Chapter Four: Deliverance
The truck rumbled down the mountain road, crashing through trees and vegetation. At the wheel was Myst, concentrating on the road, using the simple task to distract her from the pain of betrayal and loss.
Across from her sat Lynx, silent and thoughtful. She was the nominated leader on this mission.
In the back sat Fallen Angel. He was quiet also, thinking, no doubt, about that fateful day in his past. The conversation with Fallen Angel had brought the memories back to surface.
And Phoenix stood on the back seat, going through the sunroof and keeping a careful watch around the truck with a gun.
Myst turned left at the fork in the world. A dark shape shot past the car. Phoenix opened fire, his bullets cutting through the darkness but missing the shape. It hovered near the truck for a second before becoming lost in the forest. Phoenix sighed in relief.
The figure flashed out of the woods to the left of the car, slightly behind. He yelled a warning and pulled the trigger. Bullets streamed out at the flying man, but they bounced off as if they were hitting rock.
Pyrite flapped his wings harder, pulling himself closer to the truck. Phoenix aimed the gun at Pyrite's head, but the Exile just lifted a hand to block the bullets from his eyes. He swiped at the truck's rear, sending it slightly to the left. Myst lost control of the vehicle, which went crashing down off the road and into the woods. The van slammed straight into a tree.
"Everyone out, now," Lynx ordered. The rebels rolled out of the van and into the woods. Pyrite came swooping down on the group. Phoenix fired again, the bullets doing just as little damage as before. Lynx fired twice with her pistol, but her bullets were also ineffectual.
"Go!" Lynx yelled. The rebels ran into the woods, sticking close to taller trees. Pyrite growled in frustration, unable to maneuver in such a tight area. He flew back to the Chateau.
The alarm hit the Chateau like a bomb. Minions scurried off in all directions, carrying various orders from the Merovingian. The leaders of the Chateau gathered in one room.
Vlad and Cujo entered the doors side by side. The others had already gathered. The Merovingian and his wife sat in their chairs at the long dining table. One of the Twins stood on either side of the couple. On the left side of the table stood Cain and Abel, two of the Merovingian's strongest servants. At the right side of the same table stood the Merovingian's only woman servant. Only Pyrite was missing, but he was out…hunting.
"How nice of you to grace us with your presence," Cain said to the late Exiles sarcastically. Cujo snarled at him and made an obscene gesture. Cain drew his gun and pointed it at the werewolf.
"Gimmie a reason, wolf," he almost begged. "I swear I'll do it."
"Bullets can't hurt me, fool," Cujo snarled.
"Can silver bullets?" Cain asked.
The comment was not unexpected. The Chateau was filled with inter-"clan" warfare, with the different groups of Exiles constantly waging battle for the Merovingian's favor. It was really only a matter of time until the Chateau imploded from the tension of its own denizens.
The Merovingian interrupted the brewing conflict. "Gentlemen, now is not the time. While I admire your desire to kill, I ask that you channel your destructive energies into a more productive area."
The alarm rang again, louder. The rebels had arrived.
"Merde," the Merovingian said. He pointed to Vlad and Cujo.
"You two, take your minions to the front." Indicating the Twins, he continued, "You two, come with me to get the rebel we captured."
He turned to Cain and Abel. "You two go with Niobe to the front. Protect her at all costs. Persephone, if Pyrite arrives, tell him the rebel "Myst" is the primary target – she is the only one who can kill Niobe.
"No one must get out of here alive."
The door swung open. Lynx fired a burst from her assault rifle, cutting down the man emerging from a nearby room. The man tripped and fell to the floor, bleeding from multiple wounds. Then he climbed to his feet.
Lynx stared. How? Words some one had once said to her came to her mind.
All the legends you've heard – myths of vampires, werewolves, ghosts – are programs from older versions of the Matrix that have gone rogue. They cannot be controlled or killed through normal means. Only things like silver bullets or wooden stakes can kill these programs.
Lynx grabbed a nearby table and tore off a leg. She attacked the sentry, trapping his arms with one hand and stabbing the stake deep into his stomach with the other. His body jerked and he fell over, convulsing rapidly.
Lynx indicated the table's remains. "Everyone take a stake. I think it's the only way we have to kill them."
The rebels armed themselves with the less conventional weapons and continued down the hallway.
The first task force caught them in the ball room.
The doors on either side of the hall opened, troops spilling from them. From the left came Cujo's Dobermans, bestial creatures that were half-man half-wolf. From the right came Vlad's vampires, the blood-suckers of so many ancient myths.
The rebels formed a tight circle. Lynx slashed out with her stake, embedding it in the chest of one of the Dobermen. Myst fought beside her, dealing death with her own stake. Fallen Angel held the second side all by himself, shoving his stake into one of the vampires and removing it, flipping it around, and stabbing it into another.
Phoenix chose a less direct approach. He knocked an attacking vampire's arm up and then stabbed his stake in deep. The vampire collapsed and Phoenix removed his stake. Sighting carefully, he threw the stake like a dagger. It embedded itself in a vampire's head, sending the minion to the floor.
Lynx retrieved her impromptu weapon and stabbed upwards with it, striking another Doberman. Myst flipped her stake in her hand and held it reverse, choosing a slashing approach over simple stabbing thrusts.
Fallen Angel pounded his stake into a third vampire's head and shoving the man back into his partner. Fallen Angel tackled the fourth vampire and stabbed him deep.
Phoenix cartwheeled past two vampires, retrieving his weapon. He blocked the attack of the first vampire, throwing him down and away. He stabbed the second vampire and yanked his weapon back out, throwing it backwards into the final opponent.
Phoenix leaned down by his last opponent and examined the body. "Well, well, well," he said to himself. "What do we have here?"
He slid the chamber out of a strange pistol. Checking the bullets, he discovered they were definitely not normal – probably made of silver. He shoved the clip back into the gun.
"Two whole squads eliminated in less than five minutes," Cujo growled angrily. Vlad was calmer. He idly toyed with his dagger, carving patterns into the desk.
"So send four. Two from each of us. And then send six squads. And then send eight of them. The rebels will fall."
Cujo nodded slowly, less sure. He gave the order.
The Merovingian opened the door to the jail cell. Ghost looked up. The Twins moved forward and grabbed him. He was too weak to resist. They dragged him out and unceremoniously dumped him in front of the Exile. The Merovingian put a gun to Ghost's head.
"Niobe," Abel said. She looked up from where she sat. "The rebels have arrived."
Her face showed no emotion, her eyes hidden behind the glasses she always wore. She simply stood up, checked her weapon, and followed Cain and Abel to the front lines of the mini war waging inside the Chateau.
Lynx kicked open a door at the end of the hallway. There was a snapping sound and an arrow? Hit Lynx in the shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground. Phoenix drew his gun and shot twice, hitting two Dobermen in the head. Fallen Angel threw his stake, which hit the throat of the vampire with the crossbow. Myst drew her dagger from her belt, flipped it into a throwing position, and let it fly. A Doberman soon had it sticking out of his head. He collapsed.
There were, however, many more minions in the room. Fallen Angel reached forward and closed the door.
"This is taking too long," Lynx said, getting back up and yanking the arrow from her shoulder with a gasp.
"We need to split up. Phoenix, stay with me. Fallen Angel, you take Myst and try to find Ghost. We'll be the bait."
As Lynx finished, the lights in the Chateau suddenly went off.
"That can't be good."
Lynx and Phoenix exploded through the doors. Lynx, armed with three stakes, threw two in opposite directions, spearing two of the fighters. She grabbed the third stake from her belt and stabbed a vampire deep in the chest. Phoenix fired twice, hitting a Doberman twice in the chest. The wolf keeled over and screamed.
The remaining three vampires surrounded Lynx. One rushed in at her, kicking out with his left foot. Lynx shoved the foot away and raised her arm to block an attack from the second vampire. The third darted under her guard and hit her in the stomach, sending her falling to the ground a few feet away.
Phoenix fired again, hitting a Doberman in the head. He turned his gun around and fired over his shoulder at the Doberman behind him. He turned to the final Doberman and shot him in the chest once. The Doberman snarled in pain. Phoenix pulled the trigger again, but the gun was empty. The Doberman smiled and started towards him.
Lynx flipped back up and grabbed her stake from the floor. She stabbed the first vampire and pushed him backwards towards his partners. The other two caught him and then quickly dropped him as Lynx flipped backwards. She grabbed the crossbow from a downed vampire and fired one of the arrows. The older missile streaked forward and hit one of the vampires in the eye. She fired another bolt and killed the last vampire.
Phoenix threw the empty gun at the Doberman. He jumped back in surprise and Phoenix loosed his stake. The final warrior fell.
An alarm sounded again. The Merovingian swore and handed the gun back to Twin One. He walked away at a brisk pace.
"Take him to the Pit," he called back over his shoulder.
Myst and Fallen Angel crept quietly through the darkened corridors. Fallen Angel looked around the corner and spotted the two albinos walking down the hallway, dragging Ghost between them. Fallen Angel leapt around the corner and fired. The bullet streaked towards Twin One, who phased and turned around, spotting the rebels. He hissed.
Twin Two hit Ghost on the back of the head with his pistol, knocking him out. Then he turned around and began to walk towards the rebels with his twin.
Lynx threw the crossbow over to Phoenix. She scanned the room and picked up two of her stakes. Then she opened the door to the next room.
In the center of the room was a small table. At it sat a man with long black hair and pale skin. He didn't look up as the door opened, but continued to write something on a paper. Phoenix pointed the crossbow at him.
"Who are you?"
The attack came from the left. Cujo's foot kicked the crossbow from Phoenix's hands. The man at the desk, Vlad, leapt across his table and landed in front of Lynx, grabbing her by the neck. He threw her over his head and crashing into the desk. Cujo pushed Phoenix hard, sending him staggering backwards into the wall.
Lynx groaned and lifted herself up. Vlad pushed her again, sending her flying against the wall at the other side of the room. Lynx reached over to the chair beside her and pulled herself up. She looked at the wall and spotted a potential weapon.
Phoenix flipped over Cujo and ran for the crossbow. Cujo yanked a ball from his pocket and threw it after Phoenix. The ball hit him in the back and sent him flying forward past the crossbow.
Lynx flipped over Vlad and ran for the far wall. She grabbed an old-fashioned sword from a display case and turned around to face Vlad. The vampire laughed at her.
"Do you really think you can use that?" he asked, lifting an axe from another display case.
Lynx nodded. "You see, my favorite simulation in training was a medieval battleground."
Vlad rush forward, bringing down the axe. Lynx's sword caught the axe and pushed it aside. She swung her sword in a wide arc, forcing Vlad back to the center of the room. He lifted his axe and swiped at Lynx's face. She lifted the sword at an odd angle, and managed to slightly deflect the weapon from its path. The axe sank into her shoulder. She screamed.
Phoenix flung a stake at Cujo. The werewolf hit the weapon aside with his hand and rushed in at Phoenix. Phoenix dodged to the left and rolled, grabbing the crossbow on his way up. He targeted Cujo.
"Die," he said, pulling the trigger. The bolt flew forward and hit Cujo in the neck, sending him falling to the floor. His body went wild, convulsing as he lost control of his limbs. Then he fell silent.
Lynx lifted her sword and plunged it into Vlad's stomach. The vampire staggered backwards, wrenching the blade from his body. He seemed to fade away, disappearing into the air like a dream on waking.
Phoenix helped Lynx up. They walked into the next room.
Fallen Angel blocked Twin One's attack and swept his foot down low, trying to knock the Exile off balance. One leapt backwards, yanking on Fallen Angel's arm and sending him sprawling forwards. One brought his fist down on Fallen Angel's back, sending him to the floor.
Two leaned back to avoid Myst's punch and grabbed her arm, flipping her over his own head and throwing her to the ground. She began to rise and he kicked her, sending her flying a few meters before collapsing to the floor once more. She too sank into unconsciousness.
"We shall take them to the pits," One said to Two.
Lynx and Phoenix walked down the hallway side by side, checking each room for enemies as they passed it. They came into a large, dark room. As Lynx walked forward, she gave a little cry and fell into a large pit.
"Where are you?" shouted Phoenix.
"I fell! I think I'm in a huge arena of some sort! I can't really see!" Lynx shouted back.
From Lynx's left came the sound of heavy breathing. She tightened her grip on the sword and got to her feet. A snarling came to her left, and she turned around, holding her sword in a guard position.
"I think there's something down here!"
A growling sound came from the right. Lynx turned quickly, and then felt a searing pain as claws ripped into her back. She was thrown forward, and she lost the sword, which slid away into the darkness.
Phoenix saw a dark shape rush at Lynx and send her flying. He fired the crossbow and the figure growled in agitation. Lynx got to her knees and searched for her sword with her hands. A heavy fist descended on her and sent her to the ground again. She crawled past the figure and grabbed the hilt of her weapon.
Phoenix fired again, missing this time. He swore.
Lynx felt a tug on her leg and she was lifted into the air. She was turned around and found herself facing directly into a pair of gleaming red eyes.
"Hello," Pyrite said.
Lynx brought her sword up to slice Pyrite in two, but her grabbed her wrist and crushed it. She cried out in pain and dropped the sword.
Phoenix fired the last bolt of the crossbow. It hit Pyrite in the back of the head. He roared and dropped Lynx. Turning to face Phoenix, he pulled out a pistol and fired twice. Phoenix felt the bullets hit him in the shoulder and stomach. He yelled and dropped to the ground, fumbling for his own weapon.
Pyrite turned back around. Lynx brought the sword down on his wing, cutting a deep hole in it. He roared in pain and staggered backwards. Lynx slashed a line of blood down his chest. He growled and lifted his gun.
Lynx stabbed him with the sword. He gave a last growl and collapsed to the ground.
The Twins handed their prisoners over to Cain and Abel and left the dungeons, reporting back to the Merovingian.
Fallen Angel awoke slowly. He saw that he was in a small room, lying in-between Ghost and Myst. By the door stood two identical men.
Fallen Angel reached over and quietly shook Myst awake. He pointed to Cain and Abel and indicated his plan. Myst nodded.
Cain walked over to Myst and kicked her. Her hand shot out and grabbed his foot, dragging him down to her level. Fallen Angel leaped up, hitting Abel across the face and sending him lurching back towards the door. Myst rolled on top of Cain and hit him twice in the face. He reached up and grabbed her throat, squeezing hard.
Fallen Angel slammed Abel up against the wall. He reached for Abel's gun and yanked it off his belt. Abel kicked Fallen Angel back. Fallen Angel reeled away, raising the gun and firing twice. Abel dived forward, avoiding the bullets, and tackled Fallen Angel around the legs. The gun clattered across the floor.
Myst poked Cain in the eyes. He hollered and let go of her throat. Myst jumped off him, kicking him in the stomach. He rolled over in pain, and opened his eyes again to see Ghost.
"Hello," the rebel said. He was holding a gun. He pulled the trigger. Cain felt a burning pain and then his awareness was washed away.
Abel stared in shock as Ghost killed his brother. Then he yanked the door to the cell opened and ran.
Abel ran through the halls. He heard a thump behind him and turned around, gun out, to see Vlad standing there, having dropped from the ceiling.
"Where's Cain?" Vlad asked curiously.
"Dead…" muttered Abel. "Where's Cujo?"
"Hunting," Vlad answered. He walked over to Abel and put his face next to the man.
"Farewell, Abel," the vampire said, sinking his teeth into the Exile's shoulders. Abel's eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed to the floor. Vlad wiped the blood from his mouth and continued down the hallway.
Phoenix reached for the door when it blew open, shocking him. At the door stood a large, brown man – no, a wolf. It walked on its hind legs and had huge muscles. The wolf roared in rage.
Its muzzle was bloody, as if it had recently been in a fight. Phoenix held his crossbow in front of him.
"Freeze!"
Cujo barreled into Phoenix, knocking the bow away and sending the rebel soaring into the opposite wall. Lynx slashed at Cujo with her sword, but the wolf knocked the blade away with his arms and punched Lynx in the stomach, sending her tumbling to the floor. She rolled sideways as he tried to step on her, and she sprang to her feet.
Phoenix climbed back to his feet and threw his stake at Cujo. The Exile knocked the stake away from him and rushed at the rebel. He grabbed Phoenix's throat with his huge hands and held him up against the wall.
Lynx scrambled to retrieve the crossbow. She fired the ancient weapon, the arrow embedding itself in Cujo's back. Cujo roared and flung Phoenix aside. He rushed at Lynx, who dove to the side as he passed. She came up on her knees and fired the crossbow again.
Cujo turned around and charged back at Lynx. Lynx tossed the empty crossbow into his face and threw herself to the side. Cujo went sprawling over her, falling into the pit below.
Phoenix grabbed the sword and jumped into the pit. Cujo got to his feet and charged. Phoenix rolled past Cujo, bringing his sword across the wolf's chest. Cujo roared as a red line of blood was drawn onto his body.
He reversed direction and charged at Phoenix again, and Phoenix stepped to the side and avoided his rush, slashing at his back as he passed. Cujo was tired, hurting, and suffering from blood loss. He wasn't thinking straight.
The werewolf roared once more and ran at Phoenix. He waited calmly until Cujo was just a few feet away, and then raised the sword right in front of him.
Cujo ran straight into the blade. Phoenix pushed the body of the sword and cleaned it on Cujo's fur.
"Let's get the hell out of here."
Fallen Angel led Ghost away. Myst stayed behind to free the Merovingian's prisoners. She unlocked the last cage and opened the door at the end of the hall looking –
- straight into the barrel of a gun.
"Hello, Myst," Niobe said calmly.
Lynx and Phoenix entered the main hallway. The doors on the other side opened, and Fallen Angel and Ghost emerged.
"Where's Myst?" Phoenix asked.
"She stayed behind to free the prisoners. She'll be here any moment."
"Okay, let's go."
A door at the top of the stairway opened.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
Phoenix and Ghost both whirled around at the same time, drawing their guns and pointing them up the stairs.
The man at the top was tall, with dark black hair that hung to his shoulders. His dark sunglasses made his face almost invisible in the dark. A black cloak billowed out behind him.
"Drake!" Phoenix yelled in shock. Ghost stared in sudden recognition.
The man nodded. "Phoenix, so glad to see you again. And you, Ghost. Of course, Niobe was glad to see me too. We had a very interesting conversation – "
Phoenix's gun hand was shaking in barely restrained anger. Ghost's hand was calm, but inside he was just as furious as Phoenix.
"She was very glad to finally get out of the Logos. She had to kill Sparks, of course, but since I had already killed most of the crew, it's not like it was that big a deal – "
Phoenix and Ghost fired at the exact same time. Drake leapt from the top of the staircase and landed on the ground, his cloak going behind him like a set of wings. He ran left, pulling two guns from his belt and firing at Ghost. The rebel rolled across the floor and came back up with his gun pointing at Drake. He carefully aimed and fired.
Drake was thrown backward by the force of the shot. Ghost stood up when he felt cold metal against his neck.
"No body move," said Twin One.
Two held his gun trained on Phoenix. The doors to the right opened and three vampires walked out, holding MP5s aimed at the rebels.
"Surrendering would be good," suggested Drake.
Niobe force Myst back into the dungeons. "Why?" Myst asked simply.
Niobe sighed. "So naïve, Myst. Why not? There's no hope for humanity. You know we can't beat machines – they don't make mistakes. Even Neo will die eventually. Human bodies are frail. And they make mistakes. Sure, Neo can stop bullets. But if he misses the wrong one – bang, he's gone. And so are the rest of you.
"But the Merovingian is smarter then that. He set it up so he would be immortal – along with everyone who works for him. How could I pass up a deal like that? Immortality – never to die, never to be killed. Imagine, Myst, what you could do with a thousand lifetimes.
"And the Merovingian knows that, too, my friend. He has shown my things you could not imagine. He has shown me horrors unbearable and beauties indescribable – "
Myst suddenly burst into motion. She knocked Niobe's gun hand aside and hit Niobe in the stomach with her other fist. Niobe stumbled backwards, and Myst swept her fist up into Niobe's head. Niobe kicked her foot out into Myst's stomach, and the girl hunched over in pain.
Niobe lifted her knee into Myst's face. Myst's head was jerked up, and she flipped backwards, landing away from Niobe. She drew her gun and pointed it at the traitor.
"Freeze, bitch!" she yelled.
Niobe smiled and started walking towards her.
"Come now, Myst, we both know you can't shot me. Just put down the gun, and we can work this out."
Myst cried out and pulled the trigger. Niobe gasped in pain as the bullet hit her in the stomach. Myst fired again. Niobe fell.
"Good choice," Drake said as the rebels surrendered their weapons. "Now take them to the dungeons – "
There was a click and everyone turned left. Myst had emerged from the door and was pointing a gun at Drake.
"Niobe was supposed to take care of you," Drake said in frustration.
"She's dead," Myst said bluntly.
Another door opened and Vlad emerged. He pointed a gun at Myst's head.
"This is quite a situation," Drake said idly. "What to do?"
The front doors flew open, revealing not the outside but a restaurant beyond. From the restaurant came three figures.
"Ah," Drake said. "More players for this game we call life. Neo, the One himself! Welcome."
Neo pointed his gun at Drake. "We're taking the rebels."
"Of course. You're welcome to them."
Neo and the other rebels backed slowly out of the room, keeping their guns pointed at the Exiles. As the door swung shut behind them, Drake yelled out, "This isn't the last time we'll meet, Neo. I'll be seeing you later!"
The door swung shut.