Jones and Brown sat on opposite couches in the living room of Setsuka's apartment, ignoring each other. They hadn't engaged in verbal communication since Brown's report, not that it was anything unusual for Agents to remain silent for long periods of time or to sit so still. In fact there had been no more communication since Setsuka had retired to her bedroom, closing the door behind her without further explanation.
Inside the bedroom Setsuka lay on the bed, eyes closed, hands folded together, looking much like some variation on a corpse. On close inspection the rise and fall of her breast might be seen, with each steady breath but other than that she was immobile. She didn't move other than necessary, though she wasn't sleeping.
Smith was thinking; behind the darkness of his eyelids, ignoring the beating of his synthetic heart, closed off from all external communications. He was thinking about everything that had happened, how he had reacted, how Brown and Jones had reacted and more importantly, why they had each reacted in the ways that they had done…
The problem with the situation was something so simple that Smith had previously overlooked it; it was so simple that he hadn't even considered it. But no one else had really noticed either, not his superiors, not Jones, not Brown. Wasn't it supposed to be part of Brown's function, to notice errors within their team? Then again none of them were really being that objective, all things considered.
The problem, Smith was forced to admit, was the fact that he should have never been given this assignment. No matter how loud he'd argued or how long he'd pleaded, his superiors should have denied his request to be allowed to terminate Anderson. He just wasn't qualified to deal with it right now, not so close to his defeat at the human's hands. Yet not only had he been given this assignment but they had also agreed to his request that Anderson's life be prolonged so that he could be manipulated further. Not that Smith was sure he could do that either and if he did, whom would really be manipulating whom? Still, now that the assignment was his, with modifications, he would do as ordered… and he would stop muttering 'Anderson' under his breath as a means to ignore the fact that in his mind he kept saying 'Neo'.
One should always be aware of one's self as well as one's enemies, or so a human strategist had once said. It was something that Brown had quoted on several occasions but failed to implement. Smith wondered about that, as Agents they might not be infallible but they should be pretty close to it. Unfortunately while he was being adversely affected by the situation so were Brown and Jones.
Brown's curiosity had always been a little disturbing. The lengths that he had gone to with his 'experiments' were enough to make most Agents wary. The latest 'experiment' had been the worst. It should have been something basic, not at all complex but had turned in to, as far as Smith could see, just a complicated series of power games. Under other circumstances Smith might have been able to ignore Brown's request, might have been able to order him to stop this foolishness but matters had progressed and there really was no way of backing out.
Brown had always been so very insistent, his intensity almost frightening… which was why, he'd more often than not turned to Jones. Not that Jones was much more use. The other Agent had never been so insistent in any demanding fashion but Jones was as equally intense in other matters. There had always been something about Jones, his possessiveness bordering on obsession. That was why, in the end Smith had tried to lessen any possible dependence on Jones only to find that to do so meant that he had submit to Brown's 'experiments' because… because…
To refuse might lessen his control and yet it seemed to be happening anyway, regardless of what he did. Control… it was the one thing that Smith was supposed to hold on to, the one thing that he couldn't help feeling that he'd already lost; to Jones, to Brown, even to Neo.
Everything had become not action but reaction.
Setsuka sat up on the bed, opening her eyes. She had another date with Neo later. Her slight sigh was gentle as she ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing the chesnut tresses back behind an ear. It was time to face the physical construct again, to stop hiding from her assignment in this apartment with two other neurotic Agents. Actually an evening with Neo didn't seem like such a bad thing. He was very considerate and kind, very gentle. He always seemed to know what to say, could always make her laugh and she loved his smile. Neo was quite pleasant company, Setsuka had discovered, well… when he wasn't threatening to 'give you the finger'.
Later that night Neo and Setsuka were strolling by the river again, having been to see a late night film. Neo had his arm round Setsuka and she leaned against him as they walked. She'd been unusually quiet all evening and Neo finally tried to breach the subject of what ever it was that was bothering her with a direct "What's wrong?"
"Mmm?"
"Something's bothering you. I can tell."
"It's nothing… nothing really."
"Is it work?" Neo wasn't going to let it go that easily.
"Kind of…"
"Kind of?"
"Yeah, just some of the guys I work with being difficult."
"What kind of difficult?"
"You know, just difficult."
Neo stopped and turned to face her. "If anyone's giving you hassle you just let me know, OK?"
Setsuka smiled, though she didn't appear to think that Neo could actually do anything.
"Setsuka?"
"OK."
"You promise you'll tell me?"
"Neo, there probably isn't anything you can do." She sounded tired.
"Of course there is. I can do anything!" He gave her a cheesy grin and managed to bite off adding that he was 'the One' after all.
Setsuka responded by leaning in and wrapping her arms around him. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Neo held her tightly. Everything will be alright, I'll make it alright, he silently promised.
When they reached the point in the evening when they should have parted, Neo having driven Setsuka back to her apartment, she was oddly reluctant to get out of the car. Neo looked up at her apartment, missing her look of apprehension as she stared up at the darkened windows.
"Neo?" her voice had dropped to something barely above a whisper. "Neo, is there somewhere… somewhere we could go?"
He nodded, starting the car again and driving off without questioning her further.
They arrived at Neo's newly acquired apartment in silence. Setsuka seemed a little nervous but was easily distracted from that by Neo's arm around her as they walked to the lift. She didn't react when he pressed the button for the penthouse, smiling to herself a little.
"I'm sorry…" she began as they arrived at the door of the apartment.
Neo smiled reassuringly "You just didn't want to be alone, right?"
"I… I…" Setsuka couldn't finish, if she even knew what it was she was trying to say.
Inside Neo was about to ask if she wanted a drink when he found Setsuka clutching his hand. He pulled her close, just as he had done earlier.
"I envy you, Neo. At least you have control of your life."
He kissed her, gently cutting of any further melancholy and she yielded as she had always done. There was no protest, no token resistance even, just Setsuka's gentle submission to his touch that somehow provoked all his protective instincts.
Now in the bedroom, Neo stopped, looking into her eyes, needing to know for certain that this was what she truly wanted.
She smiled at him anticipating the awkward question, "What I want is to be with you."
Neo found himself breathing out a sigh of relief, it was what he'd expected but strangely he'd needed to hear her say it.
That night he was very gentle, carefully touching, caressing her smooth skin, as if he thought she might break or disappear like a flickering glitch in the Matrix that might suddenly vanish. She appeared a construction of softness and shadow beneath him, dark hair the only true colour she cast against the futon…
After when Neo woke it was still dark, the synthetic lights of the city casting scant illumination over the room. Setsuka was lying beside him and it took Neo a moment to realise that her eyes were open. Realising that he was awake as well she turned to him but the gentle smile that he was expecting never appeared, instead she was completely serious, he face appearing hauntingly like that of any Agents'. She sat up, wrapping the bed-sheets around her, "Neo, there's something I need to tell you."
"Now?" he sat up too.
"Yes, it can't wait. I have to tell you…" Her eyes were fixed on him, something almost pleading in her expression.
"Neo… I'm… I'm… an Agent." And she dropped her gaze, unable to bare his anticipated response only to find that he was holding her close again, soothing her trembling.
"I know." Was all he said.
And he's known all along… Ooh…
The strategist that Brown quotes is Sun Tzu, the Japanese General famed for the definitive text on military strategy "The Art of War". Incidentally, "The Art of War" is also cited as a definitive guide for business…
01:19, 01/09/02