Fate Wears a Black Coat
Part 3: Show me the way to go home…
"Is she okay?" Neo sat bolt upright as soon as the mind probe was removed.
"Whoa, there. Take it easy." Link kept him from leaping from the chair. "They took her to the infirmary for a couple of stitches. It was just a little RSI head laceration. Looks worse than it is." She smiled. "Pretty worried over a girl that's threatened to kill you on several occasions."
Neo sighed and closed his eyes. "How's everyone else?"
Link hesitated. "Card, Trinity, and Morpheus are a hundred percent. Stark got grazed by a bullet, and the other girl in his team, Royal, caught several shots in her thigh. The funeral for Nerve's team is tomorrow afternoon." She rushed the last sentence, as though it would mean something different that way.
Neo was quiet for a while. "Okay. What time?"
Card sang at the service. For a tough looking woman, she had a surprisingly beautiful voice. Several of the teams' friends made remarks, Kismet included.
"Nerve was one of my best friends when we were just nameless recruits on a ship that wasn't ours," she said. "We made fun of the food, the uniforms, and the captain. We got in trouble for making fun of the food and the uniforms." A few laughs rippled through the assembled crowd. "We got shot at, yelled at, and cussed out those who did that do us. He was an incredible guy because he was always ready to listen to you. If you gave him a problem, he'd give you an answer for it and the three other problems you hadn't thought of yet."
She smiled. "He saved my life once. Did you know? We got backed into a corner. I was shooting like crazy, trying to hold the agents back. All of a sudden, Nerve just jumps on top of me. I didn't know why at the time; I figured, hey, people do strange stuff if they think they're gonna die. I muttered something about it being a hell of a time for a relationship, when he just points at the wall. There was this big damn hunting knife sticking in the wall; if I'd been standing, it would have gone straight through my head. Back-up showed up just then so we got out okay. I never forgot it, though. I kept thanking the guy and he kept saying it was nothing. That's just the was Nerve was."
She sniffed and wiped something from her eye. "Bye, Scott. Hope you don't mind I used your real name. I know how you hate it, but it just seems more like you. I'm gonna miss you. And thank you, one last time."
After that, the crowd began to gradually drift away. Neo felt a touch on his arm. It was Kismet. "Wanna get a drink?" she asked.
He found himself nodding.
They sat on the bunk in his room, each holding a chipped mug and occasionally reaching for the alcohol-filled can between them. Kismet took a sip, looking at Neo over the rim of the mug. "I've gotten new orders," she said. "It's time for me to head out and maybe free a few more souls. I have to leave in a few hours."
She paused. "But before I go, I wanted to tell you something." She drained the rest of her mug in one swallow. "I want to tell you a story, Neo. Once upon a time, back in the Matrix, there was a happy little family: a father, a mother, and a son. When the son was about ten years old, his mom gave birth to a little sister. After the little girl was born, the mother started to act differently. On a sunny afternoon five years later, in a fit of full-blown post-partum depression, the mother put the daughter down for a nap, took the father's gun from its hiding place, went down into the basement and put a bullet through her head."
She stopped, refilled her mug, drained it again. "The daughter heard the noise and wondered what it was. She got out of bed and wandered the house, trying to find her mother who would explain everything. When she couldn't find her, the little girl saw that the basement door was open and went down the stairs. Usually, the basement scared the shit out of her, but since it was the only place her mommy could be, she decided it would be okay. Upon getting to the bottom of the stairs, she found her mother, flat on the floor with half her head gone and blood all over. She started screaming. She didn't stop screaming until her brother got home an hour and a half later. He brought his sister out of the basement and called his father at work. There was a funeral a few days later. The little girl didn't speak from the time her brother rescued her to nearly three weeks after the funeral."
She drank another mug of liquor. "The girl grew up, never saying much more than necessary. She developed abilities as a hacker, using it to earn cash and spending it all looking for the Answer to the Question. Her father remarried and her stepmother was neither good nor bad, simply there. Then, one day, the girl got a phone call on her private line that told her about the car waiting outside. She went to a dark building and swallowed a red pill."
Neo's hands were shaking. "What ever happened to the brother?"
Kismet smiled. "He's done rather well for himself, I hear. He finished up high school, did well in college, and was hired by a software company due to his skill with computers. One day, he got a phone call, too. He found the Answer and turns out he's the One. He also managed to find his sister."
Tears ran down Neo's cheeks. "Tasha…"
Kismet stood up, shaking her head. "No, Tom. Tasha died twelve years ago in a basement." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "I have to go now. Be good."
She walked out, not hesitating even when she heard the coffee mug shatter on the floor.
Someone was pounding on her door. Kismet lifted her head wearily from her pillow. She couldn't have been asleep for more than thirty minutes; this was her first nap in nearly 48 hours. "What?" she demanded, throwing herself out of bed. "This had better be good."
She flung the door open to find a frightened looking young man staring her in the face. "Kismet, it's Squiddies…I-I mean Sentinels! Six of them, closing in fast!"
"Thanks, Spark," she said, shoving past him. Scrambling through the dive room, she noticed Link and two others still in chairs. "Haven't they gotten out yet?" she barked at the officer on dive watch.
"They're headed to an exit now," Bugger replied. "Should be out in three."
"We don't have three seconds, forget three minutes!" Kismet snarled. She punched her right fist into her left palm. "Damn it! Charge the EMP!"
She could hear it, the familiar back ground hum and the scent of electricity. But she couldn't use it yet, not yet…Kismet moved over to the control switch for the EMP. She would wait.
…Tracking….Target Acquired…Begin Attack Pattern…
The Squiddies were tearing into the hull; she could hear them. She looked over at Link, Volt, and Pulse, lying in their chairs and looking like sleeping innocents. But she knew that wasn't true. She'd seen them kill, many times. It'd didn't really matter much now, anyway. They were in the ship.
….Searching…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…
She saw Spark go flying through the air, the upper half of him still holding the shocker rifle he'd tried to fight the Squiddies with. It didn't matter.
…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…Searching…
Bugger yelled something at the tentacle creeping nearer to him. His words were lost when the metal arm tightened around his neck and his head was suddenly not there. Another tally mark. It didn't matter.
…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…
Pulse's dive chair was torn out of the floor as the Squiddies approached. It was thrown against the opposite bulkhead. Sooner or later, everyone would die. It didn't matter.
I don't want to do it again…Don't make me do it again…Don't make me kill good people for no reason…This isn't right…Please…Not again…
…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…
Volt was dead, torn in half and cast aside. She looked at Link and was amazed. Link's eyes were open. She walked slowly away from the EMP switch and unplugged her friend. "Link," she whispered. "Get out of here. Hide back there against the wall. Maybe you can live through this. Please try. For me."
"But what about you?" Link demanded.
"This is an order," she said. "Save yourself."
…Heat Signatures Found…One Mobile…Follow?…Negative, Incorrect Signature…Correct Signature Found…Apprehend…
One tentacle arm wrapped around Kismet's waist. She went slack, fully prepared to be torn to pieces. She was surprised when the Sentinel that held her began to move back towards the gaping hole in the ship; the other five trailing behind it. They were taking her somewhere…Whatever.
It didn't matter.
Hours…Days…Years later, Link crawled from her hiding place against the bulkhead, behind the remains of Pulse's dive chair. Her mind was reeling. In the space of less than ten minutes, four people had been killed within feet of her and her commanding officer and best friend had been captured by Squiddies. The ship was virtually decimated; the likelihood of operable communications was slim and none. There was the chance another ship might pass by, but it was an awfully big "might."
So she did the only thing she could think of. She cried.
*******
Author's Note: This chapter was written prior to the events in Houston. My prayers are with the family.
On the lighter side, thanks for putting up with the first two chapters of my insanity. Hope I'm still keeping you interested.
Anyone surprised? Did anyone already guess?? Anyone just going "Post the next chapter, damn you!!"??? Either way, pleeeeeeeeease review. Starving artists revel in praise. (And we write faster, too!)
Part four needs a little more tweeking, but it should be up pretty soon. Keep watching!
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/
PS - Anybody know where I got the title from? First correct guess wins...well, you don't win anything, but you can say you did!
Part 3: Show me the way to go home…
"Is she okay?" Neo sat bolt upright as soon as the mind probe was removed.
"Whoa, there. Take it easy." Link kept him from leaping from the chair. "They took her to the infirmary for a couple of stitches. It was just a little RSI head laceration. Looks worse than it is." She smiled. "Pretty worried over a girl that's threatened to kill you on several occasions."
Neo sighed and closed his eyes. "How's everyone else?"
Link hesitated. "Card, Trinity, and Morpheus are a hundred percent. Stark got grazed by a bullet, and the other girl in his team, Royal, caught several shots in her thigh. The funeral for Nerve's team is tomorrow afternoon." She rushed the last sentence, as though it would mean something different that way.
Neo was quiet for a while. "Okay. What time?"
Card sang at the service. For a tough looking woman, she had a surprisingly beautiful voice. Several of the teams' friends made remarks, Kismet included.
"Nerve was one of my best friends when we were just nameless recruits on a ship that wasn't ours," she said. "We made fun of the food, the uniforms, and the captain. We got in trouble for making fun of the food and the uniforms." A few laughs rippled through the assembled crowd. "We got shot at, yelled at, and cussed out those who did that do us. He was an incredible guy because he was always ready to listen to you. If you gave him a problem, he'd give you an answer for it and the three other problems you hadn't thought of yet."
She smiled. "He saved my life once. Did you know? We got backed into a corner. I was shooting like crazy, trying to hold the agents back. All of a sudden, Nerve just jumps on top of me. I didn't know why at the time; I figured, hey, people do strange stuff if they think they're gonna die. I muttered something about it being a hell of a time for a relationship, when he just points at the wall. There was this big damn hunting knife sticking in the wall; if I'd been standing, it would have gone straight through my head. Back-up showed up just then so we got out okay. I never forgot it, though. I kept thanking the guy and he kept saying it was nothing. That's just the was Nerve was."
She sniffed and wiped something from her eye. "Bye, Scott. Hope you don't mind I used your real name. I know how you hate it, but it just seems more like you. I'm gonna miss you. And thank you, one last time."
After that, the crowd began to gradually drift away. Neo felt a touch on his arm. It was Kismet. "Wanna get a drink?" she asked.
He found himself nodding.
They sat on the bunk in his room, each holding a chipped mug and occasionally reaching for the alcohol-filled can between them. Kismet took a sip, looking at Neo over the rim of the mug. "I've gotten new orders," she said. "It's time for me to head out and maybe free a few more souls. I have to leave in a few hours."
She paused. "But before I go, I wanted to tell you something." She drained the rest of her mug in one swallow. "I want to tell you a story, Neo. Once upon a time, back in the Matrix, there was a happy little family: a father, a mother, and a son. When the son was about ten years old, his mom gave birth to a little sister. After the little girl was born, the mother started to act differently. On a sunny afternoon five years later, in a fit of full-blown post-partum depression, the mother put the daughter down for a nap, took the father's gun from its hiding place, went down into the basement and put a bullet through her head."
She stopped, refilled her mug, drained it again. "The daughter heard the noise and wondered what it was. She got out of bed and wandered the house, trying to find her mother who would explain everything. When she couldn't find her, the little girl saw that the basement door was open and went down the stairs. Usually, the basement scared the shit out of her, but since it was the only place her mommy could be, she decided it would be okay. Upon getting to the bottom of the stairs, she found her mother, flat on the floor with half her head gone and blood all over. She started screaming. She didn't stop screaming until her brother got home an hour and a half later. He brought his sister out of the basement and called his father at work. There was a funeral a few days later. The little girl didn't speak from the time her brother rescued her to nearly three weeks after the funeral."
She drank another mug of liquor. "The girl grew up, never saying much more than necessary. She developed abilities as a hacker, using it to earn cash and spending it all looking for the Answer to the Question. Her father remarried and her stepmother was neither good nor bad, simply there. Then, one day, the girl got a phone call on her private line that told her about the car waiting outside. She went to a dark building and swallowed a red pill."
Neo's hands were shaking. "What ever happened to the brother?"
Kismet smiled. "He's done rather well for himself, I hear. He finished up high school, did well in college, and was hired by a software company due to his skill with computers. One day, he got a phone call, too. He found the Answer and turns out he's the One. He also managed to find his sister."
Tears ran down Neo's cheeks. "Tasha…"
Kismet stood up, shaking her head. "No, Tom. Tasha died twelve years ago in a basement." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "I have to go now. Be good."
She walked out, not hesitating even when she heard the coffee mug shatter on the floor.
Someone was pounding on her door. Kismet lifted her head wearily from her pillow. She couldn't have been asleep for more than thirty minutes; this was her first nap in nearly 48 hours. "What?" she demanded, throwing herself out of bed. "This had better be good."
She flung the door open to find a frightened looking young man staring her in the face. "Kismet, it's Squiddies…I-I mean Sentinels! Six of them, closing in fast!"
"Thanks, Spark," she said, shoving past him. Scrambling through the dive room, she noticed Link and two others still in chairs. "Haven't they gotten out yet?" she barked at the officer on dive watch.
"They're headed to an exit now," Bugger replied. "Should be out in three."
"We don't have three seconds, forget three minutes!" Kismet snarled. She punched her right fist into her left palm. "Damn it! Charge the EMP!"
She could hear it, the familiar back ground hum and the scent of electricity. But she couldn't use it yet, not yet…Kismet moved over to the control switch for the EMP. She would wait.
…Tracking….Target Acquired…Begin Attack Pattern…
The Squiddies were tearing into the hull; she could hear them. She looked over at Link, Volt, and Pulse, lying in their chairs and looking like sleeping innocents. But she knew that wasn't true. She'd seen them kill, many times. It'd didn't really matter much now, anyway. They were in the ship.
….Searching…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…
She saw Spark go flying through the air, the upper half of him still holding the shocker rifle he'd tried to fight the Squiddies with. It didn't matter.
…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…Searching…
Bugger yelled something at the tentacle creeping nearer to him. His words were lost when the metal arm tightened around his neck and his head was suddenly not there. Another tally mark. It didn't matter.
…Searching…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…
Pulse's dive chair was torn out of the floor as the Squiddies approached. It was thrown against the opposite bulkhead. Sooner or later, everyone would die. It didn't matter.
I don't want to do it again…Don't make me do it again…Don't make me kill good people for no reason…This isn't right…Please…Not again…
…Heat Signature Found…Incorrect…Eliminate…Searching…
Volt was dead, torn in half and cast aside. She looked at Link and was amazed. Link's eyes were open. She walked slowly away from the EMP switch and unplugged her friend. "Link," she whispered. "Get out of here. Hide back there against the wall. Maybe you can live through this. Please try. For me."
"But what about you?" Link demanded.
"This is an order," she said. "Save yourself."
…Heat Signatures Found…One Mobile…Follow?…Negative, Incorrect Signature…Correct Signature Found…Apprehend…
One tentacle arm wrapped around Kismet's waist. She went slack, fully prepared to be torn to pieces. She was surprised when the Sentinel that held her began to move back towards the gaping hole in the ship; the other five trailing behind it. They were taking her somewhere…Whatever.
It didn't matter.
Hours…Days…Years later, Link crawled from her hiding place against the bulkhead, behind the remains of Pulse's dive chair. Her mind was reeling. In the space of less than ten minutes, four people had been killed within feet of her and her commanding officer and best friend had been captured by Squiddies. The ship was virtually decimated; the likelihood of operable communications was slim and none. There was the chance another ship might pass by, but it was an awfully big "might."
So she did the only thing she could think of. She cried.
*******
Author's Note: This chapter was written prior to the events in Houston. My prayers are with the family.
On the lighter side, thanks for putting up with the first two chapters of my insanity. Hope I'm still keeping you interested.
Anyone surprised? Did anyone already guess?? Anyone just going "Post the next chapter, damn you!!"??? Either way, pleeeeeeeeease review. Starving artists revel in praise. (And we write faster, too!)
Part four needs a little more tweeking, but it should be up pretty soon. Keep watching!
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/
PS - Anybody know where I got the title from? First correct guess wins...well, you don't win anything, but you can say you did!