Disclaimer: Owned by the Wachowski Brothers and WB. Not mine, never will be. I have no money, therefore I'm not worth suing. Borrowed for my own amusement.
Summary: Cypher's point of view during the first Matrix film.
Author's Note: Originaly written before any details of the sequels were announced.
11:31 pm
MarkIII No 11 Nebachadnezzer
2-19-98
As the green glow of the computer screen illuminated his face, Liam Reagan or more commonly known by his hacker alias "Cypher" watched the many seemly illegitimate symbols scrolled down the screen oblivious to his fellow crew mates of the hovership Mark III No 11 Nebuchadnezzer, as they went about casual repairs to the ship due to a previous attack from the sentials, giant squid-like machines sent from the Mainframe, central headquarters of the machines, programmed to hunt down an resistance to the machines and eliminate it.
Countless years earlier, mankind had developed AI or more commonly known as Artificial Intelligence, its single biggest discovery and had implied it into everyday life; special capsules were developed to monitor hospital patients, the human genetic code was mapped more effectively than a simple human brain, factories became fully automated and able to repair it's self and slowly the human race became lazy and trusted everything in their everyday lives to the machines until the machines fought back. Since the machines ran off solar power, it was decided to block the sun and put the whole human race into stasis capsules to await the day the sun would return. Some refused and established a community called Zion, free from any form of artificial intelligence, while the rest of the human race were fitted with plugs to monitor their life signs and placed into stasis, where they hope to be one day free from this form of AI. However, the machines had invaded the stasis capsules and enslaved them all in the Matrix in order to get their power, and left them in a prefect society which was immediately rejected and thousands killed, before the reality was changed into the height of human society, the late 1990's.
Cypher reached back and touched the cold, dark, metallic plug on the back of his neck and shuddered. Twelve years earlier he had been what they called 'freed' from the Matrix, freed from a world where he was happy, a world of colours, similarly children and a place where he had friends. Suddenly he had been approached by a man calling himself 'The One' and his assistant who called himself 'Morpheus' who promised him the truth about everything in exchange for taking a pill: a red pill to learn the truth or a blue to return to normal life or 'wonderland' as he described it. Of course, he took the red pill didn't he and now he was struck here in a personal hellhole. He had taken revenge on 'The One' and killed him while on a trip in the Matrix and they had purified his body into a black, icky, goo-like liquid and fed him to an inhabitant of the Matrix called Thomas Anderson when he was a young child. Now Morpheus, now in command, was looking for Thomas Anderson or NEO, because he was starting to show signs of rejecting the Matrix, just like 'The One' had.
Suddenly, the headset he was wearing, a make shift device that stuck into his baldhead like a crown of thorns, began to ring and a voice appeared.
"Yeah?" inquired Cypher
"Is everything in place?" came the voice. Cypher recognized the voice as Trinity, Morpheus' second in command. Cypher hit a button to signal someone.
"I said is everything in place?"
"You weren't supposed to relieve me".
"I know, but I felt like taking a shift".
"You like him, don't you? You're like watching him don't you?" Cypher paused for a minute waiting for an answer. When he didn't get one he continued "We're going to kill him. Do you understand that? He's going to die like the others".
"Morpheus believes that he is the One".
"Do you?" "I…it doesn't matter what I believe"
"You don't, do you?"
"If you have something to say. I suggest you say it to Morpheus". "I intent to, believe me. Someone has to" Then a click is heard, the click that Cypher has been waiting for. "Did you hear that?" Trinity asked anxiously,
"Hear what?"
"Are you sure this line is clean?"
"Cause I'm sure"
"I better go" and Trinity hung up and Cypher smiled, his return to the Matrix was beginning, he would betray his crewmates, hand over Morpheus to the machines and he will return to the Matrix a very rich man.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Morpheus comes running
"What the hell just happened? He shouted over the wailing alarm at Cypher "where's Trinity?"
"She's gone in and they have cut the hard line, she's stuck in the Matrix, pull her plug" Cypher yelled back.
"We can't do that, she still get out. Where's Tank? TANK, GET HERE NOW!" Tank came running in trance wishing he could get back to sleep.
"Yea, what?" he said whilst yawning.
"We have got a situation. Trinity's gone in and they cut the hard line." Morpheus told him "is there a way to get her out?"
"There is but…"
"Sorry to interpret, guys but we have trouble." Cypher said without a sense of guilt "Agents, three of them. We have to pull her plug."
"That isn't an option, Cypher. We are going to get her out." Then the phone rang. All three raced for it, with Morpheus getting there first. "Operator"
"Morpheus! The line was traced! I don't know how."
"I know. They cut the hard line, this line isn't a viable exit."
"Are there any agents?"
"Yes"
"God damn it!"
"Trinity, you have focus. There is a phone at Wells and Lake. You can make it. Now go."
"But, Morpheus."
"GO" the call disconnected and Morpheus shouted orders. "Tank, man the console and wait for her call. Cypher I want to know how that call was traced. I'll get her out of the chair." Each man went to do his job except Cypher who already knew how the call was traced. He had done it and soon he was going home.
11:30 am
The Matrix
4-28-99
Several months had passed since the incident with the Agents at the hotel. They had since pulled in Thomas Anderson, now known as Neo out of the Matrix and told him the truth about the world, while Cypher had looked on, bitter about their new 'recruit', his plan had almost worked but it had failed at the last minute. At least he got a laugh when after being told the "truth", Neo threw up that protein crap they were forced to eat. Now he had another chance since Morpheus thought that Neo was really 'the One'. Then Morpheus had decided that Neo should go see The Oracle, an old woman who is approximately 175 years old. She had been with the resistance since the beginning was herself a freedom fighter trapped in The Matrix. "I should tell the Agents about her before I leave" thought Cypher. "It would really crush the resistance."
As Cypher sat looking at the green glow of the computer screen that sat in his lap, he thought about the reward that the Agents Smith, Brown, Jones, Thompson and Johnston had promise him for delivering Morpheus to them with the codes of Zion as he thought back to the steak dinner or real food he had enjoyed within the Matrix at a restaurant, then he was awaken from his daydream by Mouse and Apoc. Mouse shouted "Hey Cypher, they're back"
At that moment Cypher realized there was no turning back, he was past the point of return. Earlier when they had arrived, he had placed a mobile phone in a rubbish bin, while it dialed the Agents so they could trace their location.
As the black Lincoln pulled up in front of the warehouse, Morpheus, Trinity and Neo got out and Cypher noticed that Neo was a little off colour.
"Hey, Neo still going to pop." Cypher yelled at Neo who just gave him the evil stare. As they entered the warehouse and walked up the stairs, Neo noticed two identical black cats walking after one another. The Agents were here and soon Cypher's life would be over and Liam Reagan's would resume while Morpheus' worst nightmare would begin.