Entry 3
Wow. Morpheus and Switch just barely made it out in time. Agent Brown was so close to them. Thank god that besides having the computer, Tank has a practically photographic memory. We never could have used the system to pinpoint an exit in time. Tank is so valuable- I don't know what the hell we would do without him.
Nobody knows about this quasi-journal I'm keeping. It's not really a journal, because that implies that I consciously spend planned increments of time on it, rather than just writing in it whenever I can't sleep. Currently, Cypher and Dozer are on watch, and Morpheus, Tank, Switch, and me are all supposed to be sleeping. But I have insomnia; the doctor in Zion said so. So I don't really expect to sleep a lot. I function on very little sleep. Usually I spend my time in here writing programs and thinking. And now I have this to write in.
I bet Morpheus would love to get his hands on this. That's the real problem with him. He tries to monitor us all the time; our thoughts, our emotions, everything. It's like he still sees us as being partially in the Matrix, which gives him permission to manipulate us all he wants. I can see why Cypher resents him sometimes. But he is the boss, and we listen to him. Or we leave, like Locke.
Locke was here my first two years. He was black, as dark as Dozer. Living on the streets of Zion since he was four had toughened him. He was born free, like Tank and Dozer, but it wasn't a source of pride to him. After all, we all knew that he had been homeless and a beggar, and though we didn't hold it against him, he acted like we did. Finally Morpheus got sick of his attitude problem and "reassigned" him (read: kicked him out) to another ship. He said it was better for the crew. Locke never really noticed me; I guess I was young enough to slip under the radar. It was Apock that he would never leave alone. Well, Tank, too, but always Apock. I don't know why…maybe because Apock is always so damn philosophical and calm. Comes from living your "life" in the Far East, I guess. Nepal, China, Tibet, that area. You can sort of tell if you look at him, but then again, he looks different inside the Matrix, because of the image residue. I must look different, too- younger, maybe a little heavier, a little less pale. It's kinda funny, seeing how some people look inside. Like take Trinity. She looks younger, skinnier, a lot less trained but still tough. As I've said, I have no idea what her "life" was like, but you can just tell that it was either her or it that was gonna go down. Take a wild guess which one it was.
And Cypher. Now there's an enigma for you. Good lord, I'll give a prize to the person who can figure that guy out. You can just never tell what's going on inside his head. Me, you always know, because I tell you. I know I never shut up, but it's just a habit of mine. See, the thing is, when I first joined the crew, I felt like I was too young for my opinion to be shared. Like I didn't have enough experience to know what the hell I was talking about. Now I've been on the crew long enough to say stuff. So it's like I'm saying everything that I never got a chance to say for two years. That's a lot of time to make up, and that's why I talk so much.
Besides, it covers up the silence. Have you ever noticed that when it's quiet, and I mean REALLY quiet, it's like the silence is tangible? Like it's actually in the room with you, smothering you? I hate that feeling, so I talk. And it's so silent out here. There's no one else. You're lucky if you run into another ship once a month. And Zion? I haven't seen Zion for over a year now. We only go back there when we have time to spare, which is almost never. After all, we are fighting a war here. And war does not allow for rest breaks. Especially when it's against a very powerful computer simulation, and, by proxy, essentially the entire human population. Now there's a cheery thought to greet you in the morning. That and coffee will wake you right up.
Well, well, wouldn't you know it? It's my watch already. And Morpheus says he has something important to tell me. Oh wonderful. We've probably been ambushed again. Either that or he wants a copy of Scarlett's program. Har har. That was a joke. Now there's something I don't hear too often anymore. I don't think I've laughed in months.