Title: Frames of Reference: Chapter Three

Author: Stormhawk

Rating: PG

Notes: Not this time.

Word Count: 3227

Please Read and Review.

Two days later.

"Galli, land us. We have to work on the engines."

"Work Ryder?" Phoenix asked incredulously. "You have to be kidding me, these things are beyond repair. Outrunning that patrol has killed us. We're dead. The best we can hope for is powering up the COM grid and beg them to take us back."

"We can't do that Phee. They will execute us."

"We can beg for leniency, they will just lock us up." Phoenix, loyal to her captain had chosen to come along but no she was starting to regret that choice.

"No."

"What about getting plugged back in?" Pandora unexpectedly suggested.

"Would they do that?"

"It will give them some batteries back. We can talk to an agent, appeal to their good side."

"What good side? Talk to an agent?" Niq almost shrieked. "Agents don't talk, agents kill."

"If we do nothing then we're dead. The engines are shot and whatever power we have left isn't going to last us forever."

"Was this a suicide mission sir?" Cray asked Ryder, he was the youngest member of the crew and too young, in his opinion to die. He and his sister had followed Ryder, the closest thing they had had to a father since they had been freed without question – he had never steered them wrong before.

"Don't get upset Cray. We will find some way out of this."

"Ok," he said with a firm nod. He wasn't going to lose faith in him now of all times, this was the time when they needed to keep their faith. They needed to believe that they were going to get out of this situation, that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, gold at the end of the rainbow – whichever metaphor you wanted to use.

Darth, who had been for the most part silent, looked up. "We talk to an agent, it's our only chance."

"Uh-huh," Galli said with a smile. "Any agent in particular?"

"Shut up Galli," true he had done nothing much else but analyze the recording of the incident since it had happened it was no reason to bring it up. "Besides at least she was willing to negotiate with us."

"Then we'll owe her another favor," Niq protested.

"Well, what do you suggest? Do you want to sit here and die?" Galli asked in all seriousness.

"No…but."

"No buts," the operator said, slapping his hand on the computer in front of him silencing the pale teenage girl.

Ryder nodded, "it's settled, Pandora and I will go in," he said with a nod to his girlfriend. Pandora was tall and slim, her hair was short and straight, her gentle Japanese features always made her look as though she had stepped right out of an anime or a magna comic.

"I'm coming too," Darth said – he had no intention of being left behind while his captain and first officer were going to find that strangely programmed agent, she was a mystery he needed to solve.

"All right but no one else, we need to preserve all the juice we can in case this doesn't work. It's going to work though." A few moments after they sat in their chairs, it wasn't like this on most of the ships but on the Exodus each crewmember had their own chair. And just so there were no arguments – which were far and few between on this ship – they had their names scrawled onto them.

Walking out of the old building, Ryder chuckled as he remembered Cray asking why most of the exits were in such buildings. The reason was so that no civilians saw them disappear from sight. But sometimes it would be nice to enter the matrix somewhere besides abandoned dumps and alleys.

Walking down the alley, Pandora asked the two guys an obvious question. "Does anyone have any clue whatsoever how to contact an agent?"

"Not really," the captain admitted. "We can wait around here to be found."

"Or we could…"

"Were you people trying to get caught?" a voice asked from behind them – between them and the phone. "That was the most obvious hack in that I've ever seen. Your operator didn't even wait for the cycle to change."

They turned and saw Mimosa wielding her gun. "We wanted to talk to you actually." Ryder admitted, it was a strange thing to say – agents were their enemies, hopefully for not much longer but he could feel Pandora's fear radiating off her – the Japanese woman wanted to run.

She had a reason to be afraid of agents, she had been freed ten years ago and like Niq her brother was supposed to come with her. But unlike Cray, her brother Shell hadn't made it.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she asked as if they had said something exceedingly strange, which in all fairness they had.

"Yes, but I refuse to talk while you are aiming a gun at me or my friends."

Suspiciously lowering her gun but secure in the knowledge she could take them out without her standard issue Desert Eagle she nodded. "Talk."

Ryder swallowed, "we want to get plugged back into the Matrix. We are sick and tired of the real world." It was the simplest way of stating the truth and this was no time for complications. Understandably she was taken back, she processed the request for a second before talking.

"You're kidding."

"Why would we kid about this to one of you?" Pandora asked, finally haven regained her composure and voice.

"You're from the Smurf's ship aren't you?"

"Yes, Cray is from my ship. My name is Ryder, this is Pandora and this is Darth."

Her eyes looked at the programmer, "Vader or Maul?"

He smiled, "Vader of course," the question helped to back up one of his theories as to what she was.

"Ok. You want to get plugged back in?"

"Yes can you do that?"

"It is possible but it's not my choice. I don't have any control over decisions over things like that."

"Then can you take us to the person…uh…program that does?" Pandora asked, shaking her hair, which was slightly longer in the Matrix, she kept it on the short side in the real world, as it was easier to manage.

"That would be my boss. Agent Smith."

"You have a boss?"

"Everyone needs a chain of command captain."

"Where is he?"

"The Agency, where else?"

"How do we get there, I'm assuming we can – it's not just a place for programs is it?"

"No, it's a physical building. We can walk or drive."

"We obviously don't have a car – do you?" with a secretive smile she nodded. A second later, a required car appeared. All of the rebels jumped back. Accepting it in the knowledge that the agents controlled the Matrix, Ryder opened the back door for Pandora who climbed in, Darth claimed the front passenger seat as Stef started the car.

"Can I put the radio on?" he asked her with a grin.

"No. You are still rebels so therefore it would be a good idea not to annoy me as I just might shoot you." Normally she wouldn't have been so harsh but the perpetual bad mood that Smith had been in since he had asked Clarke about Project 002 was starting to rub off on her. Not to mention that there hadn't been any new recruits – that had made it through the tests – in a few solid weeks. Damn the statistics for being right.

She hated when something was bothering him and she either couldn't help him or he wouldn't tell her.

"Just relax Darth," Ryder ordered from the back seat. Things were going so far so good so there was no need to push their luck. After a relatively short drive, they pulled up outside the main door of the Agency. As they walked in through the glass doors she gave them one piece of advice. "Just watch what you say around him. You're just rebels."

All the guards rose from their newspapers and poker games as the rebels walked through the door.

"Give them your weapons."

"We aren't armed." This unlikely statement was proven true when they walked through the metal detector and were scanned clean.

Unarmed rebels, what a day. "Fine – with me."

***

A knock on his door shook Smith from his deep thoughts, he'd been doing that a lot lately. "Come," he said to the door.

"Oh, Stef. What can I…?" a slight shake of her head silenced him as three humans filed in behind her. "Who are they?"

"Rebels Smith. With an interesting request."

Stef and living rebels must be one hell of a request. "What is it?"

"We wish to get plugged back in."

"Oh?" it wasn't the first time he had been asked this, however the last time had been a monumental failure. Reagan had basically handed them Morpheus but that damn Anderson had rescued him. That was a day worth forgetting.

Anderson had killed him that day.

It had taken the mainframe and Jones weeks to reassemble his code; it had been a painful experience. If they hadn't managed to put him back together who knows? He might still be floating in unconscious bits of data. Or he might be an exile; sometimes programs that are broken up escape deletion as their programs pull themselves back together. Theses programs can choose exile or deletion.

Agents have to choose deletion. Not that he ever would.

"We are sick of the war, sick of the cold and the goop. Can you put us back into the system?"

"It is possible – what do you have to offer in return?"

"With us plugged back in you'll have more batteries back."

"Access codes…"

"They don't have them Smith, I already asked."

"Is it just you three or your whole crew?"

"Everyone on the Exodus."

"That does make a difference. Come back tomorrow."

"We may not have enough power, our engines are stuffed. Our power grid is failing, we need an answer now."

"Come back tomorrow."

"But…"

"Ryder this is the point where you're pushing your luck," Stef said – warning the rebel as she could see Smith was itching to shoot someone.

"We'll come back tomorrow."

"Thank you," Pandora said gratefully.

"Don't thank me yet."

"I'll escort you to an exit," Stef said as they walked out of his office. Ryder nodded and pulled out his cell as they walked from the building.

"Galli, got an exit ready for us?"

"Did it as soon as you were in Cap, Fourth and Saini."

"We're on our way."

"How'd it go? Are you in?" Galli, being Zion born couldn't go into the Matrix. He didn't know if his best friend had considered it in this scenario. Maybe not, but knowing Ryder he would figure something out. They always did.

"We'll talk about it when we're out."

"Fourth and Saini," Ryder said to Stef as he ended the call. Nodding, they all got back into the car. Pulling up near the phone box on the quiet street she required it away. Pandora exited first, then Ryder. As Darth was waiting for it to ring again, he leant on the side of the phone booth.

"Why doesn't your code read like the other agents?"

She opened her mouth to snap a nasty comment at him, stopping herself when she realized that she actually didn't want to do that, even though he was just a human, she smirked. "Why should I tell you?"

"It's just a question, agent."

"Well, rebel, it's none of your business."

"You'll tell me one day. I know you will," leaning against the side of the booth, a smile played across his face.

Maybe not all humans are bad, Stef thought to herself. Shit! Where did that come from? He's just a human.

Smiling back, she shoved him lightly – not enough to hurt him but enough to knock him off balance. Stumbling, he fell against the phone, which they both had just realized had been ringing for a while now, grabbing the handset to stop himself from falling, he didn't hit the ground. The phone stopped ringing. Standing on his own two feet again he realized that he had pulled it free of the phone. It wasn't an exit anymore.

"Oh crap," he said. "Guess I'm going to gave to use another exit."

"Duh. Great." She muttered to herself as he pulled his phone out.

"Operator, find me another exit."

"If you hadn't been…"

"Galli – another exit please."

"It'll take me about ten minutes to configure one. Go to the phone at the corner of Jayne and Parker."

"I'll be there, thanks."

"I am here to serve. Just remember to feed me." Chuckling, he dropped his phone back into his pocket. Unlike the rest of the rebellion, the crew of the Exodus didn't restrict themselves to black, ok Niq did but that was a fashion thing, Darth was wearing simply cut jeans and a loose shirt. His hair was the same in the Matrix as it was in the real world, brown and on the longish side. He didn't wear sunglasses unless it was an extremely bright day so his aqua eyes were exposed for the whole world to see.

"Where's the new exit clumsy?"

"You pushed me. Jayne and Parker."

"That's only five minutes. We can walk."

"I don't need a babysitter," he said and had to stop himself from adding: 'not I mind.'

"You think I like watching rebels? I have to keep my eye on you incase you try something."

"And what would I try?"

Stef couldn't help but smile, it was a joke but it almost sounded like a line. But since he was talking to her that was an impossibility. For a rebel he was…nice. He was quick thinking, a trait she loved as she possessed it herself. And if he ended up a collaborator that wouldn't be so bad. She didn't particularly want to kill him, an odd thought. Maybe once he was plugged back in he would be someone else to talk to or hang around. Maybe some good things could come out of the real world.

Hello great plan in less than thirty-two seconds.

This was perfect, so long as Smith worked it out with the mainframe to let them back in. It would be in his best interests to have it work out.

"I have chosen my favor."

"Really? What?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Ok." As they approached the phone it started to ring. "Bye Stef," he said with a smirk as he picked it up. She frowned half-heartedly as he pressed it to his ear and disappeared. Replacing the receiver to its hook she shifted away.

Dropping down into the spare chair of his office, she sat sideways and swung her legs over the opposite arm. "Well, did you talk to Clarke yet?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"We will plug a few of them back in. The others will remain in the real world and act as our spies, we will send the repair fleet and upgrade their ship – that's a simple thing to do."

"Is that fair? They came to us to escape the real world."

"We will keep them safe from the sentinels and give them numerous locations of safe locations at communication so that they make hack into the Matrix at any time they choose."

"That seems fair enough I suppose."

"It does, it is far more benevolence than they deserve. I only wish…"

"What Smith?"

"Do I even have to say it Stef?"

"Stevie. You wish Stevie were on the Exodus instead of the Nebuchadnezzar. You wish she was coming home."

"I wish she were anywhere but Anderson's ship."

"She won't be there forever."

"I know, she won't live forever," he said with a sigh. Swallowing, he went silent. Dropping her legs back down, she leant over and clasped his hands.

"We will work something out. If we could save her once we can save her again. It will be all right."

"Things are rarely all right."

"You want to know something? I used to think that this place was just an epicenter of bad vibes. Every possible shitty thing that can happen to has happen to at least one person that is here or has been here."

"That's just superstitious."

"Sue me. But once you get past all that it's not so bad. Sometimes it's even pretty good."

"How does that help my daughter who is in the real world?"

"My point, that has become lost somewhere in all this rambling, is that it will turn out ok." Sooner than you think my friend, if my plan works. And my plans always work.

"Is thee some reason you're smiling?" he asked, trying to shake off his depressive mood.

"No reason in particular. Hey – when's your birthday?"

"I was never born Mimosa."

"You know what I mean."

"The date I came online?"

"Yeah – that," she said exhaustedly.

"The nineteenth of November. Next Tuesday, as a point of interest you may like to remember that that date is also Jones and Brown's birthday."

"You guys were brought online at the same time," he nodded. "I never really thought about that but that makes sense. What kind of cake you want?"

"I do not eat cake."

"Now we both know that's a lie. Tell me or I swear I'll require something horrible."

He sighed, but with a smile this time. "You aren't going to leave this alone are you?"

"Do I ever?"

"No, no you don't. Most of the time I let you win."

"Just tell me."

"Well, if you must know…"

"I must or I wouldn't have asked."

"Fruitcake," he saw her eyes shine. "Whatever joke you were going to make I would appreciate you not saying it out loud."

"Yes sir, my loopy commandant sir." 

"Since the subject of children was brought up – did you ever find that child's parents or whomever he was with?"

Stef involuntarily gulped, her voice was lost for a second. Part of her wanted to tell Smith that she was friends – or acquaintances – with the exiles but another part of her stopped her. Agents killed exiles. Two of the agents' key directives were: kill rebels and kill exiles. Exiles were just enemies.

She couldn't betray them.

"Stef?"

"Sorry," she said shaking her head. "I was lost in thought for a second. Yeah, he they found him about five minutes after you left."

"Then what took you so long?"

"I wasn't lying to Brown – I ran into an exile."

"What has made you so interested in the exiles all of a sudden? You've never bothered with them before."

"I just found out about them a couple of weeks ago – I was studying my files like you suggested months ago."

"Doing your homework, very good."

The exiles were only one of two things that she had never been able to talk to him about. The other was Jonas, if she told him about god then nothing would ever be the same again, she wasn't ready to do that yet.

"Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about the exiles?" Just so she knew where he stood.

"They are just enemies, they hide within the Matrix, Brown calls them cowards."

"But…"

"They're just enemies Stef. No different to the rebels."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Damn, Smith hates exiles. Going to be interesting in fics to come.

*Jayne and Parker = Mary Jane and Peter Parker – I lover Spider-man.