Alas, Mary-Sue no more.
Chapter 4
When Anna stepped onto the crowded city street, for her, time seemed to slow. Her stormy eyes looked, really looked, at the people walking, stumbling, shuffling, running. Her eyes took everyone in, and no one's gaze met hers. Clouds above moved soundlessly in the perfectly blue-gray sky. The sound of traffic underlined the afternoon.
She smiled.
Smith frowned beside her.
He was not pleased with this change in her demeanor. Of the Agents, Smith was the "best" at reading the humans. He noticed and recognized emotions and behaviors the others often missed. If he did not know better from past reference, he would conclude that this was not the same virus that he had seen earlier.
It was disturbing. Anna didn't seem to recognize the Agent's stare as she walked down the crowded street. Smith kept behind her, eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
Anna was debating on her choice for lunch as she waited at a stoplight, when she suddenly felt Smith directly behind her, his breath against her ear.
"You have deceived us. You /are/ resistance." His voice was monotone and cold, she could practically see the sneer on his face.
"The only thing I'm resisting right now is the urge for fast food for lunch. Very unhealthy, you know," she said with a slightly turned head, and proceeded to walk as the light turned green. Smith scowled. How dare a virus have the audacity to show him no fear? Like a puppet, he followed, his displeasure radiating off him in waves. People also crossing the street parted for the two, their eyes on the tall suited man.
"Here," Anna said, stopping suddenly. Smith all but ran into her, his feet scoffing the pavement as she turned and entered a small café. She pushed the glass door open easily, a small jingle emanating from the chimes on the inside. It was a cozy little place, with a homely décor and an open table by the tinted window.
Smith sat there, his eyes active behind his glasses. He watched her graceful movements as she ordered her coffee, watched her snatch a napkin from the counter. For a human, her movements were smooth and efficient, her soft blond hair waving with her movements.
The young woman sat opposite him, her gaze momentarily captured by a man riding his bike outside the window. She sipped her coffee, hissing slightly when the liquid burned her tongue.
"I used to do that a lot," she said randomly. Smith raised an eyebrow.
"Burn my tongue. I had a nasty addiction to coffee in college. Made the mistake of getting a coffee maker instead of a microwave. Never quite recovered."
Smith was still, then he tilted his head up, eyes hidden in the reflected light.
"You never attended college."
"How do you know that?" Anna inquired pleasantly.
"Our records indicated that you worked with Mr. Kihn for 2 year prior to our meeting. You would not have had time to go to college."
"Ah," she responded, licking her lips. She briefly closed her eyes.
The moment stretched. Smith watched the steam roll off the coffee cup, eerily distorting Anna's face. A green haze seemed to cloud the room for a moment. The door jingled again, and the steam cleared.
She opened her eyes and smiled.
"It's my birthday right now."
She seemed disappointed when he said nothing. "It's significant you know. Ah well. A pity things had to work out this way. I don't believe I've ever had such an unlucky twentieth birthday. In the company of agents. Good lord."
Smith cocked his head slightly, his rigid poster moving with the motion. "As far as it seems possible, this has been your only twentieth birthday."
She chuckled, sipping her coffee. "Of course."
The agent ground his teeth. "I find your current display of interaction most aggravating. Explain your behavior."
Anna's eyebrow twitched. "That's a rather rude way to ask a question," she replied, sitting back. "But unfortunately, I do think it's time I go. It's been a far too. hectic few days. I'm sure you'd be pleased to get rid of me and continue on with your. job." Anna stood, glancing down at herself and wincing. She needed a shower.
Without another word, she walked away.
The agent was not pleased. Not at all. Smith felt anger burning in what should be his veins. Enough. He stood sharply, following the damned human out of the café.
His steps were loud in Anna's ears as she calmly made her way across a busy intersection and into a lonely alleyway. She could practically hear his arrogant snort when she made such a dangerous move as to make her way alone in a secluded area. She had to give him credit, she didn't hear him behind her until his low, angry grow entered her ears.
Smith drew his gun and spun her, her body thudding as she hit the brick wall of the alley. His large hand braced her shoulder, gripping painfully as he drew his gun with his other hand, the barrel now touching her temple.
"Tell me," he hissed.
"I'm not afraid of you, Smith. Not anymore."
"I /know/," the agent said lowly, his eyes icy behind his sunglasses. "You are behaving abnormally. You are acting. foolishly." He cocked the gun, his long finger tense on the trigger.
"Tell me now."
"What do you want to know?"
"You are resistance," he spat, "It was convincing at first, I admit. But I grow tired of this little game."
"I agree. You were rather tired this morning. coincidence, Agent? I didn't know you guys even could sleep." Anna's eyes held a sparkle of amusement. Smith growled angrily.
"You know what I am. You are resistance. Tell me your name, rank, serial and post. Tell me now."
Anna sighed, wincing as his thumb dug into her collarbone. "I am not resistance, Smith."
He growled angrily, pressing the barrel harshly against her temple. "You exist outside the matrix. You are lying."
Anna smiled then, her eyes looking downwards for a brief moment. When she looked up again, her gray eyes bore into his without fear.
"What is the matrix, Agent Smith?"
The moment was strangely awkward for the agent. The girl was a foot shorter than he was, his chin even with her brow. They were standing fairly close together, though the embrace was single-sided and hostile. The agent's neck tendons twitched slightly.
"The matrix is what you wish to destroy."
Anna smiled, a soft warm smile. "That is absolutely not the truth." Smith hissed, pressing himself against her body. Her eyes widened at the unexpected contact, as she felt his lean body crush her into the wall.
"I am. tired. of this game. Tell me who and what you are," he said ever so lowly through clenched teeth, "tell me what you did to me and tell me. how to fix it."
"You don't like having a virus's 'frailties'? Why am I not surprised. After all, the mainframe views emotion and physical need as a weakness."
She could feel Smith tense against her. "What do /you/ know of the mainframe?"
Anna's eyes gazed into his own, and for the first time Smith thought he saw a glimmer of code in her stormy green irises. That was very abnormal. Normally code was not visible to those within the matrix. He frowned.
The girl seemed to be contemplating something, her brow furrowed. His hips were still holding her securely in place, his gun still level. Hopefully for her own sake she wasn't considering running. She would surely die by his hand.
"Do you believe in the mainframe, Smith? Do you believe that emotion is weakness? That all beings with emotion are inferior?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Well. Seeing that I've already had terrible luck with you, let's push the envelope. Besides. I think. I think you could be something. Of course, its very dangerous. for me." Anna looked upwards, "but I swear if something doesn't change, I /will/ loose my mind."
Smith's brow furrowed, confusion flecking across his blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Anna's hands were not bound by the agent, and she reached up to his sides, her fingers pressing against his perfectly tailored suit. Her palms spread themselves against his ribs and his side.
Smith hissed again, finger tensing dangerously against the trigger, his grip on her shoulder intensifying and growing quite painful. Enough.
As Smith began to pull the trigger, the world hazed over. All he could see were those eyes.
"Know touch, Smith. Know touch and taste, smell and sound. Know it like you've never known it before."
The agent was immobile, his processors all but stopped, externally only his auditory and visual programs running, and even then those were growing increasingly unstable. His mind was assaulted as a heat surged into his programming, a thousand little pinpricks invading his functions and files. Smith gasped at the feeling of violation. He'd never known anything like it. Alien Algorithms were streaming into his databanks, filling gaps that didn't even exist and tying synapses together that had never been bound. His world was shattered as a mass wall of sensation bore down on him.
A small breath was exhaled from the agent.
"This is only the beginning."
He could hear her, but she wasn't speaking.
"Question who you are. And feel more than tactile sensation. feel this 'weakness'. Introduce yourself to your most hated enemy. Its name is emotion. And it's yours."
If he were human, he would have screamed.
"And if you tell your 'mainframe'. your existence will end. Is that what you really want? Hide, Smith. Hide what you are or be destroyed."
Fire ripped through his sub processors and Smith collapsed into oblivion.
Smith woke to footsteps echoing in the alleyway.
He felt. ill.
Hands were on his back, hauling him upwards. He felt his head loll against a hard surface. He felt his body throbbing with.
{ pain:/- nerves sending signals to the brain expressing discomfort and damage }
And it was. horrible. Basic processors were not yet online, and already he was confused.
[ Smith ] a voice chirped at him. He swallowed, suddenly aware of the lack of saliva in his parched throat. It was. Brown.
[ Smith ] the musical voice requested again. [ Either reboot or come online. ]
With an incredible effort, Smith opened his eyes. The scanned the immediate area, and he found Jones standing beside him, and Brown crouched to eye level. They had brought him to lean on the brick wall of the alleyway.
"What happened?" Jones rumbled from above. Smith clenched his jaw, painfully aware of his surroundings.
He felt. anger. And rage at this... violation of his files. But for the first time in his existence.
Smith felt fear.
If his colleges knew what had happened how his files had been. corrupted, mutated, they would destroy him. For the good of the mainframe and for efficiency.
Smith did not want that.
He wanted to. live. Exist. And find that damned virus-heathen woman and get her to fix whatever the hell she had done.
Unfortunately, his current attentions should be focused on not. 'throwing up' was the term? His matrix-created rendition of his stomach rolled and Smith stifled a groan. It was not unnoticed by Jones.
"Lets go back to headquarters. You need to perform maintenance on yourself."
Smith could not agree more.
Chapter 4
When Anna stepped onto the crowded city street, for her, time seemed to slow. Her stormy eyes looked, really looked, at the people walking, stumbling, shuffling, running. Her eyes took everyone in, and no one's gaze met hers. Clouds above moved soundlessly in the perfectly blue-gray sky. The sound of traffic underlined the afternoon.
She smiled.
Smith frowned beside her.
He was not pleased with this change in her demeanor. Of the Agents, Smith was the "best" at reading the humans. He noticed and recognized emotions and behaviors the others often missed. If he did not know better from past reference, he would conclude that this was not the same virus that he had seen earlier.
It was disturbing. Anna didn't seem to recognize the Agent's stare as she walked down the crowded street. Smith kept behind her, eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
Anna was debating on her choice for lunch as she waited at a stoplight, when she suddenly felt Smith directly behind her, his breath against her ear.
"You have deceived us. You /are/ resistance." His voice was monotone and cold, she could practically see the sneer on his face.
"The only thing I'm resisting right now is the urge for fast food for lunch. Very unhealthy, you know," she said with a slightly turned head, and proceeded to walk as the light turned green. Smith scowled. How dare a virus have the audacity to show him no fear? Like a puppet, he followed, his displeasure radiating off him in waves. People also crossing the street parted for the two, their eyes on the tall suited man.
"Here," Anna said, stopping suddenly. Smith all but ran into her, his feet scoffing the pavement as she turned and entered a small café. She pushed the glass door open easily, a small jingle emanating from the chimes on the inside. It was a cozy little place, with a homely décor and an open table by the tinted window.
Smith sat there, his eyes active behind his glasses. He watched her graceful movements as she ordered her coffee, watched her snatch a napkin from the counter. For a human, her movements were smooth and efficient, her soft blond hair waving with her movements.
The young woman sat opposite him, her gaze momentarily captured by a man riding his bike outside the window. She sipped her coffee, hissing slightly when the liquid burned her tongue.
"I used to do that a lot," she said randomly. Smith raised an eyebrow.
"Burn my tongue. I had a nasty addiction to coffee in college. Made the mistake of getting a coffee maker instead of a microwave. Never quite recovered."
Smith was still, then he tilted his head up, eyes hidden in the reflected light.
"You never attended college."
"How do you know that?" Anna inquired pleasantly.
"Our records indicated that you worked with Mr. Kihn for 2 year prior to our meeting. You would not have had time to go to college."
"Ah," she responded, licking her lips. She briefly closed her eyes.
The moment stretched. Smith watched the steam roll off the coffee cup, eerily distorting Anna's face. A green haze seemed to cloud the room for a moment. The door jingled again, and the steam cleared.
She opened her eyes and smiled.
"It's my birthday right now."
She seemed disappointed when he said nothing. "It's significant you know. Ah well. A pity things had to work out this way. I don't believe I've ever had such an unlucky twentieth birthday. In the company of agents. Good lord."
Smith cocked his head slightly, his rigid poster moving with the motion. "As far as it seems possible, this has been your only twentieth birthday."
She chuckled, sipping her coffee. "Of course."
The agent ground his teeth. "I find your current display of interaction most aggravating. Explain your behavior."
Anna's eyebrow twitched. "That's a rather rude way to ask a question," she replied, sitting back. "But unfortunately, I do think it's time I go. It's been a far too. hectic few days. I'm sure you'd be pleased to get rid of me and continue on with your. job." Anna stood, glancing down at herself and wincing. She needed a shower.
Without another word, she walked away.
The agent was not pleased. Not at all. Smith felt anger burning in what should be his veins. Enough. He stood sharply, following the damned human out of the café.
His steps were loud in Anna's ears as she calmly made her way across a busy intersection and into a lonely alleyway. She could practically hear his arrogant snort when she made such a dangerous move as to make her way alone in a secluded area. She had to give him credit, she didn't hear him behind her until his low, angry grow entered her ears.
Smith drew his gun and spun her, her body thudding as she hit the brick wall of the alley. His large hand braced her shoulder, gripping painfully as he drew his gun with his other hand, the barrel now touching her temple.
"Tell me," he hissed.
"I'm not afraid of you, Smith. Not anymore."
"I /know/," the agent said lowly, his eyes icy behind his sunglasses. "You are behaving abnormally. You are acting. foolishly." He cocked the gun, his long finger tense on the trigger.
"Tell me now."
"What do you want to know?"
"You are resistance," he spat, "It was convincing at first, I admit. But I grow tired of this little game."
"I agree. You were rather tired this morning. coincidence, Agent? I didn't know you guys even could sleep." Anna's eyes held a sparkle of amusement. Smith growled angrily.
"You know what I am. You are resistance. Tell me your name, rank, serial and post. Tell me now."
Anna sighed, wincing as his thumb dug into her collarbone. "I am not resistance, Smith."
He growled angrily, pressing the barrel harshly against her temple. "You exist outside the matrix. You are lying."
Anna smiled then, her eyes looking downwards for a brief moment. When she looked up again, her gray eyes bore into his without fear.
"What is the matrix, Agent Smith?"
The moment was strangely awkward for the agent. The girl was a foot shorter than he was, his chin even with her brow. They were standing fairly close together, though the embrace was single-sided and hostile. The agent's neck tendons twitched slightly.
"The matrix is what you wish to destroy."
Anna smiled, a soft warm smile. "That is absolutely not the truth." Smith hissed, pressing himself against her body. Her eyes widened at the unexpected contact, as she felt his lean body crush her into the wall.
"I am. tired. of this game. Tell me who and what you are," he said ever so lowly through clenched teeth, "tell me what you did to me and tell me. how to fix it."
"You don't like having a virus's 'frailties'? Why am I not surprised. After all, the mainframe views emotion and physical need as a weakness."
She could feel Smith tense against her. "What do /you/ know of the mainframe?"
Anna's eyes gazed into his own, and for the first time Smith thought he saw a glimmer of code in her stormy green irises. That was very abnormal. Normally code was not visible to those within the matrix. He frowned.
The girl seemed to be contemplating something, her brow furrowed. His hips were still holding her securely in place, his gun still level. Hopefully for her own sake she wasn't considering running. She would surely die by his hand.
"Do you believe in the mainframe, Smith? Do you believe that emotion is weakness? That all beings with emotion are inferior?"
"Yes," he answered.
"Well. Seeing that I've already had terrible luck with you, let's push the envelope. Besides. I think. I think you could be something. Of course, its very dangerous. for me." Anna looked upwards, "but I swear if something doesn't change, I /will/ loose my mind."
Smith's brow furrowed, confusion flecking across his blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Anna's hands were not bound by the agent, and she reached up to his sides, her fingers pressing against his perfectly tailored suit. Her palms spread themselves against his ribs and his side.
Smith hissed again, finger tensing dangerously against the trigger, his grip on her shoulder intensifying and growing quite painful. Enough.
As Smith began to pull the trigger, the world hazed over. All he could see were those eyes.
"Know touch, Smith. Know touch and taste, smell and sound. Know it like you've never known it before."
The agent was immobile, his processors all but stopped, externally only his auditory and visual programs running, and even then those were growing increasingly unstable. His mind was assaulted as a heat surged into his programming, a thousand little pinpricks invading his functions and files. Smith gasped at the feeling of violation. He'd never known anything like it. Alien Algorithms were streaming into his databanks, filling gaps that didn't even exist and tying synapses together that had never been bound. His world was shattered as a mass wall of sensation bore down on him.
A small breath was exhaled from the agent.
"This is only the beginning."
He could hear her, but she wasn't speaking.
"Question who you are. And feel more than tactile sensation. feel this 'weakness'. Introduce yourself to your most hated enemy. Its name is emotion. And it's yours."
If he were human, he would have screamed.
"And if you tell your 'mainframe'. your existence will end. Is that what you really want? Hide, Smith. Hide what you are or be destroyed."
Fire ripped through his sub processors and Smith collapsed into oblivion.
Smith woke to footsteps echoing in the alleyway.
He felt. ill.
Hands were on his back, hauling him upwards. He felt his head loll against a hard surface. He felt his body throbbing with.
{ pain:/- nerves sending signals to the brain expressing discomfort and damage }
And it was. horrible. Basic processors were not yet online, and already he was confused.
[ Smith ] a voice chirped at him. He swallowed, suddenly aware of the lack of saliva in his parched throat. It was. Brown.
[ Smith ] the musical voice requested again. [ Either reboot or come online. ]
With an incredible effort, Smith opened his eyes. The scanned the immediate area, and he found Jones standing beside him, and Brown crouched to eye level. They had brought him to lean on the brick wall of the alleyway.
"What happened?" Jones rumbled from above. Smith clenched his jaw, painfully aware of his surroundings.
He felt. anger. And rage at this... violation of his files. But for the first time in his existence.
Smith felt fear.
If his colleges knew what had happened how his files had been. corrupted, mutated, they would destroy him. For the good of the mainframe and for efficiency.
Smith did not want that.
He wanted to. live. Exist. And find that damned virus-heathen woman and get her to fix whatever the hell she had done.
Unfortunately, his current attentions should be focused on not. 'throwing up' was the term? His matrix-created rendition of his stomach rolled and Smith stifled a groan. It was not unnoticed by Jones.
"Lets go back to headquarters. You need to perform maintenance on yourself."
Smith could not agree more.