Well, the response the last chapter was good, so I'm keeping going! I'm so
glad you all seem to be thinking that this is just as good as the first
one, so enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Dreams
"How was it?" asked Morpheus as Asha opened her eyes back on the Nebuchadnezzar.
"Fine," said Asha, getting up, "But this guy recognised me."
"We saw," said Morpheus, "Your disappearance is somewhat a mystery in the Matrix."
"Why?"
"Well, think about it. The police come to your house the next morning, after reports of gunshots and screaming, find your parents shot and your bedroom forced open, and you're nowhere to be seen."
"I guess," said Asha, feeling slightly guilty about all the fuss being made.
"We need to talk about the sequel," said Morpheus, "There may be information to our advantage."
For the next hour, Asha told them all she could remember about the film. Morpheus was particularly interested about the Architect.
"Now that could be true," said Morpheus, "There could be one person who designed the Matrix. And the rogue programs, too, that would explain a lot... but the prophecy not being true? It has to be."
"That's what you say in the film," said Asha quietly, "Right before the Nebuchadnezzar blows up."
"What?" said Trinity.
"It blows up at the end," said Asha, "Then Neo does this weird thing and destroys loadsa squiddies. Then he goes into a coma."
"He destroys sentinels in the Real World?" said Trinity. She looked at Neo.
"I don't see how," said Neo, "I can't feel them."
"Don't try!" said Asha, "I mean, I know you're back for Matrix: Revolutions, but we don't know what happens then!"
"I won't be, don't worry," said Neo, "We have the EMP."
Asha thought about saying about the fact the squiddies were outside the blast radius, but decided not to - what was the point?
"It's time you went to bed," said Morpheus, "You've got a busy day tomorrow."
"What are we doing?"
"We have another training program to run on you. You're now legally old enough to be an operational member of the crew-"
"I thought I had to be twenty?"
"Well, technically, yes," said Morpheus.
"But not many people below twenty can take on twenty agents and win," said Neo, "You're an exception."
"Anyway-" said Morpheus, smiling slightly, "The Council in Zion has granted you permission to go on missions now. We need to teach you how to hack into computers so that we can contact potentials."
"Nifty!" said Asha, "Come on, come on, what are we waiting for?"
"We'll do it in the morning," said Morpheus, "Go to bed now."
* * * * *
Asha woke up that night screaming. She looked around rapidly. She was back on the Nebuchadnezzar. She'd had a bad dream - she tried to remember the details of it, but they were fading rapidly. She heard footsteps coming towards her room. "What is it?" said Neo.
"Nothing," said Asha, "I just- I had a bad dream."
"What about?"
"It was just a dream," said Asha, "Why?"
"I have dreams," said Neo, "I don't know whether they're true. How can you be so sure?"
"What dreams?" said Asha.
"If they're just dreams, why do you need to know?" asked Neo, grinning.
"Cos you're the One!" said Asha, "Your dreams come true in the film."
"In the film, I also go and see the Merovingian and kiss Persephone," said Neo, "Now, if I did that in real life, I believe that Trinity would cause me severe pain."
Asha smiled. A couple of months ago, she would have been thrilled to have Neo running into her bedroom at night because he was worred about her, especially if her bedroom was on the Nebuchadnezzar. But now she just saw Neo as another crewmember, albeit a hot one. But she didn't have a crush on him anymore.
"What was your dream about?" asked Neo.
"Well." said Asha, "We were walking down a street-"
"Who's we?"
"You, Trinity, Morpheus, Jon-"
"That's your friend, isn't it? What would he be doing there?"
"I don't know. There was also me, and - someone I didn't recognise. I don't know who it was. Then something bad happened. but I can't remember what." She noticed Neo looking at her sceptically. "Really, I can't!"
"Fine," said Neo.
"Can I start my training now?"
"Why?"
"Well... I'm awake."
"OK," said Neo, "Tank! She wants to start now."
"Now?" said Tank, coming through the door, "You can't say she's not eager."
"Damn straight," said Asha.
* * * * *
"So who am I contacting?" asked Asha an hour later. She had no idea computer hacking was this complicated.
Morpheus handed her a file. "A boy. Eighteen years old. His name's Shane Traven, but goes by the hacker alias Falcon."
"A hacker?" said Asha, impressed, "At eighteen?"
"Yeah," said Neo, "He's hacked into the FBI's main bureau, the Secret Service, the Ministry of Defence...."
"And according to this, discovered the plot of the SIXTH Harry Potter book," said Asha, impressed, "How did he do THAT?"
"He must have got into JK Rowling's computer and downloaded the files," said Neo, "But the interesting thing is that he never sells on any of the information."
"He doesn't?"
"No. He leaves a little note in the centre of the mainframe, saying he's been there, and where their faults are. It's all a game to him. He doesn't do it for profit."
"Nifty..." said Asha.
"Impressed?" asked Trinity.
"Well, yeah," said Asha, "How come I've never found out about him before?"
Neo laughed. "The top organizations in the world admitting that their codes were broken by an eighteen year old? No, the only way we found out is he tried to hack into us."
"He did?" said Asha, yet more impressed.
"Yeah. He didn't make it; the Matrix crashed his computer to stop him finding out. But he'd left messages at each level he cracked."
Asha glanced at the notes in the file. At level two, he'd written 'Tougher than most, but overwhelmed eventually. You need to synchronise your security systems; if they are attacked on several different levels, they leave a gap where people can get in. But so far, I'm impressed. Your friendly Falcon.'
"Cool," said Asha, "When do I go?"
"Tomorrow," said Morpheus, "You ought to get some sleep now."
"OK," said Asha, suddenly realising how tired she was.
* * * * *
That night, Asha woke up again. She'd had another dream - this time, she'd been running through an alleyway, chasing some quarry who had always been just round the corner. Sometimes she caught a glimpse of them, but she could not catch up. She finally started to get closer, and she rounded a corner, somehow knowing that they were round it, and she'd woken up.
She sat up in bed, thinking. Why was she having these dreams? What if Jon was right, and they were premonitions? She shook her head to try and clear it; they couldn't be premonitions, she wasn't Neo.
Little did she know that she wasn't the only one awake.
Neo also was pondering dreams that he was having. Now that Asha had told him that in the film his dreams were premonitions, he was thinking about them more.
The most recent dream he had had, he'd woken up shaking. He prayed that it wasn't a premonition - if it was, they were all in a lot of danger.
*****
Yes, the first of the many, many cliffies coming! Hope this chapter still comes up to your standards. And so begins the custom of CALLOUTS!
Two Bored Idiots - Yes, it's BACK! COWER IN FEAR, LITTLE PEOPLE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Ahem. Sorry about that. Just practising for when I achieve world domination.
Mako - Well, you'll see whether Neo's the One. Again, BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Im a Brandybuck - It was a VERY ANNOYING ENDING! GAAAARGH!!! OK, I need to go to anger management classes...
Tanuki Yasha - Maybe better? Whoa! Well, this one has more action, more characters, more confusing stuff and more good ol' humour. More of everything!
Alocin - Oh, he will be. And soon. *cackles* Wait, I shouldn't have told you that, should i?
Luna - Wooo! Pirates of the Caribbean! It rocks the MOST!
Jack Cole - Oh... my... god... LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE READING THIS??? AAAAAARGH!!!!!!! Um, hello people! Heh, heh, heh... I access FanFiction at lunchtime too. And after school. Hahaha. Don't know why that's funny... And sorry, I only update once a week, but I have several other stories for you to read.
Kit - Now there's a storyline I didn't consider. Dammit. But I didn't want there to be an overload of action too early into the story, but you'll get some action soon!
Megami-non-Inazumi - Well, I did feel like I was being slightly mean to Joe- Bob, but he was basically a guy who wanted to appear on the news as a hero. I don't know how I know that, I just do. I think up all these details of my characters that we never actually find out. I know JK Rowling does that too, but I don't just do it cos she does.
AoD - Well, you're going to have to wait! Sorry! But when I was writing this one, I had NO IDEA what the ending was going to be, so I know how you feel. But it's a good ending. Really. And only slightly cheesy.
Sirocco.flow - Hmm, 100 reviews before breakfast? ... Which breakfast? And I act disturbing all the time.
Huntress - Asha is worried about whether what was said in Reloaded was true, but other than that, she isn't really thinking about it. I'm your fave author? That is so sweet, thank you so much! That really means a lot!
Yilantri - Hey, you're right! Hey, wait a minute... then... oh god, they'd better - they'd better not... oh man... Don't worry. Just thinking.
MollyJean - I know what you mean. I suddenly realised that she was exactly like Neo, and that made no sense, because Neo was the system anomaly and she wasn't one. Good to know someone appreciated it though.
Gone-to-jarmadanga - No, I haven't seen Agent Cody Banks, but Pirates of the Caribbean gets 14 out of ten! It's perfect, and Jack Sparrow deserves it to get four bonus points!
See you all next week!
Chapter 2 - Dreams
"How was it?" asked Morpheus as Asha opened her eyes back on the Nebuchadnezzar.
"Fine," said Asha, getting up, "But this guy recognised me."
"We saw," said Morpheus, "Your disappearance is somewhat a mystery in the Matrix."
"Why?"
"Well, think about it. The police come to your house the next morning, after reports of gunshots and screaming, find your parents shot and your bedroom forced open, and you're nowhere to be seen."
"I guess," said Asha, feeling slightly guilty about all the fuss being made.
"We need to talk about the sequel," said Morpheus, "There may be information to our advantage."
For the next hour, Asha told them all she could remember about the film. Morpheus was particularly interested about the Architect.
"Now that could be true," said Morpheus, "There could be one person who designed the Matrix. And the rogue programs, too, that would explain a lot... but the prophecy not being true? It has to be."
"That's what you say in the film," said Asha quietly, "Right before the Nebuchadnezzar blows up."
"What?" said Trinity.
"It blows up at the end," said Asha, "Then Neo does this weird thing and destroys loadsa squiddies. Then he goes into a coma."
"He destroys sentinels in the Real World?" said Trinity. She looked at Neo.
"I don't see how," said Neo, "I can't feel them."
"Don't try!" said Asha, "I mean, I know you're back for Matrix: Revolutions, but we don't know what happens then!"
"I won't be, don't worry," said Neo, "We have the EMP."
Asha thought about saying about the fact the squiddies were outside the blast radius, but decided not to - what was the point?
"It's time you went to bed," said Morpheus, "You've got a busy day tomorrow."
"What are we doing?"
"We have another training program to run on you. You're now legally old enough to be an operational member of the crew-"
"I thought I had to be twenty?"
"Well, technically, yes," said Morpheus.
"But not many people below twenty can take on twenty agents and win," said Neo, "You're an exception."
"Anyway-" said Morpheus, smiling slightly, "The Council in Zion has granted you permission to go on missions now. We need to teach you how to hack into computers so that we can contact potentials."
"Nifty!" said Asha, "Come on, come on, what are we waiting for?"
"We'll do it in the morning," said Morpheus, "Go to bed now."
* * * * *
Asha woke up that night screaming. She looked around rapidly. She was back on the Nebuchadnezzar. She'd had a bad dream - she tried to remember the details of it, but they were fading rapidly. She heard footsteps coming towards her room. "What is it?" said Neo.
"Nothing," said Asha, "I just- I had a bad dream."
"What about?"
"It was just a dream," said Asha, "Why?"
"I have dreams," said Neo, "I don't know whether they're true. How can you be so sure?"
"What dreams?" said Asha.
"If they're just dreams, why do you need to know?" asked Neo, grinning.
"Cos you're the One!" said Asha, "Your dreams come true in the film."
"In the film, I also go and see the Merovingian and kiss Persephone," said Neo, "Now, if I did that in real life, I believe that Trinity would cause me severe pain."
Asha smiled. A couple of months ago, she would have been thrilled to have Neo running into her bedroom at night because he was worred about her, especially if her bedroom was on the Nebuchadnezzar. But now she just saw Neo as another crewmember, albeit a hot one. But she didn't have a crush on him anymore.
"What was your dream about?" asked Neo.
"Well." said Asha, "We were walking down a street-"
"Who's we?"
"You, Trinity, Morpheus, Jon-"
"That's your friend, isn't it? What would he be doing there?"
"I don't know. There was also me, and - someone I didn't recognise. I don't know who it was. Then something bad happened. but I can't remember what." She noticed Neo looking at her sceptically. "Really, I can't!"
"Fine," said Neo.
"Can I start my training now?"
"Why?"
"Well... I'm awake."
"OK," said Neo, "Tank! She wants to start now."
"Now?" said Tank, coming through the door, "You can't say she's not eager."
"Damn straight," said Asha.
* * * * *
"So who am I contacting?" asked Asha an hour later. She had no idea computer hacking was this complicated.
Morpheus handed her a file. "A boy. Eighteen years old. His name's Shane Traven, but goes by the hacker alias Falcon."
"A hacker?" said Asha, impressed, "At eighteen?"
"Yeah," said Neo, "He's hacked into the FBI's main bureau, the Secret Service, the Ministry of Defence...."
"And according to this, discovered the plot of the SIXTH Harry Potter book," said Asha, impressed, "How did he do THAT?"
"He must have got into JK Rowling's computer and downloaded the files," said Neo, "But the interesting thing is that he never sells on any of the information."
"He doesn't?"
"No. He leaves a little note in the centre of the mainframe, saying he's been there, and where their faults are. It's all a game to him. He doesn't do it for profit."
"Nifty..." said Asha.
"Impressed?" asked Trinity.
"Well, yeah," said Asha, "How come I've never found out about him before?"
Neo laughed. "The top organizations in the world admitting that their codes were broken by an eighteen year old? No, the only way we found out is he tried to hack into us."
"He did?" said Asha, yet more impressed.
"Yeah. He didn't make it; the Matrix crashed his computer to stop him finding out. But he'd left messages at each level he cracked."
Asha glanced at the notes in the file. At level two, he'd written 'Tougher than most, but overwhelmed eventually. You need to synchronise your security systems; if they are attacked on several different levels, they leave a gap where people can get in. But so far, I'm impressed. Your friendly Falcon.'
"Cool," said Asha, "When do I go?"
"Tomorrow," said Morpheus, "You ought to get some sleep now."
"OK," said Asha, suddenly realising how tired she was.
* * * * *
That night, Asha woke up again. She'd had another dream - this time, she'd been running through an alleyway, chasing some quarry who had always been just round the corner. Sometimes she caught a glimpse of them, but she could not catch up. She finally started to get closer, and she rounded a corner, somehow knowing that they were round it, and she'd woken up.
She sat up in bed, thinking. Why was she having these dreams? What if Jon was right, and they were premonitions? She shook her head to try and clear it; they couldn't be premonitions, she wasn't Neo.
Little did she know that she wasn't the only one awake.
Neo also was pondering dreams that he was having. Now that Asha had told him that in the film his dreams were premonitions, he was thinking about them more.
The most recent dream he had had, he'd woken up shaking. He prayed that it wasn't a premonition - if it was, they were all in a lot of danger.
*****
Yes, the first of the many, many cliffies coming! Hope this chapter still comes up to your standards. And so begins the custom of CALLOUTS!
Two Bored Idiots - Yes, it's BACK! COWER IN FEAR, LITTLE PEOPLE! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Ahem. Sorry about that. Just practising for when I achieve world domination.
Mako - Well, you'll see whether Neo's the One. Again, BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Im a Brandybuck - It was a VERY ANNOYING ENDING! GAAAARGH!!! OK, I need to go to anger management classes...
Tanuki Yasha - Maybe better? Whoa! Well, this one has more action, more characters, more confusing stuff and more good ol' humour. More of everything!
Alocin - Oh, he will be. And soon. *cackles* Wait, I shouldn't have told you that, should i?
Luna - Wooo! Pirates of the Caribbean! It rocks the MOST!
Jack Cole - Oh... my... god... LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE READING THIS??? AAAAAARGH!!!!!!! Um, hello people! Heh, heh, heh... I access FanFiction at lunchtime too. And after school. Hahaha. Don't know why that's funny... And sorry, I only update once a week, but I have several other stories for you to read.
Kit - Now there's a storyline I didn't consider. Dammit. But I didn't want there to be an overload of action too early into the story, but you'll get some action soon!
Megami-non-Inazumi - Well, I did feel like I was being slightly mean to Joe- Bob, but he was basically a guy who wanted to appear on the news as a hero. I don't know how I know that, I just do. I think up all these details of my characters that we never actually find out. I know JK Rowling does that too, but I don't just do it cos she does.
AoD - Well, you're going to have to wait! Sorry! But when I was writing this one, I had NO IDEA what the ending was going to be, so I know how you feel. But it's a good ending. Really. And only slightly cheesy.
Sirocco.flow - Hmm, 100 reviews before breakfast? ... Which breakfast? And I act disturbing all the time.
Huntress - Asha is worried about whether what was said in Reloaded was true, but other than that, she isn't really thinking about it. I'm your fave author? That is so sweet, thank you so much! That really means a lot!
Yilantri - Hey, you're right! Hey, wait a minute... then... oh god, they'd better - they'd better not... oh man... Don't worry. Just thinking.
MollyJean - I know what you mean. I suddenly realised that she was exactly like Neo, and that made no sense, because Neo was the system anomaly and she wasn't one. Good to know someone appreciated it though.
Gone-to-jarmadanga - No, I haven't seen Agent Cody Banks, but Pirates of the Caribbean gets 14 out of ten! It's perfect, and Jack Sparrow deserves it to get four bonus points!
See you all next week!