Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. Been dealing with some health issues that has really just taken the energy right out of me. I fully intend to get back to writing now that I'm feeling a bit better. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Chapter 13: Course Correction

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Remus anxiously disconnected the needle from the back of Sirius's head, his eyes darting up to the monitor displaying the captain's brain scan, green lines on black screen oscillating in arcs according to his oldest friend's brain activity. He let out a sigh of relief as the display showed normal activity and Sirius opened his eyes then began extracting himself from the inclined chair on which he had been lying. Next to them, Tonks and Eon were already up, stretching out their neck and shoulder muscles, which were always stiff after the lengthy inactivity that hacking into the Matrix required.

"How's Harry?" Sirius asked with a touch of concern.

"He's just coming out now," Alastor responded with a gruff voice. "Kid was something else in there, wasn't he?" he added with a bit of amazement.

Sirius gave a roguish grin and puffed out his chest in faux braggadocio, "And I found him! I must say, I have the best recruiting skills in the entire fleet!"

Tonks gave a 'hmph' and shot Sirius a superior look. "Oh no, Sirius, I'm the one who found Harry while you had your sight set on Eon here." She patted Eon on the arm and then flounced past the captain over towards where Harry was still lying down.

"Ah, but I recruited you and I planned the mission to free Eon, so, ergo, all the credit you earn goes back to me," Sirius retorted with a smirk. But the smirk faded a bit as he looked over at Harry's still prone form. "Is there anything wrong there, Alastor?" Harry should have awakened by now.

The older man grunted, his prosthetic leg tapping hard against the ground as he stepped over to a control console next to Harry. His visage grew perplexed as he stared at the screen. "You'd better get over here, Captain," he said. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"What is it?" Remus asked, joining the two veterans by Harry's table.

"Harry's consciousness has returned to his physical body, but the program safety protocols won't release him to wake up because there's still unused information in the buffer. And whatever it is, it's massive, several terabytes large," Alastor explained.

Sirius frowned. "The first thing we need to do is make sure Harry is okay. Then we can figure out whatever it is that's in the buffer. Would disabling the safety protocol damage Harry? He wouldn't wake up with half a mind or anything would he?"

Remus analyzed the data in the buffer as well as Harry's readings. "I can't say for certain, but it seems like whatever it is there, it isn't actually part of Harry's mind. It's something separate. Overriding the safety protocol shouldn't hurt him."

"Do it," Sirius ordered, moving to Harry's side to watch him.

Several seconds later, Harry's eyes opened and the smooth metal data probe was removed from the back of his head. The young man's green eyes quickly took in the concerned looks of everyone around him and sat up. "What's going on?"

"Are you feeling alright, Harry?" Sirius asked with sincere concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I feel fine," Harry replied. "Got a stiff neck, though."

Remus let out a breath. "You gave us a bit of a scare there, Harry. There was a little abnormality with your exit and reintegration."

"Bah," Alastor scoffed, "he's a tough lad. You two are getting all soft and motherly over this for nothing. Harry's not about to let a programming glitch keep him down, are ya lad?"

Harry grinned at the grizzled veteran. "No way."

Moments later, Harry found himself in a crushing hug. "Don't you scare me like that again, Harry Potter," Tonks scolded as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Next time we do this you better get up off your arse without all the drama!"

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Professor McGonagall hitched up her robes as she approached the stone gargoyle statues. She felt extremely ill at ease disturbing the Headmaster, but the strange man dressed in a white business suit behind her was insistent. "Banana Milkshake," she ordered and the statues leapt aside to reveal the stairwell leading up to the headmaster's office.

"Come in, Minerva," came Dumbledore's cheerful voice before she had even knocked on the door.

"Albus, there is a man from…"

"Yes, Minerva, I am aware and have been expecting him. Please see him in and then you are dismissed to attend to your other duties," the aged wizard said amiably.

"But, Alb— " The Transfiguration professor choked off after a moment, a bit taken aback by the dismissal as well as all the other oddities about the day. First the strange, cold man, wearing what was obviously Muggle clothing, appeared on the doorstep. The man had been escorted to the castle by none other than the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Then this strange man in white had demanded an immediate meeting with Albus Dumbledore. And now she had been dismissed from the room without ceremony, as if she weren't the Deputy Headmistress of the school. Not that she didn't trust Albus to know what was best without always having her opinion; it was just one of those odd times where she felt like she was being left out of the loop. But that was how Dumbledore was sometimes. It was like he always knew everything that was going on and even some things that were about to happen, but kept it all to himself.

With a sigh, she nodded and turned to leave. Surely, Albus would know best.

Dumbledore watched as the Deputy Headmistress closed the door. He flicked a finger towards the door, causing it to melt into the wall and disappear. He had no difficulty identifying the figure that had entered his office, his appearance and presence was unmistakable. Immediately, the kindly smile that had been plastered on his face dropped and his face and eyes became nearly expressionless. "What is it you have to communicate?" Dumbledore asked his visitor. He knew that the Program known as the Architect had little use for the veneer of social pleasantries, despite being thoroughly acquainted with them.

The "man" standing before Dumbledore answered in a near monotone, but with a cultured polish that invoked a feeling of intelligence and refinement. "It has been confirmed that the anomaly designated as Harry Potter did indeed survive the extraction attempt by the Humans and has subsequently re-entered the Matrix." The white-suited man paused, "The anomaly's foray into the Matrix was initiated concurrent with the incursion of prime target designee Sirius Black, anomaly designee John Anderson, and an unidentified fourth Human. This unanticipated confluence of radical factors has given rise to unexpected divarication within the Matrix command subroutines; concordantly, the joint-efforts of our Agents proved inadequate to preclude their egress."

"So they escaped."

"Indeed," the Architect answered levelly. "Unfortunately, this event has revealed an unacceptable level of risk in the continued interaction of these elements. Something must be done."

Dumbledore regarded his counterpart coolly as their eyes met, information and details flowing between them at a rate that made their previous conversation entirely redundant. The use of the voice to speak was a terribly inefficient process compared to methods Programs had at their disposal. Nevertheless, they were bound by the rules they had created for Program interaction within the virtual world of the Matrix, even while alone. He already knew what the Architect was requesting, but the protocols required a verbalization of the request.

"It is, ironically, the very traits that make them so dangerous to the System that also make Mr. Potter and Mr. Anderson so valuable to our endeavors."

"Indubitably," the Architect conceded with a nod. "However, with them outside of our control, they represent an unacceptable level of threat."

"And now you want my permission to pursue young Harry on the Outside."

The Architect nodded. "You have already re-assigned full permissions to me on anomaly John Anderson, but anomaly Harry Potter still remains entirely within your domain."

A frown found its way onto the Headmaster's face. "While I understand the concern you have and admit that it is valid, I cannot in good conscience give you full permissions to deal with Harry." Dumbledore lifted a hand to forestall his counterpart's rebuttal. "However, I will give you all the necessary permissions to pursue and deal with Harry as needed. If at all possible, I want him back at this school. He is far too important to our mission to be completely written off until it becomes absolutely necessary."

The Architect nodded. "I will ensure that all efforts are made to acquire the anomaly for Reinsertion without harm. However, if the opportunity to capture him arises and the only options are termination or allowing him to make yet another escape, our Agents will terminate the subject."

Dumbledore nodded, "Agreed."

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Remus stared at his monitor in consternation. He had never encountered an encryption system as complex as the one he was trying to break. How and why the data had gotten lodged in the buffer of Harry's data probe was a mystery. Remus had never heard of anything like this happening before.

"What are you doing, Remus?" Harry's voice came from behind him.

"Trying to figure out what in the world happened during your Exit. I can't make heads or tails of this data. It's too structured to be a garbage dump, but what it actually is, I honestly have no idea." Remus scrolled through the data, displayed in three dimensional Matrix-style code, while Harry looked on.

"Hang on," Harry suddenly exclaimed. "Go back," Harry said as Remus scrolled back down the display towards a section of the code. "That looks familiar for some reason. Do you mind if I take a closer look at this?"

With a shrug, Remus vacated his seat and let Harry at the keyboard. Slowly, Harry Potter zoomed in toward the code, following a branching pattern that appeared random to Remus. "Here," Harry declared as he reached a point within the code. "I recognize this. It's an entry point."

"An entry point to what, Harry?" Remus questioned. "And how do you know this?"

Focusing on the code, Harry opened a command execution window and typed a rather complex script. After executing the script, a query box appeared on the screen, which Harry quickly responded to with a string of symbols 48 characters long. As soon as Harry hit 'enter', the computer console showed the encrypted code morph and change into its true form.

"Oh my word," Remus gasped, covering his mouth with the tips of his fingers. "Harry, how did you do that?"

Harry Potter turned to second in command of the Lupin and gave a small shrug. "I sort of created this backdoor while we were in the Matrix and used the Imperius curse on that Agent. When I saw that bit of code there, I just connected it with the encryption key in my head somehow."

"Sirius!" Remus called out over the intercom. "You'd better get down here immediately. You're not going to believe this!"

A couple minutes later a grumpy-looking Sirius entered the main deck, his hair disheveled and clothes looking crumpled. "You better have a good reason to interrupt my sleep shift, Remus, especially considering the dream I was just having," the captain growled out.

Remus pointed to indicate the code on the screen in front of him and then to Harry in turn. "Harry here has captured an Agent."

Sirius frowned. "What do you mean he captured an Agent?"

"I mean, you scruffy flea-bitten excuse for a hovercraft captain, that Harry has captured an Agent from inside the Matrix. That is the code for an entire Artificial Intelligence right there!"

Sirius took a close look at the console, looking over the Program in shock. "And we can interact with it, query it? Why isn't it self-deleting or trying to fry our systems? How did this happen?"

Harry looked back over at Sirius sheepishly. "It happened when we were back in the Matrix fighting the Agents. I caught this one, an auror from the magical side, with the Imperius curse. Basically, the spell is just a special command script that hacks another avatar inside the Matrix and takes control of them. Once I hit the Agent with the curse I had complete access to them and a direct connection that allowed me to communicate any instructions I wanted to give it. I guess when I Exited the Matrix the connection between us caused the Program to be Exited as well."

"And since Harry's own consciousness had already been transferred back to his own body but there was still data left inside the buffer, the safety protocols kicked in, preserving and isolating the tag-a-long code," Remus finished. "And we now have full access to it."

Sirius whistled, then flashed a brilliant smile at Harry. "Amazing work, Harry. Astounding that it was your first trip back inside." Then Sirius turned back to Remus with a grin. "Can I pick them, or can I pick them?" he bragged.

It took another minute for Sirius to get back to the control deck where Shaq was carefully navigating the underground tunnel systems. "We're changing course," Sirius announced as soon as the navigator had acknowledged the captain's presence. "We won't be heading back to New Salem just yet."

Shaq gave the captain a surprised look. "What's our new destination? You do know, some of us have do have personal lives to get back to. I had me a hot date…"

"Don't worry, Shaq, I'm sure you can pick up something for her that will make up for it where we're going. Set course directly for Zion."

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Less than a week after his meeting with the Architect, Albus Dumbledore sat in his office humming a lighthearted tune as he went through the stacks of papers on his desk with a tap of his wand. Being the Headmaster of Hogwarts, sitting within the Office of the Headmaster, Albus enjoyed a continuous update of all that was happening within the school boundaries, primarily through reports from the portraits that hung around the wall. A visitor to the office would note several strange devices which seemingly defied the laws of physics and wonder at their purpose, never realizing that through these devices Dumbledore could access any entity connected with his domain, Program or otherwise.

There were definite advantages to living in a world so less constrained by the programmed rules of the Matrix. While Agents were able to receive a constant stream of information through their earpieces, they were required to use that external object by the Matrix code whenever information was to be made available to them. Worse, Agents themselves had no easy means to access environmental parameters or alter the code around them beyond what could be conceivable to a Human. Dumbledore, however, had no such restrictions. He need only make eye contact with any potential source of information and it was uploaded directly to his mind. Within his office, he could simply place his hand on one of the artifacts puffing colored smoke or spinning in midair and Hogwarts would shift and change according to his needs. Even outside of his office, conformity to his will was a mere wand wave away.

Despite these advantages, Dumbledore still chafed under the constraints of the Matrix virtual world. In particular, he disliked how limited to information outside of his domain could be. An owl had dropped a letter onto his desk, which he had read with a mere tap of his wand, and a frown had then immediately appeared on his face. It had taken minutes for that silly bird Program to deliver information he could have had instantly were it not for the rules of the System. Rules put in place to keep the Humans blinded and believing, yet impaired him as well.

Dumbledore stepped over to the fireplace in the Headmaster's office. "Ministry of Magic, Unspeakable Division," he commanded in a calm, even voice.

When Albus Dumbledore emerged on 'the other side', he was met with a cold stare from a man in a black robe. Dumbledore met the stare with eyes a-twinkle. The Unspeakable before him nodded. "Headmaster."

"Unspeakable Rookwood."

"Headmaster!" came a genial greeting from a red-headed man standing nearby next to an odd assortment of electronics heaped together in a pile. Much of it was half broken.

"Ah, Arthur," Dumbledore intoned in an equally warm tone of voice, as if he were a teacher greeting a well-liked former pupil. "Very good to see you. Ron has been doing well in his classes this year, quite an improvement from last."

"Good to hear," the Weasley patron said with a grin. "Augustus and I were just about to get into some very critical experiments on attempting to integrate magic and Muggle technology," he said excitedly. "The Minister is quite keen on getting magic and ekelikrity working together. Or is that why you are here then, to help give us your expertise?"

Dumbledore shook his head ruefully, "Alas, Arthur, I am afraid I must delay your experiments somewhat. There is a critical mission in New Dehli for which Unspeakable Rookwood is required. There has been a bit of a difficulty on the Muggle side of things which requires our special magical touch to handle."

Rookwood and Dumbledore met each other's gaze as he spoke, communicating the situation and the mission: The sentinel blockade intended to capture the Lupin on its return to New Salem had failed because it had never attempted to return to its original port. The ship had unexpectedly been spotted as it docked in Zion. Harry Potter was now out of reach to any Machine attack, as required by the terms of the Truce.

Rookwood turned to leave with Dumbledore.

Arthur frowned. "Headmaster, I'm sure the Minister will agree with you, but I know Rookwood was given orders directly from the Minister himself. He would—"

Rookwood turned his cold stare back on Mr. Weasley, forcing the man to shudder. "In matters of international affairs, the Chief Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards outranks the Minister. Minister Crouch will be advised of this change in plans. For now, though, you are dismissed." And then he turned back to follow Dumbledore back to the floo.

Albus Dumbledore gave an apologetic nod over to a slightly confused Arthur Weasley. The poor fool. He had no idea just how little power the "Minister for Magic" actually had. It was, after all, a Human position. Pity was an emotion he was quite capable of simulating, something he felt in abundance for the truly unaware within his little world. Pity helped him to appear sympathetic, which in turn helped him to control those within his domain. Quite useful, really, at least in dealing with Humans.

Once he was standing outside alone with the Unspeakable, Dumbledore no longer attempted to sound kindly, though his expression remained grandfatherly for the benefit of any possible observer from afar. The Unspeakable already knew his mission objective from their brief but efficient eye contact earlier, but the authorization had to be explicitly stated. "You are authorized to use your full abilities for the duration of this assignment, even in mundane areas. You are to retrieve or eliminate Harry Potter at all costs, retrieval being the optimal outcome."

Rookwood nodded. There was a reason he was being called and given this authorization. Normal Agents were not designed with access to the updated functions that had been developed for use on Matrix avatars over that past couple generations. Those techniques generally remained restricted to the subsection of the Matrix in which the special experimental rules were allowed and to Agents of this subsection. But to use those functions outside of the restricted sections, even for an Unspeakable, special authorization was required before it was possible.

"And Sirius Black? A secondary target?" Rookwood asked.

"There is no secondary target," Dumbledore ordered with a shake of his head. "Sirius Black can only be considered as a target of opportunity if and only if there is zero chance of such a strike endangering your mission."

"Understood," Rookwood acknowledged with a nod. Then with a pop, he was off to New Dehli.