The Matrix

[Lord Borg]

-The Matrix, Carnegie Mellon University-

Kai moved at a brisk jog, trying to make sure he stayed away from the cops, and the suits, who ever they were. Stopping for a breather, Kai looked around quickly, and did not see anyone in the area. He sighed and moved for the building that contianed the advisors office. There was an allyway near that building, he could run down it, and perhaps loose the cops...

[Founder]

-The Matrix, Empty Office-

Sovereign nodded to Ziona, glad she was prepared and looking healthier then his real world self.

"Location?" Sovereign asked Watcher.

Dominion leaned against the table, completely calm about the entire situation. He stared at Sovereign, not saying a word. His eyes oozed confidence and arrogance at the same time.



His clothing was more indicative of some model, rather then a freedom fighter. He wore light clothing that allowed him to fight more easily and carried limited armament. At times, Dominion made Sovereign highly nervous. His ego was bigger then the Machine City itself. He was brilliant at hacking and amazing at fighting. This led him to believe that he was perfect or damn near close to it. There were times that Sovereign believed that Dominion could tear him apart in a fight. That made him nervous because Dominion didn't seem that...obedient. He seemed like he did what Soveriegn asked because it happened to be what Dominion wanted to do also. Cynic was similiar, but in a different way. Soveriegn felt he had no control over him either. Not out of arrogance, but hatred. He hated Soveriegn for freeing him from the Matrix and he would never forget it.

"He's on the move," Watcher said, "I'll try and slow him down. You know the place."

Sovereign nodded and hung up the phone.

"What did he say?" Cynic asked.



In the Matrix, Cynic looked much more sure of himself and stronger. However, that was not the case. Deep inside, he was the same person.

"Let's go." He said, not answering Cynic's question.

-The Matrix, Main Street-

The cell phone in Phoenix's schoolbag began to ring loudly. The ring tone was not the one he was used to...

+ 4 Good Post
-Lord Borg

[Lord Borg]

-The Matrix, Main Street-

Kai was running along the street when he heard his phone ring, loudly, and in some weird tone. He took it out of the bag and looked at it. It seemed like an odd thing to do at the moment, but he answered it.

"Hello?"

[Spellbinder Marik]

-The Matrix, Unknown City-

I had just leapt from the top floor of a building and was plummeting to the ground. My newly developed subroutines/feelings were causing me to think in ways I never had before. A message flashed across my code.
[Fire is weightless. You can command it.] I didn�t know if someone was talking to me or if this was some random computation. I had to find out.
{Inquiry, how am I to command fire?}
[Use it. Bend it to your will as you do any other time.] I thought about it. The Agents were going to shoot me. Perhaps could shoot through the air like a bullet. I placed my hands at my sides and took off like a missile.

[Ziona]

The Matrix, Empty Office

Ziona turned and nodded towards Dominion and Cynic. With a gentle hand, Ziona touched Cynic's arm and lead him out of the office after Sovereign. With a sweeping glance down the hall, Ziona found nothing to be of immediate threat. With a soft voice, Ziona tried to send an affirming sentiment to Cynic.

"As I said, Cynic. Trust me." She squeezed his arm quickly before speeding up to match stride with Sovereign.

[Spellbinder Marik]

-The Matrix, Unknown City-

I continued to spear across the sky as a flaming torpedo. I was traveling at extreme velocity. At these speed the Agents would be able to find me easier. I had to find a place where I could hide and think of what to do next. I was on the outskirts of the city and flew down to the ground. I had pre-selected a form and assumed it as I touched down. It was something that would allow me to fit in and not look like the piece of software I was.
I stepped back from a bush that had caught fire due to my close proximity when landing.
I looked at the bush as it burned.

[La Forge]

The Matrix, Apartment #1337 -- Hidden Valley Apartment Complex

About thirty minutes later, Rachel awoke from her nap in the bathtub. The bubbles in the bubble bath had all dissapated. The candles which she had placed around the ceramic bathtub had burned down to the wick. Her cassete player was silent, after playing through the entire "Queen" CD.

With a heavy sigh, Rachel slowly rose from the warm water of the bath, water dripping off of her slick body, while bubbles clung to her skin. The young woman stepped out of the bathtub, onto a shaggy carpet, placed in front of the bathtub, to prevent spills and whatnot. She pulled a white fuzzy towel off of the nearby towel rack and dried herself, with it. After her wet body was dry, she wrapped the towel around her long brown hair, in an effort to dry the tangled mess. While she waited for her hair to dry, she brushed her teeth and ran through the rest of the nightly routine, before she walked across the hall into her bedroom.

Inside of her cramped bedroom, which consisted of a twin-size bed with bland sheets, a bureau which also served as a desk, a cracked mirror above her dresser, and, a 12 inch black and white television set. She walked over to her closet, next to the T.V. set, the fuzzy white carpet tickling her bare feet. The closet had no door and was quite small. Still, despite its size, the close was jampacked with clothing, boxes, and, whatnot. However, there were no shoes in the closet. Rachel had only one pair of shoes, her old blue and white sneakers, which she had been wearing the first time she had ever gone to an arcade, which introduced her to video games, her favorite past-time in the entire universe.

In fact, after she dressed, in a pair of navy blue short shorts and a black t-shirt, with a red mushroom, a white polka-dotted cap, and, the words "1 Up" beneath the mushroom, Rachel went to her living room, to play some video games. She turned on the 28 inch television set and her Super Nintendo, grabbed the gray and purple controller, and, plopped down on the pleather couch, to play one of her favorite new games "Final Fantasy VI".

As Rachel played the game, her mind strayed off, as it usually did when she played video games. She pondered how boring this life and this world was. She wished that the world was more like the worlds in her video games. She wished for a world with action, adventure, mystery, fantasy...All of that and so much more. But, no, in her world, there was nothing but taxes, laws, politics...All of it was so dull and boring. She wished that there was something more to this world...Something more...anything...

[Spellbinder Marik]

-The Matrix, Unknown City-

The fire had exhausted its source of fuel and the combustion stopped. I had to find out where I was and then what to do next. Unfortunately I didn�t know who I could turn to. Anyone was potentially an agent. I walked into the city. It was still dark. I looked into the horizon. It wouldn�t be long before sunup. I had to find a way to blend in more. I walked out of an alley way and stood next to a bank. If I had money I could order breakfast. What would I do after that though? I had never ordered breakfast before. I had never eaten before. Was it even possible? Either way I�d need money to fit in. Humans used money in this setting. I noticed a machine that I had observed humans getting money from.

I held my hand out before me and formed a line of code that soon took the form of a small card. Humans called it a credit card. I placed the card into the receptacle.
<Please Enter PIN> I didn�t know what PIN was.
{Inquiry, What is PIN?}
[PIN= A multi digit number unique to an individual that is used with a credit card.]
I nodded and entered a PIN.
<Select Desired Withdrawal> I entered a number and a moment later a small door slid up and showed money. I grabbed it and stuffed it into my jacket.
�Now to find breakfast��

[Founder]

-The Matrix, Empty Office-

Sovereign walked out of the office and headed out of the corridor, not saying anything to Cynic. The blonde haired figure looked at the captain with complete hatred and resisted the urge to pull out the firearm within his jacket and shoot him. However, Ziona or Dominion would be all over him in a second if he did it or Watcher would unplug Cynic. It was ironic really. He was supposed to be free now, but it didn't feel that way to him at all. No, now he followed orders and was unable to actually live a life. Being a rebel freedom fighter was not his idea of a life.

"As I said, Cynic. Trust me." She squeezed his arm quickly before speeding up to match stride with Sovereign.

Cynic's snapped out of his gaze and looked at Ziona as she rushed to catch up to the captain of the Fassus.



He was shoved forward by Dominion as the Japanese man walked past him. Dominion smirked at him and followed after the others, leaving Cynic standing there alone. Not only was Sovereign cold to him, but Dominion and Watcher did not treat him much better. There was only Ziona. She was the only one that was kind to him. The only one that made him truly feel Human. He reluctantly followed after them, hating every second of being inside of the Matrix. It was such a strong reminder of what he had lost. Ok, so the machines conquered mankind and use them for energy. Cynic hated that, but inside of the Matrix he was not fighting the machines. Inside he was living his own life.

"There has to be more to all of this..." He whispered, before finally rushing after the others.

-Fassus, Operator's Station-

Watcher eyed the various screens in front of him, monitering the team and Phoenix. He had called Phoenix using a hack that would force the phone to ring and make it untraceble or so he thought. After a few rings, the boy picked up but did not stop moving.

"Hello?" He said in a curious tone.

The older man leaned forward and typed while speaking into the headset that allowed him to communicate to people within the Matrix.

"Listen to me like you've never listened to anyone before," He said, "You're approaching a news stand. Walk past it and enter the alleyway. Walk towards the dumpster and there is a door that leads inside. Go inside there and wait for further instructions."

He quickly hung up before the boy could ask a myriad of questions regarding the situation. Now, it was up to the others to find him...

+4 dilithium good post
-Lord Borg[/color

[color=darkred]Bonus: + Type XI Phasers for ""Listen to me like you've never listened to anyone before,", I can actually hear Morgan Freeman say that... Creepy, no?

[Lord Borg]

-The Matrix, Carnegie Mellon University-

Kai frowned, not really sure if he could, or should trust the voice on the other end. How could he have gotten this number? Kai looked around and heard sirens in the distance. Who ever had called him, it couldn't have been a cop, they like to lie to you, but he doubted they'd put up this elaborate scheme to catch him. The biggest thing he wanted to know, whas how did the voice know where he was? Kai looked around and saw no signs of being watched. With a sigh he moved forward, and saw the newsstand. He moved past it like instructed for tha alleyway, and moved towards the dumpster. While he thought he should run, what ever was in the building, may hold some answers that he wanted to know. The door squeeked as he opened it and entered, and awated 'for further instructions'

[Spellbinder Marik]

-The Matrix, Unknown City-

I entered an establishment that had the name �Diner� in shining neon lights over the door. Once inside I was surprised.

The setting was archaic. A brief inquiry revealed that humans called something like this �Retro� the reemergence of a style from the past. I sat in one of the cubicles near the door. Not long after a women appeared.
�What�ll you have darlin�?� she inquired. This was it. I didn�t know what to say. I had never ordered breakfast before. I didn�t want to cheat by using the database to find out. I had to learn to blend in and seemingly knowing everything wouldn�t help me do that.
�What is a popular breakfast?� The women pulled a pad out of her pocket.
�Bacon, eggs, side of hash browns and coffee seems to be a favorite.� I nodded.
�I will try that.� The women smiled.
�Coming right up.� The women disappeared behind a wall. Several moments later I experienced another sensation. This one was simply wonderful. A scent entered my nostrils and seemed to shiver down my back. I didn�t know one could feel such pleasures from a mere scent.

I noticed other people began to enter the diner. I had been sniffing the air, getting used to this newfound sensation. People were staring. I decided it would be prudent to explore this sensation at a later time. The women came back after a few minutes and sat a tray in front of me.
�Enjoy.� I looked at the tray before me. I hadn�t the slightest idea how to proceed. I noticed the other customers began to have their orders filled. They used a fork to shovel the eggs into their mouths and drank coffee after that. I followed suit. Taste was yet another sensation I hadn�t experienced. It was positively fantastic. I felt the same shivering sensation down my back again. I finished the eggs and decided to sample the coffee. The aroma coming from it was strong and made it seem very imposing for a liquid. I tasted the coffee and nearly spat it back up. The taste was awful.

I guess playing human meant that anything good I liked was bound to have its negatives too. Coffee was one of those negatives. I failed to see how the others could enjoy it. I tried the only thing left on the tray.

It turned out that bacon had been one of the finer creations of mankind. The taste of it was as powerful as the scent of coffee. I quickly finished my meal and wiped my mouth with a napkin. A gesture I had picked up from the others in the diner. When I looked down I saw a piece of paper with the word �Check� over the top and another set of numbers on the bottom. This was a price tag. When I had been a firewall for the Matrix I often encountered chats between people and addresses inquiring about price tags and what things cost. I pulled the appropriate amount from the bills in my pocket. I noticed the other people left slightly more than what the check required. Still attempting to blend in I followed suit.

I walked out of the diner. I had to decide what to do next. I had mastered the art of breakfast. I watched as the vehicles sped by. I had found my next target. I had to get a car and learn how to drive�