A meeting with Smith
"So no Keymaker and they're trapped in some place of the Matrix I can't easily get to. So, what do I do?"
"Right now," Started Asopus, "I'm not so sure myself. We're kind of lost without Xerces."
Seth had re-opened the door that lead him to the mountain tops, and found himself in an alleyway of the city. He recognized it fully as the area downtown where he met Seraph.
"I guess it couldn't hurt." Seth said.
He opened the door to the building, and to his surprise, no one was there. He walked over to the area that Seraph was sitting earlier, investigating for any traces of the program.
"You have already seen the Oracle, what else do you need?" A voice said from behind Seth. He spun around quickly to see Seraph at the doorway, his hands placed within his shirt sleeves.
"I'm sorry, but my friends are trapped in the backdoors. Our search for the Keymaker was a failure; the Merovingian recaptured him. I must get my friends out."
"The Oracle has taken a liking to you." Seraph said. "I will help you retrieve your friends."
Seraph had taken out the keys that opened the doorway to the hall. When they entered, they were greeted by the same green doors in the white hallway, but not Xerces and Artemis. Seth thought he had heard something from beyond the hallway, and decided to check it out.
Xerces had awakened Artemis and told her that there was someone else in the hall. They began walking, Xerces with his hand on his sword. Artemis felt something in her stomach that confused her; it wasn't painful, it had a sense of hope.
"I think it's Trojan." She stated. Xerces acknowledged her statement with his usual stone face. They came to a corner of the hallway, when suddenly a man with an oriental white coat and short cropped hair pushed them aside.
"I don't mean any harm; I came here with the One." He said.
"What's going on?" Artemis asked.
"I will inform you later, as for now, we must escape."
He opened a door, and the trio had left.
"Well, a surprise." A voice said. Seth was alone now, his gun cocked and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
"The last thing I need right now is to deal with an Agent, so either get out of the way or be forced out of my way." He said.
Seth was confronted by a man wearing a suit to the tee of the Agents. However, there was something different about this man, something that didn't make much sense.
"You're not an Agent." Seth realized. The man smiled, and although Seth couldn't see his eyes as a result of his sunglasses, he could tell the man had an icy stare.
"And you're not a normal rebel, are you Trojan?" The man said.
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, I know more than just your name. You see, not just anyone can come through here, only those with a purpose. Your purpose is very dear to the salvation of Zion, and while I must add that your virtues are commendable, your acts are ultimately futile."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"I've been following you for some time, Trojan. I was hoping you would have brought him here, but that is the flaw of hope. Unfortunately for you, you will realize that sooner than you thought."
"Well I'm sorry to tell you, uh."
"Smith, please."
"Right, Smith. I'm glad you think so highly of your skills, but nothing can stop me from finding Neo and taking the machines down. Not even a virus."
"Those are truly words of a man who believes in himself. Such a shame that since your beginning-"
"-I have been plotting your end."
Another Smith had come behind Seth and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back. The original Smith came to Seth, and in an attempt to punch him, was thwarted by Seth tossing the other Smith into the original. Seth then flew back to escape the duo, when suddenly a door opened and another Smith walked through. The third Smith didn't see Seth, who pulled the door open fully and kicked Smith down the hall. Escaping with every hair on his head, Seth found himself in an abandoned building overlooking a church and a rundown city.
Suddenly, Seth's phone began to ring.
"Where's the line?" He asked.
"Down the street, near a deli. Be careful Trojan, I see some crazy readings here. It seems like Smith's following you, again."
Seth hung up the phone and proceeded downstairs. As he made it to ground level, he sensed something wasn't right. To his left was Smith, walking with determination towards him. Another Smith had just turned around and smiled at Seth, and two more were coming from his right.
"Great, fighting right now would be too much of a challenge, especially since more are bound to show up. Well, here goes nothing!"
Seth ran to the Smith smiling at him, focusing his energy as he kicked him in the chest and launched up to a balcony. He jumped from one building to the other, gradually making his way to the deli when suddenly a Smith reached out from a window and grabbed his leg. Seth fell down, as was overcome by two more Smiths. They pulled him up, the one from the window holding his leg while the other two were holding both arms. Another Smith made his way from a doorway to Seth.
"You've made it far, and you should know that your efforts would have made any human proud." Smith said with a smile. "But, you brought upon your own end. Goodbye, Trojan."
Seth managed to kick the Smith holding his leg with his one free leg, giving him just enough momentum to spin off the other two. He kicked one off the balcony, and sent the other one rolling to the other side. However, the one available Smith was still accounted for, and proved his existence by stabbing Seth in the chest with his hand. A silver substance began to take over Seth, a cold sensation piercing his heart.
"It is inevitable."
Xerces, Artemis, and Seraph were outside of the backdoor program and had just walked into a crowded street near the center of the city. Artemis lagged behind a bit, the feeling of hope she had before washed away by the feeling of worry. She wanted to make sure Seth was okay, but at the rate they were moving it was hard to make a phone call of any kind.
Suddenly, the trio stopped at an alleyway, and Seraph signaled to Xerces to take out his phone.
"You can call for a hard line now; we're at a place where your broadcast can hardly be seen by any programs." Seraph said.
"And yourself?" Asked Xerces.
"I must make my way back to the Oracle. I have left her side for too long, and with her current predicaments, I fear the worst."
He bowed to the duo and walked off into the alleyway. Xerces dialed the phone and in a matter of seconds, Asopus picked up in a frantic.
"Guys, we have a serious problem."
The crew of the Poseidon were watching Smith's attempt at killing Seth. The entire crew was in shock at the Agent's new ability, and declared it as the power of the upgrades they have recently seen.
"Can't we get him?" Asked Artemis, a hint of fear in her voice.
"I wish, but the coding here has changed dramatically. I've never seen anything like this before, it's surreal." Asopus said.
"It's a virus." Stated Xerces. "This isn't an Agent, it's a virus. But, where did it come from?"
Meanwhile, Seth was trying his hardest to shake the cold feeling nearly surrounding his body. Smith struggled on to take him completely over, but found his efforts more difficult than he had imagined.
"Give in to the fear, into the death that surrounds you." Smith said with a wicked smile. Seth was near his ends; the coldness about covering majority of his body, he felt the depression it brought along with its touch. Suddenly, Artemis had come into his thoughts. Her being lighting his heart, warming him against the frost of the fear around him. In his last struggle, he shouted to his heart's content, every muscle in his body tensing as he purged the fear out of himself. Smith was taken aback, and as his hand retracted from Seth's chest, a force beyond his control had pushed him further away. Seth, coming back to his senses, took a deep breath and glared at Smith. The virus, however, merely fixed his suit jacket, bursting the air pockets in his neck with each quick turn he took.
A Smith tried to grab Seth from behind, only to be smacked in the throat by Seth's hand. More Smith's came to the area, with Seth kicking and punching the rest of them out of the way. The Smith who had tried to take over Seth lunged forward, but was caught with a kick in the chest. Seth was now completely surrounded, and yet kept his own against the onslaught of Smiths.
"He's actually fighting them?" Artemis said.
"It's even better than that." Asopus said. "It's like he has a new sense of himself there. Like he has a bigger purpose."
Smith had gotten in a punch across Seth's face, who fell back into a back handspring as he twisted and crescent-kicked a Smith in the face. He crouched to the ground like a panther before coming back up with a spinning roundhouse to the surrounding Smiths. Now that there was more room, he made his escape to the deli's phone booth.
"He cannot escape!" The Smith's said in unison. Seth neared the booth with increased speed, leaping over Smiths who attempted to grab him and drag him down. However, at the last lunge, a group of Smiths had ripped the phone booth from the ground, tipping over and smashing it to pieces.
"No." Xerces said. His face was marked with defeat as he looked on to Seth's newest obstacle.
Seth stopped in his tracks. His goal had now been crushed, and with the oncoming wave of Smiths, he thought all hope would be lost. The thought of him never seeing Artemis again entered his mind, and boiled his blood to the point where he would not fail anymore.
"I'll give it a shot." He said to himself as the Smiths were coming back into the picture. He looked up at the sky, clouds moving in to make it gray and dull against the dusk red it had been, and with a bend of the knees and an arch of his arms, focused all of his power into reaching the heavens. He shot up like a rocket, destroying most of the roof he had been on as he flew into the sky. The Smiths had been strewn about, one of them holding on for dear life near the shambled roof. Seth was now gone from their sight, and as the scene settled down, Smith could only look on with a smile on his face and a taste of more to come.
"More."
"So no Keymaker and they're trapped in some place of the Matrix I can't easily get to. So, what do I do?"
"Right now," Started Asopus, "I'm not so sure myself. We're kind of lost without Xerces."
Seth had re-opened the door that lead him to the mountain tops, and found himself in an alleyway of the city. He recognized it fully as the area downtown where he met Seraph.
"I guess it couldn't hurt." Seth said.
He opened the door to the building, and to his surprise, no one was there. He walked over to the area that Seraph was sitting earlier, investigating for any traces of the program.
"You have already seen the Oracle, what else do you need?" A voice said from behind Seth. He spun around quickly to see Seraph at the doorway, his hands placed within his shirt sleeves.
"I'm sorry, but my friends are trapped in the backdoors. Our search for the Keymaker was a failure; the Merovingian recaptured him. I must get my friends out."
"The Oracle has taken a liking to you." Seraph said. "I will help you retrieve your friends."
Seraph had taken out the keys that opened the doorway to the hall. When they entered, they were greeted by the same green doors in the white hallway, but not Xerces and Artemis. Seth thought he had heard something from beyond the hallway, and decided to check it out.
Xerces had awakened Artemis and told her that there was someone else in the hall. They began walking, Xerces with his hand on his sword. Artemis felt something in her stomach that confused her; it wasn't painful, it had a sense of hope.
"I think it's Trojan." She stated. Xerces acknowledged her statement with his usual stone face. They came to a corner of the hallway, when suddenly a man with an oriental white coat and short cropped hair pushed them aside.
"I don't mean any harm; I came here with the One." He said.
"What's going on?" Artemis asked.
"I will inform you later, as for now, we must escape."
He opened a door, and the trio had left.
"Well, a surprise." A voice said. Seth was alone now, his gun cocked and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
"The last thing I need right now is to deal with an Agent, so either get out of the way or be forced out of my way." He said.
Seth was confronted by a man wearing a suit to the tee of the Agents. However, there was something different about this man, something that didn't make much sense.
"You're not an Agent." Seth realized. The man smiled, and although Seth couldn't see his eyes as a result of his sunglasses, he could tell the man had an icy stare.
"And you're not a normal rebel, are you Trojan?" The man said.
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, I know more than just your name. You see, not just anyone can come through here, only those with a purpose. Your purpose is very dear to the salvation of Zion, and while I must add that your virtues are commendable, your acts are ultimately futile."
"You still haven't answered my question."
"I've been following you for some time, Trojan. I was hoping you would have brought him here, but that is the flaw of hope. Unfortunately for you, you will realize that sooner than you thought."
"Well I'm sorry to tell you, uh."
"Smith, please."
"Right, Smith. I'm glad you think so highly of your skills, but nothing can stop me from finding Neo and taking the machines down. Not even a virus."
"Those are truly words of a man who believes in himself. Such a shame that since your beginning-"
"-I have been plotting your end."
Another Smith had come behind Seth and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back. The original Smith came to Seth, and in an attempt to punch him, was thwarted by Seth tossing the other Smith into the original. Seth then flew back to escape the duo, when suddenly a door opened and another Smith walked through. The third Smith didn't see Seth, who pulled the door open fully and kicked Smith down the hall. Escaping with every hair on his head, Seth found himself in an abandoned building overlooking a church and a rundown city.
Suddenly, Seth's phone began to ring.
"Where's the line?" He asked.
"Down the street, near a deli. Be careful Trojan, I see some crazy readings here. It seems like Smith's following you, again."
Seth hung up the phone and proceeded downstairs. As he made it to ground level, he sensed something wasn't right. To his left was Smith, walking with determination towards him. Another Smith had just turned around and smiled at Seth, and two more were coming from his right.
"Great, fighting right now would be too much of a challenge, especially since more are bound to show up. Well, here goes nothing!"
Seth ran to the Smith smiling at him, focusing his energy as he kicked him in the chest and launched up to a balcony. He jumped from one building to the other, gradually making his way to the deli when suddenly a Smith reached out from a window and grabbed his leg. Seth fell down, as was overcome by two more Smiths. They pulled him up, the one from the window holding his leg while the other two were holding both arms. Another Smith made his way from a doorway to Seth.
"You've made it far, and you should know that your efforts would have made any human proud." Smith said with a smile. "But, you brought upon your own end. Goodbye, Trojan."
Seth managed to kick the Smith holding his leg with his one free leg, giving him just enough momentum to spin off the other two. He kicked one off the balcony, and sent the other one rolling to the other side. However, the one available Smith was still accounted for, and proved his existence by stabbing Seth in the chest with his hand. A silver substance began to take over Seth, a cold sensation piercing his heart.
"It is inevitable."
Xerces, Artemis, and Seraph were outside of the backdoor program and had just walked into a crowded street near the center of the city. Artemis lagged behind a bit, the feeling of hope she had before washed away by the feeling of worry. She wanted to make sure Seth was okay, but at the rate they were moving it was hard to make a phone call of any kind.
Suddenly, the trio stopped at an alleyway, and Seraph signaled to Xerces to take out his phone.
"You can call for a hard line now; we're at a place where your broadcast can hardly be seen by any programs." Seraph said.
"And yourself?" Asked Xerces.
"I must make my way back to the Oracle. I have left her side for too long, and with her current predicaments, I fear the worst."
He bowed to the duo and walked off into the alleyway. Xerces dialed the phone and in a matter of seconds, Asopus picked up in a frantic.
"Guys, we have a serious problem."
The crew of the Poseidon were watching Smith's attempt at killing Seth. The entire crew was in shock at the Agent's new ability, and declared it as the power of the upgrades they have recently seen.
"Can't we get him?" Asked Artemis, a hint of fear in her voice.
"I wish, but the coding here has changed dramatically. I've never seen anything like this before, it's surreal." Asopus said.
"It's a virus." Stated Xerces. "This isn't an Agent, it's a virus. But, where did it come from?"
Meanwhile, Seth was trying his hardest to shake the cold feeling nearly surrounding his body. Smith struggled on to take him completely over, but found his efforts more difficult than he had imagined.
"Give in to the fear, into the death that surrounds you." Smith said with a wicked smile. Seth was near his ends; the coldness about covering majority of his body, he felt the depression it brought along with its touch. Suddenly, Artemis had come into his thoughts. Her being lighting his heart, warming him against the frost of the fear around him. In his last struggle, he shouted to his heart's content, every muscle in his body tensing as he purged the fear out of himself. Smith was taken aback, and as his hand retracted from Seth's chest, a force beyond his control had pushed him further away. Seth, coming back to his senses, took a deep breath and glared at Smith. The virus, however, merely fixed his suit jacket, bursting the air pockets in his neck with each quick turn he took.
A Smith tried to grab Seth from behind, only to be smacked in the throat by Seth's hand. More Smith's came to the area, with Seth kicking and punching the rest of them out of the way. The Smith who had tried to take over Seth lunged forward, but was caught with a kick in the chest. Seth was now completely surrounded, and yet kept his own against the onslaught of Smiths.
"He's actually fighting them?" Artemis said.
"It's even better than that." Asopus said. "It's like he has a new sense of himself there. Like he has a bigger purpose."
Smith had gotten in a punch across Seth's face, who fell back into a back handspring as he twisted and crescent-kicked a Smith in the face. He crouched to the ground like a panther before coming back up with a spinning roundhouse to the surrounding Smiths. Now that there was more room, he made his escape to the deli's phone booth.
"He cannot escape!" The Smith's said in unison. Seth neared the booth with increased speed, leaping over Smiths who attempted to grab him and drag him down. However, at the last lunge, a group of Smiths had ripped the phone booth from the ground, tipping over and smashing it to pieces.
"No." Xerces said. His face was marked with defeat as he looked on to Seth's newest obstacle.
Seth stopped in his tracks. His goal had now been crushed, and with the oncoming wave of Smiths, he thought all hope would be lost. The thought of him never seeing Artemis again entered his mind, and boiled his blood to the point where he would not fail anymore.
"I'll give it a shot." He said to himself as the Smiths were coming back into the picture. He looked up at the sky, clouds moving in to make it gray and dull against the dusk red it had been, and with a bend of the knees and an arch of his arms, focused all of his power into reaching the heavens. He shot up like a rocket, destroying most of the roof he had been on as he flew into the sky. The Smiths had been strewn about, one of them holding on for dear life near the shambled roof. Seth was now gone from their sight, and as the scene settled down, Smith could only look on with a smile on his face and a taste of more to come.
"More."