Well, here it is: the plotbunny I got while watching The Matrix Reloaded. Strap yourselves in, 'cause this looks like it's gonna take awhile…


Disclaimer: Xmen Evolution belongs to Warner/Marvel, and the Matrix series belongs to the Wachowski Brothers/ Warner Bros. They don't belong to me. Well, Eryn and Matt do, along with other minor OC's that occur. Here's the beginning of chapter one. I'm a review junkie, so replies are much appreciated.


Key
*this* is emphasis
this is psychic convo
this is dreams/thoughts/journals/ship names

Now that that's all done, Onward! ^.^



The Matrix: Rebirth – Upload One



"Bring her down three more sects, Spyke," Forge said from his seat, watching the monitors. "And be careful – the Firebird is not a toy. Wolverine will kill you if you wreck this ship."

Spyke snorted in bemusement. "Loosen up, Fixit – I know what I'm doing." He sat up straighter in his seat. "I *did* train for this, you know-"

"Here we go," Forge muttered under his breath while adjusting the monitors.

" – So I know *exactly* what I'm doing. Unlike Boom Boom, who still isn't allowed on a crew." Spyke huffed, bringing the ship down as ordered.

"How are we doing, guys?" came Cyclops's voice over the headset. Forge looked over at the other male's body, where it was in the chair, plugged into the Matrix like the rest of the crew, where Jubilee was keeping an eye on their stats.

"Word from Tank and the Nebuchadnezzar – they've picked up who they were after – a hacker named Neo." Forge sat back in his chair. "We're just waiting for you – how's it going?"

Wolverine's gruff voice came over the comm. "Time to get out, Fixit – we have someone to pick up."

"Mutant or human?" Spyke asked, excitement coloring his voice.

"Mutant."

Forge grinned as Spyke and Jubilee did a victory dance. "Aye, Captain."


*************


--Six months later—



Dreams. In them, exist memories and hopes warped by the subconscious because the brain slows down to "recharge" as it were.

Now that I know the truth, I abhor that term. "Recharge." Like we were batteries or machines that serve no other purpose but for energy.

Which is the truth. That is what I – no, we – were. Before I was unplugged. Before I was freed. Now, as part of the crew of the Firebird I fight to free other mutants and humans from that aberration, the Matrix.

Our world was nothing but a lie. But I'm still amazed that mutants exist outside of the Matrix – us that were in it are only here because of a glitch in the system, an anomaly – not like Neo, who is the One, THE Anomaly. Mutants who were in simply had mutated DNA from a glitch or from whoever "donated" DNA to create us.

We are nothing but accidents. And as I fall into dreams, I can't help but wonder why. Why the war? Why all of this? Why are we made to suffer?



In my dream, it is the same one I've had since I was freed by the crew of the Firebird six months ago – memories, then a glimpse of the future. Of what possibly could be.

It is my eighteenth birthday, all happiness and smiles. I remember my parents, the presents, and my friends. And then I remember the one person that makes me hurt the most, because as I see him, I know he doesn't remember me. He can't. Once we are unplugged, the ones left behind don't remember us. He was – no, he is – my best friend. I love him, because not doing so was like not breathing.

Kurt is my best friend, and what hurt most was that I had to leave him behind. Despite all I've endured these past few months, some things still stayed with me, and have gotten me through all of this.

His devil-may-care grin.

That mischievous glint he gets in his eyes when he's about to pull a prank.

How tight he would hug me when I was upset about my mutantcy – He was a mutant also, so he understood, even if his power hurt more than mine did. [1]

How he would get sunburned on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose when he was out in the sun for too long because his skin was so pale, and it used to make me laugh because he always looked younger than he really was.

How he used to call me "Katzchen."

Or how we used to fall asleep in the hammock in my parent's backyard while talking and looking at the constellations.

However, on my birthday, my world turned upside down. The authorities found out I was a mutant, and then agents came. Of course, I didn't know who the agents were, just that the well-dressed men who tried to grab me were bad and had no benevolent intent to my person.
I remember exactly what happened with utter clarity, because this day was burned into my soul with all the precision of a laser. I was crossing the street, hurrying because Marie had wanted me to meet her and I was late. A car, speeding down the blacktop, failed to see me and by the time the driver tried to stop, it was too late.

I saw the car, sheer feet from me.

I saw the look of panic on the driver's face, knowing he couldn't stop in time.

I braced myself for the hit, and was surprised when nothing came. Looking up and seeing the shock on the faces of the people surrounding me, I realized what had happened. I had used my mutant power unconsciously in fear, 'phasing' to save myself. It happened sometimes – when I had nightmares, I was known to phase through my bed to the first floor of my house. That is my power – my 'gift'. I am able to space the atoms in my body to fit through the atoms of other things, thereby becoming a 'living ghost.'

However, mutants were not as appreciated inside as they are in Zion. I saw them come – the well dressed men, watching in shock as passersby *turned* into them, and they stormed towards me, faces set and emotionless.

I did the only thing I could.

I ran. I ran as fast and far as I could, keeping to the deserted back alleys, until I came to a street and was stopped by two cars that pulled in front of me.

A man, stocky, slightly hairy, and gruff, with stern brown eyes, leaned out of the window from behind the wheel.

"Get in."

His tone booked no argument.

That was when I met them. My crewmates. The beautiful Phoenix, the first child-mutant to be freed and the one the Firebird was named after. The ever-vigilant Cyclops. Captain Wolverine, the gruff leader of the crew, the one who had spoken to me. The beautiful Storm, with her dark cocoa colored skin, white hair, and blue eyes. The enigmatic Lightwing, whose grey eyes could pierce into your soul. They saved me, gave me an opportunity to learn the truth and to be free from something I had always sensed deep down was wrong, somehow.

My world.

And by God, I took that chance. Because I *wanted* to know.

Waking up was like a dream in and of itself. The fetal pod was slimy and fetid, my skin searing with excruciating pain as all of the wires disengaged themselves, my nerves feeling like they were on fire, feeling as if I was being stabbed over and over again. Pulling that *thing* from my mouth, my senses filling with the smell of rot and fester. The pod opening and seeing that machine with it's metal tentacles and devil-red mechanical eyes. The pod opening beneath me and racing down a tube, having no control over my own body, because my muscles and voice refused to cooperate with my mind. Nearly blind and unable to see, I was plunged into freezing water, unable to swim, and drowning. Even though my eyesight was nearly nonexistent, I remember the light above me like a supernova, as the ship hovered above my drowning form.

The crew picked me up and saved my life.

Sometimes I wished that they had left me there. In the Matrix. Because then I'd be with him. Then again, I'd probably be dead. The agents certainly don't waste time, that much I have learned.

I remember months of adaptation, conditioning my body and senses, learning skills I needed to be on the crew. I remember my first look at Zion, and I remember rescuing my friend Marie – now called Rogue – and finding out that Kurt had gone missing soon after I had 'disappeared' – she told me when she had regained her memory of me, which took several days.

I also remember my first visit to the Oracle, and her words invade my dreams often, probably because I don't understand them. I had gone after the knowledge that Neo was the One was announced – not everyone believes it, but us mutants do.

Because we have to believe in something.

~*~

"Come, here child."

Kitty – now called Shadowcat – obeyed, a bit awed by the rumors and reputation this woman carried. She Knew the future, and could see into your soul deeper than Lightwing could. She sat next to the elderly black woman, ready to hear her words.

"You have wondered all of your life what your purpose is. Not the 'what' but the 'why'."

It was not a question, even if she didn't answer it.

"You search for him. It pained you – to leave him behind." She looked seemingly straight through her. "Do not let it. You know the outcome in your soul." The Oracle looked out of the window again. "You have come for a message – for a prophecy."

She smiled.

"Man as a demon, the heart of an angel, the soul of a Guardian. It is him you will find. More mutant than the rest, he is invaluable."

Shadowcat couldn't help but smile. "I didn't know you were this straightforward. Neo said you were a bit roundabout in your messages."

"Only to him. He's a smart boy – he needs to think. Exercise his brain. To figure everything out for everyone's sake." She touched the young woman's chin gently, smiling. "Mutants – all of you are so special. Perhaps not like Neo, but special nonetheless." Her hand dropped. "You will not see me again."


~*~

My dream always shifts then. Flashes of the inside of a business building, of agents, of a fight and blood on the floor. Of bullets ricocheting in the corridor and shattering glass. Of running, separated from my crewmates except Rogue, both of us pounding down the corridor.

It gives me hope that I see, hear, and smell the distinctive implosion of air that accompanied one of Kurt's teleports.

I remember other flashes. The ship. The water. A shard of the future that showed me the face of a boy who looked like a demon, covered in fine blue fur.

Then I always wake up.

Like now.



****************


Kitty jolted awake, breathing hard, tear tracks on her face. The room in Zion that she shared with Jubilee and Rogue was quiet, both of her roommates sleeping deeply, neither apparently disturbed by nightmares or the lack of background noise.

Sitting up, she tiredly ran a hand through her short and slightly spiky chestnut hair, grimacing as she touched the metal fixture at the base of her skull, a reminder of reality. Forcing herself to be silent so she didn't wake her roommates, she quietly exited the room, shutting the metal door gently and walking to the rail to look down on the city, blue eyes weary. In the early morning, Zion was just waking up, people hoping that loved ones returned on the ships, lights on and dotting the dark like stars. Making a decision, she started to walk toward the Temple, padding quietly on bare feet.

There was no one in the corridors, a fact for which she was grateful.

"Can't sleep?"

Well, almost no one. She turned and looked at Eryn – called Lightwing - who was sitting against the wall holding the mutant child her and Matt – known as Soulspark or just 'Spark – had adopted when the boy's parents had been killed. He was about two years old, with silver hair, blue eyes that had no pupil or iris, and small dog-ears that peeked out of his hair on top of his head. Lightwing, as a joke, had called him Inu-chan (apparently while in the Matrix, she had been a big anime fan) and the nickname had stuck. Inu didn't answer to anything else. Right now the boy was sleeping, curled up in the other woman's arms.

Kitty shook her head. No one could lie to the Empath – she'd sense it immediately. "Dreams. You?"

The raven-haired woman smiled. "Inu had a stomachache. Apparently Spyke had given him too many sweets when he and Wolfsbane were watching him during Temple." She kissed the boy atop his head. "Poor kid – food had never made him sick before."

Kitty smirked, then grew grim. "We're setting out today, aren't we?"

She nodded, not looking at the other woman. "We have to find him. Or rather," she looked pointedly at Kitty, "you do."

Kitty sighed. "Are things that bad?"

"Well they aren't getting better." The woman stood, cradling the child, who snuggled in her arms, making somnolent noises. "Walk with me?"

She smiled and nodded. "Well, I'm not going to sleep anytime soon."

Eryn smiled as she and Kitty made their way through the city, watching the people rise to face another day in their world. All too soon they would have to return and pack for their mission, but right now, Kitty reveled in the solace of the sleeping city, her crewmate, and the peace of the sleeping child.


~~~~~~~~



"Rogue! Jubilee! 'Cat! Guesswhatguesswhat?!"

Kitty sighed, shoving her second set of clothes into her duffel, before turning to face the speedster, who was jumping up and down excitedly in their doorway despite his bag, his distinctly European face alight with glee, silver hair awry. Inu, sitting on her bunk, looked up from where he was playing with the small bundle of twine Kitty had managed to trade for several months ago, to blink owlishly at Quicksilver.

Jubilee, her face perfectly serious, managed, "The fifth dentist caved and now they're all recommending Trident?" [2] Lips twitching, she shoved her pillow into her own pack before bending to tie her bootlace.

Rogue grinned at him, propping a fist on her hip. "What is it, sugar? What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"The Fraternity is doubling up with you for this mission," he answered, deliberately talking slowly so he could be understood, even if he still bounced from foot-to-foot in pent up energy. "Lock wants Mystique and Wolverine to team up."

Kitty looked at Pietro curiously. "Why?" Snatching the twine from Inu, but tweaking his ear gently to show she wasn't being mean, she shoved it in her pack. The canine mutant grabbed onto his moppet instead.

He shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't trust either of them to do this mission right on their own ifyouknowwhatImean."

Kitty's nose wrinkled. She did. Lock's dislike for the mutant captains was almost as notorious as his dislike for Morpheus. If Councilors Xavier and Magneto were not Elders, Lock would have made sure that Mystique and Wolverine were not captains at all.

"So y'all are going with us?" Rogue asked.

Pietro nodded, and Kitty groaned as Jubilee snickered. I *do not* want to deal with Avalanche again... The elder teenager's slight crush for the phaser happened to be the worst kept secret between the mutant ships.

Pietro grinned. "Don'tworry'Cat...I think he's got a crush on BoomBoom now. OrmaybeMagma."

"Hooray," she answered, deadpan, hefting her duffel to hang across her shoulders before picking up Inu. "Let's go. If we're late, Wolverine *and* Mystique are going to have our guts for garters."

"Yeah, let's hurry or she'lldothethingwiththeteeth.[3]" Rogue watched in amusement as the usually arrogant speedster shuddered as she followed him out, her own duffel thrown over her shoulder. Out in the hall they heard a faint, "Letmegetthat."

Jubilee, gathering her own bag, looked at Kitty. "We going to the hospital first?"

Kitty nodded, hefting the two-year old. Matt had come by earlier, asking them to drop the child off with Beast in the hospital before heading to the ship, here he and Eryn already were, prepping the vehicle for the mission.
"C'mon - we've gotta hurry if we're going to make it."

Jubilee grinned. "Let's go." Making sure the door to their room was locked tight behind them, she and Kitty padded down the corridor.



~~~~~*******~~~~~~

 

Tracy Rourke gasped as she came to, sweat gelling on her rapidly cooling skin and in her strawberry blonde hair. Looking around the dark cell, fluorescent light from the hallway bouncing off of the metal walls, she spied Isis, the feline shapeshifting mutant curled on her side in a corner.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. What woke me up?...

Seconds before the commotion was heard in the hallway, Isis rolled over and onto her feet, staring at the door. She was half shifted, eyes slit-pupiled and cat-ears atop her head to hear and see better in the dark. She pressed one clawed finger against her lips for the universal symbol for silence.

"They're coming," she whispered, her Egyptian accent coloring her words. She sat in a crouch and stared at the door unnervingly, her inky hair around her like a negative halo, as if ready to pounce.

She didn't have time.

The door was thrown open, and one of the agents pointed a taser at Isis and shot, the feline mutant hissing before she fell unconscious. Tracy watched in horror as another two agents...may the bastards rot in hell...entered in that usual efficient manner they all had, a third, smaller form draped between the two, the one she recognized as her newest cell mate as of two weeks ago. Unceremoniously, they tossed him at Tracy's feet before marching out like soldiers. The one with the taser, Agent Kelly, sneered before exiting, "Trash," being his parting comment.

When they had shut the door and she was certain they had gone, she reached over and dragged him so he was resting against her, for drugged as he was, he didn't even have the strength to lean against the wall. He was nearly deadweight, his skin clammy to the touch, and he was breathing fitfully, but was mostly lucid. She ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to get him to wake up, shaking him every so often and calling his name. He finally looked at her wearily with tired amber colored eyes.

He pointed vaguely at Isis. "Drag her over here," he finally managed, German accent thicker from stress and exhaustion. "We'll probably be warmer that way."

The Gaelic girl nodded, and grabbed the Egyptian's arm, dragging her so she lay next to them.

He grimaced. "What's wrong mit me? Mein head feels all funny und stuff..."

"S'the drug they gave you - you should be able to sleep it off." She held both of her cellmates tight, not knowing what else to do.

"Wunderbar." He moved slightly and winced. "Ow."

She looked down and gulped, seeing the stain on her shirt. "Your arm's bleeding."

He shrugged. "S'alright. It'll stop."

Here we are, stuck in a building that has cells for mutants in God knows where...

"Kurt - do you ever think we're gonna get out of this?"

No answer.

"Kurt?" Looking down, she saw he was asleep, breath still hitching, but rhythmic.

"Great, just great..." Holding them both to her like a lifeline, she did the only thing she could without sleeping herself.

She prayed.



__________________________

[1] Kurt is in the Matrix and doesn't know he's blue and fuzzy, so his mental projection of himself would be like any other human – therefore, if he thinks his body is like any other, when he teleports, his 'body' isn't rigged to harness that much energy and teleport painlessly.  *snort* this is all psychology and it's making *my* head hurt.


[2] From Friends, a comment a la Chandler Bing. I love that line...

[3] A line used on InterNutter's site that she created – no one is really sure *what* the "thing with the teeth" is, and it's scarier that way :)