Title: The Beginning
Author: TararithPeredhil
Summary: A fairly simple plot for now; a crew of rebels and how their lives change as time passes. The beginning of my series, The Hermes. I personally wouldn't read this until I get more chapters up, but whatever works for you.
Circe was exhausted. She stood in the dojo, holding her blade at the ready, just managing to look less out of breath than she was. As she stared up at the ceiling, a few strands of short black hair fell into her dark brown eyes. She wore white pants and a simple white shirt tied with a black belt.
Her opponent, dressed in a similar black outfit, beckoned to her from the ceiling.
"Come and get me," the woman in black said, not at all out of breath. Her long brown hair was held back in a ponytail. "Or should I make it easier and come get you?" she taunted, her green eyes shining.
Circe took a deep breath and focused. Gravity manipulation was still hard for her. She walked toward a pillar. A few feet in front of it, she placed her right foot on it and pushed. She felt a moment of vertigo as gravity shifted to pull her to the pillar instead of the floor. She walked along it, carefully keeping her balance. When she reached the ceiling, she repeated the maneuver that allowed her to bend her perception.
Pleased with her progress, Circe grinned and ran toward the woman in black, raising her katana as she ran. The woman blocked and came back on the offensive, using her height to her advantage. At only 5'4", Circe was nearly seven inches shorter than her opponent. As they fought, the woman knocked Circe's blade from her hand. As it fell to the real floor, Circe's concentration wavered; she fell twenty feet and grunted as she hit the reed mats covering the floor.
"Ow," she said from the floor. "Tel, I'm really starting to hurt. I can only convince myself that falling doesn't hurt so many times. Can we do this later?"
The woman in black sighed. "Circe, you're making progress. I think you just need to practice."
"Can't I practice later?"
Tel executed a graceful slow-motion flip and landed on the floor. "If you really want to, yes. Deci, take us out." A few moments later, the dojo was empty.
When Teleria and Circe awoke, Nate unplugged them.
"Are you okay?" he asked his sister, Circe, as she sat up.
"I'll be fine," she replied. He slid behind her, ran his fingers through his short black hair, and rubbed her shoulders.
"You've got a meeting, boss," Deci told Tel.
"Who and where?"
"Just you and Somnia, in the Matrix, probably some new Council decision."
Tel smiled as she thought back to when she first met Somnia- Tel had only been an average hacker and Somnia a legend, almost a myth. Once Somnia had contacted her, Tel had chosen the red pill and never looked back. After three years on Somnia's ship, Tel had been transferred to the Minos for another three years, then had been promoted to captain and given her own ship, the Hermes, two years ago.
"I haven't talked to her in ages," Tel muttered. "So when's this meeting?"
"Ten tonight, the usual place."
"Alright," Tel said, but she wondered.
At ten thirty that night, Deci sat at his desk, watching for Agents and waiting for Tel to call for her exit. He played nervously with a strand of his shoulder-length brown hair. He glanced at her unmoving body and scratched the back of his neck, feeling the skin uninterrupted by cold metal. He was glad he was freeborn and couldn't go in the Matrix; to him it was just so strange that you could be in so much danger while your body wasn't even moving.
The phone rang.
"Operator."
"Deci, we're done here," Tel said flatly.
"Alright." There was no need to direct her to an exit; she and Somnia had never left the room they came in through. A few moments later, Tel was awake and thoughtful.
"So what's the news, boss?" he asked as he unplugged her.
"They're sending us some crew members. Three of them."
"To train?"
"No, they just need a new crew."
"Why?"
She shrugged. "Different reasons. Somnia didn't go into detail. Usually they would only give us one new person at a time, but… There was an attack last night that took out half a dozen ships."
"What about their EMPs, were they malfunctioning or something?"
"No, they used them, but while the ships were recharging, more came. With the ships helpless…" Tel put a hand over her eyes. "Massacre… A search team was sent when they lost contact, they only found wreckage and bodies." A single tear leaked out from under her hand. "Levi's ship was one of them."
"Oh, Tel, I'm so sorry." He sat next to her and put his arm around her. Levi had been her stepsister. Because Tel was only a year older, they were very close until Tel was freed. A few months later, Tel discovered that Levi had been released by a different crew, and found her in Zion when their ships were refueling on the same day.
"I just can't believe she's gone. We've been together for so long; and-" She put her head on Deci's shoulder and silently wept.
Deci put his other arm around her, not sure of what else he could do. He had never lost anyone.
They held each other for a few moments more, then Tel pulled away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'll be okay, I just need some time." She wiped her eyes again. "Come on, let's go tell Circe and Deci about their new pets."
Tel and Deci found them in the cockpit, talking about nothing. Tel told them about the three new crew members, but didn't say anything about Levi.
"So, when do they arrive?" Nate asked.
"We're picking them up as soon as we get back to Zion, and we're leaving immediately," Tel answered.
"Great," he muttered as he settled into the pilot's seat.
After clearing security and landing, the crew left the ship. Everyone had somewhere to go. Circe went to restock their supplies, Nate watched over the recharging, and Tel and Deci went to retrieve their trainees.
"So, did you at least get names?" Deci asked.
"Enix, Pawz, and Shift."
They eventually reached the Council room, where they would be meeting their new crewmembers. They entered to see four people waiting for them. Two men, one with short blonde hair and one with spiked black hair, stood protectively on either side of a short red-haired woman. The three of them stood nervously facing the oldest person in the room, a man whose short dark hair was streaked with silver.
"And here they are!" the older man said as he stood and moved between the two groups. "I was just telling them about you, Tel, and how you took down those two Sentinels only a week after you-"
"Good morning, Zeus," she interrupted. She knew that Zeus could talk for days if you let him go.
"Right. I was rambling again, wasn't I?" Tel nodded. "Oh well. A habit of the old. Give them a willing ear and they'll tell you everything they know. Anyway, here are your trainees. Enix, Shift, and Pawz, meet Teleria and Decimal, and vice versa."
"Call us Tel and Deci," Tel clarified. They all shook hands, the newbies somehow looking scared and in awe at the same time. "I'd love to just stay here and talk, get to know you all better, but we're scheduled to leave soon. We can talk on the way." She bowed to Zeus and walked to the door, Deci striding confidently along beside her. The trainees hurriedly picked up their bags and scurried after them.
Tel and Deci walked slightly ahead of the three new people, speaking in lowered voices.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Shift asked no one in particular.
Pawz shrugged. "Something important, if they can't tell us."
"You sure the crew isn't going to be too big with these additions?" Deci muttered to Tel. "The Hermes is pretty small to begin with, and with seven people…"
"As long as no one's claustrophobic, we'll be fine," she whispered.
"But there's only six beds."
"Well, someone's going to have to share."
"Any idea who?"
"Nope. But it'll probably be the two new guys."
"At least it's not me."
Tel smiled. "…Or you and Nate."
"Damnit."
The pair slowed their pace to allow the other group to catch up. "So, then, who's who?" Deci asked them.
"Pawz," answered the man with black hair.
"Enix," said the blonde.
"Shift," the redhead added.
The group walked through a final doorway into the dock. They wove their way through the crowds to the Hermes.
"Home sweet home," Deci said as he banged a fist on the hull.
Circe popped out of the doorway. "Hey, keeping this thing in one piece is hard enough without you banging on her. Be nice to her." She rubbed a hand along the doorframe.
"Sorry, hon," he answered.
"And stop calling me hon," she said automatically. She looked up at them. "Well, you got them. Took long enough. I thought you might have gotten lost."
"I could never get lost in my hometown, Circe," he said. He turned to the trainees. "This is Circe, our mechanic. I'm the operator, and you'll meet the pilot, Nate, when we get inside."
As they walked past Circe and into the ship, she said, "Actually, he's asleep, so you'll have to wait on that."
"Deci, you can go eat now, if you want," Tel said.
"I think I will. Have you decided on who's sleeping where?"
"Yes, and you're going to be very happy about it. I'll show the new kids to their rooms, then they can eat, but I need to sleep. I'll join you all later," Tel said. "Follow me, we'll go drop your things off first."
"Okay, sleeping arrangements are going to be cramped," Tel said. "Shift and I will share a room, Circe and Nate can share a room, and Deci, Enix, and Pawz are going to have to share a room. Now, there's only two beds in a room, but it really shouldn't be a problem, as we're never all asleep at the same time." She pointed everyone to their respective rooms. "When you're settled, you can joins us at lunch. Just follow the noise." She walked down the narrow hallway to the dining room.
The three people stared at each other for a moment, then went into their rooms.
Shift walked in and threw her bag on the emptier side of the room. She sat on her bed and opened her bag, removing what few things she had brought. When she finished, she lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how different her life would be if she had chosen blue, if she had looked away from the truth. Sometimes, the price is just so high for the truth.
If she could go back, would she? She thought back over the last few months. The first time she said it out loud (what is the matrix?), the first time she did the Jump Program (no one makes it on the first try, shift, you'll get better as time goes on), the first time she dodged a bullet from an Agent's gun (look out shift! behind you!), her first kiss in the real world… No, she would never change any of it. She had made the right choice.
A scream echoed from down the hallway.
Sorry this chapter's kind of boring, I just needed to do some introductions. Even though it was terrible, you still feel the urge to review... I hope... One small request: please tell me if I should keep posting this, or if I should discontinue. I hate posting stories and then not even getting flames. It makes me feel worthless... Sorry, ignore the random self-pity. Anyway, reviews are nice!