#codejuly20

And yet, all he could focus on instead was…

"Daddy, no!"

Oh Aelita… Dear, sweet, Aelita...

How much had his own ignorant actions from his youth put her through?

"What is he trying to do…?"

He thought he'd been doing good by working with Project Carthage. He thought it was a fascinating thing, revolutionary, even. That it had so many potentially world changing applications.

Including that, he later learned, of it's true, sinister purposes.

"The power…! Aelita, try running the program right now!"

"What!? But… my father-!"

His own morality and sense of justice couldn't justify his continued work on the project. Nor could he stand the idea of it continuing at all. It was too dangerous for the fickle hands of man.

His betrayal… had not gone over well. No one else saw it the same way as he had, and they were more than willing to get blood on their hands for the sake of their secret.

...All of them except for her.

"Your father is supplying the energy that we need! Try running the program again, now!"

Anthea helped him escape, and then went into hiding with him. And through their constant travels, their life on the run, they fell in love.

They found a place. It was quiet and secluded. It was perfect for them. They could let their guard down for once.

Soon, their little family grew. They happily welcomed Aelita into their lives, and for a time, things seemed normal. They raised their new daughter as best they could; they taught her the skills they knew, provided what little they could, always made sure she knew she was loved.

Things were finally safe…

Until they weren't.

"No… No!"

They found them. They took Anthea away from him, and it was only pure luck that they didn't take Aelita away too.

Like a wolf, his past had come back to bite him once again. He'd been a fool to think it wouldn't.

He escaped with Aelita, continued to care for her as best as he could, but it was never the same. Her mother was missing, and constantly moving around meant she would never have a normal childhood like he'd wanted for her. Even after moving to the Hermitage it wasn't the same.

"Aelita, if you don't launch the program right now then your father will have sacrificed himself for nothing! Do it!"

Lyoko and XANA had been a desperate man's attempt at safety. He wanted Aelita to stay safe, no matter what…

And look how well that turned out for him.

"DO IT!"

He'd done so much wrong in his life, and the consequences of those mistakes had impacted her so much. He'd done so much wrong to her…

But, she was so strong!

She'd come so far since the supercomputer was first reactivated. She'd developed in ways he never thought possible, and overcome so many different battles with her friends (Ah. Another group of people dealing with the consequences of his actions. They would never truly know the depths of his gratitude for the sacrifices they'd made for his daughter—a complete stranger to them)

She was given a second chance at life thanks to them. He was sure she'd use it well.

He watched as she pulled herself up and back over to the terminal, the grief already weighing on her face. She accessed the screen again, hands moving quickly as she prepared the program once again.

For a split second, she hesitated, and, whether she realized it or not, their eyes locked.

There was so much he wished to say to her, so much he wished he could do. But none of them could happen.

He'd settle on the one thing he could think of right now.