Chapter 10: Incorporations

The shock of the previous incident had enabled me to focus more seriously upon my training. Youthful enthusiasm wasn't nearly enough to advance through their ranks, so I concentrated deeply upon honing my skills. I found myself mastering several martial arts for unarmed combat, multiple techniques in gunplay, and knowledge of the operation of multiple vehicles as well as techniques to improve stealth. Sometimes I felt like I was caught in the middle of a spy thriller, except the Agents were the ones hunting us down.

Jiu-Jitsu, incidentally, had quickly become my favorite fighting style, as it gave me a distinct advantage over opponents of a higher caliber. I could easily incapacitate someone twice my weight, fracturing their limbs so they'd be left unable to fight back. Of course, I never used such fatal tactics against my sparring partners, for we both knew the consequences of such damage in the real world. Little of this would do to help against the Agents, for they were practically invulnerable to attack.

Speaking of which, I'd already spent quite some time in the real world, and I began to wonder; if they had intended to make me a part of their team, why wasn't I allowed to join them on their missions? Although we hadn't exactly had many due to aforementioned sentinel activity, I thought that by now I'd proven myself a capable and potentially valuable member of their team. Still, it was apparently noted that I was too inexperienced, to which I replied that it would be impossible for me to gain experience if I sat behind all day long.

The answer came to me one fateful evening, in the study of none other than my good friend Mouse. You see, Mouse's extensive coding sessions would always seem to run late into the night. One of those nights, just as I was about to go to sleep after a long, hard day of refitting the ship, he pulled me aside to show me a new project he was working on.

"So," he began eagerly. "I've got something really special for you. This is a demo of a brand new program I've been working on for ages now, and we're just in luck because it's one of the few training modules you haven't experienced yet."

Nervously, I swallowed, unsure of what to expect. As per usual, I rested my head just above the neural interface, hearing it settle into place with a satisfying click. Mouse punched in a few commands, and once more I was sucked into the dizzying vortex of the Construct.

When I regained my senses, I found myself on a familiar city street, swarmed by a bustling crowd. Mouse stood next to me, beaming.

"Well, it's something, I suppose."

"Hey man, don't rush, we haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet."

We started to walk down the street, Mouse rattling off the specifications of the program.

"... So far I haven't gotten to fixing that yet but I'll be sure to change that in the next patch... Hey, are you even listening?"

To his credit, I wasn't really paying attention. Instead, I was focused on surveying the environment around me. It was difficult to describe, but the code seemed unnatural, incomplete, faulty. Seas of black and navy cascaded into each other as we pushed our way forwards. Suddenly, a spark of red caught my vision.

"Who is that?"

I pointed to the scarlet figure weaving its way through the crowd.

"Oh, her? You'll see soon enough."

Examiningher in detail, I saw that she was programmed more meticulously than anything I'd seen so far, carefully and lovingly constructed.

"Well, I've got to congratulate you on one thing at least, although are you sure you didn't rip her model from one of your old mag-"

The click of cold metal against my temple stopped me dead in my tracks. I whirled around and pulled out my own side arm, which I'd gotten used to carrying in any training program that permitted it. Unfortunately, in the process, I lost my balance and fell backwards. Scrambling to my feet, I caught the target in my sights, before realizing that that I was looking at the face of none other than Agent Smith.

"Well, that's certainly something you wouldn't find in any edition of Playboy," he quipped.

"Judging by your tastes, I wouldn't be surprised," I muttered as I brushed myself off. Seeing as the figure no longer appeared to pose me any harm, I turned to him to angrily rebuke his decision.

"What kind of sick joke is this?"

"This actually pretty standard for our Agent training programs. It's supposed to teach you to remain constantly focused, otherwise you might get caught off guard... in the worst way imaginable."

"Well, I think I understood that part, but why him?"

"I don't understand, you've never encountered him before, have you... Have you?"

"...It's a long story. And his name's Smith, Agent Smith."

"Hmmph. Figures. Well, I guess you'll be more careful next time, although for a first-timer, your reactions were pretty good."

I didn't see how my embarrassing fall could be interpreted as a remotely positive result, but I took the compliment as it came. Before I could say anything though, Mouse pulled out his cell phone, dialing a familiar number.

"Operator, we're ready to go."

"What do you mean Operator, I thought this program was set for automatic..."

"...log-out?"

As far as I was concerned, we were completely alone in this. However, Mouse seemed to have invited a few friends along as well.

"Don't tell me you saw all of that."

"Actually, I only came along for the second part, which was, of course, all that mattered. I really have to congratulate you for your quick judgement, despite the fact that you've never dealt with anything like this before. In short, I think your training's finally complete, and in good time too."

"Good time, what are you talking about?"

"You see, after the sentinel incident, we figured this was the last of them for now, and it turns out we were right. Which means, we're taking you along for your very first mission."

"Back into the Matrix?"

"Back into the Matrix. Do what you must to prepare, we're going in about 8 hours from now. Good luck."

I was overwhelmed with emotion, giddy with excitement that was nearly overshadowed by a looming sense of dread. They promised me a regular mission, but I could tell that this would be anything but ordinary. The prospect of meeting another Agent was out of the question, yet my own desire to re-enter the matrix compelled me more than my own caution towards it. Recalling the time during which I was preparing to leave the matrix, a similar anxiety awaited me, but this time, I wasn't facing the unknown. Somehow, encountering it as an enemy still didn't feel quite right. Logically, I understood that what we were doing was meant to be noble, and yet... I brushed away the feeling, thinking it to be a case of nervous jitters. Whatever the case, it was sure to become a fundamental chapter in my newest experiences.