Chapter 3
Once in the mess hall, Kali got Static a bowl of goop.
"Thanks."
"You Ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You understand what he told you?"
"Yeah, I'm just trying to grasp that my whole life was a lie," Static said,
rubbing his non-existent beard, and finally realizing what he is doing
"what does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"It means that the matrix does not define who you are." Rook said walking
in "Hurry, and eat. We have work to do."
"Can I get some shoes first?"
"Yeah," replied Kali "MOTHER! Get Static some shoes!"
"Yeah, Yeah." Mother hollered.
Static scarfed his food down and ran to find Rook. He found him in the
cockpit, piloting the ship.
"What type of ship is this?"
"Hover ship."
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm trying to set down."
"What type of work did you mean, earlier?"
"Your training."
"Kali, I want you to train Static as Mother finishes the welds, and checks
all the systems." Said Rook as he came down from the cockpit.
"Yeah, sure skip."
"Oh, and Kali, Start out easy."
"Sure."
"I'll be sleeping if you need me."
"Static, come here."
"Yeah."
"Sit in the chair while I hook you up."
Having the jack plugged into your brain still felt strange, like stabbing a
finger in a hole in your head.
"How's this work?"
"The computer loads the programs straight into your head. You can learn to
fire a gun, stunt drive, fight."
"What's first?"
"First, operations programs. You'll learn to read the matrix, and how this
ship works, among other things."
She loaded the program and sent a whirlwind of knowledge into Static's mind. It felt like the instant gratification of learning a skill and being
able to use it whenever you please.
"Damn!"
"You like that?"
"Yeah."
"Lets move onto something more fun, like weapons training"
Six hours later, and Static was an efficient killer, trained in every
conceivable way of fighting. He'd learned hand-to-hand combat, weapons
training, and squad tactics.
"How's he doing?" rook asked, walking up behind Kali.
"He's good."
"When I'm in, load the jump program."
"Sure skip."
Once Rook was jacked in, Kali loaded the jump program. Static and Rook,
once standing in a tranquil paradise of white, now plummeted toward the roof of a building surrounded by several other buildings. By now Static had
gotten used to the constructs ever changing scenery.
'What's this one?"
"This is our jump program. We use it to teach you to free your mind. The matrix is a computer system. It has rules, but many of these rules are like that of a computer system, some can be bent, others can be broken. You just have to believe you can bend them." And with that, he ran to the edge of
the building and jumped clear to another one.
"Whoa."
Static stood and thought for a second, then walked over to the edge of the building and walked of the edge. As he fell he kept his eyes open the whole time, even when he hit. The ground expanded and he sank straight in, then was sling-shotted back into the air, where he fell to the ground, causing
him a great amount of pain.
"Aghh, shit" He stood back up and looked up at the building Rook landed on.
Suddenly everything disappeared and he and Rook rapidly started moving
together. An instant later they where side by side, and the buildings
reappeared.
"Why did you walk off?" Rook asked.
"I had to let go, I realized I wouldn't make it. So I gave up, and as I
fell I let go of my fear and disbelief. I can't explain it."
"I think I understand what you mean. Again"
After about five jumps, Static was finally able to make it. He was so
ecstatic he kept doing it.
"What's next?"
"Sparring."
Suddenly they were in a dojo, with paper walls, and wooden pillars. Static, wearing a black kimono, got into his favorite stance (if you could call it
that) and waited for Rook to attack him.
"You won't be fighting me."
"Who will I be fighting then?"
"Her." And Rook pointed behind Static.
Static turned around and saw Kali standing in a green kimono.
"Mother get me out."
And Rook disappeared.
" I'll try to go easy on you." Kali said, all business.
"No, go ahead and kick my ass. It's the only way I'll learn." Said Static
with a smirk.
Static ran toward her and started with a high jab. Kali ducked inhumanly fast, tripped Static, and while he was in midair, punched him across the room. Static flew through the paper walls and found himself in an identical
dojo.
"How'd you move so fast?" Asked Static.
"Its another one of those rules you can bend."
"Uh-hu" said Static as he ran towards Kali. With a barrage of kick and
punches, he tried to hit Kali. He punched twice and got both his arms
locked in hers.
'C'mon, you can do better!" yelled Kali.
With another barrage of kicks and punches, Static connected a few times. After he connected a punch to her stomach, he grabbed her by the middle of her Kimono, pulled her towards himself, and threw her across the room, back into the first dojo, and into a pillar, proceeding to break the pillar in
the process.
Kali got up and spat crimson blood. "Good, maybe a little to good." She
said smiling. "You catch on quick."
"Can we take a break now?"
"Sure."
After jacking out, Static tried to get up, only to have an extreme pain in
his sternum. He tasted blood. "I thought it wasn't real?"
"Your mind makes it real." Kali answered
"What time is it?"
"Its 8:00 PM. But time doesn't mean much when you live in the dark."
"I need food."
In the mess hall, Static met up with Mother.
"Enjoy your training?" Mother said with a smile.
"It was gratifying, but painful."
" I can understand that. I have to watch it."
"So what's your story?"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have any holes?"
"I'm not from the matrix. I was born in Zion."
"Zion?"
"It's the last human city."
"On the surface. It's a hell hole up there."
"No, it's near the Earths core, where it's still warm. You'll be able to
see it once you see the oracle."
"Oracle?"
"Everyone goes to her, in the matrix, I mean. She tells you your destiny."
After 30 minutes of eating, Static started to felt exhausted. Even his
spoon felt heavy.
"Well it's been nice chatting with you," said Static as he reached his hand
out to Mother "But I have to get some sleep."
"Later."
Once in the mess hall, Kali got Static a bowl of goop.
"Thanks."
"You Ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You understand what he told you?"
"Yeah, I'm just trying to grasp that my whole life was a lie," Static said,
rubbing his non-existent beard, and finally realizing what he is doing
"what does that mean?"
"I don't know."
"It means that the matrix does not define who you are." Rook said walking
in "Hurry, and eat. We have work to do."
"Can I get some shoes first?"
"Yeah," replied Kali "MOTHER! Get Static some shoes!"
"Yeah, Yeah." Mother hollered.
Static scarfed his food down and ran to find Rook. He found him in the
cockpit, piloting the ship.
"What type of ship is this?"
"Hover ship."
"What are you doing now?"
"I'm trying to set down."
"What type of work did you mean, earlier?"
"Your training."
"Kali, I want you to train Static as Mother finishes the welds, and checks
all the systems." Said Rook as he came down from the cockpit.
"Yeah, sure skip."
"Oh, and Kali, Start out easy."
"Sure."
"I'll be sleeping if you need me."
"Static, come here."
"Yeah."
"Sit in the chair while I hook you up."
Having the jack plugged into your brain still felt strange, like stabbing a
finger in a hole in your head.
"How's this work?"
"The computer loads the programs straight into your head. You can learn to
fire a gun, stunt drive, fight."
"What's first?"
"First, operations programs. You'll learn to read the matrix, and how this
ship works, among other things."
She loaded the program and sent a whirlwind of knowledge into Static's mind. It felt like the instant gratification of learning a skill and being
able to use it whenever you please.
"Damn!"
"You like that?"
"Yeah."
"Lets move onto something more fun, like weapons training"
Six hours later, and Static was an efficient killer, trained in every
conceivable way of fighting. He'd learned hand-to-hand combat, weapons
training, and squad tactics.
"How's he doing?" rook asked, walking up behind Kali.
"He's good."
"When I'm in, load the jump program."
"Sure skip."
Once Rook was jacked in, Kali loaded the jump program. Static and Rook,
once standing in a tranquil paradise of white, now plummeted toward the roof of a building surrounded by several other buildings. By now Static had
gotten used to the constructs ever changing scenery.
'What's this one?"
"This is our jump program. We use it to teach you to free your mind. The matrix is a computer system. It has rules, but many of these rules are like that of a computer system, some can be bent, others can be broken. You just have to believe you can bend them." And with that, he ran to the edge of
the building and jumped clear to another one.
"Whoa."
Static stood and thought for a second, then walked over to the edge of the building and walked of the edge. As he fell he kept his eyes open the whole time, even when he hit. The ground expanded and he sank straight in, then was sling-shotted back into the air, where he fell to the ground, causing
him a great amount of pain.
"Aghh, shit" He stood back up and looked up at the building Rook landed on.
Suddenly everything disappeared and he and Rook rapidly started moving
together. An instant later they where side by side, and the buildings
reappeared.
"Why did you walk off?" Rook asked.
"I had to let go, I realized I wouldn't make it. So I gave up, and as I
fell I let go of my fear and disbelief. I can't explain it."
"I think I understand what you mean. Again"
After about five jumps, Static was finally able to make it. He was so
ecstatic he kept doing it.
"What's next?"
"Sparring."
Suddenly they were in a dojo, with paper walls, and wooden pillars. Static, wearing a black kimono, got into his favorite stance (if you could call it
that) and waited for Rook to attack him.
"You won't be fighting me."
"Who will I be fighting then?"
"Her." And Rook pointed behind Static.
Static turned around and saw Kali standing in a green kimono.
"Mother get me out."
And Rook disappeared.
" I'll try to go easy on you." Kali said, all business.
"No, go ahead and kick my ass. It's the only way I'll learn." Said Static
with a smirk.
Static ran toward her and started with a high jab. Kali ducked inhumanly fast, tripped Static, and while he was in midair, punched him across the room. Static flew through the paper walls and found himself in an identical
dojo.
"How'd you move so fast?" Asked Static.
"Its another one of those rules you can bend."
"Uh-hu" said Static as he ran towards Kali. With a barrage of kick and
punches, he tried to hit Kali. He punched twice and got both his arms
locked in hers.
'C'mon, you can do better!" yelled Kali.
With another barrage of kicks and punches, Static connected a few times. After he connected a punch to her stomach, he grabbed her by the middle of her Kimono, pulled her towards himself, and threw her across the room, back into the first dojo, and into a pillar, proceeding to break the pillar in
the process.
Kali got up and spat crimson blood. "Good, maybe a little to good." She
said smiling. "You catch on quick."
"Can we take a break now?"
"Sure."
After jacking out, Static tried to get up, only to have an extreme pain in
his sternum. He tasted blood. "I thought it wasn't real?"
"Your mind makes it real." Kali answered
"What time is it?"
"Its 8:00 PM. But time doesn't mean much when you live in the dark."
"I need food."
In the mess hall, Static met up with Mother.
"Enjoy your training?" Mother said with a smile.
"It was gratifying, but painful."
" I can understand that. I have to watch it."
"So what's your story?"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have any holes?"
"I'm not from the matrix. I was born in Zion."
"Zion?"
"It's the last human city."
"On the surface. It's a hell hole up there."
"No, it's near the Earths core, where it's still warm. You'll be able to
see it once you see the oracle."
"Oracle?"
"Everyone goes to her, in the matrix, I mean. She tells you your destiny."
After 30 minutes of eating, Static started to felt exhausted. Even his
spoon felt heavy.
"Well it's been nice chatting with you," said Static as he reached his hand
out to Mother "But I have to get some sleep."
"Later."