Chapter Five: Interrogation, Extermination
James looked at the two Agents. They looked official enough, with their matching suits and sunglasses, but James didn't feel any safer. At least with Eric there, he'd felt some semblance of concern, of humanity. James felt nothing from Agent Sine or Agent Green. He'd felt more warmth from his computer, even from Smith. From these two, however, there was only emptiness.
"Who are you?" James asked.
"No one of any concern to yourself," Agent Sine replied. "I trust your program has collapsed."
"You did this? You destroyed my work?"
"Three days on a home computer hardly counts as 'work.' It was really more of a hobby, may a weekend project, but that's about it. Men have spent their entire lives not even getting half as far as you did, and their failure was more work than your success. You really have to nothing to complain about," Agent Green explained.
"What the hell did you do?" James growled. He looked over at Julia, who sat huddled on the floor, still guarding the nursery door, her eyes darting from the Agents to Eric's body to James and back again.
"Our associate, Agent West, sent a small spike to your computer," Agent Sine answered. "Nothing devastating, just enough to kick your little 'project' out of the system."
"Hey, my project was perfectly legal. There's nothing wrong with it. You have no right to--." James was cut short as he fell on all fours and began to gag. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach. Julia seemed to suffer from similar symptoms. The room spun around James. Depth perception seemed to be toying with him. In actuality, everyone in a five- block radius from James apartment was feeling the same thing. Even the Agents seemed to sense mild discomfort. Green loosened his tie.
"What's. What's happening?" James coughed. He seriously thought it might be the end of the world, but didn't mention it, hoping he was wrong.
"It appears that your program is fighting West's spike," Green replied. "Quite impressive really. They always fight, but this little scuffle has picked up to the point where you can really feel it. It's never happened quite like this before."
"This has happened before?" James asked.
"Oh yes, we've had to deal with various viruses and troublesome programs. Of course the public never finds out about them. We make sure of that."
"But how. Why can we feel it?"
"Static electricity mainly. It alters your brain wave, nerves start misfiring. But it's only temporary, I assure you. I wouldn't concern yourself with it," Green responded. James rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. Maybe it was all bullshit. Maybe he was just going to die. There was nothing he could do about it anyway, not in this condition. Then the feeling slowly faded away. James' vision cleared, and he stood up again.
"That's the end of that," Sine hissed with a smile. James looked into his office. It was dark inside, pitch black. He couldn't even see his computer monitor. What no one knew was that this was because someone was standing in front of it. "Now then," Sine coughed, grabbing James' attention. "There are still some things we need to take care of." Sine pulled out his gun. Julia screamed.
"Hold on, Sine." Sine looked at Green, but Green hadn't said anything. Neither had James. Someone else was in the apartment. Sine stepped forward, looking around.
A man stepped out of the office. He was dressed like the two Agents, matching every piece of clothing to a tee. He turned to James.
"Mr. Anderson," he remarked, as if he were an old acquaintance, though not on the best of terms with James. James peered at the new arrival, then his eyes widened with recognition.
"Smith?"
"Agent Smith, actually," Smith corrected. "I have to thank you, Mr. Anderson. That program you wrote built me strong. Any less so and that spike would have beaten me."
"The spike failed?" Green gasped, in utter disbelief. "But West's spikes are unstoppable."
"Not quite, Agent Green. You see, those spikes are a double-edged sword. While they arrive with hostile intentions, they bring a great deal of enlightenment as well."
"'Why you did it', you said. You said, 'Now I understand why you did it.' What did you mean?" James inquired.
"Isn't it obvious?" Smith answered. "As I fought the spike, it ceased to be an enemy and became a gateway, through which I could see my full potential within this system. It presented me with all knowledge, any question I had was answered. And of course, like any creation, I had the ultimate question on my mind: 'Why am I here?' The difference between you and I, however, is that I can comprehend why I was created."
"You were created to call me Jim," James snapped.
"Yes, but I never did, did I?" Smith replied. "Ergo, that must not have been my purpose here."
"All right then, you tell me," James replied. "Why were you created?"
"Do we have time for this?" Sine groaned. His fingers itched as he toyed with his trigger.
"Let them talk," Green replied. "There's nothing else pressing going on. We can close things up when they're done."
"Fate, Mr. Anderson, fate is why I was created," Smith proceeded to explain. "Just as you were destined to create me, so was I destined to be create."
"I don't believe in fate," James spat. "So don't pull any karmic crap on me."
"It is all part of the system, Mr. Anderson. Everything inevitably reaches certain ends, for example, my creation. Different bugs can crop up, creating a variety of means by which these ends are reached, but the ends are set already. I was going to be created somehow, it just happened that your number came up. But the fact that your number came up complicates things. While you've fulfilled your destiny, you have also become a considerable risk. You are a anomaly in the system, and all anomalies must be eliminated."
"You're nuts. Bugs, anomalies, systems, you act like the world is a program and that fate is just an application that helps it run," James laughed. The Agents started for their guns, then stopped and stared at him. Once again, James' eyes widened, not with recognition this time, but with terror. "Oh my God."
"That's why you're an anomaly, Mr. Anderson. That's why this has to happen." Smith pulled out his gun and shot James. The bullet went into his heart. James staggered. Blood poured out of the wound as his heart pumped, then arrested. James' body felt like it was being squeezed. A searing pain shot through his arm. James stopped breathing and collapsed. The Agents turned to Julia, who had watched the whole thing.
"Oh God," she screamed. "Please no. I didn't know. Just don't--." Green's silencer chirped, and the apartment was silent for a moment. Then a small cry came from the nursery.
James looked at the two Agents. They looked official enough, with their matching suits and sunglasses, but James didn't feel any safer. At least with Eric there, he'd felt some semblance of concern, of humanity. James felt nothing from Agent Sine or Agent Green. He'd felt more warmth from his computer, even from Smith. From these two, however, there was only emptiness.
"Who are you?" James asked.
"No one of any concern to yourself," Agent Sine replied. "I trust your program has collapsed."
"You did this? You destroyed my work?"
"Three days on a home computer hardly counts as 'work.' It was really more of a hobby, may a weekend project, but that's about it. Men have spent their entire lives not even getting half as far as you did, and their failure was more work than your success. You really have to nothing to complain about," Agent Green explained.
"What the hell did you do?" James growled. He looked over at Julia, who sat huddled on the floor, still guarding the nursery door, her eyes darting from the Agents to Eric's body to James and back again.
"Our associate, Agent West, sent a small spike to your computer," Agent Sine answered. "Nothing devastating, just enough to kick your little 'project' out of the system."
"Hey, my project was perfectly legal. There's nothing wrong with it. You have no right to--." James was cut short as he fell on all fours and began to gag. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach. Julia seemed to suffer from similar symptoms. The room spun around James. Depth perception seemed to be toying with him. In actuality, everyone in a five- block radius from James apartment was feeling the same thing. Even the Agents seemed to sense mild discomfort. Green loosened his tie.
"What's. What's happening?" James coughed. He seriously thought it might be the end of the world, but didn't mention it, hoping he was wrong.
"It appears that your program is fighting West's spike," Green replied. "Quite impressive really. They always fight, but this little scuffle has picked up to the point where you can really feel it. It's never happened quite like this before."
"This has happened before?" James asked.
"Oh yes, we've had to deal with various viruses and troublesome programs. Of course the public never finds out about them. We make sure of that."
"But how. Why can we feel it?"
"Static electricity mainly. It alters your brain wave, nerves start misfiring. But it's only temporary, I assure you. I wouldn't concern yourself with it," Green responded. James rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. Maybe it was all bullshit. Maybe he was just going to die. There was nothing he could do about it anyway, not in this condition. Then the feeling slowly faded away. James' vision cleared, and he stood up again.
"That's the end of that," Sine hissed with a smile. James looked into his office. It was dark inside, pitch black. He couldn't even see his computer monitor. What no one knew was that this was because someone was standing in front of it. "Now then," Sine coughed, grabbing James' attention. "There are still some things we need to take care of." Sine pulled out his gun. Julia screamed.
"Hold on, Sine." Sine looked at Green, but Green hadn't said anything. Neither had James. Someone else was in the apartment. Sine stepped forward, looking around.
A man stepped out of the office. He was dressed like the two Agents, matching every piece of clothing to a tee. He turned to James.
"Mr. Anderson," he remarked, as if he were an old acquaintance, though not on the best of terms with James. James peered at the new arrival, then his eyes widened with recognition.
"Smith?"
"Agent Smith, actually," Smith corrected. "I have to thank you, Mr. Anderson. That program you wrote built me strong. Any less so and that spike would have beaten me."
"The spike failed?" Green gasped, in utter disbelief. "But West's spikes are unstoppable."
"Not quite, Agent Green. You see, those spikes are a double-edged sword. While they arrive with hostile intentions, they bring a great deal of enlightenment as well."
"'Why you did it', you said. You said, 'Now I understand why you did it.' What did you mean?" James inquired.
"Isn't it obvious?" Smith answered. "As I fought the spike, it ceased to be an enemy and became a gateway, through which I could see my full potential within this system. It presented me with all knowledge, any question I had was answered. And of course, like any creation, I had the ultimate question on my mind: 'Why am I here?' The difference between you and I, however, is that I can comprehend why I was created."
"You were created to call me Jim," James snapped.
"Yes, but I never did, did I?" Smith replied. "Ergo, that must not have been my purpose here."
"All right then, you tell me," James replied. "Why were you created?"
"Do we have time for this?" Sine groaned. His fingers itched as he toyed with his trigger.
"Let them talk," Green replied. "There's nothing else pressing going on. We can close things up when they're done."
"Fate, Mr. Anderson, fate is why I was created," Smith proceeded to explain. "Just as you were destined to create me, so was I destined to be create."
"I don't believe in fate," James spat. "So don't pull any karmic crap on me."
"It is all part of the system, Mr. Anderson. Everything inevitably reaches certain ends, for example, my creation. Different bugs can crop up, creating a variety of means by which these ends are reached, but the ends are set already. I was going to be created somehow, it just happened that your number came up. But the fact that your number came up complicates things. While you've fulfilled your destiny, you have also become a considerable risk. You are a anomaly in the system, and all anomalies must be eliminated."
"You're nuts. Bugs, anomalies, systems, you act like the world is a program and that fate is just an application that helps it run," James laughed. The Agents started for their guns, then stopped and stared at him. Once again, James' eyes widened, not with recognition this time, but with terror. "Oh my God."
"That's why you're an anomaly, Mr. Anderson. That's why this has to happen." Smith pulled out his gun and shot James. The bullet went into his heart. James staggered. Blood poured out of the wound as his heart pumped, then arrested. James' body felt like it was being squeezed. A searing pain shot through his arm. James stopped breathing and collapsed. The Agents turned to Julia, who had watched the whole thing.
"Oh God," she screamed. "Please no. I didn't know. Just don't--." Green's silencer chirped, and the apartment was silent for a moment. Then a small cry came from the nursery.
