[10.1] Zion Mission Summaries - "Bodily Harm"

Since no one else seems to want to do these, I'll step up. I don't think I have 10.1.1 recorded, but I'll do that on an alt later in a bit and get that placed in here as well. Until then, enjoy 10.2 and 10.3. Due to really long uploads of my gigantic images, they will be out of order temporarily until I have the opportunity to edit the posts and put them in chronological order. I will return to post 10.2 and possibly 10.1 later on in the night. Here, however is 10.3. 

[10.1.1] Unfulfilled

Mission Details: Discuss options in light of Halborn's deadly action.

Datalink established.

Tyndall: Publius, Captain Niobe would like to speak with you. I... It's about the Oracle.

Operator: ...

Yeah, it's clean.

Niobe: ... You've probably heard this already, but here it is: Halborn killed the Oracle.

He took off afterwards, but we think he's still around. What he's going to do now, whether he's going to keep working with the MAchines...it's anyone's guess. We haven't been able tos top him, and now we're just going to have to be prepared for things to get worse.

Niobe: The hell of it is, they say she was just sitting there in Debir, waiting for him, like she'd planned it all along.

So maybe we've been wasting our time. But that doesn't make sense, either. Why would she have gone to the trouble of letting us try to defend her if she was just going to...

I don't know. *CENSORED* it, Oracle, what were you thinking?

Ghost: She was killed once before, that we know of: betrayed to the Merovingian by Rama-Kandra--the price for bringing Sati into the Matrix. The Oracle knew what they had planned, but it was a price she was willing to pay.

If she knew Halborn would kill her--knew and let it happen--then I can only ask myself: what was she paying for this time?

Ghost: A bargain Halborn struck with the Machines, or with someone else? The Merovingian, again? The intel we have doesn't seem to add up.

Before she was killed, she came to us, and talked about the future. It sounded like there was something she counted on us to do. If it wasn't to save her from Halborn, then what was it?

Tyndall: Just about everyone in Zion felt strongly about the Oracle, even those of us who never had a chance to meet her. She's been so vital to our survival, and her advice--even just her presence--has been an inspiration to so many... I think that everyone had come to count on her, in one way or another. Without her in the Matrix, it just feels like something's missing...

I'm sorry, Publius. I didn't mean to delay you. Captain Colt wants to see you.

Operator: ...

I'll admit her flair for dramatic suspense drove me up the wall sometimes, but Tyndall's right... It just feels wrong not having her around.

... Yeah, Colt's in there.

Colt: Jesus, what kept you? That murderer is still out there somewhere, and if we can't find him, we're at least gonna obliterate some of his *CENSORED* programs so hard he'll feel it!

Operator: Uh... I guess we've been deputized.

Colt: Come on, let's move! You can get the coordinates from Tyndall, right?

Tyndall: Yes, Warrior. We've still been picking up sporadic outbreaks of override programs. Carlyne has claimed that they haven't been his, which would leave Halborn as the culprit.

I can direct you to the predicted coordinates of some of these programs. We don't anticipate that Halborn himself will be present, but then again, we don't actually know what Halborn's intentions are, now that he's killed the only person he thought could help him.

Colt: I thought *you* were getting the directions from Tyndall!

Operator: Hey, that's right!... What *was* Halborn's angle, killing the Oracle? He thought she could get him that bio-interface program he wants, right? So she wouldn't help him out, and he just aces her?

Speaking of: I don't see a signal the size of the Matrix's Most Wanted in there, but I've got definite override activity on the premises.

Operator: Hm... I've still got some active signals in there, but I can't seem to pin them down any closer. I'm getting a weird signal on a computer in the next room, though. Maybe we should pretend Colt is in charge, and let him take a look at it.

Colt: Computer? Show me.

Operator: What th-? They're right on top of you!

Colt: Hah! They're ours now!

Colt: ... I'll feel better when that wireframed bastard is toes-up!

...

Tyndall: We're picking up another override signal near your location--a large one. It could be-- Oh, one moment...

Yes? Verified? All right, thank you.

The override signal appears to be Carlyne, Warrior. He's just been in contact to say that he wants to meet in person. There's been no discussion with him since the Oracle's death, so we're not sure what he may wish to communicate.

Operator: Watch it in there. No telling what he's up to, now that his rival succeeded.

...or didn't succeed. Whatever.

Incidentally, I heard a story about Halborn getting by Carlyne and reaching the Oracle because Carlyne fell for some kind of trick involving Mervs disguised as Agents.

Oh, it's messed up, all right.

Carlyne: There's no getting around it: we've had a real setback. I'm not very happy about letting him slip by me like that. No, I won't try to make any excuses; that wouldn't help us one bit.

Still, catching him as he tried to reach the Oracle wasn't the only means of getting rid of him that I've been looking into; in fact, I think I'm fairly close to being able to put another plan into action--one that's much more direct. And, now that he's dashed the hopes of the Machines by staying in their simulation, despite reaching the Oracle--oh, yes, he's quite determined to stay--I don't think we need to worry about him getting further support from that quarter.

I'll be in touch shortly with a more concrete proposal. Please do contact me if anything comes up that you think I can help with.

Carlyne: I know that it's gotten bad, and I'm sorry. I sincerely wish that he hadn't found her. It was a body-blow to your group, whose strength and support I rely upon, and it's going to...complicate things for me in other ways, as well, unless I can get rid of him soon.

Tyndall: I'll relay that information immediately, Publius. We can't put faith in vague promises of Halborn's removal; in fact, now that the Oracle is beyond the reach of any further threat, it isn't even clear that removing Halborn will bring us a tangible benefit, especially if he is moving back into opposition against the Machines. Still, Carlyne's comments could give us some insight into what he and Halborn will do.

[10.1.2] Dead Man at the Wheel

Mission Details: Carlyne wants to discuss an attack made on him by Halborn.

Datalink Established.

Tyndall: Halborn attacked Carlyne, Warrior, and--according to Carlyne--tried to insert a trace program into his RSI. The presence of operatives foiled Halborn's attempt.

Carlyne has just asked to meet. It sounds as though he has something he wishes to discuss in relation to the attack.

Carlyne: Ah, it's you again, Neoteny. Hello. Yes, I caught a bit of a lucky break this time. Hm... Then again, Halborn's been alienating everyone who used to support him. He still hasn't realized that kind of thing catches up with you.

I'll admit, though, that he took the initiative against me sooner than I had anticipated. I think he sees me as his primary threat now; he'd love to get rid of me so that he can stay here and search for that program he believes in--yes, still--at his leisure. He intended to run a trace back through my broadcast signal to locate my ship; no doubt he'd like to try attacking me in the Real.

What makes me so sure? Well... We are more vulnerable outside of this simulation; I can't deny that. In fact, I've been trying to locate his ship for the same reason, but he's been lying low. Obviously I'll have to step things up. Hm... I'll have to think about this.

Operator: They're definitely cruising around out here, then? Uh... 'Scuse me for a sec while I run a detailed perimeter analysis... Can't be too careful...

Carlyne: Oh, yes... Certainly we have ships. You didn't think Halborn was just a disembodied program here, simply because his natural body is all but defunct? My, no. That would have made him much easier to deal with!

No, he runs off of outside resources, which means that he needs to maintain a ship close to the Machine city; it's his relay point to get into the Matrix, you see. Without that: pfft! But it's harder to find his ship out there than it is to locate his code signal here in the Matrix.

Tyndall: They're trying to strike at each other's ships in the real? It sounds like a new front could be opening up in this battle. I'll pass this along to Commander Roland right away.

I've got something else for you, Neoteny: E Pluribus Neo has contacted us to say they have another message for us from Commander Lock.

I hope that his recovery in the old city has been going well. I'm directing you to the EPN group now.

Operator: Maybe it's just me, but it sure seems like EPN's been getting farther "out there" since the Oracle told them to hang on to some encrypted program thingy for her. and especially since Halborn killed the Oracle, they've been coming up with all kinds of nutty theories about it...

Just saying, that's probably been driving Lock bananas.

Armor: You have our condolences about the Oracle. She meant a great deal to us.

Bardwell: Lock may not want to admit it, but with the work we're putting into it, the old city's defenses will be stronger than ever. Even so, we can still move out at a moment's notice if the Machines waste the energy of throwing their whole fleet at us.

Shimada: Yes, we're all very happy to see his progress. We've uploaded his message to the computer here.

Operator: Looks like they've opened access to that terminal.

Shimada: We all feel the Oracle's loss very keenly. We can only hope to live up to the legacy with which she has entrusted us.

Computer:
Zion,

In the man weeks that I have remained here, I have heard the stories of our successes and our travails. Despite the loss of our city, the move to a new home, and the constant dangers from threats old and new, all of these stories tell me that Zion's spirit is undimmed.

As for myself, I have the meticulous care of E Pluribus Neo's medical staff to thank for what I am told is a nearly complete recovery. If all goes well, I should be fit for travel in a few weeks, at which point I trust that some sort of arrangement can be made for my transport to our new city. I know that to see the true heart of Zion once more--the men and women who fight bravely for the future of humanity--will be worth more to me than the skill of any doctor.

Jason Lock

Tyndall: Operative, we have an emergency situation: one of our broadcast support clusters is under attack. Please respond.

Shimada: Operative, please let us assist you. These two fighters will help in any way they can.

Armor: Lead the way.

Bardwell: Just watch.

Tyndall: The cluster is under attack by overridden programs. Most of the operatives who were on the scene were wiped out. Reports from a few survivors are chaotic... I need you to get there and do what you can to preserve the data at the facility, Neoteny.

Operator: Got multiple override signals in there. I can't access most of the site's systems... Doesn't look good.

Zion Physician: It was Halborn... He didn't say what he wanted...just smashed through our security and went at the computers while his programs held us off...

Operator: Halborn?! What the hell? He already knows we don't have his *CENSORED* program...

Data in there's scrambled pretty bad. I don't know if we're going to be able to get an access record out of it that would tell us what he was doing.

Computer:
This system experienced an unexpected shutdown. Any unsaved data has been lost.
Checking file integrity...

Computer (another one):
Access Denied:
This terminal has been locked. Contact the system administrator for assistance.

Zion Physician: I don't know if he got anything... We tried to shut down as soon as we realized what was happening, but his programs were already on us. He might have been able to grab data from a few connectons we couldn't shunt right away.

Computer (yet another):
>
No bootable drive or media found.
Please insert boot disk. <ENTER>

Armor: The fight continues.

Bardwell: Huh. They're still just programs.

Tyndall: Up to now, Halborn hadn't been targeting us specifically. If this represents a change of tactics on his part, it will be very serious. I'm going to have you make your report directly to the field commander, operative. She's jacked in not far from your current position.

Operator: Niobe's in there. They should be expecting you. I betcha she's gonna be real thrilled to hear this.

Zion Ravager: Hi.

Zion Duelist: Captain's waiting for you. Head on in.

Niobe: Son of a--

After Halborn killed the Oracle, we didn't have a clear reason to try to take him down, nice as getting revenge would have been; the way he was treating the Machines, he'd have forced them to keep their attention on him. But if he's dumb enough to leave us no choice, I've got no problem with us doing whatever it takes to put that creep on ice.

Niobe: Could have something to do with Carlyne; maybe he's afraid that we'll help Carlyne get at his ship.

A broadcast cluster... He might be able to figure out hovercraft positions from that. Or maybe he's trying to crack our broadcast protocols... *CENSORED* it, I don't like this at all.

Zion Duelist: #@%! I say we find his ship and kick his withered butt straight out the disposal chute.

Zion Ravager: Seems like Carlyne's been playing it straight with us. He said the guy was bad news from day one.

Tyndall: Thank you for making that report, Neoteny. Should it become necessary, I know that we can overcome Halborn. If there's any truth to what Carlyne told you today, then both of them are potentially vulnerable outside of the Matrix.

I'll keep you appraised as the situation develops. Tyndall, out.

[10.1.3] Unibody

Mission Details: Get hard data on the ships used by the intruders.

Datalink Established.

Tyndall: Operative, Carylne attempted to run a broadcast trace of his own through Halborn's RSI, but even though operatives were able to hold Halborn long enough for Carlyne to reach him, Carlyne reported that Halborn was already running an advanced counter routine to the trace program.

Captain Niobe has determined that we need to take teh lead in Halborn's removal. To that end, she's questioning Carlyne regarding the craft he and Halborn employ. She's going to need you there to put any findings into action.

Operator: Gonna be a little skeptical of any info Carlyne gives us about the ships. He's gotta know that it could show us his vulnerabilities, too. Guess we'll see...

Carlyne: Not at all; I quite understand the necessity. Unfortunately, I do not have detailed information on the ship Halborn is using now. I only caught a glimpse of it, not long before he entered the Matrix. All I can tell you is that it appeared roughly similar to the model I'm using, but of a slightly heavier class that would favor increased armor and firepower over speed.

My own ship differs from the types you employ; it has the advantage of a steamlined unibody construction whose dark composite surface provides superior protection against kinetic and electro-magnetic weapons, and detection. The repulsion units are internal rather than external, and capable of quite a bit more velocity and altitude than our own. The overall profile is smaller, and much more maneuverable. I will provide you with a detailed external visual schematic. I hope this will be helpful.

Carlyne: Ah... Regarding the armaments, I hope you can understand that I must hold details in reserve; however, suffice it to say that in order to have a chance of surviving an encounter with Halborn, you will almost certainly need to be able to track and destroy multiple intelligent missiles simultaneously.

Zion Ravager: We've had to take Carlyne's word for a lot of things. He could tell us he and Halborn actually live on the Moon, and how could we be sure if it was true or not?

Zion Ravager: ...

Personally, I think Io is more likely.

Zion Ravager (I had two Zion Ravagers... This is a different one): You hear about the Machines attacking EPN in the old city? Sounds like they didn't send that many Sentinels, but still... And this right before we're due to get Lock out of there? Seems pretty fishy to me.

Niobe: You heard him? All right, I need you to get on this. Head out and report to Tyndall.

Operator: Uh... When they call for crews to volunteer to go after Halborn's ship, we could just... Uh...

Ah, hell...

Niobe: No point in worrying about that right now. First step is finding him.

Tyndall: Carlyne's description sounds plausible enough in light of what we've seen of their technology within the Matrix, but if we're going to risk our crews against Halborn's ship, we need more than Carlyne's word. Confirmation from a third party will both ensure that we're proceeding against Halborn with credible intelligence, and provide us with some proof of whether or not we can trust Carlyne.

To our knowledge, the Machiens are the only group that would have visual sightings of either of those ships on record. We don't currently know of a Machine database that would store such records, but we may know someone who does. I'm sending you to talk to this person now.

Operator: Babcock is one of the General's commandos--an ex-Sentinel, and not a low-ranking one, either. If anyone we can get to in the Matrix knows where we might access the Machine city air surveillance data, it'd be him.

Since joining up with the Merv, discipline among some of the General's men has...loosened up a bit, shall we say. One of our French connections shoveled us info on this guy that he probably won't want getting back to old Blood 'n Guts. What you're gonna do is offer to stay clam if he gives us a line on a Machine surveillance d-base.

Babcock: What? A goddamn shakedown? $%@#!

No. All right... Goddamn it. But this is the end of it, you got that?

Machine network hub 1022.357111.0911.BGH: two hops down you'll find an access port, if they haven't moved it. It'll be encrypted to hell, but @#$%, you knew that.

Operator: Ah, dontcha love teh smell of blackmail in the morning?

Two hops, the man said... All right, I'm on it...

Babcock: Must've been that goddamn private... He never could stand tail...

Club Guard: Hm! Better use it fast...

Tyndall: Nice work getting that address, operative. I'm painting the physical access site on your HUD. Machine security at the site is likely to be high.

Operator: She wasn't kidding: all kinds of Machine blips in there. You don't need to take them all out, though. As soon as we find the data we're after, you can grab it and scram.

Tactical Security: Do not move.

Tactical Security: Do not move.

Operator: Okay, it looks like you can use the terminal in that room to run a search on their data stores. I can cross-reference against the schematic Command's received from Carlyne.

Operator: Bingo! Got a surveillance record of a ship like what Carlyne... Wait... Another hit. Man, I guess we're just *on* today.

You're looking for a mainframe in that same area. I'll mark it for you when you've got it in visual range. It should have the data containing both of the records we matched.

Computer:
Results:
- 0881: 1 record match
- 0881: 1 partial record match
Search complete (0.281ms)
>_

Agent: Security breach! Send backup!

Operator: Ooh... More Machine blips just popped up near you.

Operator: Wha-- Where'd you learn that hack?

You opened up access to the data on that mainframe.

Geez.

Operator: Looks like the stuff... Upload that to me from a hardline.

Machine Captain: On the floor! Now!

Tyndall: We're running through the data now, Neoteny. Ghost is standing by with one of our analysts.

Operator: That better've gotten us somewhere. The security at that place was ridiculous!

Zion Upgrade Master: It just makes me think about how much the Machines know about those two, but don't seem to want to use. They probably know where both of their ships are, right now.

Zion Expert Rifleman: Man, that was awesome. I can't believe you wasted that man Machine programs at once!

Computer: Scanning data...

Agathe: The Machine data records the approach of a ship corresponding to the description Carlyne gave us for Halborn's craft, just a few weeks before Halborn appeared in the Matrix. Could be coincidence, but on the face of things it looks like Carlyne's information is legitimate.

We got something else too, though: a ship matching the description Carlne gave for his own vessel was cross-referenced in the data on the one that was probably Halborn's. The refrence is to a surveillance record moved two years ago to an archive database. We can't tell how old the data was before it was archived, but it looks like Carlyne's ship was at the Machine city two or more years ago.

Agathe: It's possible there are other records of ships like these in other Machine databases. We've found that they often keep information distributed, more than you would think.

Computer:
Synchro cross-check running...
(1) Confirmed
(2) Confirmed
Cross-check complete.
>_

Ghost: We can never be certain about information that comes to us second-hand, especially from MAchine sources, but this will probably be conclusive enough for Commander Roland to stard working out a plan to hunt down Halborn's ship.

Carlyne's either so anxious to get Halborn out of there that he's willing to risk compromising his own security by giving us intel, or at least some of the intel he's giving us about himself is false. He didn't bother telling us that he'd visited the Machines two or more years ago. There's no telling what else he might be hiding.

Ghost: What really worries me is where the Machines come in on this. They're holding back from outright attacks on either Halborn or Carlyne. Is that because they're affraid of being hit with more code overrides, or is there something else?

Maybe it doesn't make a difference. Carlyne's told the Machines he'll leave once Halborn's been handled. If he does that...there isn't going to be anything to prevent the Machines from coming straight at us again.

Tyndall: Getting hard data like this is a significant breakthrough, Neoteny. Much of our inability to deal with Halborn or Carlyne on an even footing has stemmed from their managing to keep the real facts about themselves hidden. We're finally starting to pull aside that veil of secrecy.

[10.1.4] Ping

Mission Details: Assist a crew in pursuit of Halborn's ship.

Datalink established.

Tyndall: Neoteny, we have a developing situation with Halborn's ship. Captain Colt is jacked in, and can provide you with an up-to-the-minute briefing.

Operator: There are some crazy rumors running around right now. Sounds like it's really hitting the fan out here.

Zion Network Attacker: Halborn nearly caught one of our shpis just a few days ago. They only got away beacuse we managed to trick him into jacking in for a while.

Only reason I can think of for him to go after one of our ships like that is to try to use it to get access to New Zion. It's probably the only place he hasn't been able to search for that program he wants.

Zion Duelist: Cypherites and Machinists caught up with the EPN and Zion ships exchanging Lock between old Zion and New Zion. there was one hell of a battle. They're still trying to sort out who's in one piece.

I don't know if it's been confirmed yet, but word is that the Cyphs probably found out about it from data they stole from EPN. Seems like nothing's safe with those jack-pullers around.

[Editor's Note/Spoiler alert: Zion and EPN won the battle and Lock is being returned to Zion right now]

Colt: *CENSORED*, nice timing. Okay, look: we've got a hovercraft that may be on Halborn's tail. His ship was spotted fleeing the scene of a royal scrap between our ships and EPN, and the Machines and Cypherites. It was over Lock--anyway, never mind that. Our ship left to make some repairs, and they think they caught sight of Halborn skulking around. They're due to pop back up to broadcast depth any minute now to relay an update. I need you to track down Carlyne so we can have him on-hand for this, 'cause we may not be able to get our other ships there in time to assist.

Colt: Christ! Get going! This may be the break we've been needing to bag that bastard.

Tyndall: I'm sending you to our bet guess on Carlyne's position, Warrior. It's a significant concentration of override activity in that district.

Operator: I think we've found our man. That's one big reading in there.

Carlyne: Eh? Ah, hello. What can I do for you?

I see. Hm... If they could get close enough to his ship, and scan a specific spectrum band, we might be able to get useful information about the broadcast frequency he's using to access the Matrix.

But they'll have to draw him out. Mm... I've heard that he crippled, but did not kill, one of your ships just recently. He may be interested in capturing one. We should let him think he's got his chance. What if you had your ship land, and activate an emergency beacon? If he picks up the signal, he might mvoe in close enough for the scan to work.

Operator: I don't know about this... I'll run it by Tyndall.

Carlyne: It will be risky for the crew, but we might not get a chance like this again. I'll get in touch with your operations staff and give them the band range that will be necessary for the scan.

Tyndall: Warrior, a heavy ore field is still blocking direct communication with our hovercraft, but we've just picked up the jack-in signal of one of the crew members, Tirela. The signal is weak, and I'm unable to get through to her. You'll have to make direct contact.

Commander Roland isn't enthusiastic about Carlyne's plan to have them invite Halborn to approach to close range, but our only other option is to have them wait for reinforcements, which are still a consierable distance away, adn we have no guarantee that Halborn will remain nearby for long.

It will be up to the ship's captain whether or not they want to try Carlyne's plan. It is true that Halborn crippled but did not destroy one of our hovercraft only a few days ago, although we can't be sure what his purpose was in doing so was.

Operator: All alone with Halborn--I do not envy that crew right now.

I'm reading Tirela's signal in there. It's a little weak, but holding together.

Desk Phone: ...

Tirela: All right, I'll inform our captain. Hang on.

...

We'll go for it. They've activated our emergency beacon. The captain wants to take this guy down, bad. We think he's still there, but we can't be sure. Nothing on radar, but there's some weird lidar scatter.

Operator: Wel...they got guts.

Okay, Tyndall says Carlyne's in touch with the data they'll need to run the scan. We've got to get Tirela over to him so she can relay the information to the ship.

Tirela: Gotcha. Let's go. They're landing just at the bottom of broadcast depth, so my signal should hold up all right.

Tyndall: If they're willing to try it, then there's no time to waste. Take Tirela to Carlyne as quickly as you can, Neoteny.

Operator: What the heck was that? I read some override signals popping up in your vicinity. You don't think Halborn's tracking their broadcast signal, do you?

Anyway, we've got Carlyne standing by in there. Get Tirela to him so he can give her the scan info.

Operator: Good. Did Carlyne get them the scan info?

Tirela: Got it. They said a resonance sweep picked up Halborn's ship. They're starting the scan now.

How long should they--

What? Oh n--

Operator: Tirela's signal just cut out! What happened?

*CENSORED* it. I'll see if Tyndall has any info from our other ships yet...

Zion Aikido Grandmaster: Tirela!

Zion Ballista: *CENSORED* it! I'm jacking out. My hovercraft's on its way there now. We'll see what Halborn thinks of the business end of my gun turret.

Zion Aikido Grandmaster: No...

Carlyne: The data! Did they get-- Ah. Ah. Very well. Hardly ideal, but we must make due, eh?

The scan returned some data on Halborn's broadcasting frequency before it was...terminated. The loss of that brave young woman and her crew is regrettable. Fortunately, it need not be in vain. With this information, I'll be able to finalize a new program I've been workin gon. He won't have a countermeasure for this one yet...

Carlyne: Halborn shouldn't have destroyed their ship like that. He couldn't have suspected that they were running that scan. Or could... Mm... No; no, I don't think so. I simply can't explain his behavior. He's very volatile.

Ghost: ...

Our other hovercraft are heading there at top speed, but I doubt Halborn's going to stick around, especially after what he just did. We have to hope that they manage to find some survivors among the crew.

Ghost: I can't say whether it was worth it or not, even assuming the data they returned is usable. Try asking their friends or next of kin.

Tyndall: Our craft have approached within radio range of the ship's landing position, but they are receiving no response from the crew. It doesn't look good, Neoteny.

At this point we're unsure of what Halborn is trying to accomplish by preying on our hovercraft. Destroying them one by one won't help him break through New Zion's defenses; it's only hardening our resolve to send him back to wherever he came from.

Fallout from the battle around Commander Lock's transfer to New Zion is spreading our combat fleet thin right now. You can be sure that I'll update you as soon as I can about that situation.

[10.1.5] Don't Let the Door Hit You

Mission Details: Talk to Carlyne about his plans.

Datalink established.

Tyndall: Warrior, Carlyne's plan appears to ahve worked. He confronted Halborn, and an operative hit Halborn with the program Carlyne made using data scanned from Halborn's ship. Halborn's RSI crumpled to teh ground, disappeared, and hasn't been seen since.

There have been rumors that Carlyne told the Machines he'd leave the Matrix once Halborn was removed; he still hasn't confirmed this to us. He's asked for a meeting just now. We'll have to see if we can find out what he means to do.

Operator: So that's it for old Halborn, huh? Weird how things can work in the Matrix: all that chaos and destruction, and then it's suddenly gone like it never happened because a one changed back to a zero somewhere.

Looks like his signal in there. I suppose he'll be grinning from ear to ear.

Carlyne: Ah, Neoteny. I'm glad it's you. you see, I'm afraid this is goodbye. Halborn's  been removed, so my job here is done.

I'd just like to say "thank you" to you and the rest of Zion. Couldn't have done it without you. Best of luck with everything here.

Operator: Huh... I guess that's that, then. Nice and tidy, just the way Carlyne likes things.

Carlyne: Oh, ah... No, I doubt my program actually killed him. The goal was to disable his ship's systems with a viral agent fed back through his broadcast signal, and that seems to have worked nicely. With his ship--his relay point--eliminated, he can no longer reach the Matrix. He's also lost a significant investment.

Mm... Well, it's not to say that he *couldn't* come back, but don't worry, I'll be taking some steps to make sure that doesn't happen. That's part of the reason why I have to dash off, you see.

Goodbye, then.

Tyndall: Warrior, although Halborn may be gone, and Carlyne departing, our sensors have still been picking up override program activity here and there in the Matrix. While it's probably just residual effects, and not Halborn or some similar large-scale threat arriving, we need to make sure that these overrides aren't going to interfere with our ac tivity in the simulation. I'm sending you to an override site dangerously close to one of our computer centers.

Operator: Hm... I'm not seeing any override activity in there, actually. Scan's a little scratchier than normal, but nothing too unusual.

Bluepill: Sugar bear, have you seen my--

Eek!

Bluepill: Um... Can I help you? This is kind of private property...

Just sayin'.

Operator: Feel free to keep trespassing if you want, but I've got a big fat load of nothin' on the scanner here.

Bluepill: So... Looking for something?

Bluepill 2: I didn't know we were having company over!

Tyndall: That's very strange, Neoteny. Possibly these programs are behaving differently without a direct connection to their creators. I've had another check run, and we've found a similar group of override signals nearby.

Operator: Okay, this time I've got some override signals. They don't look like they're doing much, though.

Operator: Weird... Think they're just going kaput with the wireframes gone?

Operator: Hm. Can't complain about an easy mission, can we?

Wait a sec. got a signal here... Sure looks like a Machine. Are you getting this?

Agent: Source of interference detected.

Operator: If the Machines are wiping out the overrides now that that Wireframe and Hardy are gone, you might want to think about getting out of there...

Agent Wong: Surrender.

Tyndall: I see. It isn't surprising that the Machines are moving swiftly to rid the Matrix of the remaining overrides. This does bring up another concern, though.

Captain Niobe is asking to speak with you.

Operator: Ya know, some people are saying the Machines had something to do with setting up Halborn's ship for getting detected by our hovercraft, back at that big battle over Lock's transfer to New Zion.

Halborn wasn't leaving us much choice, so we helped Carlyne take him out. That satisfies Carlyne, he leaves, so now it's us and the Machines again. My guess is they're not gonna pause to give us a pat on the back over this whole thing.

Zion Aikido Grandmaster: Playing Niobe's bodyguard is no walk in the park. She still doesn't hesitate to charge right in when something starts going down. Hell, sometimes I think she gts ticked when we actually manage to stop a hostile before they get to her.

Zion Howitzer: What do you suppose the Mervs are up to? They've been kind of quiet lately. Hey, the Merv didn't even try to back up his boy Halborn, did he? Hm... Maybe he figured he'd quit while he was ahead after he helped Halborn kill the Oracle.

Niobe: I don't think anyone's sorry to see either of those two out of here. Hell, even though Carlyne helped us--sort of-he never really came clean about what this was all about.

That Machine showing up around those dead overrides isn't a good sign, though. The Machines have been hands-off ever since Halborn first showed up, but we've got to be prepared for them to step things up now that they don't ahve to worry about their programs being taken over. We're on our own against the System again, Neoteny.

Niobe: It *isn't* the same as before. We've had time to get New Zion fully operational; we're better prepared and more secure than anyone's been against the Machines, ever. But we lost a lot of good people from them catching us with critical data still in our old mainframe... And this time we don't have the Oracle around to pat our hand and tell us it will all work out.

Tyndall: I know that we'll face what comes next bravely, Neoteny, no matter what it may be. zion's spirit of resistance against slavery and oppression will never die.

//[10.1] END\\