Protector of Men Ch 57

Cover stared Trim in the eyes, searching for any hint of confusion. He could find none, and subsequently sighed before resuming his 'talk'.

"You have to watch the screens," he advised, pointing at the radar in the cockpit. Trim nodded.

"If there's any sign of a squid – any at all – get us back in ASAP. You don't want to be on your own." Trim's eyes widened and he nodded all the more vigorously.

"We should only be in for a few hours. When we hit six, Kesia will call us. Can you make sure she does that?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding his head again.

"Alias may join you, as may Kemp," he warned, "But you have to keep watch."

He said nothing, nodded again. Cover felt that their safety was insured from the outside; Trim knew well enough to get them out of the matrix if there was any danger in the pipes. Trim knew his way around, even if he was young.

"Are we ready?" came Zandra's voice, impatient from the long wait. She was burning, yearning to prove herself. First the bartender, then the woman – Zandra shuddered at the memory – and then the newspaper Trim had trashed earlier… it seemed like everyone thought she was a fake. Certainly if she was getting publication she was doing something good… but it seemed doubtful. Too many deaths. Now was the time that she could save someone for once.

"I think we are," Cover replied slowly. He watched as Zandra's visage turned brighter at the news, and was a little disheartened by it. This would definitely be the most dangerous mission anyone had ever gone on. Nonetheless, they were going in, and soon. Cover steeled himself for the jack in. He was the strong one; he was the leader, their captain. Everyone must play their part.

"I'm in," he spoke minutes later. Cover took a look around him – Zandra and Shade looked imposing indeed: Zandra had her long hair tied back in a tight bun, her other features masked by a robing trenchcoat that barely scraped the floor with its thick material. High spiked heels peeked out from under the garment, as if a testament to Zandra's enduring femininity. Yet, the thing that surprised him the most was her choice of sunglasses – as she had never worn them before in the matrix.

Shade stood stoically in his fitted leather jacket and regular gray slacks, his brown hair falling neatly into his face. Unlike Zandra, he wore no sunglasses. They looked at Cover expressionless as he looked them over, both could tell that she wanted to get moving.

He broke the silence a moment later: "Do you know where to go?" he asked Zandra. She nodded, and began to lead the way.

She opened the door, revealing a bustling metroplex in front of them.

"The agents," Shade breathed, fearing the inevitable. Soon enough the agents would trace them, and when that happened, they definitely would not want to be in the middle of a crowd. Zandra looked back briefly, then continued on.

"It's a short ways," she assured them, "I can handle agents if I have to."

Cover was not convinced though. He remembered with regret the times that Zandra hadn't been able to handle agents. Pasiphae, Alias, Tevy… they'd all have to be on their guard, no matter what Zandra believed, or wanted to believe. Cover hoped that the building truly was close. They wove their way through the crowd effortlessly; people seemed to part ways when the threesome came their way. Shade wasn't surprised; they probably were quite a spectacle. He hoped that no one would want to mess with them, and the image of agents persisted in his mind. Though he tried to push it away, his mind kept asking the question: what if you're the next one to go? No, he told himself, we're going to be safe. Unfortunately, it was an empty promise.

Buildings hovered all around them – but they were aiming to a particularly tall one a few blocks away. Zandra strode down the streets confidently: this was only the beginning of the battle. She wouldn't, couldn't be taken down now. Shade and Cover followed behind quickly and with matching strides. None of them talked. Each of them knew the importance of this jack. If they succeeded, they would win Neo back, and gain knowledge for the resistance. Without him, they'd continue to fight blind, without direction, perhaps without even reason. Zandra had convinced them of his impact, and they now rallied behind her. It was going to be a hard fight, possibly a long one, and extremely dangerous. But it was a war, after all, and they remembered that – though with a little disdain.

Across the street a good Samaritan was calling 911.

"Nine-one-one emergency," the operator recited in a bored voice, "What is your emergency?"

"Those terrorists on TV?" the woman asked in a shaky voice, covering her cellphone with her hand as not to be seen, "I think they're here."

"The 'Rebellion'?" the lady asked, sounding like she didn't believe the almost hysterical woman.

"Yes, yes," she assured, still staring at Zandra from across the busy street. "They're here!"

Zandra and her crew were oblivious to the action being taken against them. They continued to stride confidently down the sidewalk, quickly approaching the imposing building, their destination. Cover and Shade quickened their pace to walk next to Zandra as they got closer to the building, Zandra continually looking up as they kept walking forward.

"This is it?" Cover asked as she slowed to a stop. Zandra was silent and merely nodded. The three rebels found themselves an island of stagnancy: people walked around them in a torrent of humanity, going with the flow of life that commanded their existence. But despite the rushing sea of coppertops, the rebels stood as a lodged stone in a waterfall.

"This is the address," she replied slowly, still looking up at the tall building.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cover asked, taking a quick look around. Shade looked from him to Zandra ravenously, becoming very worried very quickly. Let's go, let's go, he kept telling them in silent commands.

"Yes," was her brief response. Cover waited only a second before following her into the building.

It wasn't particularly abnormal, and that was what unsettled them the most. It's gray walls stopped at marble floors and white ceilings, more potted plants dotted the hallways with their sparse greenery. People milled to and fro, again going to their places of importance - which in truth really had no meaning at all. But the three were there for a reason. They were on a mission.

Zandra led them to an elevator and pressed the button for level 10. Luckily, no one tried to enter the elevator with them, and they were alone. The elevator hummed to a clean start.

"What if he isn't here?" Cover asked, looking intensely at Zandra. Her face showed no emotion.

"Then we look elsewhere," came her level response. Cover was satisfied, and they continued their ascent in silence.