Lost Souls
by FalconWind
Based on the Matrix Fanfic 'Angels and Demons' by JazzyMegster/Pejios
Disclaimer: I don't own The Matrix or any part of it. It is owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. Please do not sue.
Chapter Four - What's a Friend?
Gabe sat himself in front of the main computer terminal. He brought up the source of Crash's program. Immediately, Gabe saw the genius in it. Crash had indeed exploited a number of program loopholes. One allowed significantly higher values for tensile strength than normally allowed. Basically, Crash had created a new polymer, without even touching a test tube or beaker. He'd simply made it using lines of code. When you mized two things together, and created a third material, you were essentially making a program.
Gabe delved deeper into the program and marvelled at the clever design. Though, Gabe thought Crash's style was slightly unorganized. He figured that the program could be a little smaller in size, and easily modified if he rewrote it himself. So, Gabe started to do so. He was certain that Crash wouldn't mind, after all, it was still his baby.
Typing away furiously, he didn't feel at all tired. He was completely ast ease, remaking Crash's masterpiece. He stopped suddenly, and tapped the delete key, then typed again.
"Oh, that's good. I have to remember that one." He reached into his pocket and took out a pen and notepad. He scribbled some notes and continued typing.
He was having a blast. He felt like a person able to make a replica of the Mona Lisa with the original as the template.
In fact, he even managed to forget the Sentinel was laying, deactivated only ten metres away. He didn't even think about it. So perhaps it was a mixture of his enthusiastic typing and his 100% focus on the task that prevented him from hearing and quiet hum emanating from the Sentinel. Then quite high pitched whirr that seemed to rise in pitch until it left the realm of human hearing.
Slowly, silently, the Sentinel's crimson eyes, one by one, flickered to life, giving the illusion of sleepy eyes blinking to clear themselves. First a single tentacle moved tentatively, scraping slightly against the grated metal flooring. Then the rest followed, picking themselves up. The Sentinel looked around, studying it's surroundings. The humming grew louder, and the Sentinel began to rise, and it moved towards Gabe's turned back.
Gabe stopped typing suddenly. There was a loud humming coming from behind him. He could think of what could be making that noise. But it was getting louder... no, not louder... CLOSER!
He swivelled his seat quickly, and almost wished he hadn't. He came face to face with dead itself. The Sentinel seemed to be taken aback slightly.
And while he didn't scream of faint, he didn't yell for help either. He was quite literally scared stiff. He couldn't move a muscle, everything seemed to slow down, and yet speed up at the same time. His body wouldn't respond. Yet he was dimly aware, through the hail of fear, that the Sentinel remained perfectly still.
The Sentinel looked around the computer terminal, and saw two ways of communicating. The first, and most obvious, was the computer, but it couldn't establish a wireless connection. The Machine considered using the keyboard, but the human might mistake that for an agressive act. Instead, it reached down, and picked up the pen and notepad at Gabe's trembling feet.
Gabriel then witnessed something no one had ever seen before. Holding the pen in one gripper, and the notepad in another, the Sentinel scribbled something on the paper, and turned the notepad so Gabe could read it.
It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening. He had to forcibly calm himself, and concentrate. He read the note, which was more than legible. "/I'm sorry for scaring you. I won't hurt you./" Gabe blinked in disbelief, and then cast a incredulous look at the Sentinel.
Surprisingly, the machine seemed to recognise this and bobbed it's body up and down' it's version of a nod. He wrote again. /I am confused. Where am I?/
Gabe's jaw shook nervously, but he managed to answer. "You're on a ship. A hovership."
/Why am I here? Why does my head hurt?/ it wrote.
At this Gabe actually managed to laugh. "You're here because we found you and brought you aboard. When we found you, you were half-buried in rubble. A steel girder fell on you.... so I guess that's why you're 'head' hurts."
/You saved me?/
Gabe thought about this one. "Yeah, I guess we did," Gabe said with a smile.
The Sentinel seemed to pause, almost as if catching the moment. /Thank you./
"You're welcome," Gabe said automatically.
/I have blank spots in my memory,/ the machine wrote, /I can't remember who I am./
"Who you are? What do you mean?"
The Sentinel thought. Then managed an odd looking shrug. /Who am I?/
Gabe weighed his choices. "A friend. You're a friend."
The machine tilted it's head/body. /What is a friend?/ it wrote.
Gabe thought a moment. "Well, friends are like family."
/What is family?/
"Oh, bad analogy, I suppose. Um.... Friends care for one another. They help each other, they look out for the well-being and best interests of their other friends, and vise versa," Gabe explained.
The body shook side to side. /I don't understand./
Gabe had an idea. He turned around and brought up a dictionary on the screen, and typed in "f-r-i-e-n-d".
Main Entry: friend
Pronunciation: 'frend
Function: noun
1 a : one attached to another by affection or esteem b : ACQUAINTANCE
2 a : one that is not hostile b : one that is of the same nation, party, or group
3 : one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)
4 : a favored companion
"That's what a friend IS, what I said earlier is what a friend DOES."
The Sentinel considered this, and accepted this. /Am I your friend?/
Gabe shrugged. "I can't tell you that. You have to determine that on your own."
/Okay./
Gabe smiled. "Do you want to see what I am working on?"
It thought for a while, trying to figure out if there was a right or wrong answer. The possible answers were all equally valid, thus it picked what 'felt' right. /Yes./
To be continued...