Chapter 6: Security
The lights of the Archeron suddenly sprang back to life. As Dauphin awoke to his lamp shining into his face, he got up and walked into the bridge. There Cross was still lying on a chair, sleeping like a log, while Frey kicked back into the driver seat. He punched a few keys on a flat grey panel and the computers started up. Dauphin then approached and sat down in the other driver seat across from Frey.
"Good, everythings back on, how long did it take?"
'Three hours,' Frey chuckled,'You guys knocked out like a trainwreck.'
'Your loss for not sleeping,' replied Dauphin strenching his arms,'Gonna eat that?'
But before Frey could answer, Dauphin snatched the can of gloppy wheat and finished it in one gulp.
"Your welcome," said Frey disappointed, "dude I've been thinking about what Niobe said at the meeting, and what if we dont make it when the machines dig their way through Zion. There goes the city, the people we know, the ones we love. I'd loose Corydon"
Dauphin answered back with a mighty belch.
'Your'e right, I worry too much. Well, it's time.' smiled Frey, and as he got up from his seat, he walked over to the chair Cross was laying in and kicked the side of it, causing it to tip over and having him land flat on his face. Shortly, Dauphin walked passed everyone's door, hammering each one. It wasn't long for the crew to jolt out of their beds and get ready.
********************************************************************************
'Operator'
"Gonna take awhile for us to get used to that new loading screen," yawned Dauphin; the other four were waking up as well,"anyways, tell us where we're at, where to go, and how to get there."
'I uploaded you guys in a storage room inside of the Critelli resteraunt on Ferge, about two blocks away from E Street. When you get out, go right, and catch the next subway train.'
'What happened to the hotel room?" asked Dauphin, smiling.
'Wanna walk an extra six miles, smartass?'
'Er.....right' and hanging up, he turned and saw his crew rolling their eyes. They were awake alright.
As they came out of the storage, and into the diner, a few customers turned and looked at them. Ignoring them, the five worked their way out to the exit, emerging into the towering skyscrapers of Ferge and E-Street. The weather was clear skies, and outside resumed it's usual overcrowded people, and rush-hour traffic. To their right, the team found the subway station, with workers and business men going in and out like a river canal.After several minutes of ultimate shrugging and pushing, they made it into the subway. To the crew's interest, they were better off outside, for the ground was cluddered with trash, food, cans, and even the homeless. The temperature was scorching hot, enough to make Jord take off her black cloak, Bacchus remove her white fur coat, and Cross throw his blue overcoat off. Frey was occupied with a bottle of water he pickpocketed from a jogger back outside, and Dauphin, trying to be the strong leader, continued to stand there, sweating uncontrollably. By then, his temper kicked in.
"Fuck, when will this subway....."he trailed off as the subway came soaring through, and to a hault,"....ever come? OH THERE IT COMES NOW!! HELLO MR. SUBWAY!!"
'Should've said something sooner' Cross panted, fanning himself off.
'Blow me Cross! Let's go!'
The subway was cooler than the station when they got onboard. However, many drawbacks such as flickering lights, being stuffed with people, and constant rocking seemed to get in the way. Didn't matter anyhow, so long as they had cool air. The five of them managed to claim one row of four chairs. The fourth seat was settled when Dauphin sat down and had Bacchus on his lap.
"I swear, when this is all over, I'm gonna kill that fucking Prophet" Jord cursed.
"Think you got it bad Jord," Dauphin remmarked,"I squished from both sides and on top!"
'It's what you get man' chuckled Frey, 'I just feel sorry for Bacchus being part of a nasty Dauphin sandwhich with criss-Cross fries and a diet Frey.'Bacchus made a gagging noise and said,"Ack! I should shoot you for just making up something as lame as that!"
"We could talk about food fetishes later!!" said Cross through gritted teeth," I just saw someone who fits in part of the riddle. Look!"
He pointed at a white punk rocker who was gulping down a soda. At first he looked normal, he dropped the soda on the ground rather carelessly. But then as if a looped film, the soda reappeared in the rocker's hand and dropped it again. Cross was taken aback.
"Talk about Deja Vu" he spat. Frey and Dauphin however, jolted.
"Oh shit, the Agents are near!" Jord confirmedFrey pulled out the cell and called for Echo. No avail.
"Shit, reception is bad. What a good time for the cell to give out."Just then, the subway slowed down as the lights of the upcoming station peered in. The doors opened, but nobody got out, save for the rocker guy. The crew got out of their seats ( Dauphin slapped Bacchus's left hip ) and rushed to the other side, knocking passengers in their path. Jord came out first just in time to find the rocker crying in agony. When the rest of the crew fell out, green code trickled down the rocker's body. He swung himself around, physically changed into a brown haired man, with shades, earpiece, and black suit. It was an Agent.
"Only human," the Agent murmured, then in a second, he grabbed Jord with one hand and threw her into the rest of the crew back into the subway. The subway was suddenly emptied, and no sooner had the Agent walked, the doors closed and the subway started moving again. The five got up and took cover in the chairs avoiding the gunshots fired by the Agent.
"Fuck! They cut the hardline and resetted the subway, making it empty!" Dauphin yelled to Frey, as Bacchus and Cross unloaded a few rounds of bullets from their pistols.
"That means there's more than one most likely!" Frey yelled back, "I'll check the back and see!! Cover me" Focusing with everything, Frey backflipped and summersaulted to the other side, as bullets missed him by an inch. Halfway there, he drew his sword out and sliced the door in a clean vertical cut before smashing into it, leaving dust and an outline of himself on the door.
"Dumb shit, he should've just opened it," Dauphin thought, and taking Jord's hand,"C'mon, we'll get the back. Bacchus, Cross, take care of the middle!!". With a twirl of his staff, him and Jord both dove headfirst into the window of the door in front of them. There was a loud shatter of broken window pieces, but fortunately, they were gone.The Agent, having run out of bullets, tossed his weapon aside and dusted himself off. Bacchus and Cross stood from their now torn-to-shred chairs. The rambling subways noises were cut off when Bacchus spoke.
"What kind of lousy shots are you guys?" she questioned.
'A Jackson.....Agent Jackson' Jackson answered formally.
'JACK THIS!!' roared Bacchus, as she brandished from her white fur coat two automatic AK-47's. Agent Jackson stood broad, that made him a perfect target for Bacchus to let hell brake loose on the guns. Although she was firing up a storm with the powerful weapons, Jackson was moving very smoothly and slowly, leaving eclipse trails of himself. When the guns ran out of ammo, it stopped and he appeared whole again, unharmed by the bullets. Jackson shook his head and did a half-grin.
"I hope you enjoyed your little toys, for it will be your last"Cross and Bacchus turned to each other on what to do next, then with a nod, they jumped in front of Jackson with fighting poses. The two-on-one fight commenced.
Bacchus striked with a left uppercut, while Cross swung for the Agent's face. Jackson, with his right hand, seized Bacchus's fist, knocked Cross's punch with it, and tossed her clear to the other side of the subway car. There was a loud THUMP as she drooped down the wall, motionless. It was only Cross and the Agent now. "I see the fear of her death in your eyes," Jackson said,"Worry for you own."
Cross said nothing. Instead he focused his mind and ripped a chair from the floor and tossed it to Jackson. While catching the chair distracted Jackson, Cross stepped forward and threw his fist into the chair, punching Jackson against the wall. Jackson quickly recovered and swung the chair at Cross, only to have got air when Cross backflipped into a handstand and threw both legs at him. Jackson then dropped the chair and made a grab at his feet. With full force, he flipped Cross and kicked him in mid-air. Enduring the pain the best he could, Cross skid against the rough floor, just three feet away from Bacchus. He reached her and checked her pulse. She was alive, only knocked out.
Cross knew he was no match against the Agent, but there was no other way out, either he stalls the Agent long enough for the others to come back or get killed. He might as well die trying. Cross pushed himself back up and ran towards Jackson. With no purpose at all, Cross grabbed hold of a pole and swung in a 360 spin. Jackson didn't see this coming and stumbled backwards on impact. Before Cross landed back on the floor, Jackson charged full throttle at him and tackled him. Cross then countered back with a kick launching Jackson into the ceiling with a kick.Cross got back up, and looked at the hole in the subway ceiling. Air was blowing through it, and he was waiting, for him to come back; one minute passed, he wasn't coming back. No sooner had Cross turned around something broke through the window on his right. Before he could react, Agent Jackson elbow him in the ribs, sending him through the other window. Cross focused once again and in mid-air, he grabbed onto the top of the window seal. There was no purpose, no thought, no disbelief, thus the result ended in Cross twirling a complete 180 before landing feet-first onto the subway roof. Cross then became aware of what he just did, and discovered that doing things in the Matrix world without doubt or thinking allowed you to do brake the very common rules of reality. Using this information he now acquired, he got on his knees and threw his head into the roof, in hopes of breaking through. There was loud knock that even caught the attention of Agent Jackson as Cross came bursting through the ceiling, landing flat on his back. There was a extremely large lump on his forehead, and Agent Jackson shook his head and smiled. He turned towards the pole that Cross used on him minutes ago and plucked it out of its place like a flower.
"This is how it's done Cross," Jackson demonstrated, and holding the pole above his head, ready to swing,"A pity this will be the last lesson you learn. Good bye."
'Toys, huh?'
A gun went off, and Jackson's face suddenly exploded in the center. Electricity charged all over his body until it was the rocker's corpse on the ground. Cross took his hands off of his face ( The pain was still hurting ), and there he saw Bacchus.
"You alright there? Luckly I had this small pistol handy,"she explained, and helping Cross up, she laughed at the lump on his head which was noticible.
"Yeah, at least I know how to use my head!!" Cross joked
'In a very retarded way." Bacchus replied cooly, 'I suppose you thought that braking into solid matter wouldn't hurt would it?'
'Okay, I'm dumb, let's find the others!'
Just as they turned to the exit, Frey came panting down from the front. There wasn't any serious injuries on him, save for the remaining dust from the door he foolishly bashed into. Just after he reached the two, he took in huge gulps of air and spoke heavily.
"The...phone...started...working," he breathed out,"Echo was telling me that you guys were fighting an agent....oo shit, if only I can fly like Neo.."
No sooner had Frey finished talking when Dauphin and Jord came running from the back, marching like a parade.
"Nothing in the...holy shit, what the hell happened here?!" said Jord, as she exaimed the hole in ceiling, bullets holes that were planted on the walls, and the broken windows.
"Let's just say we had a little fun with Mr. Jackson" answered Bacchus.The lights started flickering again, and in two seconds, they went out. It was complete darkness until after a few more seconds elasped and they came back on. The crew was now standing in a subway full of people, pretty much the one they were on before it changed. Everything was just as it was before. Before anyone could react, the blurry lights of a subway station came zooming in.
The doors sprang, but it didn't take less than a minute for them to quickly evacuate out of it. The station they were now at wasn't as bad as the previous one. In fact, it was as spotless as can be. Just then, a ringing tone echoed throughout the station. Everyone pulled out their weapons, but then found it was just the cell phone.
"Tell us what the hell is going on!!! This station looks too clean to be inside the Matrix!!" complained Frey
'Listen sword dick!! I wanted to tell you that how the subway changed back, so shut the fuck up and listen!! I dont honestly know how a subway changed back to it's original, my hunch is that the entire hack the Agents placed on it was completely destroyed. Only I never knew Agents had that much skill in a hack.'
'I dont believe anybody has.....could be one person I know. Anyways, give us the heads up on where we at.'
'The station that's right after E Street, 38th. Where you go next is up to you, good luck.' said Echo as she hung up."So what now?" asked Dauphin
'Let's get out of this squeaky clean, then we'll talk' commanded Frey.They walked out of the subway and into a very quiet street where only very cars would come by every minute. On top of that, the sidewalks were empty. This was very unusual to them, especially in the Matrix, for there is always busy streets and a numerous surplus of people. They came across a small bench at a bus stop and sat there. Frey spoke first.
"Guys, back at the subway, I got reception on the cell and called Echo. Apparently, the subway was resetted, that part me and Dauphin figured out. However, there was a few flaws. One was, there was just one agent, usually they send two or more to finish off the job for sure. It was a miracle you guys managed to kill him, but I call it luck. The second is the subway, it was unusally small and I dunno how you reset a small subway full of people, you have to have hacking skills like a god. Dauphin, you thinking what I'm thinking?"
'No, I was thinking of molesting japanese chickens, but yeah, I believe Eizus had something to do with this.' he said just as the cell phone rang once more. And like always, it was Echo.
"Guys, I have bad news and shitty news. The bad news is I dont know what the fuck to do next, and the shitty news is the same corruption of code in the subway is heading your way in a limo."
"Well, at least that corruption has good taste," Frey replied sarcastically.
"You can talk shit later, I suggest you hide yourselves. IT'S COMING!!' and Echo hung immediately.Frey flipped the cell closed and signaled everybody to take cover in a video store. Once they were all inside they looked looked at the window. And like Echo warned them all, there was a black stretch lemo driving bytheir direction. It keep going until it parallel parked at a building suite that was about a good three hundred feet tall. The passenger door went ajar as Agent Jackson emerged from it.
"That bastard!! We killed HIM!!" Cross said, surprised.
'Dumb ass, THEIR AGENTS!! You kill one it will just inhabit another body that's still linked to the Matrix. But this one looks different."
And indeed Jackson did, for he his suit was no longer a light brown but jet black. His style resembled a man that just came from a funeral. Then the driver side door opened, and another Agent walked out, who was garbed just like Jackson was, although his figure was more muscular. Frey turned and threw mid air punches as he recognized who it was.
"That's the Agent I fought in the subway while we freed Dopp! I believe his name was Thompson."
The two agents looked back and fourth with blank expressions on their faces. Then they opened the back door, and a black polished army boot stepped out, followed by black parachute pants. The other foot came and the top waist revealed a long open silver trenchcoat. The open part appeared to be a black sleeveless shirt, that outlined muscles on the person's chest. Now the entire person was out, his hands armed with red gloves, his face scarred, eyes green like a serpent's, lips black as charcoal, and long silvery white hair that drooped down to his shoulders. Both Frey and Dauphin picked up their weapons, for they found the primary suspect of the subway disaster.
"EIZUS!!" they both roared, and storming themselves out of the store. The clerk came walking in and stood there frozen, not knowing what was going on. Jord courtestly smiled and then turned to the two guys with the smile vanishing.
"You guys are idiots!!! There's two agents and this guy! No way we all can take them on, we have light weapons with hardly any ammo left!! And I know that lump on Cross's head aint gonna help us. Now calm the fuck down before this guy get's more suspicious!!"
"Jord's right" Bacchus agreed,"Hold up. They just walked into the building. Should we chance it?"
"I wouldn't" Cross objected, picking his lump.
"Let's go....what could we loose besides our own lives?" said Frey, and walking out of the store, and crossing the empty parkway. The crew all knew, including Frey, that Zion would be lost, should they fail.
The building suite was titled "Gratson & Waltch Co." on the side of it. Inside of it, was very luxurious and isolated. It resembled a business interior like any other: service counter, lobby section, and elevators. Dauphin took the lead and pushed for the elevator on the right. The floor numbers were from one to thirty. This made them debate on what floor to stop on.
"Alright, if anywhere, it would be the top. Top executives and information are held there." Dauphin hypothized
'And what makes you so fucking sure?' Frey mouthed off
'Because Frey, I was a top computer designer in the Matrix, rather than a lousy window washer."
'HEY!!! Let's not get started on my case!"Cross blurted. They all laughed nervously.The elevator walls were made of glass, so as it moved upward, the more the city was begginning to show. The skies gave off a green tint, while buildings, skyscrapers, freeways, factories, cars, and people doing their everyday work began to shrink. Bacchus leaned her head against the window.
"The Matrix. It's as real as it's fake. Now it makes you wonder,"there was concern in her voice,"was the real world like this before it was taken over?"
"Maybe," Frey guessed,"Nobody knows. This could've been what the real world was like a century before the machines took over. Maybe we lived in a more futuristic place."
'And maybe!!!,' Dauphin exclaimed,'We couldv'e lived in the bahamas and hula danced in the sand and ate coconuts. We'll never know, so just stay focused and get to this fucking lunatic." Just as he finished, the elevator bell rang and the number "30" flashed on the side panel of buttons. At this point, even the crew's quick reflexes to draw their weapons weren't swift enough to what Eizus had for them.
There was Eizus, in the office floor. Behind on each side of him were about sixty security guards with night sticks. Luckilly, there were no Agents in sight.
"Damn, sssseems like you desstroyers got here jusst ass the feds were sent down to abolisssh you five." Eizus hissed. For the first time, Frey and Dauphin thought, he wasn't chanting about being destroyed.
"Wow, HE SPOKE!! I was afraid you were gonna ssssssssing there whitey." Frey insulted.
"The only ssssong I'll be singing is the one played at your funeral sss- swordsman. I sssee you and the sstaff holder brought some friendss. Ssssso have I!!" He then walked up to the crew up to the point where he was less than a foot away from them. He was around the same height as Dauphin, a good 6'2, and he glared at them with his green eyes.
"Go ahead, hit me......if you dare" he challenged.The crew stood there, looking at each other. They were totally unsure of their slim chances of making it alive. Eizus chuckled and turned back to the guards. He faced the five while he spoke to security.
"Guard the information Jackson and Thompson ordered. Finish off these criminals." he ordered, and smiling he looked at Frey and Dauphin,
"...Dauphin......Frey......I must be off....farewell" and with a swish of his trenchcoat, he disappeared into the security crowd and was gone.The Guards began advancing towards them. Dauphin pulled out his staff and walked ahead of them.
"You guys find whatever information he was talking about. It should be in other sections on this floor. GO AND FIND IT, I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!!"
"Dauphin, YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!" Frey shouted.
'I need you to lead them on, NOW HAUL ASS!! THAT'S A FUCKING ORDER!!' and with no rejection to his command, Frey lead the others to another door before security got to them. Their attention turned to Dauphin, who opposed them with a series of staff wielding moves. The security responded by charging at him.
"Lovely" he said
The staff whistled as its end smacked one guard in the face. Dauphin dodged one blow from a night stick and kicked one guard into three others. He then jumped with a round house kick and drilled one guy into the floor. He landed on a desk and several security men grabbed onto Dauphin. He broke it up by slamming one guy in the stomach, two across the throats, and swinging his staff like a baseball bat, sent one man into a crowd of ten and into a Powerade vending machine.
Dauphin planted himself onto a rollerchair and slid across the room before backflipping the chair out a window. He blocked one night stick flying straight at him, and twirled himself around as a guard dove right for him. There was a faint yell as the guard fell out the window, while Dauphin dropped his staff and kicked it into the following guards. One got behind him and swung his night stick to Dauphin's back. Dauphin flew forward onto the ground, but got back on his feet and punched the guard into a window of his doom. Just then, a guard holding Dauphin's staff threw it at Dauphin like a javelin. Dauphin smirked and caught it with ease, as ten guys withdrew their night sticks out. He looked straight ahead and wiped his mind clear of thought. Automatically he grabbed two guards from his left and right, and just as two other men approached, Dauphin reacted with kicking both his legs at their throats. He then swung his legs underneath him and nailed two guards behind him in the area between the legs. Just then two other males charged into the action, only to have been crushed by the two guards Dauphin was using them as poles. All was going smoothly until Dauphin felt a might blow from a chair that bashed right into his left. He flew like a meteor into a cubicle office and collided into the wall, making a explosion of dust and shards. The remaining guards gathered around the dust cloud. Just then a loud whistle noise commenced as a spinning staff flew out of the cloud and knocked one guard unconscious.The rumble exploded as Dauphin erupted from it. Jumping out of the dust, he revealed himself to be holding a computer. He chucked it at the nearest guard as sparks and chip pieces came splashing out. Dauphin noticed his staff on the ground, and summersaulted into the air before four guards swung their night sticks and missed. He picked up the staff that was near a file cabinet. Dauphin saw the rest of the guards and without thinking he acted upon his instincts and held his staff like a baseball bat once more. He left doubt, and disbelief of everything, then with a mighty WHAM!, his staff made contact with the cabinet. The staff broke into two, while the cabinet flew sideways into fifteen security guards, who were plowed and ran over by it.
There was only a small crowd of guards left, but Dauphin endurance was running out. He picked up the two staff pieces and equipped one for each hand. With a mighty battlecry, he leaped into the air, spinning uncontrollably, with the short staffs like blades. The crowd of men suddenly recieved a hole, as guards were sent flying in every direction from Dauphin's landing. Without a second wasted, he spun and twirled the short staffs like batons, dodging night sticks. The clanging of metal was heard from across the floor, as Dauphin defending himself against security's weapons. Unexpecticaly, the guards came barging into Dauphin one enormous crowd. It outnumbered his strength, and sent him flying into a wall. He left a mark on the wall, and ran for upstairs, for he knew he was well out of strength. There was one flight of stairs, and on top, was a door. He zoomed up the stairs and got to the door, and got out.Slamming the door, he turned around and came to realize he was on the balcony. On the edge was Eizus, who just removed a cell phone from his ear. He flipped the cell closed and smiled at Dauphin.
"Impressive, I ssssee you made it passs security. Unfortunately, you are too late. I have sent the Agents over here, and they should be here very shortly. And now I must take leave."
'What makes you think I'm gonna die?' Dauphin spat.
'Behind you-'
No sooner had Eizus finished his sentence as security came bursting through the door. Dauphin found himself surrounded by Eizus, and the guards. He held his short staffs high, for he was gonna fight til the very end.But then-There was a loud SHING noise as one guard flopped to the ground dead. Before the guards could pull out their night sticks, the figure swung his sword horizontally cutting the sticks in half. It took the guards two seconds to noticed anything until one was stabbed, and the others slashed across their chests. The last of security was defeated, and as they fell, Dauphin and Eizus recognized who it was. It was Frey.
"En Guarde," Frey said smiling,"Me and the crew managed to find a disc, in which Echo will analyze. And trust me, this was the very thing security was guarding."
Eizus laughed hysterically. It took him awhile to stop, and then he hissed," Well done friendss. You have proven youself of defeating my sssecurity, and gaining the information. You have passsed my first test."
"THIS WAS A FUCKING TEST?!" Dauphin cursed.
'Indeed Dauphin, the next test will begin shortly. I doubt you will ever ssssurvive the next one. It is sssssucide to you all. Not even The Prophet can ssssave you now.'
'Nor will this,' Dauphin said, and using the last bit of strength he could muster, he leaped in front of Eizus. It looked as though Dauphin was going to hit him, until Eizus phased into the most unusual form Dauphin and Frey ever saw. It was the form he assumed the night they met him, for Eizus's body was transparent, glowing with a misty white. His face became as that of a corpse. His hair was sticking in every direction. Dauphin flew right through him and nearly fell off the cliff. Eizus then flew freely off the balcony and was disappeared into the depths of the city."I don't think we're dealing with a normal virus here,Dauphin," Frey said, helping him up.
"For all we know, it could be a human," Dauphin replied,"Where's the others?"
'Jacked out. I went back to grab you. There were bodies all over the place. I see you've improved.'
"It wasn't good enough-" Dauphin said until Frey's cell rang.
"GUYS!!," Echo shouted,"Agent's are on their way. Get the fuck out of there." then she hung up.
"Agents Daup-WHAT THE HELL YOUR'E DOING?!" Frey's tone of voice changed as Dauphin threw aside his broken staff and ran towards the edge.
'Making an exit!!" Dauphin answered. He dove headfirst off the balcony. Frey shook his head in dismal.
The cell rang again.
"What the hell is Dauphin doing?!" Echo asked with anger.
"Doing his superman thing" Frey chuckled.
Ripoff
The lights of the Archeron suddenly sprang back to life. As Dauphin awoke to his lamp shining into his face, he got up and walked into the bridge. There Cross was still lying on a chair, sleeping like a log, while Frey kicked back into the driver seat. He punched a few keys on a flat grey panel and the computers started up. Dauphin then approached and sat down in the other driver seat across from Frey.
"Good, everythings back on, how long did it take?"
'Three hours,' Frey chuckled,'You guys knocked out like a trainwreck.'
'Your loss for not sleeping,' replied Dauphin strenching his arms,'Gonna eat that?'
But before Frey could answer, Dauphin snatched the can of gloppy wheat and finished it in one gulp.
"Your welcome," said Frey disappointed, "dude I've been thinking about what Niobe said at the meeting, and what if we dont make it when the machines dig their way through Zion. There goes the city, the people we know, the ones we love. I'd loose Corydon"
Dauphin answered back with a mighty belch.
'Your'e right, I worry too much. Well, it's time.' smiled Frey, and as he got up from his seat, he walked over to the chair Cross was laying in and kicked the side of it, causing it to tip over and having him land flat on his face. Shortly, Dauphin walked passed everyone's door, hammering each one. It wasn't long for the crew to jolt out of their beds and get ready.
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'Operator'
"Gonna take awhile for us to get used to that new loading screen," yawned Dauphin; the other four were waking up as well,"anyways, tell us where we're at, where to go, and how to get there."
'I uploaded you guys in a storage room inside of the Critelli resteraunt on Ferge, about two blocks away from E Street. When you get out, go right, and catch the next subway train.'
'What happened to the hotel room?" asked Dauphin, smiling.
'Wanna walk an extra six miles, smartass?'
'Er.....right' and hanging up, he turned and saw his crew rolling their eyes. They were awake alright.
As they came out of the storage, and into the diner, a few customers turned and looked at them. Ignoring them, the five worked their way out to the exit, emerging into the towering skyscrapers of Ferge and E-Street. The weather was clear skies, and outside resumed it's usual overcrowded people, and rush-hour traffic. To their right, the team found the subway station, with workers and business men going in and out like a river canal.After several minutes of ultimate shrugging and pushing, they made it into the subway. To the crew's interest, they were better off outside, for the ground was cluddered with trash, food, cans, and even the homeless. The temperature was scorching hot, enough to make Jord take off her black cloak, Bacchus remove her white fur coat, and Cross throw his blue overcoat off. Frey was occupied with a bottle of water he pickpocketed from a jogger back outside, and Dauphin, trying to be the strong leader, continued to stand there, sweating uncontrollably. By then, his temper kicked in.
"Fuck, when will this subway....."he trailed off as the subway came soaring through, and to a hault,"....ever come? OH THERE IT COMES NOW!! HELLO MR. SUBWAY!!"
'Should've said something sooner' Cross panted, fanning himself off.
'Blow me Cross! Let's go!'
The subway was cooler than the station when they got onboard. However, many drawbacks such as flickering lights, being stuffed with people, and constant rocking seemed to get in the way. Didn't matter anyhow, so long as they had cool air. The five of them managed to claim one row of four chairs. The fourth seat was settled when Dauphin sat down and had Bacchus on his lap.
"I swear, when this is all over, I'm gonna kill that fucking Prophet" Jord cursed.
"Think you got it bad Jord," Dauphin remmarked,"I squished from both sides and on top!"
'It's what you get man' chuckled Frey, 'I just feel sorry for Bacchus being part of a nasty Dauphin sandwhich with criss-Cross fries and a diet Frey.'Bacchus made a gagging noise and said,"Ack! I should shoot you for just making up something as lame as that!"
"We could talk about food fetishes later!!" said Cross through gritted teeth," I just saw someone who fits in part of the riddle. Look!"
He pointed at a white punk rocker who was gulping down a soda. At first he looked normal, he dropped the soda on the ground rather carelessly. But then as if a looped film, the soda reappeared in the rocker's hand and dropped it again. Cross was taken aback.
"Talk about Deja Vu" he spat. Frey and Dauphin however, jolted.
"Oh shit, the Agents are near!" Jord confirmedFrey pulled out the cell and called for Echo. No avail.
"Shit, reception is bad. What a good time for the cell to give out."Just then, the subway slowed down as the lights of the upcoming station peered in. The doors opened, but nobody got out, save for the rocker guy. The crew got out of their seats ( Dauphin slapped Bacchus's left hip ) and rushed to the other side, knocking passengers in their path. Jord came out first just in time to find the rocker crying in agony. When the rest of the crew fell out, green code trickled down the rocker's body. He swung himself around, physically changed into a brown haired man, with shades, earpiece, and black suit. It was an Agent.
"Only human," the Agent murmured, then in a second, he grabbed Jord with one hand and threw her into the rest of the crew back into the subway. The subway was suddenly emptied, and no sooner had the Agent walked, the doors closed and the subway started moving again. The five got up and took cover in the chairs avoiding the gunshots fired by the Agent.
"Fuck! They cut the hardline and resetted the subway, making it empty!" Dauphin yelled to Frey, as Bacchus and Cross unloaded a few rounds of bullets from their pistols.
"That means there's more than one most likely!" Frey yelled back, "I'll check the back and see!! Cover me" Focusing with everything, Frey backflipped and summersaulted to the other side, as bullets missed him by an inch. Halfway there, he drew his sword out and sliced the door in a clean vertical cut before smashing into it, leaving dust and an outline of himself on the door.
"Dumb shit, he should've just opened it," Dauphin thought, and taking Jord's hand,"C'mon, we'll get the back. Bacchus, Cross, take care of the middle!!". With a twirl of his staff, him and Jord both dove headfirst into the window of the door in front of them. There was a loud shatter of broken window pieces, but fortunately, they were gone.The Agent, having run out of bullets, tossed his weapon aside and dusted himself off. Bacchus and Cross stood from their now torn-to-shred chairs. The rambling subways noises were cut off when Bacchus spoke.
"What kind of lousy shots are you guys?" she questioned.
'A Jackson.....Agent Jackson' Jackson answered formally.
'JACK THIS!!' roared Bacchus, as she brandished from her white fur coat two automatic AK-47's. Agent Jackson stood broad, that made him a perfect target for Bacchus to let hell brake loose on the guns. Although she was firing up a storm with the powerful weapons, Jackson was moving very smoothly and slowly, leaving eclipse trails of himself. When the guns ran out of ammo, it stopped and he appeared whole again, unharmed by the bullets. Jackson shook his head and did a half-grin.
"I hope you enjoyed your little toys, for it will be your last"Cross and Bacchus turned to each other on what to do next, then with a nod, they jumped in front of Jackson with fighting poses. The two-on-one fight commenced.
Bacchus striked with a left uppercut, while Cross swung for the Agent's face. Jackson, with his right hand, seized Bacchus's fist, knocked Cross's punch with it, and tossed her clear to the other side of the subway car. There was a loud THUMP as she drooped down the wall, motionless. It was only Cross and the Agent now. "I see the fear of her death in your eyes," Jackson said,"Worry for you own."
Cross said nothing. Instead he focused his mind and ripped a chair from the floor and tossed it to Jackson. While catching the chair distracted Jackson, Cross stepped forward and threw his fist into the chair, punching Jackson against the wall. Jackson quickly recovered and swung the chair at Cross, only to have got air when Cross backflipped into a handstand and threw both legs at him. Jackson then dropped the chair and made a grab at his feet. With full force, he flipped Cross and kicked him in mid-air. Enduring the pain the best he could, Cross skid against the rough floor, just three feet away from Bacchus. He reached her and checked her pulse. She was alive, only knocked out.
Cross knew he was no match against the Agent, but there was no other way out, either he stalls the Agent long enough for the others to come back or get killed. He might as well die trying. Cross pushed himself back up and ran towards Jackson. With no purpose at all, Cross grabbed hold of a pole and swung in a 360 spin. Jackson didn't see this coming and stumbled backwards on impact. Before Cross landed back on the floor, Jackson charged full throttle at him and tackled him. Cross then countered back with a kick launching Jackson into the ceiling with a kick.Cross got back up, and looked at the hole in the subway ceiling. Air was blowing through it, and he was waiting, for him to come back; one minute passed, he wasn't coming back. No sooner had Cross turned around something broke through the window on his right. Before he could react, Agent Jackson elbow him in the ribs, sending him through the other window. Cross focused once again and in mid-air, he grabbed onto the top of the window seal. There was no purpose, no thought, no disbelief, thus the result ended in Cross twirling a complete 180 before landing feet-first onto the subway roof. Cross then became aware of what he just did, and discovered that doing things in the Matrix world without doubt or thinking allowed you to do brake the very common rules of reality. Using this information he now acquired, he got on his knees and threw his head into the roof, in hopes of breaking through. There was loud knock that even caught the attention of Agent Jackson as Cross came bursting through the ceiling, landing flat on his back. There was a extremely large lump on his forehead, and Agent Jackson shook his head and smiled. He turned towards the pole that Cross used on him minutes ago and plucked it out of its place like a flower.
"This is how it's done Cross," Jackson demonstrated, and holding the pole above his head, ready to swing,"A pity this will be the last lesson you learn. Good bye."
'Toys, huh?'
A gun went off, and Jackson's face suddenly exploded in the center. Electricity charged all over his body until it was the rocker's corpse on the ground. Cross took his hands off of his face ( The pain was still hurting ), and there he saw Bacchus.
"You alright there? Luckly I had this small pistol handy,"she explained, and helping Cross up, she laughed at the lump on his head which was noticible.
"Yeah, at least I know how to use my head!!" Cross joked
'In a very retarded way." Bacchus replied cooly, 'I suppose you thought that braking into solid matter wouldn't hurt would it?'
'Okay, I'm dumb, let's find the others!'
Just as they turned to the exit, Frey came panting down from the front. There wasn't any serious injuries on him, save for the remaining dust from the door he foolishly bashed into. Just after he reached the two, he took in huge gulps of air and spoke heavily.
"The...phone...started...working," he breathed out,"Echo was telling me that you guys were fighting an agent....oo shit, if only I can fly like Neo.."
No sooner had Frey finished talking when Dauphin and Jord came running from the back, marching like a parade.
"Nothing in the...holy shit, what the hell happened here?!" said Jord, as she exaimed the hole in ceiling, bullets holes that were planted on the walls, and the broken windows.
"Let's just say we had a little fun with Mr. Jackson" answered Bacchus.The lights started flickering again, and in two seconds, they went out. It was complete darkness until after a few more seconds elasped and they came back on. The crew was now standing in a subway full of people, pretty much the one they were on before it changed. Everything was just as it was before. Before anyone could react, the blurry lights of a subway station came zooming in.
The doors sprang, but it didn't take less than a minute for them to quickly evacuate out of it. The station they were now at wasn't as bad as the previous one. In fact, it was as spotless as can be. Just then, a ringing tone echoed throughout the station. Everyone pulled out their weapons, but then found it was just the cell phone.
"Tell us what the hell is going on!!! This station looks too clean to be inside the Matrix!!" complained Frey
'Listen sword dick!! I wanted to tell you that how the subway changed back, so shut the fuck up and listen!! I dont honestly know how a subway changed back to it's original, my hunch is that the entire hack the Agents placed on it was completely destroyed. Only I never knew Agents had that much skill in a hack.'
'I dont believe anybody has.....could be one person I know. Anyways, give us the heads up on where we at.'
'The station that's right after E Street, 38th. Where you go next is up to you, good luck.' said Echo as she hung up."So what now?" asked Dauphin
'Let's get out of this squeaky clean, then we'll talk' commanded Frey.They walked out of the subway and into a very quiet street where only very cars would come by every minute. On top of that, the sidewalks were empty. This was very unusual to them, especially in the Matrix, for there is always busy streets and a numerous surplus of people. They came across a small bench at a bus stop and sat there. Frey spoke first.
"Guys, back at the subway, I got reception on the cell and called Echo. Apparently, the subway was resetted, that part me and Dauphin figured out. However, there was a few flaws. One was, there was just one agent, usually they send two or more to finish off the job for sure. It was a miracle you guys managed to kill him, but I call it luck. The second is the subway, it was unusally small and I dunno how you reset a small subway full of people, you have to have hacking skills like a god. Dauphin, you thinking what I'm thinking?"
'No, I was thinking of molesting japanese chickens, but yeah, I believe Eizus had something to do with this.' he said just as the cell phone rang once more. And like always, it was Echo.
"Guys, I have bad news and shitty news. The bad news is I dont know what the fuck to do next, and the shitty news is the same corruption of code in the subway is heading your way in a limo."
"Well, at least that corruption has good taste," Frey replied sarcastically.
"You can talk shit later, I suggest you hide yourselves. IT'S COMING!!' and Echo hung immediately.Frey flipped the cell closed and signaled everybody to take cover in a video store. Once they were all inside they looked looked at the window. And like Echo warned them all, there was a black stretch lemo driving bytheir direction. It keep going until it parallel parked at a building suite that was about a good three hundred feet tall. The passenger door went ajar as Agent Jackson emerged from it.
"That bastard!! We killed HIM!!" Cross said, surprised.
'Dumb ass, THEIR AGENTS!! You kill one it will just inhabit another body that's still linked to the Matrix. But this one looks different."
And indeed Jackson did, for he his suit was no longer a light brown but jet black. His style resembled a man that just came from a funeral. Then the driver side door opened, and another Agent walked out, who was garbed just like Jackson was, although his figure was more muscular. Frey turned and threw mid air punches as he recognized who it was.
"That's the Agent I fought in the subway while we freed Dopp! I believe his name was Thompson."
The two agents looked back and fourth with blank expressions on their faces. Then they opened the back door, and a black polished army boot stepped out, followed by black parachute pants. The other foot came and the top waist revealed a long open silver trenchcoat. The open part appeared to be a black sleeveless shirt, that outlined muscles on the person's chest. Now the entire person was out, his hands armed with red gloves, his face scarred, eyes green like a serpent's, lips black as charcoal, and long silvery white hair that drooped down to his shoulders. Both Frey and Dauphin picked up their weapons, for they found the primary suspect of the subway disaster.
"EIZUS!!" they both roared, and storming themselves out of the store. The clerk came walking in and stood there frozen, not knowing what was going on. Jord courtestly smiled and then turned to the two guys with the smile vanishing.
"You guys are idiots!!! There's two agents and this guy! No way we all can take them on, we have light weapons with hardly any ammo left!! And I know that lump on Cross's head aint gonna help us. Now calm the fuck down before this guy get's more suspicious!!"
"Jord's right" Bacchus agreed,"Hold up. They just walked into the building. Should we chance it?"
"I wouldn't" Cross objected, picking his lump.
"Let's go....what could we loose besides our own lives?" said Frey, and walking out of the store, and crossing the empty parkway. The crew all knew, including Frey, that Zion would be lost, should they fail.
The building suite was titled "Gratson & Waltch Co." on the side of it. Inside of it, was very luxurious and isolated. It resembled a business interior like any other: service counter, lobby section, and elevators. Dauphin took the lead and pushed for the elevator on the right. The floor numbers were from one to thirty. This made them debate on what floor to stop on.
"Alright, if anywhere, it would be the top. Top executives and information are held there." Dauphin hypothized
'And what makes you so fucking sure?' Frey mouthed off
'Because Frey, I was a top computer designer in the Matrix, rather than a lousy window washer."
'HEY!!! Let's not get started on my case!"Cross blurted. They all laughed nervously.The elevator walls were made of glass, so as it moved upward, the more the city was begginning to show. The skies gave off a green tint, while buildings, skyscrapers, freeways, factories, cars, and people doing their everyday work began to shrink. Bacchus leaned her head against the window.
"The Matrix. It's as real as it's fake. Now it makes you wonder,"there was concern in her voice,"was the real world like this before it was taken over?"
"Maybe," Frey guessed,"Nobody knows. This could've been what the real world was like a century before the machines took over. Maybe we lived in a more futuristic place."
'And maybe!!!,' Dauphin exclaimed,'We couldv'e lived in the bahamas and hula danced in the sand and ate coconuts. We'll never know, so just stay focused and get to this fucking lunatic." Just as he finished, the elevator bell rang and the number "30" flashed on the side panel of buttons. At this point, even the crew's quick reflexes to draw their weapons weren't swift enough to what Eizus had for them.
There was Eizus, in the office floor. Behind on each side of him were about sixty security guards with night sticks. Luckilly, there were no Agents in sight.
"Damn, sssseems like you desstroyers got here jusst ass the feds were sent down to abolisssh you five." Eizus hissed. For the first time, Frey and Dauphin thought, he wasn't chanting about being destroyed.
"Wow, HE SPOKE!! I was afraid you were gonna ssssssssing there whitey." Frey insulted.
"The only ssssong I'll be singing is the one played at your funeral sss- swordsman. I sssee you and the sstaff holder brought some friendss. Ssssso have I!!" He then walked up to the crew up to the point where he was less than a foot away from them. He was around the same height as Dauphin, a good 6'2, and he glared at them with his green eyes.
"Go ahead, hit me......if you dare" he challenged.The crew stood there, looking at each other. They were totally unsure of their slim chances of making it alive. Eizus chuckled and turned back to the guards. He faced the five while he spoke to security.
"Guard the information Jackson and Thompson ordered. Finish off these criminals." he ordered, and smiling he looked at Frey and Dauphin,
"...Dauphin......Frey......I must be off....farewell" and with a swish of his trenchcoat, he disappeared into the security crowd and was gone.The Guards began advancing towards them. Dauphin pulled out his staff and walked ahead of them.
"You guys find whatever information he was talking about. It should be in other sections on this floor. GO AND FIND IT, I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!!"
"Dauphin, YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!" Frey shouted.
'I need you to lead them on, NOW HAUL ASS!! THAT'S A FUCKING ORDER!!' and with no rejection to his command, Frey lead the others to another door before security got to them. Their attention turned to Dauphin, who opposed them with a series of staff wielding moves. The security responded by charging at him.
"Lovely" he said
The staff whistled as its end smacked one guard in the face. Dauphin dodged one blow from a night stick and kicked one guard into three others. He then jumped with a round house kick and drilled one guy into the floor. He landed on a desk and several security men grabbed onto Dauphin. He broke it up by slamming one guy in the stomach, two across the throats, and swinging his staff like a baseball bat, sent one man into a crowd of ten and into a Powerade vending machine.
Dauphin planted himself onto a rollerchair and slid across the room before backflipping the chair out a window. He blocked one night stick flying straight at him, and twirled himself around as a guard dove right for him. There was a faint yell as the guard fell out the window, while Dauphin dropped his staff and kicked it into the following guards. One got behind him and swung his night stick to Dauphin's back. Dauphin flew forward onto the ground, but got back on his feet and punched the guard into a window of his doom. Just then, a guard holding Dauphin's staff threw it at Dauphin like a javelin. Dauphin smirked and caught it with ease, as ten guys withdrew their night sticks out. He looked straight ahead and wiped his mind clear of thought. Automatically he grabbed two guards from his left and right, and just as two other men approached, Dauphin reacted with kicking both his legs at their throats. He then swung his legs underneath him and nailed two guards behind him in the area between the legs. Just then two other males charged into the action, only to have been crushed by the two guards Dauphin was using them as poles. All was going smoothly until Dauphin felt a might blow from a chair that bashed right into his left. He flew like a meteor into a cubicle office and collided into the wall, making a explosion of dust and shards. The remaining guards gathered around the dust cloud. Just then a loud whistle noise commenced as a spinning staff flew out of the cloud and knocked one guard unconscious.The rumble exploded as Dauphin erupted from it. Jumping out of the dust, he revealed himself to be holding a computer. He chucked it at the nearest guard as sparks and chip pieces came splashing out. Dauphin noticed his staff on the ground, and summersaulted into the air before four guards swung their night sticks and missed. He picked up the staff that was near a file cabinet. Dauphin saw the rest of the guards and without thinking he acted upon his instincts and held his staff like a baseball bat once more. He left doubt, and disbelief of everything, then with a mighty WHAM!, his staff made contact with the cabinet. The staff broke into two, while the cabinet flew sideways into fifteen security guards, who were plowed and ran over by it.
There was only a small crowd of guards left, but Dauphin endurance was running out. He picked up the two staff pieces and equipped one for each hand. With a mighty battlecry, he leaped into the air, spinning uncontrollably, with the short staffs like blades. The crowd of men suddenly recieved a hole, as guards were sent flying in every direction from Dauphin's landing. Without a second wasted, he spun and twirled the short staffs like batons, dodging night sticks. The clanging of metal was heard from across the floor, as Dauphin defending himself against security's weapons. Unexpecticaly, the guards came barging into Dauphin one enormous crowd. It outnumbered his strength, and sent him flying into a wall. He left a mark on the wall, and ran for upstairs, for he knew he was well out of strength. There was one flight of stairs, and on top, was a door. He zoomed up the stairs and got to the door, and got out.Slamming the door, he turned around and came to realize he was on the balcony. On the edge was Eizus, who just removed a cell phone from his ear. He flipped the cell closed and smiled at Dauphin.
"Impressive, I ssssee you made it passs security. Unfortunately, you are too late. I have sent the Agents over here, and they should be here very shortly. And now I must take leave."
'What makes you think I'm gonna die?' Dauphin spat.
'Behind you-'
No sooner had Eizus finished his sentence as security came bursting through the door. Dauphin found himself surrounded by Eizus, and the guards. He held his short staffs high, for he was gonna fight til the very end.But then-There was a loud SHING noise as one guard flopped to the ground dead. Before the guards could pull out their night sticks, the figure swung his sword horizontally cutting the sticks in half. It took the guards two seconds to noticed anything until one was stabbed, and the others slashed across their chests. The last of security was defeated, and as they fell, Dauphin and Eizus recognized who it was. It was Frey.
"En Guarde," Frey said smiling,"Me and the crew managed to find a disc, in which Echo will analyze. And trust me, this was the very thing security was guarding."
Eizus laughed hysterically. It took him awhile to stop, and then he hissed," Well done friendss. You have proven youself of defeating my sssecurity, and gaining the information. You have passsed my first test."
"THIS WAS A FUCKING TEST?!" Dauphin cursed.
'Indeed Dauphin, the next test will begin shortly. I doubt you will ever ssssurvive the next one. It is sssssucide to you all. Not even The Prophet can ssssave you now.'
'Nor will this,' Dauphin said, and using the last bit of strength he could muster, he leaped in front of Eizus. It looked as though Dauphin was going to hit him, until Eizus phased into the most unusual form Dauphin and Frey ever saw. It was the form he assumed the night they met him, for Eizus's body was transparent, glowing with a misty white. His face became as that of a corpse. His hair was sticking in every direction. Dauphin flew right through him and nearly fell off the cliff. Eizus then flew freely off the balcony and was disappeared into the depths of the city."I don't think we're dealing with a normal virus here,Dauphin," Frey said, helping him up.
"For all we know, it could be a human," Dauphin replied,"Where's the others?"
'Jacked out. I went back to grab you. There were bodies all over the place. I see you've improved.'
"It wasn't good enough-" Dauphin said until Frey's cell rang.
"GUYS!!," Echo shouted,"Agent's are on their way. Get the fuck out of there." then she hung up.
"Agents Daup-WHAT THE HELL YOUR'E DOING?!" Frey's tone of voice changed as Dauphin threw aside his broken staff and ran towards the edge.
'Making an exit!!" Dauphin answered. He dove headfirst off the balcony. Frey shook his head in dismal.
The cell rang again.
"What the hell is Dauphin doing?!" Echo asked with anger.
"Doing his superman thing" Frey chuckled.
Ripoff