For the first time since whenever, there was a sound other than typing and the buzzing of computers in the office occupied by 0.2.8, not that any other than their Command unit occupied the room at the time.
"Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa, dies illa
Qua resurget ex favilla…"
The strains of a requiem mass could be heard pouring out from the tiny speakers that looked oddly out of place, connected to the work systems. Smith tilted his head to the side a little and continued to listen. He didn't pay any heed to Brown entering the office, until the Strategic unit was stood beside him.
"Illa qua resurget ex favilla?" Brown enquired
"So it would seem." Smith's mild reply.
Brown looked puzzled.
"Figuratively." Smith qualified.
"Ah. Then it is a quality that is attributed to the mythological creature of the phoenix."
"Yes. 'He will rise from the ashes'."
"I prefer to respawn." Jones said coming over join the other two.
Smith tilted his head back to observe Jones. "I was not being literal." He said a little defensively.
"No. You were being melancholy."
Smith frowned, turning back towards his desk. Surprisingly Brown moved to perch himself on the corner of Smith's desk, so that he could observe the other two. Smith frowned at him.
"Do not worry. I will not drape myself over your monitor like some sort of… lounge singer."
Smith had to smile at that. It did produce a particularly odd visual of Raphael though. At a look from Jones, Brown got up again and made his way over to the disused coffee machine in the corner. Smith watched him in silence.
"You are being melancholy." Jones said from behind.
"I am not. I am a machine, we are not capable-"
"And now you are being stubborn." Jones interrupted.
Smith didn't have a reply.
"You are worried about the situation with the human called 'Neo'." Brown said, returning to perch on Smith's desk and handing him a coffee.
Saying nothing, Smith hesitantly took a sip of the coffee, regarding the other two with a blank expression. The silence between the Agents stretched out.
"He wishes to shut down the Matrix." Smith said quietly.
"To 'save' humanity." Brown said.
"It is an honourable cause." Smith was resigned.
"In principle." Brown looked at Jones.
"If humanity can be 'saved'." Jones's addition to the conversation.
"Saved…" Brown appeared to consider the term.
"We are their salvation." Was Smith's final answer.
The requiem continued to play.
Lying on one of the seats in the core of the Neb, Neo could feel Trinity's worried gaze on him as she imputed the commands to initiate a connection with the Matrix. She didn't say anything to him, something that Neo was glad of, considering he was finding it difficult to explain to himself even why he wanted to go back now, like this, alone. He shut his eyes, waiting. Hearing footsteps at his side he reluctantly opened his eyes expecting to see Trinity but finding only Reye.
"Why ya doing this, huh?" She was blunt as ever.
Neo didn't say anything at first, then, "I need time."
"Time for what? Getting your ass kicked by some machines? You know that Agent bugger would happily take you apart."
Neo smiled, knowing exactly whom she was referring to. "Which Agent bugger?" he had to ask though. Teasing Reye was one of the few entertainments afforded on the Neb, since she seemed to have decided upon becoming his little sister.
"The angry one."
"The angry one?" he said with a mock innocent look.
"Yeah. The one you beat the crap outa."
"I do that to a lot of Agents."
She sighed, exasperated but willing to give it one more try. "You know, the one with the big-ass angry boy-friend who tried to shoot you on the roof when you rescued Morpheus."
"Boy-friend?"
"Yeah, well, whatever…"
"Reye…"
"Don't mind me. I'm just shit-stirring."
Neo grinned, "Hey. I'll be back pretty soon."
"Just don't leave her waiting for too long now." Reye said, indicating Trinity in the background.
"Yeah." Neo replied quietly, before he felt the real world fall away.
Within the Mainframe, Raphael floated in his physical form, arms wrapped around himself as, eyes closed he listened to Mozart's Requiem. There was no sound in the Mainframe but due to the particular link between himself and his Agents he could, if he chose to, hear what they heard. Raphael was content to listen for the moment, idly wondering when Smith had developed a taste for music or any of the arts for that matter. It certainly wasn't something that he had included as essential to the program. Perhaps Lucifer had tampered with Smith's code, after all?
Lucifer was aware of Raphael's wonderings, though he didn't deign to address them. It did show a certain aptitude for evolution though. Lucifer pondered the point. If these units could develop something as advanced as musical taste then surely they would be capable of further development; perhaps even the sort of adaptive radiation that would be of use against a certain rebel?
There was a shifting within the code of the physical construct as Neo appeared. He glanced at the hardline that would serve as his exit after he had… Neo didn't know exactly what he was going to do, he just needed time, to think he supposed… about all the destruction that had occurred, destruction that had been sanctioned by Zion Command, all in the name of the cause. He shook his head and began to look for a suitable place to sit and think.
Raphael's eyes snapped open. He felt Lucifer's command move through the Mainframe at the same moment he contacted his Agents. And for once they weren't in opposition.
"Find him." Raphael murmured.
Striding along the corridors of the Operational plant behind their Command unit, Brown sent a silent communication to Jones. "Should we really being dealing with the human considering the outcome of our last contact?"
"Smith would not have it otherwise." Jones replied calmly.
"Smith has been out-manoeuvred before." Brown sounded slightly distressed.
Jones didn't reply.
"As Strategic unit it is my duty to see that all other units are functioning within optimum capacity. Our Command unit does not appear to be capable of regarding this particular situation with any objectivity-"
"You are not regarding this situation with any objectivity, Brown."
"I… I will be reporting to the Mainframe…" Brown faltered.
There was a pause before Jones replied; "We have received orders from the Mainframe; from Raphael, to find the human."
There was silence along the communication channels, Jones appearing to consider the discussion complete.
"Is something the matter, Brown?" Smith enquired through the channels.
"No…" Brown sounded unsure.
"This is about the human?"
"Yes. He has… displayed unusual capabilities before, capabilities that were underestimated."
"You are referring to my previous deconstruction?"
Brown stopped in mid-stride. Smith turned to face him, silently telling Jones to meet them outside.
"Brown?" the Command unit said softly, out loud.
"I do not wish the human to deconstruct you a second time." The Strategic unit said equally as quiet.
"He will not be allowed to do so." Surprisingly, the Combat unit's interjection through the communication channels.
There was a pause.
"We are not specifically ordered to engage in conflict with the human." Brown said, voice regaining some of its volume.
"Not conflict but perhaps a little… re-education." The beginnings of a smile appearing on the Command unit's face.
"Re-education?" Brown frowned, suspicious.
"I think Mr Anderson needs to learn that the end does not justify the means."
They continued down the corridor in silence, Brown making no comment on the sadistic grin now plastered across Smith's face or the fact that Jones appeared to be laughing down the communication channels.
TBC…
'adaptive radiation' = skeletal sections etc, derived from a common ancestor that in different species evolve to carry out a different function… at least that's the answer I gave in my exam today.
And randomly, people are aware that as a Brit I'm using UK spelling conventions, yes?
Mmm…
22:10, 08/05/02