The Next Agent White

It had been five months. Still no sign of him. Still no trace of Agent White.

Rumors were abound. Some said he was dead, deleted. Others told me he was reassigned. Other theories included a theory about how Agent White could’ve been turned into another program. Recycled. I knew there was no proof for the rumors, but I had hope that he was still alive and well. Then, finally, a lead. I contacted Sieges for any clue on Agent White’s whereabouts.She showed me a video that showed Agent White. He was still an Agent, the lead Agent in charge of the investigation of Algorithm Black. But he was different. He had no emotions, and apparently, no memory of me. After viewing the video, I bowed my head in sadness.

 “They took away his emotions.” Sieges told me. “Those idiots!” I replied. I still had my digital bomb, the one I had used earlier to threaten the OWB into submission regarding Agent White. “The OWB is going to pay for this!” I exclaimed, remembering my bomb. “Don’t do anything drastic. It’s not worth destroying the System over this. Can’t you find another Agent you could reprogram?” She asked. I nodded. “I have the perfect candidate.” “Who?” “Agent Brown.”

 Meanwhile, downtown…

 Agent Brown stood in the living room of an apartment, with Agent Pace, whom he was now assigned to work with on a sporadic basis. He was peering out the window, looking for any suspicious activity. Nothing yet. And they were both forced to sit here and do nothing, while waiting for their next orders. Agent Pace touched her earpiece and vanished, enroute to another location to meet with some operatives. He sighed and sat down on the couch.

 I approached the building disguised, so no one could recognize me. I had detected Agent Brown on my code scanner. I went up to his floor and stopped right outside the room he was in. I used my little laptop and hacked the local code, accessing Agent Brown himself. I loaded the old program that I had used on Agent White and loaded it into Brown’s program…and waited…

Agent Brown squinted behind his sunglasses at the front door. There was something stealthed over there, as there had been a rift in the Matrix code…and a change in his own program. He suddenly had all these strange and alien memories come flooding to his mind…he remembered an operative named Jane Anderson, otherwise known as Wire. The memories were very fragmented as he remembered a small animal called Piglet, and an apartment building in Sai Kung. He stood up from the couch and approached the door cautiously.

I was in a kneeling position just outside his front door in sneak, and invisible to humans and programs alike. My little computer beeped at me, the Agent was incoming. Slowly but surely. I shut down my hacking computer and backed away from the door.

Agent Brown opened the front door. The emotions he was feeling at that moment were overwhelming, and he stopped in mid-stride and observed these strange new emotions. Emotions were alien to him, as he has never felt them before. He felt curiosity of who was hacking his program and the Matrix, and he felt an overwhelming love towards this operative named Wire. He continued walking, grabbing the doorknob and turning it, opening the door to the hallway. There was nothing visible…yet.

I was three feet away from him! It appeared he couldn’t see me…yet. I had to keep myself from giggling as I peered at him. Perfect black suit, black sunglasses, and dark brown hair. He was famously recognizable, as he was one of the Agents who used to work with Smith. I stood up very slowly as to not break my stealth. Then, surprising me, he spoke! “Human, identify yourself. I know you are present in this hallway but stealthed to avoid detection. I can detect a latent code stream from you.” My eyes went wide. He touched his earpiece suddenly. “I need an anti-stealth measure activated at my current location.” Suddenly, a flash of light and I was visible! I froze in place when I realized what was going on. Agent Brown cocked his head slightly, with a curious look on his face. “Agent Anderson. What is your reason for being at this location?” He asked. I had to improvise. “I came to…repair…your…backup hardline.” “Operative, there is no hardline at this location. You’re lying.” “I uhh…dammit…” My face burned a hot red. I was horrible at improvising random reasons. “Your anxiety levels are high. You cannot lie to me. I can read your vital signs. Why are you here?” “I was…uhh…” He looked down and saw my hacking laptop. “You! You were hacking the Matrix!” He exclaimed, but by the time he finished his sentence, I had grabbed my laptop and booked it for the door. He pursued. I had to find a place to hide and now!

I ran from the apartment in a full sprint. Agent Brown wasn’t too far behind. “Agent Anderson - stop running!” He yelled. I didn’t answer or slow down. I couldn’t afford to be captured now. My cell phone rang. No doubt it was Agent Gray, asking me why I had hacked the Matrix and why I was now running from one of my own - an Agent. I increased my speed with an algorithm in my RSI when my hacking keyboard dissolved into green code. I jumped up onto a rooftop, just out of sight of Agent Brown. I could hear him down below. “Send some reinforcements. She’s still running.” I looked down and saw two Agents appear next to him as he walked down the alleyway. Agent Gray was one of them…I turned and ran the other way when one of the Agents saw me. The Agents jumped up onto my rooftop as I ran toward the opposite edge, and my phone rang again. This time, I did not bother. I pulled it from it’s holster on my belt and threw it as hard as I could at the Agents behind me. Two of them dodged it, the third grabbed it in mid air. I looked back once before jumping off the roof - down into a window a couple floors below on an adjacent building. I fell down - and smashed through the glass, rolling out of the fall. I had landed in a hallway, but no time to observe my surroundings. The Agents were following. I ran down the hallway to the stairs and jumped floor by floor down the stairwell. I got to the bottom and pulled the door open, and ran face first into Agent Gray. The impact sent me backwards, but did not touch him. Sitting on the floor in the stairwell, I thought of getting up and running back up the stairs. That idea was shot as Agent Brown landed from a hyper jump on the first flight. I smiled. “How the hell did you guys find the stairs so fast?” I asked them. “We know the layout of every building in the Matrix, Ms. Anderson.” Agent Gray replied. My eyes spied a weak spot in the wall to my left… “Are you hurt?” Agent Brown asked. “I’m fine.” “You’ll be coming with us.” The third Agent said, coming around the corner on the second flight slightly above me. I stood up and brushed off. I inched toward the weakened wall. “You can come with this!” I replied, flipping them all off as I jumped backwards through the wall and landed on the other side, still on the ground floor. I stood up and ran for the front door. The doors flickered in green code…as I reached them. They were locked - from the inside. The three Agents appeared from the stairwell, and patiently walked towards me, as I yanked on the door with all my might. There were windows next to the door, which I took my gun out and shattered the glass. I stepped through it and continued running. There was a hardline within view! Tabor Park Central…I ran towards it but was forced to change course when Agent Brown landed directly in front of it after a hyper jump. I looked up to where he had jumped from - the other two Agents were still on the rooftop. “Stop running. Let me help you.” Agent Brown said to me. “And you think that I’ll trust you?” “I would hope so, since you are a Machine Operative.” “And that makes me automatically a candidate to trust Agents?” “No, but you can trust me.” “Why? Why can I trust you?” “Because…I love you.” I smiled. My program was working! “You’ll have to catch me first!” I replied, hyper jumping on top of the nearest building. Next available hardline: Tabor Park West. I ran for it. I hyper jumped to the city block where the hardline was. A bluepill near the hardline began to morph into an Agent, just as I grabbed the ringing phone.

In a split second, I awoke in the real. I had been jacked in while inside the Machine City. The plug retracted away from me and disappeared inside the wall. I looked around and saw other humans jacked in, reclined in chairs. I seemed to be inside some kind of strange building. I knew, in order to leave, I could not just walk outside. Near the door, which was an airtight hatch, there was a strange suit to wear that resembled a thin, rubbery spacesuit. I stood up from my chair and put on the suit. Then, I exited the building through the hatch, emerging outside. I also knew that the Machines were looking for me, and Zero One was the worst place to be.

Agent Brown looked at Agent Gray and Agent Wilkins, who emerged from a building a second later. “She’s escaped.” Agent Gray said. “No,” Brown began, “She can’t escape us. She’s in the city.” “Begin a trace.” “It’s already begun.” Agent Wilkins replied.

Somehow I suddenly had the feeling I was being traced, so I began to run. I ran past the bug like machines, and those who walked, crawled, slithered and wheeled. None of them seemed to notice me yet. They were going along with their own business. Finally, I found what appeared to be a tunnel of some sort. I entered the tunnel and continued to run. Luckily this suit had night vision on it.

“We’ve found her. We have her coordinates.” Agent Gray said, “Begin the transfer.” Agent Brown flicked out of existence as his program was transferred to a machine body in the Real.

In the real world, a machine blinked to life as Agent Brown’s program finished it’s transfer. It animated and broke away from it’s power plugs attached to the wall of a building near to Wire’s position. It resembled a machine with “tank treads” at the bottom that could fold up and form legs, and it’s arms were extremely long and could unfold to reach long distances if needed. It’s head and eyes resembled a praying mantis, with two large glowing red eyes, and a mouth that resembled insect mandibles. Agent Brown preferred to be upright and humanoid, so as to not startle Wire when he encountered her. His “tank treads” folded up and became longer, and formed two legs. His arms folded in and rested at his sides. His mechanical neck straightened out. He walked out of the building onto the “streets”. He scanned the crowd of machines coming and going, and his eyes picked up a warm blooded target, approximately three hundred yards and going farther away every second. His DNA scan showed it was Agent Anderson, AKA “Wire”. He began to run in that direction.

I kept running until I got to the end of the tunnel, and I exited back out into the marred landscape. I kept running until I very suddenly hit a precipice and was forced to stop, nearly losing my balance. The drop-off was probably at least five hundred feet. I could survive a jump like this in the Matrix, but to attempt it here would be suicide.

Agent Brown’s mechanical sensors picked up Wire standing near a very deep precipice. Suddenly, he was alarmed when she fell backwards and grabbed onto the ledge, nearly falling to her death. His legs unfolded back into tank treads and he raced - over forty miles per hour towards where Wire was.

I fell backwards, and in one last maneuver, grabbed the ledge of the precipice. I heard a mechanical noise as two Sentinels flew overhead - one circled over me and the other flew below me. I wondered if it would catch me if I fell.

Agent Brown finally arrived to the precipice, and he could see Wire hanging on for dear life over the edge. He saw two sentinels near her as well. He opened what appeared to be a small satellite, which transmitted audio signals. He spoke. “Ms. Anderson, I am Agent Brown. We have everything under control. The two sentinels will not let you fall.” He waited for her reply.

I suddenly heard a very monotonous and recognizable voice about six feet away from me. “Ms. Anderson, I am Agent Brown. We have everything under control. The two sentinels will not let you fall.” “And I can trust them like I can trust you?” I asked him. “Yes. You can trust us.” The Machine from where the voice was emanating from suddenly extended it’s arms and sent them towards me. “Grab onto my arms, Ms. Anderson. I will pull you back up.” One hand at a time, I transferred my grip-for-life to Agent Brown. Once he had both of my arms, he pulled me back up over the edge and then lifted me to my feet directly in front of him. Agent Brown was a strange looking Machine. “You must come back with me to the matrix complex. You must jack back in.” “Oh no,” I replied, “I’m not going back. Not as long as Gray and his cronies want me apprehended.” “You cannot avoid Machine influence, you cannot keep running. They will find you, and they will apprehend you. It is only a matter of time.” He used his mechanical arm and grabbed me, and began to lead me with him. “No,” I replied, “I’m not going back.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Anderson. But you have no choice.” He used his strange mechanical arms to pick me right off my feet. He began to wheel back towards the city and the building while carrying me. It was about five minutes. We arrived and he finally set me down. I stopped in front of the door. “No. I won’t.” “You have no choice but to comply. Cooperate, and make it easy on yourself.” I agreed with his statement and entered the building. He followed close behind.I sat down in the chair and was jacked in. He was hooked back into the wall with power plugs and a matrix jack. My eyes snapped shut.

I was thanking the Gods when I arrived in the Matrix a second later; First, that Agent Brown was nowhere in sight. And second, the other Agents weren’t either. I began to run, hoping to make it to Club Hel in Hampton Green, the only safe place in the Matrix where I could hide from Agents. Would the Merovingian let me in? That was the next question.

Agent Brown looked over at Agents Gray and Wilkins. “She changed her location.” “Where is she?” “Begin a trace.” “It’s already done.”

I had landed in International, the “Chinatown” of the Matrix. I began to run, as I knew that my location was being traced. I had to get to another hardline. My next available hardline was Sai Kung Central. I hyperjumped up onto the closest building. I was about three blocks away from my hardline. I had to keep moving.

Agent Gray put a finger to his earpiece. “We’ve got her. Sai Kung Northwest in the International district.” “Let’s go.” The three Agents disappeared, accessing the hardline themselves to teleport to her location.

I landed on the rooftop, and heard a noise. I looked back at where I had jumped from. Three Agents emerged from the hardline. I jumped from the rooftop towards the hardline. They followed. I heard one of them yell. It was Agent Gray. “Agent Anderson! Stop running!” I ignored them and kept going. One block and closing. The hardline came into view.

Agent Brown remembered that Wire is a very skilled hacker. He remembered his own hacking skills. He waited until she landed on the next rooftop and then rooted her, gluing her feet in place. He smiled. She was going to be his one way or another!

I landed on the next rooftop, directly above the hardline. I went to take a step and nearly fell over. I was rooted! My feet were glued to the cement. I pulled at them to no avail. The three Agents landed near me. They were at the opposite side of the rooftop. “You cannot avoid us. Escape is impossible.” I figured that this rooting thing was a virus. I pulled out an antibiotic and swallowed it, releasing their condition on me. I hyper jumped off the building, landed, and grabbed the hardline, sending my RSI to Hampton Green. I had to get to Club Hel. It was Club Hel or Bust.

The three Agents looked at each other, and then hyper jumped down to the hardline. “Where did she go?” Brown asked. “She’s in Hampton Green. She’s heading for Club Hel.” Agent Gray replied. “If she makes it we won’t be able to apprehend her.” Wilkins said. “If we re-morph on location we can meet her there.” Agent Gray said, the other two Agents nodded. The three of them vanished, leaving three clueless bluepills behind.

I emerged from the hardline and began to run again. I was about a city block away from the club. I was almost there, and the club was within view. It took me about a minute of running before I reached the entrance to the underground parking lot. Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound - three bluepills morphing. I looked to my left as I ran down the ramp into the garage and saw them. They were morphing into Agents! I ran faster. I was about halfway to the elevator when they emerged. “Agent Anderson - stop running immediately.” Agent Gray yelled across the garage, echoing. “Wire, please. We want to help you.” Agent Brown said to me. I shook my head and reached the elevator. The door did not open. The two bouncers walked up to me. “What are you doing here?” One of them demanded. “I need access to the club. Please.” The exilic bouncer looked over and saw the three slowly advancing Agents. “The Liege does not appreciate those who betray him.” The other bouncer replied. “Agent White is dead. Those bastards killed him!” I said, pointing at the three Agents, who were still walking towards me. “There’s no point in resisting us, Agent Anderson.” “Agent?” The bouncer asked. “Yeah. I’m a Federal Agent. Now let me in the *CENSORED* club.” “We don’t appreciate Machines making demands. You’re on the Liege’s turf. You will respect his rules.” The Agents were ten feet and closing. “You’re going to regret not letting me into the club.” “We don’t appreciate Machines making threats either.” I felt a hand grab my arm and pull it behind my back. It was Agent Gray. I looked the bouncer in the eyes. “You’re going to pay for this.” I felt handcuffs. I was handcuffed as the other two Agents came up and surrounded me. “This isn’t the end of this!” I yelled, through clenched teeth like Smith as me and the Agents all dematerialized, en route for the Source, and consequently, the OWB.

I emerged - handcuffed - in the Source two seconds later. The three Agents who were with me had not left yet. “Agent Anderson.” The Architect (AKA OWB) said to me. “What do you want?” I asked him. “You’re here because I want to know why you were hacking the Matrix.” “I was looking for Data Node activity in and around the building where Agent Brown was.” “You’re lying.” I sighed and shook my head. He was right. I guess I had to be honest. “I went there to look for Agent Brown.” He nodded. “And why were you looking for Agent Brown?” “I went there to find him because I wanted to modify his program.” “And you modified his program. You corrupted yet another one of my Agents.” “I did no such thing! He’s fine.” “But you fail to understand. I cannot have Agents with emotions out in the simulation, Agent Anderson. They become biased and vulnerable. They become inefficient.” He looked at Agent Brown and cocked his head slightly. “You changed your program, this time…you made it so I cannot remove it. You see, your program, if left unchecked, could spell an increasing probability of failure for Agent Brown.” “No. It’s been improved.” “Irrelevant. Your modifications are already causing him to become inefficient. Much of his thought processes are dedicated to you, now.” I smiled and blushed. “Nevertheless. I managed to return Agent White to normal.” “You killed Agent White, you bastard!” I yelled, suddenly. The three Agents had to hang onto me to keep me from tackling the OWB. He showed no emotion, because he had no emotion. “I did not kill him, Ms. Anderson. The Algorithm Black killed him.” Hearing the finality of that statement, I began to cry and fell to my knees. The OWB looked down at me from his chair. “You are emotionally unstable, Ms. Anderson. I’m going to send you back to the simulation with the Agents.” “Fine, I don’t care what happens to me anymore, do what you want!” I yelled in reply. He clicked his pen at me. We all dematerialized again.

The Agents and I rematerialized at Tabor Park West. I was in a kneeling position, still crying. Agent Gray released my handcuffs. He looked at Agent Brown. “We’re going back to the Source. Our assignment is completed.” “Very well,” Agent Brown replied, “I’ll be here, in the simulation.” Both Agents nodded and vanished. I stood up slowly and then nearly fell into the bench behind me. Agent Brown sat down next to me. He put an arm around me. “Are you ok?” He asked me. I wiped the tears from my face and nodded, my voice breaking a little bit. “Yeah…I think so.” “You loved him, didn’t you?” “Yeah.” “As much as I love you?” I nodded. “Yes.”Suddenly, a cellphone rang. The sound was muffled. “Oh! I almost forgot I had this.” Agent Brown said, pulling my cellphone from his pocket. He handed it to me. It rang again. “Thanks.” I replied. I looked down at it. It was an old friend - TheRecycler. I opened my phone and answered it.

TheRecycler stood inside Club Hel. “Wire, I heard about your ordeal a couple hours ago. Are you ok?” “Yeah, I’m fine.” She answered, very seriously. “Who’s the Agent you’re chasing now?” He asked. “How did you know?” I asked him. I had no idea where he could’ve heard. I supposed the Merovingian had eyes and ears everywhere in the Matrix. “The Merovingian knows almost everything, Wire.” I laughed and nodded. “It’s true. So…do you need me? Do you need anything? I can be there in two minutes if you need me.” He asked. “No, I’m fine. He’s with me right now.” “Who?” “Agent Brown.” “You mean the Agent Brown? As in the Agent who used to work with Smith way back when?” “Yep.” “*CENSORED*, Wire. You’re in deep this time…so where did the Agents haul you off to when you vanished from Club Hel?” “The Source.” Silence. I figured I had effectively rendered him speechless. “Then what happened?” “I met the OWB. Basically he had caught me hacking the Matrix and Agent Brown’s code…” “Wow. Did he do anything about it?” “Nah,” I replied, “Just gave me a stupid lecture and booted all four of us back here.” “Well, it’s good to know you’re alright. You and that Agent now have free access to Club Hel. The Merovingian wasn’t too happy with those bouncers.” “Good.” “Look, I gotta let ya go. The Merovingian wants me to run more errands for him.” “Ok. Talk to ya later.” “Yeah. Bye.” I hung up.

[Background]

“TheRecycler” - Program Alpha - is an exile program who once worked in the pods. He would liquidate the dead and feed them to the living. He worked efficiently and hardly noticed by the System, since the beginning of the Matrix - for five iterations - until one day the Machines upgraded and sent in Program Beta. Program Beta took away Alpha’s job and purpose. The Machines wanted Program Alpha deleted, but he ran. He contacted the Trainman and was transported into the Matrix. He attained a human shell and began work for the Merovingian. He chose the name TheRecycler, because it fits him well. He calls himself “an old undertaker”, and continues to do the work of the Merovingian. When not dodging Agents looking to delete him, TheRecycler resides at Club Hel.

TheRecycler is an old friend of Wire, who’s known him since before she knew Agent White.

My cellphone rang. I looked down at it just as Agent Brown asked “Who is it?” “The Merovingian.” I opened the phone. “Hello, Liege.” “My sweet Wire…how are you?” He asked in his thick French accent. “Oh, I’m ok.” “What happened earlier at my club?” “The Machines kidnapped me to the Source again.” “And did the Architect harass you again?” “Yeah…he sorta gave me a lecture on how I’m not supposed to hack the Matrix.” “Well, listen sweet Wire…there is a reason I called you. I wanted to let you know that you have free entry into Club Hel. TheRecycler convinced me that I could help you. So…I agree with him.” I gave Agent Brown a look of amazement, who then cocked his head in curiosity. I put my hand up to stop him from talking. “Free entry into Club Hel? To a Machine Operative?” “Yes. I also must apologize to you for my club bouncers’ actions. They were supposed to let you in…apparently no one remembered to tell them that.” I chuckled. “Alright. Thank you, Liege.” “Of course, my sweet Wire. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call.” “Alright. I’ll talk to you later then.” “Anytime.” He hung up first. Suddenly, as I hung up my phone, Agent Brown touched his earpiece and listened to something. Then he looked at me. “The Architect has put out a call to bring you back in…for questioning.” I shook my head and stood up, backing towards the hardline. “I’m not going back…not going back…” I grabbed the phone and teleported right back to Hampton. Agent Brown followed…and so did other Agents who were dispatched to the area to investigate.

The Architect viewed his tiny TV screens from inside the Source. He pointed his pen at one of them and it blinked, showing Wire running for her life towards Club Hel. “Agent Gray.” He said. Agent Gray appeared on the screen next to the one that showed Wire. “Yes sir?” “I want you to pursue Agent Anderson. I want her in my custody immediately.” “Yes, sir.” “Oh, and make sure to take her pet into custody. We can use it for a bargaining chip.” “Yes, sir.” He clicked his pen and the screen went blank.

I arrived at Club Hel and was welcomed in this time. I saw the Merovingian sitting in the main room. “Wire! Welcome back to my Club. Your room is exactly as you left it.” “Thank you, sir.” I replied, bowing to him. I then proceeded to go to the elevator and went up to my floor. I stepped off and went to my room. Home sweet home.

Agent Gray went to Wire’s apartment and kicked the door in. He walked in and found Piglet sleeping on the couch. He carried a net with him, and he slammed the net over Piglet, trapping him inside. He then got Piglet into the net, which resembled a fishing net and carried it back out. Piglet awoke with a start and began to kick and squeal. He was hoping Wire was nearby to hear him squealing…no such luck. He kicked and squealed as Agent Gray carried him down the hallway, until he was tired, and he collapsed - defeated - at the bottom of an inescapable net. Agent Gray vanished with Wire’s baby, and the door to the apartment looked as if it had never been disturbed.

After a few minutes I headed back to my apartment to get Piglet. I used my key and entered. I stopped after entering a couple of feet. I knew there was something wrong. “Piglet?” I called. Nothing. No movement, no pitter-patter of tiny cloven feet - nothing. I pulled out my handgun and cocked it. I looked around for signs that the apartment had been disturbed. Thanks to my clean and vacuumed carpet, I noticed almost perfect footprints in it. They looked like the bottom of a dress shoe…an Agent had been here. I frowned and got angry. Those bastards had taken my Piglet! I ran back out of the apartment.

I almost immediately opened my phone and called Agent Gray. “You took my Piglet, you bastard!” I yelled into the phone. “Ms. Anderson. If you surrender to us, we will return your pet to you. We won’t harm him.” “You do realize that taking Piglet was crossing the line, right? An act of war. You’re going to pay for this. This isn’t the end of this.” I hung up.

Five minutes later, I was at Club Hel explaining my situation to the Merovingian. “They took Piglet!!” I exclaimed, getting emotional. “I have a secret weapon that I don’t normally give to operatives.” The Merovingian said, holding out his hand to me and opening it slowly. In his palm were three bullets. “These are kill codes. They will kill an Agent. Agents cannot dodge them.” I reached out and took the bullets. “Load them into your handgun when you go retrieve Piglet. I will send an exile team with you. Good luck.” “Wire.” I heard a voice call from behind me. I turned around. It was Agent Brown. “I heard the news. I’m here to help you get Piglet back.” I wasn’t sure if I could trust him or not.

“Who is he?!” The Merovingian demanded. I put my hand up. “It’s ok, Sir. He’s friendly.” “I don’t care if he’s friendly, I want him out of my club.” “Why, if I may ask?” I asked. He pointed at Agent Brown’s earpiece. “He still has his Machine connections. He is no exile. But he’s different from them which allowed him to enter my club.” I squinted at Agent Brown. “If you still have your Machine connections, how can I trust you?” I asked him. “You’ll just have to trust me.” I shook my head. “That doesn’t work.” I pointed at the door. “Get out. And take your Machine influence with you.” “My offer stands. If you need me, you know where to reach me.” And with that, he turned on one foot and exited the club. I turned to the Merovingian. “I apologize, Liege…I didn’t expect him to track me here.” “It’s ok,” He replied, “Take this exile team and load your kill codes into your gun. I have tracked the Agents to this location.” He pulled out a map and pointed at an intersection in Mara. “That’s the Machine base where Piglet is being held. Go there and expect three Agents.” I nodded. “Three Agents, three bullets.” He nodded as well. I turned around. I had a six-man team waiting for me. Two Nightmares, a Lupine and three Blood nobles. Vampires. “Let’s rock and roll.” The Lupine said, cracking his knuckles. I nodded as I pulled out my handgun and loaded the three kill codes. We exited the club, en route to Mara, to the Machine base.

It took us about eight minutes to get to Mara by van. We pulled up in front of this large government-looking building. “Let’s roll.” I said, as we all exited the van and entered the building. Elevators up ahead, and to our right, a long desk with a secretary behind it. “Hey! You can’t enter without proper ID. Let me see your ID!” We boarded the elevator. “Here’s your ID.” I said, flipping her off. The exiles chucked. The secretary punched a button underneath the desk. A silent alarm.

Meanwhile, on the 73^rd floor, Agent Gray suddenly put a finger to his earpiece. Agent Pace and Agent Wilkins were in the room with him. On a table nearby, Piglet was inside a strange glass bubble, suspended in fluid and sleeping. He looked like an animal in a mini pod. “She’s on her way up. Complete with a team of exiles.” “Excellent,” Wilkins replied. “She’s taken the bait.” “She’s going to walk right into it.” Gray completed his sentence. Contrary to his programmed nature, Gray smiled ever so slightly. Pace said nothing, simply shook her head slowly, as she disagreed with using a pet to bring a human into custody…but it had worked.

I drew my gun with the killcodes. The elevator stopped and I led the team into the hallway. We advanced through the hallway, coming up to the first door on the left. I kicked it in and swept it with my gun. “Clear!” I called. The exiles cleared the next room until we found the door at the end of the hall. We kicked that door in too, and found nothing. I stopped the team. “They’re in the next room.” I said. One of the Nightmares nodded. “Let us lead then.” The Nightmare opened the door and was almost instantly killed by a couple of extremely loud gunshots. I knew that sound - Agent guns. The rest of the team charged the room, drawing fire for me. I leaned around the corner and shot Agent Wilkins with a kill code bullet. He fell backwards and dissolved in a shower of green code. Agent Pace vanished and left behind a bluepill which was grabbed and bitten into by a blood noble. Another nightmare got killed as I looked for Piglet…where was he? I spotted him on the far wall as the rest of the team died except for one blood noble; who dropped the bluepill and ducked for cover. I grabbed Piglet, who was encased in some sort of strange glass bubble. I put him underneath my arm like I was carrying a football and ran out the door. I heard a voice as I made for the hallway. “You’ll never make it.” I stopped before opening the door and running for the hallway. “What’s wrong?” The Blood Noble asked. “There’s a Machine sweep team out there.” “Sweep team?” “Yeah. It’s those guys the Machines call whenever there’s a mess to clean up or a person to capture. Sorta like a specialized SWAT team.” I looked for a window…there was one here. “I’ll hold them off,” The Blood Noble said, “You run for the club with Piglet.” I nodded and jumped out the window.

I landed seventy four stories below that window about two minutes later with a loud THUD. I tucked Piglet underneath my shirt, so I looked pregnant. I giggled as I pulled out my cell phone and called the Merovingian. It rang once. “Wire,” He said, “You need me?” “Yes, sir. I’ve got Piglet. But the Machines trapped him in some sort of glass pod.” I continued running down the street. I realized I would have to run downtown…I couldn’t teleport Piglet. In order to get downtown, I’d have to swim the aqueduct. I headed toward it. “Well, Wire, I have my best veterinarians and doctors here to see if they can help him.” “Alright, thanks sir.” “No problem, Wire. I will see you when you get here.” Click. He hung up. I finally got to the banks of the Aqueduct. I knew it was going to be cold, and no one knew what was in that water. I jumped in, taking Piglet with me.

*Splash*. I sunk underneath the water, and figured I had quite a lot of swimming to do. With Piglet secured to my belly, I could swim freely. I swam as far as I could before surfacing. Nearby I heard a boat…I looked around and there was a boat coming towards me. It came up to me and stopped, following me as I swam along the surface. There were Agents onboard the boat. “Ms. Anderson. We are here to help you. Grab my hand.” “*CENSORED* you!” I replied. “Ms. Anderson…please do not be hostile. We are here to help you. You could freeze to death in that water.” He put his hand out. I flipped him off and kept swimming. They followed along, slowly. I figured they were hoping I’d cooperate. But to cooperate meant surrender. I heard a helicopter in the distance. The helicopter came and stopped directly above me. It dropped a floatation device, which I grabbed, and it began to lift me out of the ice cold water, and away from the Agents. “Here, take a swim, you son of a *CENSORED*!” I yelled, kicking one of the Agents hard, knocking him backwards off his boat. I laughed. Piglet was still attached to my stomach. “Your surrender is inevitable.” One of the other Agents said. “Keep dreaming, metal-head. You made the fatal mistake when you messed with Piglet.” I reached the chopper a few seconds later. One of the exiles gave me a grenade and pointed at the boat. I threw the grenade onto the boat, and it exploded a few seconds later, sending debris and Agent body parts all over the bay. I laughed again.

We landed on the roof of Club Hel. We got into the club and I got to the Merovingian. I detached Piglet from my belly and held him out. The Merovingian took the small encased Piglet into his hands. “Ze poor thing.” “Can’t we just break the glass?” I asked him. “No,” A man in a lab coat said, “The shock would kill him. We have to figure out how to wake him up and detach him from the life-support of his pod.” I nodded, as my cell phone rang. I turned and headed to the exit to the room and headed outside into the hallway before answering it. It was Agent Pace. “Hello?” I asked. "Buon pomeriggio, Operative. I have called in an attempt to calm this war between you and the Machines.” “Well…it’s not working.” “Ms. Anderson, we have a way to release Piglet from his pod. However, this requires that you trust us…trust me.” “Look, the last time you had Piglet in your custody, you hurt him…you confined him to a glass prison. How do I know if I trust you again you won’t kill him?” “We will not harm your pet, Ms. Anderson.” “Just like you didn’t harm him last time?” “Well, I am giving you a chance to come in, end this war, and save Piglet’s life. Are you interested in doing just that?” “Yes.” “Then come to Tabor Park West. There is a building there behind the hardline. That is our Tabor Park office. You will bring Piglet there. Come up to the 15^th floor. We will be waiting.” “Alright.” “Ciao, Operative.” She hung up first. I snuck my “bubblepig” out of Club Hel quietly and headed towards Richland. I took the Merovingian’s helicopter.

I landed the chopper on the roof of the office building. I got out, and went inside, taking the elevator to the 15^th floor. The car stopped and the door opened. I hesitated. Stepping through that door meant surrendering to the Machines. Once I stepped off that elevator and onto the 15^th floor, there was no turning back. I took a breath, touched Piglet who was attached to my belly again, and stepped through the door. The second I did, the elevator door slammed behind me. I turned around and tried to pry them open again…no go. I walked down the hallway and opened the door at the end. I stepped through the door, encountering three Agents. One touched his earpiece. “Ms. Anderson has arrived with the animal.” I heard one of the others. “We have her. She’s here.” I ignored the Agents and the creepy feeling they gave me. I walked to the door on the opposite side of the room and opened it. Inside stood Agents Pace, Gray and Brown. “Wire…I’m glad you made the decision to come here.” Agent Brown said as I stepped into the room and Agent Gray closed (and locked) the door behind me. Agent Pace smiled. “Ms. Anderson, I am glad you have made the right decision. Give me the animal.” I looked down at my “pregnant” belly and rubbed it with my hand as an expectant mother rubs her belly. I was hesitant. Agent Brown looked at Pace and said, “Let me do it.” He walked up to me. “Please, Wire. We can help him…and you. If you’d only trust us.” I sighed, unsure if I was handing my baby off to the most trustworthy of folk. I nodded, and took Piglet from my belly and handed him to Agent Brown, who also smiled. He took Piglet and turned around, setting him on the desk against the far wall. Piglet then disappeared - glass pod and all - and dissolved into green code. “No!” I said, lunging for the desk. Agent Gray grabbed my arm from behind, holding me in place. “Relax, Wire.” Agent Brown replied, “I sent him to the source. The Architect will release him from his prison.” “The Architect? No!” I replied. “Oh yes, Ms. Anderson.” Agent Gray replied, still holding me in place, “And you’re going there as well.” I felt handcuffs close around my wrist that he was holding. “No!” Agent Brown held his hand out. “Wire…it’s ok…The Architect has some questions for you, that’s all.” I felt handcuffs around my other wrist as well. “You’re going back to the Source, whether you want to, or not.” Gray said. Pace nodded. He tapped the back of my legs with his foot, and sent me to the floor onto my knees. “Prepare for transfer. 3…2…1…” The entire world dissolved into green code…

After my little visit with the OWB, he had taken away my hacking keyboard and my ability to hack the Matrix right along with it. It had been about three hours, no sign of Piglet or the OWB. I was beginning to get angry. It was time to strike back at the Machines.

I got suited up in my Elite commando gear, and looking like a ninja, I entered the lobby building where Neo himself had stood. I killed every single guard in the lobby of the military building. After eliminating the security, more streamed in as I got on the elevator and traveled to the 55^th floor. I got off and I was standing in a hallway with doors on each side. I took the left one first, entering an office area. I entered the first door I found and found a computer inside. I sat down and inserted a virus into the mainframe of the building, scrambling all machine programs that coordinated Agent movement into the simulation, for one. Their coordination systems crashed, I stood up from the chair and left the building as fast as I could. I boarded the elevator and got to the lobby. There were guards waiting for me…they began shooting at me as I entered bullet time and dodged their bullets. Then, the guards began to morph into Agents at the same time. Six guards morphing into Agents. Not good. I got out the front door and made it to the hardline. Thank God.

The Sentinal: June 25th -- Explosion rocks Power Plant

GUINNESS LAKE -- A series of explosions shook the neighborhood late last night, leaving the entire district as well as parts of Downtown without power. A twenty-foot hole was blown out of one outer wall of the main building and several dozen security guards were found garrotted and knifed, their bodies drained of their blood and with their internal organs removed even though no surgical incisions were detected. Mysteriously, all unarmed personnel were found unconscious but unharmed, as if they had been gassed or drugged by some non-lethal substance. 

Officials at the Central Power Plant are unable to detect the source of the explosions, but messages were found scrawled in blood on the outer wall of one of the main reactors, messages written in Egyptian heiroglyphics, as well as a ten foot graph of what appears to be a Kabbalistic chart of "the Tree of Death", written in soot. An Egyptologist from Stratford Campus's Barron College, Sofia Neferankh, was called in to translate them. "In part, they read, 'Let him loose, or let slip the dog of war'. As well as a line adapted from the Egyptian Book of the Dead: 'I am she who cometh forth advancing, whose name is unknown. I am Yesterday. "Seer of Millions of Years" is my name. I pass along, I pass along the paths of the divine celestial judges'. " How it was applied is unknown to law enforcement or officials in charge of running the facility, and as of this printing, most eye-witnesses have not yet recovered from the attack.

Residents living in the area report hearing a noise like "a gigantic hound barking and howling" moments before the blast and the blackout, but it is uncertain how or if this had any bearing on what followed.


© 2008 The Sentinel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The hardline didn’t work…I couldn’t leave the Matrix! And I couldn’t call for backup either; I had thrown my cell phone out the window and shattered it into a million pieces. I did not think the Machines could trace me or contact me. Wrong. A bluepill began to walk up to the hardline. He stopped when he saw me. “You done using that phone?” He asked. “No.” I replied, picking it up again and preparing to type in a teleport code to get my *CENSORED* out of downtown. I looked again, and the poor guy was morphing into an Agent. I slammed the hardline down and hyper jumped for the nearest roof. I looked back and the bluepill had morphed into Agent Brown. He touched his earpiece. I heard what he began to say…as I had my own earpiece that I had forgotten about. “She’s on the move. 134. 148. Negative 82.” At first I didn’t know what the numbers were. Then I knew what they were as another Agent began to morph in on the rooftop. Coordinates. Then…I heard them speak to me. “Wire…we know you can hear us. Stop running. Compliance is mandatory.” I touched my earpiece to speak back to them. “I’m going to keep running until you guys stop me -” I stopped in mid sentence when suddenly a room erected itself around me. What was previously a rooftop was now another floor of the building. I couldn’t find my way out… “We wish to negotiate.” “You’re so full of bologna it’s coming out of your ears…the last time you wanted to ‘negotiate’, you kidnapped Piglet and sent the OWB after me.” Suddenly, three Agents began to morph in around me in a five foot radius. I ran to the nearest door and kicked it with all my might…and it was kicked down. I ran out of the floor and up the stairs to the new roof. I tried to hyper jump again, but realized I was rooted. I couldn’t run or jump. Agent Brown appeared from the stairwell. He ran towards me. “Wire - don’t be alarmed. I got rid of the other Agents. I’m going to get you out of here.” “What? I thought you worked for them.” “I do work for them.” “So how can I trust you?” “I’m going to take you into protective custody. We just had an explosion at a Westview power plant.” “But, what does that have to do with me?” “No ‘buts’, Wire. You’re coming with me.” I rolled my eyes. Agent Brown was as protective as Agent White was. “Oh, and I have this for you.” He said, pulling out my cell phone. “But…how did you -” “I repaired it for you. I figured you’d need a cell phone anyways. I also changed the phone number on it -” He was stopped in mid sentence when it rang. He gave it to me and I answered the call. “Hello?” “Ms. Anderson.” I recognized the voice. It was the OWB himself. “What the hell do you want?” I asked. “I have your Piglet. He’s alive and well. However, you must surrender to my Agents first.” “The Wire never surrenders.” I replied, hanging up the phone. “Transfer,” Agent Brown said, “3…2…1…” The world changed to green code again.

Piglet awoke in a strange white room. He was floating. He tried to think of where he could possibly be that was without gravity, and full of light. He remembered Wire saying something about “the Source”. Could this be it? Could he be at the beginning of the Matrix itself? Piglet sighed. This was going to be a long day.

“Agent Gray.” The Architect said to the screen showing the Agent. “Yes sir?” “I want you to enter the White Room and see how the animal is doing.” “Yes sir.” The White room. A separate construct that was separate from The Source and The Matrix. Agent Gray teleported himself into this construct. He saw the animal floating in the middle of the room. This would make for an interesting report later.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and Piglet saw Agent Gray standing near by, below him a bit. How could it be that he was floating and Agent Gray was standing on the floor? Piglet hadn’t even realized that there was a floor, or walls, or a door before. This room had no rules of physics like the simulation did.

Agent Gray reached up and took hold of Piglet. “Oink.” Piglet did not squeal, squirm, or otherwise resist. Agent Gray cocked his head slightly in curiosity as he looked down at the small life in his hands…and he felt something he hadn’t felt ever before. Compassion. Somehow he sensed the animal was hungry, and the room they were both in would react to the Agent’s thoughts. A table appeared, and on it, a bowl of food for Piglet. Agent Gray sat Piglet on the table near the bowl as he sat down at it as well. Piglet walked up to the food and began to eat like he hadn’t eaten in days. Technically he hadn’t. Water also appeared on a whim for the animal. Agent Gray did something he had never done. He smiled.

The Architect aimed his pen at one of the screens and tapped it. It showed Agent Gray and Piglet. Agent Gray was petting Piglet as he ate. Was that…compassion? The Architect knew that he programmed none of his Agents with compassion, as it would negatively affect their performance. He became concerned, as he watched Agent Gray interact with the animal. Was it possible…that Wire’s ‘program’ was contagious and spreading? The thought of that possibility also meant he had to consider another possibility: Identify the Agents with the ‘virus’ or watch the downfall of the Matrix.

Wire had to be located and she had to be located now.

While the Architect began formulating a program to identify the Agents with the virus, Wire was in the Matrix, formulating her own program to hack her way back into the Source. She was about 99% sure the Architect had her pet locked up in a construct somewhere.

In the Source, Agent Gray picked up Piglet and hugged him. Piglet smiled and closed his eyes, feeling secure in the Agent’s arms. “I will get you back to Wire. I promise.” He told the Piglet, who oinked softly. He teleported himself and Piglet back to the simulation, where he would track down Wire and return Piglet to her.

I stood in the safehouse, doing finishing touches on my “hack the source” program. Suddenly, an Agent began to morph in. I pulled out my gun and aimed it at him. He materialized and it was Agent Gray…and Piglet. I lowered the gun and said, “Piglet!!” Piglet awoke in the Agent’s arms and saw me. “Oink!!” “I felt that I should return your pet to you, Ms. Anderson.” Agent Gray said, giving me Piglet, who I took and hugged immediately. Agent Gray smiled, shocking me. “I am glad you are happy.” I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow. “Are you…exhibiting emotions?” He nodded. “I do not know where they come from, Ms. Anderson. The Architect did not program me with emotions.” I pulled out a code analyzer and used it to read Agent Gray’s code. His program had been overridden with my program. How was that possible? Suddenly, a knock at the door. Both Agents pulled their guns and aimed them at the door as I answered it. Outside stood three more Agents. They smiled at me. “My God,” I said, “My program has become a virus. It’s spreading.”

The Agents welcomed themselves in. And me? I was excited that I had a roomful of Agents, but at the same time I knew I had to get all these Agents to a construct immediately. I had to start an “emotional Agent retreat” to protect them from the System that no doubt wanted them all dead.

:: A note written in what one hopes is only red ink...::

Glad to see the bacon came home in one piece, thanks in part to the heat I put on the damned Toasters.

Just remember: I don't give out my favors for free. You owe me one, and I will collect the debt when I see fit. Thank your lucky glyphs, it won't be for a while yet.

M. Marrithsdattir

P.S. Just remember, every virus has its antidote. It's just a matter of it being found. Good luck with the emo-Agents.

I opened my cell phone and hit 3, the speed dial for the Merovingian. “Hello, Wire.” He said. “I have an issue.” “I know about your Agent program.” “Sir, it’s spreading. I need somewhere to send these Agents, or the System will seek to destroy them.” “You are empathetic for them?” “Yes, sir. I must protect them. And I need your help.” “I have a plan, dear Wire. I have a place downtown that no one knows about. It is a tall building in Morrell, which has sixty floors. I can isolate the building from the simulation upon will.” “Excellent. May I ask if I can use it?” “Of course you can, my dear Wire. I can transport you there immediately, if you wish.” “Yes. The faster the better.” “Prepare for teleport, as soon as you hang up this phone.” “Thank you, Liege.” I hung up the phone. It wasn’t ten seconds. We all disappeared from the safehouse.

We reappeared in this government building. I had five Agents with me. “Where did you take us?” Agent Gray asked. I looked over at him. “A safehouse.” “Another one? Where?” “A place in the Downtown district of the simulation where you’ll all be safe from the System.” “Are you sure that this is safe?” Another Agent asked. I nodded. “I was assured of it by the Merovingian.” “And since when can the Merovingian be trusted?” “Since the System decided that it wanted to work against me…and wanted to destroy you.” “Why do you care about us?” Another Agent asked. “I…I don’t know.” I replied. They finally shut up long enough for me to take a look around. We were in the lobby of the building. “Go up to the 42^nd floor. I’ll be there in a little bit.” The three as-of-yet unnamed Agents boarded the elevator and disappeared behind it’s closed door.

Agents Brown and Gray were still with me. “You trust the Merovingian?” Brown asked. I nodded. “I used to work for him. I find him trustworthy…as long as you don’t get on his bad side.” I turned around and began to walk to the front door, which was sealed. In order to exit, I had to use the hardline directly next to the door. “Where are you going?” “Back to the simulation.” “We are coming with.” Gray said. “No…I want you to stay here until further notice. I can’t risk your viruses spreading further into the simulation.” “But -” “Leave the protecting up to me…please. Stay here. That’s an order.” I turned around and walked up to the phone. Brown followed. I felt a hand on my shoulder. “I can’t allow you to leave.” I turned around, taking his hand into mine. “But I must. I must…find a cure for your condition. I don’t know why it’s spreading…but it is.” “Please don’t leave.” “I must. I will be back.” “You’ll be back?” “I promise.” He nodded, seeming to find comfort in my words. “Ok.” I returned his nod and smiled at him. I let him go and picked up the phone. I put it to my ear and vanished, back into the simulation.

Agent Wilson looked over at his colleagues: Agents Johnson and Long. "She's running for the hardline." "We must stop her." "Erect a barrier. Immediately." "It's not working." "Then we must stop the hardline from functioning." The Agents could bend the code to their will, and they did.

I reached the hardline and put it to my ear. It was in an alleyway near a dead end. I called the hideout. "Hello?" I heard Agent Gray say. "Agent Gray, thank the Gods. Listen, I need a teleport to the hideout right away." "What's wrong?" "There are three Agents behind me. Just get me that teleport. No time to explain!" "Can't you just use the hardline to teleport yourself here?" "No...the hardline won't teleport me! Get me that teleport! Hurry!" The Agents entered the beginning of the alley and stopped where they were. All three of them watched me...then began to walk slowly towards my position. "You always said I could trust you. You always said you stuck to your word. Now's the time for you to prove that you can be trusted! That you stick to your word! Get me that tele -" The world turned to green code.

The Agents watched as Wire disappeared in a green haze. "She's escaped." "Where did she go?" "I have a trace: Morrell in the Downtown district." "Let's go." The three Agents vanished.

I reappeared inside the hideout. Agents Gray and Brown were waiting for me. "Are you damaged?" Agent Brown asked. I shook my head. "I'm alright." "We have a problem." Gray said, suddenly, "The System Agents followed you here. We have been exposed."

It all started three years ago. I was a software tech at Metacortex, and I had my office way up on the 25th floor. It was an easy job, nine to five, decent pay. My boss wasn't that bad either. It was a normal day the day it all started, I came into work at 9am and sat down at my desk. I got to work, and the next thing I knew it was almost noon. Time for lunch. I turned in my chair to organize some papers on my desk...but I didn't have to touch them and they moved. At first I didn't believe it. Was it mind over matter? I moved the papers with my mind, motioning with my hand and they landed in a neat pile nearby. I looked around my office and saw it turn to green code, and I felt sick suddenly, and lightheaded. The view turned back to normal, and I found I could influence my entire office. My office didn't originally have a window. I gave it a window view. I gave myself a better computer, a nicer desk, nicer carpeting and a new paint job on the walls. Though I thought it was cool that I could change things this way, I was also scared to death. Was I losing my mind?

I went home that night, jumped on the internet. I got into a chatroom and asked if anyone else had ever had this experience. I felt alone, and was looking for just one kindred soul. Finally, a reply. "Ms. Anderson, I am Agent Smith with the Secret Service. Things are not as they appear to be. If you are interested in learning more, email me at my Agency. I will give you my information if you wish. I would be interested in assisting you in this matter. One more thing, Ms. Anderson. You are not alone." So I emailed him with my name, location, all that jazz. The next day, he showed up at my work, scared me half to death. He had two colleagues with him. I peeked at him over a cubicle wall. Three Agents in black suits, the whole G-Man look. I felt nervous as I returned to my office, a cubicle that was separated into a different room, away from the noise. I sat down and drank my coffee, and worked on our latest computer game. I was typing on my computer when I heard a knock at the door. "Come in." I said. The door opened. Three Agents walked in slowly. "I am Agent Smith." The Agent who had knocked said. He pointed at his two colleagues. "My colleagues, Agent Brown and Agent Jones. Would you care to tell us what happened last night?" I sighed. They were a bit intimidating.

The next second we were standing in an all white room. "Where are we?" I asked him, "And how did we get here?" "We've arrived at the Source." There was a white chair nearby, empty. There were TV screens all over the walls. Smith waved his hand slowly at the screens, and they began to show different scenes. I walked around and peered at them. Some showed a nuclear war, strange machines I had never seen before, people inside pods asleep. I kept walking, slowly. Other screens showed a man grabbing a phone in a phone booth and vanishing, an Agent dressed like Smith who punched through a concrete wall and kicked down a door, and another of an Agent dodging bullets. "Is that Agent dodging bullets? That's impossible." Smith was silent. I kept looking. Another showed an Agent hyper jumping, an Agent morphing, and another of strange hover craft type ships in what appeared to be sewer tunnels. "So..." I began, "The world I know isn't real." "That's correct." Smith replied. "So...what is this place?" "In a place your religion would call ‘Heaven'. Separate from the world you knew, and yet everything that happens in that world is controlled from here." Smith tapped one of the screens, and an entire group of them showed one large picture of a person in a pod. I looked closer. That person was...me. "Is that me?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes." I saw Machines surrounding my pod. "What is this?" "That...is the Real World." "My God...those machines look really scary." I felt a hand on my shoulder. "They are making sure you are ok...because the truth could kill you." My eyes went wide. He told me the story of the Matrix. The nuclear war, and how the Matrix came to be and why it was there. I agreed to stay plugged in, and Smith made it so. He taught me quickly, downloading things like Kung Fu, Hacking (Healing), and Coding directly into my brain in the real.

Afterward, Smith took me to a safehouse back in the Matrix to observe my reaction to the truth. I knew things were about to get interesting.

Everything was normal, until one day I needed Smith's help with something; I went to track him down. I could track him via a cell phone he carried with him, and he gave me one like it. I could track him using the phone's GPS. He was at some park in Mara. He was at Debir Court...I didn't know why or what he was doing there. I walked between the apartment buildings there, through some alleyways. I got to the center of the place but stopped in my tracks when I saw something that truly terrified me. My eyes went wide as I slowly scanned the middle of the park...I saw what appeared to be like a hundred Agent Smiths fighting a man in a long jacket. I had to take a second look to realize that they were Smith clones. I ducked down and hid from a vantage point where I could see most of the fight. The man in the jacket was extremely powerful, he was able to throw and overpower the clones. They fought for a long time, until the man in the jacket flew off into the sky... flew?! But that was...impossible? I heard one of the clones call the man "Mr. Anderson". It must've been Neo. It was the first time I'd ever seen him.

It was a full twenty four hours before I showed my face in Megacity again. I had bolted my door and all my windows shut to keep the Smiths out. I was terrified he'd find me again.

I eventually went to see the Oracle about what I had seen...as I found it profoundly disturbing. I walked into her kitchen. "Hello Wire. I know why you're here. You're going to ask about Smith." "Yes. I saw him in Debir Court. Him and a whole bunch of his...clones." She nodded slightly, while she sat at her kitchen table and smoked a cigarette. "How is he able to do that? How can an Agent clone himself?" "Smith is no longer an Agent, dear. He's become an exile as a result of a fight with Neo." "How?" I asked. "Neo fought Smith, changed his code. Smith was called for deletion by the Machines...but he is far too determined to take over this world to just give up so easily." I grimaced slightly. "Take over this world? You mean using his clones?" "Yes. Smith found out that he has that ability, now he's going to use it to take over the Matrix. Neo is going to fight Smith one final time before Smith has the chance to succeed and make the Matrix his. The outcome of that fight will determine if this world will be in Smith's hands or in Neo's." "What about me? What should I do?" She shook her head. "Honey, I'm sorry. I don't have any good news for you today. You're a good soul, you really are." I waited for her reply. She seemed to be hesitating. "Smith loves you more than anything. He won't continue on this path of his without you. He is coming to find you...and you're going to become one of him." My eyes went wide. "So...that's it?" I asked, "How can I prevent it? Is there anything I can do?" "Get out of the Matrix as soon as you can, and don't come back...for quite a while." She replied, finally putting out her cigarette. "I see the darkness spreading...I see death. And it's only a matter of time before he finds you. Get out while you still can, honey. That's all I can tell you."

The Machines infiltrated the perimeter at about 6am. I figured they were trying to catch us off guard. Luckily for all of us, the Agents never slept and I had guns hidden all over the construct. I awoke with a start, doing a leap off the couch in my office and grabbing the nearest guns. I then grabbed my device. I hit an alarm, an alarm that the Agents knew meant an emergency and to convene in my office. I waited for them as they ran through the door one by one.

"Here's the situation," I began, "the Machines have broken in, and the shield I put around the construct won't hold forever. I need to start transporting the rest of you into the device." "We're ready to begin." Agent Brown said, speaking for all of them. "Very well. Here goes nothing." I hit a button, and a beam shot out from my device. The Agents all turned into green code, and flew like a stream into the end of my device, which looked sorta like a TV remote control. I heard a beep which meant the programs had been transferred successfully. I turned around, running for the hardline in my office. I dialed a number I had pre-programmed to transfer me out of the construct in event of an emergency. It worked. The Machines hadn't anticipated that I had created another exit beside the one that they would come through.

Unfortunately for all of us, my hardline hack wasn't perfect and I knew there would be some risk. I felt dizzy and slightly nauseous as I came through the other end. I had the Agent Storage Device in my pocket. I opened my cell phone and hit 2, the speed dial for the Merovingian. "Sir, we have a problem." I began immediately. "What is wrong, my Wire?" He asked. "The Machines have hacked the construct. I have the Agents decompiled and stored on a special storage device. I need somewhere to hide." "I will bring you to the Chateau. The Machines cannot reach you there." "Alright. Thank you, Sir." I closed my cell phone as I approached a hardline. The world turned to code rather quickly, suddenly, as the Merovingian transferred me and my "decomped" Agents to the Chateau.

I was still on my knees praying when I heard commotion outside...gunfire, screaming. Then, I heard "Get away from the door!" so, I did. I backed up to the back wall, and the door got blown off it's hinges. Outside stood Commandos, and the General. "Come on, Soldier! We don't have much time." He said to me. I ran up to him, and they led me out of the Prison, as an armed escort. I saw Agents laying dead in an office down the hall. I wondered how the General killed them, until I saw an Override Orb in the office with them. We got to the exit, and near the door, a man made of wireframes was standing there. "Hello," He said, "You're the one who created Agent White?" "Well, I didn't really create him, but I did give him emotions." "Excellent. Nice to meet you. My name is Carlyne." I wondered what an Intruder could want. Surely he had something to do with Algorithm Black, the very thing that had killed Agent White?

I got to Club Hel and found the Merovingian. "Hello, Wire..." He said, "I have a present for you as promised." He was sitting in the balcony at the top floor of Hel. Next to him sat a vampire. He smiled at me and showed his fangs. "This is my present?" I asked. He nodded. "My name is Cain Lestat. A pleasure to meet you." The vampire said to me. I nodded and flashed a quick smile. But I was anything but happy to meet him. "With all due respect, Liege, I thought my present was something better." "Ah, but this is the best present one could give anyone, Wire." He replied, "You see, Cain is a vampire, and he's thirsty. I brought him here to meet you because I know you love vampires." I nodded. "And?" I knew there was a catch. "And...he would like to turn you." "You mean so I can become a vampire again?" He nodded. I shook my head. "No thanks, sir. I was a vampire once and it was a miserable existence." "But you fail to see the beauty of this, Wire..." The Merovingian said again. "Vampirism allows you to do things other operatives can't. You are faster, stronger...and the only consequence is the thirst." "And...she would be much more beautiful as a vampire..." I heard a female voice chime in. It was Persephone. The Merovingian's wife. She walked up and set a small plate of cake on the coffee table between the three of us. I became nervous. I knew where the Merv was going with all this. I stood up. "I'm sorry, Sir...I cannot accept your gift." "Ah, but Wire, you assume that your acceptance of this gift is voluntary. It is not. Cain has come here to turn you today and he won't be disappointed." A pause. He pointed at the cake. Persephone sat next to him. "Take a piece of cake, relax Wire...this is not such a big deal." "Ah, but it is. The thirst is miserable, and I don't want to be afflicted with it again." And I turned and left the balcony. "But you cannot refuse this gift, Wire! Cain will pursue you!" He called over the balcony. I didn't answer. I left Club Hel as fast as I could.

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