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Sorry if this sounds a bit sappy, but I wanted to develop the relationship between Smith and Nemesis.
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Trials & Tribulations:
Nemesis Awakened
Chapter 4- Opposite Sides
It was early. Nemesis could tell because the lights weren't on yet. Throwing off the blanket, Nemesis got up and stuck her head out into the hallway. She heard someone up on the main deck, so she headed up there. The person was in the galley.
Opening the door, Nemesis found Smith, just sitting down with breakfast. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.
Smith looked up, a bit surprised. "I don't mind," he said at last.
Nemesis got herself a bowl of the goop and at down next to him. She took a few bites, then looked up at him. "Just like mother used to make!" she joked cheerfully, smiling at Smith. Her face turned down slightly after a minute. Nemesis looked down at the table.
"You don't have a mother."
Nemesis looked up. "I know I have a mother. I just don't know who she is."
"I don't have a mother."
"Sure you do."
"Not where I come from."
Nemesis looked up, curiosity beginning to penetrate the serious look in her eyes. "Where do you come from, Smith?"
"I was.......created by the Matrix. Created to protect it."
"You're an agent?" Nemesis asked, completely blown away.
"Not anymore. That was a very long time ago."
Nemesis reflected on that. It did make sense. If was her enemy (and Morpheus's enemy, too), why was he still here? He would have attempted to kill the other crew members. Smith would have tried to kill her.
"Smith, I-," Nemesis began to say. She was cut off.....by an alarm.
"Follow me," Smith hollered above the alarm. He led her out of the galley, and up a ladder that was just past the core. The ladder led up to a very short corridor, and a small room. Morpheus was hunched over what looked like a control panel. "What's going on?"
"Sentinels are approaching."
"Sentinels?" Nemesis asked, looking from Smith to Morpheus.
She was ignored. "How long before they get here?"
"A minute, maybe a little bit more, but I don't want to press our luck," answered Morpheus, typing at lightning speed on a few buttons. A picture appeared on a screen, and Morpheus moved aside so that Nemesis could take a better look.
It was a weird looking thing. I'd say it was a cross between a spider and an octopus. "That's a sentinel?"
"Yes."
"What does it do?"
"It's designed to kill, search and destroy," Trinity said, coming up from behind the group. Neo was hot on her tail.
"How many are there?" Neo asked, joining in the conversation.
"Six." Morpheus turned away from the screen, and turned towards the ship's internal communications system. "How are we doing, Tank?" he called out.
"Shutting off power....now," Tank's voice said in reply. The lights were turned off, and the control boards went dead. All except for the communication system. "EMP is armed and ready, sir."
"Stand by."
Nemesis turned to Smith, whispering, "EMP?"
"Electro Magnetic Pulse," Smith explained. "It's the only thing that works against the sentinels."
"Quiet!" Morpheus hissed. Something was moving outside in the abyss. It came closer....and closer.....Nemesis could now see it's arms spreading out, taking readings of the hovercraft.
The machine surged forward towards the ship. "Now!" Morpheus hollered.
A weird blue field surrounded Nemesis. Everything was distorted. Twisting. It all started to fade away from view........
Smith caught Nemesis as she began to fall.
*****
"So what happened?" Smith asked Jade, looking down at his unconscious crew mate. Nemesis was stretched out on the infirmary's bed.
"She's extremely sensitive to the EMP. It happens to some of the newbies, they're just not used to that kind of exposure to electromagnetic waves. They usually get over it after one to two times."
"So she'll be all right?" What's getting into you, Smith? Why are you feeling so concerned for this little girl?
"Yes. Would you mind watching her for a while? I promised Morpheus that I would help him get the ship jump-started again as soon as I finished examining Nemesis."
Smith only nodded in response.
"Thanks. Let me know if anything comes up." With that, Jade vanished into the dark of the Neb, leaving Smith alone with Nemesis and his own thoughts for company.
Why is she affecting me like this? I've never felt this close to anyone before. I've never been friends with anyone before. Agents don't have friends, they only associate with other programs within the system. But I'm not an agent anymore. I'm not entirely a human, either.......A groan brought Smith out of his silent debate and into the present.
"Nemesis?"
Nemesis blinked her eyes a few times and focused on the person in front of her. "Smith! What the hell happened? The sentinels started to attack the ship......"
"You passed out when the EMP was activated."
"Is everyone ok?"
"Yes."
"And how are you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Nemesis sat back and stared at the darkened ceiling of the infirmary, only lit by red emergency lights. Silence passed between them for a moment.
"I was afraid when I started to pass out. I thought you'd be hurt, Smith."
"Why are you so concerned about me?" he snapped.
"Because I consider you a friend."
Smith shook his head. "Agents don't have any friends."
"You're not an agent."
"Why are you so sure, Nemesis?"
Nemesis hesitated. This was totally against any of the beliefs that she had built up. But those beliefs were from a previous life, she reminded herself, from a world that didn't exist. It's time to start over. "Because to be human is to have a heart, and you have a heart." She put a hand on his chest for a moment, feeling his heart beating. "Like it or not."
Smith sat back, in slightly stunned silence, as Nemesis drifted back to sleep.
Maybe I am human after all.
The thought didn't shock him at all, he admitted silently to himself. It was actually a comforting feeling. Smith smiled slightly as he dozed off, too. Things were definitely going to be different, now that he had a friend.