Author's Note: A fanfiction staring my Ocs. This takes place at about the same time as Hollow, and there's an incident mentioned in the beginning of this fic that is fully explained in that one, but it is not necessary to read Hollow to enjoy this fic. Contains no spoilers for Hollow either.

Warning: This story is largely OC based

Disclaimer: I do not own The Matrix, the concepts of the Agents, the Architect, or the Oracle. However, all names you see but do not recognize from the films are mine.

City of Corruption

"I don't know why I still have to say this, Agent Harris: Spit out your gum."

The Agent in question stood without argument and walked to the nearby trash bin, chewing his gum while he still could. At the garbage he gave his gum a final defiant and loud smack before taking it out of his mouth to toss into the trash and returned to his seat. Without the sweet elastic-like piece of sugar between his teeth, Harris' mouth felt lonely and as a result he started sucking on his tongue. Back at the table Harris put his hand in his pocket to feel his pack of gum as if to make sure it was still there, and silently promising himself another piece once this meeting was over.

No one seemed to understand his appreciation for gum chewing, and he couldn't help but feel personally victimized whenever someone told him to spit it out. No one was telling his partner Agent Roberts to put away the Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that he was reading (for the fourth time), nor had anyone made any comment on the hair (from not one, but several cats) that decorated Agent Chalmer's lap. Harris did not know about any of the other Agents present, but he was certain that they all had developed quirks and habits they used to hide their inhumanity from the regular inhabitants of the Matrix.

Harris' liking for gum had started when a security guard on the third floor of this same building had offered him a piece. While Harris had initially intended to turn it down, he had decided that this gum chewing could be seen as a normal human habit and accepted the piece. During his time chewing gum he had noticed lest humans asking him questions about his identity, what his job was, and that the act of chewing gum seemed to help him focus. Ever since it had also been his goal to try every brand of gum available. The flavor of the month at this time was Juicy Fruit.

Harris noticed Agent Chalmer giving him a disapproving glance and realized he was chewing on his tongue, something he tended to do when he didn't have his gum. Agent Harris clamped his teeth down to avoid further attention. The door opened and the final Agent summoned to this meeting walked though, taking the spot between his already seated partners. Agent Smith, if Harris recalled correctly, apologized for his tardiness, claiming he had some business he needed to take care of before his arrival.

At the front of the table a man clad in white, the Architect, nodded accepting Smith's story and apology. Roberts closed his book and slid it under the table out of the way, and Chalmer went to work brushing cat hair off his pants before the meeting officially began, other agents also fidgeted around and straightened to pay attention. After a few more minutes of preparation, the Architect cleared his throat and began.

"You are all aware of the incident that occurred in this building three days ago. Is that correct?" Harris nodded, of course he was aware, he had been in the middle of it. Smith and Jacobs, the other two Agents who were there when the attack began also nodded. Smith's partners Jones and Brown dipped their heads in agreement, but were not admitting full knowledge of what had happened.

The Architect leaned forward in his chair, so that his hands rested on the table, "At around three twenty-five PM Wednesday, our two remaining candidates for the infiltration project were located on the sixty-fourth floor, northeast side of the building." He explained, "By three-thirty, an attack from unknown assailants had Agents Harris, Jacobs and Smith opening fire to protect those candidates, Jones and Brown arrived on the scene moments after the counter attack began. After the ceasefire the men were identified as a nameless group of hired thugs, with no connection to Morpheus or any other human rebel group."

"The damages to this building will be an easy fix with a simple rewrite of the buildings coding," He went on, "But before I do that, I want to know who is responsible. The information we have on it as of now is that one of the two humans who were under fire on that day, had arranged for this attack. The security team that has already done investigation into this matter concluded that the young woman by the name of Christine Edwards is responsible."

Out of the corner of his eyes Harris saw Agent Smith tense, "But we know that miss Edwards could not be responsible as she lacks the resources and motive for such a well coordinated attack." Smith said.

The Architect nodded in agreement, "It is impossible that Miss Edwards truly is the mastermind behind this, however all evidence currently points in her direction. From the reports you have given chief of security Mr. Snyder you suggest the other woman, Debra Michaels, to be responsible, and I agree that she is the more likely suspect. However..." The Architect's gaze drifted across the room, on all of them, "We must abide by human law. We cannot incriminate Mrs. Michaels unless we can prove she was involved."

Harris inwardly rolled his eyes, humans and their rules.

"I want both Miss Edwards and Mrs. Michaels put under surveillance. Miss Edwards I do not believe to be a threat, but those who do could end up doing more harm than good. Just make sure she is not put in any danger by human authorities. Mrs. Michaels, however, I want to be watched constantly, her mail needs to be check, her phone tapped. She must not go anywhere without one of you knowing where she is and who she is talking to. Is that understood?"

The Agents all nodded.

"Good." The architect's posture relaxed a little. Agent Smith, you and your team keep watch over Miss Edwards. Agent Chalmer, you and your men keep an eye on Mrs. Michaels, she should be at her company, make sure she doesn't see you. The rest of you begin looking for any connection Mrs. Michaels has to the men who attacked us the other day."

The Agents collectively nodded and the Architect then began to elaborate on the details, each team pitching in on when and where each Agent would be. Agent Harris was assigned to wait in a cafe across the street from the Michaels family tower, and after about a half an hour later the plans were put into action.

Agent Roberts was going to be at the subway station a few blocks away from the building, in case Mrs. Michaels was traveling across town today, while Agent Chalmer drove around town to her home and places she was likely to be seen at, so Harris was forced to transfer his consciousness across the Matrix to be where he had been assigned. There was a homeless man taking up residence in a cardboard box in an alley behind the cafe who provided an opportune host for Harris, making the rest of his trip to the cafe event free. The only downside to traveling this way was that anything an Agent had with him that was not part of his original programing vanished.

Harris felt at his pocket to be sure: no gum.

Adjusting his tie a bit Harris left the alley and eyed the entrance to Michaels company building, scanning the faces of the humans exiting the building for their lunch break for the countenance of the middle aged human female identified as Debra Michaels. None matched her description and soon enough the flow of people exiting the building slowed enough that Harris felt now was a good time to turn his back and enter the cafe.

It was a small place, nestled between two larger buildings, a little cramped but with good business due to it's location. In fact Harris noticed a few of the people he'd witnessed leave the Michaels building had gone into this small store to buy a sandwich or a platter of fruit. The Cafe was owned by a large redheaded woman, not obese, but working off baby weight from bearing multiple children. Several workers dashing around the cafe also sported the same red hair, possibly her children making this a family owned business, a rare thing these days.

The Matrix was beginning to show its age, with the human society beginning to crumble, first economically, then socially until the whole thing came apart, in the event that did happen, humans would awaken from their dream world and the machines would have to start over, which was why the Matrix needed to be reloaded every century or so. Harris figured they had about ten years before they would need to reload to prevent a shut down. It would be the first reload since Harris was programmed and he admitted some slight discomfort with the idea, a nervousness his partners had said was common among young Agents experiencing their first reload.

A woman approached him, "Can I help you with something sir?" She asked. The girl was one of the red heads with thick straight hair flowing past her shoulders in a high ponytail to keep it out of the food she served. She was at least twenty-five years in age but no more than thirty. Her cheeks were covered with a thin amount of freckles, just under a set of bright green yes. The name tag pinned to her shirt read Kathryn B.

Harris nodded to be polite, "Do you sell newspapers here?" he asked trying to blend with the humans whom he had often noted read the news while waiting for something.

"Um, no I think we sold out of today's newspaper an hour ago." Kathryn said, "We do have crossword books, would you like one of them?"

"If that's what you have, that will do. Thank you." He told her, she smiled and turned away from him to retrieve the book. Harris noticed a stand near the front of the Cafe that had packages of gum, and overlooked the types they were selling, they didn't have his flavor of the month so he picked a generic package with an unmemorable name, and ordered a cup of coffee. Kathryn returned to him with the book of crosswords she'd promised, and Harris handed her a card Agents were equipped with to handle monetary transactions when they were dealing with humans, Harris didn't care too much for the details.

Once his order was placed Harris found a small table close to the window with a good view of the Michaels building, got a piece of gum and opened the crossword book. The coffee was placed on his table, but Harris didn't touch it for several minutes, balancing his attention between his crossword and the building across the street.

A word that means the same as another: A synonym.

Homer's telling of the Trojan War: The Illiad.

The fifth planet from the Sun: Jupiter.

Harris was already bored by the puzzles in the beginning of the book, humans who could not figure out clues this simple could not be very smart. He took a sip from his coffee and took another glimpse through the window for Mrs. Michaels before he flipped through the pages of the book looking for a puzzle little more challenging. Finding one his scratched down answers between glances at the building opposite.

Translates to "Seize the day":

"Carpe Diem." Harris looked up to see the waitress Kathryn at his table with a pot of fresh coffee, probably meant to refill his slowly emptying cup. She was looking at his crossword book and noticed he had stopped at this particular clue. "Sorry." Kathryn said, looking away, "I'm taking a Latin course, I can't help myself, anytime I see Latin I translate it." She explained with a giggle and refilled his cup. "Can I get you anything else?"

Harris shook his head and thanked her before returning to the crossword puzzle. He kept looking over at the building occasionally he touched his earpiece to report that the target had not been seen entering or leaving the building while Roberts and Chalmer reported that they too did not see her in their respective search areas.

Kathryn refilled his cup at half-empty three more times. Still no sign of Debra Michaels, Harris had also just finished another puzzle and was about to flip to a new page when Kathryn approached his table again. Thinking she was going to refill his coffee again, Harris was surprised when she instead set a piece of fresh baked apple pie in front of him.

"On the house." she said, "Sorry she didn't come." The red headed woman turned away, leaving Harris to wonder why she had given him the pie and what she had meant by what she'd said.

For that precise reason, Harris didn't touch the pie and instead continued as he had been doing for the last...Harris wasn't sure how long he'd been at the cafe, but Roberts was reporting that Mrs. Michaels was not at the subway boarding or getting of the trains, and that by this time she probably would have no use, Chalmer was going to check her home once more before he picked Roberts up and came to fetch Harris.

The woman seemed to have vanished for now, but soon enough the Agents would pick up her trail. No one could stay hidden in the Matrix for very long.

"Don't like apple pie?"

Kathryn was back.

Harris looked between her and the pie, "I didn't order it." He said simply.

"It's our policy." Kathryn explained, "Whenever someone has a bad date in our cafe they get a free piece of pie. I can get you a different kind if you don't eat apple or have allergies."

Bad date?

Harris saw her error imminently and shook his head, "You misunderstand. I am not here for a date, I'm here because-"

He stopped in mid sentence when Agent Chalmer called through the earpiece. His hand flew to it to hear better, "Harris I've just spotted Mrs. Michaels. She has just left her house and appears to be heading in your direction. I will follow from a distance, Harris watch for her. Roberts you find a vantage point on the other side of the block."

"Understood." Harris and Roberts replied simultaneously. Kathryn stared at him with wide eyes, he color flowing over her cheeks as her mistake dawned on her. Harris felt the need to explain it to her at least partially, "We are simply keeping someone under surveillance under suspicion of foul play. Nothing more, you may take the pie back."

Kathryn smiled shyly, but shook her head. "No. You keep it, it's on the house." She repeated and turned away to take care a some other customers.

Harris was slightly puzzled by her choice of action, but accepted the pie anyway. His gum had lost its flavor sometime ago and he gently took it out of his mouth so that he could eat the pie and maintain an appearance of being human.

"Harris Mrs. Michaels has parked her car and is heading right for you." Roberts said.

"What should I do?" Harris replied.

Chalmer answered, "The Architect said to merely keep a watch on her. If you see her, take note if she talks to anyone and who they are, do not interact with her."

"Understood." Harris responded.

A few minutes later he saw Debra Michaels walking down the street. He thought she would cross to the company she owned, but instead she was heading for the cafe. Harris removed his jacket and took off his sunglasses, a ploy he understood helped to keep him from being too easily recognized. The older woman came in and was ushered to a seat across the cafe from Harris, facing him, but she did not acknowledge that she knew who he was.

Kathryn went to her, Harris supposed talking to a waitress was hardly note worthy, but he kept his eyes on both of them. The red headed young woman took her order, and was often coming back and forth to Mrs. Michaels to ask if she needed anything, always getting a head shake in response. Harris had started to ignore Kathryn's visits to Debra's table when she approached him whispering, "She's waiting for a guy named Frank Larson, he's a regular around here, but not a good sort of guy. Is that helpful to you?"

Harris looked at her questioningly, "I beg your pardon?"

Kathryn took out her waitressing book and wrote something down like she was taking his order but kept her voice quiet, "You haven't taken your eyes off that lady since she came in, so I assume she's the target you've been waiting for all day?"

"That's quite observant of you Miss...uh." He didn't know her last name so he trailed off in the middle of his compliment.

"Baker." She told him, "Kathryn Baker. And who ever that woman is she just asked if he was here yet, you'd better redirect your attention, Mr. Larson is a greater danger."

"How so?" Harris asked.

"Seriously, you're some sort of government agent and you don't know Frank Larson?" Kathyrn seemed surprised, "The Larson family has lived in these parts for a while, they know everyone, and their weak spots. If you ever want something done, a murder, a robbery, whatever, all you need to do is talk to one of the Larsons they can arrange it for you." She explained.

"What about an act of terrorism?" Harris asked.

Kathryn hesitated, "I've never heard of them doing anything that big, but I suppose for the right price, they would do just about anything."

Harris's hand flew to his earpiece, "Thank you Miss. Baker, you may have just saved me a lot of time." He told her then whispered into his earpiece as she left, "This is Agent Harris, I have just gotten a tip on how Mrs. Michaels might have been involved with the attack. Someone go back to the Source and look up any information we have on a Frank Larson."

"Who gave you this tip?" Roberts asked.

"A waitress. Mrs. Michaels is meeting him here. What should I do if he arrives?"

There was a long period of silence before the Architect's voice came through the receiver. "There's nothing more you can do there without drawing too much attention, fall back and just make sure we know where Debra Michaels is, I'll send a separate team out to keep an eye on this Frank Larson."

"Understood." Harris stood and gathered his things, choosing to hold onto his sunglasses and hang his jacket over his arm. He also popped a fresh piece of gum into his mouth, before he approached Kathryn Baker again. She was taking someone's order, so he waited but at last she turn back and jumped to see him right behind her.

"Do you need something Mr. Harris?" Clearly she'd overheard at least his name before she'd left.

"Just Harris, please." He said, "And I just wanted to thank you again for your help. I do not have any cash with me right now, but I promise next time I visit you will receive a very generous tip from me."

"Oooh, sounds like you have a new admirer Kitty." One of the girls at the table Kathryn had just finished with teased.

"Oh come on Jess, he's just trying to be polite," The waitress replied, before she turned back to Harris, "And thank you, but that's not necessary."

"I insist, good day Miss Baker." He did not wait for a reply before he left. He was halfway down the block before he saw Chalmer's car turning the corner. The car pulled over so that Harris could climb in, Roberts had already been picked up. The Architect called for another meeting to discuss the new details involving Frank Larson, so they were on their way and back at the building within minutes, the other Agent teams had been recalled as well. The Architect was the last to arrive this time, he strode across the room and took his seat at the front of the table, and opened his mouth to settle the first order of business.

"Agent Harris spit out your gum."

Author's note: This will be an on going story but it will not update as often as Hollow and I don't think there will be any other crossovers with that story, but just be aware that it takes place at about the same time.