A/N: Hello all! Wow! Graduation is here for me! After four years I'm done
with high school. The story should come a little faster now that I don't
have chemistry to study and government essays to write. I hope none of you
have been on pins and needles waiting on this, but judging by the lack of
reviews, I doubt it… (hint hint hint--want more reviews--hint hint hint)
Anyway…
Disclaimers: I hate these damn things…No I don't own anyone in the Matrix or
the Matrix Reloaded. The song lyrics are from the song "Simone" by Henry
Gross. They are where I actually got Glitch's real name as well as some
ideas about her personality. I do own Glitch and Ring though so not using
them without my permission.
Rating: This chappie is a pretty strong R for language and adult topics of
conversation. We get a look at Ring's rather perverse sense of humor. No
kiddies allowed. Parents…once again I am old enough to read and write this.
Just because this kind of material is out here doesn't mean your little brat
should be reading it. It is YOUR responsibility.
Ok…now that I'm off my soap box… on with the show!
Chapter VIII: The Past of Simone
Simone though I know
How you've tried not to show
That you'll leave me on my own some day
Here in my heart I can say
Simone we've begun
And darling you're the one
I've been saving up these words to say
All my life for today
******
Glitch awoke earlier than usual the next morning. She padded barefoot into
the kitchen and began to make herself her morning coffee as she hummed a
verse of a Billy Joel song to herself.
She spent the morning doing nothing of any real relevance though she did
catch up on some reading she had been meaning to do. It was high time that
she got Splinter's Chuck Palahniuk books back to him. Her stay at home job
as a computer programmer was a great cover for her life as a hacker but
lately, it had been taking over her life.
About noon the phone rang. Glitch all but pounced on the phone but was
surprised to find that it was not Agent Smith calling her, but her best
friend Ring.
"Hello, love bird."
Glitch laughed. "Don't call me that."
"Hey, I'll call you whatever I fucking please." She returned with mocking
indignance. "At least until you tell me who your mystery man is."
At that moment, Glitch would have sold her soul to be able to tell Ring what
was going on. It had been so long since she and Ring had dissolved into
giggles like schoolgirls over something that had happened on a date. But
how could she even tell her the half of it? It would only raise more
questions that she couldn't answer. Hell, she probably didn't even know the
answer to some of the things Ring might ask. Like Smith's first name. Did he
even fucking have one?
"I really don't want to say anything about him. At least not yet." She lied.
"He's really shy."
Ring heaved an exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine. At least tell me what the man
looks like. Is he cute?"
"Oh honey!" Glitch breathed as she melted down onto her bed. "You have no
idea!"
"So what's his best feature?" Ring probed. "Eyes? Hair?" Then her voice
dropped to a more risqué-sounding octave. "His lips?"
Glitch actually giggled in a very school-age fashion. "His eyes." She said.
"His eyes are blue."
"Oooh!" Ring breathed. "Blue like what? Are they sky blue? Bahama Ocean
water blue?"
"No, no." Glitch said. "They're darker than that, like navy blue."
"Does that occur naturally?"
"I think it does for him. He doesn't wear contacts."
"So…" Ring said drawing out the "O" and then pausing dramatically. "Have you
done the deed?"
"What?!" Glitch exclaimed.
"Oh, don't you 'What?!' me." Ring replied sounding rather huffy. "You know
damn well what I mean."
"Yeah I know what you mean but don't you think it¹s a bit quick for me to be
jumping his bones." Glitch asked. "We've only had one date."
There was a silence on the other end of the line.
Glitch heaved a sigh and took the bridge of her nose in her free hand.
"Right. I forgot who I was talking to."
"Is it even a possibility?" Ring asked.
Glitch gave one of her signature nonchalant shrugs. "He's male. Of course
it¹s a possibility."
"You and Slice didn't while you were together." She pointed out. "At least
if you did neither of you ever told me."
"We didn't. And even if we had he had better not have said a word to
anyone." Glitch replied hotly.
Ring's frown at Glitch's tone could be heard in her voice. "I hope you don't
take my asking this the wrong way," She said cautiously, "But why are you
still so touchy about Slice?"
Glitch sighed, the air hissing across the speaker. "I know I still am and I
know I shouldn't be. Its just…" She huffed loudly and ran her fingers
through her hair.
"I mean, it's been a year, Glitchie." Her friend said soothingly. "And its
still an open wound after all this time?"
"But we dated for nearly two years, Ring." Glitch replied. "We were talking
marriage, girl. Marriage!"
"Shit! You never told me that!"
"That's because our relationship disintegrated not two weeks after that."
"I remember that." Ring said softly, in an almost nostalgic voice. "One
moment you two were the happy couple, all hugs and kisses and chocolate and
rosewater and then…well…" She trailed off and was silent for a moment. "I
never asked. What happened?"
Glitch sighed heavily. "He started to push the issue of marriage and I…well
I suppose it was my fault. I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.
I mean marriage is supposed to be like…for always."
Ring made a derisive sound. "That doesn't make it your fault."
"Maybe." Glitch said but she didn't sound like she believed it.
"Look, quit beating yourself up about it." Ring said encouragingly. "So you
and Slice weren't meant to be. That doesn't mean you should give up on love
completely."
Glitch couldn't help but smile. "I haven't given up." She said. "After all.
If I had, I wouldn't be dating someone else."
She could hear Ring's smile blooming. "Good. So you'll tell me when you and
mystery man get it on right?" She asked hopefully.
"Ring sometimes I wonder if you sin vicariously through the rest of us."
Glitch mused, her voice dancing with laughter.
"Is that a yes?" Ring asked flatly.
"Yeah you'll be the first to know." She replied.
"Great." Ring said. "Look chick I gotta run. Some crime lord down town wants
a password to some Colombian law enforcement database. Probably more of a
drug lord than a crime lord."
"Splinter find it?" Glitch asked.
"Yeah but he wanted me to deliver. The crime lord owns an S and M club,
which is the drop off point. I'd probably fit into the black leather scene
the best of all of us."
"But of course. We can't go sending your sister into a rave pit after all."
Glitch said.
"At least not yet anyway." Ring replied.
"Be careful alright?"
Ring's smirk could be heard in the cockiness of her voice. "Am I ever
anything but?" She asked feinting innocence.
Glitch laughed. "No but be careful all the same."
"Will do." Ring replied honestly. "Later, Glitchie."
"Later."
The phone hadn't been hung up ten minutes before it rang again.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Ms. Carter." Smith's stiff voice came through the receiver.
"Hello Agent Smith." She replied. "How are you?"
"I am well." Smith replied simply.
Glitch could only wonder if that was a programmed response. "What are you up
to?"
"I cannot tell you." Smith answered.
"Ah. Of course. It's classified I'm sure." She said pinning the phone to her
ear with her shoulder as she refilled her coffee cup. There was a long
silence as Glitch added the cream and sugar.
"What is the purpose of this conversation?" Smith asked in a mechanical but
impatient tone.
"I don't know. You called me." Glitch replied mildly as she stirred her
coffee.
"I called because you told me to." He returned rather sharply.
"I told you to call because you said you wanted to do something again." She
countered.
"Well what would you like to do?" Smith asked blankly.
"Well I picked last time." She said. "Why don't you decide."
"I do not know how to go about selecting an activity for us." He answered, a
note of discomfort in his voice. "Since you are showing me how human
intimacy comes about perhaps it would be best if you decided."
Glitch nodded to herself thoughtfully. After a moment of deliberation her
eyes fell on her recently acquired DVD player and the small stack of DVDs
that lay nearby. An idea sparked in her mind. It was devious and nasty and
was the worst thing any girl could do to a guy, but it just might help Smith
understand what she was trying to show him. "I know what we could do." She
said, a crafty smile spreading across her face.
"What is that, Ms. Carter?" Smith asked, a slight interest coloring his
normally neutral voice.
"You wanna come over and watch a movie?" she asked, before she took a sip of
her coffee. "I'll make us popcorn."
"Is this something humans do on dates?" Smith asked cautiously.
Glitch sighed out of amusement. "Yes Agent Smith, it is."
"What movie will we be watching?"
"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I was thinking that since you wanted to
learn more about human intimacy watching it would be a good way to learn."
Silence on the other end of the line.
"We are watching a romance." She said flatly. Gods, she thought, He may
be a machine, but he is also male which means hints do nothing but bounce
off of his steel plated skull.
"Very well," Smith replied, sounding pleased. "What time shall I arrive?"
"Is six good for you?" She asked.
That will be fine." Smith answered.
"Sweet. See you then."
"Goodbye, Ms. Carter"
"Goodbye, Agent Smith."
******