3/8
7.1 Cinematic: Seraph climbs out of the river, thrashes and "exorcises" a redpill. He tells the two other redpills with her that they need not fear him, but that there are others "like her" who should.
World: The weather now has a distinct yellow/orange cast to it, with fast-moving clouds and periods of relatively heavy rain.
Crit 7.1.1:
Zion: Trying to find Seraph, the player comes across a string of comatose bluepill and redpill bodies, and jumpy police (SWAT) on the case. Bluepill witnesses give vague descriptions of the attacker: "kung-fu outfit," "in white," "fled at high speed," "slimy," "hippy glasses," "strange hand motions," and reveal some characteristics about one of the victims (quiet, calm). Oracle is consulted and says that Seraph is key to getting Sati back, and that he's doing what he's doing (attacking these bluepills and redpills, she presumably means) for a reason.
Mach: Gray says that to stop the General and rescue Sati, they'll need a way to detect the General's Elite Commandos. The Machines have stored a copy of the holographic broadcast the General sent to Ghost (in 6.3's Zion mission "Steely Embrace"); he says that the broadcast came from outside the Matrix, probably from the General's base, "Stalingrad," and that although the Machines know its physical location, they want to find its network address. The player locates a commando access point, and plants "a variant of the Procurator virus," which obtains Stalingrad's network address. At the debrief with Pace, she demonstrates that the Machines can alter the General's recorded holographic broadcast, and says that they can now use the General's network, and his connection to his base, against him. A hackable computer has a report, in the same format as previous spy reports from Zion, about Davot's ship that was hijacked by Veil and sent to ram the Zion dock: Zion disabled it with another ship's EMP, but its impact with the tunnel wall near Zion, and its own EMP going off, short-circuited some of the dock's outlying system for a while, although there were no casualties.
Merv: Malphas and the Effectuator meet with a two-way holographic broadcast from the General, who gives them the network address of some of his men in need of transport. The player goes to activate the terminal to which the Effectuator will route the commandos, but Machines interfere. A backup terminal is used successfully, and a platoon of commandos appear. At a debrief, the General's hologram says the transport was satisfactory. Malphas says that the General will soon have to start fulfilling his side of the deal.
3/8-3/14
Required Events:
Zion: Chasing Seraph--players may catch up to him briefly, but he will not stop to interact with them.
Mach: Now that the Machines know the network address of Stalingrad, they force a transmission to the General in the Real, possibly ordering him to surrender; this irks the General, who replies in a 2-way holographic broadcast, threatening Gray with the destruction of the Machine Sentinel fleet in the Real.
Merv: The Merv meets with the General, who tells the Frenchman that to make an Oracle kill-code, they will first need a cheat code vial. The General gives the Mervs a tracking code that can locate cheat codes.
3/15
Crit 7.1.2:
Zion: The player researches a redpill who Seraph attacked: they are suffering from amnesia that starts at the same time in their past as an unexplained incident that resulted in a change in their behavior (according to acquaintances), and goes up to the point where they were attacked by Seraph. Their government file contains no record of the incident. Also, there is a reference to "Danielle Wright" by a bluepill, in connection with a new network interface system a bluepill company is working on. (It is not mentioned in the mission, but this is the "Wright" of the "Wright Research" company in Downtown, a brilliant ex-Zionite scientist who lost faith in Commander Lock's vision, and left to begin a business career in the Matrix, working with Silver, but still generally sympathetic toward Zion operatives. She is the inventor of the EJP. Wright's own dream is humans taking over the Matrix from the Machines.)
Mach: Pace explains that since they've mastered the commando network, they can now find access points just by scanning for them from any point on the network. The player does this to find an access point, and thus an Elite Commando. Along the way, they encounter a holographic transmission from the General to his men, telling them to hurry up: the Machines are shutting down too many "lines." Also, a Machine computer has some cryptic data about the Sentinel force sent against the General's base--basically that they haven't encountered any hostile units, and are slightly ahead of the projected schedule as they home in on "Stalingrad." A commando computer shows that Stalingrad has beefed up its defensive capabilities a bit since 6.3. Data is extracted from the Elite Commando; Pace says it will be used to help develop a code to disrupt their stealth function.
Merv: The tracking code has led to the Uriah wharf, where rumor has it that the Machines lost a cheat code vial while disposing of them in the Aqueduct. The player is sent in to track it down. After fruitlessly questioning bluepill workers, they visit Mercury, who says if anyone would know, it'd be the local gang, the Choppers. The Chopper leader Jack the Hack, after the player routs a few of this boys, says that the only thing he can think of is that there used to be a bluepill who hung out at the edge of the pier on his lunch breaks, but was recently seen running off suddenly, and hasn't been back. He gives a description of the guy, which Flood checks against their data, coming up with a name, Jason Hernandez. Visiting his nearby office, you find out that Jason Hernandez hasn't been at work in a few weeks, that he has tended to hang out with a club/casino crowd, and that he has sometimes gone to visit relatives in the International District.
3/15-3/21
Required Events:
Zion: Contact is made with Seraph, who this time is willing to talk, briefly, saying that a veil has been lifted from his eyes. (Also this week, there is a widely seen but not officially recorded Morpheus appearance in richland that I'll be doing solo.)
Mach: Use the "stealth disruptor" code the Machines have developed (this is all role-play, rather than an actual game tool/weapon) to capture an Elite Commando.
Merv: Locate Jason Hernandez, using his co-workers' clues from the 7.1.2 crit if desired. The cheat code vial is obtained from him.
3/22
Crit 7.1.3:
Zion: The player researches more Seraph victims, a bluepill and two redpills, finding that they all have similar memory gaps beginning with an unspecified behavior-changing incident in their past. The behavior was either aloof, cold, or somewhat confused; one requested extended sick leave in Zion. Another remembers having seen an Agent watching them as they patrolled back alleys for Slashers, one of their last memories before they awoke from Seraph's attack. The Oracle says Seraph is close to reaching his goal, but that it won't work out like he thinks it will. The Oracle's Zion guards speculate about the Morpheus sightings.
Mach: The player helps test the scanning routine developed to detect stealthed Elite Commandos. Gray explains that the scan requires a significant amount of power, so they can't run it all the time. After some tweaks and adjustments (the operator gets frustrated with the bugs in the Machine routine), the kinks are worked out, and the routine succeeds in allowing the operator to see the Elite Commandos on his screen. Along the way, the player comes across a holographic message from the General to his officer, telling the officer that the Machines may have a way to detect him, and that he should abort "the operation" immediately. Pace says that the "Morpheus" reported obviously can't be the dead Zion captain, but that they are looking into it very carefully.
Merv: The player uses Elite Commando assistance to foil Machine efforts to capture the cheat code vial from Merovingian labs, where it is under analysis. Malphas mentions that he thinks the Elite Commandos are capable of speech, but that baffle mechanisms built into their masks confine the sound of their voice to special closed-frequency transmitters. Various NPCs mention rumors of Machines working to defeat Commando stealth, Morpheus's possible return generating talk in the underworld, and Seraph back but not quite himself. Analysis of the cheat code shows that it is mutated even more than previous cheat code samples, and must be used quickly; it has been put in a "secure archive" for now. One of the Twins says that they haven't seen Seraph since he lost his wings, and that they're due for a "rematch." The General, in the flesh rather than by hologram, meets the Merovingian and says that they will need a program capable of crafting a kill code with the captured cheat code. This program is named The Apothecary, and the General does not know their current whereabouts.
3/22-3/28
Required Events:
Zion: Seraph is encountered again, a little more talkative. He doesn't explain what he's doing, but says that he's almost done. If the Mach event has already occurred, players could help him attack some overwritten blues/reds; otherwise, they might try to stop him, assuming that they can't be sure yet that he's attacking these people for a really good reason.
Mach: Cryptos, while out on some sort of field operation with the Cypherites, is found by Seraph, who attacks him, then performs an odd "exorcism" (Swirling Ki Summon?), crumpling Cryptos to the ground and ending the fight. Cryptos' RSI changes: his glasses, necklace, and mask are torn off, his cassock darkened, and his eyes blackened, with a golden code glaze. Seraph leaps away. Cryptos is left unable to walk, extremely disoriented, and apparently blind. He tries to talk, speaking haltingly but in his usual warm manner, before Machine error messages come out of his mouth. It is clear that a Machine program, now damaged by Seraph, has been in control of him. Veil is shocked and disgusted, and has him forcibly jacked out.
Merv: The General briefs operatives: The Apothecary was used by Rama-Kandra when he needed a kill-code for the Oracle previously. The General directs them to the White Lotus Hotel dungeon, where they are given an old code trace of The Apothecary by the Spinnerettes leader, the Black Widow (live admin version, non-hostile).
3/29
Crit 7.1.4:
Zion: Niobe is alarmed about Cryptos--and Seraph's other victims--being Machine sleeper agents, and orders a complete security audit for Zion. The player is called to assist against a widespread commando attack, but then the General boasts to them in a holographic recording that it was just a diversion. The Oracle is under attack in Mara. The player hurries there, and finds her, Seraph, and a bunch of dead commandos. Seraph explains that after climbing out of the Aqueduct, he found that he could see Machine programs in the minds of humans, and felt he had to remove them; now he is finished, and will protect the Oracle. The Oracle says Seraph will be all right.
Mach: Gray explains that Cryptos was overwritten years ago by a Machine program, whose purpose was to form a group that would help stem the increased tide of redpill awakenings made possible for Zion by the Truce. This group became known as the Cypherites. Pace and the player meet with Veil, trying to make sure that, in Cryptos' absence, the volatile Cypherite controller will continue to direct the organization in a way acceptable to the Machines. The player's operator is so upset over the revelation about the Cypherites that he can hardly form coherent sentences. At the meeting, Pace confides to the player that she isn't getting anywhere with Veil, and some of the Cypherites, jumping to the conclusion that she's conspiring to wipe them out, suddenly attack. Veil keeps her cool, saying simply, and very bitter-sweetly, that she sees how things are now; she then more or less dismisses the player and Pace. Gray says that as long as Veil stays within certain bounds, it's more efficient to leave her in charge than to try to replace her. The player is called away to quell a sudden Elite Commando attack. The operator badgers Gray into running the scan routine, and more Elite Commandos are found, with Merovingian Exiles. Gray says that the Commandos may have had Merovingian assistance in getting into the Matrix.
Merv: The code trace leads to Jade Moon gang members. Flood sends the player to the Jade Moon gang's overseer, Dame White. The Dame says that it's been "ages" since she saw The Apothecary, and that the player will have to ask Lo Ruhamah, in the Barrens. (Lo Ruhamah is the Pandora's Box collector stationed in the Abandoned Subway in Rogers Way; in the fourth box arc, she helps the player track down the Antediluvian, although it appears that she herself may have done some work for him.) The Dame hints that she, the Black Widow, The Apothecary, and Persephone were associates of some kind in the Dame's younger days. Flood sends the player to Persephone, who hands The Apothecary's code trace to the player, saying that a) Dame White "did what I used to do for humans in the pods," and is jealous of Persephone's relative youth and success, and b) Lo Ruhamah is an ancient, exiled monitoring program, still trying to carry out her old function, clinging to gathered information. The player takes the code trace to the south Barrens. There is a small puzzle here; when solved, the code trace is taken, and Lo Ruhamah appears, saying that The Apothecary is still used by the Machines, and that getting them from the Machine mainframes to the Matrix will require the Trainman, who "has retreated deeper into seclusion."
3/29-4/4
Required Events:
Zion: Morpheus appears in Richland and delivers a cryptic message to whoever is around to hear it--something about Neo being alive and held captive by the Machines; he does not move, or otherwise interact with anyone, and quickly jacks out after delivering the message.
Mach: The Machines attack commandos, but the attack is disrupted by Merovingians.
Merv: The Trainman, who does not actually appear in this event, is traced to the Abandoned Subway in Rogers Way, where he evidently has an interface with his private subway construct. Notice is left that the Merovingian requires his immediate presence. Tracing the Trainman should involve some sort of puzzle, ideally utilizing the subway system somehow.
4/5
Crit 7.1.5:
Zion: Seraph is found fighting Elite Commandos, and says that his odd new (temporary) vision allows him to sense the stealthed soldiers, and that the Oracle has told him he must pursue them, to rescue Sati. The operator gets a mysterious golden code beacon directing the player to more commandos--this is from Seraph, although that isn't stated conclusively in the mission. The beacon fades after the commandos are defeated, and the player goes to a scheduled meeting with Agent Pace. In a pre-meeting briefing, Ghost says that scans of the "Morpheus" RSI have been inconclusive--they can't tell where it's coming from, but it certainly isn't a regular redpill signal; there is a lot of corrupt data. Pace very briefly dismisses the idea that either Morpheus or Neo are alive and being held by the Machines, and says that the overwriting of humans was done to ensure the stability and safety of the System, and was not prohibited by the Truce. Tyndall worries that this explanation isn't going to sit well with many in Zion.
Mach: The Machines realize that they now have to move against the Merovingian. Data captured from a combined Merv/Commando force indicates activity at the Abandoned Subway in Rogers Way. In Barrens, the player finds Mervs, Elite Commandos, and Beirn, who snidely remarks that "he" has already reached the Lucero subway. Gray orders the player to retreat, saying Agents are being called in to deal with the ex-Unlimit officer. At a debrief, the player is told that: 1) the General is the main target, not the Merv, 2) Beirn was preserved by and now works for the Merovingian, and 3) although rumors of the Trainman have persisted, he has not been sighted since the beginning of the Truce; if he is returning to active duty, the Merv may be planning a critical program transfer. A Machine computer shows that their Sentinel force is closing in on Stalingrad. Also, a spy report from Zion says that the security review ordered by Zion's commanders prevents further investigation for the time being.
Merv: Malphas discloses that the Trainman, always paranoid and egomaniacal, retreated to his private subway construct when the Truce was made. The Merv got "his assistance in the Assassin affair," but after that, the Trainman vanished altogether. Malphas theorizes that the Trainman resents having been forced to release Neo when he had him captive in his subway station, and that the Trainman sees the Truce as evil, because he has a deep-seated fear that humans will one day destroy the Matrix. The Trainman emerges from the Abandoned Subway, but his signal is immediately lost as a result of heavy Machine scan activity. Flood mentions that the Machines can now scan for Elite Commandos, and packs the player off to south Barrens, where they find a wounded but still sassy Beirn in a room with a couple dead Agents; this scene takes place just after the Beirn encounter in the Machine crit. Beirn says the Trainman made it out through the Lucero subway, and the operator has Flood scan the rest of the city for him. He's found hiding among dead Crossbones in Moriah, and angrily demands to see the Merovingian immediately. You catch up to Malphas, the Merv, and Ookami, with the Trainman in a secure room next door. Malphas says that the Trainman is more unstable than ever, and will have to be watched carefully. Malphas also describes Seraph's encounter with Cryptos. The Merv congratulates the operative, then rants about the persistence of Morpheus rumors. Ookami says that the Trainman is afraid, and can't be trusted. The Trainman is annoyed at the player nosing after him, says he knows what he's needed for, shows paranoia about the possibility of capture by the Machines, and curses the Merovingian for breaking their "deal" in which "the fly man was supposed to be the last."
