Alexander Briggs sighed and ran a hand through his untidy, auburn hair.
Clasping his hands behind his head, he leaned back in the leather chair and
closed his calm, blue eyes.
He opened one eye a slit as he heard the door to the storeroom open. Jake, the other employee working that day, exited from taking inventory and slipped on his jacket.
"Going somewhere?" Alex asked, opening his eyes fully and dropping his feet from their prop on the counter.
"Yeah, lunch. Want me to get you anything?"
"Nah, I'm good," Alex answered, yawning.
"Alright, see you in an hour." Jack waved and exited the shop. The bell on the door jingled slightly as it slammed shut behind him.
Alex sighed again and stretched his tired muscles. He entertained himself by watching the cars and people pass by the shop. And old lady walked past carrying a bag of groceries. A middle-aged man jogged by with headphones on, his dog trailing behind on a leash.
One woman caught his eye. She strode past, wearing black leather that shined in the afternoon sunlight. Her eyes were concealed behind solid black sunglasses. For a moment, it looked as though she was looking inside the shop, but her gaze left quickly. She passed by, like the others.
The phone rang. Alex cleared his throat and picked it up off the cradle.
"You've reached Tech Shop, Alex speaking. Can I help you?"
"Hello, Xander," spoke a deep, powerful voice from the other end.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Who is this? How do you know that name?"
"I know everything about you, Xander. Please, listen. I must be brief. This line is tapped."
"Tapped? What is this, some kind of joke?" Alex stood angrily from his chair, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the woman in black passed by again.
"No joke, Xander. Listen carefully. Do you know of the Matrix?"
Alex's eyes went wide and he sat back down, speechless. "Who is this?" he managed to ask.
"You know who I am."
"Morpheus?"
There was a slight laugh from the other end. "Yes. Now, listen very carefully. Three men are about to enter your shop. They will be dressed in black suits. You need to run. Do not let them get to you."
"What?"
"Run!"
The door to the shop clanged open and Alex looked up. Three men entered, all wearing dark suits and sunglasses.
"Oh my god," Alex breathed.
"Go, now!" screamed Morpheus from the other end of the phone.
Alex dropped the phone and bolted from behind the counter. Shots erupted from the front of the shop. Everything happened in a blur as Alex stumbled for the storeroom door.
"Alexander Briggs, you are under arrest! Stop where you are!" one of the men shouted, bringing his gun to bear.
Alex didn't hesitate to listen and burst into the storeroom just as gunfire tore the door apart. He ran as fast his legs could carry him to the back of the storeroom, where the emergency was. As he pushed the door open, the alarms began to blare.
He found himself in the alley behind the shop. And there she was, the woman in black, seated on a sleek red motorcycle.
"Get on!" she ordered.
Alex didn't argue. He jumped on the bike and the engine roared to life. They took off in a haze of tire smoke and burst from the alley onto the main street. Alex's ears were filled with honks and screeches as they drove right through the middle of the street. He closed his eyes and gripped the driver tightly.
"Where are you taking me?" he shouted.
The woman glanced back. "To Morpheus. But we have to lose these guys first."
"What guys?"
Alex got his answer as gunfire erupted from behind them. Bullets whizzed past, embedding themselves in nearby buildings and cars.
"Holy crap, they're trying to shoot us!"
The woman in black nodded calmly and performed a gut wrenching u-turn, speeding right past the sleek black cars. Alex caught a brief glimpse of the men in suits, seated in the driver seats of the cars with their guns hanging out the window.
The woman in black pulled a pistol from her jacket and sent a volley of bullets through the windshield of the nearest car. The man in the suit didn't seem the least bit phased by it.
"What are those guys?"
"Agents," she answered, returning the pistol to her jacket.
"Why do they want me?"
"Because Morpheus wants you."
"But-"
"No more questions, just try and stay alive!" she shouted, taking a sharp right turn.
Alex merely nodded and tried to keep his breakfast in. The black cars were soon trailing them again, this time with little consideration for the other drivers on the road. Alex looked on in horror as the cars plowed right through traffic, sending wrecked cars flying through the air.
"May I ask one more question?" Alex said timidly.
The woman said nothing and kept her eyes on the road.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Trinity. Please, let me concentrate."
Alex furrowed his brow as he tried to place the name. Then he gasped as he remembered.
"The Trinity?" A small smile tugged at Trinity's lip. "Yes."
"The Trinity who managed to crack the IRS Database?" Alex asked excitedly.
"Yeah, now shut up and let me drive!" she yelled as another hail of gunfire ricocheted off the pavement in front of them.
Alex didn't argue with her and merely tried to keep as low as possible. Trinity executed a series of perfect turns as she weaved around the slower vehicles. The black cars behind them simply plowed through.
"Are we losing them?" Trinity asked, leaning forward to pick up speed.
Alex glanced behind him and winced as a bullet streaked past his head. "No."
Trinity swore and pulled a cell phone from her pocket. She hit a series of buttons and held it to her ear, maneuvering the bike with her other hand.
"Tank, where's Apoc and Switch?" she spoke into the phone. "We need a distraction!" She nodded and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Then, she suddenly turned into another back alley and sped down the dank road.
Alex shut his eyes tightly as his stomach wrenched. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know what the Matrix was anymore.
Trinity skidded to a halt at a four-way intersection and took a quick glance around. There a screech of tires behind them, and Alex looked behind him to see the three black cars rounding the alleyway.
"Here they come!"
"I know," Trinity answered, pulling the pistol out and loading the magazine with a fresh clip.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Alex glanced behind them frantically as the cars sped closer.
Alex suddenly heard the sound of one more vehicle, coming the opposite direction. He whirled around in time to see another car, this one blue, speeding towards them. A woman in white hung out the window holding a machine gun, and a man was at the wheel.
Trinity smiled.
"Friends of yours?" Alex asked.
She nodded and revved the engine. The woman in white discharged an entire clip at the Agent cars, blowing out their tires and tearing the metal frame to shreds.
Two of the three cars swerved and collided, crumbling as they smashed into each other. The vehicles burst into flame, sending a plume of smoke into the air. The remaining car plunged through the flames, the Agent grim at the wheel.
"Go Trinity!" yelled the gun-wielding woman. "We can take one more!"
Trinity nodded and sped off without question. Alex gripped her tightly as they burst from the alley and out into the open street once more. Cars braked fast as the motorcycle rode into their midst.
"Who were those guys?" Alex managed to ask.
"Switch and Apoc," Trinity answered. The words didn't ring a bell in Alex's head, but he was grateful they had showed up.
Trinity once again brought out the cell-phone, bringing the small device to her ear. "Tank, where is Morpheus?"
After several seconds, she hung up and accelerated, leaning forward to gain speed.
They sped through the streets without incident, and were soon stopping in front of an old hotel.
Trinity hopped off the bike and gestured for Alex to do the same.
"It's time to meet him."
"Who?" Alex asked, brushing off his shirt.
"Morpheus."
He opened one eye a slit as he heard the door to the storeroom open. Jake, the other employee working that day, exited from taking inventory and slipped on his jacket.
"Going somewhere?" Alex asked, opening his eyes fully and dropping his feet from their prop on the counter.
"Yeah, lunch. Want me to get you anything?"
"Nah, I'm good," Alex answered, yawning.
"Alright, see you in an hour." Jack waved and exited the shop. The bell on the door jingled slightly as it slammed shut behind him.
Alex sighed again and stretched his tired muscles. He entertained himself by watching the cars and people pass by the shop. And old lady walked past carrying a bag of groceries. A middle-aged man jogged by with headphones on, his dog trailing behind on a leash.
One woman caught his eye. She strode past, wearing black leather that shined in the afternoon sunlight. Her eyes were concealed behind solid black sunglasses. For a moment, it looked as though she was looking inside the shop, but her gaze left quickly. She passed by, like the others.
The phone rang. Alex cleared his throat and picked it up off the cradle.
"You've reached Tech Shop, Alex speaking. Can I help you?"
"Hello, Xander," spoke a deep, powerful voice from the other end.
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Who is this? How do you know that name?"
"I know everything about you, Xander. Please, listen. I must be brief. This line is tapped."
"Tapped? What is this, some kind of joke?" Alex stood angrily from his chair, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the woman in black passed by again.
"No joke, Xander. Listen carefully. Do you know of the Matrix?"
Alex's eyes went wide and he sat back down, speechless. "Who is this?" he managed to ask.
"You know who I am."
"Morpheus?"
There was a slight laugh from the other end. "Yes. Now, listen very carefully. Three men are about to enter your shop. They will be dressed in black suits. You need to run. Do not let them get to you."
"What?"
"Run!"
The door to the shop clanged open and Alex looked up. Three men entered, all wearing dark suits and sunglasses.
"Oh my god," Alex breathed.
"Go, now!" screamed Morpheus from the other end of the phone.
Alex dropped the phone and bolted from behind the counter. Shots erupted from the front of the shop. Everything happened in a blur as Alex stumbled for the storeroom door.
"Alexander Briggs, you are under arrest! Stop where you are!" one of the men shouted, bringing his gun to bear.
Alex didn't hesitate to listen and burst into the storeroom just as gunfire tore the door apart. He ran as fast his legs could carry him to the back of the storeroom, where the emergency was. As he pushed the door open, the alarms began to blare.
He found himself in the alley behind the shop. And there she was, the woman in black, seated on a sleek red motorcycle.
"Get on!" she ordered.
Alex didn't argue. He jumped on the bike and the engine roared to life. They took off in a haze of tire smoke and burst from the alley onto the main street. Alex's ears were filled with honks and screeches as they drove right through the middle of the street. He closed his eyes and gripped the driver tightly.
"Where are you taking me?" he shouted.
The woman glanced back. "To Morpheus. But we have to lose these guys first."
"What guys?"
Alex got his answer as gunfire erupted from behind them. Bullets whizzed past, embedding themselves in nearby buildings and cars.
"Holy crap, they're trying to shoot us!"
The woman in black nodded calmly and performed a gut wrenching u-turn, speeding right past the sleek black cars. Alex caught a brief glimpse of the men in suits, seated in the driver seats of the cars with their guns hanging out the window.
The woman in black pulled a pistol from her jacket and sent a volley of bullets through the windshield of the nearest car. The man in the suit didn't seem the least bit phased by it.
"What are those guys?"
"Agents," she answered, returning the pistol to her jacket.
"Why do they want me?"
"Because Morpheus wants you."
"But-"
"No more questions, just try and stay alive!" she shouted, taking a sharp right turn.
Alex merely nodded and tried to keep his breakfast in. The black cars were soon trailing them again, this time with little consideration for the other drivers on the road. Alex looked on in horror as the cars plowed right through traffic, sending wrecked cars flying through the air.
"May I ask one more question?" Alex said timidly.
The woman said nothing and kept her eyes on the road.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Trinity. Please, let me concentrate."
Alex furrowed his brow as he tried to place the name. Then he gasped as he remembered.
"The Trinity?" A small smile tugged at Trinity's lip. "Yes."
"The Trinity who managed to crack the IRS Database?" Alex asked excitedly.
"Yeah, now shut up and let me drive!" she yelled as another hail of gunfire ricocheted off the pavement in front of them.
Alex didn't argue with her and merely tried to keep as low as possible. Trinity executed a series of perfect turns as she weaved around the slower vehicles. The black cars behind them simply plowed through.
"Are we losing them?" Trinity asked, leaning forward to pick up speed.
Alex glanced behind him and winced as a bullet streaked past his head. "No."
Trinity swore and pulled a cell phone from her pocket. She hit a series of buttons and held it to her ear, maneuvering the bike with her other hand.
"Tank, where's Apoc and Switch?" she spoke into the phone. "We need a distraction!" She nodded and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. Then, she suddenly turned into another back alley and sped down the dank road.
Alex shut his eyes tightly as his stomach wrenched. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know what the Matrix was anymore.
Trinity skidded to a halt at a four-way intersection and took a quick glance around. There a screech of tires behind them, and Alex looked behind him to see the three black cars rounding the alleyway.
"Here they come!"
"I know," Trinity answered, pulling the pistol out and loading the magazine with a fresh clip.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" Alex glanced behind them frantically as the cars sped closer.
Alex suddenly heard the sound of one more vehicle, coming the opposite direction. He whirled around in time to see another car, this one blue, speeding towards them. A woman in white hung out the window holding a machine gun, and a man was at the wheel.
Trinity smiled.
"Friends of yours?" Alex asked.
She nodded and revved the engine. The woman in white discharged an entire clip at the Agent cars, blowing out their tires and tearing the metal frame to shreds.
Two of the three cars swerved and collided, crumbling as they smashed into each other. The vehicles burst into flame, sending a plume of smoke into the air. The remaining car plunged through the flames, the Agent grim at the wheel.
"Go Trinity!" yelled the gun-wielding woman. "We can take one more!"
Trinity nodded and sped off without question. Alex gripped her tightly as they burst from the alley and out into the open street once more. Cars braked fast as the motorcycle rode into their midst.
"Who were those guys?" Alex managed to ask.
"Switch and Apoc," Trinity answered. The words didn't ring a bell in Alex's head, but he was grateful they had showed up.
Trinity once again brought out the cell-phone, bringing the small device to her ear. "Tank, where is Morpheus?"
After several seconds, she hung up and accelerated, leaning forward to gain speed.
They sped through the streets without incident, and were soon stopping in front of an old hotel.
Trinity hopped off the bike and gestured for Alex to do the same.
"It's time to meet him."
"Who?" Alex asked, brushing off his shirt.
"Morpheus."