Part 4: Contact

Smith reentered the real world via the connection at the back of his skull, standing as soon as he was disconnected from the machinery.

Link smiled at him. "Sorry to stop you in the middle of your superman thing, but duty calls, right?"

"Right," he said agreeably, trying to sound enthused. He was actually rather apprehensive. What on Earth did the Oracle want with him? He knew what he'd wanted from her, just a month or two ago. He'd wanted her power, her abilities; and for a short while, he'd had them. He'd copied himself into her as easily as he had with all the other programs and humans he'd encountered. And now she wanted to meet with him.

That probably wasn't good.

"Oh, and she sent you a personal message, too."

Smith corrected himself. That definitely wasn't good.

"Don't look so worried, Neo. She just wanted to give us the heads-up on things topside. Nothing bad, but...well, I think you'd better see for yourself."

One of Smith's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. "What did she say, exactly?"

In response, Link handed him a piece of paper with the transcribed words of the Oracle.

The former agent scanned it, noting the rather impersonal form of address (the message was for 'the One', not for Neo -- and thankfully not for Smith) along with some brief details regarding the time and place of the meeting. However, the lines below these were what caught his eye.

"What's this?" he asked skeptically, staring down at the words. "The Machines have assigned me a team of bodyguards for whenever I go into the Matrix?"

"They're not bodyguards," said Morpheus, looking slightly uncomfortable. "They're a security team. Three programs..."

"Three agents," he finished, his expression matching the other man's. He was more than a little annoyed. With all his experience as an agent himself, plus the abilities he'd inherited from Neo, he certainly didn't need any bodyguards...

"Keep going," Link prompted.

"I know what you're thinking," Smith read aloud. Of course she does, she's the Oracle, he thought to himself. "But don't turn them down. Think of them as another gift from the mainframe."

"Some gift," muttered the operator. "Your first time back on the inside, and they don't even trust us humans to watch your back."

Smith read the rest of the message in silence. Its meaning was clear: the Oracle wanted to talk to him, alone and in person. That meant going back into the Matrix, and being seen as who he really was.

Morpheus put a hand on his shoulder. "Go get something to eat, then pack your bag. We'll be leaving in a few hours."

Smith nodded mutely, then sighed. Just when he thought this was getting easier...