At this point, I've decided to make this story a somewhat prequel to
Changing the Tides. Enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~
"You two are the only people ever to come upon this place. I created it by hacking. I found this cool thing where I could hack out of any space, into a new dimension almost, and then back in, allowing me to control anything and everything I create." The girl explained.
"Do you know how you did this? Hack out, I mean." Neo asked.
"Well, I'm not sure. I was flying through all kinds of access codes and mainframe hacks when I stumbled upon what I call an 'unlocked door' because it's so easy to crack. I easily hacked through it into this space where I found hundreds upon thousands of files that I couldn't crack for a sim program."
"Why do you call it that?" Neo inquired at the choice of words.
"Because it was all files on a fake Earth, fake reality, whatever you want to call it. Like a sim. You know, Sim City?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know it. Played it quite often enough." Neo nodded, gaining a questioning glance from Trinity.
"Well, that's what it was, but I was outside of those files, in a new cyber space. And I had the ability to create a new file to add to the other files that I could crack because I made it. So I made my own place. The only problem was that it transcended onto the real planet, not a sim, and that's why I'm here. People that lived around here, they didn't understand why there was nothing where something should've been. So they left. Now this fucked up thing I created is left alone, until you came along."
"Did you ever feel that this world that you live in just wasn't quite right? Like something was wrong with it?" Neo asked calmly.
The girl's eyes, which were eyeing Trinity's gun, immediately flicked to Neo's.
"H-how did you know that?" She asked.
Neo leaned back, as if relaxing.
"Trinity, I think you can lower your gun now. She won't do anything." Neo took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Trinity? Not the Trinity? Who cracked the IRS database?" The girl's eyes widened upon the name and the face.
Trinity sighed and placed the gun in a hidden holster inside her jacket.
"One and the same girl. Neo, I'd like to talk with you for a moment if you don't mind." Trinity motioned with her hand for him to follow.
"Oh my God. Neo? Oh God. Oh God."
Neo glanced at the girl.
"Stay here."
~~*~~
"Do you think we could unplug her?" Trinity asked the moment the door closed.
"Yeah, but we have to be careful. She doesn't know what she did. If we push her, she may never be able to do it again." Neo leaned against the wall, facing her.
"I know. But she hacked into the machine's mainframe. She got into the Matrix's database. No one has ever done that. If we pull her out and she shows us-" Trinity's train of thought was cut short by Neo.
"No. She did it accidentally. I think we should leave her in the matrix, as an informant. She can hack for us, and we can help finding the correct codes to hack. If we can shut down the machines' control over the Matrix, then we can safely free all minds that can be freed."
"We could probably find the files for Sentinels and all of that."
"Yeah. You're right, but she won't know what they are."
"Then one of us will help her."
"Do remember that we have to get out of here first."
"I know. Come on." Trinity ended the conversation as she walked towards the door.
~~*~~
"Anything now? Any news?" Detrick asked a tired Morpheus.
"None. I'll call them in a few minutes though to check up." Morpheus yawned.
"Want me to take the shift? You're a bit too tired."
Sleep taking him over, Morpheus nodded, and began the long trek back to his and Niobe's room.
~~*~~
"What's your name?" Trinity asked, breaking the stare Neo was getting from her.
"Max." Came the quick reply.
"And your hacker name?"
The girl paused, eyeing Trinity cautiously, as if weighing the chances of getting in trouble.
"Grace."
"Grace," Neo began, leaning forward in his chair, "How can we get out of here?"
"Walk out."
"No. We tried. It's like an invisible wall. You can get in, but not back out."
"Okay, I made it like that because I didn't think anyone would come in. I'll just get out, change the boundaries I've made a bit and you can leave."
"Before you do, I want to ask you, do you want to know the truth?" Neo asked.
Biting her lip in concentration, Grace locked eyes with him before responding.
"Yes."
"The only catch is that we can't show you the truth until after you help us with your hacking. Trinity and I will come visit you to help hack those files."
"All right."
Neo took a breath before beginning the long speech of the Matrix.
~~*~~
"Operator." Sparks pressed the headset to his ear.
"Sparks, we need an exit." Neo's voice crackled through the phone.
"Got one ready for you. It's in Rome. When you get there, tell me."
"Yeah, yeah." Neo smirked before shutting off the phone and readjusting his grip around Trinity's waist.
~~*~~
"Nice to see you awake." Niobe commented as she pulled the IV bag out of Neo's arm while Flash pulled the spike out of his head. Glancing over, Neo saw Morpheus and Ghost doing the same to Trinity.
As Neo stood, stretching his legs for the first time in over a day, the proximity warning began flashing.
"Sentinels, coming in quick!" Link called from the operator's chair.
~~~~~~~~~
"You two are the only people ever to come upon this place. I created it by hacking. I found this cool thing where I could hack out of any space, into a new dimension almost, and then back in, allowing me to control anything and everything I create." The girl explained.
"Do you know how you did this? Hack out, I mean." Neo asked.
"Well, I'm not sure. I was flying through all kinds of access codes and mainframe hacks when I stumbled upon what I call an 'unlocked door' because it's so easy to crack. I easily hacked through it into this space where I found hundreds upon thousands of files that I couldn't crack for a sim program."
"Why do you call it that?" Neo inquired at the choice of words.
"Because it was all files on a fake Earth, fake reality, whatever you want to call it. Like a sim. You know, Sim City?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know it. Played it quite often enough." Neo nodded, gaining a questioning glance from Trinity.
"Well, that's what it was, but I was outside of those files, in a new cyber space. And I had the ability to create a new file to add to the other files that I could crack because I made it. So I made my own place. The only problem was that it transcended onto the real planet, not a sim, and that's why I'm here. People that lived around here, they didn't understand why there was nothing where something should've been. So they left. Now this fucked up thing I created is left alone, until you came along."
"Did you ever feel that this world that you live in just wasn't quite right? Like something was wrong with it?" Neo asked calmly.
The girl's eyes, which were eyeing Trinity's gun, immediately flicked to Neo's.
"H-how did you know that?" She asked.
Neo leaned back, as if relaxing.
"Trinity, I think you can lower your gun now. She won't do anything." Neo took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Trinity? Not the Trinity? Who cracked the IRS database?" The girl's eyes widened upon the name and the face.
Trinity sighed and placed the gun in a hidden holster inside her jacket.
"One and the same girl. Neo, I'd like to talk with you for a moment if you don't mind." Trinity motioned with her hand for him to follow.
"Oh my God. Neo? Oh God. Oh God."
Neo glanced at the girl.
"Stay here."
~~*~~
"Do you think we could unplug her?" Trinity asked the moment the door closed.
"Yeah, but we have to be careful. She doesn't know what she did. If we push her, she may never be able to do it again." Neo leaned against the wall, facing her.
"I know. But she hacked into the machine's mainframe. She got into the Matrix's database. No one has ever done that. If we pull her out and she shows us-" Trinity's train of thought was cut short by Neo.
"No. She did it accidentally. I think we should leave her in the matrix, as an informant. She can hack for us, and we can help finding the correct codes to hack. If we can shut down the machines' control over the Matrix, then we can safely free all minds that can be freed."
"We could probably find the files for Sentinels and all of that."
"Yeah. You're right, but she won't know what they are."
"Then one of us will help her."
"Do remember that we have to get out of here first."
"I know. Come on." Trinity ended the conversation as she walked towards the door.
~~*~~
"Anything now? Any news?" Detrick asked a tired Morpheus.
"None. I'll call them in a few minutes though to check up." Morpheus yawned.
"Want me to take the shift? You're a bit too tired."
Sleep taking him over, Morpheus nodded, and began the long trek back to his and Niobe's room.
~~*~~
"What's your name?" Trinity asked, breaking the stare Neo was getting from her.
"Max." Came the quick reply.
"And your hacker name?"
The girl paused, eyeing Trinity cautiously, as if weighing the chances of getting in trouble.
"Grace."
"Grace," Neo began, leaning forward in his chair, "How can we get out of here?"
"Walk out."
"No. We tried. It's like an invisible wall. You can get in, but not back out."
"Okay, I made it like that because I didn't think anyone would come in. I'll just get out, change the boundaries I've made a bit and you can leave."
"Before you do, I want to ask you, do you want to know the truth?" Neo asked.
Biting her lip in concentration, Grace locked eyes with him before responding.
"Yes."
"The only catch is that we can't show you the truth until after you help us with your hacking. Trinity and I will come visit you to help hack those files."
"All right."
Neo took a breath before beginning the long speech of the Matrix.
~~*~~
"Operator." Sparks pressed the headset to his ear.
"Sparks, we need an exit." Neo's voice crackled through the phone.
"Got one ready for you. It's in Rome. When you get there, tell me."
"Yeah, yeah." Neo smirked before shutting off the phone and readjusting his grip around Trinity's waist.
~~*~~
"Nice to see you awake." Niobe commented as she pulled the IV bag out of Neo's arm while Flash pulled the spike out of his head. Glancing over, Neo saw Morpheus and Ghost doing the same to Trinity.
As Neo stood, stretching his legs for the first time in over a day, the proximity warning began flashing.
"Sentinels, coming in quick!" Link called from the operator's chair.
