1 Promises – Order 2
Disclaimers: They belong to the Wachowski brothers, Time-Warner and whoever else…
The sequel to Order.
"Vae Victis" the words hung in the air, almost audibly. The inflection of a single Enforcer's speech reverberating though the Matrix with its silence. Suspended within the endless streams of code, sightless, Raphael never the less knew the actions of his Captain. He had felt Lucifer's deconstruction as a ripple of 'wrongness' passing through the entire Mainframe. As a point of caution, he had detached, sending a power- surge through many communication grids within the physical construct of the Matrix. Now hovering in a gap in the code streams, clothed in what could be described as his physical form, Raphael could feel the Matrix searching, calculating, trying to find a way to restore Lucifer. He briefly considering trying to tamper with Lucifer's code, changing his appearance, which Raphael was forced to admit, some latent part of him found slightly intimidating. Not that he looked so insignificant himself, piercing blue eyes coupled with a demonic smile, more than countered Lucifer's aloof stare and cool tones. Yet, there was always something about Lucifer, a knowing superiority that would have grated on Raphael's nerves, had he been human… Raphael was jolted out of his contemplation of his superior's 'bad' points by coming face to face with a smaller, angrier, non-blond version of himself.
Hanging in the space between code streams, facing the base template that he had been modelled on, Smith could only grind his teeth and glare. Raphael began to laugh. Shifting his code, to unfurl vast angelic wings from his back, Raphael hovered above Smith and peered down. In spite of the intimidating sight or perhaps because of it, Smith held his ground, fists clenching at his sides. Raphael simply raised a questioning eyebrow. Suddenly the tension seemed to leave Smith, dropping his gaze he muttered, "I have failed."
"Failed! How so?" Raphael asked sharply, speaking out loud purely for Smith's benefit.
"Anderson is still operative. I could not… remove him."
Raphael began to laugh again, "Neither could Lucifer."
And suddenly Smith was falling backwards, through the code streams, being absorbed by the Mainframe. Formless, the section of code that could be identified as the Command unit of 0.2.8 was reintegrated into the complex code pattern that was Raphael. In the perfect symbiosis that was the Matrix neither could be differentiated, until the small, aggressive section of Raphael's code was hurled back into the physical construct of the Matrix, via a human conduit.
Sitting in front of a monitor Lucifer sipped a coffee. He didn't need to drink it, knew it wasn't real but there had been something therapeutic about sending all three Agents down to a café to fetch him one. He supposed that he should drink it then, now that they'd gotten it. Surreptitiously, he observed them, team 0.2.8. Raphael's perfect Agents, while being rather imperfect, had managed to survive the doings of this human, Neo. Still drinking his redundant coffee, Lucifer considered the possibility, for the first time, that perhaps this 'Neo' was as capable as the reports had said. It was one of Lucifer's 'better' qualities that he could adapt faster than most AI, considering all options and learning from the empirical data provided. In this case he had ignored the information pertaining to the human's abilities and this had been his downfall. Not only had they lost valuable time and resources through his deconstruction and reintroduction into the Matrix, but they had also lost the new human operative too. Lucifer's gaze flicked to Smith, who was standing with his back against the wall, arms folded, in a pose reminiscent of Raphael. The Agent turned his gaze upon Lucifer, unflinching. Now this was something new, Lucifer considered the implications; perhaps Smith's coding had been updated during the brief minutes that he had been within the Mainframe…
Brown turned to observe the Enforcer observing Smith.
"What… is wrong?" he queried through the communication channels.
"Nothing." Smith's humour tinged reply.
There was a static crackle along the channel. From behind the desk, Lucifer's expression was now very suspicious. He scrutinised the Agents before leaving the room swiftly.
"What have you done?" Jones' voice through the channels now.
"Nothing." Came Smith's reply again, now in a teasing tone.
"What has happened?" Brown asked of Jones, sending a private communication along the channels.
Laughter echoed down the communication channel. Brown and Jones turned to observe Smith, who now had a demonic smile painted across his face.
In a dilapidated apartment block a girl sat typing on an equally dilapidated computer. The familiar message of "The Matrix has you." flashed up on her screen. She stared at it, unsurprised. Her calm remained unbroken when a knock on the door sounded. Quickly turning off her computer she moved to answer the door. Her self-control was only betrayed by the fraction of a step backwards that she took when faced with the Agents in the doorway.
"I think you know why we are here." Smith began.
She nodded, allowing herself to be lead out of the apartment in their custody. As they progressed down the corridor she appeared to be counting under her breath, "Drei, Zwei, Eine, Null." At the count of zero there was an explosion behind, blowing the door of her apartment off its hinges. Flames roared down the corridor. She turned to run, an escape apparently already planned, only to feel a steel grip on her arm. Smith held her in place as the flames consumed them.
Police and firemen were congregated outside the building by the time Lucifer arrived. Stepping out of the car, accompanied by more Agents he stood looking up at the flames being slowly doused on one of the upper floors. Spying 0.2.8 standing nearby, he strode over to demand, "Where is she?" in a loud voice.
"We could not retrieve the target." It was Brown who answered.
"Why?" Lucifer spat out the word.
"She did not escape the explosion." Brown replied in the same flat tones.
"And why was there an explosion in the first place?"
"It appears that she triggered some device to eliminate all the evidence."
"And killed several innocents in the process." Lucifer considered again the stupidity of humans.
"They will destroy themselves." That was Smith.
Lucifer looked up, regarding the Agent with growing suspicion. "That is why we have to stop them or they will destroy everything." He countered.
Smith shrugged "Let them."
Lucifer stared as Smith turned away. He'd suspected earlier but hadn't had any definite proof…
"Let them destroy themselves then." Followed by Raphael's shrug. His lieutenant had so often observed the humans fighting them, fighting for a reason that they didn't even understand. That last conversation before Lucifer had been assigned to the Matrix's physical construct, they'd been at odds over the way to deal with the proliferation of the rebels. Lucifer had wanted to stop them, before they destroyed themselves and so many others; Raphael, on the other hand, had suggested that they actually let the rebels do the damage they sort to do, to let them kill and maim the thousands that they counted as statistics. It had only been a suggestion, a way to make the rebels see the foolishness of their endeavours, though it would cost the lives of thousands, potentially millions…
As the superior Lucifer had rejected the proposal and Raphael abided by his decision, for the moment. Now it seemed that Raphael had grown tired of waiting for his superior to agree to his suggestion and was implementing it himself…
TBC…
20:18, 10/04/02
Disclaimers: They belong to the Wachowski brothers, Time-Warner and whoever else…
The sequel to Order.
"Vae Victis" the words hung in the air, almost audibly. The inflection of a single Enforcer's speech reverberating though the Matrix with its silence. Suspended within the endless streams of code, sightless, Raphael never the less knew the actions of his Captain. He had felt Lucifer's deconstruction as a ripple of 'wrongness' passing through the entire Mainframe. As a point of caution, he had detached, sending a power- surge through many communication grids within the physical construct of the Matrix. Now hovering in a gap in the code streams, clothed in what could be described as his physical form, Raphael could feel the Matrix searching, calculating, trying to find a way to restore Lucifer. He briefly considering trying to tamper with Lucifer's code, changing his appearance, which Raphael was forced to admit, some latent part of him found slightly intimidating. Not that he looked so insignificant himself, piercing blue eyes coupled with a demonic smile, more than countered Lucifer's aloof stare and cool tones. Yet, there was always something about Lucifer, a knowing superiority that would have grated on Raphael's nerves, had he been human… Raphael was jolted out of his contemplation of his superior's 'bad' points by coming face to face with a smaller, angrier, non-blond version of himself.
Hanging in the space between code streams, facing the base template that he had been modelled on, Smith could only grind his teeth and glare. Raphael began to laugh. Shifting his code, to unfurl vast angelic wings from his back, Raphael hovered above Smith and peered down. In spite of the intimidating sight or perhaps because of it, Smith held his ground, fists clenching at his sides. Raphael simply raised a questioning eyebrow. Suddenly the tension seemed to leave Smith, dropping his gaze he muttered, "I have failed."
"Failed! How so?" Raphael asked sharply, speaking out loud purely for Smith's benefit.
"Anderson is still operative. I could not… remove him."
Raphael began to laugh again, "Neither could Lucifer."
And suddenly Smith was falling backwards, through the code streams, being absorbed by the Mainframe. Formless, the section of code that could be identified as the Command unit of 0.2.8 was reintegrated into the complex code pattern that was Raphael. In the perfect symbiosis that was the Matrix neither could be differentiated, until the small, aggressive section of Raphael's code was hurled back into the physical construct of the Matrix, via a human conduit.
Sitting in front of a monitor Lucifer sipped a coffee. He didn't need to drink it, knew it wasn't real but there had been something therapeutic about sending all three Agents down to a café to fetch him one. He supposed that he should drink it then, now that they'd gotten it. Surreptitiously, he observed them, team 0.2.8. Raphael's perfect Agents, while being rather imperfect, had managed to survive the doings of this human, Neo. Still drinking his redundant coffee, Lucifer considered the possibility, for the first time, that perhaps this 'Neo' was as capable as the reports had said. It was one of Lucifer's 'better' qualities that he could adapt faster than most AI, considering all options and learning from the empirical data provided. In this case he had ignored the information pertaining to the human's abilities and this had been his downfall. Not only had they lost valuable time and resources through his deconstruction and reintroduction into the Matrix, but they had also lost the new human operative too. Lucifer's gaze flicked to Smith, who was standing with his back against the wall, arms folded, in a pose reminiscent of Raphael. The Agent turned his gaze upon Lucifer, unflinching. Now this was something new, Lucifer considered the implications; perhaps Smith's coding had been updated during the brief minutes that he had been within the Mainframe…
Brown turned to observe the Enforcer observing Smith.
"What… is wrong?" he queried through the communication channels.
"Nothing." Smith's humour tinged reply.
There was a static crackle along the channel. From behind the desk, Lucifer's expression was now very suspicious. He scrutinised the Agents before leaving the room swiftly.
"What have you done?" Jones' voice through the channels now.
"Nothing." Came Smith's reply again, now in a teasing tone.
"What has happened?" Brown asked of Jones, sending a private communication along the channels.
Laughter echoed down the communication channel. Brown and Jones turned to observe Smith, who now had a demonic smile painted across his face.
In a dilapidated apartment block a girl sat typing on an equally dilapidated computer. The familiar message of "The Matrix has you." flashed up on her screen. She stared at it, unsurprised. Her calm remained unbroken when a knock on the door sounded. Quickly turning off her computer she moved to answer the door. Her self-control was only betrayed by the fraction of a step backwards that she took when faced with the Agents in the doorway.
"I think you know why we are here." Smith began.
She nodded, allowing herself to be lead out of the apartment in their custody. As they progressed down the corridor she appeared to be counting under her breath, "Drei, Zwei, Eine, Null." At the count of zero there was an explosion behind, blowing the door of her apartment off its hinges. Flames roared down the corridor. She turned to run, an escape apparently already planned, only to feel a steel grip on her arm. Smith held her in place as the flames consumed them.
Police and firemen were congregated outside the building by the time Lucifer arrived. Stepping out of the car, accompanied by more Agents he stood looking up at the flames being slowly doused on one of the upper floors. Spying 0.2.8 standing nearby, he strode over to demand, "Where is she?" in a loud voice.
"We could not retrieve the target." It was Brown who answered.
"Why?" Lucifer spat out the word.
"She did not escape the explosion." Brown replied in the same flat tones.
"And why was there an explosion in the first place?"
"It appears that she triggered some device to eliminate all the evidence."
"And killed several innocents in the process." Lucifer considered again the stupidity of humans.
"They will destroy themselves." That was Smith.
Lucifer looked up, regarding the Agent with growing suspicion. "That is why we have to stop them or they will destroy everything." He countered.
Smith shrugged "Let them."
Lucifer stared as Smith turned away. He'd suspected earlier but hadn't had any definite proof…
"Let them destroy themselves then." Followed by Raphael's shrug. His lieutenant had so often observed the humans fighting them, fighting for a reason that they didn't even understand. That last conversation before Lucifer had been assigned to the Matrix's physical construct, they'd been at odds over the way to deal with the proliferation of the rebels. Lucifer had wanted to stop them, before they destroyed themselves and so many others; Raphael, on the other hand, had suggested that they actually let the rebels do the damage they sort to do, to let them kill and maim the thousands that they counted as statistics. It had only been a suggestion, a way to make the rebels see the foolishness of their endeavours, though it would cost the lives of thousands, potentially millions…
As the superior Lucifer had rejected the proposal and Raphael abided by his decision, for the moment. Now it seemed that Raphael had grown tired of waiting for his superior to agree to his suggestion and was implementing it himself…
TBC…
20:18, 10/04/02