bass began to rise off of the ground. “Farewell, creatures. We shall meet again.”

            And with a fluttering of a cloak, the Messenger of Darkness was gone.

            All was quiet on Lyoko for a moment. Then, Odd said in a low voice, “What the hell was that all about?”

            “Your guess is as good as mine, Odd.” Jeremie’s voice wafted from up above. “I’m bringing you home so we can talk about this.”

BASS’S POINT OF VIEW

            Well… that was… interesting. At least I now know how and why that pain occurred.  The energy of when one of the towers activates sends energy through this place, what did that navi call it? Leeowkow?

            I also know that I must escape from this abominable place. I have no allies. I never have, and I never will.

            Though….

            I found it was difficult to copy those navi’s powers. I can still use them. But it is much more difficult then other navi powers. Could it be…

ELSEWHWERE…

            In the darkest heart of Sector 5, also known as “Carthage,” a dark force brooded.

            There was an uncontrollable entity in its domain. Not that this was any different from any other given day, but this entity could destroy the darkness, and all of Lyoko.

            Monsters had proved ineffective against it, and no virus that the force had was designed to handle the entity.

            Except…

            The dark force, if it could, would have given out a slow and malicious grin.

     The entire sector was soon rocked by high, evil laughter.

Sithking Zero: XANA… (Shudders)… Bass is still WAY cooler, though.

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