MEANWHILE...
Scout's brow furrowed as she watched a future addition to her ship's crew. "She's talking to someone, but I can't see anyone."
Syntax, who had been peering over the younger woman's shoulder, leaned in closer to the screen displaying Ada's whereabouts. "Yeah, I see what you mean. You don't think this has anything to do with the Council's warning do you?"
"Maybe, but what would she be doing with one of them anyway, we've been surveilling her for some time now and she's never shown signs of even being aware that such a movement would exist."
"Unless they want her for the same reasons we do."
Scout swiveled slightly to her left to make eye contact with her captain. "Do you think they could sway her to their way of thinking?"
In a sudden but swift movement, he stepped away from Scout's chair. Now, as he often did during deep thought and contemplation, Syntax paced around the area inhabited by the control station with closed eyes and a hand to his chin. In the three years since she had been unplugged, Scout had never seen him bump into any furniture or people that may have been in his way during this state of meditation. After a long moment of silence, Scout wondered if she should say something, but Syntax began to speak before she could conjure up something to say.
"When we first requested the clearance to free another mind there was longer deliberation over the matter. Not only because we released Wolf recently, but also because of Ada's nature. Through studying her interactions and the incident a few weeks before putting in our request, we became aware that she is a very contemptuous and wary person. The Council, and the resistance in general, have hit many brick walls due to the cynicism and skepticism of the prospective freed minds.
"Ada was and still is different. While she shows signs of one who would choose the blue pill, she also seems willing to fight the system. As you know, rebelliousness has been used before to convince coppertops to unplug. Ada seems like she would be willing to at least talk to us, but we would have to go about the transaction carefully especially with the new threat of the Autonomy Contingent. Of course we can't be sure that it wasn't just a glitch, but-"
Scout broke in, "I've seen glitches that have caused similar situations and this is no glitch. There was a noticeable parting of the crowd as whoever it was walked through and Ada was reaching for something tangible as it moved through the crowd." Her eyes darted to the screen and then back to her superior, "I don't know who this Autonomy Contingent are or how they are doing it, but I do know that they are manipulating the Matrix in such a way that they are untraceable. Even we can't do that and these people can't have any better technology than we do."
"They might," Syntax gave a sigh that reminded Scout of a polar bear's monotonous moan. "Most of the resistance, especially those in Zion, don't realize how advanced some technology is. Much like hackers and computer experts in the Matrix, it is possible for laypeople to construct things of their own design to help them carry out certain activities. What little spare parts there are can give enough to ameliorate groups like this Autonomy Contingent. We already know, from the information that the Council has released, that the Autonomy Contingent has at least one ship in its possession, but that is just about the end of what anyone knows about the group besides what they hope to achieve."
Scout shook her head and looked back at the screens displaying the Matrix code. "Well, she's back in her apartment. She seems a little freaked out by the encounter." She looked back at her superior, "I doubt that she's going to be up for any meetings with us anytime soon. I think we're going to have to rely on surveillance for at least a little while longer."
Syntax nodded his head and looked down at the floor. His hands behind his back, he strolled out of the control room and as he exited softly said, "We'll just have to see about that."
Scout's brow furrowed as she watched a future addition to her ship's crew. "She's talking to someone, but I can't see anyone."
Syntax, who had been peering over the younger woman's shoulder, leaned in closer to the screen displaying Ada's whereabouts. "Yeah, I see what you mean. You don't think this has anything to do with the Council's warning do you?"
"Maybe, but what would she be doing with one of them anyway, we've been surveilling her for some time now and she's never shown signs of even being aware that such a movement would exist."
"Unless they want her for the same reasons we do."
Scout swiveled slightly to her left to make eye contact with her captain. "Do you think they could sway her to their way of thinking?"
In a sudden but swift movement, he stepped away from Scout's chair. Now, as he often did during deep thought and contemplation, Syntax paced around the area inhabited by the control station with closed eyes and a hand to his chin. In the three years since she had been unplugged, Scout had never seen him bump into any furniture or people that may have been in his way during this state of meditation. After a long moment of silence, Scout wondered if she should say something, but Syntax began to speak before she could conjure up something to say.
"When we first requested the clearance to free another mind there was longer deliberation over the matter. Not only because we released Wolf recently, but also because of Ada's nature. Through studying her interactions and the incident a few weeks before putting in our request, we became aware that she is a very contemptuous and wary person. The Council, and the resistance in general, have hit many brick walls due to the cynicism and skepticism of the prospective freed minds.
"Ada was and still is different. While she shows signs of one who would choose the blue pill, she also seems willing to fight the system. As you know, rebelliousness has been used before to convince coppertops to unplug. Ada seems like she would be willing to at least talk to us, but we would have to go about the transaction carefully especially with the new threat of the Autonomy Contingent. Of course we can't be sure that it wasn't just a glitch, but-"
Scout broke in, "I've seen glitches that have caused similar situations and this is no glitch. There was a noticeable parting of the crowd as whoever it was walked through and Ada was reaching for something tangible as it moved through the crowd." Her eyes darted to the screen and then back to her superior, "I don't know who this Autonomy Contingent are or how they are doing it, but I do know that they are manipulating the Matrix in such a way that they are untraceable. Even we can't do that and these people can't have any better technology than we do."
"They might," Syntax gave a sigh that reminded Scout of a polar bear's monotonous moan. "Most of the resistance, especially those in Zion, don't realize how advanced some technology is. Much like hackers and computer experts in the Matrix, it is possible for laypeople to construct things of their own design to help them carry out certain activities. What little spare parts there are can give enough to ameliorate groups like this Autonomy Contingent. We already know, from the information that the Council has released, that the Autonomy Contingent has at least one ship in its possession, but that is just about the end of what anyone knows about the group besides what they hope to achieve."
Scout shook her head and looked back at the screens displaying the Matrix code. "Well, she's back in her apartment. She seems a little freaked out by the encounter." She looked back at her superior, "I doubt that she's going to be up for any meetings with us anytime soon. I think we're going to have to rely on surveillance for at least a little while longer."
Syntax nodded his head and looked down at the floor. His hands behind his back, he strolled out of the control room and as he exited softly said, "We'll just have to see about that."
