I own nothing, not the characters, the space where this story exists, or even the eyes that you are using to read it. This is for entertainment purposes only, no money involved.

Aelita sat quietly, flicking a finger across the display of the tower's interface as she searched for something that she might have over looked last time she had checked the materialization program. It wasn't like there was anything else for her to do. All of her friends out in the real world were going to their classes, and without their protection, it was too dangerous for her to leave the tower.

'The real world.' Those words echoed in her mind. She knew that she was not in the real world. She was trapped, help prisoner inside of a virtual world in a supercomputer in an abandoned factory. The world of Lyoko.

It was the only world she had ever known, and though the others could visit her inside of Lyoko and she could talk to them while they were in the real world, she could not go there. She would listen to them talking about how their days at school were, how they would tease and pull pranks on the gym teacher and the principle's daughter Sissy. She would hear about the taste of the cafeteria food and the smell of the flowers. She would watch as they lived their lives, while she was a prisoner inside of a computer.

She didn't hate them for it. They were the best friends she could have ever asked for. They risked so much to help her and they treated her like a normal girl, even though she was just a program in a computer, just a bunch of ones and zeroes. But she wished that she could escape. To get out of the digital dungeon and feel what it is like to be in the real world. To have five senses. To go to school and have normal kid problems.

And... she didn't want to be alone anymore. She didn't want to live in fear of what tomorrow might being. She didn't want to live with the fact that her friends could die and that it would be all her fault. She was always so scared, sitting inside of the towers, not able to leave, least XANA's monsters find her and destroy her.

She had to get the materialization code working properly. It was her only hope of ever getting out of this state of living hell. A small trimble went up her arm as she ran another simulation of the code, holding a breath that wasn't real, praying that it would turn out positive.

A red 'X' flashed on the screen. It was another failure. Aelita's head fell. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. You can't cry on Lyoko.

Even though she was smarter than most college professors, Aelita was in essence just a little girl. She had the body and maturity of a child, just twelve year old. She was small, with bright pink hair and eyes, the picture of innocents. What had she done to deserve this?

Whenever she was with the others, she always put on a brave face. She didn't want to be more of a burden to her than she already was. Jeremy was already trying everything he could to help her finally become a flesh and blood girl. But in those moments alone, when none of the others could see her, she broke down, her arms and legs shaking with the fear and stress. "Please... I don't want to be alone anymore." She whispered, it was a plea that Lyoko itself.

She closer her eyes. She will let her have just ten more seconds of weakness. Then she would pull herself together and try again. She couldn't give up. She had to escape.

10... 9... 8...

Thump... Thump...

Aelita's eyes shot open as she felt them. A stead pulse that moved through the very world of Lyoko itself.

A tower had just activated.

Just an idea that I am pushing around. Basic idea being that Danny fell into Level 0 during the doom thing and ended up in the digital ocean before being downloaded into Lyoko. He has no memory of his life before than at the moment and will act as a sort of protector/big brother for Aelita.