Chapter 8
Hunter wasn't sure what to expect after that statement. He also wasn't sure who this "Tank" was. Neo had talked to him twice now, but Hunter had yet to have even a vague idea who Tank was. He didn't have much time to wonder, though, because huge white nothingness around him Neo had called the construct was fading into what looked like an old martial arts training room. It had wood floor and pillars, and windows that let nothing in or out but light.
"What's going on?" Hunter asked.
"We're seeing how good you are," a female voice said behind him.
He turned, not at all surprised to see Trinity standing behind him. "So what, now I have to beat you two?"
"No," replied a deep baratone voice to his left. "You only have to fight one of us."
Hunter turned again to find Morpheus standing there.
"And, since you were designed to fight me," Neo said, drawing all eyes to him. "You'll get to spar with me."
Hunter groaned. "It's my lucky day."
He looked at Trinity, then Morpheus. "Why you here?"
"We're here ta be en'ertained."
Splinter was standing almost directly across from Morpheus.
"Are you trying to intimidate me or something?" Hunter asked.
"Nah, jus' frustrate ya," Splinter grinned.
"It's working."
Splinters grin got even wider. "Good."
"Well, let the slaughter begin," Hunter said in a rather resigned voice.
He turned and bowed to Neo. Neo returned the gesture.
"Now hit me," Neo told Hunter. "If you can." He said this with a quick glance at Morpheus, and they both grinned slightly, obviously enjoying an inside joke.
Hunter came at Neo so fast that Splinter, who happened to be blinking at the time, missed it. To Neo, however, Hunter might as well have come walking up, told him where he was going to hit, and then swung in slow motion. Hunter started out with a fast right hook, aimed at Neo's jaw. Neo simply raised his left hand and pushed the blow in front of him. Hunter followed with a hard jab with his left at Neo's chest. Neo just threw it past with his right. Hunter swung an uppercut at Neo's jaw. Neo simply did a back-flip and set a kick into Hunters jaw that sent him sailing in a similar arc in the opposite direction. Neo landed first, on his feet. Hunter landed a moment later, on his back. Hard. To his credit, he didn't stay down, but used his arms and legs to spin around and try to kick Neo's legs out from under him. Neo hopped over his kick, almost like it was a jump-rope, and swung a kick at Hunters head. To his credit, Hunter managed to dodge it fairly gracefully, and brought himself to his feet simply by slamming his left hand into the floor, causing him to go flying in a horizontal spinning circle away from Neo. As he landed, Neo came in firing a three strike series. The first, a right punch aimed at Hunter's head, he dodged. The second, a left punch aimed at his lower torso, he deflected to his right. The last was an open handed slam to Hunters chest that sent him flying into one of the nearest pillars.
As he hopped up, Splinter said "Ahh, common Neo, cut da kid some slack!"
"What do you think those first two punches were?"
The conversation distracted Neo just enough that when Hunter ran up, jumped in the air, and delivered three snap kicks right, left, right, Neo had to take a step back from each one, blocking as he went. And so the fight continued, with Hunter slowly getting better. He couldn't land anything on Neo, but he got closer than any Agent ever had, and he was able to dodge more of Neo's hits, and actually managed to block a few that were meant to be serious. Finally, in desperation, Hunter tried something that actually gave him a few second, and he managed to land a punch on Neo.
He saw his chance when Neo was swinging a karate chop at his neck. He dispersed his code, and reassembled it right behind Neo. He managed to get one good strong kick at Neo's back, which sent him flying into a pillar. Hunter dropped his guard, and was about to walk over nonchalantly and help Neo up. He didn't get the chance. Neo flipped up, and took four steps. The first two covered the 2 meters between them. The next one was on Hunters knees, and the fourth on his mid torso. Neo then slammed his other foot into the side of Hunters head. Hunter flipped sideways through the air twice before landed in a heap.
He woke up a few moments later. He found himself on his back and the other four staring at him from above.
Neo spoke first. "You OK?"
"I think so."
"Good. You want to go again?" Neo asked, with a grin.
'No thanks, I've had my head handed to me enough for one day. Which reminds me, could you find me some thread so I can sew it back on?"
Neo smiled, and waved his hand like a magician doing a trick. A spool of thread appeared between his thumb and forefinger.
"Here you go," he said, dropping it on Hunters chest.
"Ho, ho, ho," Hunter said, wincing on the last "ho".
As if on cue, a phone seemed to materialize on the wall, and start ringing.
Morpheus walked over and picked it up, as Neo and Trinity gave Hunter a hand up, and Splinter made a big show of dusted him off.
Morpheus listened for a moment then said. "Right Tank, get us out."
He then turned to the other four, who were looking at him curiously. "We've got trouble."
Hunter wasn't sure what to expect after that statement. He also wasn't sure who this "Tank" was. Neo had talked to him twice now, but Hunter had yet to have even a vague idea who Tank was. He didn't have much time to wonder, though, because huge white nothingness around him Neo had called the construct was fading into what looked like an old martial arts training room. It had wood floor and pillars, and windows that let nothing in or out but light.
"What's going on?" Hunter asked.
"We're seeing how good you are," a female voice said behind him.
He turned, not at all surprised to see Trinity standing behind him. "So what, now I have to beat you two?"
"No," replied a deep baratone voice to his left. "You only have to fight one of us."
Hunter turned again to find Morpheus standing there.
"And, since you were designed to fight me," Neo said, drawing all eyes to him. "You'll get to spar with me."
Hunter groaned. "It's my lucky day."
He looked at Trinity, then Morpheus. "Why you here?"
"We're here ta be en'ertained."
Splinter was standing almost directly across from Morpheus.
"Are you trying to intimidate me or something?" Hunter asked.
"Nah, jus' frustrate ya," Splinter grinned.
"It's working."
Splinters grin got even wider. "Good."
"Well, let the slaughter begin," Hunter said in a rather resigned voice.
He turned and bowed to Neo. Neo returned the gesture.
"Now hit me," Neo told Hunter. "If you can." He said this with a quick glance at Morpheus, and they both grinned slightly, obviously enjoying an inside joke.
Hunter came at Neo so fast that Splinter, who happened to be blinking at the time, missed it. To Neo, however, Hunter might as well have come walking up, told him where he was going to hit, and then swung in slow motion. Hunter started out with a fast right hook, aimed at Neo's jaw. Neo simply raised his left hand and pushed the blow in front of him. Hunter followed with a hard jab with his left at Neo's chest. Neo just threw it past with his right. Hunter swung an uppercut at Neo's jaw. Neo simply did a back-flip and set a kick into Hunters jaw that sent him sailing in a similar arc in the opposite direction. Neo landed first, on his feet. Hunter landed a moment later, on his back. Hard. To his credit, he didn't stay down, but used his arms and legs to spin around and try to kick Neo's legs out from under him. Neo hopped over his kick, almost like it was a jump-rope, and swung a kick at Hunters head. To his credit, Hunter managed to dodge it fairly gracefully, and brought himself to his feet simply by slamming his left hand into the floor, causing him to go flying in a horizontal spinning circle away from Neo. As he landed, Neo came in firing a three strike series. The first, a right punch aimed at Hunter's head, he dodged. The second, a left punch aimed at his lower torso, he deflected to his right. The last was an open handed slam to Hunters chest that sent him flying into one of the nearest pillars.
As he hopped up, Splinter said "Ahh, common Neo, cut da kid some slack!"
"What do you think those first two punches were?"
The conversation distracted Neo just enough that when Hunter ran up, jumped in the air, and delivered three snap kicks right, left, right, Neo had to take a step back from each one, blocking as he went. And so the fight continued, with Hunter slowly getting better. He couldn't land anything on Neo, but he got closer than any Agent ever had, and he was able to dodge more of Neo's hits, and actually managed to block a few that were meant to be serious. Finally, in desperation, Hunter tried something that actually gave him a few second, and he managed to land a punch on Neo.
He saw his chance when Neo was swinging a karate chop at his neck. He dispersed his code, and reassembled it right behind Neo. He managed to get one good strong kick at Neo's back, which sent him flying into a pillar. Hunter dropped his guard, and was about to walk over nonchalantly and help Neo up. He didn't get the chance. Neo flipped up, and took four steps. The first two covered the 2 meters between them. The next one was on Hunters knees, and the fourth on his mid torso. Neo then slammed his other foot into the side of Hunters head. Hunter flipped sideways through the air twice before landed in a heap.
He woke up a few moments later. He found himself on his back and the other four staring at him from above.
Neo spoke first. "You OK?"
"I think so."
"Good. You want to go again?" Neo asked, with a grin.
'No thanks, I've had my head handed to me enough for one day. Which reminds me, could you find me some thread so I can sew it back on?"
Neo smiled, and waved his hand like a magician doing a trick. A spool of thread appeared between his thumb and forefinger.
"Here you go," he said, dropping it on Hunters chest.
"Ho, ho, ho," Hunter said, wincing on the last "ho".
As if on cue, a phone seemed to materialize on the wall, and start ringing.
Morpheus walked over and picked it up, as Neo and Trinity gave Hunter a hand up, and Splinter made a big show of dusted him off.
Morpheus listened for a moment then said. "Right Tank, get us out."
He then turned to the other four, who were looking at him curiously. "We've got trouble."