Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership over any of the characters ('cept Axel's mom and Virulanna). They all belong to the Wachowski brother and Warner Bros. yadda yadda...

"Aaron? Aaron Fairfax! Get down here!"

The muffled thumps of sneakers descending carpeted stairs and then Margaret Fairfax's son appeared at the doorway. "Yeah, mom?"

"What were you doing up there? I called you down a half an hour ago."

"Oh, did you?" the young man furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I guess I didn't hear you."

The older woman raised an eyebrow in amused unbelief, "You said you'd be down in a minute."

"Oh…" he looked down at the floor, beaten. "I guess I just forgot then."

"Yeah, you bet you forgot." She thwapped him playfully with a dishtowel. "You forgot to the point that your noodles are now a congealed mass covered in sauce," she vaguely waved an arm toward a plate of very cold spaghetti. "And I've already done the dishes, so if you think I'm cleaning that plate up once you're done, you're dreamin'." She gave him a half smirk and waited for a response.

Aaron hung his head in mock shame and put on a phony accent. "I am ever so sorry, my lady. Whatever can I do to make up for this transgression?"

Margaret threw her head back and barked laughter, "Well, you can start by massaging my feet when you're done eating," she said, half-sarcastically.

"Now you're the one who's dreaming, mom." He walked up behind her, threw an arm around her and kissed her cheek, "But I love ya anyway."

"Yeah, well…" Margaret walked toward the living room, "Just don't forget to clean up your plate when you're done."

"I won't."

A half an hour later, Aaron was back in his cramped, untidy room, staring directly at its only source of light: the computer monitor. He'd just logged back on and almost immediately a small message box appeared in the upper-left corner:

Vector:Hey, Axel. So, remember what I was talking about before?

Aaron clicked on the message box and started typing, eagerly.

Axel555: Yeah

Vector: And?

Axel555: And what?

Vector: Are you in or out?

Axel555: I dunno… I'm gonna have to think on this one.

Vector: We don't have time for you to think.

Axel555: We?

Vector: Yes

Axel555: Who else is involved?

Vector: Soren for sure. Maybe Niobe too.

Axel555: Those are some big names.

Vector: You know it. Are you in?

Axel555: How can I say no to that?

Vector: They want to meet you first.

Axel555: Me?

Vector: yes

Axel555: in person?

Vector: Yes.

Axel555: Isn't that a little risky? I mean, especially with what we're about to do?

Vector: Not if we do it right.

Axel555: Where? When?

Vector: At the flaming phoenix, you know the place?

Axel555: yeah. When?

Vector: As soon as you possibly can

Axel555: How will I recognize you?

Vector: You won't need to.

User Vector has signed off

Aaron just sat there and stared at the screen for a few moments. What exactly had he just gotten himself into? He understood the plan, and he knew full well he could do what they were asking of him—he'd done it before—but suddenly this thing was looking way bigger than he thought it was. Soren? Niobe? Those were big names in the world of hacking. Very wanted names. He swallowed hard before realizing that they were probably waiting for him right now. Quickly snatching up his wallet and car keys, he scrambled out of his room and towards the front door.

"I'm going out, Mom!" he called on his way.

The Flaming Phoenix was loud and very crowded. Aaron couldn't imagine that two big hackers would even come to such a place, much less want to meet here, especially considering what they were discussing. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd, looking for anyone that might be who he was looking for, finally he gave up and shrugged his arms in frustration. This was a bad idea. He had no idea what any of them looked like, and he knew there was no way they could know what he looked like. No one appeared to be recognizing him.

He was about to turn around to wait at the bar when a large hand dropped down on his shoulder, making him jump nervously and whirl around, ready for a fight. The black man behind him was enormous. Probably at least a whole foot taller than Aaron, and built like an ox. The man was dressed entirely in black and despite the dark interior of the Flaming Phoenix, he was wearing shades. Aaron's muscles tensed, and he hoped that this man didn't want a fight. He doubted he'd stand a chance against such a formidable foe. Instead, the man said in a deep voice, "Axel?"

"Who wants to know?" Aaron replied warily.

"Vector," came the simple reply, "And while I appreciate your discretion, I know you're Axel. Come with me. Soren and Niobe are waiting."

With that, the man turned and walked away from him. Aaron quickly took up stride beside him. "So what's going on here? I thought this was just a simple job"

"It is. Your part is anyway. This isn't about that," Vector said, not breaking stride.

"It's not?" Aaron stopped for a moment, thinking, what else would Soren and Niobe want with him. Vector continued on without hesitation. "Then what's it about?"

"You'll see," said Vector, still walking.

Eventually they broke free of the main crowd and Vector led Aaron to a table where two people were sitting with expressionless faces. One was an African-American woman with her hair done up in a series of tight knots around her head. She, like Vector, was also wearing shades despite the dim interior. The bald man sitting across from her was not. Somehow, being able to see the man's eyes was comforting to Aaron. He liked being able to read the people he talked to, and it was exceptionally hard to do that when he couldn't see their eyes. They both shifted their gazes towards him as he and Vector approached, faces remaining the same.

The man spoke first, "You must be Axel," he used his hand to indicate the seat next to him. "Please." Aaron, responding to his online persona as though it were the name he was christened with, sat down wordlessly beside the bald man lost in confusion.

"I'm Soren," introduced the man, "and this is Niobe," he said, indicating the woman sitting across from him.

There was a moment of silence and Aaron could feel the eyes of the two greater hackers examining him, measuring him up. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and burst out, "What's going on here? What's this about?"

Soren smiled, "This is about you."

Aaron drew his eyebrows together. For a moment he couldn't have said anything even if he wanted to, then, "What??"

"Your interest in computers goes beyond just hacking," said Soren. "You're looking for something. You have been for quite some time now. Even if you don't realize it," he paused for a moment, staring intently at Aaron. "Even if you don't know what you're looking for, you keep looking?"

"I don't understand…" Aaron shook his head. "What's going on here?"

"You keep looking because you know something is wrong, but you don't know what." Soren slipped a hand into one of the pockets of his overcoat and felt for something.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Aaron interjected.

"I understand your confusion," said Soren, withdrawing his hand from the pocket, holding something. "And that is why the decision must be yours and yours alone."

"What decision?" Aaron inquired, glancing at Soren's hand, curious to what he was holding.

"Do you want answers?" Niobe said, speaking for the first time.

"Yes," he admitted.

She slipped a piece of paper to him across the table. A time and place were neatly written upon it. "Then you'll be there tomorrow at the time specified. And you'll be alone."

Soren put the hand holding the object on the table in front of Aaron and revealed it to be a cell phone as he drew his hand away. "Keep that with you, Axel," he said softly. "Now that we've contacted you, they'll be looking for you."

Aaron placed his hand on the phone and looked at Soren in confusion, "Who?"

"And don't trust anyone," said Niobe without expression. "Not even your mother."

Aaron shifted his glance to her, "Wha…?"

"Wake up, Axel," Soren said abruptly.

Shaking his head in confusion, Aaron could vaguely hear a distant voice, calling his name.

Author's Note: I'm no expert on The Matrix, particularly when it comes to the sequels and all that, so if I err anywhere in this fic and it turns out to be inconsistant with any of the movies or games, forgive me, try to ignore it, and just enjoy the story for what it is. Meanwhile, I will try to remain consistant with the known storyline. ;-)