Protector Ch 45
Another agent had come in to join the fight. He took absolutely no heed of Zandra, but instead proceeded to fight with Jackson against the two Smiths. Smith, unfortunately, had the upper hand.
Maybe I can slink away… Zandra thought, assessing the situation. If the agents won, Zandra would be hard pressed to get out alive. If Smith won… she didn't know what would happen. Either way, it wouldn't be fun. Or easy. So she opted for the third choice, which was to try and get out of the building while they were still fighting it out. She quietly tucked her MP5K back into her belt and inched her way out of the room. They didn't pay attention as she left, being that they were still busy with their battle.
Down the hallway, first left - or was that right? She turned the corner, and there was Smith. She skidded to a halt and was stunned completely still for a moment.
"Miss…." He started, then gave up. "I believe you have some information that I request."
Zandra didn't wait for him to finish. Something strange was going on, and she didn't want to be attacked where she wouldn't be able to move. Have to get outside! She pushed past him and down the hallway, her shotgun waving loose in her hand. Smith wouldn't chase her – he was torn between two urgent appointments, and he had to help in the fight. What he didn't realize was that every time Smith's stepped into the room, it would trigger the addition of a new agent. The fight would be continual until he realized his error.
Zandra ran unaccompanied into the street. Her motorcycle was gone. She began to panic, her eyes searching hopefully, praying, maybe it was moved… maybe I forgot… but it was nowhere. There was no way for her to get back to the exit, unless she ran. That would take too long.
She shot her extra rounds into the building across from her, knowing that it would be no use to her any longer; she'd have to run weaponless. She also knew that in the hands of one of the agents… or that man… she could be killed. There were only two rounds left, and she was thankful. There was no use making extra noise when she was attempting to be stealthy.
She pulled out her cellphone, hoping that Kesia would have direction.
"Where do I go?" she asked once connected.
"There's a car a few blocks ahead of you," she offered.
"Hey," she added fervently, "Stay away from that guy in the building,"
"What is he?"
"I don't know, but he's copying himself. There's gonna be a lot of him if you don't hurry."
"Ok."
She closed her cellphone and put it back into her pocket. She sighed before starting off, taking a gun in each hand. She didn't want to risk them discharging, or falling once she started running. Time to be fast, she thought as she began to sprint down the street. There were no agents to chase her, but another man was looking on with interest.
She ran down the street as fast as she could, and a little faster than that. The decrepit buildings flew by as she sprinted down the pebbly causeway to her escape. It would only be a minute until she'd be able to drive to the exit. Only a little further…
Smith stepped out in front of her and smiled. She was only just able to move out of the way and continue running, pushing herself to go faster. Don't get caught!
Smith stepped out again and smiled broader. He was getting harder to avoid – and if there really were a lot of him… Zandra's situation was beginning to look bleak.
"Watch out," he told her with another cold smile. Zandra watched him as she ran past.
Everything stopped.
She tried to breathe, but couldn't. She was on the ground; she knew that, but how? She tried to breathe again, and her lungs reinflated. She took in a few grateful sucks of air, then looked to see what had happened.
The man stood in front of her, his arms crossed.
"Oh no," Kesia said, staring at the screens.
"What?" Kemp asked innocently. Kesia continued to look at the screens in distress.
"Get Cover," she ordered. "Now."
"Who are you?" Zandra asked, propping herself up on her arms. She knew that she couldn't get away by running. He knew it too, and was ecstatic. He was in power again. It would only be a little while before he could finish his task and complete his duty….
"I am Smith," he told her, a ghoulish smile creeping across his visage.
"You're all Smith?"
"Precisely."
"What do you want?"
"Excellent question, Ms. Richards," he answered, hoping that she'd pick up on his new knowledge. She didn't, which was typical. Stupid animals, he thought to himself.
"I want everything."
He suddenly stopped, stepped back, and frowned. His answer reminded him of a time long ago. A time he would rather not have remembered; a time with Mr. Anderson - the root of all his anguish. He shoved the feeling in the back of his mind. Your mission is to find information.
Cover arrived at Kesia's station already worried. She wouldn't have sent for him unless Zandra was in trouble. He looked at her, searching for a reason.
"That guy's got her," she said, pointing at one of the screens. Cover took a tentative look and bit his knuckle. He didn't know if he could risk losing anything more at Zandra's expense… but she was in trouble.
"Set it up," he told her, stepping back resolutely, "I'm getting Shade in."
"You know where Mister Anderson is."
"Who now?"
He shuddered. "Neo," he managed with a grimace. Zandra didn't hesitate to answer.
"I still don't know, okay?"
"Ms. Richards," he warned, putting a heavy foot on her leg, "You know enough."
She gasped at the sudden pain, but tried to ignore it. It's not real. Zandra noticed that he wore the same shoe as the previous agents did. For some reason, it was significant.
"Look, there was something about a 'Gaul of the New World', some 'Terrible place'?" Smith stared, and the pressure persisted. "Look, I don't know - he's disappeared." Smith detected fear in her voice. He savored it. He relished it. He wanted so much to know what it was like to kill again…
But now was not the time. Everything would happen when it was right, and there was no use in ruining his chance while he was still free, still able to fulfill his original duty. Zandra's eyes revealed her panic as he stood enveloped in himself, his two sides arguing on whether to have his fill now, or wait. Logic prevailed, and he decided to wait.
The thing that angered him the most was that he could not tell if she was lying. So many things had been stripped of him when –Neo- had destroyed his being… but the connection to the mainframe was the worst. He was reduced to almost nothing. Almost human… – but he threw away the thought immediately. He was still a sentient program. He would never stoop as low as the humans; he just couldn't.
Yet since he had been 'unplugged', certain… amenities… had been stolen from him. He was reduced to merely hearing his foes on approach, merely watching his enemies attack, merely asking, pleading for information… It was an existence that he abhorred. But it was existence.
He sighed angrily and stepped backwards, his foot off of Zandra. She waited a second before attempting to get up. Smith's actions were definitely strange, bordering on psychotic – as Zandra figured it. It sounded like he had a serious vendetta against Neo. She knew now that he wasn't working on her side. He was just as deadly as the new agents, if not more. Who knew what would happen if he did to her what he had done to the agents in that room…
She shuddered as she pulled herself to her feet. Smith stood in front of her, a look of contempt on his face. Zandra tried not to imagine why.
"Smith!" she heard someone call, and she turned around to see who it was. It was another agent again. Smith turned too, and adjusted his tie before running at the man. They were going to fight again, which meant Zandra had a chance to flee.
