Wondering along, through the thinning crowds of office workers that were slowly being replaced by school children and their parents, Neo tried to stop himself from smiling broadly.  He was just going for a drink; quite casually with a charming woman that he'd happened to meet… that was all.  It wasn't as if he had anything to get excited about, after all it wasn't a date.  It wasn't a date so he wasn't exactly cheating on Trinity… not technically.  Besides they weren't officially a couple, so it wasn't cheating.  Yes, he wasn't cheating since he didn't have anyone to cheat on… technically.  And it wasn't as if Setsuka was expecting anything else, she'd probably only asked him to go for a drink to say thank you… yeah, right.

Neo didn't bother to hide his grin this time.  He was lucky, he decided.  After all, how many guys could randomly go for a walk and meet a woman like that?  She was rather…  The grin got wider.

She was very pretty and very cute, with just the right hint of… something else.  He hadn't actually believed that women like that existed, until now.

Continuing to stroll along Neo wondered what she would be like, really.  It was possible that she might be nothing more than a pretty face but somehow he didn't think so.  He certainly hoped that she'd be more than that.  And if she was… well…  Neo bit his lip to stop his grin becoming obscene.

Jones entered the office to find Brown watching their superior stretching rather provocatively.  Silhouetted by the sunlight sliding in through the full-length windows, he could see the fabric stretch over her flesh as she arched her back.  Jones clenched his teeth in an effort to hold back some involuntary sound in response.  Noticing him, she paused mid-stretch before smiling seductively.  Slipping off the desk she had been sitting on, she crossed the room slowly.  Jones fancied the click of her shoes might well be a death knell.

Reaching them, she barely glanced at Brown.  Jones swallowed as she pressed up against him.  He held himself perfectly still.  Setsuka leaned forward slowly, lips parted, her breath ghosted across his skin.

"Report." She said.

Jones made a slight choking sound as she moved away.  "Physical… physical code defragmentation has begun." He said.

"Good." Was her only reply as she sat back down in one of the chairs.

Jones looked at her, ignoring the fact that Brown was smirking slightly.

"It will take time." Jones elaborated.

"It doesn't matter.  I think we have a far better method of…" she frowned searching for the correct word.

"Seducing." Brown supplied, less than helpfully.

Setsuka looked at him sharply. "Ensnaring." She corrected, stretching out her long legs to rest her feet on the desk.

"As far as human history is concerned, seduction has proved a valid method of undermining an opponent."

She didn't reply, though her blue eyes sparked with anger.

"Human males are especially susceptible." Brown ignored her look.

"Dismissed.  Go fetch me a reconstruction report." She snapped, waving a hand abruptly at them both.

            Jones obeyed but Brown lingered in the doorway.

"What is it, Brown?"

"If this plan is to work, you know what will be required, Smith."

"Yes… yes…"

Brown paused before throwing a last comment over his shoulder as he left.  "I hear that it is quite pleasant, by human standards."

There was no response.

            Sitting in the relative silence of the office, Agent Smith, in the guise of Setsuka, stared at an undetermined point in the distance.  He didn't object to the plan, not in principle anyway.  The physical implications of the lengths that might have to be gone to, didn't affect him in the same way that it might affect a human but…  But…

There lay the problem.   It wasn't the idea of being so close to another being in a physical body; the little demonstration with Jones had proven that point.  It wasn't anything as arbitrary as that.  What it finally came down to was the fact of having to yield and having to yield to that wretch, Anderson.  Smith didn't want to think about it… in fact, if Anderson came anywhere near him with those intentions, he'd be lucky if Smith didn't snap it in half.  That was a visual that made him laugh.  Such a course of action probably wouldn't actually damage Anderson in the real world but it might provide a very nasty shock.

It was unfortunate that such action could not be pursued.  The rebels had to be undermined and the best way to achieve that would be to seduce their precious One.

            Smith had understood what the task would entail when he'd accepted it.  He knew what duty would require him to do but that didn't mean that he had to like it.  Which raised the question as to why he'd accepted the assignment if he found it so distasteful.  It was a matter of professional pride really, proving that he could deal with this particular rebel, just like he had dealt with all the others.

He resolutely ignored the suggestion that this was turning into a personal vendetta.

            Neo stood outside Setsuka's office, watching people pouring out of the building.  He scanned the crowd eagerly, trying to ignore the fact that she could easily have forgotten or even purposely left through another exit.  The crowd thinned and Neo shifted uneasily.  Then among the last office workers filing out of the building he spotted her.  She smiled brightly, hurrying up to him.

"Neo." She was a little breathless.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about me." He said smiling in return.

"Oh, no!"  Setsuka blushed at her quickness in response.  "I was held up in the office…"

"That's OK.  So, where shall we go?"

She bit her lip in concentration. "I don't really know." She said finally, laughing.

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere."

Setsuka slipped her arm through his as they walked, shyly peering up at him.  Neo grinned back.

            Much later that evening they tottered out of yet another bar, Neo having lost count of how many they had 'found' earlier in the evening.  Setsuka stumbled against him, giggling stupidly.  Neo was aware that he was giggling too, though he didn't know what about.  He helped her upright again and found himself staring into wide blue eyes.

It was instinct, when he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers.  For a second he was afraid that she wouldn't respond, when she suddenly froze, then she was kissing him back, lips parting to deepen the kiss.  He held her slim body tightly to his; forgetting about the rebel cause, being the One, even Trinity for the moment that stretched out before him.

They only parted when a wolf-whistle sounded clearly.  Neo looked up to see a drunken group cheer at them before staggering past.  Setsuka was blushing again.  She appeared about to say something but stumbled.  Neo caught her, easily supporting her slight weight since she wasn't looking too capable of supporting herself any more.

"We'd better get you home." He said gently.

"I guess." She murmured.

            Setsuka fell asleep in the taxi, leaning against him.  Neo continued to hold her.  When they reached her apartment building, he woke her but ended up carrying her inside.  She only seemed to realise that she was almost home when they reached the lift.

"Floor?"

"28." She muttered sleepily.

"Let's just hope the lift's working."

She laughed.  "Lift's always working."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She had her eyes closed.

            Neo stepped into the lift when it arrived, still carrying Setsuka.  She had her arms flung round his neck, eyes closed, soft lips slightly parted…  Even drunk there was something about her, Neo thought, something…

"Mmm…" she made a sound.

"Setsuka?"

"I was… was worried about this… before."

"This?"

"This." She said opening her eyes and looking up at him.  "I was worried about…"

"About what?  Me?"

"No, not you.  I thought it was but it wasn't, not really…"

"You're not making much sense right now." Neo said, still smiling.

"I am.  You just don't know what I'm talking about, that's all."

"And what are you talking about then?"

"Me."

"You?"

"Yeah…" she closed her eyes again and buried her face in his neck.  "Like the way you smell… not repulsive at all…"

"That's good to know." He replied but she was already asleep again.

            Reaching the door of her apartment, Neo regretfully woke Setsuka again.  He liked watching her sleep, he'd discovered on the journey here.  She let Neo set her on her feet and fiddled about in her bag, looking for her keys.  Finding the keys, she was distracted again by Neo kissing her.  The sensation of his arms around her, holding her close was overpowering.

"Neo…" she began as their lips parted.

"Yeah?" his voice was low and intimate.

She paused, not knowing what to say.  Luckily Neo recognised the hesitation for what it was and kissed her gently before moving back, to leave.  Setsuka hesitated again, on the verge of asking him to call her but halting at the last moment.

"I'll call you… soon." Neo said before leaning in to steal one last quick kiss and hurrying off towards the lift and then out of sight.

            Stepping inside the darkened apartment Setsuka leaned back against the now closed door shutting her eyes tightly.  Inside the relative safety of his female form Smith trembled.  He couldn't believe what had just happened.  He'd been of the verge of inviting Anderson in.  Of course that was most likely what he was supposed to do but… but…

"Well?" Brown's voice rang out in the silent apartment, pulling Smith out of his reverie.

Smith glared.

"I'm sure Anderson was at least… entertaining." Brown continued.

Smith pushed himself away from the door and tottered towards the bedroom.  Received no response Brown's lips parted to most likely make another dry comment.

"Stop bitching, Brown." He snapped, leaving Brown and Jones staring at him.  Unfortunately he didn't make it that far before his legs gave way.

In the end it was Jones who had to carry him to bed.

TBC…

01:19, 27/05/02