Title: - Reflections
Rating: - PG-13, occasional cussing and moderate violence
Disclaimer: - The Matrix universe and associated characters are owned by the Wachowski Brothers.
Agents: the series universe and associated characters are co-owned by Stormhawk and Overlord Mordax, Recruit Zane is owned by The Red Pony.
I own Sophie Starling and Jack. Yay!
Notes: - This is unrelated to my first fic Not Neo, and Agents: the series cannon, it is just me flitting around with some ideas in Stormhawk, and Overlord Mordax's graciously lent universe. Thank you!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapter One- Yellow Brick RoadIt was Dark. Very dark. Fingers gently pressed against the windowpane, raindrops trickling down the cold glass.
Pressing harder, the glass started to give way, icy and soft under her hands. She was slowly falling through the glass to the world outside…
Sophie jolted awake from her computer. She had fallen asleep on the keyboard. Again.
She blearily rubbed her cheek, hoping it hadn't left an imprint.
Reaching over the clutter of her desk, she shut down a few search pages, chat rooms, and missing person reports.
She checked her clock, her alarm was set for 7.30, and so she probably had some time before she had to get ready for school.
Frowning, Sophie realised that she couldn't find her alarm clock; looking at her computer screen she froze as she saw that is was actually 11.15. AM.
Swearing under her breath, she grabbed her bag and proceeded to clamber around her room trying to find random school things.
Why hadn't her alarm gone off?
Going to take a sip of last night's cold coffee, she decided that it was pretty likely the alarm hadn't gone off because it was half floating in her coffee-mug.
Sighing, she snatched her house keys and tripping over her litterbin scrambled out the door. Casting a glance back to her messy room to check she hadn't forgotten anything, she hoped her step-dad didn't realise she had overslept again.
* * *
"Miss Starling, this is the 4th time you've been late this term"
Sophie stared despondently at her trainers.
The Head teacher stood up behind her desk, and reached for a file.
"...And it's only the second week." The woman sighed in exasperation.
"If you continue with this attitude, I dare say you won't make it to the end of this year, let alone graduation!"
Sophie tried to just focus on the carpet. Sure she'd been a little slow with getting here on time lately, but it wasn't her fault, she'd had more important things to do.
"We don't want to have a problem with you, Miss Starling. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes miss. Perfectly clear."
***
Sophie slumped down at her desk and smiled as a slightly scruffy, blond-haired boy swung down his bag and sat opposite her.
"Hey Jack, you weren't in fifth lesson, over-sleep?"
Jack grinned sheepishly. "Well…that's what Mrs Maine thinks, I just got a little carried away on my computer again"
"Join the club, my mom says I spend more time online than off"
"Do you?"
Sophie giggled "Hmm... Does sleep count? "
The two both logged into the school computers.
Jack was Sophie's best friend, the two of them practically owned the school computer room after five, which was just the way Sophie liked it, it was no use if teachers kept kicking them off the chat rooms and messaged boards, they frequently visited.
Sophie leaned over the top of her monitor to Jacks seat.
"Did you find anything worthwhile?"
"Just the usual really, found a chat room that looks promising though, Wizard of Oz theme."
"Ahh...I'm more of an Alice in wonderland girl."
"Your alias kinda gives that away Soph, Alice_45?"
"Yeah. Well, as a matter of fact, I saw a police report on a hacker who seems to be pretty into the whole Alice thing, someone called White_Rabbit, he's got loads of other aliases; M, God_of_dreams, Morpheus ……They seem to be having a hard time tracking him down!"
Jack shook his head "Why am I not surprised?"
"Wp may be able to get me a lead I suppose." Sophie pondered.
"Could do" James said as he started up his web page. "Well, good luck!"
***
[Entering WonderlandChat.com….]
[Alice_45 has entered WonderlandChat.com]
[Alice_45 requests conversation with White_pawn39]
[White_pawn39 accepts]
[Alice_45 says: Hi Wp]
[White_pawn39 says: Hi Alice]
[Alice_45 says: Have you heard of white_rabbit? He's supposed to have come here before]
[White_pawn39 says: I know who you are talking about, but I have never meet him. People say he knows answers]
[Alice_45 says: I need to find him]
[White_pawn39 says: Why? I've heard he's a major hacker, almost impossible to find]
[Alice_45 says: I've heard he knows about something called 'The Matrix']
[White_pawn39 says: The matrix?? What the hell is that?]
[Conversation terminated. Proxy error 346829]
Sophie glared at the computer screen, and brushed her dark hair out of her eyes as she tried to re-start the conversation. It was like this every time she attempted to ask anyone about this, it was as if someone was trying to stop her.
Leaning back in her chair as the website loaded, Sophie stretched and rubbed her eyes. She knew spending this much time on computers couldn't be healthy, but she didn't care. She needed to find out what this was all about.
Both her and Jack had been interested in computers since junior high, It was Jack that had gotten Sophie interested in hacking, and Sophie who had started them searching for the Matrix.
[Alpha requests conversation with Alice_45]
[Alpha says: Hello Alice]
Sophie hesitated; she hadn't seen this 'Alpha' on here before. And she came quite often. Deciding to risk it, she replied.
[Alice_45 says: Hello]
[Alpha says: What do you think of reality Alice?]
[Alice_45 says: What do you mean? What we see and touch? What is real?]
[Alpha says: What are you looking for Alice?]
Sophie drew her hands back from the keyboard. How did this guy know she was looking for anything?
Casting her eyes down she knew the one thing she was truly looking for she would never find.
But she had heard things, things about 'The Matrix' that they said held all the answers. Sophie had a lot of questions. Could Alpha be one of the hackers like White_Rabbit? He sounded like he knew what she spent her nights searching for.
[Alice_45 says: What is the matrix?]
Sophie's heart started to race as she waited for 'Alpha' to reply. She was so close now; the answers were at the tip of her fingers.
[Alpha says: You aren't ready to know that]
Sophie gaped at the screen. Not ready? What?!
[Alice_45 says: I am ready!! I need to know!]
[Alpha says: No you don't, not yet. I'm sorry.]
[Alpha has left the conversation]
Sophie angrily shut down the chat room.
He had been about to tell her damn it! After all of the late nights spent in front of her computer had finally lead her somewhere, just for her to be told she wasn't ready!
Wasn't ready, she fumed, how the hell would Alpha know if she was ready or not? She had been through enough crap already after everything that had happened to…
Sophie took a deep breath. She was getting worked up over nothing. For all she knew, this 'Matrix' could just be some big scam anyway. She would go and see if Jack had any better luck.
***
[Entering Dorothy's message board]
Jack smiled as the words on his browser were sucked up a virtual tornado, as the site opened. He had heard from a fellow hacker that there had been a few people on here that had motioned the 'Matrix'.
Jack remembered how at first he had laughed when Sophie had told him about it. She was always looking at these sorts of conspiracy theories, but he could understand why.
After her brother going missing a few years ago, a police office had turned up at Sophie's and her mother's house, saying how her brother had been killed after getting involved in some sort of computer crime/cult shooting.
Even she had tried to hide it, Jack knew it had hit her hard. So he had agreed to help her look for the answers, and had gradually realised how much he wanted to know what The Matrix was all about too.
Jack scrolled past various threads on hacking, gaming, and some on the actual Wizard of Oz film, before a blank thread caught his eye. Only it wasn't quite a blank thread, just instead of writing there was a small yellow rectangle.
Intrigued, Jack clicked it.
Instead of opening to a normal post, a white page showing four coloured paths appeared; red, blue, green and yellow. Now this was a little more interesting than your average post, he thought.
[Which path should Dorothy follow?]
Jacks cursor danced over the four pathways. Which to follow? Follow! Suddenly it hit him, Follow the yellow brick road. After all, it was a Wizard of Oz site.
Clicking the yellow road, the screen turned dark green, and scrolling light green writing proclaimed his entrance to 'Emerald City Chat' As Jack was scanning the online members a message box popped up.
[Oz requests conversation with Guest 408]
[Oz says: Hello Jack]
Jack palled. He had entered the site as a guest, how did they know his name?
[Guest408 says: who are you?]
[Oz says: Someone who knows the truth Jack]
Jack's mouth felt dry
[Guest 408 says: The truth? The truth about what?]
[Oz says: The truth about the world Jack, about The Matrix]
Jack froze. He'd found it; he was going to get the answers.
[Oz says: If you want to know the truth as well, meet me at the Tornado night club on 5th street, 7 o'clock.]
Jack scrambled to reply
[Guest 408 says: Yes I do, I mean I will.]
[Oz says: Tell no one.]
"Any luck Jack?"
Jack dazedly looked up to Sophie's head bobbing above his computer.
"Uhh…"
Sophie was more than just a friend to him, they'd know each other since junior high, both were slightly kooky, and certainly didn't fit in with the jocks and cheerleaders. They had been outsiders together. They had told each other everything; Jack cared a lot about her.
"Well?"
"It's just..."
He looked back to his computer, eerily another message popped up.
[Oz says: Tell no one, it would only put them in danger.]
"Hello? Earth to Jack?"
"Sorry Sophie, I thought I had a lead then, it's, It's nothing"
"No bother, dead end for me too. I'm sure something will turn up."
Jack bit his lip. He had less than an hour before he was supposed to go to the club.
"Look Soph, I'm sorry but I have to go, I…I forgot, I promised to help my dad clear out the garage "
Sophie smiled and tried not to look put out, she hated staying after school on her own.
"Yeah that's fine Jack"
Jack picked up his bag and looked to Sophie, he had no idea where this would lead him, if there was a good time to tell her how he felt it had to be now.
"Sophie. I…I" He fumbled for the right words
"What is it?" She asked, dark eyes questioning.
"I'll see you ok?" Jack scaulded himself for chickening out.
Sophie just nodded. But her eyes followed him leaving the room.
She sat back down at her computer, but for once didn't feel like using it.
He was hiding something from her. They always told each other everything.
What would make him keep secrets from her now?
***
Jack stared up at the faded sign for The Tornado. This was the place. Pushing open the heavy wooden door he warily entered the abandoned club. Squinting through the darkness, Jack thought it looked empty; maybe it wasn't the right place after all…
"Welcome Jack"
Jack blinked as flickering lights illuminated a tall, pale blond woman in silver shades. She extended a slim, white-gloved hand
"I am Serenity, although you may know me as Oz" Jack weakly shook her hand as he looked around the club.
There were about five other people he could see, the white-clad Serenity, a man with a shaven head and a pierced eyebrow, a redheaded teen, and a man and woman both in long black jackets.
"Hi" Jack attempted, to the unusual group.
Serenity smiled. "Come and join Zoë"
She motioned to a girl with spiky pink hair, facing away from him on a sofa.
"She also wishes to know the truth."
Jack perched on the edge of the faded red sofa, next to the punky girl who gave him a vague smile.
Serenity removed her slick silver glasses, and lent towards the pair.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
***
Sophie pulled her coat tightly around her as she hurried down the dark street. She had just missed her bus. Now she was going to have to walk halfway across Capitol city, and she was already late. Her Step-dad was going to have a fit, he was a total jerk as it was and the last thing Sophie wanted was another reason for him to freak out.
Sighing she switched off her Walkman. Listening to Linken Park right now was not good for her mood. She wanted to know why Jack was acting so…odd. He was never usually secretive, and hardly ever rushed off anywhere without mentioning it beforehand.
She whished she knew what was going on, more than anything she hated being kept in the dark, and it seemed to her she that she had spent her whole life that way. She had always felt out of place, and that the truth was all around her, yet just out of reach.
Suddenly she stopped. She wasn't sure she was heading in the right direction, turning to a near street sign she saw that she was on 5th. That was blocks away from her house! She must have taken a wrong turn.
Deciding to head down a side street to make up on time, she immediately realised she had made a mistake. Facing her were three burly looking men.
"Right now love, just be quiet and hand over your purse and there won't be too much trouble"
Sophie felt like someone had dropped a lead weight in her stomach. One of the men tossed a knife back and forth in his hands.
"Don't be thinking of screaming now, or you might get your pretty neck slit." He hissed.
Sophie wasn't thinking of screaming, she knew how futile that would be. At this time of night in a big city, no one was going to come and save her. She was going to make a run for it.
Spinning around, she sped down the alley, but felt her arm get caught in one of the men's steel grip.
"Naughty girl, no running"
Sophie squirmed around from the vile man. She was not going to be pushed around like this, she didn't want too end up as another 'Teen fond dead in alley'.
Closing her eyes she frantically tried to remember the moves she'd been taught in the few odd self-defence lessons she'd taken a few years ago.
It was something with a pull, wasn't it? She couldn't remember!
Sophie's eyes widened in fear as the guy bent down and whispered hoarsely in her ear.
"This won't hurt…much"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's note: I have written the next chapter, so please review and tell me what you think, so I know whether or not to put it up!
Beth.