Ariel- or now "Slider", she supposed-stared out the window of the
long black car as she was driven towards the Oracle's place. She was still
adjusting to the huge changes that had swept through her life in such a
short time, leaving it in shambles.
The first blow had come when she had suffered the loss of her best friend, Rebekah. They had been inseparable for nearly 13 years, although in their freshman year of high school, when Ariel spent more time with her boyfriend, Rebekah had, with good grace, retired back into the shadows to spend more and more time with her computer. Still, through that, they had remained faithful, loving best pals, although Ariel began to see less and less of her tiny friend as the years passed. Though rather worried, Ariel didn't really nag Rebekah about it. After all, this was her best friend, who was always there. Always. Indisputably. But then, one day, she wasn't.
She had brought up the subject of her hacking projects and her never- ending search for what was wrong with the world, an itch Ariel had suffered but never really acted on, a few times. So Ariel was disinclined to believe that her best friend's sudden, inexplicable disappearance had anything to do with computers. Rebekah was too smart to give out her address, or private information like that to anyone online. But it still remained a fact that the one person she thought would always be there for her when the rest of the world had turned her back on her was gone, most likely forever. Her "kidnapping" had been tirelessly worked on for years by specialized detectives, but was never solved. She was written down as an unsolved case after two years. But Ariel was not to be discouraged so easily. She began her own life within the PC, falling into the fascinating world of code, hacking, searching...
Soon, Ariel was just as deep in it as Rebekah had been. She refused to give up her search for her best friend, and she was also being pulled at, pulled at the core by something, a nagging doubt, a splinter in the back of her mind that something, something was wrong with the world she lived in. Something that she couldn't put her finger on.
Which was exactly how Morpheus described it when she finally met him face to face. She had searched for him for over a year.
"...like a splinter in the back of your mind," he said quietly, his pince-nez sunglasses still perched on his nose as he slowly turned a small mirror over and over in his hands. She could see herself reflected in his glasses; two Ariels, pale from not being in the sun for a while, and scared, but refusing to show it outwardly.
"Remember," he had said, just as she reached for the red pill, "I'm only offering you the truth."
She had stared at him for a while, trying to decipher what he meant. He remained emotionless, unsmiling, unmoving.
That had started her new life, reborn into the Nebuchadnezzar, and then taken to Zion to be placed in the crew for the ship Bellerophon. Although she regretted moving away from the Neb, where she had made fast friends with all the crew, especially Miracle, the daughter of none other than Neo and Trinity, the heroes of the first war.
Now she was traveling to the Oracle for the first time, accompanied by Morpheus himself, a young lady from the Bellerophon, Sparks, and the other obligatory bodyguards.
"You must be good, girl," Sparks whispered to her as they drove to the Oracle's dilapidated apartment complex. "Not many people go into the Matrix this early, and especially not to see the Oracle. I didn't even get into a ship until I had spent three years in Zion. That's normal. The last person to get in so early was about 2 and a half years ago. Chick by the name of Ice. We joked, called her Ice Queen because she was so...I dunno. Special. Like you. And quiet- jeez. Didn't utter a word to most people. Took us by storm. Went to see the Oracle a week after she was unplugged. Still, good kid. Not stuck up or snobby or anything about her skills. Not sure where she is now, 'cept that she works a lot in the Matrix. You'll inevitably meet her, I can tell you're goin' to be spending a lot of time in here too."
Ariel decided she talked too much. However, she wanted to meet this Ice girl. She sounded interesting and much in need of a friend, like her. She thought of Rebekah and bit her lip. Still enslaved out there somewhere...
They finally arrived, and Morpheus took her up by himself. All too soon, she was stepping into the warm kitchen of the Oracle, alone.
"Well, well, well. Hello, Slider. Now, you're quite a pretty thing, aren't you!" The Oracle spoke so kindly that Slider felt some of her fears melt away. "Now I suppose you know why you're here."
Slider frowned. "Actually, ma'am, I don't. They just dragged me here with no explanation, or what I might hear from you."
The Oracle laughed. "That sounds like Morpheus. Well, let me have a look at you." She walked slowly over to Slider and placed her hands softly on her cheeks, peering into her eyes.
"Well, I do see great joy for you very soon, my dear. You are something special, no doubt. But also very odd in another way. You see, another girl came to me about two an a half years ago..."
"Ice?" Slider asked eagerly.
"Why, yes. She was almost as if she was your other half, you two are so alike...in some aspects..."
"In what way? Please, tell me!" Slider begged.
But the Oracle shook her head. "No. Now is not the time. You will see on your own soon enough. Now, won't you have a cookie before you go?"
Slider took a warm chocolate chip cookie and walked out of the door in a daze. Not seeing where she was going, she smashed directly into a young girl coming through the door.
"Owch!" The girl yelped, dropping the pile of books she had been carrying.
"Sorry! I should have been watching my step!" Slider cried, helping pick up the books. Looking up, she was startled by the other girl's face. Small and peaked, her face looked vaguely Oriental, but no one could have sworn to it. Thick, long eyelashes framed large brown eyes, and her mouth was perfect, with full, rosy lips. Her hair swung away from her face like a curtain of brown glass, glossy and smooth, the bangs pulled back with a small rhinestone bobby pin. She was undeniably the most beautiful girl Slider had ever seen. But this new beauty couldn't hide who she really was.
"REBEKAH!" she screamed, falling to the ground, staring up at her best friend who she had given up as dead two years ago.
The girl's face went as pale as a sheet. "Ice. Ice. My name is Ice. Oh my god, Ariel, you found me. You found the Matrix. Ariel. Ariel. No, no, no," she gibbered, swaying back and forth before falling to the ground as well, in a dead faint.
The first blow had come when she had suffered the loss of her best friend, Rebekah. They had been inseparable for nearly 13 years, although in their freshman year of high school, when Ariel spent more time with her boyfriend, Rebekah had, with good grace, retired back into the shadows to spend more and more time with her computer. Still, through that, they had remained faithful, loving best pals, although Ariel began to see less and less of her tiny friend as the years passed. Though rather worried, Ariel didn't really nag Rebekah about it. After all, this was her best friend, who was always there. Always. Indisputably. But then, one day, she wasn't.
She had brought up the subject of her hacking projects and her never- ending search for what was wrong with the world, an itch Ariel had suffered but never really acted on, a few times. So Ariel was disinclined to believe that her best friend's sudden, inexplicable disappearance had anything to do with computers. Rebekah was too smart to give out her address, or private information like that to anyone online. But it still remained a fact that the one person she thought would always be there for her when the rest of the world had turned her back on her was gone, most likely forever. Her "kidnapping" had been tirelessly worked on for years by specialized detectives, but was never solved. She was written down as an unsolved case after two years. But Ariel was not to be discouraged so easily. She began her own life within the PC, falling into the fascinating world of code, hacking, searching...
Soon, Ariel was just as deep in it as Rebekah had been. She refused to give up her search for her best friend, and she was also being pulled at, pulled at the core by something, a nagging doubt, a splinter in the back of her mind that something, something was wrong with the world she lived in. Something that she couldn't put her finger on.
Which was exactly how Morpheus described it when she finally met him face to face. She had searched for him for over a year.
"...like a splinter in the back of your mind," he said quietly, his pince-nez sunglasses still perched on his nose as he slowly turned a small mirror over and over in his hands. She could see herself reflected in his glasses; two Ariels, pale from not being in the sun for a while, and scared, but refusing to show it outwardly.
"Remember," he had said, just as she reached for the red pill, "I'm only offering you the truth."
She had stared at him for a while, trying to decipher what he meant. He remained emotionless, unsmiling, unmoving.
That had started her new life, reborn into the Nebuchadnezzar, and then taken to Zion to be placed in the crew for the ship Bellerophon. Although she regretted moving away from the Neb, where she had made fast friends with all the crew, especially Miracle, the daughter of none other than Neo and Trinity, the heroes of the first war.
Now she was traveling to the Oracle for the first time, accompanied by Morpheus himself, a young lady from the Bellerophon, Sparks, and the other obligatory bodyguards.
"You must be good, girl," Sparks whispered to her as they drove to the Oracle's dilapidated apartment complex. "Not many people go into the Matrix this early, and especially not to see the Oracle. I didn't even get into a ship until I had spent three years in Zion. That's normal. The last person to get in so early was about 2 and a half years ago. Chick by the name of Ice. We joked, called her Ice Queen because she was so...I dunno. Special. Like you. And quiet- jeez. Didn't utter a word to most people. Took us by storm. Went to see the Oracle a week after she was unplugged. Still, good kid. Not stuck up or snobby or anything about her skills. Not sure where she is now, 'cept that she works a lot in the Matrix. You'll inevitably meet her, I can tell you're goin' to be spending a lot of time in here too."
Ariel decided she talked too much. However, she wanted to meet this Ice girl. She sounded interesting and much in need of a friend, like her. She thought of Rebekah and bit her lip. Still enslaved out there somewhere...
They finally arrived, and Morpheus took her up by himself. All too soon, she was stepping into the warm kitchen of the Oracle, alone.
"Well, well, well. Hello, Slider. Now, you're quite a pretty thing, aren't you!" The Oracle spoke so kindly that Slider felt some of her fears melt away. "Now I suppose you know why you're here."
Slider frowned. "Actually, ma'am, I don't. They just dragged me here with no explanation, or what I might hear from you."
The Oracle laughed. "That sounds like Morpheus. Well, let me have a look at you." She walked slowly over to Slider and placed her hands softly on her cheeks, peering into her eyes.
"Well, I do see great joy for you very soon, my dear. You are something special, no doubt. But also very odd in another way. You see, another girl came to me about two an a half years ago..."
"Ice?" Slider asked eagerly.
"Why, yes. She was almost as if she was your other half, you two are so alike...in some aspects..."
"In what way? Please, tell me!" Slider begged.
But the Oracle shook her head. "No. Now is not the time. You will see on your own soon enough. Now, won't you have a cookie before you go?"
Slider took a warm chocolate chip cookie and walked out of the door in a daze. Not seeing where she was going, she smashed directly into a young girl coming through the door.
"Owch!" The girl yelped, dropping the pile of books she had been carrying.
"Sorry! I should have been watching my step!" Slider cried, helping pick up the books. Looking up, she was startled by the other girl's face. Small and peaked, her face looked vaguely Oriental, but no one could have sworn to it. Thick, long eyelashes framed large brown eyes, and her mouth was perfect, with full, rosy lips. Her hair swung away from her face like a curtain of brown glass, glossy and smooth, the bangs pulled back with a small rhinestone bobby pin. She was undeniably the most beautiful girl Slider had ever seen. But this new beauty couldn't hide who she really was.
"REBEKAH!" she screamed, falling to the ground, staring up at her best friend who she had given up as dead two years ago.
The girl's face went as pale as a sheet. "Ice. Ice. My name is Ice. Oh my god, Ariel, you found me. You found the Matrix. Ariel. Ariel. No, no, no," she gibbered, swaying back and forth before falling to the ground as well, in a dead faint.