Grace felt her eyes snap open. The motion sent her body into shock and she
realized in that one moment that she was in a tank. Surrounded by a gooish
liquid she inhaled sharply and coughed. For 18 years she'd been breathing
in the substance; a form of liquid oxygen. The plugs pulled from her neck
and body with a disgusting wet sound, and she froze when a large metal
creature paused in front of her tank.
All systems had shut down for her. To the machines, her heart no longer beat, her brain waves no longer measured. Grace, or number 240,458,284,293 was dead. The battery was sapped for them. The machine pulled itself over her, sticking its claws into the spaces around her.
Morpheus had warned her not to scream. That was the crucial thing. Keep moving if you can, and don't scream. Her muscles were too weak to move as the liquid pen dropped her into a sea of refuse below. She choked, trying to breathe the foreign air, and her green eyes scanned for any sign of rescue. Her city was gone; her life was over. All because a man named Neo, a woman named Trinity, and a Saint named Morpheus had come to her directly.
Her office had been the typical drone work space. Grace's boss was demanding, and often threatened her termination should she continue to show up late. Grace shared an apartment with three other people; none as neat as she'd grown up to be.
None of that functioned in her mind now. She continued to fight to stay above water until she came to a small alcove of nothing. Grace let herself sink.
A claw reached out from the Nebuchadnezzar. Unconscious, the ship pulled her in to a waiting crew.
Messenger laid her on a table. His face was young, but aged with his unplugging four years back.
"I don't know, Trin. This is pretty bad." Messenger whispered. Grace could feel him spreading her out, checking her muscles and pulse.
"Neo seems to think this one is important," Trinity replied. The tall woman was thin and muscled. She wore nothing but a pair of gray pants and a torn gray sweater. Within the Matrix she was little short of extraordinary.
Grace opened her eyes.
"Well, there we go," Messenger grinned. His dark hair was scattered, and his skin pallid from life underground in the sunless Zion. "We got a live one, Trin. Go get your man."
Neo was in the doorway before Trinity could turn around. He embraced her gently and smiled.
"So this is the hacker," Neo greeted. Grace's muscles were too atrophied for her to sit or talk, but she listened intently. Neo was also muscled, wearing a tattered outfit similar to Trinity's. Grace wondered where his trench coat and gun were. She understood very little about the world she'd been taken from.
Messenger grinned. "Evidently, the agents have been after this one for a long time. She's key to the destruction of the machines. Legend says she will fight beside the one in the last battle."
"That's if you're paying deep attention to the prophecy," Morpheus boomed. His presence alone was commanding. "Link, are we prepared to dock for the night?"
"As long as we get back to Zion in the morning," Link replied. The dark skinned man appeared from no where, just as Neo and Morpheus had. "If I don't get home by then, the wife is going to have a killing spree."
"We can take her into Zion, right?" Neo asked.
"If you are convinced she is the one to fight by your side," Morpheus replied. "You can do anything."
Trinity was not threatened. Grace was not, and had never been interested in Neo. That was Persephone. The tall brunette had tried to seduce Neo with a kiss, and in return wound Trinity. If Morpheus had not stopped her.well, it wasn't sure what wound have happened.
"How long until she will be strong enough to walk, Messenger?" Trinity asked.
"A week on board; possibly shorter in Zion."
"Dock for the night," Morpheus told them. "Trinity, Neo. Go to sleep. Messenger, would you care for this one tonight?"
"It would be my honor to assist the One, as well as you, Morpheus."
"Thank you."
Morpheus was gone within seconds.
"Just you and me kid," Messenger smiled, looking into her eyes. "When we get you cleaned up, you'll be good as new."
All systems had shut down for her. To the machines, her heart no longer beat, her brain waves no longer measured. Grace, or number 240,458,284,293 was dead. The battery was sapped for them. The machine pulled itself over her, sticking its claws into the spaces around her.
Morpheus had warned her not to scream. That was the crucial thing. Keep moving if you can, and don't scream. Her muscles were too weak to move as the liquid pen dropped her into a sea of refuse below. She choked, trying to breathe the foreign air, and her green eyes scanned for any sign of rescue. Her city was gone; her life was over. All because a man named Neo, a woman named Trinity, and a Saint named Morpheus had come to her directly.
Her office had been the typical drone work space. Grace's boss was demanding, and often threatened her termination should she continue to show up late. Grace shared an apartment with three other people; none as neat as she'd grown up to be.
None of that functioned in her mind now. She continued to fight to stay above water until she came to a small alcove of nothing. Grace let herself sink.
A claw reached out from the Nebuchadnezzar. Unconscious, the ship pulled her in to a waiting crew.
Messenger laid her on a table. His face was young, but aged with his unplugging four years back.
"I don't know, Trin. This is pretty bad." Messenger whispered. Grace could feel him spreading her out, checking her muscles and pulse.
"Neo seems to think this one is important," Trinity replied. The tall woman was thin and muscled. She wore nothing but a pair of gray pants and a torn gray sweater. Within the Matrix she was little short of extraordinary.
Grace opened her eyes.
"Well, there we go," Messenger grinned. His dark hair was scattered, and his skin pallid from life underground in the sunless Zion. "We got a live one, Trin. Go get your man."
Neo was in the doorway before Trinity could turn around. He embraced her gently and smiled.
"So this is the hacker," Neo greeted. Grace's muscles were too atrophied for her to sit or talk, but she listened intently. Neo was also muscled, wearing a tattered outfit similar to Trinity's. Grace wondered where his trench coat and gun were. She understood very little about the world she'd been taken from.
Messenger grinned. "Evidently, the agents have been after this one for a long time. She's key to the destruction of the machines. Legend says she will fight beside the one in the last battle."
"That's if you're paying deep attention to the prophecy," Morpheus boomed. His presence alone was commanding. "Link, are we prepared to dock for the night?"
"As long as we get back to Zion in the morning," Link replied. The dark skinned man appeared from no where, just as Neo and Morpheus had. "If I don't get home by then, the wife is going to have a killing spree."
"We can take her into Zion, right?" Neo asked.
"If you are convinced she is the one to fight by your side," Morpheus replied. "You can do anything."
Trinity was not threatened. Grace was not, and had never been interested in Neo. That was Persephone. The tall brunette had tried to seduce Neo with a kiss, and in return wound Trinity. If Morpheus had not stopped her.well, it wasn't sure what wound have happened.
"How long until she will be strong enough to walk, Messenger?" Trinity asked.
"A week on board; possibly shorter in Zion."
"Dock for the night," Morpheus told them. "Trinity, Neo. Go to sleep. Messenger, would you care for this one tonight?"
"It would be my honor to assist the One, as well as you, Morpheus."
"Thank you."
Morpheus was gone within seconds.
"Just you and me kid," Messenger smiled, looking into her eyes. "When we get you cleaned up, you'll be good as new."