Fire awoke to the prod of a police rod. He rubbed his eyes to see a police
officer jabbing his ribs lightly.
" I thought you'd never wake up," the officer said. " Listen, pal, I hate to bum you, but sleeping is illegal on city property."
Fire rose to his feet, trying to remember his casual conduct he had used when he had been a mere computer programmer living out his oblivious life in the matrix some five years earlier.
" I'm sorry, officer," he nodded. " I normally don't fall asleep like that, right on the side of the street. I don't know what must have led to that."
" Rough night, eh?" the officer asked. " Well, just don't let me catch you doing it anymore, alright?"
" Oh, I can assure you, you won't."
The officer looked intently at Fire, then walked off. Fire breathed a deep sigh of relief and turned to see that he was in front of a television store. Its display window housed a large, plasma television. His face was on it, with the word WANTED above it. The text below it read that he was wanted for the death of Caroline Mays, and elderly woman from Chicago.
He looked up and saw that the store adjacent to the television shop was a clothing store. He casually walked in.
Some ten minutes later he walked out wearing a large ball cap and his sunglasses. He walked along the streets of the matrix's Chicago, contemplating things as he did. He could come to no resolution within his mind.
There was a gap of unknown time between when he had blacked out and when he woke up the previous evening in the alleyway. Was it really the same evening as the chase? For all he knew, years had passed. He had to find out the truth. And he knew the first place to check.
Towering above all of the near buildings was a large office complex. It was very familiar to Fire. It was his place of work before he had been unplugged. He walked into the building's front doors.
Five minutes later he exited the elevator at the thirty-sixth floor of the office building. He walked through, staring at the computer programmers typing away endlessly at their cubicles. These were the greatest potentials for unplugging, those in this trade. They seemed to grasp the truth more easily.
He continued onward, however, without speaking to any of them, until he came to the office at the end of the large room. His rapped lightly at the door, then decided to enter the room unanswered anyway. He opened the door and saw his former boss, Jeffrey Mason. Jeff looked up from the folder he was staring at.
" Can I help you?"
" Jeff," was all that Fire could muster.
" Do.we know each other?" Jeff asked, rising from his desk and approaching fire. Fire slowly removed his hat and sunglasses, and Jeff's eyes widened.
"Darre-" the man began, but Jeff covered his mouth. He motioned Jeff to sit back down, and Fire took the seat opposite the desk. He looked at the shocked man sinking into his leather plush seat.
" Listen to me, Jeff," Fire said. " I do not have time to explain everything. I need to get some answers, so I'm starting with you. Did anyone come to talk to you after my absence?"
" Well, of course, Darrell," Jeff replied. " I mean, you just disappeared into thin air, seemingly. Heck, reporters, analysts, priests, oodles of people came and talked to me."
" Do you remember any specific names, or titles?"
" Darrell, it was five years ago. And besides, I've tried to forget it."
" These people that I'm thinking about would be hard to forget," Fire said. " They probably wore suits, had sunglasses, talked very rhythmic."
" There was one who came with the authorities when I was questioned who would probably fit that description," Jeff said. " He only asked me one question. It sort of creeped me out, man. I wasn't being very cooperative with the police, so he stepped forward and grabbed my collar. Then he said 'A man who dreams dreams within a dream cannot outwit a man who never sleeps'."
Those words sent a chill even through Fire's spine. If only Jeffery knew they truth. If he could tell him the truth. Jeff let those words settle in, then continued.
" Then he asked me if you had been searching for information other than typical program work in the past view weeks. I told him that I don't monitor the work of my programmers on their break, because I respect their privacy. He stormed out of the room and the police officers followed."
Fire was only half listening. He looked out of the window to the office and saw agents coming out of the elevator.
" Sorry, Jeff. I have to go."
With that, Fire walked up to the large window facing the city streets. He gulped and jumped through the glass, crashing it. Just as he fell from sight, agents burst into the room, firing everywhere.
" Don't worry, gentlemen, he is gone," Jeff said. " It is going just as planned."
" So he does not even suspect that you are a program?" an agent asked.
" No. He believes that I am truly his old boss," Jeff said. " Just as he believes that this is the real matrix."
" I thought you'd never wake up," the officer said. " Listen, pal, I hate to bum you, but sleeping is illegal on city property."
Fire rose to his feet, trying to remember his casual conduct he had used when he had been a mere computer programmer living out his oblivious life in the matrix some five years earlier.
" I'm sorry, officer," he nodded. " I normally don't fall asleep like that, right on the side of the street. I don't know what must have led to that."
" Rough night, eh?" the officer asked. " Well, just don't let me catch you doing it anymore, alright?"
" Oh, I can assure you, you won't."
The officer looked intently at Fire, then walked off. Fire breathed a deep sigh of relief and turned to see that he was in front of a television store. Its display window housed a large, plasma television. His face was on it, with the word WANTED above it. The text below it read that he was wanted for the death of Caroline Mays, and elderly woman from Chicago.
He looked up and saw that the store adjacent to the television shop was a clothing store. He casually walked in.
Some ten minutes later he walked out wearing a large ball cap and his sunglasses. He walked along the streets of the matrix's Chicago, contemplating things as he did. He could come to no resolution within his mind.
There was a gap of unknown time between when he had blacked out and when he woke up the previous evening in the alleyway. Was it really the same evening as the chase? For all he knew, years had passed. He had to find out the truth. And he knew the first place to check.
Towering above all of the near buildings was a large office complex. It was very familiar to Fire. It was his place of work before he had been unplugged. He walked into the building's front doors.
Five minutes later he exited the elevator at the thirty-sixth floor of the office building. He walked through, staring at the computer programmers typing away endlessly at their cubicles. These were the greatest potentials for unplugging, those in this trade. They seemed to grasp the truth more easily.
He continued onward, however, without speaking to any of them, until he came to the office at the end of the large room. His rapped lightly at the door, then decided to enter the room unanswered anyway. He opened the door and saw his former boss, Jeffrey Mason. Jeff looked up from the folder he was staring at.
" Can I help you?"
" Jeff," was all that Fire could muster.
" Do.we know each other?" Jeff asked, rising from his desk and approaching fire. Fire slowly removed his hat and sunglasses, and Jeff's eyes widened.
"Darre-" the man began, but Jeff covered his mouth. He motioned Jeff to sit back down, and Fire took the seat opposite the desk. He looked at the shocked man sinking into his leather plush seat.
" Listen to me, Jeff," Fire said. " I do not have time to explain everything. I need to get some answers, so I'm starting with you. Did anyone come to talk to you after my absence?"
" Well, of course, Darrell," Jeff replied. " I mean, you just disappeared into thin air, seemingly. Heck, reporters, analysts, priests, oodles of people came and talked to me."
" Do you remember any specific names, or titles?"
" Darrell, it was five years ago. And besides, I've tried to forget it."
" These people that I'm thinking about would be hard to forget," Fire said. " They probably wore suits, had sunglasses, talked very rhythmic."
" There was one who came with the authorities when I was questioned who would probably fit that description," Jeff said. " He only asked me one question. It sort of creeped me out, man. I wasn't being very cooperative with the police, so he stepped forward and grabbed my collar. Then he said 'A man who dreams dreams within a dream cannot outwit a man who never sleeps'."
Those words sent a chill even through Fire's spine. If only Jeffery knew they truth. If he could tell him the truth. Jeff let those words settle in, then continued.
" Then he asked me if you had been searching for information other than typical program work in the past view weeks. I told him that I don't monitor the work of my programmers on their break, because I respect their privacy. He stormed out of the room and the police officers followed."
Fire was only half listening. He looked out of the window to the office and saw agents coming out of the elevator.
" Sorry, Jeff. I have to go."
With that, Fire walked up to the large window facing the city streets. He gulped and jumped through the glass, crashing it. Just as he fell from sight, agents burst into the room, firing everywhere.
" Don't worry, gentlemen, he is gone," Jeff said. " It is going just as planned."
" So he does not even suspect that you are a program?" an agent asked.
" No. He believes that I am truly his old boss," Jeff said. " Just as he believes that this is the real matrix."