A New Target.
Nanu
Five am. She climbs into the operator's chair, rotating her shoulders and pulling a keyboard within reach. She runs through the motions; activate a side screen, open the chat site search, scanning for keywords, looking for a name.
They have a new target.
She finds something, brings it into focus. Smiles. Another discussion about the limits of the world. This target has established a reputation for picking arguments, on fantasy and scifi based forums all over the net. Even his role playing characters have the same symptoms. He sounds a little like herself, not a hacker, just a boy who refuses to accept that the world he knows is all there is.
The screen refreshes. The other user he was talking with has left, and the target is now alone.
[any lurkers] he writes, [this is your cue to some out.]
Nanu hesitates, then reaches for the Qwerty keyboard.
[Hello Wolf]
At another keyboard, she begins to search through his file, looking for his address.
[hi Lurker, a/s/l?]
She finds it, and punches in the coordinates. A screen of Matrix blanks and refreshes, showing his house.
[I can't tell you that Wolf.]
[why not?]
Nanu patters at the keys, navigating though the house to his room. Strings of code set the scene;
bed against the wall under a shelf . . . clutter . . . computer on . . . dim light . . . curtains closed
[Because it's not safe.] That gets his attention.
[why??]
boy at desk . . . mousy brown hair . . . glasses . . . green grey eyes . . . torn jeans . . . boots
"Nanu!"
She jumps as Gavin laughs.
"You scared me."
"That was my intention," he lays an arm around her shoulders. "Who are you chatting to?"
"Who do you think?"
"What's the target say?"
"Asked for my a/s/l."
"How original."
She looks back to the screen. Wolf has spoken again.
[Lurker? you there?]
[Do you ever feel] she types [as if you are being watched?]
[yes] is his instant reply. [all the time]
On the code screen, she sees him lean forward expectantly.
"Watch your time," Gavin warns. She shrugs his arm off, and frowns.
"I know what I'm doing."
[I have to go now Wolf]
[no!!]
The green code runs faster;
slams fist on desk . . . speaks aloud . . .
[calm down Wolf, I'll talk to you again. but in the meantime, try not to be late for school]
[what are you talking about?]
[bye]
She breaks off the internet connection, vacating the seat for Gavin, who jumps into the Matrix to erase all traces of her presence online. Then, with a wicked smile, he crashes Wolf's computer.
"Gavin!"
"Hey," he holds up his hands in surrender. "When he reboots he'll find his drives defragged, his virus protection updated, and a desktop that reads 'the Matrix has you'."
"Really?"
"Really really."
She smiles a little, forgiving him. "Shrek."
"You never give up on that game do you?"
"Never say die."
Pirate
He looks up as he hears singing. It's Nanu.
The door opens and she comes in, bouncing on her toes and humming a song he doesn't know.
"Morning," she smiles, crossing the galley to the cupboards. Gavin arrives, moving straight to the dispenser. Nanu holds up one bowl at a time, and he pulls the levers for her, once, twice.
As they go to sit down, Pirate wonders why Nanu is so bouncy. A few words of the song spill over as he listens,
. . . hey Monday mornin' see what you're missin' . . .
mixed with a feeling of rushing air. But then Nanu throws him a sharp look. She can hear him listening to her.
Gavin
He catches the look that passes between them, and doesn't like it. There's something about Pirate that Gavin can't pin down, and he can't figure his connection with Nanu.
But there is so much about Nanu that he does not fully understand.
Neo
He stands on a street corner, eyes shaded as he scans the urban landscape. It's 9:15 am, and a certain target is late for school.
The boy walks down the street toward him. He's about Nanu's age. He slouches along with his head down, hair falling over his face.
He's a potential. Neo has his eye on several, this is the youngest. He's not particularly brilliant, but he performs far above the standard for both his software design and extension maths classes, and has a track record for getting out of difficult bullying situations.
Scuffing footsteps near him, then continue on. Neo suppresses a smile.
You just walked past the most wanted man in five continents, he thinks, and you don't even know.
But Wolf just goes on his way, an apathetic shadow late to school.
***
Tank unplugs him carefully.
Neo sighs as he sits up. "Believe it or not I've missed that static."
"Zion isn't always all it's cracked up to be is it?"
"Not for me at least."
There is a clanging noise as Achi climbs up onto the deck.
"How was Wolf?" Tank asks Neo.
"Late again. He's worse than I used to be."
"That bad?"
"Captain," Achi steps up to them. "Our water levels are lower than they're meant to be."
"Stop the presses," Tank mutters.
"Leaking?" Neo asks.
"No leaks sir, but the lid was off one of the drums."
"How low are they exactly?"
"There's a litre or so that's not accounted for."
Tank scratches the back of his neck, "Three days out of Zion and we've got another mystery. Brilliant."
"Where's Trinity?" Neo looks to Achi.
"The captain's on the bridge, captain."
There is a moment of quiet when Achi cuts herself off, looking confused. Then Tank snorts, and Neo has to laugh out loud. Achi tries to suppress a giggle and fails.
"Achi," Neo wipes his eyes, standing back up straight. "How long have you been on the Neb with us?"
"Three years," she hiccups.
"That's long enough to figure that Trinity's the captain here I think. Okay?"
"Yes sir."
Tank doubles over again, laughing helplessly.
Pirate
He climbs up through the hatch, curious to see what the joke is. Seeing Neo standing with the two Zion born, Pirate asks,
"What's up captain?"
And he stares in bewilderment as the three of them erupt in gales of laughter, Tank doubling over with his hands on his knees.
This is one weird ship.
Trinity
She raises her eyebrows as Neo comes through the door.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Had to be there," he grins. "Have you looked over the target files?"
She nods. "Wolf, GreyArea and the guy who keeps changing his name."
"Any stand out to you?"
Trinity levels her gaze as he sits down in the co pilot's chair beside her. "Wolf's young."
"Too young?"
"That depends."
He's quiet. She knows he knows what she means.
"He's nothing like Nanu is he?"
"No."
"I'm not sure that we should make a habit of withdrawing kids with teen angst and nothing else to their name."
"Nanu's contacted him," he not so subtly changes tack.
"Chat?"
"Yeah."
"What'd she say?"
"Not enough, but enough to keep him on the hook. You taught her well."
Trinity smiles faintly, turning back to the front window. The darkness outside calls to mind the shadows of Club Eden. Alone against the wall, what a way to pick up.
"I tried to contact Mr Indecisive," she switches tone. "But he's as slippery as a paranoid eel."
"Can you blame him?"
Nothing moves in the smoky half-light. "No."
There is another pause. Neo looks around the bridge, absently checking screens and readings. Trinity listens to their breathing, and the faint lilt of voices further back in the ship. The slight hum of the Neb itself is comforting.
"I like this," he says after a moment.
"What?"
"Companionable silence. Not having to say anything."
"Hmm . . . " her lip quirks. "I was enjoying it too, until you opened your mouth."
He bounces up, reaching around the back of her chair, laying his hands on her stomach.
"Apologise," he laughs into her hair.
Trinity wriggles, trying to move her arms, but he has them securely pinned. "Neo, don't."
"Apologise," he threatens, drumming his fingers a little.
She squirms, "Stop it."
"One last chance," he whispers into her ear, his voice low.
"Never!" then she stifles a squeak as he begins to tickle her.
Nanu
She pauses in her breakfast, listening. Trinity and Neo are fooling around on the bridge, but they're quiet so the crew won't hear them. Nanu wonders what Pirate would say of Trinity being so ridiculously ticklish, and grins.
"What's so funny?" the jack in question asks, coming back into the galley to resume his breakfast.
"Nothing."
"I don't get this ship," Pirate frowns. "Everyone's laughing."
Gavin shrugs, "I s'pose we're glad to be out again. Zion can be boring for a sailor."
"Oh I don't know," Nanu smirks. "Challenges can be interesting."
"Well if you fancy getting yourself killed then Zion's a barrel of laughs, but for normal people – "
Pirate downs the last of his food and gets up from the table, muttering, " . . . high on sugar the lot of them . . . "
***
"We're going in."
All around the table people freeze, sporks halfway between mouths and bowls. All eyes turn to Neo.
"Define 'we'," Nanu cuts in.
"We have three potential targets," he continues. "Wolf, GreyArea and, currently, Crow. Tomorrow we'll be splitting up into groups and going separately after Grey and Wolf."
"You haven't defined 'we' yet."
"Those of us following Grey will be Pirate, and I. Trinity and Nanu will be with Wolf."
Nanu looks over at Gavin. He's staring at Neo, expressionless.
"Further briefing will be done tomorrow. In the meantime the deck had to be checked over before lights out."
They all scrape the last of their dinners and get up to leave at that dismissal, excepting Neo. As Nanu reaches the galley doorways he says, "Nanu. Get back here."
She returns to the table, suddenly feeling like a kid caught with stolen cookies.
"Sit down."
She's never seen Neo so serious. It's a drastic contrast to his mood this morning.
"We're getting a new recruit soon Nanu. Meaning that within two months you will no longer be juniormost on this ship. You need to clean up your act. You know as much as Gavin or Pirate, you'll be asked to operate at their level before long. No one is going to cut you any more slack.
"And you need to learn that there are times when being a smartass isn't appropriate."
"Sorry Neo."
"Are you sure you are?"
She keeps her eyes down, her hands knotting in her lap. "Yes sir."
Neo's voice is impassive and somehow harsh. He's never been angry at her, and this sudden pull of rank skews her view of him.
"This is a war Nanu."
She looks up.
. . . sad . . . loss . . . regret . . . anger . . . loneliness . . . death . . .
And Neo hasn't seen as much as some. She dodges his gaze.
"When we go in tomorrow, I want you to be careful. It's dangerous," her annoyance must show in her eyes because he presses the point, "even for you and me it's dangerous. We can't afford to underestimate Cunningham, not to mention what the AI may be capable of. Trinity spoke to you?"
"Yes sir, she told me the Matrix can read minds."
"Including yours. Maybe even especially yours."
She swallows.
"I'm relying on you Nanu," she meets his eyes reluctantly, he speaks gentler now. "There are things you can do that I can't. I need you to look after Trinity."
Trinity?
"I doubt she'd appreciate that . . . sir."
"So don't let her know."
Even in the midst of war, death and pain, he still takes the time to care for Trinity. And, Nanu realises, he also worries for his crew.
Including her.
He gets up from the table, she copies.
"You've got work to do," he smiles. She hesitates, then steps forward and hugs him. He lays a hand briefly on her hair, then moves her away.
. . . I've never had a dad . . .
Something echoes, something akin to déjà vu. It's important, this reflection of the past, but she can't get a fix on it.
***
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"With what?"
"With the run tomorrow."
"What run tomorrow?"
"Gavin," Nanu considers thumping him with a pillow but restrains herself."
"What should I not be okay about?" he asks, not quite serious.
"Being left behind."
"I'm fine with staying behind," he tightens his arm around her. "But I wish you weren't going ahead."
She would lean her head on his shoulder, but she's too tall. "I'm sorry."
"Orders are orders. It's the life we lead."
A thought occurs to her, "Do you ever get to hate it?"
"No," he says simply. "Like I said, it's our life. We make the best of things." He pauses at a faint buzzing sound. Then he shifts, uncrossing his legs and lying down on the bunk. Nanu follows suit, laying her head beside his as one by one, the ceiling lights flicker and die.
"Sunset."
"You'd better be home to see tomorrow's."
He sounds like he's joking, but the tenseness in the muscles under Nanu's hand speaks of his fear. Not to mention the undercurrent of
. . . Cunningham . . . gun . . . blood . . .
"I promise I'll come back Gavin," is her solemn vow.
She can hear his smile in the dark. "I'll hold you to that."
***