Stop trying to hit me, and hit me! ~ Morpheus
 

Ether walked along the outskirts of Zion. His mind was wondering through random thoughts and recollections. His eyes drifted above into the eternal darkness that always hovered above the city. Beyond the border of inky blackness lay a ceiling of stone...the floorboards of the earth. Ether was thankful for the darkness; it saved him the claustrophobic feeling he knew he would have if he had to see that immeasurable weight of rock hanging over him everyday. Even now, with the thought just dancing lightly in his mind, he felt it difficult to breathe. He shook his head and looked back to the trail he was following away from the city.

He braced his hand against an outcropping to balance himself as he climbed a small rise. The sight of his arm sparked another thought in his head as he noticed its pallor. He was used to it, of course, but out here, just at the fringes of the city lights, it had an almost luminescent quality. The lack of natural light took its toll on a citizen’s skin. Artificial sunlight was used in many areas to give the people a sense of normalcy, especially the "jacks," but Ether usually didn’t frequent these areas. He was usually too busy or too distracted.

The climb was a bit tough going at times but he enjoyed the exercise. It helped keep his mind balanced. He had vowed to make this climb every week and had failed only five times in the twenty-five years he had been in Zion. Twenty-five years. Where had the time gone?

His foot missed a footing and he slipped. His arm scraped against rough, unyielding stone as he clamored for a handhold. He started to slide backward and he banged his ribs against the rocks. The pain refocused his mind and in seconds he was again ascending the rise.

Finally he reached the perch he normally occupied. He turned and sat to face the city that now stretched out below him. It was always an amazing sight. One of man’s greatest feats and greatest oppressions. The great city of Zion. Built with arrogance, occupied in desperation.

Started almost two hundred years ago, the site that was to become Zion, the last refuge of humanity, was to be a research station. "The Core Project" it was called. A huge station to be built for the purpose of developing geothermal power and to further study the earth’s geology. But it also was secretly constructed as a hidden sanctuary for powerful and influential leaders in the event of some horrid disaster. But that was the unintended insight that would cause this underground laboratory to become Zion.

Before the station could be completed the machines had struck. The exact history was lost due to the global blackout that occurred during the ensuing war. The AI seized all electronic information. In desperation mankind tried to block out the source of the machines power, the sun. But when all power was lost the world was thrown into a literal Dark Age. Too late it was discovered that the machines had developed a new power source and with it began the enslavement of the entire human race. A small group of people managed to elude the machines and take refuge in the station.

After much time they finally managed to get the station operational. Defenses were built and the band of exiles began to plan for the emancipation of their fellow humans. With the use of the station’s hovercrafts they were able to take stealthy trips to the surface utilizing the vast underground sewer systems of the giant super cities. In the ventures to the surface they discovered the hellish nightmare that now enshrouded mankind. With even a stronger resolve the group began to steal technology from the machines. They adapted their ships to allow them to hack into the AI’s false world and begin to battle the AI on its own ground. It was difficult at best and many were lost as the AI developed sentient search programs that sought out the early rebels. But nature has a way of adapting a species to exist and mankind was no different. A man arose in the Matrix that had the ability to bend the simulation to his will. He made the difference and with his help the tide of battle began to change. He was able to release others from the bounds of the matrix and set them free. There was hope.

But just as it looked that mankind might win, a crushing blow came as the man was killed inside the AI’s matrix. The hope of the resistance was dashed. It appeared that the machines might win after all. But an Oracle arose that foresaw his return. And that his return would signal the end of the AI’s reign and true freedom all of humanity. This was all that the resistance needed to renew their hope and continue the battle. It was an exciting time.

Ether took in the sights and sounds of the complexes below him. The makeshift additions to house the increasing population. The mighty pillars reaching into the darkness above them. The soft roar of the underground waterfall that fell along the rocks on the other side of the city. The hum of the huge circulation fans and air processors. From his vantagepoint he could see a small group of children playing in a clearing between buildings. The future of mankind, the innocence of ignorance. Would they grow up to be builders...or soldiers? A tear stung at his eye. Best not to think too hard on such things, he told himself. And yet he continued to.

Something was bothering him and he felt uneasy even at his rocky bench of solitude. The Council. It was losing sight of things, becoming mired in governing the community rather than plan for the abandonment of the city. If they were to move on with the release of the people enslaved by the matrix this small facility could not house them all. Even now it was becoming too crowded. Yet they would not listen to him. They would not address his growing concern.

And his concerns were increasing. Neo’s whereabouts were unknown. A Sentinel was found close to the entrance to Zion. The tremors of plate shift were increasing. And the Orion had failed to check in. Events were building up like a pressure cooker and the Council was debating whether to christen a street as "Morpheus Avenue!" They had grown too long in the tooth, become too removed from the life and death struggle that the hovercraft crews dealt with daily. They had forgotten the images of the harvesting field, the cold fear of encountering an agent or a Sentinel. They had grown accepting of this life.

Ether felt the rage boil up within him. He looked down and saw that his hands had curled into tight balls of fist. He started his decent. By God they would listen to him!

Morpheus shook Copper’s hand firmly. He forced a charismatic smile despite his bewilderment. Copper eyed him carefully. He appeared to be looking for something...recognition? "You still look familiar to me. What is your name?"

Morpheus could think of no reason to lie and he was beginning to formulate an idea of who he was dealing with. His name may actually get him some leverage. "I am Morpheus."

Copper pulled his hand away as if burned. "What?! The Prophet?!" He started to bring up his gun. Morpheus’ hand lashed out and gripped the gun’s barrel. With a sudden twist it was in his hand and aimed in Copper’s face. Those behind Copper froze.

"There is something wrong here," explained Morpheus. "A misunderstanding, that is for sure. Perhaps you should explain yourself better." Morpheus’ face was a solemn mask of control. Combined with a large caliber handgun pointed in Copper’s face, it had a way of motivating Copper to cooperate.

"Are you the Prophet Morpheus of the Church of Neo or not?" asked Copper.

"I have never professed to be a prophet of any denomination. I will tell you that I do not even know what the Church of Neo is."

Copper registered slight shock at Morpheus honest ignorance. "How can you not know? Aren’t you here because of the hole, ‘The Doorway to The Real’?"

There was the slightest smile that pulled at the corners of Morpheus’ lips. He had the urge to laugh. This was all so absurd! He felt completely removed from what Copper was talking about, almost as if he had accidentally hacked into a separate matrix. "We are not. We are here by chance."

Copper stared at Morpheus and a slow realization came over him. He grinned. "It’s all bullshit! I knew it!" he laughed. He swiveled his head to look at the others in his group. "Relax, we are in the presence of the master!" Copper turned back to look at Morpheus again. "Then you are one of us after all! One of the Matrix!"

Morpheus’ hunch was right. These people were part of the Matrix, terrorists. He had heard something about that on a transmission from another ship. The AI had convinced the people that the members of the resistance were international terrorists, all wanted by the government. A ploy that made them even more weary on being in the matrix and one that they all knew about. But it was found that some coppertops had actually bought into the story and started factions of their own based on the urban myth. Copper and his group were, in fact, one of those independent factions; fighting for something they didn’t understand. In such a confederation he would be revered as the AI had made him out to be quite infamous in his fictitious exploits. "I am," confirmed Morpheus, using the negative fabrication of the AI to his advantage for the first time. Ironically the AI may have just saved his life.

"And here I thought you were one of those goody-two-shoes from the Church. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth!" He eyed Morpheus, "How about giving my gun back, Morpheus?"

Morpheus spun the pistol in his hand and offered the butt back to Copper. "I still don’t know anything about this Church of Neo? And what of this?" he motioned toward the strange hole in the wall.

Copper took the gun and holstered it. With that sign his gang followed suit. "The Church is based on the teachings of this guy named Neo who they say is the key to salvation. I had heard he was a badass member of the Matrix like us but apparently he wasn’t since he preaches change through peace and understanding."

"What kind of change?"

"Change the Matrix, of course. Funny, huh? You’d think they could find another word. According to them the Matrix is the established way of things, the standard we have all come to accept. But by some lame preaching and demonstrations they think they can change it. Nobody takes ‘em serious." Copper smiled. "Now us, on the other hand..."

"And this hole?" interrupted Morpheus.

"That is what the Church has called a ‘Doorway to The Real.’ There are a few of them around and they consider them sacred. That’s why I thought you were from the Church."

"An easy mistake...apparently," agreed Morpheus. "Do you know where this Church of Neo is?"

"There are a couple around the city. The main one is downtown in the Loop."

"And we can find Neo there?" asked Morpheus.

"No. I guess you really don’t get it do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"That guy is dead and gone, just like all good saviors."

It was cold. A cold he could never imagine.

A cold he could see.

Strange, since he could only see darkness. A darkness so complete that it was as if light never existed.

A darkness he could feel.

The pain was real. A freezing, burning pain that made it difficult to think. Lonliness.

He was alone in the cold and the dark.

Yet he was not afraid. Fear did not enter into it. There was simply nothing to be afraid of. There was simply...nothing.

For a long time that was all he knew. There were no memories so he did not have anything to compare. He simply existed. His thoughts were not of anything. But that changed.

Like embers of a fire, his memories drifted lazily along the darkness until they touched him.

And they would burn.

With a listless, plodding pace they would come, stretching across what seemed eternity. Tiny specs of thought, sensation, idea, recollection, emotion. Each building on the other.

And always the pain. Always. Until it became his companion, his friend. It clarified his existence.

Finally he began to become aware. Aware that something was wrong. That he was not meant to be there. That he should be somewhere else. That he had something to do.

But where was he supposed to be? What was he supposed to do? Where was he now?

All questions and each question yielded more questions until they threatened to crush him.

Or drive him mad.

But he could not even start to answer them.

So he continued to wait.

In the cold. In the darkness.

Alone.

He stood slowly. The alley was growing dark and was already crisscrossed with long, black shadows. Lightly he stretched. His grimy fingers smeared on his shabby clothing. The smell of the alley’s refuse clung to him yet he didn’t mind. A small smile was hidden under his ratty beard. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes with the back of the fingerless gloves that covered his hands. The wind suddenly gusted and he heard its howl long before it roared through the narrowed passage inviting snow, discarded papers, and odd bits of trash to follow in its wake. The icy wind bit at his eyes and any exposed skin. He drew up his coat collar and natty scarf that wrapped around his neck and chin. He smiled even more as he felt its sting. It was good to be awake, he thought. He had been sleeping too long. He started out of the alleyway and towards the street. There was someone he had to meet.

As he entered the street one of the last strips of sunlight not yet engulfed by the hungry shadows of the immense buildings fell across him. He let the warmth of it linger as he turned his face toward it. The wind and cold seemed to fall away as he bathed in the diminishing warmth of the light. He closed his eyes and stood quietly. Passers-by gave him wide birth and said as they noted his rundown appearance. Finally the light faded along with its subtle warmth as dusk claimed the evening sky. He opened his eyes and began to walk along the street.

Yes, he thought to himself, I’ve been asleep too long.

Allegria was standing several yards from the ship. She glanced back over her shoulder to see the bright arc of the welder as Gyro and Getch worked on replacing the panel on the Orion’s hull. At her decision they had left the massive sewer system and entered a subterranean complex of tunnels. It was her thought that, provided the ship’s current condition, they get as much distance between themselves and any roaming AI machinery. Especially given the amount of noise, vibrations, heat, and other signals they would be giving off. They could not afford to be caught in a surprise attack by a stray Sentinel. And surprise attack it would be, as they had no sensors to warn them of any approach.

She cradled the energy rifle in her arm. It was a heavy, but reassuring presence. If she did spy a Sentinel finding its way through the cavern she should be able to get a few shots off before it reached her or the ship. And it would serve as a warning to the others to take up arms. While the others had loudly protested, she volunteered for the first, and hopefully only, watch. She wasn’t being noble or brave but rather was using it to relieve her nagging conscience.

It was stupid she knew but she could not get over her pressing feeling of guilt that this was all her fault. Stupid because she knew she had reacted according to protocol and stupid because she knew not a single member of her crew blamed her in any way. And yet she did feel to blame. She was a Zion Fleet Captain and with that came the responsibility to think outside standard protocol. Any simpleton could follow instructions; she was promoted because she could think outside the norm. Now they were stuck out in no-man’s land with no real idea where they were or how to get back. Worse yet they were flying blind with no way to contact Zion. In a word...screwed.

Allegria walked slowly around the floor of the tunnel. It was warmer here and she was content to simply wear the heavy coats they sometimes wore aboard the ship. The air, while stale, was breathable. There didn’t appear to be any of the methane pockets that were always a concern in the sewers. There was little circulation of air so eventually the carbon dioxide levels would increase if they were to stay for an extended time. But Allegria was positive that would not be the case.

She ventured a bit further from the ship. She reached inside her coat and dug into a shirt pocket. She pulled out a cigarette. She looked at it wistfully. It wasn’t a real cigarette. A very close friend of hers in Zion made them. He never told her what they were made of and, in a way, she was glad. It would surely shatter what little illusion she clung to as well as probably put her off of them for good.

In the matrix she had loved to smoke on occasion. She was never a big smoker but there were certain times that nothing felt like a cigarette. Nothing. But there were no cigarettes in the real world. But one time as she was sitting in Zion’s one and only bar, if one could actually call it that, telling him that she felt she would almost wrestle an agent for a couple of drags from a cigarette. He laughed at her and said he figured that knowing her she might actually win. She had let it go at that. But upon her next visit he surprised her with the cigarettes and an old lighter he had managed to barter from another hover pilot. He had even managed to mock up a packaging for them complete with a brand name. "Zion Cigarettes – the last human cigarette." They laughed and laughed and it had become one of her most cherished possessions.

She placed the cigarette between her lips and fumbled in her pocket for the lighter. A couple of flicks and it produced a small flame. Touching it to the end of the cig she drew it in. She coughed. It was the standard reaction each time she treated herself to one. Her real lungs were not used to smoke like her matrix ones had been. But she still allowed herself the pleasure. She took another puff and faired better. Strangely, it didn’t taste all that bad. A bit harsher than a "real" one and with a slight sweetness. She held the smoke for a moment then let it gently drift out her mouth and nose. It hung in a translucent cloud in the still air. She stabbed at it with her finger and watched it slowly dissipate.

She looked back at the ship. Gyro was still at it. She could see Getch silhouetted next to her, an energy rifle over his shoulder. While she couldn’t see it, Allegria knew Getch had a nervous look on his face as he would switch between looking at Gyro and looking off down the tunnel. She smiled to herself a little surprised Gyro hadn’t grown impatient with him and pushed him over the side. But she knew Gyro wouldn’t. Fight as they might they still loved each other. It always amazed Allegria that a brother and sister could be so different.

She turned back to look down the dark cavern taking another draw from the cigarette. She could feel herself relaxing, the smoking having the desired effect. Looking down at the dim glow of the end of the cigarette she smiled remembering her last night in Zion. They’d make it back. They had to. She spent the next few minutes missing Ether.

A half a mile down the tunnel something was moving in the darkness. Something that did not need lights to see or fingers to feel. A lone Sentinel was picking a careful and hesitant path along the rocky cavern. It seemed confused by the readings it was getting but remained steadfast in its investigation.

"This is just damn weird! Are you sure we haven’t stepped into one of the AI’s little drama plays here?" Loki was talking to Morpheus who seemed distracted. When he failed to respond Loki continued. "And I don’t care for those whacked-out refugees from a John Woo movie. Could they be serious?" Morpheus still did not respond, he was looking at Trinity. She was sitting atop a table staring at the strange hole in the shop wall. "Morpheus? What do you think?" A pause, then, "Morpheus!"

Calmly Morpheus turned to look at Loki. "I think you need to relax, Loki. We are being presented with a lot of strange information and need to distill the truth from conjecture." He smiled. "Fact from fiction, as it were." He turned to look back at Trinity. She had not moved, not even to look at them.

Loki turned and paced anxiously. "You are being way to calm, man. This is not possible. We have only been out of communication with Neo for a week. All this in a week?! Let’s get real!"

Morpheus replied without taking his eyes from Trinity. "I would assume that the roots to these movements stem back farther than a week. The terrorists could have been around for years. The Church of Neo would have to be much more recent as people would have only become familiar with Neo after the AI started to spread its twisted notion of news."

Trinity still sat and looked blankly at the hole in the wall. Morpheus was concerned about her. She was already worried about Neo before they entered the matrix due to the reports from the Orion. But when Copper had said that Neo was dead Morpheus saw her stoic constitution weaken. He had ushered the rogue terrorists off with promises of later meetings and possibly an alliance. They left on good terms and from there Morpheus, Trinity, and Loki had been trying to make some sense of what they had discovered. But Trinity had said very little. She seemed lost amongst inner thoughts. Loki alone seemed charged with conversation. This was all so bizarre. How did this happen?

"You think," started Loki, "That this Church of Neo was started from the smear campaign the AI spun on Neo? Why would people glorify that? The news painted him as insane and a cold-blooded killer. Always good reason for canonization!"

"Loki."

"What? There is no reason for it...unless..." He trailed off.

Morpheus looked up at Loki sharply.

"Unless Neo started the church himself!"

"For what purpose?"

"Well the Orion reported that he was on to something prior to his disappearance. Could this be it? Start some cult and try and build a grassroots movement against the AI?" Morpheus looked thoughtful yet a little skeptical. "Think about it! It’s pure genius! He sets it up, giving them some of the truth but not enough to make it sound like a total noodle-baker. Sets up this foundation that would make the members primed for approach by us and ready for the real truth!" Loki was getting all excited about his theory. Morpheus watched him amused and curious at the same time. Trinity even turned from the black hole to look at him. "And..." he paused for a moment as the ideas had not run their course in his mind. "And then...wow...yeah!"

"What?" asked Trinity.

"He fakes his own death! Throws martyrdom on top of it all to drive the church members into zealots! It is perfect! Leave it to Neo to come up with something like this! Brilliant!" It was obvious to both Morpheus and Trinity that Loki felt he had discovered the Golden Fleece.

Morpheus let Loki’s exuberance fall away and thought about the idea he was presenting. Could Neo have done this as a way to subtly undermine the AI? Would he? Loki’s explanation would indeed fill in some rather large holes in what they knew. It warranted further investigation.

Morpheus reached inside his coat and produced his phone.

"Operator."

"Tank...we need an exit."

Shadow found herself at the diner again. She sat patiently waiting for Digital_Grace to return. She was occupying the same booth, staring out the same window. The diner was busy and she had yet to be served. That didn’t bother Shadow as she was fully aware her lone vigil would go on for some hours. It was a lifestyle she was quite accustomed to. Long extended times of watching and waiting. With the benefit of no real memories and little curiosity as to why she would never lose her concentration. That was up until recently.

"May I take your order?" asked a waitress that finally approached Shadow’s booth.

Shadow turned her attention to her and smiled. It was not the woman from the previous night, the one that looked to belong in a diner...one job her entire life, diner waitress, asking for no more and getting no less. This girl was young and fresh. She did not have the worn look of a person tossing their hopes and dreams into a mind-crippling job with no future. Shadow could sense a potential in this girl that she had much more to offer than the requirements of filling empty coffee cups and counting change. Shadow’s eyes glanced at her nametag, which appeared to be fairly new, as there were no specks of food on it yet. Or did this girl, anxious to make a good impression and taking pride in whatever she did, clean the tag each day before pinning it to her blouse? Shadow believed it to be the former. At least a nametag instead of a sewn on patch...the girl had yet to surrender fully to the job.

"Cassi, do you have any fresh pie? Apple?" asked Shadow.

Cassi returned Shadow’s smile. "There is some apple left but it’s from yesterday."

"Is there something fresher?"

"The cherry was just put out. Do you like cherry pie?"

"Cherry will be fine. Heated and a cup of black coffee, please."

"Ok," replied Cassi and she scribbled something on a pad and walked away. Shadow looked back out the window. No sign of Digital_Grace but she knew that before she even turned her head. She knew, somehow, that it would be awhile before Digital_Grace would return. She didn’t question how she knew, she just did. She always did.

"Here you go." Cassi placed the pie and coffee in front of Shadow. The gentle aroma filtered up to Shadow and she smiled. She looked up at Cassi.

"Thank you." Then, "Cassi?"

"Yes?"

"I sense that you are new here..."

Cassi replied, concerned, before Shadow could finish, "What? Did I get it wrong? Is the pie burned?"

"No," Shadow said quietly trying to calm her. "You just seem out of place here. I can tell you have much more to offer than what this restaurant can appreciate. Why are you working here?"

"I needed a job. They were hiring. Yada yada yada..." Cassi’s tone was cautionary yet Shadow’s quiet tone and easy manner were wearing away at that.

Shadow smiled. "Keep looking. There is more for you than this."

This seemed to strike a chord with the young girl. Her face brightened at the thought that someone recognized that she was indeed better than this and that she needn’t settle. "Thank you."

Shadow nodded slightly and turned to the window.

"Excuse me." The girl had not left and Shadow turned to her again. "That is an unusual tattoo you have. What is it?"

Absently Shadow lifted her hand and touched the side of her head. Her finger slipped along the design that was drawn there. It had been a long time since she had even thought about it, even longer since anyone had asked its significance. "It is an ancient symbol," she replied almost unconsciously.

"What does it mean or stand for?"

Shadow got a far off look in her eyes. "The closest analogy would be...angel."

"Cool." And Cassi walked away.

Shadow sat, her finger still tracing along the design, her mind floating across random thoughts. She suddenly felt a deep curiosity as to where the tattoo had come from and why she had picked it. And when? She could remember no time she did not have it.

It was like the instance in the library. Her memories were suddenly intensely familiar, yet alien. As if they were someone else’s. She could see herself looking in the mirror as she shaved all her dark hair off; long strands falling past her eyes onto the floor. She could feel the prick of the tattoo artist’s needle, hear it as it buzzed and dotted against her skull. She could smell the sweat of the man as he worked at the design she had brought him. All the memories were so vivid yet so incredibly foreign, almost like a box of childhood momentous you discover as an adult. What did it all mean? Was it tied into the incident at the library? And what shocked her now, almost more than the memories...why had she engaged that waitress in idle chitchat? That was not her!

She silently fought the memories, the confusion, the questions back away from her conscious by sheer will. She took a sip of coffee and a bite of pie. She tasted neither as another nagging thought hammered in her head. She could not recall ever shaving her head from that early memory on.

"I don’t understand, Tank," asked Morpheus. "How is that possible?’

"It doesn’t make sense to me either. There is no trace anywhere. The search is completely blank." Tank swiveled his chair back to the various displays. He clicked on a keyboard and a display illuminated. It read "No match found."

Morpheus was mystified. Tank turned back to him. "There you have it. Not a single match. I can’t find a mention of it in any matrix database."

"That’s impossible."

"Don’t I know it! You can’t hide something like that from the AI. You can’t. No way." Tank was shaking his head to either accentuate the impossibility of the situation or to clear his head of the perplexity.

"Would you run it again, Tank?"

"I will if you want, Morpheus, but I’ve run it three times already."

Morpheus scratched at his chin. "Change the parameters, then?"

"I tired that. Nothing."

"Then...?"

"Then it has to be intentional. Even if I type in some strange combination there is always a match...somewhere!"

"Right. Then someone is keeping it out of the dBase," Morpheus confirmed.

Tank looked at him quizzically, "But who?"

Morpheus’ brow tightened, "That is what I intend to find out. Once we determine who is keeping any mention of the Church of Neo out of the AI’s grasp we will find the answers to a lot of questions." He pointed to the monitor displaying the negative results. "Continue to search. Check everything you can find. There is always a footprint left behind...if you look for it hard enough." He walked away leaving Tank to continue. He began to type on the keyboard with renewed determination.

"Open up and say ‘Ah’," he mumbled to himself with a smile.

Ether rounded the corner of the largest complex in Zion. His stride was purposeful and quick. He wanted to say what was on his mind before he lost his head of steam. He pushed open a door and made his way down a wide corridor. There had once been a heavy mat of carpet lining the walkway but in the hundreds of years it had been worn away by the constant rub of feet. It had been removed some time ago so that only the concrete of the flooring remained. A multitude of patched cracks adorned the walls and floor. Everything in Zion showed the entropy of age...including the Council. And that was where Ether was headed.

The hallway ended in a set of large double doors. Like the majority of public rooms in Zion there was no sign, no indication what lie beyond. The community was close knit enough to not need such formalities. Everyone knew what each room was, each building. To add plaques and signs would be the equivalent of marking your shoes left and right.

Ether pushed open the doors. There was not currently a Council Meeting in progress but he knew that many of the council members would be present, preparing for the meeting that was to occur the following evening. He was right, several were present.

Before he had even closed the distance between them he began to speak. "I have an urgent issue for the Council!"

An elderly man, who simply went by the name Farnum, saw Ether’s approach and rolled his eyes. "Ether, you know this is inappropriate. We have a forum for Council issues. I suggest..."

Ether had reached the small group of five and cut Farnum off. "I suggest you all open your eyes! We have trouble and you are not even concerned!" Ether had clashed with Farnum before. A few times in fact. And Ether always lost. Farnum was the eldest of the Council and thus carried a lot of weight when votes were taken. Few, besides Ether, ever openly opposed him.

Farnum rose from his chair. Despite his apparent age he appeared spry. His hand shot out and braced against Ether’s chest, halting his progress. "I have always given you some latitude, Ether, due to the respect you command in the community and your unwavering loyalty and concern for Zion. But you try my patience and strain the bounds of acceptable conduct when you get this combative."

"But you refuse to listen to the concerns of the community."

"The concerns of the community, Ether? Or your concerns?"

Ether slapped his hand away. "My concerns are of the Community! You wile away precious time deciding inane issues and yet remain unspoken on important ones."

"Such as?"

"Where is Neo?"

Farnum shook his head patronizingly. "We have the Nebuchadnezzar researching that right now. You already know that."

"And?" pressed Ether.

"They are still investigating. It has not been that long, Ether. Neo is the Chosen One, he could not be dispatched by the AI with such apparent ease."

"But so much hinges on him yet you are so cavalier about it," argued Ether.

Again Farnum shook his head. "We have to maintain a focus, not upset the citizens. Action will be taken, I assure you, WHEN we hear from Morpheus."

Ether was not satisfied. If they were screening news from the other people in Zion already what was to say they wouldn’t hold back news from him? "What of the tremors? That last tremor caused the slide that took out the south hydroponics garden. And a Sentinel was found almost at the Door of Zion. You haven’t continued with your promise to send ships out to scout new locations."

"With the events of the last few months and Neo’s involvement, the battle against the AI is foremost. The ships are needed to prepare for our final strike against gaining control. Looking for new homes will not help us if we lose the battle."

"Nor will the battle help us if we are all killed by the collapse of this underground structure."

"There you are mistaken, Ether. Once we win the battle Zion will no longer be necessary."

"Are you so sure?" challenged Ether. "Where are you going to coordinate the release of the humans? On the freezing surface?" Ha!"

Farnum looked at Ether with a mixture of pity and condescension. "Ether, do you really think those millions of people are going to live here? We can barely support the few that do call Zion home."

"I know! All the more reason to continue to look for new homes for us."

"All in time."

Ether got around to a point that was closer to his heart and his own private concerns. "What about the Orion?"

"We are not sure. A report from the Atlantis that they had a faint signal from the Orion and three Sentinels. They lost them all shortly thereafter. Upon reaching the last known location they found two Sentinels badly smashed and parts from the ship. There had been some kind of fight. The third Sentinel and the Orion were not found. All attempts to reach them have failed. I am sorry, Ether."

Ether felt his heart drop. A lump formed immediately in his throat. This could not be! He could not look up at Farnum. "Are...are you going to continue to search?"

"We do not have the resources..."

Ether’s head snapped up. "You son of a bitch! You are just going to let it go at that?" He cocked his arm back for a swing. To his credit Farnum did not flinch or move to block it. Ether held his stance for a moment before he lowered his fist. Slowly he turned and began to leave the room.

Farnum called something after him but he didn’t hear it. The echo of Farnum’s word reverberated in his mind. "I am sorry, Ether." There was a finality to them that made it hard for Ether to think of anything else.

After a seeming eternity he began to be aware of "things." Tiny impulses that appeared to race by him. He could not see them for he could see nothing. But, on some level he was not yet fully in touch with, he sensed them. And, every so often, one would touch him, tear through him. And with it a part of him was swept along its hurried path. A millennia would pass before another would chance near enough for him to "feel" it. And so much longer even before a lone impulse would encounter him directly. But during these long periods he did not simply wait. He continued to focus, to strain, to coalesce. Slivers of what was became the fragments of what he was to be. He pulled at them, calling from afar.

And they came.

Burning.

Etching.

Scarring.

But, as each tiny grain came home to the void that was his world, he reveled in its homecoming. He celebrated the return of himself. And each bit brought with it a clue. A clue to what he was, what he must do.

Finally he knew.

He must escape from the cold and the dark. He must find a way out.

A way home.

Digital_Grace finally left the restaurant. She had talked to Nerf long enough about things and was feeling more confused than ever. He had told her that he had become involved with the Church of Neo after some long discussions on IRC with some others. Some of them were Internet friends he had known for awhile and others were new to him. He had been searching for answers like most people did. Life was not an easy journey despite contrary messages force fed by many arms of the media. But the Internet served as a fertile environment for the exchange of ideas and the discussion of such topics by a gathering of human diversity previously unknown by almost anyone.

Nerf joined in on these discussions and soon became caught up in the simple, yet wise teachings of what he was to later find as the Church of Neo. One person, someone new to him, had brought the teachings to the discussion. His name was Paschar. Nerf found later that he was a highly regarded member of the Church of Neo, a very evangelical member. Paschar brought an illuminating presence to the discussion and several of the group later joined the Church.

Nerf told Digital_Grace that he was really convinced after he had met Paschar in person and had listened to the Prelate. The Church’s doctrine of trying to get in touch with your self outside the influence of the Matrix made sense to him. They told of a consciousness inside each and everyone that transcended all that we experienced. That there was more to life than what was immediately experienced with the five senses. And that it could explain a lot of the strange things that happened in life relating that these were due to "crossovers" from the "real" self to the "apparent" self. Stimuli that was being received from "outside" the Matrix. Nerf was thoroughly convinced. He had felt a more serene existence by increasing his awareness and understanding of what this life really was. He had said it made the day to day world more acceptable.

Try as she might, something did not feel right about it. On the surface it seemed like just the thing Grace would be likely to accept. But, deep inside, something was turning and twisting uneasily when she gave it a lot of thought. What it was she did not know. She decided to not think about it for now. Nerf had given her the IRC channel so that she could join in on some of the discussion later if she had any further questions. And he had told her something that made her wonder. That she was never to use the phrase "Church of Neo" in any way except in face to face conversation. Why, she had no idea and Nerf would not explain. He also said one other thing that added to her uneasiness.

Her visions were related to something in the Church. That she was destined to be a part of it, to add something important to it. She almost got the eerie feeling that her presence was prophesied.

She shook it off and climbed the stairs of the El platform on Van Buren. She just wanted to get home. The shadows were claiming the streets and it would be dark very soon.

Shadow watched out the window as darkness descended. She had been sitting in the diner for hours. Three pieces of pie and several cups of coffee. The waitress she had chatted with had finally left for the day. This made Shadow feel a little more at ease, as she still couldn’t understand why she had engaged the young girl in conversation. Something had stirred within her like the bright flashes of memory that exploded inside her mind. With the girl gone she was more able to concentrate and focus, tuck the incidents away in a forgotten recess. Yet, they were still there and that she couldn’t get past. Why now? What was happening?

She let her mind ease into its familiar patterns and she gazed out the window missing nothing. She knew that Digital_Grace would be back soon.

Shadow shivered suddenly. She looked quickly at the door to see if someone had just come in allowing a gust of the icy, outside air to bluster through the diner. The door was still closed. No one had entered.

Then it hit her. She was normally not affected by the heat or cold. She never gave it any thought. But suddenly she was freezing. It was cold. So very cold. And the cycle began anew. The sudden intense curiosity. Why did she never feel the cold, the heat, the rain, the snow? And why did it never occur to her why that was?

The cold increased and she began to shake. Her hands started to feel numb and heavy. She looked out the window and it seemed different somehow, almost as if it had lost a dimension. It was not immediately apparent what had happened. Almost like if she had been struck blind in only one eye. But something was different. Something had suddenly changed.

For the first time she could recall she was cold, confused, and...alone. She looked around franticly. Everything was different. Why was she here? She had to leave!

Shadow reached into her coat, found some crumpled bills and tossed a couple onto the table. She stood and found her legs shaky. She had to sit again, gather her strength and then stand. She made her way to the door and pushed. It would not open. It took a few panicked seconds before she realized she needed to pull on the door to open it. She raced outside. There were tears in her eyes even before the freezing wind could touch them. She began to run not knowing where she was going. Slowly, above the new sensations of cold, loneliness, and confusion another new emotion was steadfastly rising.

Fear.

The bustle of the streets swallowed her.

Trinity wrung her hands as she found herself pacing in the storage compartment of the Nebuchadnezzar. She was both worried and angry. Worried about Neo. He was in trouble. She knew it. And she was angry because she could nothing. She was a creature of action, waiting and worrying were not things that she did well. He mind kicked at ideas of what she could do. What she should do. But she came up with nothing. And that was making her even more angry.

She turned on what seemed her millionth time across the compartment when she noticed Tank standing in the hatchway looking at her. A strong look of sympathy mirrored in his dark eyes.

"What? Do you have something?!" she exclaimed unable to hide the desperation in her voice.

He slowly shook his head. "I have been at it for hours, Trin. I can’t find anything. No mention of the Church of Neo. And no news of Neo either." She looked away unhappy with the news and knowing that she could not disguise the disappointment on her face and knowing how that would make Tank feel. But he felt it anyway. "I’m sorry." He walked over to her and lightly touched her shoulder. "We’ll find him. I know we will."

She turned her face to him. He had expected tears but she had none. There was resolve instead. "We will," she agreed.

"Morpheus has contacted Zion. Two ships have been immediately dispatched to help with the search."

"Which ones?"

"The Atlantis and the Saknussemm. The best two ships in fleet," he smiled, "...besides us, of course."

Trinity looked at him. "What about the Orion?" She regretted asking the question immediately. Tank was very good friends with several crewmembers on that ship.

Tank lost his smile. "Still no word. Still lost."

"Is Zion...?"

He slowly shook his head.

Trinity saw in him what she had been feeling. She grabbed his shoulder. "Then we have some work to do."

He took her subtle clue and call to action. "Right!"

"Where’s Morpheus right now?"

"I believe he is talking to Loki and Spyder on the galley."

"We need to talk to him. I have an idea."

The cigarette was about done and Allegria toyed with the idea of lighting another. Despite the current trouble they were in she was feeling relaxed and a bit optimistic. She wondered if the ingredients Ether used for tobacco didn’t include some kind of mild narcotic. She smiled at the thought. Turning, Allegria looked back at the ship and could see that Gyro looked to be finishing up the repairs. The tiny flashes of the arc-welder played dancing shadows against the rocky walls of the cavern. It was almost pretty she thought.

Something heavy hit her shoulder.

She spun and brought the rifle up at the same time. As luck would have it Gyro wasn’t welding at the moment and the ship’s lights were partially obscured by a rock outcropping. She could see murky shadows and the gaping maw of the cavern’s opening. Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears as she peered into the gloom. Something was moving.

A rock dislodged and fell against another as the thing repositioned itself. Silence.

And then it attacked.

A dark shape came out of the shadows at Allegria. She felt the rifle recoil as it fired, triggered by reflex rather than direct thought. In the flash of the plasma bolt she could just make out something large, furry, and with teeth lunging at her. She had no idea what it was but the charge from the gun caught it and threw it back into the cave’s entrance out of her sight.

Her heart continued to pound in her chest and ears. Her breath came in short gasps. Above the adrenaline rush she could hear an excited Getch and Gyro calling. She turned to see them standing atop the ship, Gyro making for the outside ladder.

"I’m ok!" she shouted back at them her voice booming back in echoes.

"What happened?" asked Gyro over Allegria’s earpiece. In the excitement she had totally forgotten about the headset she wore. She clicked the transmitter back to life.

"I’m ok. Some animal jumped me." She felt across her shoulder and was surprised to feel a couple of rips in her heavy coat. Damn thing! Clothing wasn’t easily replaced. She would have Jabber sew it when she returned.

"What was it?" asked Getch.

"I don’t know. Looking for a pet?"

"I was just curious? I didn’t know anything lived out here."

Allegria had to agree. Wild creatures were far from common place. "I’ll go take a look."

She walked toward the large crack in the caverns’ side that had allowed them access from the tunnels and sewers of the giant city complex. She wound the little flashlight to give it a good charge and flicked it on. The ground was rocky with little patches of shiny stone here and there. The floor of the cave was uneven so she kept the light low to illuminate her path. As she neared the entrance they had arrived through there was a slight bend. There was what appeared to be fresh blood on a large stone there. Had the creature bounced from the blast or had it managed to survive and drag itself away from the ship? The lights from the ship became totally obscured as Allegria ventured past that point. She kept the light focused on the ground looking for any signs. She finally saw one as there were traces of the creature’s blood smeared on some smaller rocks that had been brushed aside as the thing was trying to crawl away. A tiny sound just ahead gave away its close proximity to Allegria.

She moved cautiously in the solid darkness, the glow of the flashlight carving pathetically at its density. Finally she came upon it.

It was scared and angry and growled something at Allegria. She was not sure if it was meant as a warning or a feeble challenge. The beam of light played across its broken form. It reminded Allegria of a cross between a dog and a rat. Large forepaws were heavily clawed for either digging or attacking. She figured it was probably for both. Its large teeth were easily proof that it didn’t dig for roots and grubs. This was a carnivore. But what did it eat out here in the middle of this burned out cinder of a planet? Allegria guessed it wasn’t much as the creature looked undernourished.

There was a deep gash along its side and another near its back. Most of the side wound was cauterized from the plasma blast. She assumed the back wound was from its abrupt landing against the large stone she saw the blood on.

"Have you found it?" asked Getch. "What is it?"

"I’m not sure. It is still alive but very badly wounded," replied Allegria through the mic.

"Don’t let it suffer," pleaded Getch.

"I wasn’t planning to." Allegria raised the rifle and aimed it at the suffering dog-rat thing. What a shame to have to kill this poor creature. She lowered the gun for a moment as she tried to think of a way to save it. But there was neither the time nor the facilities to work on a strange animal onboard the Orion. The infirmary was minimal at best. She raised the gun again and sighted it in. She looked up so as not to gaze into the creature’s eyes as she fired.

She pulled the trigger and the animal let out a small yelp as the plasma ended its pain. But Allegria never registered the sound or the creature’s passing. She suddenly had forgotten all about the thing.

Her heart was no longer thumping in her ears. Her breath no longer was short. In fact she wasn’t breathing at all and she was sure her heart had stopped. Her body was rigid and still and her gaze fixed into the darkness.

As she had been looking up she caught the briefest glimpse of something in the flash of the plasma rifle. In that second of illumination she had peered into the abyss and saw it look back. In that tiniest instant she had come face to face with her nightmare. The strobe of light had revealed a Sentinel perched atop an outcropping twenty yards away. Even now she could still make out the faint glow of its many red eyes.

The slight buzz of static in her earpiece was interrupted by Getch’s voice. "Is it dead?"

The only word that managed to reach through her paralyzing panic was, "...dead."

Trinity entered the galley with Tank close behind. Morpheus was sitting with Loki and Spyder. They appeared to be engrossed in a deep conversation as they gave the barest recognition that they had entered. Morpheus was shaking his head at Spyder.

"Morpheus!" called Trinity. He turned and looked at her leaving Spyder to toss up his hands in frustration.

"We were talking here, Trinity," Spyder pointed out, his voice thick with annoyance.

Trinity did her best to ignore his remark. She was not fond of Spyder and he reciprocated the feelings. He would go out of his way to argue with her. She had neither the time nor the patience for his petty squabbling. And yet he always seemed to have the time and the desire. Even now. And that irritated her.

"Morpheus, I have an idea," she announced. He gave her a simple smile and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Wait your turn," spit Spyder.

Trinity gave him a cold look and turned back to Morpheus. "It could be a way to find Neo."

Morpheus motioned for her to take a seat. Spyder did his best dramatic gestures to show his inconvenience. Again, despite her urge to do otherwise, Trinity ignored him. "It is obvious he is some how linked to this Church. I think I should investigate that and get inside. Perhaps they can give us some more information that would help us understand what happened and where Neo might be."

Morpheus considered the idea for a moment. "It would be a place to start. I don’t want to send you alone though. We don’t know enough about their motives yet. I don’t think it would be wise for me to accompany you as they apparently are able to recognize me." The last caused Morpheus to give an odd smirk that Trinity interpreted as either amusement or disgust.

"I have to go," stated Trinity. There was no room for argument given the tone in her voice.

"Ok." Morpheus looked behind him then back to Trinity. "Loki and Spyder will go with you."

"What?" barked Spyder. "I don’t think so."

"Shut up, Spyder," mumbled Loki.

"Hey! Why do I have to go? I could give a fig about this church business!"

"For once," said Trinity, "I agree with Spyder. He should stay here."

"Amen, sister!" laughed Spyder. He raised his hand to hi-five Loki. Instead Loki gave him a shove.

"Ass."

"He goes," came Morpheus’ final decision.

"That’s bloody great," complained Spyder. "Me an’ the Trin going to sing in the choir."

"You will go in tomorrow," stated Morpheus.

Trinity walked out followed shortly by Loki and Tank. As Spyder started to leave he was stopped by Morpheus’ arm across the hatchway. "I am counting on you, Spyder."

The two men stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. "You needn’t worry, old man," smiled Spyder. "She’s safe with me." Morpheus let him pass and Spyder walked down the short passageway and took the ladder to the Core; it was his watch. Morpheus watched him until he had ascended the ladder. Then he slowly walked toward his quarters.

He managed to scrape up enough money for the train. He sat quietly waiting for it to arrive. Time wasn’t a problem; he wasn’t in a hurry. If there was one thing he had learned, it was patience. No one sat near him, his ragged appearance saw to that. It was as close as one could come to being invisible. He smiled slightly at the thought. From the corner of his eye he watched her. She looked so normal, so innocent. How could she ever know the importance she was to play in the coming events?

The train finally arrived and they all boarded. It was crowded as many people were going home for the evening. He moved to the back of the train car and took a seat. The person next to him got up and moved to another seat. Did people think his perceived misfortune was contagious? Again the wry, amused smile. They were all so completely and utterly blind. The smile faded.

He pretended to doze as the train started along. But his senses still focused on her. He let himself reach out from inside. He wondered if it had started. Had she been "approached" already? He dared not let his senses touch her. If she had already been "touched" she would sense his probing and panic. He couldn’t tip his hand...yet. But one thing was clear to him. She was not yet "aware." If she were he would sense her abilities from afar. But, for now, they were dormant and still to manifest themselves.

But they would come.

For now he simply settled back, enjoyed the warmth of the compartment, and waited. He was, after all, very patient.

One thing he was learning was patience. Eons would pass by him as he waited for little bits of himself to return. He had a lot of time to think. Unfortunately his memories and thoughts were disjointed and jumbled. But he had come to realize two things: that he needed to escape and that he needed something to gather himself around. Something to tether to instead of this endless drifting. A container to gather himself in.

An impulse came screaming by and instead of letting it pass or rip through him he held on to it. It pulled him along and he let it. Soon he was racing through the void on his way...somewhere else.

The number of impulses around him continued to grow in number as his journey progressed. What seemed to be days later he was amid a storm of infinite pulses all racing along invisible paths. It was increasingly crowded and more important for him to maintain his coalescence.

Slowly at first, then much more rapidly, he began to see form about him. The impulses racing to and fro could be seen as something else. Something more...solid. But with disjointed perception and fractured memories he fought to find a connection. And he did.

A "conduit" appeared that allowed him access to this "world" of impulses. He reached out through it to...another.

There was a problem with time.

He had to slow himself down to make his presence known. But as he poured himself into "outside" he adjusted. He called to this person. Something in his splintered mind recognized her as a young woman. She was not familiar to his current recognition yet he felt drawn to her. A kindred.

He adjusted time and inadvertently adjusted hers. And for a moment it froze. He called again. She still did not answer.

Finally he pushed harder at the boundaries between their separate existences. Stretching himself into hers and she into his. The realities merged. She saw him at last.

The pain was immense. It blurred his concentration. He forced himself to stay with her.

He realized that she could not communicate with him. She seemed afraid. He was losing touch. The impulses were drawing him back. Every tiny part of him began to rip apart. He could not keep his form. He gave it one more push with everything that was still him. He reached out and touched her mind.

His mind exploded in pain as the impulses suddenly roared through him. They were connected and they tore into her as well. For the briefest of seconds they were one and the same before he snapped back into his private reality like an overextended rubberband.

She was gone. That world was gone. He was floating alone. But it was different this time.

He still retained all that he had so far gathered. He was growing more complete. More powerful. And he had something he didn’t have before...a link. He had left a tiny part of himself with the girl. He could find her again. And he had her name.

Grace.

"Hand me that plate."

Getch wandered over to spot on the hull that Gyro was working. He laid the hull plate down next to her. He stood and stared into the darkness. He could see a small figure walking slowly within the ship’s lights. Allegria, his captain. "What is she doing out there?"

Gyro looked up at him. "What?"

"Why is the captain walking around out there? What’s the point?"

"Have you not been paying attention, Getch? The ship’s sensor array is fried. We have no way of knowing if anything approaches the ship while we are sitting here. She’s just keeping an eye on things."

Getch watched her stop and look back at them. He was tempted to wave. "Getch?"

"What?"

"I need that other plate too. This hole is pretty bad."

Getch forgot about Allegria and became concerned with the repairs. "Can you fix it?!" There was strong apprehension in his tone. Apprehension that only annoyed Gyro further. "Grow a friggin’ spine, Getch! I’ll fix it all right but you better stop your constant whining. You bother everyone on board!"

Getch looked hurt. He had a right to worry. With no access to Zion and no communication they would be condemned to roam the tunnels until the ship finally ran out of power. And the tunnels were not exactly hospitable. He looked around the cave they were resting in. Where in the hell were they? They had left the sewers behind and were now following random caves and tunnels. They were lost, he was sure of it.

"Getch! The plate?!"

"Right." He walked over and got the other plate and hefted it up to his chest. The rifle slung across his shoulder swung into his way and he jerked his body to swing it back out of his way. He brought the plate to Gyro and set it down. "Are we lost?"

"Dammit Getch!" Gyro pulled the goggles from her eyes and glared at him. "I will personally kick you off this ship if you don’t stop worrying!"

He backed away and looked back out at Allegria. She looked like she was smoking a cigarette. She was wandering farther from the ship. The crackle of Gyro’s welding torch accompanied the bright flashes. The little bursts of light cast eerie shadows across the cave walls. It almost made the shadows seem alive as they danced and crawled. He shivered. He had a bad feeling. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck began to rise.

"Gyro?"

She ignored him and kept working. He looked around. He thought he saw something move behind an outcropping. Or was it a shadow that winked out of existence when Gyro’s welder sparked? He tapped Gyro on the shoulder. "What?!"

"I think there is trouble here. I think I saw something move."

"I am almost done. It won’t be long now. But if you touch me again I’ll..."

There was a blinding flash of white light and the roar of the energy rifle discharge. Gyro snapped to her feet and peered into the dark. Both she and Getch began to shout then she ran for the ladder. They could just see Allegria standing near the cave’s opening. She was waving and shouting, "I’m ok!"

Gyro clicked on her transmitter. "What happened?"

"I’m ok. Some animal jumped me," came her reply over the radio.

"Oh shit." Mumbled Getch to his sister. "What was it?" he asked Allegria.

"I don’t know. Looking for a pet?" Gyro snickered knowing Getch’s former love of animals and all the pets he’d had in the matrix. He frowned at her.

"I was just curious? I didn’t know anything lived out here." He wondered what it could be. Some poor, scared animal lost in the cave. Lost just like they were.

"Have you found it?" asked Getch. "What is it?"

"I’m not sure. It is still alive but very badly wounded," came Allegria’s voice through the hiss of static; the reception was getting bad. It must be the rocky confines of the cave, thought Getch.

Getch thought of the poor thing whimpering in the darkness and the cold. He remembered his little dog, Bonkers, that had been hit by a car when he was eight. He had seen the whole thing. Watched in stunned horror as the car raced away from the accident. He could still hear Bonkers crying in the rainy street. He could feel his limp body in his arms as he carried him. And he could still remember the tears as his breathing stopped as he ran home. In fact the same tears stung his eyes now.

"Don’t let it suffer," he pleaded.

"I wasn’t planning to."

Getch wrung his hands in frustration and sadness. The thought of the little animal suffering burned in his mind. He had to do something.

She couldn’t breathe. She wouldn’t breathe. The air was still and the darkness thick around her. She felt cold. It was quiet except for the clicking. The clicking and the whirring. The tiny mechanical sounds the Sentinel’s many arms made in the dark as they idly busied themselves while waiting for direction. Its red eyes still unmoving. They were her only indication of its position and its lack of approach. She wasn’t sure what its capabilities were. Could it see her in the dark? Did it care about her anyway? Was its programming such that the tiny presence of a human was nothing to waste attention on? She couldn’t be sure and had no desire to find out. Ever so slowly she began to back away all the while raising the energy rifle. She tried to aim within the grouping of glowing eyes.

It began to move. A shiver shot up her spine triggered by the almost silent glide it used. In the back of her mind she remembered it used the same basic propulsion the ships used to hover above the ground. Yet to see something so large move so quietly and effortless across the rocks was a bit unnerving. It was coming straight at her.

Allegria continued her backward retreat. Each foot finding a sturdy footing before she placed her weight on it. Should she fall she was sure the Sentinel would be on her immediately. What it would do at that point she chose to pass by in her imagination. Instead she focused on moving away and keeping a steady bead on its massive form.

She was rounding the large outcropping that shielded her from the Orion. Her eyes never left the glowing red spheres that eased ever forward not giving away the hulking machine that lay behind. She couldn’t see it clearly but she knew what it looked like and that horrific image grew and mutated in her mind until it represented everything she had ever feared. It was a spawn of Hell itself and carried with it every nightmare she ever dreamed. The darkness, the silence except her own thundering heart and now rasping breath, and its slow glide towards her with unblinking crimson eyes, all made for an increasingly surreal sensation.

She tripped.

Focusing too tightly on the Sentinels unwavering approach, she mis-stepped and a loose rock slipped from under her foot. She forced herself to try and hold the aim of the rifle on the creature instead of trying to brace her fall. In the end she accomplished neither.

The impact of landing on her back jarred her head into the stony floor of the cave. The butt of the energy rifle slammed against the ground also and forced its barrel up ward. It fired.

The stream of plasma roared through the space between them and glanced off the side of the Sentinel. At least she had managed to hit it. But, despite its programmed, electromechanical brain, it seemed to only appear angered as it quickly pulled its mass to one side and hurled itself at her. A tentacle shot forward and narrowly missed smashing her head impacting just to the right.

Slightly dazed. Allegria tried to ready the gun for a better shot as the Sentinel was almost upon her. But a second tentacle slashed across her ripping skin and knocking the gun from her hands. She winced in pain but the sting was completely forgotten when the Sentinel was suddenly above her. It was close enough now that she could see its tiny arms snapping and grabbing. Larger arms, ending in various electrical-tool nightmares moved in on her. The hum of the mechanical beast was deafening. Something bit into her side and then another into her leg. Her eyes and teeth clenched against the pain.

A whispered prayer darted through her mind and was gone. "Please be quick."

He found her much easier the second time. He was drawn to her as he would focus on the part of himself he had implanted within her. This time he reached out harder. He attempted to pull her into his world. She resisted of course. The lines between them blurred. He finally began to assimilate some her perceptions into him. This helped him acclimate to her environment. He could develop senses; learn again to see, hear, speak, taste...feel. The sensations were at once alien and familiar. Disjointed memories that had no plane of reference started to take on life within him. A feeling of safety now became the memory of his mother holding him when he was scared. A feeling of enjoyment became the taste of noodles in a favorite restaurant. A feeling of deception...became everything. He was confused. He was still too incomplete to understand all that he felt and thought.

The merging of their separate realities had also gave her more insight and awareness of her world. She would not understand the feelings, not comprehend how her new abilities would affect those around her. He was not concerned about that. But something happened that scared him and made him break the connection.

There was a third level.

A level neither of them was aware of. And as she entered his perception she started to slide through it into that unknown world. He caught the sensations, which also were alien and familiar. He was afraid as it brought with it a great sense of loss.

He broke the connection and he felt her slip back into her accustomed world. He floated back into the void oblivious to the tiny impulses that darted by. Now they flowed around him. As he drew himself together he grew stronger and stronger. The impulses could not affect him. Occasionally another small part of himself would come along and nudge him as it melded with the whole.

He thought as he floated. He was used to the pain and the cold and the darkness. It no longer distracted him. He was alone with his thoughts. He pondered the meaning of what he had discovered. He let his newfound senses flow over his sensations and perceptions. For the first time in the eternity that he could remember his thoughts began to form together, linking into a more concise history. He was remembering. He would soon be home.

He smiled.

Digital_Grace rode the train along silently. She didn’t like to talk with others on the train as the talk was always small and she was never one for idle chatter. The rocking of the train car tried to lull her to drowse but she fought it. Still clear in her mind were the memories of the previous incidents on the train this morning and the instance at the Church of Neo. Her seeking answers at the Church, as Nerf liked to call it, did little to shed light on an answer of any kind. But Nerf was sure that if she met the Prelate that he would be able to answer her problems. And problems they were. Grace feared falling asleep. The last two nights proved quite disturbing with blurred lines between reality and the false illusions of dreams. Was she losing her mind?

She pulled her collar a bit closer to her chin. It was beginning to snow outside again; the flakes streaking by the train windows catching the light and giving the impression of tiny pulses of electricity. Almost, she imagined, like being inside a computer program as data zipped along circuits. Something clicked in her head. Some kind of strange impression/memory. A familiarity with that thought about the snowflakes and the impulses. As if the coalition between the two images was based on a real life experience. She was insane. She had to be.

She stared at the snow, lost in her own ideas of madness for awhile. Then she became aware of another sensation...that someone was staring at her. But not just with their eyes but with their mind. The impression had grown so slowly, so quietly that seemed the person was making sure she would not become aware. But now she was aware. Someone was in her mind!

She turned her head to look over the crowd around her. And then it was gone.

They knew she had felt their presence and the person beat a hasty retreat. And Digital_Grace was left with the impression that they knew she had felt them. Her eyes looked for something, anything, in the eyes and mannerisms of the people in the train car. Her mind just tried to stay receptive to anything. Any lingering sense of familiarity.

Few met her gaze. Those that did she saw nothing. There was no trace.

The train pulled into her station and she stood to leave. As she neared the door and waited for it to open she gave another glance back. There, in the back corner of the train was a homeless person sitting alone; no one was near him. He was looking out the window, his face turned away from hers. There was something...

It was like the wake of a boat that had passed. The ship was no longer in sight but its impression on the water was still spreading outward to the horizon. And if one looked at the wake, followed it as it narrowed, they would see the boat. She followed the wake and it was narrowing itself to him.

Someone behind her cursed and pushed at her. The door had opened and she was in the way. With a shove she stumbled out on to the platform. She spun around and found the doors closing. Grace strained to look across the car to the man at the back. He was no longer there. Quickly, as the train got under way she searched the car. He was not there.

She turned to the stairs. Was he even there at all?

Madness.

Something white and hot ripped through the air above her. It snapped her mind to action. It was a plasma bolt. The pressure above her was gone as the Sentinel suddenly moved back from the blast to defend itself from the attack. Allegria tried to roll onto her side to stand but her leg felt heavy and weak. She rocked her body to the other side and managed to get on her stomach, bracing her self up with her arms. What salvation had found her?

Getch.

It was Getch, standing there behind her, his rifle barrel still warm from the blast. There was a look of fear and anger on his face as he fired again. The light stung her eyes. His had closed when he fired.

"Are you ok, Captain?" he asked.

She blinked in an attempt to shake the retina image from her eyes. He was crouching down by her now. "My leg is hurt but I’ll be alright." He tried to help her but the rifle strap kept slipping from his shoulder. He ended up laying it beside them and grabbing her arm. "How...what made you come out here, Getch?"

"I was worried about the animal. Silly really."

Allegria struggled to her feet. "No, Getch, not silly at all. Thank you." She forced a smile despite the pain.

He also gave her a slight smile. There was something inside him that she could see mirrored on his face. A sense of worth, a feeling of contribution. Getch had always not a popular member of the Orion. He had come aboard on the coattails of his sister, whom Allegria had asked for by name. And even his Gyro had seemed to grow tired of him as time had gone on. But Allegria knew that he was loyal and while a bit of a complainer he would do whatever was asked. Perhaps now he would be accepted.

A red cutting laser burned across the top of her shoulder. But she didn’t feel it, didn’t register the pain. Instead she watched in horror as the laser continued its path through Getch’s chest. His smile did not fade as quickly as the look of life in his eyes. He crumpled to the ground.

Without his support Allegria also fell to her knees. She managed to roll slightly as she hit. Turning she faced the Sentinel again. Its side was slashed open and several of its red eyes were dark. It was not gliding any longer; instead dragging itself along the cave bottom with those arms that still functioned, still moving surprisingly fast for its bulk. The cutting laser fired again, narrowly missing Allegria.

Quickly she looked for the rifle Getch had laid on the ground. It was close but the Sentinel was closing the distance rapidly. Given her present condition there was no way she could get to it before...

Too late. The rifle cracked under the weight of the Sentinel as it jockeyed its large frame in front of her. Keeping her mind focused she threw herself on the other side of the outcropping. She could see Gyro running across the cave floor from the ship. She yelled a warning and tried to get to her feet. A mechanical vice locked onto her ankle and she fell again. The Sentinel had her and was dragging her back toward it. She heard the hiss of the cutting laser.

"Piece of SHIT!!" came a cry behind her. She whipped her head around to see Getch lying on the ground a few yards distant. He wasn’t dead! The Sentinel turned slightly and the laser switched off. It appeared to be responding to Getch’s yell. It started for him still dragging Allegria like a broken toy. She could see him lying still in an odd position. The Sentinel, still moving with determination. "Getch," she whispered.

He coughed and bloody foam sprayed from his mouth. "Smile."

Allegria saw now why he had been laying so strangely, he had found her rifle and had it cocked behind him. As he rolled over it flopped forward laying across him for support. He fired, the plasma instantly crossing the short distance between him and the Sentinel. The top of it disintegrated in the blast and Allegria could feel its grip loosen. It fell in a broken heap next to Getch. They both lay still.

"Oh my God!" screamed Gyro as she reached them. She looked at Allegria. "I’ll be ok. Check Getch. He was hurt bad."

Gyro ran to her brother.

Allegria got to her knees and tried to control the tremors that shook her body, the shock and adrenaline taking its toll. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked. But she knew she hadn’t needed to ask the question. Gyro’s sobs from the shadows already had delivered the sad news.

Tank walked up to the operator’s station of the Core. He always felt a bit disconnected whenever he was away from the seat. At his station he felt in control. He was the best at what he did. A fact that only worked to strengthen his resolve to stay one-step ahead of his adversary...the matrix. Being a Core Operator was much more than being able to read the matrix code. More than being able to monitor personnel jacked in. Much more. It involved being able to sense the intent of the AI; anticipate its moves and tricks. Be able to beat it at its own game.

And lately it had been starting to behave differently. It had been changing the rules. And that worried Tank. Was it beginning to anticipate the Resistance’s moves? Was it adapting how it reacted to better handle the tricks?

"Shift’s over, Spyder."

Spyder turned and looked at Tank. "Bout bloody time! I was getting bored."

Tank smiled. He never got bored while on watch. "Anything?" His eyes washed over the multitude of displays; nothing out of the ordinary. He focused on the main screen to see what Spyder was currently focusing on. He didn’t see the endless streams of code trailing across the monitor. Instead the saw what the code represented. He shook his head. "Don’t you have any shame, Spyder? No sense of privacy?"

"What?" responded Spyder with feigned innocence. He looked at the screen and made a play of shock. "I swear they were just sleeping a moment ago!" The look of faux-shock was replaced by a sly grin of amusement as he drew closer to the screen. "Well, well. That’s a new bit!"

Tank reached over and touched a few keys. The code changed quickly. "Awww..."

"Shows over peeping tom. Get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Right! Takin’ the kids to church." He slapped Tank on the back and wandered toward the ladder leading to the crews quarters.

Tank settled into his chair and adjusted the screens to his liking. He began to punch keys and smaller displays began to glow. He had been thinking about his inability to find any information on the Church of Neo previously. That bothered him. But when he couldn’t find specifically what he was looking for he knew he needed to change the way he searched. Widen his field of view; look for things related to what he wanted.

He would find it.

Trinity, Loki, and Spyder were going in tomorrow to investigate it. He better have some information for them when they went in. Deep down he could sense it. Things were not what they seemed.

Digital_Grace walked back to her apartment building. It was growing colder and she felt the icy blasts of wind and snow biting at her face. She felt weary. Each step made her more tired. All the events of the last couple of days were wearing on her. When would it end?

She threw a cautious glance behind her. The strange feeling on the train was eating at her. The odd sensation, the homeless man. What was going on?

There was no one. She quickened her pace. As she rounded the corner of her building she tossed a quick look in the direction of the diner. She briefly thought of stopping there for a coffee but the lure of home and safety was too strong. She turned her attention back to the sidewalk and the door into her building.

She ran into him and almost fell down. Why didn’t she watch where she was going, she found herself thinking. She looked up and started to say, "Excuse me." But she stopped. It was the bum from the train. Her eyes went wide in recognition. He only made a move to right himself from the collision but nothing to move away from her. From his position next to her she could smell the stink of him and saw the grime that covered him. Grace had no time for sympathy instead feeling disgust and fear. But as she started to back away she became fixed in his eyes.

His light blue eyes pierced his downtrodden exterior. Something in them held her. Something behind them was calling to her. He was not what he seemed.

"Digital_Grace, you are in great danger," was all that he said.

She ran.

It was not until she was in her apartment, the door securely locked behind her, that she allowed herself to breathe. The homeless man’s words were still alarmingly fresh in her mind and they played against a chord from the events a few days ago when another mysterious figure had pulled her out of harm’s way also saying she was in danger. What was this danger and who were these people that knew of it?

She tried to regain her composure. She couldn’t think clearly if she was in a panic. But, then again, could the bizarre events of the past two days lead to anything other than panic? She truly feared she was losing her mind!

The answering machine message light was flashing as if annoyed. With a sudden bolt of recollection she remembered the call earlier this morning from Mr. Carlson at TB&D about the work she was doing for them. It had been two months since she left Metacoretex. Freelancing was still a little tough going but she had enough projects in the works to keep the money trickling in. But not if she blew off important clients. With some trepidation she approached the machine and pressed the message button.

The first three were from Mr. Carson, each a little more annoyed than the previous. The fourth was from some one selling long distance service. The final message was only an extended silence. But the small sounds that indicated the line was open began to play along the tiny hairs along the back of her neck. Someone was there yet they said nothing. The caller simply listened. As the fear began to well up in her again the call ended with a beep. She shook it off telling herself she was becoming paranoid.

She checked the caller-ID box to check the numbers. The last one showed "out of area." She made a mental effort to dismiss it while also making a note to call Mr. Carson first thing in the morning. She couldn’t afford to let that job slip by.

She placed her coat on the hook on the back of the door and walked to the thermostat. She gave it a twist. "Man, it’s cold in here," she mumbled. She walked into the little kitchen area to make some coffee. She glanced over at her computer as if she was wary of it. The broken mouse still lay across the desk and floor. She got the coffee maker going and went to the closet and pulled out another mouse to connect. She would get some more of the project done tonight and that should make Mr. Carson happy when she called him tomorrow.

By the time her coffee was ready she had the mess cleaned up and the mouse replaced. She poured the cup and sat at the desk ready to get started.

But she didn’t.

The mouse pointer hovered over the project folder. But a curiosity nagged at her. Something Nerf had told her. He had invited her to join in the Church of Neo chat that they had each night on the internet. He assured her that she could get more information there and meet some of the others that were curious about the Church and its mission and teachings. He said that Paschar was almost always there at night and could help her understand more. Her pointer slowly found its way to the IRC icon.

"Now what was that room called?" she said out loud.

Shadow cowered in the alley a block from the diner. She was shivering from cold and fear. And the two played off each other. Memories, at first alien and then frightfully recognized, continued to bash against her mind, sandblasting away her world. Again and again she was amazed at what they brought forth and wondered why she had never given her lack of memory a second thought. She had never been curious about her own past, about her mission, about anything. She had an unwavering dedication to her charge that was never scrutinized.

For the longest time she had watched over The Oracle. After she had died she immediately began to guard Neo. And now she was protecting Digital_Grace. But what had instructed her to switch allegiances she never asked. She simply knew and acted on that. But now curiosity coursed through her body like the blood that pumped along with it. She questioned everything.

And now the answers were coming. Hard and fast they came and jumbled themselves in her mind like the random tossing of puzzle pieces onto a pile. There were no references to establish them in an order, a timeline. It was an invitation to madness.

There were so many disjointed images and feelings. An early one of wearing angel wings in a school Christmas play. An angry man screaming at her about the emptiness of his coffee cup. Guns roaring in each hand and bodies falling. Lost in a blizzard crossing the harvested cornfields while walking home. Moving soundless through the night following an evil doppelganger to understand his intent. Hiding in a closet, crying as her parents screamed at each other.

She was reborn to what she was now by a power she didn’t understand yet didn’t question.

Someone close to her died in her arms.

Someone was missing.

She was a waitress.

She was an assassin.

She was a shadow.

She was an angel.

She was alone.

She was cold.

And now, most of all, she was afraid. And her fear paralyzed her. To experience fear now after never knowing it for so very long was to allow it free reign. There was no defense. She wanted to scream.

"Julie." The voice came from next to but inside her at the same time. The name it called touched something in her mind and pulled a memory close to it. That was her name. That was who she used to be.

"Julie," it repeated. The voice was soft and kind. It gave her strength; it gave her warmth. It helped to push her fear away.

Shadow turned her face toward the voice. At first she did not recognize the person before her. But then something pushed past her. Something connected with her inside. She smiled. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Julie, I have returned."

Tears of joy burst from her eyes as they shut and she reached out and clung to the figure. She began to cry. The fear was gone. The cold was gone. She was safe.

"Yeah!" shouted Tank, a huge smile bursting upon his lips. "Yeah!" He clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Try and hide but I’ll find you!" A printer spit out a few sheets of paper that he grabbed from the tray as soon as it stopped. He stood and walked, almost ran, to the Galley. His hunch was right as he found Morpheus sitting quietly there drinking a warm cup of tea, or what was now referred to as tea. "Morpheus!" he exclaimed as he entered the room unable to contain his excitement. Tank had felt a bit beaten over the subject of the Church of Neo ever since Morpheus had asked him to investigate it. He had a strong desire to always succeed and to not be able to provide the information Morpheus required bothered him greatly. He took the failure personally and even though he knew Morpheus did not hold it against him he felt he had let the great man down. But now, having found a clue, he was swelling with satisfaction.

Morpheus turned and looked at Tank. He noted the smile on his face and relaxed. He was quick to deduce what had Tank so enthusiastic. "Found something out about the Church of Neo?"

Tank did not let Morpheus’ deductive guess deflate his achievement. To expect less of the man was not to know him. "Damn right!" Tank’s grin threatened to tear his cheeks. "I’ve found it. Found some info on the Church." He wanted to brag about how he found it but respected Morpheus’ time and did not go into the details that he strained to be released. Instead he simply handed the sheets to Morpheus. "I printed those up. They should give you a little more information." He waited for a moment as Morpheus looked at the sheets then Tank turned to leave.

"Wait a moment, Tank," requested Morpheus. "I want to know how you found this information after you have been searching for it so diligently all this time." He smiled at Tank. Morpheus was one of the best ship captains’s in all of Zion’s fleet and this was one of the reasons. He knew his crew.

The work of a resistance fighter was never a glorious job. And usually it was a thankless job. People were here because of what they believed in. They worked, fought, and died for the cause. And all of them knew that. Being on a hovercraft was tough going. It was usually cold. The food was even less varied than Zion. Sleep and rest were a fleeting and sporadic. Morpheus knew that his crew was no exception. They were the best at what they did and he would have no others. He also knew that taking the time to praise and recognize their efforts was important. They would do the job, they would not complain, but a take it for granted and they would notice the hardships even more. He knew Tank wanted to explain the miracle he had managed to pull from his bag of tricks. Plus Morpheus figured he could probably learn something himself.

Tank took a seat across from Morpheus. He still maintained his large grin but his general composure took on an air of intensity. "There wasn’t a direct approach to finding the Church. This alone points to the involvement of the AI or a very secretive society. So I needed to think of a more covert form of communication. I decided to check into what they believe to be the Internet."

Morpheus raised an eyebrow. "We know the Internet to be a more direct form of communication inside the matrix. While they look at it as a step away from nature it is in fact closer to the nature of their world than they realize. Zion thinks it was instigated by the AI to bet monitor humankind."

"Right. As it grows and becomes more of a method of communication it gives the AI just what it needs, direct access to human ideas. So I started looking there. And I knew that this church would need a way to communicate and bring in new members. What better way than to tap into the IRC?"

"The Internet Relay Chat system. I remember that well from my days inside."

Tank nodded. "I started doing searches for anything that I could link to what we knew so far. Church, Neo, Matrix, etc. Finally something turned up. I found a channel that was hitting on almost all the search criteria. It almost had a ‘welcome to the Church of Neo’ sign flashing above it! I managed to hack in a signal and join. I was able to get some basics covered but they are still pretty secretive. What you have there is a print of the transcript of my short visit." Tank motioned at the papers in Morpheus’ hand.

"Great work, Tank. I’ll read this. What name did they give the channel?"

"That’s the spooky part."

"Why?" asked Morpheus.

"It is called ‘dotr...Desert Of The Real’."

Morpheus looked at the transcript. It had been a while since he had communicated in IRC. In the early days it had been a lifeline amongst those looking and those found. He quickly remembered the IRC syntax and started to look for information in the printout.

The feel of the paper seemed strange and he then recalled that paper was a rare commodity in the real world. All things manufactured were hard to come by. There were no longer factories to churn out products by the truckload. The rebels had to use what ever they could scavenge. There was a lot of his life in the matrix that still haunted him. Things he missed.

Shaking his head he began to read what Tank had pulled from the IRC channel referred to as "dotr." Was the name a coincidence or was there someone in the know that was involved? He knew it must contain some answers otherwise Tank would never have printed it out. His eyes scanned through the typed dialog between the occupants of the IRC "room."

*** Now talking in #dotr

<Savage> It’s not the same.

<Talon> of course not.

<Savage> but you are saying they are similar! :(

<Paschar> He is not saying it’s an organized church.

<Savage> I don’t believe in that

<Talon> greetings Tank. Welcome to the desert

> Thanks

<Patches> Desert of the Real

<Patches> er...real

<Savage> I won’t join a church!

> what is this all about?

<PoPo> hey Tank

<Paschar> Tank, how did you come to be here?

> I heard about it from some people talking.

<Paschar> Really? What were they saying?

<Savage> I won’t! Oraganized churchs are foolish...lost!

<Savage> Been there. Done that.

<Paschar> Savage, it is only CALLED a church because it is a gathering of people who believe the same thing.

<Paschar> That there is more to what we see here around us.

<Savage> But don’t you have a leader, a hierchy?

<Paschar> No.

<Savage> uh...bullshit. who is the Prelate then?

<Paschar> He is there to help us, not to "rule."

<Savage> What makes him so special.

<Paschar> He knew Neo

<Paschar> ...the One.

<Savage> >B(

<Paschar> Neo found the way for us.

<Risi> And it killed him!

* Savage thinks this all another cult!

<Savage> I don’t know about worshiping another human.

<Paschar> We DON’T worship him. We recognize his contribution and sacrifice.

<Savage> and he had all the answers?

<Paschar> Yes. I believe he did.

<PoPo> I think it all makes sense. Answers a lot of questions I have. :)

<Paschar> It does that for a lot of people, PoPo.

<D_G> Paschar, what is your connection with all this?

<Paschar> Just spreading the good news.

<D_G> About the church and Neo’s beliefs, right?

* Savage still is cautious

<Patches> Savage, it’s real! I know it!

<Talon> I think it's natural to worry Savage.

<Talon> But keep an open mind!

<Talon> He can only show you the door...you have to walk through it.

<Paschar> Well put, Talon. An excellent quote from the Prophet.

<Talon> Yup.

<Savage> I’ll think about it

<Paschar> No problem, Savage. We are here when you are ready.

<Talon> The Church has changed my life...

<Patches> changed my outlook.

<Talon> ...my whole outlook!

<Patches> jinx! LOL

<Talon> Patches get out of my head! LOL

* Patches goes to get a spoon

<Talon> There is no spoon! :)

<Patches> LMAO

<PoPo> LOL

* PoPo hands Patches a pair of chopsticks

<Talon> ROFLMAO

<Patches> I don’t eat chinese

* Talon bites tongue ;)

<Talon> LOL

<PoPo> lol

<Patches> HEY!

> What did this Neo actually find?

<Talon> the TRUTH!

<Paschar> He found that what we see around us is but an illusion of what is important.

<Paschar> That we live in a desert thirsty for something more.

> Which is?

<Talon> escape

<Paschar> Freedom from the matrix.

> What is the matrix?

<Paschar> The matrix is everything that is around you. All that you experience. To see it you must step outside it.

<Reg> But how can you escape everything?

<Paschar> By freeing your mind.

Morpheus shuddered. This was hitting too close to home. Paschar was spouting lines he had once said to other potentials. That was not possible! And the others were picking up lines he was familiar with. It was as if someone were copying lines from a script that they had all been a part of. This was madness! It was becoming clearer why Tank had shown such interest and had wanted him to see it. Morpheus shifted in his seat and began to read again.

* Savage knows that she has an open mind.

<Reg> How?

<Paschar> That is what we teach at the church.

> I want to know more about this Neo.

<Savage> I don’t think he was real.

<Talon> How can you say that? He was in all the papers, remember?

<Savage> so was Morpheus!

<Paschar> Attempts by the matrix to blur the truth.

* PoPo saw Neo once!

<Patches> Lucky girl! >B|

<Paschar> He was real. The media smeared him to make his teachings less powerful.

> The media?

<Talon> They are part of the matrix

<Reg> so the matrix is like a powerful government operation...controlling the media?

<Talon> beyond that

<Reg> Global?

<Talon> yes

<Paschar> But not really organized per se

<Reg> This is al very interesting

<Reg> but I have to go to work. I’ll check in again later.

<Paschar> Please do.

<Talon> bye, Reg.

<Patches> Be sure and come back!

<PoPo> Bye, Reg :)

> What happened to Neo. Arrested?

<Paschar> No. Ascended.

*** Reg has quit IRC (NewYork-R.NY.US.Undernet.Org austin.tx.us.undernet.org)

* Savage rolls eyes

<Talon> The Prelate saw it!

<D_G> I’ve heard that. What does it mean?

<Talon> He went to the next plane of consciousness.

<S’mone> is that like heaven?

<Egg> That’s what I’ve been wondering.

<Risi> Good to see you again Egg. :)

* Risi waves at Egg

<Paschar> Not in that sense, S’mone.

<Egg> Hi Risi. Check your email!

> Then what do you mean Paschar? Where is he?

<Risi> OK

<Paschar> You need to come to The Church. Too involved to explain on irc.

<Talon> I’ll say! How could one explain heaven over irc.

<GeeCee> This all still sounds a bit cultish to me.

> How do I find one of your churches?

<Talon> Only a cult to those that don’t understand it.

<Paschar> E-mail me with your address and I will send you the information. Paschar@con.org

<Risi> I’ve been going for awhile and it is all starting to make a lot of sense to me.

*** Candy (Candy@dial-127-2.ots.utexas.edu) has joined #dotr

<Paschar> welcome Candy to the Desert of the Real

<S_R_Mad> I went to my first meeting yesterday.

<Dove> Me too!

<Candy> Thanks Paschar.

<Talon> Candy, back again? LOL

<Pix> I went a couple days ago after being on dotr for five solid days!

<PoPo> addict! Hi Candy.

<Candy> Hello everyone.

<Patches> Hey Candy. What is your question today?

<Savage> Thank god Candy is here! Help me out Candy! I’m out numbered.

<Candy> LOL

<S’mone> I want to go to a service too, Paschar!

<Paschar> E-mail me, S’mone.

<Risi> She can go with me. Ok S’mone?

<Candy> Paschar, I see there was more Matrix activity last night on the news. Blew up a revenue building. 27 dead.

<Paschar> Not us, Candy. You know that already.

<S’mone> Ok, Risi. Thanks.

<Candy> I still think it starnge that you use the same name.

<Candy> strange, even.

<Talon> They are terrorists! We have already covered this!

<Savage> Easy Talon.

<S’mone> Risi, get on icq.

<Talon> Sorry. I just hate that peeps make that connection all the time.

<Risi> Egg? You on icq?

<Paschar> The Matrix terrorists will be dealt with. Agents are tracking them and will soon enough.

> Agents?

<Talon> Specially trained government agents that are assigned to remove those terrorists from society.

<MMM> I’ve met one that was at The Church.

<Egg> yes

*** Pix wants to become an agent.

<MMM> Was Neo an agent?

<Paschar> Yes...but he evolved from his training when he founded The Church.

<Savage> What?!

<Paschar> He was originally trained as an agent but did work undercover within the Matrix.

<Paschar> That is why he appeared to be one of them for a time.

* Candy scratches her head

<Pix> That kind of makes sense.

<Dove> Yeah.

> So Neo was an agent, was undercover terrorist, founded The Church, and then ascended to a higher plane of consciousness?

> ?!

<Paschar> That is correct Tank.. I know it sounds a bit like some bit of fiction or like an action movie but it is true.

<Patches> Weirder things have happened!

<PoPo> That’s an understatement!

<Patches> LMAO

<Talon> You two quit talking about your lives again!

* Patches kicks Talon

* PoPo hits Talon with a lemon custard pie

<Talon> I dodge both of your feeble attacks!

<S_R_Mad> hmm.. Paschar, I want to know more about all this.

<Paschar> The Prelate will be at The Church on State St. The day after tomorrow. I invite all of you to come.

<Talon> Now chocolate cream would be better! ;)

<Paschar> He was there from the beginning and can answer a lot of your questions.

<Dove> Great!

*** Savage probably won’t be there

<Paschar> Sorry to hear that, Savage.

<Savage> Not ready yet.

<GeeCee> I’ll check it out if I can make it.

<Candy> Me either.

<Paschar> That’s ok. When you are ready to see the matrix for what it is...the red pill will be waiting.

> The red pill?

<Paschar> A sign of those that have been unplugged. Also what our book of teachings is called.

> Unplugged?

<Paschar> Those that have been able to free their minds from the constraints of the matrix.

<MMM> I am hoping to be unplugged soon, Tank.

Paschar wishes for all peeps to one day be unplugged.

<D_G> I have to go but I will be there. A friend brought me in to see the church.

<Paschar> That’s great, D_G. I will hope to meet you there.

<Pix> You are going to the meeting, Paschar?

<Paschar> Yes. I am always there when The Prelate is there.

<Dove> Then I better go. I would like to meet you.

*** D_G has quit IRC (D_G@port473.syd.modembank.net)

<Paschar> There are a lot of good people there to meet and talk with.

> Tell me more about the Prelate. How did he know Neo?

<Paschar> Tank? Where are you located?

*** Tank has quit IRC (5t4rt@1Cust131.tnt3.sacramento2.ca.da.uu.net)

That was the end of the printout. Paschar’s query was enough to have Tank break transmission. And after reading the transcript Morpheus didn’t blame him. Who could know who might be monitoring Tank’s pirate transmission into the matrix?

The similarities of the facts displayed were unnerving! Obvious mistakes and inaccuracies. But who ever set this up must have had access to the truth but why the inconsistencies? It was all so close to the truth and yet just far enough to...

A staggering thought flashed in Morpheus’ mind.

Why had he been so blind? It was so obvious. There was real danger here and he finally saw it for what it was. For the only thing it could be. He would have them check out this Church of Neo. And they would meet this Prelate that knew so much of the truth. That was the piece of the puzzle Morpheus was missing.

He felt a shiver run through him and it was not due to just the chill of the Nebuchadnezzar. Rather his new found understanding had plucked a string of fear in him. Things were changing. The battle for freedom had moved to a new level.

It was returning to him...the memory. The recollection of what had happened to him. What had brought him here. A fight, then something changing in an instant and then, the pain. The images and sensations were still too disjointed for him to make sense of it all. But he did at least have this much. And ever so slowly more was coming. Fragments enwrapping him, completing him. He stretched out again anxious for the contact that was healing him.

She was there. He found her easily. Part of him was within her now and that drew him.

This time he attempted something new. He reached out through her into this other world.

She was not alone as there were others interacting with her. By will he managed to extend himself along the perceptions and touch them.

One was a friend. Nerf. He was excited and anxious and concerned all at the same time. He felt protective of Grace. And...

The other was a stranger to Grace. He also seemed anxious and excited. And something more...fear? He was afraid of something in Grace. He forced himself farther. The stranger, Grace knew him as Deacon, was afraid of what Grace brought. A revelation to his church. To The Church. The Church of...

Nerf was protective of Grace because he...loved her? Love. The sensation brought with it a storm of emotions. It was too much! He had to recoil himself from them.

The Church of...NEO! Again sensations and realizations pounded at him. Bringing with them memories that tried to force their way to the forefront of his consciousness. He yanked himself back into the seclusion of Grace.

But she was confused by what had happened. She was losing her grasp on this world. It all swirled in her mind as she began to fade. He pulled away from her and retreated to his solitary prison and curled into a tight knot. The memories, emotions, and sensations following him, forming a cocoon around him; protecting him. And inside he began to change. Change into what he once was.

Digital_Grace exited irc and disconnected from the ‘net. She had gotten nothing from the conversation and it looked like it was about to disintegrate into another cyber food fight. No answers would be found there. She would have to go there herself and talk to this Prelate as Nerf had suggested and hope he could help. But was it all the a question of religious beliefs or what appeared to be some mixture of eastern philosophy and new age semantics? She still doubted that this church could help her. But there was still something deep inside her that wanted her to continue on this path that had seemed to be lain before her.

She began to work on her program for TB&D. After a couple of hours she gave up. She felt too restless. The apartment suddenly seemed confining, suffocating. She grabbed her coat, and despite the weirdness that followed her daily, she ventured into the night. Snow was falling lightly and soon she was lost beyond it and the glow of the street lamps.

Allegria sat on the bridge deep in thought. Getch was gone. Not only was he gone but he had given his life for hers. She knew it wasn’t really her fault but she blamed herself anyway. This was her ship, her crew...she was responsible for everything and everyone. And what a bang-up job she was doing! They were without communications, lost in a series of caves and tunnels, flying blind, and now one of her crew was dead. What else could go wrong? What else?!

"Captain?"

She turned to see Jetsam step onto the bridge. He had looked better but seemed to be moving with much less pain. "You look better, Jet. How do you feel?"

He forced a bigger smile than he should and said, "Great! Ready to get back in to the swing of things."

"Well, we certainly can use you. What does Mono say?" Mono was the oldest member of her crew. He had worked with Allegria many previously and she had also hand picked him for this ship. Mono wasn’t a jack and he was as close to what Zion produced under the classification of doctor. He was well versed in reading code, piloting a ship, making repairs, and fixing the occasional broken bone.

"He says I’ll be fine. Ready for duty." Again the over stated smile.

"Ok. Go see if you can help Jabber and Relay."

He walked to the hatchway then paused and turned. "It wasn’t your fault."

Allegria had a sudden urge to cry but she fought it back. "I know. Now get to work! I want to get the hell outa here!"

He left and Allegria felt the air grow cold and still again. She grabbed the headphones and called into the small, attached mic. "Jabber! Status?"

The hiss broke as Jabber’s voice responded. "I think...just a sec." She could hear him yelling at someone, probably Relay. Then finally, "...yeah...whatever! It’s better than nothing. Captain?"

"Yes."

"We think we have the sensor array finished. Communications is still down." Then to Relay, "Shut up."

"Can we bring it online?"

"Yes. Shut up, Relay!"

"What is it? What is the problem?"

"Relay says if we bring the sensor array up now we can forget about the Communications array."

"Why?" asked Allegria.

"He says it will overload the communications computer the way we have it hooked up. Hi Jetsam! You look like shit, man!"

"I take it you don’t agree."

"Right. Relay is a bit of an anal retentive spaz. We did have to link the sensor array through part of the communication array though. We won’t be able to work on it while the sensors are on line."

"I have a feeling we are going to need the sensor array first. I need that up as soon as possible."

"Will do. Give me a minute and I’ll have it ready to test. Shut up, Relay!"

"Let me know."

"’K."

Allegria looked out the view port of the bridge into the dark cavern beyond. A shiver crawled slowly up her spine as the vision of the Sentinel came back to her. The whole battle with it and Getch’s death still fresh and painful in her mind. It was her fault. She had made too many mistakes and Life had called her on it. Or Death rather. Getch’s death. What ever it took she had to get these people back to Zion. Whatever it took.

"Ready," came Jabber’s voice on the headset.

"Alright, I’m switching it on." She flicked a series of switches and lights, lights that now looked out of place, began to glow. Finally a heads-up display illuminated on the windshield. She clicked a few additional switches and the display changed to show various information. "It’s working, Jabber! It’s...." The display changed again as a red light began to flash. Allegria stared at the visual images and her eyes went wide. "Get Gyro up here quick!"

"She is still in her quarters because of Getch..."

"Now!"

She heard the mic bang against the deck as Jabber must have run off to get Gyro.

Seconds later Jetsam appeared on the bridge again. "What is..." He noticed the display. His mouth hung open.

Allegria turned and looked at him. "Looks like that mechanized bastard sent a signal back for some brothers."

Jetsam blinked and managed to swallow before he spoke. "Brothers...hell! That is a whole fucking family reunion!"

Allegria turned and looked at the display again. It was thick with the red blips of Sentinels coming their way.

He watched from the shelter of an ally as Digital_Grace walked by. He didn’t want to approach her again, she was already spooked. He would bide his time. But as she passed he could feel her awakening. It was finally happening. Each piece was coming together. He smiled.

Another set of eyes watched Digital_Grace walk by the ally. They spied the bum standing in the shadows and held him for only a moment before settling back on Digital_Grace. From the rooftop vantage point Shadow could see the entire street. She smiled as she noticed the bum. But the smile quickly faded as she focused back on her quarry. Silently she made her way across the rooftops, making unbelievable jumps when it was necessary to span large gaps she encountered. Each time she landed with cat-like grace and silence. Her mind was focused and fixed. With the exception on the smile her face remained an emotionless mask. Her mind was no longer filled with confusion, fear, and doubt. She was the Shadow she had always known...with one exception. She had her memories. She knew who she was and what had happened.

Her name was Julie Gordon though it still sounded strange and unfamiliar to her. She had waitressed at a small restaurant called Max and Erma’s outside the city. That was where she met him. And he had changed her life. Nothing would ever be the same after that. Then he was gone and she found herself confused and unsure. Until the revelation came. The awakening. Then all that came before melted away. She shaved her head, tattooed herself with the sign of a guardian angel, and began the job of protecting the Oracle. With each swipe of the razor across her head, with each sting of the tattoo needle her memories faded away until all that was left was her mission. And for all these years that was all she knew. But things were changing now. He had returned and helped her understand.

The memories had no place in her mind right now so she shut them away. But, unlike before, they were there for her when she needed them.

Digital_Grace ended up circling back and heading toward her apartment again. Shadow assumed she must just be restless and needed to clear her head in the cold night air before sleep. As she rounded a street corner Shadow noticed a small group of older boys approaching the same corner from the other side. They stopped in Digital_Grace’s path as she encountered them. Shadow watched intently from above, the wind grabbing at her hooded cloak.

Grace felt the chill of the night air numbing her mind to the events that troubled her. She felt tired and started back for home. As she rounded a corner she encountered a group of boys. They did not part to let her by. "Excuse me," she said quietly but with an edge of sternness.

"Where you going, baby?" asked one. Digital_Grace could smell the liquor strong on his breath.

"Home." She took a step to go around them when one moved to block her. She looked him in the eye. "Excuse me."

"No need to hurry off," he said smiling through stained teeth. His hand touched her shoulder and she shrugged it off. It returned much more forcefully and gripped her collar. She felt a shot of adrenaline course through her and her heart began to thump loudly. She sensed something welling inside...fear? No. Something else entirely.

Her opposite hand came up in a flash and seized his. A twist and a crunch and the boy howled and stepped away. Another, which was by now behind her, brought his arm around her neck. Or at least he tried to. The world seemed to be slowing down around her. She dropped to a crouch, threw out her right leg and spun. The foot sweep took him off of his and he landed with a heavy thud on the sidewalk.

Grace let the momentum carry her around and she let the heel of her foot catch the side of another’s jaw. A slight crack and he also fell to the sidewalk, whimpering. Something clicked behind her and she recognized it as a knife extending. The world continued to slow and she launched herself into the air backwards. Had gravity also lessened? She continued her arc into the air and arched her back bringing her legs up and over. Her left foot caught the boy with the knife in the back of the neck. She landed with incredible balance like a perfect dismount in the Olympics. A boy had managed to right himself and renew his attack with two others backing him up. One was pulling a pistol from his coat. She ran at them, their actions now seeming so slow she wondered if she could dodge their bullets. She hit the first with a roundhouse kick not even breaking stride. Then, in the same fluid motion, she managed to take three steps across the wall as the boy with the gun tried to aim at her. But he moved too slowly and the one bullet that he fired kicked against the concrete of the wall several steps behind her. She spun, kicked, and punched. When she stopped it was because she was the only one moving. The six boys lay either unconscious or moaning.

Shadow had moved to street level as the fight broke out. But now it was over and she stayed in the shadow of a doorway. She was impressed. Digital_Grace was learning. She was...awakening.

Grace looked down at the bodies and then at her hands. Then she began to run. As she ran through the falling snow a memory surfaced in her mind. A memory that was hers and at the same time not hers. She was there yet she didn’t recognize her surroundings. And she remembered herself saying something. Something she knew she had never said before and yet she heard herself say it in the memory. "I know kung fu."

Ether awoke to a knocking at his door. He rubbed at the sleep in his eyes and fumbled for the light. How long had he been asleep? It had felt like minutes. The lights flickered on and gave him the illumination he needed to see the small clock near his bed. 5:47. AM. He had been asleep for almost six hours. Who could be disturbing him at this hour? All he knew was that it had best be important. REAL important. But then the irritableness of awakening swept away and more rational thoughts were revealed.

News of the Orion?

He bolted from the bed and padded to the door on bare feet that registered the cold of the floor. But Ether could not be bothered. He was too intent on what news had awoken him early.

The door opened to the dim light of the corridor outside his room. The couple across the hall was peaking curiously from the slight crack of their open door. Tinman stood staring at him his fist still poised for another knock. Ether looked past him and glared at the nosey couple. The annoyance of a sudden awakening not yet fully gone. Their door clicked closed. Tinman began to speak but Ether knew the people across the passageway were most likely pressing their ears against the door to attempt to listen in. He grabbed Tinman and pulled him into his room quickly closing the door behind him. Ether led him to the small area he used for eating and pointed him toward a seat. Tinman took it all the while looking just a bit fearful of Ether. And rightly so knowing full well of Ether’s explosive temper which had partially led to his nickname.

Ether took a seat opposite Tinman and stared at him. He was expecting the worst. His room seemed to get even smaller and it was no great space in the first place. Originally it had been built for the scientists and support personnel that were to inhabit the underground complex. The rooms were very small with few concessions for comfort. Yet another sacrifice the resistance had to make once they left the seemingly expansive Matrix.

Ether continued to stare at him. He had known Tinman for ten years and they had grown close. Tinman was as close as Ether has ever come to having a best friend in the real world. And he knew now that Tinman was nervous about telling him something and Ether feared the worst. They had found the remains of the Orion.

"This is obviously important, Tin. Out with it."

Tinman was quiet for another few seconds as if drawing courage. "I just got off duty at the Watch Tower. It’s bad, Ether. Bad." There was fear in Tinman’s eyes and for the first time ether realized it was not for him.

The WatchTower was what they called the observation/monitoring/security station. It was tied into the communications station and handled the input from all long range and local sensors. It was their first line of defense. "What is it?"

Tinman swallowed and looked intently at Ether. "They don’t want to panic the general population so they are keeping it quiet but I knew you would need to know." He paused, once again gathering himself. "They know where we are."

There was an emphasis on "they" that instantly let Ether know who he was referring to. The AI. And he had almost whispered it so as not to scare himself further.

"How?" was Ether’s only question.

"A far roaming Sentinel. Similar to the one we found before. It was outfitted with extra battery packs and long range communication equipment. And it had the extra shielding to protect it from the random pulses."

Ether stood and paced to the door and then returned. "Where?"

"It was found at Gate 2. Luckily it was spotted by a patrol craft that was making its rounds. It was destroyed but the guys at the Comm Station swear they caught traces of a rogue signal. If that’s true then they know where the gate is."

Ether continued to stand, not looking at Tinman or at any one thing. Instead his gaze was fixed in space as his mind digested the information. Tinman stood and looked at him. "You know what that means, Ether?"

Ether finally looked at him; his eyes cold and dark. "It means they’ll come, Tin. They’ll come for us all."

Agents were after him. Chasing close behind. No matter how fast he ran they were right behind him; the click of their heels echoing down the dark alleyway like the snap of dogs at his heels. His breath was hot and raspy. This wasn’t really air he was breathing. But no matter how he tried to tell himself that his breathing still came heavy. His legs ached and his shoulder stung where the bullet had buried itself. He was tired.

With each step his legs grew more leaden. The air around him seemed to grow more solid until he felt he was moving underwater. And still the click of heels behind him. His lungs burned for air and got little. Sweat soaked through his clothing, his jacket. His right arm was numb and hung like a weight from the shoulder. He was tired.

A bullet narrowly missed his head and dug into the cheap brick and mortar of the alley wall. It should have spurred him to move faster but he found that, if anything, he moved slower. A trashcan was in his way and he tried to get around it but it seemed he couldn’t navigate around it. His hands and feet taking what appeared as minutes to follow the commands sent from his brain. Another bullet clicked and whistled as it caromed off the ground at his feet and sailed into the night. He wanted to stop, to surrender, but he could not. People depended on him. Somewhere far away he could hear a phone ringing.

The sound of the agents behind him grew silent and with an involuntary shudder he knew they were standing behind him. He knew their guns would be drawn and pointing at him. He had lost. He had failed.

"We meet again, Morpheus." He knew the voice. It was Agent Smith, the coldest of all the agents because he was the most "human" in his motivation, his hate. He slowly turned to face him. "I will not fail this time," he smiled. The smile made his face look like the grin of a skull, evil and dead. "And your precious Neo won’t be able to save you this time. We have taken care of him once and for all."

Morpheus attempted to fight but he was too weary to put up anything but a feeble stand. He was knocked down and kicked and beaten by the agents. They were all becoming more like Smith, taking glee in his pain. Then Smith was over him, the needle in his hand. Morpheus could see the mercury-like liquid glint in the streetlight. He fought back a sob of panic and fear. He knew what it felt like to have that liquid injected into his body. The pain and the loss. The tiny bits of it ripping through you, tearing at the very fabric of your mind. Memories stripped away and laid bare before the AI. Nothing could hide in the onslaught. Minute hammers pounding ever hesitation. Tiny drills boring through any defense. Every nerve assaulted.

Smith laughed a hollow, mechanical chuckle. "And the real joy, Morpheus, is that we don’t even need the codes anymore."

The needle jabbed into his neck and he immediately felt them invade his body, scattering everywhere. He prayed they would pull his plug before he had to go through it all again. There was a metallic banging in his head. It grew louder and louder until...

He woke. Someone was knocking on the hatch to his quarters. "Morpheus?" It was Tank.

"Come in," he called. He grabbed his shirt near the bed and blotted at the sweat the covered his face. The room was cold yet he was drenched.

Tank walked in with an urgent look on his face. "What is it?"

"Something is going on. Ships are being called back to Zion. The Counsel wants you to call them immediately."

"All ships?"

Tank nodded. He looked worried and angry. He started to leave. "I’ll call them right now, Tank. Don’t worry. They couldn’t have meant us."

Again Tank nodded. He forced a small smile then left Morpheus alone. He shivered in the cold. What now?

Trinity sat in the Galley stirring her bowl of amino acids and protein. What did Mouse call it? Tasty Wheat. She smiled to her self. Mouse. She missed him. She missed all of them. She had seen so many go that she often feared she would forget someone. She felt alone. If not for Morpheus and Tank...

She tried to shake it off. Feeling overly nostalgic and sorry for herself was a bad combination. And mixing the two had caused her to get depressed again and she didn’t like it. At least the pattern was becoming familiar. Nostalgic, self pity, depression, and, inevitably, anger. That emotion was starting to show its head even now as she grew disgusted with herself for falling into the trap once again.

But even beyond the pattern of feelings she felt one thing constantly. Her concern about Neo. It was not just his disappearance that bothered her but even before that. He had grown increasingly distant even before all this. Each trip into the Matrix to see him resulted in him drifting a little farther away. But when she would finally become convinced enough to say something he would suddenly become himself again and soon her worry would wash away until the next visit. Trinity felt as if his lack of corporeal form and life inside the Matrix was causing him to slowly dissipate, dissolve into the fabric of the impulses that made up his new world. She and the others had a mind holding themselves together inside, but Neo’s mind was inside. There was no tether to a real world anchor.

She missed him.

It didn’t seem that long ago that she sat with him and the rest around this very table and discussed the taste of this goop.

Tasty Wheat.

The cycle was starting again.

The hatch opened and Spyder walked in somewhat disheveled and angry. "Bloody hell! Can’t a man get ANY sleep?!" He spied Trinity sitting at the table. "Got you up too, did he?"

"What are you talking about, Spyder?" she asked unable to hide her annoyance at his loud, obnoxious entrance.

"The meeting. Morpheus wants to talk to all of us." Sprocket and Loki walked in a second later. Loki also looked to have been pulled from sleep. Spyder noticed and had to remark. "Hey, mate. I see you aren’t too fond..."

"Shut up," mumbled Loki and took a seat near Trinity. Sprocket went into the kitchen and filled a bowl from the dispenser. "Anyone else?" he asked over his shoulder. A couple of grunts that passed as no and he shrugged and grabbed a spork from the rack. As he took a seat Morpheus walked in. He looked tired and worried. Trinity was surprised to suddenly notice how much older he looked than the rest of them. All of this was taking its toll.

"Tank has the bridge," he started. He didn’t take a seat. "I already briefed him on what I am going to tell you." He looked around at all of them. "All ships have been recalled to Zion immediately."

"What?!" said Sprocket. But it just as easily could have been any of them that said it as they all mirrored his look of surprise. "Why?"

"The Council believes the location of Zion has been compromised and that the AI will be attacking it soon."

There was an extended silence in the room as the information and its implications settled in.

"The Council feels that all personnel and ships should be on full alert in case the Ai is in fact mounting an invasion."

Loki looked up. "What about the codes for the Zion mainframe? Does the AI have them?"

Morpheus shook his head. "They don’t believe so. The Council thinks the AI has given up on acquiring the codes and has decided to try and breech the security measures rather than hack into the mainframe."

"Is that possible?!" yelled Spyder, his agitation increasing with this devastating news.

"They found a Sentinel at Gate 2. It made it that far and it was just a Sentinel, not even a Cleaner. And who knows what other things the AI has managed to come up with." Morpheus looked around the room. All eyes had moved to him...except one pair. Trinity. She was staring blankly into her bowl. He knew what was going through her head; they would have to give up the search for Neo. But it wasn’t she that voiced the question. It was Sprocket.

"What about Neo? We have to give up trying to find out what happened?" Trinity’s head came up and her gazed fixed on Morpheus for his reply.

"Yes." She looked away quickly. "The Council orders all ships return immediately. I have asked for permission to stay our course but it was flatly denied. I argued but they would not listen."

"That is bullshit, man!" shouted Sprocket. He flung his bowl at the kitchen and tapioca-like protein mush flew across the wall. "Are they that stupid? Can’t they see..."

"That Neo is our only hope?" finished Trinity. She stood and looked at Morpheus with the steely, determined look she was known for. "They must realize that there is no way they can ward off an entire invasion. They don’t have the firepower or the manpower to stop the AI. Neo is the only hope we have."

The others began to chime in and shout. Morpheus gave them a moment to get the indignation out of their systems. Then he raised a hand slightly and they quieted. "I agree. Neo IS our only chance. Zion can not withstand an all out attack. So I have decided to stay and continue our search." He looked at Trinity. There was a mild look of disbelief on her face.

"But..." started Loki.

Morpheus turned his glance to Loki. "I know. I am disobeying a direct order of the Council. But I truly believe it is my only course of action. I know I am forcing you all to do the same. I am sorry for that. But I do want to know who agrees with my actions and who opposes. I do not want a mutiny. I think I know all of you well enough to know that you understand my decision. But if you disagree say so now. I will not take action against you, nor will the other members of the crew." He looked around the room and waited.

"I am with you, Morpheus," said Sprocket.

"As am I," said Loki. "Seems the only sane course."

"Right! Count me in. Never cared much for those old bastards anyway," said Spyder.

A tiny smile pulled at the corner of Trinity’s mouth. "You know how I feel."

"It is unanimous then. Tank already said to push forward." He smiled at his crew. He had picked them wisely. "You three are going in today to scout the Church of Neo. I still believe the answer lies there. Unfortunately, now we have much less time. Let me know when you three are ready."

Morpheus turned and left. He was positive he was doing the right thing but there still clung that nagging self-doubt. If they could only find Neo.

Digital_Grace awoke with a pounding headache. But hurt as it did, she preferred it to the bizarre and disturbing hallucinations she had been having every night. Maybe things were getting better. Maybe. And there was still that strange situation last evening. How did she know how to do all that?! Maybe that in itself was one of the hallucinations. It had simply taken on a different form.

She no sooner stepped out of the shower than the phone rang. Her head still ached and the jangle of the phone didn’t help. It was almost like a hangover except she hadn’t been drinking. She grabbed the phone more to silence it than to see who was calling.

It was Mr. Carson of TB&D again. She prepared for the news she was released from the project. But that didn’t happen. He still wanted her to finish it if she could come by today. She was somewhat shocked. Grace figured she must be a rarer commodity than she thought. She made a mental note to up her rates on the next job.

"I’ll be there, Mr. Carson. 1:PM it is." She hung up the phone and decided to get ready early and eat at the diner across the street. Perhaps a good breakfast would help rid her of the aching head. She smiled to herself. "Maybe things are finally going to get better? Maybe all this craziness is behind me?" She walked back into the bathroom.

She couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

Shadow found herself back on vigil at the diner across from Digital_Grace’s apartment building. The night had passed and she finally decided to find a better spot to watch. The rooftops had been cold and windy and during the day she was more likely to draw attention if she were spotted there.

"It’s you again," came a voice at her side. She turned to see the young waitress, Cassi, standing at her booth.

"Hello," Shadow replied.

"You spend a lot of time here. You must live around here."

Shadow smiled. "Yes I do. I like to come here and think. Gets me away from all the crazy stuff." That should answer just enough of her curiosity while not actually revealing much.

"Can I refill your coffee?"

"Sure. Thank you."

Cassi walked away and Shadow looked back out the window. Digital_Grace was walking toward the diner. "If she only knew what was ahead," thought Shadow. Digital_Grace walked in and took a seat at the counter. Cassi walked over and talked to her, taking her order. She must also come here a lot as she didn’t even look at a menu and Cassi seemed to recognize her. Shadow took a sip of coffee and settled back. "When would it happen?" she found herself wondering.

Trinity, Loki, and Spyder walked into "A Cup and a Byte." It was one of the cyber cafes that had sprung up. It was a place they went to if they needed to camp out for awhile. For some reason it proved more of a safe haven than regular hangouts. Morpheus thought it might have something to do with all the computers and internet activity. He felt all the signals streaming in and out of that one location made it more difficult for the sentient search programs to locate the pirate signals. Right or wrong, they had never encountered an agent in one of them. They took a station.

"I wish we had decided to go to a decent place to eat. Just muffins and the like here," complained Spyder.

"We aren’t here to eat, Spyder," corrected Loki. "We are trying to do get some information."

"We could get something to eat at the same time."

Loki just shook his head. A waitress came over and asked what they wanted to order. Trinity passed but Loki and Spyder both ordered coffee with Spyder also ordering a muffin.

"Now what?"

Trinity ignored him and logged on to the terminal. She began to run some searches. Nothing was coming up which didn’t surprise her as Tank had already run every search available. But she needed to busy herself while they waited for a call from Tank. "Loki, log on to irc and see what you can find. Tank had some luck there."

Loki began to tap away at the keyboard. "I’m a little rusty at irc. Give me a minute." Finally, "There. I’m in and chatting away." He smiled at his accomplishment. "Same room...dotr."

Spyder busied himself on his muffin while Trinity watched Loki converse with the people in irc. Suddenly Trinity had an odd sensation. An unexpected flash of familiarity. Like...

Like Neo had just walked in!

She spun in her chair and looked at the door. A young girl had just walked in. She looked around and then sat at a terminal. It was still early and many terminals were still free. The girl didn’t look familiar. But there was something about her. Something that nagged at Trinity’s mind. And the more she focused on the girl the more she felt it. There was definitely something there!

"Spyder."

"Yes, Trin."

"See that girl over there at that terminal by the door?" Trinity nodded toward the door.

Spyder saw whom she was indicating. "Yeah?"

"Use your rather abundant charms and she what her story is."

"You suspect something, then do you?"

"Yes, but I don’t know what just yet."

Spyder jammed what was left of his muffin in his mouth, grabbed his coffee cup, and headed toward the girl. Moments later he was sitting with her talking. Trinity suspected from what she could see that he had asked her for help feigning ignorance about computers and the internet. After he settled in she went back to watching Loki. He seemed to be playing devil’s advocate with the people in dotr. He was argumentative and sometimes rude, taking pot shots on what some of them firmly believed in. Trinity wasn’t amused but Loki was having a grand time.

Spyder returned awhile later. The girl had left.

"So?" asked Trinity.

"She sure knows a bit about computers! Quite a fancier, she is."

"Anything that links her to what we are doing?"

"Well, she does know something about this church business. But she isn’t a member."

"What is her name?"

"She goes by Digital_Grace," announced Spyder. "Rather pompous I think."

Trinity thought for a minute. She couldn’t place the name but she knew there was something there. Something familiar.

PART 3 -->
 
 
 
 

FAN FICTION