The hippopotami danced across the computer screen accompanied by the tinny sound of La Cucaracha. Johnny Park smiled and laughed. It was the only laugh he had had in a day of very tedious work.
"Mr. Park, if this is going to be your primary occupation throughout the day then I would suggest that you find yourself another line of work."
Johnny looked up and felt fear freeze his insides. Standing at his cubicle was a black-suited Agent sporting a pair of dark glasses and a facial expression that could have been carved from stone.
"I…it won't happen again, s-sir."
"See that it does not." The Agent pivoted and walked away.
Johnny let out a sigh of relief. Glancing around to make sure there were no other Agents lurking, he closed the tab which contained the dancing hippopotami and went back to hacking the company's mainframe. His mission had been quite clear. Find the information regarding every computer and phone system in the city which Morpheus could use to track down the One. Johnny remembered Morpheus's rock solid determination and conviction that the One was located somewhere in this city, in this segment of the Matrix and to find out how to contact him, he and Alice had had to go undercover in the very heart of the Matrix to bring back the information Morpheus would need to access every computer and phone in the Matrix. Johnny was almost there now. Numbers and letters raced down the screen as his fingers danced over the keyboard. After what felt like forever a message flashed up on the screen which read ACCESS GRANTED. Johnny's insides leapt as he sent the information to his mobile phone. At last they could get out of there, now that he had unearthed the necessary data. Johnny stood up and walked to where Alice was concentrating on a computer screen.
"I'm just going to the drinks machine, wanna come?" said Johnny, widening his eyes.
Alice paused for a moment and then said "Sure, let's go."
They walked towards the exit of the office when a tall, stocky man with gelled hair and white teeth halted them.
"Alice in Wonderland." he said "I'm glad I came across you because I was just wondering if you would care to join me tonight for dinner, dancing and every girl's favourite; a chick flick."
"Thanks Greg but I'm a bit busy." said Alice, squeezing past him with a forced smile. Johnny followed suit and they left the office. Greg stared after them, bewildered as to how his obvious charm could have failed to get him Alice. Then he tensed up. His head jerked upwards and his arms moved against his will. Seconds later an Agent stood where Greg had been. He glared at the office exit and strode towards it.
Johnny and Alice hurried down the main staircase that took them to the outside of the building. They reached the ground floor and dashed across the spacious foyer when they saw an Agent blocking their path. Johnny whipped out his gun and shot five times. With impossible speed, the Agent dodged all five bullets and started towards them.
"Run!" said Alice. They turned and ran back into the main building. Two other Agents joined the one who had blocked Johnny and Alice's exit.
"Ferret out those intruders and kill them." said the first Agent, hatred poisoning his voice. The other two nodded and walked away.
Johnny and Alice ran down a narrow corridor. They avoided any offices because those people who worked there could turn into Agents and make their escape very difficult, to say the least. Johnny noticed a caretaker's cupboard and dashed inside it with Alice close behind. Once inside they stopped for breath, relieved that the danger had momentarily passed.
"Have you got the information?" said Alice, tying her blond hair back.
"Yup. It's all right here." Johnny fished the mobile phone out of his pocket and tossed it from hand to hand. "Do you really think Morpheus is going to…"
"Discover the One?" said Alice. "That's what he believes. I can't say I do but he's our leader so he calls the shots."
"You need to have more faith, Alice." said Johnny, moving closer to her. "Faith can work miracles."
Alice looked at Johnny. Every cell in Johnny's body screamed out for him to kiss her. He had been in love with her ever since they had first met aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. He had made a joke about the food on board the ship and when she threw back her head and laughed he had wanted nothing but to listen to the sound of that laughter forever. Johnny cursed his lack of courage. Alice glanced upwards.
"There's an air vent there. I think we can squeeze through it. It'll save us coming into contact with those Agents."
Johnny cupped his hands together and gave Alice a leg up, trying and failing not to stare at her shapely legs. Once Alice was inside the air vent she flung her arm down and helped Johnny up. They started to crawl.
On the top floor of the building was a giant room filled with computer terminals. Black suited, clean shaven imitations of men strode back and forth. Machines processed trillions of gigabytes of information, hoping to detect any flaw or anomaly.
"Have you managed to pinpoint the location of the intruders?" a square jawed Agent said.
"Yes sir. They are now inside…the ventilation system."
"How long before we can effect a data modification?"
"Another fifteen minutes, sir."
The Agent steepled his fingers. "Our friends will have a surprise waiting for them."
Johnny crawled out of a vent in the side of the building and stood up. After him came Alice, who smoothed down her jacket and skirt.
"It's not real dirt." Johnny said with a smile. "It's a computer generated hologram."
Alice flashed a smile back. "Some of us like to look our best whenever."
Three Agents rounded the corner. Johnny seized Alice's hand and they ran down the street. A fence barred their way but they both executed stupendous jumps and cleared it, followed by the Agents. Johnny and Alice ran into a busy street. A man parked his car on the side of the road and got out.
"That car!" said Alice. Johnny tackled the man, grabbing his keys after a brief scuffle and got into the car. They sped away just as the Agents caught up to them. Alice took the phone from Johnny's pocket. "Tank are you there? We need an exit, fast!"
"There should be one on the corner of Thirteenth Avenue. Watch out because those Agents are hot on your tail."
A bullet zinged past the window, cracking the rear view mirror. Alice took out her gun and fired back at the Agents, who were in a car. Johnny swerved round a corner, throwing Alice into him. Ahead was an open road.
"We're gonna make it!" said Johnny.
Before their eyes, the road shifted and changed like a mirage to become a brick wall. Johnny brought the car to a screeching halt.
"What are we going to do? They'll kill us and the information will be lost!" said Alice, fear infecting her voice.
"You're going to have to get out of here and take that information to Morpheus." said Johnny. "I'll take care of the Agents.
Alice looked at him - really looked - for the first time. "But you can't! You'll die."
"At least I'll have got to do this." said Johnny and kissed her. Alice's eyes widened as his lips claimed hers. Slowly, they began to close and she was on the cusp of reciprocating the kiss when Johnny pulled back and got out of the car. The Agents' car purred to a smooth halt. Three suits got out of the car.
"You have something which belongs to us, Mr. Park." said one. "Give it to us and…"
Johnny closed the distance between himself and the Agent with a flying kick, knocking the Agent sideways. He began to pummel the sentient program before being tackled by the other two Agents. He kicked them away and resumed his attack. Soon his every move was blocked and the Agents assaulted him with inhuman speed and power. His intestines burst under the barrage of blows and he fell, coughing blood as he went. His last thought was not of the pain in his stomach or the concrete on his head but of Alice's laughter, sweet and clear and rushing water.
Alice ran down the street, ducked into an alley and came out in a different part of town. Nearby a telephone in a booth was ringing. She ran to it and picked it up, holding Johnny's phone next to it to transmit the information Morpheus had wanted. She then put the phone to her ear and vanished.
Alice awoke with a gasp, jerking upright and breathing heavily. Cipher and Mouse unstrapped her from her seat. There was a hush aboard the Nebuchadnezzar. Everybody knew what had happened to Johnny. Alice saw his still body in a chair like hers in a sleep he would never wake from. A tear rolled down Alice's cheek and splashed on the floor.
"Alice." Morpheus's deep voice cut through the silence. "Can I have a word?"
Mutely, Alice followed Morpheus into another part of the ship. Once there Morpheus turned and faced her.
"Your mission was a success. The information you have recovered will make it easier for me to identify the One." Morpheus looked away. "However…"
Alice was about to speak when Morpheus spoke. "Johnny was an excellent operative and a good friend. Were it not for his feelings for you he might still be alive."
A cold dagger forced its way into Alice's stomach. This could only mean one thing.
"When we return to Zion I want you to leave this ship. I do not require your assistance any longer and I think it would be in all our interests if you were no longer here."
Morpheus turned back to Alice.
"You are a good operative but I cannot allow death to be caused by romantic entanglements. You have one hour to collect your things and go. Goodbye Alice."
Alice walked slowly, as if in a dream, to the main part of the Nebuchadnezzar. She saw that Johnny's body was situated under a large blanket, head covered. Gently, with infinite care, Alice knelt down. She peeled the blanket back from Johnny's head and placed a kiss on his lips.