There's only a couple more chapters left... Hope y'all enjoy this one!
Chapter 13 - Ambush
"Found her," said Tank, pointing to the screen, "She's in the government building in London."
Morpheus nodded. He then resumed to talking to Jon. "Thank you for your assistance, young man. We've located Asha. She's in the government building in London."
"There's one in London?" said Jon, "Where?"
"It's disguised as a tourist attraction. It's next to the River Thames, and looks like a large clock-"
"Big Ben?" said Jon incredulously, "The agent base in London is Big Ben?"
"Yes," said Morpheus, "But again, thank you for your help. We'll tell you how everything goes-"
"Hey, wait, wait, wait," said Jon, "I want to come. I want to help."
"Out of the question," said Morpheus, "It's too dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."
"I don't care. I want to help Asha."
Trinity ran up and grabbed the phone. "We'll meet you by the London Eye in half an hour, Jon," she said, and hung up. Morpheus raised an eyebrow.
"He would try and help her anyway," said Trinity, "If he's with us, we can help him."
"It is not your place to decide that."
"I know that. But I had to make sure that the right decision was made."
"Trinity-"
"Morpheus, did you leave anyone behind when you were unplugged?"
Morpheus was silent, and then shook his head. "No."
"Well, I did. I had to leave my little sister, and to this day I don't know how she is, and she doesn't know what's happened to me. This boy has a chance to see his best friend again, and help her. Isn't that worth the risk?"
Morpheus looked down. Trinity's speeches could do that to a person. "He's just a boy," he said, "He doesn't know what he's getting himself into."
"And she's just a girl," said Trinity, "She didn't know when she agreed to go with us. None of us know what's waiting for us at that building."
Morpheus nodded. "All right, Trinity," he said, "But he's your responsibility."
Trinity nodded. "I know."
* * * * *
Jon grabbed his backpack, in which he had thrown his money, his phone and a map, and, pausing only to grab some sunglasses and his little sister's hockey stick, ran outside and jumped on a bus heading towards the Thames. As he sat staring out the window at the streets rolling past, he mulled over in his mind everything that he'd discovered. All this wasn't real; he was still plugged into the Matrix. That felt seriously strange. But he couldn't concentrate on that now, he had to focus. Asha was in danger.
When he saw the Houses of Parliament drawing nearer, he jumped to his feet and rang the bell, running down the aisle. He knew what he was going to do was insane, reckless and incredibly stupid, but he found that he didn't care. Much. The danger was like a drug; it gave him a rush of adrenaline. But when he saw Morpheus and Trinity waiting, he swallowed. Up till then, part of his mind had been disbelieving everything. Now it was brought home to him just what they were going to do.
"There you are," said Morpheus, "Tank says that Asha is being held at the very top of Big Ben, in one of the highest rooms. We will have to go in the front way. It's a great loss that Neo cannot be here."
"Why, where is he?" said Jon. Trinity blinked and turned away.
"This is not the time," said Morpheus, "Come on."
Jon fell into step beside Trinity. "Are you OK?" he asked.
"I'm fine," said Trinity firmly, "Are you?"
"I'm..." Jon was expecting himself to say fine, but instead found that he couldn't put a finger on how he was feeling, "I'm... well, a bit blown away by all that's happening. I was expecting to do homework this afternoon, and instead I'm going to mount a rescue attempt on Big Ben to save my best friend from agents of the Matrix. Not quite what I was expecting."
Trinity smiled. "You're so much like Asha."
They walked in silence for a moment. "Are you as big a fan of the Matrix?" said Trinity eventually, "The film," she added, seeing Jon's face.
Jon laughed. "Not as much as Asha, but she does seem pretty obsessed. She acts like its real life, like that's what the world is really like."
"That's because she is the second hope," said Trinity, "She could see more deeply into the film."
Jon didn't know quite what to say to this. "Um... Trinity?" he asked tentatively, "Can I say something?"
"I don't see why not," said Trinity.
"Well... it's just, in the film, I always thought you were kinda hot."
Trinity was not expecting this at all. "Why, thank you Jon." Jon went red.
* * * * *
Asha was very bored. No-one had said anything for about an hour, and she was just sitting there. Agent Smith was pacing the room, waiting, and David was sitting on the floor, occasionally glancing at Asha thoughtfully. Asha was no longer as afraid of him as she had been; she had seen him unnerved.
She tipped her head forward, under the pretext of being tired, but in fact her eyes roved around the room beneath her fringe for ways of escape. There was one window in the corner, but she knew that it was a long drop to the ground. There were several swords in cabinets, but the cabinets were locked, and it wasn't like she could reach them.
Suddenly she remembered how she had thrown Jon out of the way of that lorry. If she could regain the sudden power that she had felt then; who knew what she could do? She looked around the room for a test. There - in the far corner was a small table. She made herself relax, and stared at the table. She felt the growing power in her eyes again, and reached out. The table wobbled slightly, and then ever so slowly, began to raise above the ground. It was all Asha could do not to squeal out loud. She could do it, she could!
She looked at David. He appeared to be deep in thought. She reached out again, and pinched his arm slightly. He swatted the spot absent mindedly. She felt joy rise in her. She could do it, she could escape.
A sudden movement by Agent Smith made her jump. He raised his hand to his ear, in which that little tube that had always bugged Asha was. He nodded. David looked up.
"They're here."
* * * * *
"So what's the plan?" asked Jon, "Are we looking for helicopters, like in the film?"
"No," said Morpheus, "We have no major plan. Basically, enter the lobby, eliminate all resistance we find, and hope for a miracle."
"Oh," said Jon, "Good plan."
"Jon-" said Trinity. She paused. "Take this." She held out an automatic hand gun. Jon stared at it. "Just for defence," added Trinity quickly, "I don't want you fighting if we can avoid it."
Jon would have protested, but knew that she was right. He nodded, and followed Trinity and Morpheus towards the gates.
"Do you want a family ticket?" said the man in the booth outside. Morpheus and Trinity glanced at each other.
"I got it," said Jon, and pulled out a season ticket. Morpheus and Trinity stared at him. "What? I come here a lot. Me and Asha, we used to..." Jon fell silent. Trinity laid a hand on his shoulder and propelled him through the gate into the grounds. As soon as they were inside, she said, "Jon, you don't have to do this. You can just go home."
"No I can't," said Jon, "This is something I have to do."
Trinity nodded. She, Morpheus and Jon strode up the path towards Big Ben, and halted just in front of it.
"Tank, can you get me some blueprints?" said Morpheus. Jon looked around the grounds. He noticed that the grounds, which were normally teeming with tourists, were completely deserted.
That's strange, he thought, it's normally packed here on a Saturday... He turned back to the gates, and felt his heart stop when he saw that they had shut. "It's a trap," he cried.
"Yes," said Agent Smith, striding calmly out the front door, followed be several other agents, "It most certainly is."
Jon felt like his heart had stopped. Agent Smith was standing right in front of him, looking twice as creepy as he did in the film.
"Jon," said Trinity, "Run."
"No," said Jon.
"Run!" ordered Trinity.
Morpheus stared at Agent Smith. "I should have known," said Morpheus, "Neo told me that I didn't show up on the screens when you were holding me captive. Why should we have been able to see Asha?"
"Why indeed?" said Agent Smith, "She has been useful, for her part. She has given us much useful information and has brought you to us."
"Asha would never betray us!" said Jon angrily, "She hates the Matrix! She calls you a butthole about five times every time we watch it! She'd never betray the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar."
Agent Smith raised his eyebrows. "It is touching that you have such faith in your friend. But she can't help you now. She has served out her purpose."
"What are you talking about?" said Trinity.
"She had done what we needed her for," said Agent Smith, "She now has a choice. She can either join our side..." His gaze cut through Jon like ice. "Or she will die."
* * * * *
Kit19 - Yaaaay!!! Asha's going to kick bad-guy butt soon! I know the name changed halfway through, that was his original name, but I changed it. I've fixed it now. Agent Smith compared to Smurfs? Now there's a thought... Imagine a Smurf being an agent...
Im a Brandybuck - Wow, that party sounds so much fun. Happy Birthday, by the way!
Yilantri - *eyes rubber chicken in fear* Uh-oh...
Tanuki Yasha - Wow, I can certainly say I know the difference now... And I think that title would make me sound just a leeeeettle conceited.
Fairy-of-the-Lost - Wow, your name rocks. Thank you!
Trigger2 - Thank you too!
JB Foster - I know that Neo was scaled down a bit, I hadn't realised that he had been to such an extent though. Its because I wanted this story to focus on Asha, really, and with Neo awake it would mean that half this stuff couldn't happen. Sorry, though. And there's fighting coming, but I'm not so good at describing it, so I'll leave it to the readers to imagine loads of kick-ass kung fu moves for them to do. And I am a girl, you guessed right.
KnowInSight - I'm really glad that you like it so much! Thanks for reviewing! It makes me : )
T'Lorie - I'm weird too. Join the club. *looks out window to see all members of agent fanboard outside waving muffins threateningly* Uh-oh... *runs out door, but runs into Yilantri's rubber chicken* STOP THREATENING ME!!!!
Cirfia - You didn't get a callout? I am so so sorry! Um, please don't send any creatures after me, they all need feeding, and I'm very low on cash, having been to see 'Pirates of the Caribbean' twice already...
Chapter 13 - Ambush
"Found her," said Tank, pointing to the screen, "She's in the government building in London."
Morpheus nodded. He then resumed to talking to Jon. "Thank you for your assistance, young man. We've located Asha. She's in the government building in London."
"There's one in London?" said Jon, "Where?"
"It's disguised as a tourist attraction. It's next to the River Thames, and looks like a large clock-"
"Big Ben?" said Jon incredulously, "The agent base in London is Big Ben?"
"Yes," said Morpheus, "But again, thank you for your help. We'll tell you how everything goes-"
"Hey, wait, wait, wait," said Jon, "I want to come. I want to help."
"Out of the question," said Morpheus, "It's too dangerous. You could get seriously hurt."
"I don't care. I want to help Asha."
Trinity ran up and grabbed the phone. "We'll meet you by the London Eye in half an hour, Jon," she said, and hung up. Morpheus raised an eyebrow.
"He would try and help her anyway," said Trinity, "If he's with us, we can help him."
"It is not your place to decide that."
"I know that. But I had to make sure that the right decision was made."
"Trinity-"
"Morpheus, did you leave anyone behind when you were unplugged?"
Morpheus was silent, and then shook his head. "No."
"Well, I did. I had to leave my little sister, and to this day I don't know how she is, and she doesn't know what's happened to me. This boy has a chance to see his best friend again, and help her. Isn't that worth the risk?"
Morpheus looked down. Trinity's speeches could do that to a person. "He's just a boy," he said, "He doesn't know what he's getting himself into."
"And she's just a girl," said Trinity, "She didn't know when she agreed to go with us. None of us know what's waiting for us at that building."
Morpheus nodded. "All right, Trinity," he said, "But he's your responsibility."
Trinity nodded. "I know."
* * * * *
Jon grabbed his backpack, in which he had thrown his money, his phone and a map, and, pausing only to grab some sunglasses and his little sister's hockey stick, ran outside and jumped on a bus heading towards the Thames. As he sat staring out the window at the streets rolling past, he mulled over in his mind everything that he'd discovered. All this wasn't real; he was still plugged into the Matrix. That felt seriously strange. But he couldn't concentrate on that now, he had to focus. Asha was in danger.
When he saw the Houses of Parliament drawing nearer, he jumped to his feet and rang the bell, running down the aisle. He knew what he was going to do was insane, reckless and incredibly stupid, but he found that he didn't care. Much. The danger was like a drug; it gave him a rush of adrenaline. But when he saw Morpheus and Trinity waiting, he swallowed. Up till then, part of his mind had been disbelieving everything. Now it was brought home to him just what they were going to do.
"There you are," said Morpheus, "Tank says that Asha is being held at the very top of Big Ben, in one of the highest rooms. We will have to go in the front way. It's a great loss that Neo cannot be here."
"Why, where is he?" said Jon. Trinity blinked and turned away.
"This is not the time," said Morpheus, "Come on."
Jon fell into step beside Trinity. "Are you OK?" he asked.
"I'm fine," said Trinity firmly, "Are you?"
"I'm..." Jon was expecting himself to say fine, but instead found that he couldn't put a finger on how he was feeling, "I'm... well, a bit blown away by all that's happening. I was expecting to do homework this afternoon, and instead I'm going to mount a rescue attempt on Big Ben to save my best friend from agents of the Matrix. Not quite what I was expecting."
Trinity smiled. "You're so much like Asha."
They walked in silence for a moment. "Are you as big a fan of the Matrix?" said Trinity eventually, "The film," she added, seeing Jon's face.
Jon laughed. "Not as much as Asha, but she does seem pretty obsessed. She acts like its real life, like that's what the world is really like."
"That's because she is the second hope," said Trinity, "She could see more deeply into the film."
Jon didn't know quite what to say to this. "Um... Trinity?" he asked tentatively, "Can I say something?"
"I don't see why not," said Trinity.
"Well... it's just, in the film, I always thought you were kinda hot."
Trinity was not expecting this at all. "Why, thank you Jon." Jon went red.
* * * * *
Asha was very bored. No-one had said anything for about an hour, and she was just sitting there. Agent Smith was pacing the room, waiting, and David was sitting on the floor, occasionally glancing at Asha thoughtfully. Asha was no longer as afraid of him as she had been; she had seen him unnerved.
She tipped her head forward, under the pretext of being tired, but in fact her eyes roved around the room beneath her fringe for ways of escape. There was one window in the corner, but she knew that it was a long drop to the ground. There were several swords in cabinets, but the cabinets were locked, and it wasn't like she could reach them.
Suddenly she remembered how she had thrown Jon out of the way of that lorry. If she could regain the sudden power that she had felt then; who knew what she could do? She looked around the room for a test. There - in the far corner was a small table. She made herself relax, and stared at the table. She felt the growing power in her eyes again, and reached out. The table wobbled slightly, and then ever so slowly, began to raise above the ground. It was all Asha could do not to squeal out loud. She could do it, she could!
She looked at David. He appeared to be deep in thought. She reached out again, and pinched his arm slightly. He swatted the spot absent mindedly. She felt joy rise in her. She could do it, she could escape.
A sudden movement by Agent Smith made her jump. He raised his hand to his ear, in which that little tube that had always bugged Asha was. He nodded. David looked up.
"They're here."
* * * * *
"So what's the plan?" asked Jon, "Are we looking for helicopters, like in the film?"
"No," said Morpheus, "We have no major plan. Basically, enter the lobby, eliminate all resistance we find, and hope for a miracle."
"Oh," said Jon, "Good plan."
"Jon-" said Trinity. She paused. "Take this." She held out an automatic hand gun. Jon stared at it. "Just for defence," added Trinity quickly, "I don't want you fighting if we can avoid it."
Jon would have protested, but knew that she was right. He nodded, and followed Trinity and Morpheus towards the gates.
"Do you want a family ticket?" said the man in the booth outside. Morpheus and Trinity glanced at each other.
"I got it," said Jon, and pulled out a season ticket. Morpheus and Trinity stared at him. "What? I come here a lot. Me and Asha, we used to..." Jon fell silent. Trinity laid a hand on his shoulder and propelled him through the gate into the grounds. As soon as they were inside, she said, "Jon, you don't have to do this. You can just go home."
"No I can't," said Jon, "This is something I have to do."
Trinity nodded. She, Morpheus and Jon strode up the path towards Big Ben, and halted just in front of it.
"Tank, can you get me some blueprints?" said Morpheus. Jon looked around the grounds. He noticed that the grounds, which were normally teeming with tourists, were completely deserted.
That's strange, he thought, it's normally packed here on a Saturday... He turned back to the gates, and felt his heart stop when he saw that they had shut. "It's a trap," he cried.
"Yes," said Agent Smith, striding calmly out the front door, followed be several other agents, "It most certainly is."
Jon felt like his heart had stopped. Agent Smith was standing right in front of him, looking twice as creepy as he did in the film.
"Jon," said Trinity, "Run."
"No," said Jon.
"Run!" ordered Trinity.
Morpheus stared at Agent Smith. "I should have known," said Morpheus, "Neo told me that I didn't show up on the screens when you were holding me captive. Why should we have been able to see Asha?"
"Why indeed?" said Agent Smith, "She has been useful, for her part. She has given us much useful information and has brought you to us."
"Asha would never betray us!" said Jon angrily, "She hates the Matrix! She calls you a butthole about five times every time we watch it! She'd never betray the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar."
Agent Smith raised his eyebrows. "It is touching that you have such faith in your friend. But she can't help you now. She has served out her purpose."
"What are you talking about?" said Trinity.
"She had done what we needed her for," said Agent Smith, "She now has a choice. She can either join our side..." His gaze cut through Jon like ice. "Or she will die."
* * * * *
Kit19 - Yaaaay!!! Asha's going to kick bad-guy butt soon! I know the name changed halfway through, that was his original name, but I changed it. I've fixed it now. Agent Smith compared to Smurfs? Now there's a thought... Imagine a Smurf being an agent...
Im a Brandybuck - Wow, that party sounds so much fun. Happy Birthday, by the way!
Yilantri - *eyes rubber chicken in fear* Uh-oh...
Tanuki Yasha - Wow, I can certainly say I know the difference now... And I think that title would make me sound just a leeeeettle conceited.
Fairy-of-the-Lost - Wow, your name rocks. Thank you!
Trigger2 - Thank you too!
JB Foster - I know that Neo was scaled down a bit, I hadn't realised that he had been to such an extent though. Its because I wanted this story to focus on Asha, really, and with Neo awake it would mean that half this stuff couldn't happen. Sorry, though. And there's fighting coming, but I'm not so good at describing it, so I'll leave it to the readers to imagine loads of kick-ass kung fu moves for them to do. And I am a girl, you guessed right.
KnowInSight - I'm really glad that you like it so much! Thanks for reviewing! It makes me : )
T'Lorie - I'm weird too. Join the club. *looks out window to see all members of agent fanboard outside waving muffins threateningly* Uh-oh... *runs out door, but runs into Yilantri's rubber chicken* STOP THREATENING ME!!!!
Cirfia - You didn't get a callout? I am so so sorry! Um, please don't send any creatures after me, they all need feeding, and I'm very low on cash, having been to see 'Pirates of the Caribbean' twice already...