All right, this is gonna be interesting. How? Read on to find out...
Disclaimer: The original concept (and any related characters) of The Matrix belongs to dem crazy Wachowski brothers. The Great Mouse Detective characters belong to Disney and/or Eve Titus. Any other characters (unless specified) belong to Disney.
Bleep... Bleep... Bleep... Click!
"Hey, El Tara."(1)
"Hey, Æsahættr. How goes the surveillance?"(2)
"Good. I'm thinking we might have a chance at getting to him soon."
"Great. Leo will be pleased to hear it."(3)
"Gotta get off. You don't know exactly who could be listening nowadays."
"See ya."
"See ya."
Click!
CRUNCH!
The door flew inward suddenly as the policeman kicked it open. "Police! Freeze", the cop shouted.
The room was almost completely devoid of furniture, save for a fold-up table, chair, cell phone, modem, and PowerBook computer. The only light in the room came from the computer and the cop's flashlight. The light from the computer silhouetted a figure sitting at the table, while the light from the flashlight revealed a little purple of the top the figure was wearing.
"Hands behind your head! Now! Do it"
Slowly, the teenaged figure did as the man said.
Outside, a black sedan with tinted windows pulled up. Out stepped two persons (if you could call them that). They would have been identified as plain Secret Service agents if it weren't for a few things: The ponytail and blue skin of the one and the flaming fists and pale skin of the other.
"Remind me why we're wearing these suits again?" Agent Drakken asked for the umpteenth time, messing with his tie in an attempt to straighten it out. While he had attempted (and failed) to put the suit on so it looked neat, Shego hadn't bothered with the tie, leaving the green and black jumpsuit she usually wore underneath exposed.
"Don't know, don't care", Agent Shego replied irritably. "People sometimes freak when they see people in black suits nowadays."
"But why! If I wanted to scare people, I'd have dressed up as the Grim Reaper!"
"Yeah. Tell that to Agent Smith the next time you see him, all right?"
Agent Drakken merely grumbled.
Officer Hobble swore when he saw the two approaching. "Crap."
"Officer Hobble", Shego began in an emotionless tone. "You were given specific orders-"
"I'm just doing my job", the man snapped. "Give me that jurisdiction of yours, and I'll tell you where you can put it."
Shego merely raised an eyebrow behind her green-tinted sunglasses lenses. "Oh, really?", she asked sarcastically.
"Those orders were for your protection!", Drakken yelled, already losing his famously-short temper.
Officer Hobble merely laughed. "I think we can handle one little girl." He started to laugh, but stopped when he saw the two head towards the hotel. "I sent two units. They're bringing her down now."
"No, Officer", Shego stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "Your men are already down."
The main officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs, the others holding a bead on the girl with their tranquilizer guns. They've all done this a hundred or more times, and they think they have her until-
Faster than the eye can blink, Æsahættr, a.k.a. Will Vandom crouched, kicking the man's legs out from underneath him. As he fell, she darted out from underneath him. Instantly she used her invisibility power, allowing herself to dart out and steal a tranquilizer gun, twist, and fire darts into the officers. When it was over, the only one left standing was her.
"Not good."
Outside, Drakken entered the motel, while Shego headed for the alley.
She picked up the cell phone and dialed the number. After a few moments of tense silence, the other end picked up.
"Operator", the bass voice said.
"Leo, the line was traced! I don't know how."
"I know", Leo replied.
"Are there any agents?", Will asked urgently.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Peachy" came the flat reply.
"Focus", Leo said calmly. "There's a phone booth on Wells and Lake. Think you can make it?"
Will took a deep breath, centering herself. "Yeah."
"Go."
That was all Will needed to hear as she put the phone away.
Drakken walked down the hall, leading another group of policemen. Suddenly, Will burst out of the room, hurrying to the other end and climbing out onto the fire escape. "Crap", Will swore as she saw Shego in the alley below her. The only way out now was up.
Dashing up the fire escape, she made it to the roof. As she started towards the edge, she saw Drakken and the others reach the edge of the parapet. Reaching the edge, she gracefully leapt to the next roof, her only problem being the cry of "SHEGO!" from Drakken.
So the chase began, Will using her Guardian strength to leap from roof to roof. Shego, of course being Shego, followed with the same grace.
Suddenly, she had to stop. The next building was over forty feet away!
Strangely, Will didn't panic, despite the factor of the approaching Shego. She merely called out a name. "Zephyr!"(4)
Zephyr, a.k.a. Hay Lin swooped down and lifted Will off the roof, barely managing to avoid a green plasma flame from Shego. Hay Lin grinned. "Where to?"
"Wells and Lake. And hurry!"
As soon as Hay Lin landed, Will took off, answering the ringing phone. The next moment, she was gone. Hay Lin looked around. Nothing but a garbage truck. "Guess I'd better get out, too", she muttered to no one in particular.
As soon as she said that, the truck's engine revved to life. The car turned, starting towards the telephone booth as if taking aim. Hay Lin raced towards the phone booth, reaching and entering it.
The truck bore down on the phone booth as she answered the phone.
The truck smashed through the booth, turning it into so much Plexiglas and metal.
A moment later, Shego stepped from the truck, gritting her teeth in anger. Hay Lin was gone.
"It's real, then?", Drakken asked.
Shego frowned. "Yep. And it's only begun."
"Who do we look for?"
"Don't worry", Shego said with a wicked grin. "I already know who."
Wake up, Ratigan...
To say that Professor James Ratigan woke swiftly upon hearing that would have been a lie. To say it wasn't an easy task would have been closer to the truth. First one eye opened, then the other. He groggily looked around for the source of the voice. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Ratigan…
"What?", the aforementioned rodent whispered, eyebrow raised. The voice seemed to come from everywhere, and yet nowhere, a deep bass that was scary, yet strangely comforting. A pause. "…Father?"
Ratigan…
"I heard you the first time."
The Animatrix has you…
"The what?"
The Animatrix…
"The… Animatrix?", Ratigan queried, simultaneously rolling the second word around on his tongue and wondering whether his last drink had been doctored slightly.
Follow the naked mole rat…
"Follow the… naked mole rat! Ah… nice Alice in Wonderland reference."
The voice seemed to groan. Ratigan's ears flattened against his head in embarrassment. "Sorry."
Knock, knock, Ratigan…
Ratigan instantly stood up, expecting the pounding on the door. He was met with silence. "Ah, hello? Where's the 'knock, knock'!"
Doorways do not always come in the shape of rectangles, Ratigan…
"And what's that supposed to?"
There was a sudden strange swooshing sound from behind him, and the room was lit with a strange blue color. Ratigan slowly turned to find a strange round hole had appeared from out of nowhere. The electric-blue portal hummed softly, and Ratigan glanced around quickly to see if anyone would have heard. As he turned back, he was shocked by what he saw. "…Wow…"
Literally standing there was a naked mole rat, clad simply in chest armor with shoulder straps that was the same color as the portal. "Professor Ratigan?", he asked in a voice that was moderately lighter than the one he had heard moments before.
"Um… Ye-yes", Ratigan stammered. "Who wants to know?"
"You were invited by a woman by the name of Æsahættr to the Snake's Tail. It's a rather... informal affair", the naked mole rat said dryly, looking at Ratigan's formal three piece suit, "but your clothes will change once you go through the portal."
"Ah… right." He paused before the portal. "This is safe, right?"
The naked mole rat smiled for the first time since he had arrived so oddly. "Would I be here if it wasn't safe?"
"Good point." And he stepped through.
The first thing he noticed was the noise. Strangely musical noises that seemed to be purposeful, and a man singing "Or maybe I'm just blind".
After a few moments, the music grew louder. Ratigan winced, but as he adjusted to the noise level, the naked mole rat entered through the portal.(5)
"You'll get used to the music after a minute", he shouted.
"This is music?", Ratigan asked dryly.
"Just wait over by the bar. I'll let Æsahættr know you're here."
The two rodents strode over to the bar, where the naked mole rat ordered his charge a drink. As the naked mole rat strode off, Ratigan pretended to casually sip at it, really wondering what kind of drink it was. "Of course, I shouldn't have expected a sherry… But this isn't an ordinary drink…"
"This isn't an ordinary bar, either", a teenaged voice called. Ratigan looked up to see a teenage girl with red hair and brown eyes, wearing the strangest outfit he had seen in quite awhile. A purple shirt that stopped in a fluid curve above the stomach with sleeves that draped down at the wrists. The extremely short blue skirt was topped by two strange-wave like parts that circled the navel. Worn under that was a pair of lime green and bluish-green striped tights. Finally, the stranger was wearing what appeared to be purple rain boots.
"Yes", Ratigan muttered. "Not ordinary at all."
The teenaged human strode over and sat next to him at the bar. "Hello, James."(6)
Ratigan's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"
"I know a lot about you. I've been wanting to meet you for quite a bit."
"Really?", Ratigan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
"I can't tell you my real name here, but people just call me Æsahættr."
"You're Æsahættr?"
The girl smiled. "That's the name, don't wear it out."
"Huh", Ratigan muttered in amazement.
"What?", Æsahættr asked in a slightly defensive tone.
"Oh, sorry." Ratigan blushed. "I just didn't expect-"
"You didn't expect me to be a girl?", Æsahættr asked. "Don't worry, I get that a lot."
"Yes, I actually expected you to be a man."
"Most guys do."
Ratigan smiled, still feeling a little embarrassed. "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?"
"No, if you mean somewhere away from here. It's safer in the corner, though."
Leaving his drink at the bar, Ratigan followed Æsahættr to the corner. The second they got there, Ratigan got down to business. "Who was that in my room?"
"That was Leo."
"Who?"
"Leo."
The name finally registered in the Professor's brain. "The Leo?"
Æsahættr nodded. "Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger. That's why Leo told Rufus 3000 to bring you here."
"To warn me." A pause. "Of what?"
"They're watching you, Ratigan."
"Who is?"
"Just listen. I know why you agreed to come here, though you might not realize it. I know because I was looking for the same thing." Her voice was barely a whisper, which was all that was needed, seeing as how she was speaking directly into his ear. "We're both looking for the answer to the same question."
The words came suddenly to his mind. "The Animatrix?"
"Exactly." Æsahættr pulled away, and started towards the crowd, but paused, turning to Ratigan. "Look to my coming tomorrow. You will know where to find me." She smiled, then melted into the crowd.
To Be Continued…
1: Tara, a.k.a. Taranee. In this case, she is nicknamed after the location Tara, Ireland.
2: Æsahættr, another name for the Subtle Knife. Æsahættr/Subtle Knife is © Phillip Pullman. WORSHIP THE GENIUS! WORSHIP THE GENIUS, I SAY!
3: Just so you know, this is not Simba!
4: A.k.a. Hay Lin. Another word for the west wind.
5: I seem to keep typing "more" instead of mole at this point.
6: The "James Ratigan" clique has a (not so new) member! Yay!