"The path of the One is made by the many."
Chapter One: The Escape
Jackson leapt at Neo, slashing diagonally with his open palm in a knife-like move. Neo caught the Agent's wrist and shoved his arm upwards. Using him as a brace, Neo kicked out at the Agent's chest and sent him flying back into the other two, who caught Jackson and helped him stand up.
He brushed dust from the fall off of his suit.
"This will require more…extreme methods," the Agent said to his comrades. The three came at Neo from different angles.
Neo blocked a chop from Jackson and kicked out at Hewitt. Hewitt grabbed Neo's foot.
Neo looked surprised.
"Upgrades?"
Neo grabbed Jackson's arm and swung him around into Hewitt. Levine threw a kick at Neo's stomach but the blow was bated aside by a hand and returned much quicker. Neo's foot struck the Agent, sending him flying backwards into a wall. He hit the stone, left a dent, and fell forward.
The other two Agents paused and glanced at Neo. He causally watched as the defeated Agent's corpse returned to its original form and then turned his head to the remaining Agents.
"One down, two to go," he said tauntingly.
Morpheus crouched at the mouth to a sewer pipe. He heard footsteps splashing along and gunshots echoing behind. Ghost appeared, but he slipped on the wet surface and went sprawling, leaving his cell phone in the pipe as he fell to the ground below.
Rabbit grabbed the phone and tossed it down to him.
"Catch!" Ghost received the throw and saluted with it gratefully. Then he continued along.
Morpheus motioned Rabbit quiet. They heard footsteps coming down the tunnel again, but these were much slower and much more numerous. The duo heard three voices conversing in hushed tones.
"He went this way, I'm sure of it," said the first.
"I'm telling you, I heard someone else down here!" said a second, deeper voice.
"Shut up, you're gonna give us away," complained a third.
"This is stupid. Why do we have to guard a damn phone?" asked the second man.
"Because the Powers That Be told us to," the first voice replied. "You complain, it's your ass, not mine - "
The last speaker ended in a yell as Morpheus shot his foot out to connect with the side of his head. Morpheus instantly saw they were in for a fight. Five SWAT with full body armor and weapons traveled down the pipe, not counting the one Morpheus had already knocked cold.
Phoenix watched a group of three guards run past him towards the hard line. He peaked out, put his sniper rifle to the eye, and shot the lead man right in the back of his neck. The other two whirled around, and Fallen Angel leaped from behind, catching one in a tackle. The third man ran to help his partner, but was shot between the eyes by Phoenix.
Fallen Angel hit his opponent with a vicious punch to the neck, then wrapped his legs around him and started pummeling him. Phoenix ran and grabbed Fallen Angel by the wrist, and the other rebel almost hit Phoenix before stopping himself.
"Calm down," suggested Phoenix. "He's done."
Ghost from the Logos jogged up. Ignoring Phoenix, he waved to Fallen Angel and grabbed the ringing phone. Ghost disappeared.
Fallen Angel noticed Ghost's treatment of Phoenix and turned to look questioningly at him. Phoenix sighed.
"I used to be on his ship and was transferred for reckless behavior."
Fallen Angel clearly wanted more explanation, but Phoenix shook his head.
"Later. Now is not time for a discussion like this."
Fallen Angel shrugged and reached for the phone as it started ringing. As his hand touched the receiver, there was the sharp crack rifle and the phone burst into pieces, the bullet going clear through his hand. Phoenix whirled around to search for the assailant.
Lynx heard footsteps pounding along below the elevated catwalk that she and Trinity sat on. Looking down, she spotted Niobe and Ice fleeing from a group of ten or twelve SWAT. Lynx dropped to the floor, her cloak billowing out behind her, and brought her two pistols up, squeezing off a shot from each. One man went down, the second target surviving because of thick body armor.
Trinity jumped, landing atop a third man.
"Niobe! Ice!" she called. "Stand and fight!" The two captains complied.
Niobe stopped suddenly and sent her foot back into her pursuer's head, twisting it around with a sickening crack. Ice jumped to a wall, pushed off it with her left foot, flipped back, over a SWAT, and landed behind him. Ice's fist shot straight forward, pushing the man's chin down into his neck at astonishing speed. He collapsed to the floor.
Lynx dropped her pistols and ran to the man she had downed. She dove and grabbed his weapon as his partner opened fire. Holding the gun in one hand, she used the other to propel herself into the air while squeezing the trigger. The man jerked as the bullets hit him and fell to the ground, blood coming out from his mouth.
The remaining six men formed a tight circle with their guns pointed outwards.
Morpheus dove forward and rolled, launching himself feet first into one of the oncoming soldiers. Rabbit kicked out at the one beside him, but his foot was caught and the soldier pushed him to the ground. Rabbit's head struck the cold metal with a thud, and he saw stars.
Morpheus quickly moved to the third man and dispatched him with a quick elbow to the throat. The fourth and fifth men, however, being ready, proved more of a challenge. Not wanting to risk hitting their comrades, they did not open fire but moved to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the infamous rebel.
The first attacker swing at Morpheus with his rifle. Morpheus grabbed the rifle and twisted it sharply up, breaking it in two. The man gaped in horror as Morpheus reversed the severed barrel and jammed it into the man's throat.
Rabbit's attacker kicked his prone form in the stomach. Rabbit winced in pain, his fingers scrabbling for purchase. They closed over the defeated man's assault rifle. Grimacing in pain, Rabbit brought the weapon around and opened fire, sending his attacker to the ground.
The fifth man fled back down the tunnel. Morpheus extended a hand to Rabbit and helped him up.
"You okay?"
Rabbit winced.
"I think the bastard cracked one of my ribs."
Just then, they heard a strange sucking sound from the direction the last SWAT had fled. Rabbit, recently unplugged, glanced at Morpheus curiously. Morpheus, a veteran of many battles, had heard the sound before.
"Run!" he cried, dashing down the pipe in the opposite direction of the sound.
Hewitt and Levine came at Neo again. Neo blocked a closed-fist blow from Hewitt and moved his arm around the Agent's fist, grabbed it, and flipped the program over to the ground. With his other hand, he blocked a similar move from Levine, thrust the Agent's arm away, and punched him hard in the chest. Levine stumbled backwards.
Hewitt scrambled to his feet and joined Levine. Levine grabbed a nearby sign post and broke it in half, handing the other half to Hewitt. Neo eyed the new makeshift weapons. This could be harder than he had at first thought.
A figure stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, wearing a pure white suit. He had long, white dreadlocks that hung down to his shoulders. He wore dark sunglasses.
Phoenix gaped. Cleary not an Agent or human, but what was it? His astonishment continued as a second one, exactly identical to the first, stepped out beside him.
"They are not the primary target," said the first.
"But they associate with him and work against our master. They must be eliminated."
"We will do it."
Phoenix raised his gun and shot at the first figure, whose body went clear. He faded to an outline with a whitish tint, and his hair rose above his head like the Medusa of lore. The bullet passed harmlessly through him.
"Destroy them."
The two figures charged. The first leapt up into the air and landed in front of Phoenix. He punched and Phoenix bent backwards to dodge, the man's fist going over Phoenix's chest and past his head. Phoenix turned his dodge to a flip and lifted the…ghost…up with his feet, catapulting him over the railing behind the combatants. The ghost fell, grabbed a railing that stretched across the chasm below, flipped around it, and shot back up to the platform, landing in front of Phoenix.
The second ghost kicked straight at Fallen Angel, who was still holding the ruined phone. Fallen Angel took the phone cord, wrapped it around the ghost's foot and yanked, causing the ghost to spin around in midair and fall to the ground. Fallen Angel moved to kick the ghost's form when the ghost drew a knife and stabbed it into Fallen Angel's leg. He grunted and bent over, tearing the knife from his leg. The ghost rolled away from him and leapt to his feet with catlike agility.
Fallen Angel turned to Phoenix.
"This could be harder than we first thought."
Lynx, Trinity, Ice, and Niobe ducked behind a nearby pipe as bullets filled the sky around them. They looked at each other.
"I'll take them," Lynx said.
Ice looked at her in shock.
"You can't possibly take down six soldiers with weapons yourself!"
"Watch me," she replied, standing up.
Niobe moved to grab her, but Trinity stopped her.
"I'm coming too," Trinity said. "Ice is right."
Lynx rounded the pipe with both pistols drawn. She was calm, centered. Her tutor's voice filled her mind.
Free your mind.
The air filled with bullets once more. Lynx dashed to the left. Time seemed to slow down for her. She ducked under one bullet and pushed off the ground and jumped over another one. She twirled her pistols and fired, jumping to the side at the same time.
She hit the ground and rolled into a crouching position. Flipping forward, she sprang into the group of soldiers. She took hold of one man's rifle and jammed it up, bringing the butt of the weapon into his chin. Then she whipped the gun around, smacking it into the face of the next man.
Lynx opened fire. The bullets tore through the air, killing two of the SWAT men. Lynx side-kicked at the man across the way, sending him sprawling backwards and over a railing. She dropped the gun and turned around, seeing the last man holding an assault rifle and bringing it to bear. He opened fire. One bullet shot forward and hit her in the stomach. The man walked forward and pointed the gun at her head. A gunshot rang throughout the arena -
- and he dropped dead from Trinity's quick shot.
Rabbit peered over his shoulder and glanced at the figure pursuing them. An Agent.
Holy Shit! Rabbit thought, turning on the speed. His legs pumped up and down, and his footsteps echoed throughout the sewers as he ran as fast as he could.
I wasn't made for this…I'm a hacker, for crying out loud! Someone save me!
Morpheus fired a shot back over his shoulder at the Agent. The Agent stopped to dodge the bullet, and the rebels got an extra lead. Rabbit heard a phone ringing past the railing again. Morpheus came alongside him.
"When we get to the railing, jump!"
"Hell no!"
"Trust me!"
Rabbit would have protested again, but he reached the railing at that moment. Morpheus vaulted over the side, and Rabbit thought what the hell and followed.
He hung in the air a second before falling. He hit the catwalk below and rolled, coming up before a ringing phone. Thank God… he thought, grabbing the phone and listening to the voice.
"If you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again. The following tones are for the hearing impaired."
"Son of a bitch!" cried Rabbit, dropping the phone. Jackson landed on the platform behind the two. Rabbit glanced around. Nowhere to go. No way out. A true dead end.
Ghost One leapt at Phoenix, jumping high into the air with a kick aimed at Phoenix's head. He slapped One's foot to the side and flipped over backwards, bringing his feet into One's back. One tumbled to the floor, but managed to fall into a roll and spring up on the opposite side of Phoenix. Phoenix swung his foot around in a roundhouse kick, but One just phased, and Phoenix's foot passed harmlessly through.
Ghost Two was more subtle. He stalked around the edges of the platform, watching Fallen Angel closely. Fallen Angel took his time also. He bent to the ground and picked up the phone. He yanked it out of the wall, the cord coming with it, forming a crude morning star-like weapon. Two suddenly exploded in a fury of motion. His arm went to his side and snapped back out, a dagger glittering in the dark sewer air. Fallen Angel snatched the dagger out of midair and hurled it back at Two, who phased as it passed harmlessly through him.
One grabbed Phoenix's foot as it completed its pass through One's ghostly form. He tugged the foot forward, bringing Phoenix in close. Phoenix brought his other foot up to connect with One's face, snapping his head up and knocking his glasses off. One grabbed his face and dropped Phoenix, who landed on the floor.
Fallen Angel swung his weapon at Two. Two flipped backwards, grabbing his knife before landing on his feet again. He darted in close to Fallen Angel, but the phone brained him on the side of the head before he could phase out of its way. Two darted in again, and Fallen Angel swung the phone in retaliation, forcing Two back.
Two faked an attack, and then grabbed the phone as it was swung. He hauled it forward, snatching it from Fallen Angel's grasp. He ducked under a kick and slashed his knife upwards across Fallen Angel's chest, leaving a trail of red from hip to shoulder across Fallen Angel's white uniform.
The pain overwhelmed Fallen Angel. He sank to his knees, clutching his stomach with both hands. Two walked forward and slashed up Fallen Angel's face, lifting the freedom fighter up and laying him out flat. Two knelt down for a killing blow -
- and sank forward onto his own knife when Phoenix stumbled backwards onto him.
Two flipped up and phased, his wound instantly healing. "Just like new."
"We owe you for that," said One somberly.
Just then, the two put turned their heads, listening. They turned to each other.
"The primary target. We must go."
They turned to the rebels.
"We will meet again."
They disappeared over the side.
Trinity ran forward and knelt down by Lynx's form. Blood was slowly seeping out in a circle from the gun wound. Lynx was staring off into space, a feverish look on her face.
"So cold," she muttered. Trinity shook her.
"Stay with me, Lynx," she pleaded. The young woman had become a friend in the last months, even the Trinity had never shown it. Supporting Lynx on a shoulder, they continued towards the hard line.
Neo took a step back and grabbed part of the stair railing. He concentrated on the code for a second and then removed a section shaped like a perfectly proportioned staff. Hewitt swung at him and he deflected the attack with one side, bringing the other around and hitting Hewitt in the stomach. He returned the first side to Hewitt's head, moving to fast for even the third-generation Agent. Hewitt sank to the floor, defeated.
Levine fled back down the alleyway from which he had come. Neo changed the code again and threw the pole. With its new sharp end, it went straight through the fleeing agent. Neo looked around the alleyway.
Now what?
He concentrated for a moment, the ground rippling our beneath him, then took off into the sky.
Supporting himself on Phoenix, Fallen Angel slowly and laboriously made his way to a hard line. The phone rang, and Fallen Angel gratefully picked up the receiver. He put the line to his ear and disappeared. Phoenix hung up the phone and waited for the call. When it came, he exited the Matrix with one simple motion.
Jackson opened fire. Rabbit dove to the floor, but he was not the Agent's primary target. Morpheus dodged all the shots and returned them even less accurately, the Agent moving so fast it seemed like there were five of him.
The Agent closed in, herding Morpheus into a corner with a series of powerful punches and kicks. Morpheus swung high, and Jackson grabbed his wrist and dragged Morpheus's leg across his own, sending Morpheus to the floor. Morpheus rolled off the edge, grabbing on with two hands. The Agent walked forward, foot poised to crush the rebel's hand, and snorted.
"Humans."
"Programs," sneered Rabbit, shooting the Agent in the back. He whirled around, gun coming up, and Morpheus grabbed his leg and pulled him off the cliff. He helped Morpheus up and they walked back to the phone. It rang.
"After you, Captain."
Morpheus left, and Rabbit followed.
Trinity lay Lynx down in front of the hard line. It rang almost instantly. Trinity smiled.
Voyd's watching over her. Trinity grabbed the phone and brought it down to Lynx's ear.
Lynx woke in the Nebuchadnezzar. Voyd rushed over to her.
"Are you all right?" he inquired anxiously. Morpheus grabbed him by the shoulder.
"We'll take care of her. Not everyone is out, Operator."
Grudgingly, Voyd returned to his seat.
"Greetings, Miss Raines," said Hewitt, as he walked towards Trinity. Trinity glanced back at the destroyed hard line. She could faintly hear a ringing from further down the tunnel, but first she had to deal with the Agent.
Niobe and Ice came up quietly behind the Agent. Trinity nodded at them. Hewitt rushed forward and slashed at Trinity with his fist. She blocked the blow and jumped into the air, kicking him in the chest. He stumbled backwards-right into Niobe. Niobe hit him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground a foot away from the railing. Ice rushed over to him, but he kicked out at her ankle and sent her flying.
Niobe, rushed forward. She swung down at the Agent, who blocked her blow high and fired his gun into her stomach. Niobe sank backwards to the floor. Trinity took out her own pistol and fired as quickly as she could, barley touching the Agent's left leg. She turned and looked behind her as she heard more footsteps coming up behind her.
Levine appeared from the other direction.
Shit! thought Trinity. The odds were too great now. Trinity dashed forward, avoiding fire. She ran for the railing and leaped into the darkness, the Agents firing after her. She landed on a platform and grabbed the ringing phone, putting it to her ear.
After Trinity finally came out of the Matrix, she walked over and stood beside Voyd, at the operator's chair.
"Where's Neo?"
"He's doing that Superman thing," said Voyd, pressing a button to show her. Trinity watched for a second and then turned away to find Morpheus.
Neo soared through the clouds, losing himself in the joy of flight. After a hard battle, it was always what he did to unwind.
The Matrix isn't all bad, he thought to himself. It's control that is the problem. If we told people the truth, many of them would want to stay, even if they knew they were under control. If we destroy the machines, maybe we can make the Matrix a paradise for us.
Ice looked up as footsteps approached her. A strong hand descended and lifted her to her feet.
"Thanks," she told the rebel.
"Don't thank me yet," the rebel replied, firing her gun twice into Ice's stomach.
He was sitting in the kitchen, idly sipping some coffee. Nearby, Fallen Angel was wrapping a bandage around his hand. There was already one on his throat and chest.
Trinity sat down across from Morpheus. "Who'd we lose?" she inquired.
Morpheus sighed.
"We were lucky. No one died, but Lynx and Fallen Angel are badly hurt. The other rebels were less lucky. All told, Ice, Tyger, Frost, Ajax, Malachi, and Bane were killed inside the Matrix. And Ballard still might die from his injuries. The worst part is, after this fiasco, no one will stay and wait for the Oracle."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"I guess we'll stay here ourselves and get Lock's orders via communication. It wasn't necessary to go to Zion anyway. It'll just be another week. Niobe has agreed to recharge our ship before we head back, so it should be fine."
Voyd entered the small room he shared with Lynx and walked over to her bed. There were bandages wrapped around her stomach, and the blood-soaked shirt had been torn away there. Voyd touched the bandages softly, but Lynx woke with a small gasp of pain.
Voyd yanked his hand back.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, Lynx-"
She smiled, calming him.
"It's fine, it's not too bad."
Voyd looked at her.
"Liar," he accused fondly.
She tiredly nodded her agreement. He grinned, but then got more serious.
"Listen, Lynx, what you did in there was incredible. But you were still hurt badly. Please, never do anything like that again. Promise me."
Lynx sighed in exasperation.
"Voyd, we've gone over this before. You know I can't do that. This is a war. I'm a soldier," she told him, mimicking one of Morpheus's sayings. "I'll make it to the end, too," she confided in him. "I know it. Then we'll have all the time together we could want."
"But when will the war end? 20 years?"
"No," Lynx answered. "Morpheus and Neo are confidant, and I believe them, that it will be within the month."
"Fine, but I still think-"
"Oh, shut up," ordered Lynx, bringing Voyd into a kiss.
Phoenix sat in the cockpit, surveying the old sewer system for any possible danger. Morpheus had told him the plan, and while it offered plenty of excitement for the hot-blooded rebel, he also knew one thing.
Locke was gonna be pissed.