She won't be a Mary-Sue for long. Maybe six more hours. Heh.
Chapter 3
It was noon before Smith was aware of the world again. It was the most. odd feeling; knowing nothing and then suddenly aware again. It could be compared to being killed or destroyed and then jumping to another host form, but that only lasted a few seconds. As Smith blinked, he felt his body quiver. He pulled the matrix rendering of his muscles to relieve the tension.
The sun was not at an angle for light to pour into the room, but it was far brighter than it had been before. A jumble of messages assaulted him through his still intact earpiece.
{ What's wrong with you? What are you doing? } Brown's voice all but demanded.
{ Perhaps he's running a system diagnostic. } Jones offered.
{ For four hours? }
Smith forced his jaw to tighten. He had been. inactive for four hours? That was unheard of.
{ Yes. I was cleansing out my system, } Smith finally answered, sitting up. { And I need to continue. Have you found the rebel? }
{ Not yet. We have a good idea of his current location. We are advancing. }
{ Very well. Continue as planned. } Smith ended the conversation, avoiding unwanted questions by removing his earpiece.
Across from the bed, the girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"I. remember things. I have been remembering things."
Her voice was soft in the quiet room. Smith regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
Her hair was mussed, some of the golden strands falling before haunted eyes. Her gaze lay on the floor, her hands resting on her bent knees. Her curved back was angled at the corner, sunlight outlining her form from the window above.
Anna lifted her head, her green eyes now sparkling with intensity.
"Why didn't you run?" Smith asked standing and straightening his jacket and cuffs.
Her eyes were expressionless.
"Because I don't think it will make much difference." Her voice was calm and steady, her posture absent of the twitches and nervousness it had held before.
"I can't run. From. this," She waved her hands. "Its perhaps like knowing that you know something, and I don't /want/ to know it. I think that's why I've been drinking and doing drugs and trying to hide from life for so long." She dropped her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "You could kill me. Like you've killed my friends. But for some reason." She lifted her head, "I'm not worried."
Smith sneered. "You are a fool. I am dangerous. I would have no regrets shooting you right now." The agent stood deathly still.
Anna blinked, and then turned to look outside. Below, people were crossing the busy city streets and scrambling to get to that ever so important office meeting. It all seemed so. orchestrated. A limousine turned the corner, running a red and almost crushing a few pedestrians. The car was long and black. Not like the one she was remembering.
"I'm having these. flashbacks," Anna said, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "I remember things that are not possible."
Smith didn't move. "What do you mean?" This was simple. If only all interrogations worked this well. No serum had even been needed.
Anna's slender nose reflected back at her as her eyes stared at nothing. "I remember people I've never met. Faces. voices. I remember places I've never seen." She turned, facing Smith, arms crossed over her small chest. "I remember driving a green car through the. snow."
Smith quenched the urge to access the mainframe for data on "snow". Instead he spent the extra two minutes searching his own limited data banks. Anna did not more nor speak, her gaze steady.
"Snow." Smith responded, "It does not snow here. It is not in the. climate."
"Yea. I know." She gnawed on her lower lip, thinking. "I don't think I should trust you. Other than the obvious."
"Why?" He asked, monotone.
"Because. its an instinct."
Smith smirked coldly. "Another foolish trait your kind shares. Basing your actions on no prior knowledge is illogical." He suddenly remembered. that she was still human, and not a resistant. She probably would not comprehend why he spoke of her "kind" in such a manner.
Anna did not question him, however. A small smile tugged the corners of her small lips.
"That's where you're wrong."
She turned away, noting she was still clad in her clothing from yesterday. She unbuttoned her dark red cuffs and rolled her sleeves up a little. Smith frowned at the display.
"What would you presume to know about. the matrix?" He asked lowly. It was a risky tactic. But for some reason she seemed not only far more stable than the last night, but also it was as if. something else was taking over her personality. Smith was not built to understand humans, only to kill them and retrieve information. Over time, he came to an understanding of their species, and as a whole, seemed to have a better time reading their body language and mannerisms than other agents. He knew enough to realize she was not acting the same way that she had exhibited earlier. Her posture was straighter, and an air of confidence was trickling into her nonverbal communication.
It was most odd. In his presence, most viruses did the opposite. It irritated him.
Her back was to him as she replied, "I know nothing of the matrix. It sounds like some corny kids TV show. I do know that Matthew said something about it. Therefore I suppose it is relevant." She turned suddenly, her eyebrows creased.
"Who is. Alexander Marcus?"
Smith blinked.
"He was. the creator of Artificial Intelligence." Smith said warily.
"When was he alive?"
Smith narrowed his eyes. "I don't know."
Anna regarded him. Smith met her gaze. They stared for a moment. Smith realized that. she knew he was lying. But she only smiled, turning away.
He didn't like that feeling either.
"I think. I want to leave this place."
Smith didn't move but his voice was commanding. "No. We have use for you."
"No you don't. You don't know what's wrong with my any more than I do. I just know my head doesn't hurt anymore, I'm having some kind of mid life crisis since I'm remembering things that never happened and I want food since I haven't eaten in a really long time. Let me go."
The Agent stiffened. People did not talk to him this way. /Viruses/ did not talk to him this way.
He removed his gun. "You are not leaving." Anna swallowed, for am moment looking unsure. "Don't follow your 'instincts'. It might get you killed."
Anna blinked, her jaw twitching. He was frozen, his gun poised to shoot, aimed at her chest. She closed her eyes, and behind her eyelids, she saw a man. The same man from before, soft silver hair and bright blue eyes. Alexander, Smith had called him. She actually remembered his voice-
"We are building what will shape the world. We have nothing to fear."
She opened her eyes.
"Then can you go with me? I am really hungry." And for the first time in many, many sleepless nights, she did not fear. If he were human, Smith would have gawked.
Chapter 3
It was noon before Smith was aware of the world again. It was the most. odd feeling; knowing nothing and then suddenly aware again. It could be compared to being killed or destroyed and then jumping to another host form, but that only lasted a few seconds. As Smith blinked, he felt his body quiver. He pulled the matrix rendering of his muscles to relieve the tension.
The sun was not at an angle for light to pour into the room, but it was far brighter than it had been before. A jumble of messages assaulted him through his still intact earpiece.
{ What's wrong with you? What are you doing? } Brown's voice all but demanded.
{ Perhaps he's running a system diagnostic. } Jones offered.
{ For four hours? }
Smith forced his jaw to tighten. He had been. inactive for four hours? That was unheard of.
{ Yes. I was cleansing out my system, } Smith finally answered, sitting up. { And I need to continue. Have you found the rebel? }
{ Not yet. We have a good idea of his current location. We are advancing. }
{ Very well. Continue as planned. } Smith ended the conversation, avoiding unwanted questions by removing his earpiece.
Across from the bed, the girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"I. remember things. I have been remembering things."
Her voice was soft in the quiet room. Smith regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
Her hair was mussed, some of the golden strands falling before haunted eyes. Her gaze lay on the floor, her hands resting on her bent knees. Her curved back was angled at the corner, sunlight outlining her form from the window above.
Anna lifted her head, her green eyes now sparkling with intensity.
"Why didn't you run?" Smith asked standing and straightening his jacket and cuffs.
Her eyes were expressionless.
"Because I don't think it will make much difference." Her voice was calm and steady, her posture absent of the twitches and nervousness it had held before.
"I can't run. From. this," She waved her hands. "Its perhaps like knowing that you know something, and I don't /want/ to know it. I think that's why I've been drinking and doing drugs and trying to hide from life for so long." She dropped her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "You could kill me. Like you've killed my friends. But for some reason." She lifted her head, "I'm not worried."
Smith sneered. "You are a fool. I am dangerous. I would have no regrets shooting you right now." The agent stood deathly still.
Anna blinked, and then turned to look outside. Below, people were crossing the busy city streets and scrambling to get to that ever so important office meeting. It all seemed so. orchestrated. A limousine turned the corner, running a red and almost crushing a few pedestrians. The car was long and black. Not like the one she was remembering.
"I'm having these. flashbacks," Anna said, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "I remember things that are not possible."
Smith didn't move. "What do you mean?" This was simple. If only all interrogations worked this well. No serum had even been needed.
Anna's slender nose reflected back at her as her eyes stared at nothing. "I remember people I've never met. Faces. voices. I remember places I've never seen." She turned, facing Smith, arms crossed over her small chest. "I remember driving a green car through the. snow."
Smith quenched the urge to access the mainframe for data on "snow". Instead he spent the extra two minutes searching his own limited data banks. Anna did not more nor speak, her gaze steady.
"Snow." Smith responded, "It does not snow here. It is not in the. climate."
"Yea. I know." She gnawed on her lower lip, thinking. "I don't think I should trust you. Other than the obvious."
"Why?" He asked, monotone.
"Because. its an instinct."
Smith smirked coldly. "Another foolish trait your kind shares. Basing your actions on no prior knowledge is illogical." He suddenly remembered. that she was still human, and not a resistant. She probably would not comprehend why he spoke of her "kind" in such a manner.
Anna did not question him, however. A small smile tugged the corners of her small lips.
"That's where you're wrong."
She turned away, noting she was still clad in her clothing from yesterday. She unbuttoned her dark red cuffs and rolled her sleeves up a little. Smith frowned at the display.
"What would you presume to know about. the matrix?" He asked lowly. It was a risky tactic. But for some reason she seemed not only far more stable than the last night, but also it was as if. something else was taking over her personality. Smith was not built to understand humans, only to kill them and retrieve information. Over time, he came to an understanding of their species, and as a whole, seemed to have a better time reading their body language and mannerisms than other agents. He knew enough to realize she was not acting the same way that she had exhibited earlier. Her posture was straighter, and an air of confidence was trickling into her nonverbal communication.
It was most odd. In his presence, most viruses did the opposite. It irritated him.
Her back was to him as she replied, "I know nothing of the matrix. It sounds like some corny kids TV show. I do know that Matthew said something about it. Therefore I suppose it is relevant." She turned suddenly, her eyebrows creased.
"Who is. Alexander Marcus?"
Smith blinked.
"He was. the creator of Artificial Intelligence." Smith said warily.
"When was he alive?"
Smith narrowed his eyes. "I don't know."
Anna regarded him. Smith met her gaze. They stared for a moment. Smith realized that. she knew he was lying. But she only smiled, turning away.
He didn't like that feeling either.
"I think. I want to leave this place."
Smith didn't move but his voice was commanding. "No. We have use for you."
"No you don't. You don't know what's wrong with my any more than I do. I just know my head doesn't hurt anymore, I'm having some kind of mid life crisis since I'm remembering things that never happened and I want food since I haven't eaten in a really long time. Let me go."
The Agent stiffened. People did not talk to him this way. /Viruses/ did not talk to him this way.
He removed his gun. "You are not leaving." Anna swallowed, for am moment looking unsure. "Don't follow your 'instincts'. It might get you killed."
Anna blinked, her jaw twitching. He was frozen, his gun poised to shoot, aimed at her chest. She closed her eyes, and behind her eyelids, she saw a man. The same man from before, soft silver hair and bright blue eyes. Alexander, Smith had called him. She actually remembered his voice-
"We are building what will shape the world. We have nothing to fear."
She opened her eyes.
"Then can you go with me? I am really hungry." And for the first time in many, many sleepless nights, she did not fear. If he were human, Smith would have gawked.