Title: Outside Parameters
Author: Stormhawk
Rating: PG
Disclaimer:
Matrix universe and associated characters: Wachowski brothers.
Agents universe: co-owned by me and Overlord Mordax.
Seger, Sean: me
Greer: Mordax
Word Count: 3117
Summary: Jones goes to fix a glitch and encounters a very strange exile.
Notes: ATS season 2.
The 'talking teddy' idea was somewhat inspired by AI (Spielberg is god) and based on this original fic idea I had.
Think 'Beyond' from the Animatrix and you've basically got the tone of this fic.
Please read and Review.
Jones sat in his office doing his job of finding glitches and error within the endless Matrix code. A beep issued from his monitoring system as it encountered a very strange glitch.
Turning away from the screen of flowing code that was the same color of his eyes he looked at the screen next to it, which was narrowing in on a small area of the Matrix. As it focused it showed a nice suburban home, white and two leveled. The glitch was of an unknown type. It wasn't a temporal glitch, which made time faster or slower within a localized error, nor was it the type that had walls or objects revealing themselves as code or the other one hundred and twenty types of commonly encountered problems and glitches.
Pulling up the known properties of the glitch it showed it to be utterly localized within the house and the backyard. Partially hidden from the system it was unlike Jones had ever seen before. And he wasn't even sure that the humans occupying the house would notice anything.
There was a small rush of characters so the tech agent decided to observe it for a little while before attempting to fix it. It happened a couple more times and for a second the area would become a little less stable then return to normal.
Very interesting.
*****
"Seger are you ok?" Sean asked his teddy bear as it lay on the floor.
"Who are you talking to?" the uninterested purple-haired babysitter asked him.
"Just my bear," Sean said as he picked up Seger the bear and went to walk away.
"You're like ten aren't you?"
"I'm nine," Sean said defensively.
"Are you a little old to be talking to stuffed animals?"
"Seger is alive," Sean argued and held him in front of her face as she lazed on the lounge. Clare looked up from her magazine to the bear that was being shoved in her face. She could have sworn it scowled at her.
"Right…go away and play," she said waving him off.
The sandy-haired boy looked down at her critically. "Aren't you supposed to play with me?"
"I'm only getting paid six bucks an hour, for that you get sandwiches made and a 911 phone call if you break a limb. Besides that you're on your own kid."
Fine," Sean said and ran upstairs with Seger. Setting him down gently on the round blue rug in his bedroom he quietly closed the door before kneeling in front of his bear. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine Sean," the teddy said as it sat up and rubbed its head with its soft paws.
"It happened again," Sean said unnecessarily.
"I know."
"Should we take you to the teddy hospital."
"They can't help me."
"What is wrong? I don't like it when you fall down and glow green like that. Now you're making the floor green when you do it."
"I need you to promise that you won't touch me when I do that."
"Why?"
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You wouldn't hurt me Seger. You're my best friend."
"Not intentionally no, but I can't control when I…glow green…and I don't want you to get hurt."
"Ok. I promise."
"Good boy," the bear said as he leant up against the toy box. "Now if you're my friend are you going to tell me how you got that bruise?"
"Please don't tell mum. She won't understand like you."
"I can't understand if you don't tell me Sean."
"It was Owen, remember the bully I told you about?"
"Did you get into a fight with him?"
"I didn't he got into the fight by himself, I couldn't fight back – he's too big."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, and that's the thing. I'm just smaller than him."
"If I had real bear teeth I'd bite him for you."
"Thanks, I just hope I can hide my leg until it heals."
"You should tell someone."
"I told you."
"I mean a person."
"You are a person silly, even if you are a bear."
"Thank you Sean." The bear smiled as much as he could, he didn't have much control over the stiff features of the bear's face. Seger wasn't a teddy brought to life by some magical force, nor was he a product of a nine-year-old's imagination; he was in fact an exile.
His code had been damaged when he had gone exile and years later it was only getting worse and worse. Having long ago abandoned his own form in favor of 'taking over' inanimate objects, which had at least helped to slow what he had realized was inevitable.
The 'going green' was a sure sign of that. It happened when a subroutine or two broke down. The bear had been the smallest form he had taken over yet, the smaller the form the tighter he was held together and therefore the more stable. But it was only a stopgap measure, one that was going to fail him soon.
And he didn't want that to happen, that would mean leaving Sean with no friends. The human boy was scrawny for his age and therefore a bully magnet, this Owen being only the last in a growing list. Being only a teddy bear he couldn't really do much about it but he didn't like to see anyone hurting the person who had been his friend, his only real friend ever.
He was about to say something comforting when he felt a now familiar feeling wash over him. Folding his paws in, that was as close to making a fist as he could do, he braced himself for the pain. His world turned green for a minute as his body convulsed.
Usually the 'seizure' only lasted for a moment, this one was longer. At last it finished though, sitting up he smiled at Sean. The human boy smiled weakly then got out a small red plastic ball and rolled it over the floor to him. Grabbing the ball that was half as big as he was he pushed it back over to him.
"Tell me another story about the old days," Sean said to break the silence. Seger nodded and started another story abut the 'old days' which was anything from fifty to a hundred years ago, all were ancient and interesting to Sean, who didn't have any older relatives to fill the task of story telling.
*****
Jones attempted to find out more about the glitch from his office but it was useless, he would have to visit the location. Standing and walking out of his office he paid a visit to Greer's room first.
Knocking lightly on the recruit's door he smiled when the raven-haired young man opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.
"Hey Jones," Greer said with a smile.
"Greer."
"What's up?"
"I have to go out in the field to correct a glitch so I wanted to tell you so you wouldn't be worried if you returned from your patrol and were looking for me."
"That's cool. Can't you correct it from your office?"
"This appears to be a unique glitch, it requires me to investigate it."
"Have fun."
"I will try. Be careful on your patrol."
"I promise Jonesy," the recruit said giving the agent a kiss. "Now go on so you can be here when I get back."
Jones nodded and shifted away. As he found a host body and completed the shift he suddenly realized that he had no idea what he was going to say. Usually glitches in the field were in unoccupied houses or public areas so there was no need for interaction with humans, but this being a house with people in it may cause a problem.
Figuring that he could just erase any memories if they got suspicious he simply walked up to the door. Ringing the doorbell he waited a response. A few minutes later an annoyed-looking young woman with purple hair opened the door.
"Yeah?"
"Good evening, I…"
"Were you supposed to come around cause I'm just babysitting and they didn't leave me any instructions."
Jones smiled, this was going to be easier than he thought. "Yes, I am here to do an inspection, hopefully it won't take long."
"Ok," Clare said and let him in. "Just watch out for the kid – he's kind of weird." Jones nodded and walked toward the current source of the glitch. The unaware babysitter went back to reading her magazine. Climbing the stairs he required a small scanner and started to search for the glitch.
***
"Sean there's someone else in the house," Seger said hearing the agent coming up the stairs.
"Mum's not supposed to be back yet, the play doesn't finish until like eleven o'clock," Sean's mother worked in the theatre, organizational and administration rather than creative but she went to see the current play a few times during its run.
"It's not your mother," he said as the footsteps walked past the door. Sean crawled on his belly over to the door, pulling the door slightly ajar and looking down the hall. There was a man in a suit tapping the walls and the floor.
"It's not a robber," he said to Seger, "just a guy in a suit." Sean said as he got off the ground.
"Sean, no!" Seger said as the boy walked out. He knew exactly what a 'guy in a suit' could mean. An agent, here to destroy him as he was an exile.
"Hey mister," Sean said walking up to Jones. "Who are you?"
"I'm Agent Jones, who are you?"
"Sean. Whatcha doing?"
"I'm an inspector, there's something wrong with the house," he said simply, not wanting to confuse the child.
"Termites, we know about them."
Jones smiled, "no not termites – something you don't need to worry about. Go on and play."
"I want to watch. What's that?" he said pulling the scanner out of Jones' hand. "Cool, can I play with this?"
"No," Jones said as he pulled it out of Sean's small hands. "Surely you have toys of your own."
"Ok, you don't like. I'll go play with Seger."
"Sega, I assume Sonic?"
"S…e…g…e…r, my teddy bear. Want to know a secret?"
"Yes?"
"He can talk."
"Ok," now he understood what the babysitter meant by weird, "you go play with him." Sean nodded and disappeared back into his room. Jones shook his head and went back searching for the glitch. There were traces of it all over, traces of old broken down code – but he didn't know what it mean.
Sean walked down the stairs carrying a bear, Jones was so involved in trying to decipher the glitch's code that he didn't notice the bear frowning at him.
***
Sean sat Seger down on the wooden deck, "what's wrong?"
"I might have to leave soon," Seger said solemnly.
"Why?"
"Talking teddies can't stay forever."
"Yes they can, I won't let you go."
"I don't mean this very second Sean, but maybe tonight."
"No."
"Before I leave I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself. So you beat up the bullies next time."
"I can't, I'm too little."
"That doesn't matter, not if you think it doesn't."
"Of course it matters, he's bigger than me."
"You have to trust me, I'm a very old bear and I've seen people do some really wicked cool stuff – and they were scrawnier than you."
"Can you teach me?"
"I'll try." For the next twenty minutes Seger explained how to block and attack, giving some examples as much as he could with a bear's body.
"No. Hold your arm a little higher or he can get you in the face." Sean adjusted his arm and Seger nodded. "Good."
"Think I can beat him now?"
"You've got a shot kid, you can…" Seger started as he had a spasm and glowed green, this was a bad one. His time was almost up. And with that agent in the house he could basically kiss his life goodbye now.
"Seger?" Sean asked, but didn't try and touch him.
"Goodbye Sean, go up to your room."
"No."
"I would do as the bear asked," a soft voice said from the doorway. Jones slid the sliding glass door all the way open and waved Sean back into the house. Seger nodded and Sean ran up to his room. Closing the door, Jones picked up the bear and sat him on the table. "Exile."
The bear nodded then rolled off the table and went to run. Jones caught his leg and picked him up. Seger fought back with all of his might but Jones was too strong, Seger after all was only a teddy bear. "So you're the glitch. I must say it's interesting."
"Go to hell agent."
"Why are you leaving traces of code? Is this some exile plan?"
"I don't have to tell you anything. But what's the point in lying? They're my codes, I'm breaking down – I'm unstable."
"I see. Thank you for explaining," Jones said as he made a move to draw his gun.
"I thought I'd break down before one of you caught me."
"You were mistaken."
"That kid needs me, he doesn't have any friends."
"Is this is supposed to mean something to me?"
"Don't you have a heart? I'm not working against the system, or do I know any secrets or am in contact with any other exiles."
"You are still an exile. Still an enemy."
"The only person I talk to is that little boy – I'm just a talking teddy."
"Who is breaking down," Jones pointed out.
"I can't have more than a month or two left. Just let me stay with Sean."
"You don't even read like an exile, you read like a glitch."
"That's what I am."
"It is most likely because of your unstable programming."
"That would be an explanation."
"A bet then," Jones said as he set the bear back on the table.
"What kind of bet would an agent make with an exile?"
"I thought you were a glitch." Jones said with a smirk.
"What's the deal agent?"
"There are certain subroutines I could give you that would stabilize your code. I will give them to you, if you read like an exile, I will attempt to destroy you, if you still read as a glitch I will not have to."
"Why would you do this for me?"
"You are not a threat to the system as the other exiles are. Do you agree?"
"Not that I have a choice so yes."
Jones required a needle full of glowing green code, Seger stiffened but then held out his arm so the agent could inject him with the subroutines that could stabilize him. If he stabilized and still showed up as an exile it was all over, if not…he had a chance at staying on. That was, of course, if the agent wasn't lying and this wasn't a virus that would kill him off right now.
But at the moment, he was flat out of options.
His entire form glowed green for a few moments the last of it was drained from the needle. Seger could feel himself healing, he no longer felt old and weak, as he had done for so long. He was going to feel alive for a few more moments before the agent would end his life.
Jones took a step back and looked down at the bear. Then he held up his scanner. "Well agent, what's the verdict? Glitch or exile?"
Jones looked frankly surprised with himself, "glitch," he said truthfully. "I have no need to destroy you."
"Thank you," Seger said before running back into the house. Clare looked over the top of the kitchen bench were she was fixing Sean a sandwich at a teddy bear running under its own power through the kitchen and over to the stairs. Then she looked over to where the 'inspector' had been but he was gone.
"I am never baby-sitting here again," she said shaking her head and trying to forget everything she had just seen.
Seger jumped up each stair with ease and pushed open Sean's door. Sean had been sitting on the end of his bed hugging a pillow.
"Seger!" The bear took a flying leap and jumped up onto the bed. "Wow, how'd you do that?"
"I'll teach you."
"I thought you had to go."
"Nope, he made me better. I can stay now."
"You're not going to go green anymore?"
"Nope."
"Cool. Teach me."
Without revealing the nature of reality, Seger managed to teach Sean how to jump and by the time it was time for him to go to sleep, he could bounce on his bed and fall slowly back down, or stop himself a couple of inches from the surface.
Sean went to sleep, happy in the knowledge that his talking teddy and best friend was ok. The next morning, when he woke up however, he was filled with a feeling of dread. It was a school day, and Owen would be there.
Quietly, before the bus came, Seger assured him that if he remembered everything that he had been taught last night then the bully didn't have a chance. Sean wasn't quite so convinced.
"Hey punk, I want a word with you," the large boy said as soon as Sean stepped of the bus as he dragged him behind one of the school blocks.
***
Sean's mother was sitting in her office typing up some documents that morning when the phone rang, she picked up the receiver. "Good morning, Hazel Raymond speaking."
"Ms Raymond, this is Estella Xavier, from Sean's school…"
"Is something wrong? Is he hurt?"
"He was in a fight, I think it would be a good idea if he had the rest of the day off."
"Why? Was he hurt?"
"Not badly, just a bruise on his leg. But I don't think he'll learn anything in his state."
"Is he in shock?"
"No, just over-stimulated. Probably happy that he wasn't injured more."
"Ok, well my lunch break is in ten minutes, I'll come get him then."
"Good. I'll see you then." That had seemed to be the simple explanation to give her, Estella reasoned. She didn't want to figure out how Sean had managed to defend himself against a bully the size of Owen. She hadn't wanted to believe it at first, but seeing Owen reduced to tears and shaking in fear she had to believe it.
Also, there was the strange, foot-shaped mark on his face that made him look like he'd been kicked there…
But that was impossible…
Wasn't it?
The End.