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Chapter 3 – through the looking glass
Sophie stumbled back a few paces as the nightclub disappeared, replaced by almost blinding white walls in comparison to the shadowy club. Steadying herself she hurried after "Agent Brown" as he had called himself.
She couldn't believe he was a programme, how could something that seemed so human be just code? Her mind reeled at the idea that the whole world around wasn't real and had never been real. It was just a simulation. She had been lost for words when the Agent had explained it to her, but yet, somehow it had seemed to fit.
Sophie had accepted the chance to be a recruit straight away, she couldn't go back to her normal life now, She had found out what it really was, she had found the answer. The Matrix was her world.
* * *
Spinning around the corner after the fast pacing Agent, Sophie found herself nearly walking straight into a 30-foot wall. The tall Agent was waiting silently.
"My associates appear to be slightly late." He stated, with what Sophie was sure was distaste. Brown refrained from adding, As usual.
Soon the double doors to the hall swung open, and three Agents with two more potential recruits entered. Among the impeccably smart suits, Sophie wished that she had worn something different to baggy jeans, a black t-shirt and scruffy trainers.
"Agents Smith, Mimosa and Jones." Brown announced. The two male agents nodded curtly, and the female gave a brief smile.
The two other potentials stepped forward. One was a skinny boy with glasses, and the other was the pink-haired girl who had been at the club. Sophie guessed that the two agents must have caught up with her after she had run off.
Agent Smith stepped forward, and looked at the possible recruits, He paused and gave the last one a double take, and frowned.
There was something odd about that girl, Smith knew he was an Agent, a program, and shouldn't even have instincts, but something was telling him this girl was bad news.
Sophie shuddered involuntarily as the Agent looked at her. Why was he staring at her? What the hell was his problem?
Smith shook off the feeling and continued.
"The first task is to get across to the other side of the
wall, and return. Those who pass it will progress to the next
stage."
Lightly crouching he leapt up over the wall and landed on the other side, then jumped back over and landed, without so much as having to adjust his tie.
"Begin."
Sophie's eyes widened, how was she supposed to do that?
She watched as Agent Jones ushered his recruit forward.
The boy successfully complete the jump straight away, with only a slight pause on top of the wall.
Next the pink-haired girl ran at the wall and somersaulted off the floor, over top, and did the same to get back across.
Sophie realised that it was her turn. She could do this, it was just code, it should be easy.
She walked towards the brick wall. The other two could do it, so could she.
Taking a deep breath, running at the wall, she leapt up into the air, She was doing it! Doing the impossible.
Suddenly Sophie realised exactly what she was doing, and froze just from the top of the wall, trying to hold back a yell she fell backwards, and barely gripped the edge of the wall, smacking into it with the momentum.
Oh shit, she thought, I can't do this!
Sophie's face grew red, she knew that everyone was watching her; she swore she heard Agent Brown mutter something about 'useless humans'
She couldn't do it. What was going to happen to her now? How could she not even pass the first task? She couldn't go back to her normal life now, she had to do this. It was just code.
Closing her eyes, Sophie scrambled her feet up the surface of the wall, into a crouching position and pushed up off the wall, soon she flipped over and managed to somersault over the top of the wall, and land, slightly flushed on the other side. Sophie grinned. She had done it. Straightening up, she turned around she jumped up, and cleared easily.
"Your first jump was a little…slow. But your second jump, was very good." Said the female Agent.
Sophie smiled in relief.
Agent Jones tapped a few keys on his laptop and the wall disappeared, with a squat dark building appearing in its place.
"The second task is to patrol the nightclub simulation for rebels, and dispose of them. You will be working with a partner."
Smith turned to three new potential recruits that Sophie hadn't noticed enter the room and assigned them partners.
A Cheerful blond shook Sophie's hand.
"Hi! I'm Sally, we're partners!"
"Hi..." Sophie replied warily.
"Oh isn't this just so exciting! And to think, yesterday I was only looking forward to cheerleading practice!"
Sophie grimaced, God, she hated cheerleaders. Especially the extra perky ones, and Sally sounded like she'd just had a caffeine overdose.
Sophie's attention was soon drawn to the gun thrust in her hand by Agent Smith.
"You have each been given a regulation desert eagle, if you are successful In this task and the next, this is the gun you will use." Smith said.
"You start now."
"Oh like, wow! I've never used a gun before! This is the coolest!" Sally squealed as they entered the club
Sophie groaned, there goes any chance of a surprise attack.
"So, who recruited you? Did you get contacted by Morpheus or someone else?" Sally asked loudly
"Do you mind being a little quieter, we are here to do a job you-know" Sophie muttered.
"Sorry!" Sally whispered, "We can still like talk though right? Oh I'm so excited!!"
Sophie rolled her eyes. "I guess we can talk. I was recruited by Agent Brown, and I wasn't contacted by Morpheus."
She didn't want to tell Sally she hadn't been contacted at all, she knew it would just provoke a shower of "ohmygod!" and "like no way!"s Which was not what she needed right now, it was bad enough knowing that the rebels would contact someone like Sally but tell her she wasn't ready.
"Ohmygod! You haven't met Morpheus? That is just sooo bad! He is like 'The' rebel guy"
"What a pity" Sophie said flatly. She hadn't run into any rebels in here yet, so where were they?
"You-know.." Sally began in a surprisingly less cheerful voice. "I know that Morpheus is a rebel and all, but some of the stuff he said made a lot of sense."
Sophie turned and stared at her. "What do you mean made a lot of sense?"
"Well about being free and all"
Sophie paused. This was not good. She was in a nightclub full of rebels, with someone who sounded like she was having second thoughts about being a recruit.
"If the Agents hadn't found me I would have defiantly taken the red pill, I almost wish I had..." Sally sighed
Sophie wasn't sure what to do. It sounded to her that Sally if not a rebel now, certainly wanted to become one. What was she supposed to do? Shoot her? But maybe Sally was already working for the rebels, and had important information.
"Yeah I totally agree..." Sophie began; Sally smiled, and fell to the floor unconscious, from the impact of Sophie's gun on her temple.
"Why did you do that?" A voice inquired. Sophie jumped, she didn't know whether to be relived or not that it was Agent Brown, she wasn't sure if knocking out a fellow recruit would bode well.
"She was having second thoughts about becoming a recruit, and agreeing with the rebels ideas Sir. I thought she could be a traitor."
"Why didn't you shoot her?"
Sophie frowned slightly. " I thought she might have information on the rebels that could be useful."
The Agent remained blank-faced, so it was impossible for Sophie to guess if he approved or not.
Agents Mimosa and Smith appeared. Smith looked down to the unconscious Sally, and back to Sophie.
"What happened?"
"Miss Starling thought it may prove useful to interrogate the… potential recruit" Brown stated, a little surprised.
The three Agents shared a look. Stef tried her best to hide her amusement.
"That will not be necessary Miss Starling, you may dispose of your partner." Smith ordered.
Sophie shrugged off the confusion about the Agents behaviour.
She did her best to forget she had just been talking to the girl, aimed the gun at Sally's head, and fired.
Smith looked slightly surprised that she had done it.
"Ending task" Agent Jones stated, walking over.
The nightclub disappeared, along with Sally. Where had she gone?
Agent Brown turned to Sophie. "You have passed the second task."
"But I didn't find any rebels." Sophie shook her head "And where did the other recruit go?"
"The actual purpose of the second task was to get ride of any recruits that could be traitorous. The other recruit was also just part of the programme. She wasn't an actual human." Explained Brown.
"So I didn't kill her?"
Brown didn't answer.
***
The four Agents were stood around a table laid out with assorted weaponry.
Smith explained the final task to the two remaining recruits Zoë and Sophie.
"You have passed the two pervious tasks, you are in the minority, only 1 recruit in 50 reaches this stage." He gave no mention of Jones' recruit.
"The final task is to retrieve an important disk from this building."
Sophie gave a slight gasp as two identical large oriental style buildings appeared out of thin air, a few feet away.
"The disk will be protected by a number of rebels, and it is your objective to retrieve it from them by any means necessary."
Stef handed the pair a new set of ammunition and a slick cell-phone each.
"You can contact us on this after you have completed the mission, or if you require anything for your task."
"You may begin"
Sophie flipped the gun off safety and pocketed the phone. This was going to decide what happened to her for the rest of her life, she couldn't mess it up.
The two girls walked up towards their respective buildings.
The pink haired Zoë gave a smirk. "Good luck on the task, after your interesting 'jump' I think your going to need it."
Sophie scowled, she had been a little slow getting the hang of the jumps, so what?
Reaching the large oak front doors, she pushed it open with her left hand, and slid into the dark building. Scanning the silent entrance hall, it looked empty.
Still aiming her gun, Sophie crept into the main hall of the building. It looked like a type of gym or Dojo. There were mats stacked in the corner, and a few cupboards of equipment. At the far end of the room, was a table with a steel safe, That had to be where the disk was.
Sophie had to restrain herself from running straight up and grabbing it. There was no way that the last task could be this easy. The Agents had said that the disk was protected, so where was the protection?
It had to be some sort of trap. Sophie pause and looked around the rest of the room. There were two more doors either side of her, and the high ceiling with metal supports showed that there was only one floor.
Still no one had seemed to notice she was in here. Even if it was a trap, she was going to have to try and take the disk. There was no other way.
Giving the room a last sweep with her gun, she walked forward a few paces and broke into a run.
Reaching the safe, Sophie found it to be locked, she tried a few combinations, but to no avail. Well this was useful; she had no idea how to break into safes.
Sighing Sophie suddenly remembered her gun. Stepping back she aimed it at the lock. There was a sharp clang of metal, and the door flew open.
Sophie grinned and pulled out the disk. "If at first you don't succeed, shoot it until it works."
Turning around to leave Sophie suddenly stopped grinning; there were around 15 guns pointed at her, from a large group of rebels, blocking the way out of the hall.
Sophie had a split second to slip the disk in her pocket before the shooting started.
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