-Hawk Shadowharper
Part 2: Following the White Rabbit
Take your typical studio apartment, and add about three rooms' worth of computer equipment. Cables wind all over the room, disappearing and reappearing around desks and shelves. Equipment split apart is spread across any available flat surface, looking more like a junkyard than a living space.
A technician's nightmare, a hacker's dream. And in the middle of it all, Teresa Anderson sleeps in front of her computer. Fiery red hair falls down the back of her t-shirt, bangs framing her closed eyes. On the screen, various newspapers and files scroll by, including a few mentions of Xelloss.
The files stop, screen turning black. On it appears 'Wake up, Lina...' Teresa's crimson eyes flutter open and she slowly looks up at the computer screen.
"What the hell," she whispers to herself.
'The Matrix has you.'
"What?"
'Follow the white rabbit.'
"Follow the white rabbit?"
'Knock knock, Lina.' Teresa looks at the door, startled as someone knocks on it.
"Who is it?" She glances back at the screen, that's now blank.
"Zan," a voice outside the door replies. Teresa sighs quietly and stands, going over to the door and opening it a little. Outside Zangulus stands, surrounded by a few very Goth friends.
"You're two hours late," Teresa points out.
"I know, it's her fault," Zan replies, nodding to the green-haired girl beside him. The redhead sighs, shaking her head slightly.
"Got the money?" Zan smirks, holding up a large bundle of bills.
"Two grand." He hands the money to her.
"Hold on." Teresa closes the door again and goes back into her apartment, heading for a bookshelf. She pulls down a certain book and opens it, revealing a hidden compartment. Then she puts the money inside and pulls out a disk. Closing the book and putting it back, she walks back to the door and hands the disk to Zangulus.
"Hallelujah, you're my savior, my own personal Jesus Christ!" Teresa rolls her eyes slightly.
"You get caught using that..."
"Yeah, I know, this never happened. You don't exist," Zangulus finished, slipping the disk into one of his pockets.
"Right." Zan watches her a moment.
"Something wrong? Cause you look a little whiter than usual." Teresa glances back at the computer.
"My... computer, it..." She looks back, red eyes glittering. "You ever have that feeling, where you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?" Zan closes his eyes a moment, apparently savoring a memory.
"Mmm, all the time. It's called mescaline, it's the only way to fly." He opens his eyes again, looking back at Teresa. "Hey, it just sounds to me like you might need to unplug, you know, get some R and R?" He looks to the green-haired woman still beside him. "What do you think, Martina? Should we take her with us?" Martina smiles secretly, looking the red-haired girl up and down a moment.
"Definitely."
"I can't, I have, uh, work tomorrow," Teresa stammers a moment, wondering how this subject came up.
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Promise," Martina winks and, turning slightly to curl her arms around Zan's neck, reveals a tattoo of a white rabbit on her shoulder. Teresa stares at the small tattoo a moment.
"Yeah... sure, I'll go."
---
It is dark, hot and loud. A nightclub, filled with people dressed in black and generally grinding to the music. Waru Bad Blood, to be precise.
Teresa stands against a wall, alone and sipping a bottle of beer. She feels completely out of place and considers leaving with a form breaks off of the large blob of dancers. The form becomes visible, a long blond-haired girl who seems to be staring directly at Teresa. The slim girl is wearing a flattering black dress that helps to accent her body's small curves. "Hello, Lina." Teresa blinks, surprised.
"How do you know that name?" Blue eyes seem to glow softly as the other girl smiles slightly.
"I know a lot about you," she answers, moving closer to Teresa.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Seraya." Dawning reaches the taller girl.
"Seraya? ... THE Seraya? That cracked the Sailoon d-base?" Ser smiles to her, glad that she's recognized now.
"That was a long time ago."
"Damn," Teresa half-whispers quietly.
"What?" Not quietly enough.
"Uh, err... never mind, it's not important." Ser walks closer so they can talk under the loud music.
"Tell me," the blond girl whispers in Teresa's ear.
"I just hoped, uhm... you were a guy."
"Most girls do." Teresa blinks, a little embarrassed. It's one thing to have a little fantasy but to tell it to the object of said fantasy?
"That was you on my computer. How did you do it?"
"Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger. I brought you here to warn you." Teresa blinks again.
"Warn me?"
"They're watching you, Lina."
"Who is," Teresa demands quietly.
"Please, just listen." Ser presses gently against the taller girl, lips nearly touching her ear. She continues in a hushed voice, "I know why you're here, Lina. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep. Why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit at your computer. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing. And when he found me, he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer. It's the question that drives us. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did." Steadily through the speech, Teresa listens more intently, concentrating look on her face.
"...What is the Matrix?" Ser smiles lightly, standing straight and moving back a little.
"The answer is out there, Lina. It's looking for you, and it will find you... if you want it to." Her shining blue eyes locked onto Teresa's, then she stepped back, melting back into the mass of dancing bodies. The redhead watches her go, thinking about what she's said.
The music continues to be loud, pounding on her senses with it's addictive beat. It is quite a party, after all.
---
And an alarm clock's loud buzzing drags Teresa from sleep. She groggily looks at the display, which reads 9:18. Suddenly she's fully awake. "Oh shit!"
---
Downtown, Teresa stands nervously before her boss's desk. She stares out at the window at two washers, squeegeeing loudly. The ultimate boss man, Mr. Grausherra sits at his desk, constantly typing at his computer and lecturing without looking at Teresa. "You have a problem with authority, Ms. Anderson. You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules don't apply to you."
He glances up with icy blue eyes at Teresa, who looks back just in time. "Obviously, you are mistaken." He goes back to typing and lecturing. "This company is one of the top software companies in the world, because every single employee understands that they are part of a whole. Thus, if an employee has a problem, the company has a problem."
Mr. Grausherra looks back again. "The time has come to make a choice, Ms. Anderson. Either you choose to be at your desk, on time. Or you choose to find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?" Teresa swallows and nods.
"Yes, Mr. Grausherra, perfectly clear."
---
She slumps in her chair, familiar setting of the cubicle around her again. One of her fellow employees stands and leans over the wall. "So, what did he say?" Teresa shook her head.
"If I was late again, I'm going to be fired." He smirks.
"Well, it was nice knowing you." Red eyes glared up at him as he sits down again.
"Teresa Anderson?" She blinks and turns in her chair, looking at the FedEx guy standing outside the cubicle door with a package.
"Yeah, that's me." He hands her the package then nods.
"Have a nice day," and leaves. Teresa stares at the package a moment then opens it; inside is a cell phone. As soon as she pulls it out, it rings. A bit unnerved, she answers.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Lina. Do you know who this is," a smooth voice asks through the phone. Teresa's eyes widen and she turns back to her desk, leaning on it.
"Xelloss...?"
"Yes." Her stomach tightens, listening closely. "I've been looking for you, Lina. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show, but unfortunately, you and I have run out of time. They're coming for you Lina, and I don't know what they're going to do."
"Who's coming for me?"
"Stand up and see for yourself."
"What, right now?"
"Yes, now." She starts to stand. "Do it slowly. The elevator." She peeks over the top of her cubicle and looks. Near the elevator are Agents Filia and Milgasia, leading a group of police officers. The employee they're speaking to points towards her cubicle.
"Oh, shit," she says into the phone, ducking.
"Yes."
"What the hell do they want with me," she asks forcefully.
"I don't know, but if you don't want to find out, I suggest you get out of there." The phone is so clear, it seems Xel is right there beside her.
"How?!"
"I can guide you, but you must do exactly as I say." The agents are moving quickly towards the cubicle. Time is running out. "The cubicle across from you is empty."
"But what if--"
"Go! Now!" Teresa lunges across the hall, diving into the other cubicle just as the agents reach her row. She curls up in a dark corner, holding the phone closely. "Stay here a moment."
The Agents look into the empty cubicle, and then send a cop to search the bathroom. It was very close. "A little longer," Xel's voice whispers into Teresa's ear. Agent Filia talks with the employee next to Teresa's cubicle. "When I tell you, go to the end of the row to the office at the end of the hall. Stay as low as you can." She bites her lip slightly and nods, nervous. "Go, now."
She ducks low and runs to the office, praying that she'll avoid being seen. When she reaches the office, she closes the door and holds the phone to her ear again. "Good, now, outside, there's a scaffold."
"How do you know all this?!"
"We don't have time, Lina." Xel's voice has a slight hint of iciness. "To your left, there's a window. Go to it and open it." Teresa does so, looking outside. The wind howls and the traffic far below isn't as loud as it should be. "Use the scaffold to get to the roof."
"No way, no way! This is crazy," she says as she backs away from the open window, shaking her head.
"There are two ways out of this building," the voice in the phone replies, calculatingly neutral again. "One is that scaffold, the other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you," and the phone hangs up. Teresa mutters to herself.
"This is insane! Why is this happening to me, what did I do? I'm nobody." Deciding to at least try, though, she goes back to the window, steps up onto the ledge and starts creeping towards the scaffold. The wind blows, threatening to throw her from the building. She makes it around the corner of the building, just a few feet from her goal. Clutching to the frame of the window and the last obstacle, the wind kicks up and knocks the phone from her hand. Teresa watches as it plummets to the ground.
"This is insane, I can't do this! Forget it!" She climbs back into the office, taking a couple deep breaths.
Just as a cop opens the door. "I didn't do anything," Teresa says loudly.
---
The Dragon Agents lead a handcuffed Teresa out of the revolving doors of the building and force her into their dark sedan. A few spaces down the street, Seraya watches in the side view mirror of her motorcycle. After pushing Teresa in and the other two Dragons get in, Valgarv pauses and looks in Seraya's direction. "Shit." She then takes off with a roar of the engine, long hair flying behind her.