Disclaimer: I don't own the Matrix concept or anyone - yes, even the Agents - in it. I don't own the Oracle, but the idea of making her an advisor for the Agents belongs to whoever thought it up. I just named her Mentor here. Nemo IS mine. Oh, and Fleming and Alex are mine too.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be entitled Destiny III, but somewhere along the way, the plot diverted a little and I gave it its own title. I know this is long overdue. Hope you people like it. Pleassseee review!
I Know Who I Am
Nemo absently stirred more sugar into her coffee as she scanned the daily report on rebel activities. Daily in human terms, that is. There really was no day or night for Agents. Each day seamlessly led to another without pause.
"Why must you drink coffee when you have no need for it?"
"Habit," she said in the same absent manner to answer Jones' puzzled query.
"I think it's a waste of code," Smith snapped from his position at the window.
"And I don't give a bloody damn what the hell you think," she said with equal emphasis to the pronoun 'I'.
Jones gave a realistic human sigh, his lightning speed typing never ceasing. Although his colleagues had accepted each other's presence, there was still the occassional exchange of hostility. At least, it never went beyond verbal sparring. Of that, Jones was extremely thankful.
Nemo had thawed a little since her recent suicide attempt. She'd even recovered some of her former human mannerisms. The System did not see the change as detrimental to their cause - as a matter of fact, it seemed to have improved their success-failure ratio - so they did nothing.
Then, her hand suddenly stopped in midstir and Smith's head turned to look back at his colleagues. Nemo reached for the office phone that sat between her and Jones on the table even before it began to ring. Its shrill, high-pitched tone was abruptly cut off at the first ring as Nemo answered the phone.
"Moore," she answered in her crisp, business tone.
"Agent Moore, this is Lieutenant Johnson of the NYPD."
"Yes, what is it Lieutenant?"
"You asked us to report any suspicious missing persons cases."
"Yes."
"Well, I just received a case and...I don't know if it's what you're looking for..."
"Spit it out, Lieutenant," she cut in sharply. She didn't have time for this nonsense.
"Uh well...my gut instinct tells me that there's something funny about this case..." The lieutenant's voice faded uneasily.
"Your gut instinct..." She repeated coldly.
"Uh yes, ma'am."
Nemo could hear him gulp nervously at the other end of the line. After a tense pause, she spoke once more.
"I see. Fax it to me."
"Yes, ma'am."
Seconds after she'd hung up on him, the fax machine began to buzz as a long roll of fax paper came out of it.
She quickly went over it before handing it to Smith, who'd joined them at the desk.
"Alexandra Munro..."
"You recognize the name."
"She is someone we reinserted."
"They always seem to cause trouble, don't they?" She remarked nonchalantly.
"Humans are always trouble." He snapped back at her.
She rolled her eyes, while Jones sighed again.
"Pull up her file, won't you, Jones? ...When did you reinsert her, Smith?"
"A few years ago. Before Neo came."
"Why was she reinserted?"
"There was some complications during her interrogation." Jones spoke up, having pulled up the file. "She was only good as an energy source afterwards."
"Get anything out of her?"
"No."
"So, she's like Fleming."
"No," Smith cut in, slightly annoyed. "Fleming created an anti-code, while Munro's program simply rejected the code.."
"I see... Original name, Sandra Monroe...Reinsertion name, Alexandra Munro... Fighter...little programmer skills though an excellent hacker... Fascinating."
"She disappeared a week ago while on her way to work. Could the rebels have taken her?" Jones asked.
"No. That is highly improbable. She is in a secure locale outside the Matrix."
"Even then the rebels may have made contact with her..." Nemo commented dryly.
"Not without us knowing first. A code has been inserted in her to inform us of any contact with foreign programs."
"So, you think she caused her own disappearance?"
"I KNOW she caused it," Smith replied coldly.
"Then, she must have learnt about her past..."
"Yes." Smith's displeasure was apparent by the dark look on his face. "There has been an increasing number of such occurences. That is why the System has begun to deliberate on whether or not to terminate reinsertion operations."
"Yes... So, what were the circumstances that surrounded her failed interrogation?" Nemo asked, turning to Jones.
"Her program had an adverse reaction to the interrogation code and she went into a seizure. Her memory bank was scrambled and unsalvageable. So, she was reinserted for energy purposes..."
"Without her memory bank being wiped out?"
"Without her memory bank being wiped out," Smith repeated through gritted teeth. He grimaced at his obvious mistake. If he had taken percautions, they would not have this problem. "We simply overlayed her old memory bank with a new one."
She raised an eyebrow at his reply, causing him to retort defensively.
"It was procedure then."
"Well, we'll just have to fix that mistake. ...Can we track her using her reinsertion code?"
"We can." Jones nodded in affirmation.
"Good. Get a lock on her, then we can find out where this stray human has gone off to."
She shoved her way through the crowd. Dashed up the stairs. Dodged into a room. Missed the bullet. Leapt out the window. Crashed onto the awning below. Slid off. Ran into the alley. Saw the telephone booth...saw him.
"Escape is futile, Ms. Monroe."
Dark suit. Dark shades. Blank face. The business end of a Desert Eagle.
Darkness...
She jerked up to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Bare white walls...plain yet immaculately clean room scantily filled with second-hand furniture...like a cell.
Curled up with knees tucked under her chin, she took a deep breath and tried to regain control.
"It's all right, Alex," she reassured herself aloud in a shaky voice. "You're safe."
'...from what?'
She shook her head to try and clear it as she cautiously placed her feet on the cold wooden floor. She winced slightly at the unexpected chill and quickly put on her slippers. Slipping into a worn woolen robe, she headed for the fogged up window. After she'd wiped a spot clean, she peered out through the faint early morning mist of downtown New York. A few cars...a whistling policeman on his beat...a stray cat...no mysterious men in black suits...
"It's just a crazy dream, Alex."
She turned away and headed for the mini-kitchen. Wrinkling her nose at the funny smell that filled the fridge, she quickly shut it close. But, not before she'd snatched up a small container of yoghurt. She took a spoon from the dish drainer and cautiously tasted the expired yoghurt. Grimacing at the sour taste, she threw it into the trash can and the spoon into the sink before heading back to her bed.
Curling her legs under her, she sat and sank into a deep reverie.
The dreams had started a month ago. In them, she was always running. But, she'd never known until now who she was running from. Men in black...
'Maybe I'm an alien abduction case...'
Her lips quirked up in a wry smile at the thought.
She unconciously bit at her long, manicured nails. An old habit... Wait... She frowned as she examined her nails...she'd never done that as a kid or even later on...
This was really freaking her out. First, there were those crazy dreams. Then, there were those weird people who seemed to be stalking her. At every turn and corner, they were there. Dressed in black leather and eyes hidden by dark shades... She shuddered at the close call she had a week ago.
She'd been on her way to work when a strange feeling came to her. Looking back for a second, she saw one of them...not THEM...but one of those leather clad people. A bald dark-skinned man with dark shades clipped on his nose and a long leather coat buttoned to the top. He was staring at her like he knew her. But, she definitely did not know him.
She got onto the subway with one last look behind her. He was still looking at her. She didn't know what came over her after that. She just had the sudden urge to get off at the wrong stop and then started walking. To where, she hadn't the slightest idea. Finally, she stopped at an old building downtown. She approached the person at the lobby counter - an old man with a scruffy beard and a beer belly - but before she could open her mouth, he spoke.
"Oh, it's you...haven't seen you for some time now. What's it been? Few years or so?"
She looked unblinkingly back at him, uncertain of what to say. He didn't seem to notice though as he turned back to take a key of a hook.
"Here you go...same room as always..."
"Uh...how much is it again?"
He gave her a strange look before replying.
"You people deposit it to my account, don't you? Always have. Even through all these years... Not that I'm complaining."
"Oh...yes, I remember now."
He looked her over from across the counter, studying her slightly wrinkled designer pantsuit.
"You sure have changed a lot... Your friends coming too?"
"Uh, no...only me this time..."
"OK..."
With that, he turned back to the newspaper he'd been reading when she walked in. She glanced uncertainly at the rickety antique elevator and opted for the stairs instead.
It wasn't a very long climb and somehow she found herself stopping at the door of this very apartment. There was a bedroom with a small window that had a narrow cot, a chair and a table in it. Right beside it was a mini-kitchen and a dining room that doubled as a living room. There were two doors leading from the bedroom. One led to a small bathroom with a shower, a sink, and a toilet. The other, however, was locked. Seeing as there wasn't another key on the ring that had been given to her, she basically ignored it.
So, here she was probably jobless now and in need of, not only decent food, but psychiatric help as well.
'Now, isn't that just great?'
"We've found her."
"Where is she?" Nemo asked Jones as his fingers dashed across the keyboard.
"An old rebel hideout...her team's as a matter of fact."
"The old hunting ground..." Smith muttered next to Nemo.
"Well then, let's pay Ms. Munro a visit. Shall we?"
The trio got into one of their standard Corona Victorias and drove off for downtown. The ride there was silent, but then again, they never really had much to say to each other aside from work. As they passed Mentor's building, Nemo unconciously looked away to avoid it. She hadn't seen Mentor after her second visit and she didn't relish the idea of third. The slight movement was not lost on Smith and he filed it away for possible future use.
"We're here," Jones said, breaking the silence as the car came to a stop in front of an old apartment building.
"We noticed," Smith snapped as he took the lead. Jones didn't respond to the slight as he followed, Nemo next to him.
"What can I do for you people?" The old man at the desk asked in a gruff voice.
"We're looking for a woman by the name of Alexandra Munro. We have reason to believe that she's here," Smith said.
"Look I don't want any trouble or anything..."
"Then, tell us if she's here."
"I don't know any woman by that name."
"Show him a picture of her," Nemo spoke up from behind.
Jones took out a newly uploaded picture of her and handed it to Smith, who proceeded to show it to the old man.
"Oh...her... She in trouble?"
"No...we're just looking for her," Nemo said. Her calm, soothing voice in sharp contrast to Smith's blunt, insensitive one. "She was reported missing a few days ago."
"Oh well, she came in a few days ago. She's staying in an old apartment that she and some other people are renting."
"The number of the apartment?"
"353."
"I see. Thank you for you're cooperation."
"Are you the FBI or something?"
"Yes," was all Nemo said as she walked towards the stairs, Smith and Jones behind her.
They stopped at the door of aparment 353 and Smith knocked sharply at the door.
Alex jumped up in surprise at the sound of loud knocking on her door.
"Uh, yes..." She asked hesitantly.
"Ms. Munro?"
Slowly rising from her seat at the bed, she looked out the door peephole to see a familiar face. A pale and expressionless face with dark shades concealing his eyes. Eyes which she was sure were a brilliant shade of ice blue.
"Who is it?"
"We're Agents with the FBI."
An FBI badge appeared in her line of her view, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
'Agents...'
"I see..."
"We want to talk to you. ...May we come in."
"Uh, of course."
She fumbled with the bolt of the door and turned the knob, stepping aside to let the trio in.
'Bad things come in threes...'
"I am Agent Smith. This is Agent Jones..." The well-built man behind him. "...and this is Agent Moore." A woman?
'Wasn't it supposed to be...'
She frowned unconciously, puzzled by the apparent change in the trio. Smith noted the frown and exchanged looks with Jones.
*She knows something's different.* Jones remarked.
*That gives us more of a reason to terminate her.
*Not until we know how much she remembers. She could be of use to us.* Nemo cut in.
*What do you mean?* Smith's annoyance was obvious even though they weren't speaking verbally.
Nemo did not answer. Instead, she turned to talk to the uneasy woman.
"Ms. Munro, you were reported by friends and co-workers to be missing a week or so ago. We were fortunate to trace you here."
'And how exactly did you do that? Even I didn't know how I ended up here...'
"Yes...well, I just decided to take a few days off."
"An unscheduled leave without notifying your boss?" The female Agent raised an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.
"Well...I just needed to get away you know..." Alex offered the other woman a weak smile.
"I see...well, would you mind coming with us. We'd like to ask you some questions."
"Am I under arrest?"
"No."
"Then, I don't need to go with you." Trying to look confident, Alex crossed her arms across her chest.
"No...but it would be in your best interests if you did." Alex studied the woman before her uneasily, eyes darting for a moment to study the men next to them.
'Why is she the one in control? It's supposed to be...'
This woman was dangerous. That much Alex knew. Her unexpected presence alone made her dangerous, but her apparent contol of the situation added to Alex's unease.
"Ms. Munro...are you coming with us?" The woman's voice had become soft with a slight edge to it.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Do you think you have a choice?" The woman asked, head tilted to one side as she paused at the doorway.
Alex choose not to answer, looking away instead.
"Why don't you get dressed? We'll be right outside."
'And don't even THINK of trying anything funny,' the woman's big smile said.
Alex quickly pulled on her pantsuit, which she'd fortunately washed at the laundromat a few blocks away. Tying her dark jet-black hair up in a bun and taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the room to meet the woman and the man with ice blue eyes.
The man walked ahead while the woman followed with Alex at her side. When they got outside, they stopped at a black car. The well-built man was already in it, seated at the driver's seat. The man with blue eyes got into the passenger seat next to him, while the woman let Alex get into the backseat first before following her.
She shifted uneasily in her seat, trying to calm herself.
'Nothing is wrong, Alex. They just want to talk. That's all...'
"Ms. Munro..."
Alex almost fell off the car seat at the sudden sound of the woman's voice. Almost automatically, she replied.
"You can call me Alex...everyone does."
'Did I just say that to an AGENT!'
"Very well, Alex..."
'Shit, she actually called me Alex...well, why not?...Agents don't call you by your first name! That's why not!...'
The woman shook her out of her inner turmoil as she laid a hand on Alex's arm.
"Is something wrong, Alex?"
'No shit something's wrong! I am going crazy!'
"No...I'm fine..."
"Well...as I was saying...what exactly made you leave life as you know it?"
'Well, let's see...the crazy dreams...the weird stalkers...that creepy bald guy who somehow knows me...hell, I don't know...'
"Well, I just got tired of routine, you know..."
'No, you don't know! You're a freakin' machine!...she's not a machine! This isn't some scifi flick! She's a person just like you...she's nothing like me!'
"...and I was tired of my job..."
"You worked for Metacortex, didn't you?"
"Yes..."
"I used to work there too...before I joined the FBI."
"Oh, you did... Funny, I never saw you around."
"We were probably in different sections. What section were you in?"
"Code breaking."
*Surprise, surprise.* Nemo mentally smirked.
"Well then, no wonder we never met. I was in Programming."
*What are you doing? She could know some people there!* Smith snapped at her. Even electronically, he was a pain.
*Take a chill pill, Smith. I should think that I can handle human interaction much better than you can.*
*You better know what you're doing...*
*Believe me, I know. It's called 'being only human'.*
*I suppose that's supposed to be funny.*
*Then, why aren't you laughing?*
"Oh, really...what made you quit?" Alex asked with a weak smile.
"A better job offer."
"Why how much does the FBI pay?"
"I wasn't talking about it money-wise," the woman said rather coldly.
"Oh...sorry."
"That's alright. ...We're here."
Nemo watched her turn pale as she looked up at the 'FBI building'.
*She remembers.*
*What did I tell you?* Smith snapped as he stepped into the lobby. *I say we terminate her.*
*And I say we wait.* She said coolly as she followed him with Alex at her side.
*And I say you two stop blathering and let's get to work.* Jones piped up from behind them. He ignored their fuming and stepped in front of them to push the up button of the elevator. *Shall we?*
Jones took Smith's place as lead while Smith trailed behind, the two women still in the middle. Upon reaching their office, Jones opened the door and held it open for the others to enter. Smith walked to the window, turning his back on them, while Jones took his usual seat at the desk. Nemo took one of the seats in front of the desk and offered the other one to Alex.
"So, let's get down to business, Ms. Munro. ...Now, I have to speak to you in my official capacity."
'She sounds almost apologetic...almost,' Alex mused.
*Give me pictures of some rebels, among them her former teammates.* She asked Jones.
He reached into a drawer and pulled out some uploaded pictures. She took them from him and handed them to Alex.
"Do you recognize any of these people?" She asked.
Alex's forehead wrinkled in a concentration as she went through the pictures. She barely looked at pictures that should have been familiar to her with the exception of two. They'd been a former lover and her captain, so obviously they'd left a lasting impact on her. Apparently not enough, however, for she paused merely for a second before going onto the next picture. Finally, she returned the pictures to Nemo, tapping the one at the top with a finger.
"I recognize him."
Nemo refrained from raising an eyebrow when she saw who was on the top of the stack. She simply handed the pictures to Smith who now stood next to Jones. He took a look before dropping them on the desk in front of Jones.
"Morpheus," he hissed.
The glare he sent Alex's way was enough to turn her a deathly pale. If that wasn't enough, she could barely keep her seat with the intense look Jones was giving her. She quickly turned away and looked back at Nemo, who's expression hadn't changed.
"Is that his name?" She finally managed to ask.
"You recognize him, yet you don't know his name?" Smith asked in disbelief. Hands clenched, he leaned on the table to move his face closer to hers.
"Well, Agent..."
"Smith."
"Oh yes, Smith... He was actually the reason I skipped out. I saw him on my way to work. He looked at me like he knew me, but I don't think I've ever met him."
"So, you don't know him."
"Never met him."
Nemo looked over at Smith.
*We need to talk.*
*Then, talk.*
*Outside.*
She got up and left the room with Smith behind her.
*Don't let her out of your sight.* He told Jones before shutting the door behind him.
"Well, what is it?" He asked, slightly annoyed.
"I think we can use her to our advantage."
"And what if she turns out like Fleming? Then, what?"
"The only reason Fleming turned was because you prodded her into it." She ignored his glare and continued, "I say we purge her memory - all the information she has left is probably outdated anyway - and then brainwash her. The Resistance must still want her if they're keeping an eye on her."
"They'd be suspicious if she suddenly turned to them. She could tell them what she knows about us."
"Which isn't much. Besides, I'm not proposing on making her an Agent. Only the System can make that decision and after Fleming it would be foolish to make it. I'm merely suggesting that we can use her as a tool against the Resistance."
"How?"
"We turn her into an FBI agent."
"I don't see how that will help us."
"She used to be one of them, Smith. She might subconsciously still know how they operate. We simply have to keep her in a low-profile position and ask her to scan rebel activity - which is technically considered by humans as terrorist activity. She tells us what she thinks, we decide whether we should act on it, and everyone's happy. She gets to keep her life and we get more information as well as an energy source."
"I suppose you're right," he admitted grudgingly.
"You KNOW I'm right," she said with a smirk.
Alex shifted uneasily in the uncomfortable metal chair. She tried to look out at the stunning view of the glass window, but Jones' piercing gaze distracted her. She studied him out of the corner of her eye. She knew that she'd seen him somewhere before she'd even met him today. Where was it?
He ignored her as he continued typing on his computer. Still, she knew that he was keeping a sharp watch on her, observing her every move. He was an imposing figure, big and well-built. He looked like one of those brawny, brainless types, but she knew that looks could be deceiving. By the way he handled the computer, he was obviously not one to fool with using brawn or brains. He might not be as intimidating as Smith or as composed as Moore, but there was definitely something about him that suggested - 'don't mess with me'.
Trying to ignore him, she went over the events that had gotten her into this mess. Her mother wouldn't have been so foolish. A full-blooded American Indian, it was from her that Alex had inherited her light cooper complexion, sharp features, and dark hair. The only thing she'd inherited from her American father was his piercing emerald green eyes. She suddenly snapped out of her musings as Smith and Moore walked back into the room, their expressions unreadable.
Author's Note: This was supposed to be entitled Destiny III, but somewhere along the way, the plot diverted a little and I gave it its own title. I know this is long overdue. Hope you people like it. Pleassseee review!
I Know Who I Am
Nemo absently stirred more sugar into her coffee as she scanned the daily report on rebel activities. Daily in human terms, that is. There really was no day or night for Agents. Each day seamlessly led to another without pause.
"Why must you drink coffee when you have no need for it?"
"Habit," she said in the same absent manner to answer Jones' puzzled query.
"I think it's a waste of code," Smith snapped from his position at the window.
"And I don't give a bloody damn what the hell you think," she said with equal emphasis to the pronoun 'I'.
Jones gave a realistic human sigh, his lightning speed typing never ceasing. Although his colleagues had accepted each other's presence, there was still the occassional exchange of hostility. At least, it never went beyond verbal sparring. Of that, Jones was extremely thankful.
Nemo had thawed a little since her recent suicide attempt. She'd even recovered some of her former human mannerisms. The System did not see the change as detrimental to their cause - as a matter of fact, it seemed to have improved their success-failure ratio - so they did nothing.
Then, her hand suddenly stopped in midstir and Smith's head turned to look back at his colleagues. Nemo reached for the office phone that sat between her and Jones on the table even before it began to ring. Its shrill, high-pitched tone was abruptly cut off at the first ring as Nemo answered the phone.
"Moore," she answered in her crisp, business tone.
"Agent Moore, this is Lieutenant Johnson of the NYPD."
"Yes, what is it Lieutenant?"
"You asked us to report any suspicious missing persons cases."
"Yes."
"Well, I just received a case and...I don't know if it's what you're looking for..."
"Spit it out, Lieutenant," she cut in sharply. She didn't have time for this nonsense.
"Uh well...my gut instinct tells me that there's something funny about this case..." The lieutenant's voice faded uneasily.
"Your gut instinct..." She repeated coldly.
"Uh yes, ma'am."
Nemo could hear him gulp nervously at the other end of the line. After a tense pause, she spoke once more.
"I see. Fax it to me."
"Yes, ma'am."
Seconds after she'd hung up on him, the fax machine began to buzz as a long roll of fax paper came out of it.
She quickly went over it before handing it to Smith, who'd joined them at the desk.
"Alexandra Munro..."
"You recognize the name."
"She is someone we reinserted."
"They always seem to cause trouble, don't they?" She remarked nonchalantly.
"Humans are always trouble." He snapped back at her.
She rolled her eyes, while Jones sighed again.
"Pull up her file, won't you, Jones? ...When did you reinsert her, Smith?"
"A few years ago. Before Neo came."
"Why was she reinserted?"
"There was some complications during her interrogation." Jones spoke up, having pulled up the file. "She was only good as an energy source afterwards."
"Get anything out of her?"
"No."
"So, she's like Fleming."
"No," Smith cut in, slightly annoyed. "Fleming created an anti-code, while Munro's program simply rejected the code.."
"I see... Original name, Sandra Monroe...Reinsertion name, Alexandra Munro... Fighter...little programmer skills though an excellent hacker... Fascinating."
"She disappeared a week ago while on her way to work. Could the rebels have taken her?" Jones asked.
"No. That is highly improbable. She is in a secure locale outside the Matrix."
"Even then the rebels may have made contact with her..." Nemo commented dryly.
"Not without us knowing first. A code has been inserted in her to inform us of any contact with foreign programs."
"So, you think she caused her own disappearance?"
"I KNOW she caused it," Smith replied coldly.
"Then, she must have learnt about her past..."
"Yes." Smith's displeasure was apparent by the dark look on his face. "There has been an increasing number of such occurences. That is why the System has begun to deliberate on whether or not to terminate reinsertion operations."
"Yes... So, what were the circumstances that surrounded her failed interrogation?" Nemo asked, turning to Jones.
"Her program had an adverse reaction to the interrogation code and she went into a seizure. Her memory bank was scrambled and unsalvageable. So, she was reinserted for energy purposes..."
"Without her memory bank being wiped out?"
"Without her memory bank being wiped out," Smith repeated through gritted teeth. He grimaced at his obvious mistake. If he had taken percautions, they would not have this problem. "We simply overlayed her old memory bank with a new one."
She raised an eyebrow at his reply, causing him to retort defensively.
"It was procedure then."
"Well, we'll just have to fix that mistake. ...Can we track her using her reinsertion code?"
"We can." Jones nodded in affirmation.
"Good. Get a lock on her, then we can find out where this stray human has gone off to."
She shoved her way through the crowd. Dashed up the stairs. Dodged into a room. Missed the bullet. Leapt out the window. Crashed onto the awning below. Slid off. Ran into the alley. Saw the telephone booth...saw him.
"Escape is futile, Ms. Monroe."
Dark suit. Dark shades. Blank face. The business end of a Desert Eagle.
Darkness...
She jerked up to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Bare white walls...plain yet immaculately clean room scantily filled with second-hand furniture...like a cell.
Curled up with knees tucked under her chin, she took a deep breath and tried to regain control.
"It's all right, Alex," she reassured herself aloud in a shaky voice. "You're safe."
'...from what?'
She shook her head to try and clear it as she cautiously placed her feet on the cold wooden floor. She winced slightly at the unexpected chill and quickly put on her slippers. Slipping into a worn woolen robe, she headed for the fogged up window. After she'd wiped a spot clean, she peered out through the faint early morning mist of downtown New York. A few cars...a whistling policeman on his beat...a stray cat...no mysterious men in black suits...
"It's just a crazy dream, Alex."
She turned away and headed for the mini-kitchen. Wrinkling her nose at the funny smell that filled the fridge, she quickly shut it close. But, not before she'd snatched up a small container of yoghurt. She took a spoon from the dish drainer and cautiously tasted the expired yoghurt. Grimacing at the sour taste, she threw it into the trash can and the spoon into the sink before heading back to her bed.
Curling her legs under her, she sat and sank into a deep reverie.
The dreams had started a month ago. In them, she was always running. But, she'd never known until now who she was running from. Men in black...
'Maybe I'm an alien abduction case...'
Her lips quirked up in a wry smile at the thought.
She unconciously bit at her long, manicured nails. An old habit... Wait... She frowned as she examined her nails...she'd never done that as a kid or even later on...
This was really freaking her out. First, there were those crazy dreams. Then, there were those weird people who seemed to be stalking her. At every turn and corner, they were there. Dressed in black leather and eyes hidden by dark shades... She shuddered at the close call she had a week ago.
She'd been on her way to work when a strange feeling came to her. Looking back for a second, she saw one of them...not THEM...but one of those leather clad people. A bald dark-skinned man with dark shades clipped on his nose and a long leather coat buttoned to the top. He was staring at her like he knew her. But, she definitely did not know him.
She got onto the subway with one last look behind her. He was still looking at her. She didn't know what came over her after that. She just had the sudden urge to get off at the wrong stop and then started walking. To where, she hadn't the slightest idea. Finally, she stopped at an old building downtown. She approached the person at the lobby counter - an old man with a scruffy beard and a beer belly - but before she could open her mouth, he spoke.
"Oh, it's you...haven't seen you for some time now. What's it been? Few years or so?"
She looked unblinkingly back at him, uncertain of what to say. He didn't seem to notice though as he turned back to take a key of a hook.
"Here you go...same room as always..."
"Uh...how much is it again?"
He gave her a strange look before replying.
"You people deposit it to my account, don't you? Always have. Even through all these years... Not that I'm complaining."
"Oh...yes, I remember now."
He looked her over from across the counter, studying her slightly wrinkled designer pantsuit.
"You sure have changed a lot... Your friends coming too?"
"Uh, no...only me this time..."
"OK..."
With that, he turned back to the newspaper he'd been reading when she walked in. She glanced uncertainly at the rickety antique elevator and opted for the stairs instead.
It wasn't a very long climb and somehow she found herself stopping at the door of this very apartment. There was a bedroom with a small window that had a narrow cot, a chair and a table in it. Right beside it was a mini-kitchen and a dining room that doubled as a living room. There were two doors leading from the bedroom. One led to a small bathroom with a shower, a sink, and a toilet. The other, however, was locked. Seeing as there wasn't another key on the ring that had been given to her, she basically ignored it.
So, here she was probably jobless now and in need of, not only decent food, but psychiatric help as well.
'Now, isn't that just great?'
"We've found her."
"Where is she?" Nemo asked Jones as his fingers dashed across the keyboard.
"An old rebel hideout...her team's as a matter of fact."
"The old hunting ground..." Smith muttered next to Nemo.
"Well then, let's pay Ms. Munro a visit. Shall we?"
The trio got into one of their standard Corona Victorias and drove off for downtown. The ride there was silent, but then again, they never really had much to say to each other aside from work. As they passed Mentor's building, Nemo unconciously looked away to avoid it. She hadn't seen Mentor after her second visit and she didn't relish the idea of third. The slight movement was not lost on Smith and he filed it away for possible future use.
"We're here," Jones said, breaking the silence as the car came to a stop in front of an old apartment building.
"We noticed," Smith snapped as he took the lead. Jones didn't respond to the slight as he followed, Nemo next to him.
"What can I do for you people?" The old man at the desk asked in a gruff voice.
"We're looking for a woman by the name of Alexandra Munro. We have reason to believe that she's here," Smith said.
"Look I don't want any trouble or anything..."
"Then, tell us if she's here."
"I don't know any woman by that name."
"Show him a picture of her," Nemo spoke up from behind.
Jones took out a newly uploaded picture of her and handed it to Smith, who proceeded to show it to the old man.
"Oh...her... She in trouble?"
"No...we're just looking for her," Nemo said. Her calm, soothing voice in sharp contrast to Smith's blunt, insensitive one. "She was reported missing a few days ago."
"Oh well, she came in a few days ago. She's staying in an old apartment that she and some other people are renting."
"The number of the apartment?"
"353."
"I see. Thank you for you're cooperation."
"Are you the FBI or something?"
"Yes," was all Nemo said as she walked towards the stairs, Smith and Jones behind her.
They stopped at the door of aparment 353 and Smith knocked sharply at the door.
Alex jumped up in surprise at the sound of loud knocking on her door.
"Uh, yes..." She asked hesitantly.
"Ms. Munro?"
Slowly rising from her seat at the bed, she looked out the door peephole to see a familiar face. A pale and expressionless face with dark shades concealing his eyes. Eyes which she was sure were a brilliant shade of ice blue.
"Who is it?"
"We're Agents with the FBI."
An FBI badge appeared in her line of her view, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
'Agents...'
"I see..."
"We want to talk to you. ...May we come in."
"Uh, of course."
She fumbled with the bolt of the door and turned the knob, stepping aside to let the trio in.
'Bad things come in threes...'
"I am Agent Smith. This is Agent Jones..." The well-built man behind him. "...and this is Agent Moore." A woman?
'Wasn't it supposed to be...'
She frowned unconciously, puzzled by the apparent change in the trio. Smith noted the frown and exchanged looks with Jones.
*She knows something's different.* Jones remarked.
*That gives us more of a reason to terminate her.
*Not until we know how much she remembers. She could be of use to us.* Nemo cut in.
*What do you mean?* Smith's annoyance was obvious even though they weren't speaking verbally.
Nemo did not answer. Instead, she turned to talk to the uneasy woman.
"Ms. Munro, you were reported by friends and co-workers to be missing a week or so ago. We were fortunate to trace you here."
'And how exactly did you do that? Even I didn't know how I ended up here...'
"Yes...well, I just decided to take a few days off."
"An unscheduled leave without notifying your boss?" The female Agent raised an eyebrow in obvious disbelief.
"Well...I just needed to get away you know..." Alex offered the other woman a weak smile.
"I see...well, would you mind coming with us. We'd like to ask you some questions."
"Am I under arrest?"
"No."
"Then, I don't need to go with you." Trying to look confident, Alex crossed her arms across her chest.
"No...but it would be in your best interests if you did." Alex studied the woman before her uneasily, eyes darting for a moment to study the men next to them.
'Why is she the one in control? It's supposed to be...'
This woman was dangerous. That much Alex knew. Her unexpected presence alone made her dangerous, but her apparent contol of the situation added to Alex's unease.
"Ms. Munro...are you coming with us?" The woman's voice had become soft with a slight edge to it.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Do you think you have a choice?" The woman asked, head tilted to one side as she paused at the doorway.
Alex choose not to answer, looking away instead.
"Why don't you get dressed? We'll be right outside."
'And don't even THINK of trying anything funny,' the woman's big smile said.
Alex quickly pulled on her pantsuit, which she'd fortunately washed at the laundromat a few blocks away. Tying her dark jet-black hair up in a bun and taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the room to meet the woman and the man with ice blue eyes.
The man walked ahead while the woman followed with Alex at her side. When they got outside, they stopped at a black car. The well-built man was already in it, seated at the driver's seat. The man with blue eyes got into the passenger seat next to him, while the woman let Alex get into the backseat first before following her.
She shifted uneasily in her seat, trying to calm herself.
'Nothing is wrong, Alex. They just want to talk. That's all...'
"Ms. Munro..."
Alex almost fell off the car seat at the sudden sound of the woman's voice. Almost automatically, she replied.
"You can call me Alex...everyone does."
'Did I just say that to an AGENT!'
"Very well, Alex..."
'Shit, she actually called me Alex...well, why not?...Agents don't call you by your first name! That's why not!...'
The woman shook her out of her inner turmoil as she laid a hand on Alex's arm.
"Is something wrong, Alex?"
'No shit something's wrong! I am going crazy!'
"No...I'm fine..."
"Well...as I was saying...what exactly made you leave life as you know it?"
'Well, let's see...the crazy dreams...the weird stalkers...that creepy bald guy who somehow knows me...hell, I don't know...'
"Well, I just got tired of routine, you know..."
'No, you don't know! You're a freakin' machine!...she's not a machine! This isn't some scifi flick! She's a person just like you...she's nothing like me!'
"...and I was tired of my job..."
"You worked for Metacortex, didn't you?"
"Yes..."
"I used to work there too...before I joined the FBI."
"Oh, you did... Funny, I never saw you around."
"We were probably in different sections. What section were you in?"
"Code breaking."
*Surprise, surprise.* Nemo mentally smirked.
"Well then, no wonder we never met. I was in Programming."
*What are you doing? She could know some people there!* Smith snapped at her. Even electronically, he was a pain.
*Take a chill pill, Smith. I should think that I can handle human interaction much better than you can.*
*You better know what you're doing...*
*Believe me, I know. It's called 'being only human'.*
*I suppose that's supposed to be funny.*
*Then, why aren't you laughing?*
"Oh, really...what made you quit?" Alex asked with a weak smile.
"A better job offer."
"Why how much does the FBI pay?"
"I wasn't talking about it money-wise," the woman said rather coldly.
"Oh...sorry."
"That's alright. ...We're here."
Nemo watched her turn pale as she looked up at the 'FBI building'.
*She remembers.*
*What did I tell you?* Smith snapped as he stepped into the lobby. *I say we terminate her.*
*And I say we wait.* She said coolly as she followed him with Alex at her side.
*And I say you two stop blathering and let's get to work.* Jones piped up from behind them. He ignored their fuming and stepped in front of them to push the up button of the elevator. *Shall we?*
Jones took Smith's place as lead while Smith trailed behind, the two women still in the middle. Upon reaching their office, Jones opened the door and held it open for the others to enter. Smith walked to the window, turning his back on them, while Jones took his usual seat at the desk. Nemo took one of the seats in front of the desk and offered the other one to Alex.
"So, let's get down to business, Ms. Munro. ...Now, I have to speak to you in my official capacity."
'She sounds almost apologetic...almost,' Alex mused.
*Give me pictures of some rebels, among them her former teammates.* She asked Jones.
He reached into a drawer and pulled out some uploaded pictures. She took them from him and handed them to Alex.
"Do you recognize any of these people?" She asked.
Alex's forehead wrinkled in a concentration as she went through the pictures. She barely looked at pictures that should have been familiar to her with the exception of two. They'd been a former lover and her captain, so obviously they'd left a lasting impact on her. Apparently not enough, however, for she paused merely for a second before going onto the next picture. Finally, she returned the pictures to Nemo, tapping the one at the top with a finger.
"I recognize him."
Nemo refrained from raising an eyebrow when she saw who was on the top of the stack. She simply handed the pictures to Smith who now stood next to Jones. He took a look before dropping them on the desk in front of Jones.
"Morpheus," he hissed.
The glare he sent Alex's way was enough to turn her a deathly pale. If that wasn't enough, she could barely keep her seat with the intense look Jones was giving her. She quickly turned away and looked back at Nemo, who's expression hadn't changed.
"Is that his name?" She finally managed to ask.
"You recognize him, yet you don't know his name?" Smith asked in disbelief. Hands clenched, he leaned on the table to move his face closer to hers.
"Well, Agent..."
"Smith."
"Oh yes, Smith... He was actually the reason I skipped out. I saw him on my way to work. He looked at me like he knew me, but I don't think I've ever met him."
"So, you don't know him."
"Never met him."
Nemo looked over at Smith.
*We need to talk.*
*Then, talk.*
*Outside.*
She got up and left the room with Smith behind her.
*Don't let her out of your sight.* He told Jones before shutting the door behind him.
"Well, what is it?" He asked, slightly annoyed.
"I think we can use her to our advantage."
"And what if she turns out like Fleming? Then, what?"
"The only reason Fleming turned was because you prodded her into it." She ignored his glare and continued, "I say we purge her memory - all the information she has left is probably outdated anyway - and then brainwash her. The Resistance must still want her if they're keeping an eye on her."
"They'd be suspicious if she suddenly turned to them. She could tell them what she knows about us."
"Which isn't much. Besides, I'm not proposing on making her an Agent. Only the System can make that decision and after Fleming it would be foolish to make it. I'm merely suggesting that we can use her as a tool against the Resistance."
"How?"
"We turn her into an FBI agent."
"I don't see how that will help us."
"She used to be one of them, Smith. She might subconsciously still know how they operate. We simply have to keep her in a low-profile position and ask her to scan rebel activity - which is technically considered by humans as terrorist activity. She tells us what she thinks, we decide whether we should act on it, and everyone's happy. She gets to keep her life and we get more information as well as an energy source."
"I suppose you're right," he admitted grudgingly.
"You KNOW I'm right," she said with a smirk.
Alex shifted uneasily in the uncomfortable metal chair. She tried to look out at the stunning view of the glass window, but Jones' piercing gaze distracted her. She studied him out of the corner of her eye. She knew that she'd seen him somewhere before she'd even met him today. Where was it?
He ignored her as he continued typing on his computer. Still, she knew that he was keeping a sharp watch on her, observing her every move. He was an imposing figure, big and well-built. He looked like one of those brawny, brainless types, but she knew that looks could be deceiving. By the way he handled the computer, he was obviously not one to fool with using brawn or brains. He might not be as intimidating as Smith or as composed as Moore, but there was definitely something about him that suggested - 'don't mess with me'.
Trying to ignore him, she went over the events that had gotten her into this mess. Her mother wouldn't have been so foolish. A full-blooded American Indian, it was from her that Alex had inherited her light cooper complexion, sharp features, and dark hair. The only thing she'd inherited from her American father was his piercing emerald green eyes. She suddenly snapped out of her musings as Smith and Moore walked back into the room, their expressions unreadable.