A/N: Wow…not much left of this little ficcie. I'm ever so thankful to all of
you who have stuck with me this far. Sorry this installment is a bit long in
coming. I'm a bit tied up in Harry Potter 5 for the time being but that
won't last much longer. This will be one of the shortest chapters though. My
apologies for that. Thanks and cookies also go to Rei for posting this and
putting up with my comma errors.

Note to faithful reviewer Anna: First off you rock for your in-depth
reviews! Once this gets posted in its entirety I'm probably going to go back
and start rewriting it. Its sort of a work-in-progress so reviews like yours
are very helpful. Sorry for the abrupt mood change a few chapters in. I
decided I wanted to take this in a different direction. Sorry also for using
a rather overdone plot line but I've yet to find a way that it can be
helped. If you can come up with a way that I can pull it off I will be more
than happy to see what I can do with it (and give you credit of course). I
also wouldn't mind a little help as to how Smith proves to Glitch that he's
an AI. I have read Tanathir's fic (started reading it a few chapters from
the end of writing the first draft of this) and I'm a huge fan of it. I have
to be careful sometimes to keep from copying her style. As for the hacker…
well, let's just say we run across him again and leave it at that. Any more
will spoil my twist on the ending. Thanks again for your excellent reviews!
Please, please, please keep them coming! As for the rest of you lazy bums…you
should take a lesson from Anna on reviewing practices!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from The Matrix or The Matrix Reloaded
though I'm still game if they want to send me one of Smith's replications.
Sick aren't I? You have no idea. The song is from Moulin Rouge though I
think it was originally by Queen. The saying on Glitch's favorite mug is
from my friend Lira. Glitch and all characters you don't recognize are mine.

Rating: PG-13 This one isn't too rough…just some angst. Still…no kids since
they shouldn't have been reading this all along.

Sorry for the long author's note…so without further adieu…the next
installment of A Glitch in his Breathing!

Chapter XIV: Destiny with a Tearful Smile

Outside the dawn is breaking on the stage
That holds our final destiny
The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My makeup may be flaking
But my smile still stays on
The show must go on…
******

Smith couldn't stay their final night they were together as his superiors
had called him away early in the morning. Thus Glitch's sleep was fitful and
full of half-formed dreams and thoughts. It proved her prediction about
sleeping alone after sleeping with Smith. She knew the next morning that she
wouldn't have been able to go a week sleeping like that.

Glitch awoke well before the sun came up. Unable to fall back to sleep, she
stared at the ceiling for she wasn't sure how long before she rolled out of
bed and padded over to her closet. She opted for her usual attire of faded
jeans and a plain tee shirt. She didn't bother with makeup as she had been
for the past few days. The only preening she did was to run a brush through
her hair to tame it.

Glitch checked the clock. It was 6:05 am. She couldn't remember the last
time she had gotten up that early, even while she was in college. Smith had
said he would be there at eight, which gave her a good two hours before he
would come. Plenty of time for a cup of coffee. She smiled to herself as she
poured the water into the coffee maker. If there was one thing she liked
about her personality it was her coffee addiction, even if it was a coping
mechanism sometimes. It came in handy when she wanted an excuse to stay up
late. She hoped Smith would leave that part of her personality intact. She
figured he would since he found her addiction amusing.

She poured her coffee into her favorite mug, which read, "Not A Morning
Person Doesn't Even Begin To Describe." It had been a gift from Ring last
Christmas, which proved she knew Glitch all too well. She wondered if she
would be able to find it again in wherever she ended up after this. That
thought led her to wonder however if she would even remember the mug in the
first place, much less worry about coming by a new one.

Glitch took a long slow sip of her coffee, letting the aromatic liquid
trickle down her throat. She traipsed slowly back into her bedroom and sat
down at her computer for the first time since she had allowed it to be
bugged. With Smith around to keep her occupied, she hadn't felt the need to
spend her evenings searching the web for nothing in particular. It felt
alien to be sitting in her leather desk chair once again.

She hit the power button on the keyboard and turned on the monitor. Whatever
surveillance equipment or programming Smith's cohorts had installed never
showed while it powered up. She pulled up her email and opened a new
document. After she keyed in Splinter's email address she began to type, her
fingers not moving quite as accurately as they once had.


Splinter,

I'm sorry I haven't been to the Mainframe in so long. I hope I didn't worry
you. I don't think you'll be seeing much of me anymore. This deal with the
feds turned out to be worse than I had expected. They sent an agent to my
house to explain what was really going on and I found out that it could've
been really dangerous. I'm in good hands though. The feds are on my side and
have promised to get me out of this. Worst comes to worst, I'm sure I can
fend for myself. I survived you guys didn't I? Tell Ring she can pick up the
dresses and what not she lent me from my apartment later today. I'll leave
the door unlocked for her. You could have her pick up the books you lent me
too. They were great by the way. Sorry if I've unnerved you guys. I'll miss
all of you.

Glitch

PS: Don't reply to this. I won't get it and the feds have my computer
bugged.


Glitch gave her email a once over after typing it and then hit Enter to send
it off. She glanced through her email and found that all she had been sent
was a reminder from her landlord that her rent was over due. She didn't even
bother to delete it before shutting down her computer. She took another long
drink from her mug as she rose from her chair.

She spent the next hour and a half pacing like a caged wild cat about her
apartment stopping occasionally to refill her coffee mug and glance out the
window. The wait seemed to fill the space of a small eternity.

A knock came at her door precisely at eight.

"Good morning, Simone." Smith greeted when she opened the door. His voice
held some distance in it, as it had when they had first met. There was also a
barely detectable edge of uneasiness.

"Good morning, Agent Smith." Glitch returned politely, shutting out the
surge of emotions that crashed through her. "I take it that it's time to go?"

He gave the barest of nods. "I am to have you at the military building a few
blocks from here at 8:30."

"The one that overlooks the park?" She asked as she got her coat from the
back of one of the stools in the kitchen.

Smith nodded stiffly.

"So I take it you're planning on walking?"

He nodded again.

"Well, let's get going then." Glitch said in an attempt to sound
enthusiastic. "If your cohorts are anything like you, they won't like us
being late." She strode past Smith and out the door, throwing the coat
around her shoulders as she went.

Glitch walked fast when she was nervous, which meant she had no trouble
keeping up with Smith's long strides. She felt excited as well, which was
reflected in the bounce in her step. She almost appeared to be eager rather
than frightened.

"Are you not afraid?" Smith asked as they neared the park.

"Of course. Who wouldn't be?" Glitch replied shoving her hands into her
pockets. "I'm looking forward to the change though." She said, thinking she
sounded like she was going off to college rather than having her entire
memory erased.

"You won't have anything to compare your new life to." Smith pointed out as
they crossed the street. "All your old memories will be erased."

"My old memories are part of the reason this life sucks." Glitch told him
flatly. "I don't want to remember all my past mistakes and regrets."

Smith nodded somberly as they entered the park.

The park was quiet for the most part except for the ducks, which were just
waking up. Sunlight streamed in silver ribbons between the tall buildings
surrounding them making the beads of dew sparkle like scattered diamond dust
on the grass. For the first time all morning, Glitch smiled. If she would be
able to remember it, she knew she would miss this park.

When they had reached the revolving doors of the military installation
Glitch's face froze over again as she looked up its stony face. It stood
some sixty stories tall, fashioned of pale brick and tinted glass. The
whirring of a propeller cued Glitch in to the fact that there was a
helicopter on the roof.

Smith led Glitch through the security check and on to the elevator that lay
on the far side of the stone walled lobby. The mirrored metal doors in the
lift showed Glitch her reflection. She looked rather woebegone in her faded
jeans standing next to Smith's pristine three-piece suit. She also noticed
her gray eyes had regained their blank, stagnant stare. The woman staring
back at her, so peacefully emotionless, didn't look at all how she felt. Her
insides were writhing with adrenaline.

They took the elevator to the twenty-second floor and the metal doors opened
to reveal a hallway lined with doors. Every door bore a brass plate with a
room number etched on it. Smith led her down the hall to room 379 and went
to open the door. His hand paused on the handle as he back at her through
his dark glasses.

"This is your last chance Simone." Smith told her, keeping his voice
carefully neutral as not to show any sign of fear or misgiving. "I just want
to make sure this is truly what you want."

Glitch stared up at him, suddenly willing to give anything to have been able
to see through those dark lenses to the deep blue eyes that lay beyond. She
swallowed thickly and nodded.

Smith's jaw seemed to convulse as he turned the door handle.
******

Oooh…suspense! See you in the next chapter!