Hybrimagoria
Hi. I'm going to tell you a story. A story about unity.
Unity. I don't think I have to explain that to you. It's a very simple concept. The bringing together of two things, right? Right. Unity has many possibilities open to it. Fuck.
I'm also sure you've heard of the revolution, so I don't need to explain that to you. There was a war. A war between humans and machines. The war is over now. The humans asked for peace. Just peace. The machines said yes. They had to you see, they were in some very dire circumstances. So they said yes, and there was peace. Just peace. The humans didn't bother the machines, the machines didn't bother the humans. Agreements on the Matrix were made, and they stood so. I don't have much time, so I wont bother explaining those. To tell you the truth, this story doesn't have much to do with that old thing at all.
Anyways, a few years later, the humans sent one of their ambassadors to Zero One, the machine city. He talked to a "Council of Machines", and proposed unity. The humans were currently trying to get back to the surface, and even had hopes of seeing their sky again. They needed help. The machines, however, were unsure. They would get nothing out of this experience, and they would have humans invading their lovely surface. There were arguments. There were discussions. This took months. Finally, they decided that, perhaps, if they unite with the humans than maybe the two societies could work together, and make another, better, society. They said yes.
Of course, this didn't sit well with everyone. There were a few humans, and a few machines who could not stand the idea of working together with their counterparts, for whatever reason. Some people couldn't, because a loved one been lost to the machines in the war, or they themselves could not forgive what the other did during, or to start, the war. This group was a minority, so they were overshadowed, and soon after the unity began, exiled.
Years passed, and the machines were getting restless. The humans and the machines were working together not only to get to the surface, but also to build a whole other city in between the two, where humans and machines could live together. But, the machines were still not finding the better part of the deal for them. They hoped that with the new city the utopia they had dreamed of would start, but they were getting impatient.
That's where I come in. During their impatience, they created me, to be a symbol of their unity, to show just how far unity could go.
I am a Hybrid. Half human, half machine. I can tell already, you're cringing at the idea. I don't blame you, even some of the machines thought I was a bad idea. Even I think I was a bad idea. I'm going to tell you this now, so I can get it off my chest. It will probably show up again later, but,
I hate myself.
I really do. I wish I had never been created. I'm a freak. I'm a monster. I hate it. I've actually tried to kill myself a few times before, but nothing worked. If the human side died, the machine would go on, and vice-versa. I cant die.
What was that?
I'm sorry, writing this is making me nervous. They used to watch me, all the time. Twenty-four seven. Sometimes they would be eyeing me personally, sometimes it would be a camera. They kept me in this pleasant little room, with a glass ceiling. There were lights systematically placed in each of the four corners of the room, just bare light-bulbs, and they glare with this eerie white light. There was a table in the room. Off to the side, there was a line of cables, which served as a sort of mock-machine bed. You see, I don't sleep. I get shut down when its time to rest. The human part of me will usually follow suit, falling into normal sleep after. I couldn't see beyond the glass ceiling. I tried climbing the wall to break it away, but they caught me, then made the glass stronger. Beyond it, it was always dark. Sometimes I would see little flashes of red lights, and I knew that that was where they were watching me from.
Oh wait. Let me tell you how they did it. They called it an operation, just like the humans used to. I was a full human before this happened. At least, I think I was. I might've been a full machine. I have memories, and the human memories dominate. I see people, and I recognise them, I could tell you who they are, but I was always unsure. Machines don't have memories. I was supposed to be built equally, so one side wouldn't dominate the other. I wasn't supposed to remember who I once was. I have decided to never tell them about this little glitch I hold so dear.
The machines chose me for the operation because I had already been in a coma, for fighting. I don't know whether the humans knew about them using me or not. Even though I was still in a coma, they gassed me, so I wouldn't wake up. They used laser for the majority of the operation, and medical knives and scissors for the smaller parts. First, they tore my fucking spine out. They sliced right out my fucking back, and replaced with a "more efficient" metal one. I hate the piece of shit, it pops right out my back, and each vertebrae has this huge spike crowning it, so I look like some twisted dinosaur. They said that if they didn't replace it, then the rest of the procedure would have failed, and I would've died. I think you already know my opinions on that. So they cut my legs off. That's right, without the machine part of me I have nothing left from the pelvis down. They had a huge, metal sort of orb prepare for me. I tell you, this shit kicker is a whole military arsenal in one. So they wedged me into that. My spine is attached to the orb, it controls most of my movements. At least six, or maybe even eight steel legs stick out of the thing, so I look like a fucked up spider. I told you, I'm a monster.
They knew my mind would reject it. They knew I'd try to kill myself. They knew I'd go crazy when I saw myself. That's why I have this huge plug thing sticking into my skull, right where we used to put the plugs when you needed to jack into the Matrix. It keeps me stable, or, somewhat stable. Its actually more like a shock collar. The first time I saw myself, I immediately freaked. I just said the word "no" over and over again. I attacked the machines who were watching me. I swore at them and told them that I didn't want to live like this, I would rather die. Then I tried to kill myself. I picked up one of the little medical knives and tried to slit my wrist. Them I heard a booming voice say, "stop it" in my head, and I stopped. I jerked the knife away from my wrist and dropped it, then I just stopped moving altogether.
They tried to comfort me. They told me about the unity. They told me what I was meant to be. They tried to convince me I was a good thing. They told me I was their peace. They called me a revolution.
They lied to me. I am no peace. You see, the people I mentioned before, the ones who couldn't stand the unity, they got stronger. They started building armies. The declared war, and started attacking both Zion, (the human city) and Zero One. I was they're weapon. They sent me out as part of the machine army, and we fought them. They couldn't hurt me. I scared them more than anything. Most of the people I fought hesitated when they saw me, unsure of what I am. Some of them even asked me what I was. I never answered them. After awhile, it became a sick pleasure to brutally crush the faces of the people who questioned me. Every night I would go back with my legs drenched and stained in blood.
Let me tell you about the first time the humans saw me. The machines informed the humans that they had "finally created unity". It was a cryptic message, but the humans took it. They sent three ambassadors. I recognised all three of them. They were popular people. One of them was commander Locke. I never liked him. I don't think anybody ever did, but the human Council saw something in him, leadership skills or something worthless like that. The next was captain Niobe. Everybody respected her. She could pilot very well, not to mention she was an overall nice person. And finally, there was Morpheus. I knew him the best. He was the one that got me out of the Matrix, before the war ended. He was quiet, but respectable and even inspirational.
I'll never for get the look they made when they saw me. Oh my god. They looked disgusted. Niobe looked like she was going to be sick. Rumour has it, that on the way back, she was. Locke was outraged. He couldn't understand how the machines could calculate a need to create such a monster. Morpheus was the only one who stayed calm, but even he looked less disgusted, than......scared? Why would he be afraid of me, I wonder?
The machines tried to explain that it began as a simple operation, but it escalated. They told them the same things they told me, that I was something good. They said I could fight well. They told them I had been fighting in the last two battles. This only outraged them even more. The machines urged them to reconsider before they exiled me, for being a freak. They said to watch me in the next attack. To see how well I could fight. To see how well I could kill.
So they did. They watched me fight. They watched me crush, stab, impale, decapitate, and destroy their enemies. They watched it and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too. I never told them exactly how much I enjoyed it. It seemed nice to have a secret to keep. It made me feel human, though I wasn't.
Soon I had many secrets. I never told how intense the battles got. I never told them how many times I tried to hurt myself. I never told them how many times I hesitated when faced with danger in battle. I never told them about the soldier who begged me for mercy. The one who cried, and pleaded that he was sorry for calling me a freak, he was sorry for hurting so many people, he was sorry for being so stupid. I never spoke. When I didn't, he started praying. He started asking for god to forgive him.
I stared at him. Then I slowly lifted up the metal stick I was holding. I shoved the stick into his back while he prayed.
I never told him how I hated myself.
At the following human/machine council meeting, I asked them to excuse me from the battles from now on. I said I couldn't fight anymore. I said my mind couldn't take the killing. I thought they would understand. I thought they would let me go. They didn't. They said I was too valuable. I begged them. I was on the brink of tears, if I could still cry. They refused. They weren't even listening to me. I was a weapon to them, a tool for them to use, nothing more.
I got angry. I yelled. I told them that if they didn't listen to me now, I would make them listen. They asked me if I was threatening them. I asked them why they were afraid.
Since then, a lot of things have happened. I have been exiled. The short war between the humans and the other humans, ended. Both were coming together to fight a new oncoming threat: Me.
There were other Hybrids that were being built you know. None of them had actually woken up yet. I found them. I woke them up. I told them what they were. I told them what I was. I told them what happened to me, and I told them that the same thing was going to happen to them, if they didn't follow me. These Hybrids were different from me. I was the first. These Hybrids were programmable. They had emotions. I programmed them to like me. I programmed them to trust me, no one else. They will die for me. I programmed them with one other emotion. Hate. They hate the humans, they hate the machines. Just like me. They don't hate me. They don't hate themselves. They are connected to me, the feeling is wonderful. If I die, they all fall with me.
I have to go now. We are going into our fifth battle with the humans and machines. So far, we have lost none. Our enemies seem to have endless armies. I don't want to fight, but I have to. They depend on me. I am their master. I am the One.
I just hope Trinity can forgive me when I die. I miss her so.
[Neo has signed off]
Hi. I'm going to tell you a story. A story about unity.
Unity. I don't think I have to explain that to you. It's a very simple concept. The bringing together of two things, right? Right. Unity has many possibilities open to it. Fuck.
I'm also sure you've heard of the revolution, so I don't need to explain that to you. There was a war. A war between humans and machines. The war is over now. The humans asked for peace. Just peace. The machines said yes. They had to you see, they were in some very dire circumstances. So they said yes, and there was peace. Just peace. The humans didn't bother the machines, the machines didn't bother the humans. Agreements on the Matrix were made, and they stood so. I don't have much time, so I wont bother explaining those. To tell you the truth, this story doesn't have much to do with that old thing at all.
Anyways, a few years later, the humans sent one of their ambassadors to Zero One, the machine city. He talked to a "Council of Machines", and proposed unity. The humans were currently trying to get back to the surface, and even had hopes of seeing their sky again. They needed help. The machines, however, were unsure. They would get nothing out of this experience, and they would have humans invading their lovely surface. There were arguments. There were discussions. This took months. Finally, they decided that, perhaps, if they unite with the humans than maybe the two societies could work together, and make another, better, society. They said yes.
Of course, this didn't sit well with everyone. There were a few humans, and a few machines who could not stand the idea of working together with their counterparts, for whatever reason. Some people couldn't, because a loved one been lost to the machines in the war, or they themselves could not forgive what the other did during, or to start, the war. This group was a minority, so they were overshadowed, and soon after the unity began, exiled.
Years passed, and the machines were getting restless. The humans and the machines were working together not only to get to the surface, but also to build a whole other city in between the two, where humans and machines could live together. But, the machines were still not finding the better part of the deal for them. They hoped that with the new city the utopia they had dreamed of would start, but they were getting impatient.
That's where I come in. During their impatience, they created me, to be a symbol of their unity, to show just how far unity could go.
I am a Hybrid. Half human, half machine. I can tell already, you're cringing at the idea. I don't blame you, even some of the machines thought I was a bad idea. Even I think I was a bad idea. I'm going to tell you this now, so I can get it off my chest. It will probably show up again later, but,
I hate myself.
I really do. I wish I had never been created. I'm a freak. I'm a monster. I hate it. I've actually tried to kill myself a few times before, but nothing worked. If the human side died, the machine would go on, and vice-versa. I cant die.
What was that?
I'm sorry, writing this is making me nervous. They used to watch me, all the time. Twenty-four seven. Sometimes they would be eyeing me personally, sometimes it would be a camera. They kept me in this pleasant little room, with a glass ceiling. There were lights systematically placed in each of the four corners of the room, just bare light-bulbs, and they glare with this eerie white light. There was a table in the room. Off to the side, there was a line of cables, which served as a sort of mock-machine bed. You see, I don't sleep. I get shut down when its time to rest. The human part of me will usually follow suit, falling into normal sleep after. I couldn't see beyond the glass ceiling. I tried climbing the wall to break it away, but they caught me, then made the glass stronger. Beyond it, it was always dark. Sometimes I would see little flashes of red lights, and I knew that that was where they were watching me from.
Oh wait. Let me tell you how they did it. They called it an operation, just like the humans used to. I was a full human before this happened. At least, I think I was. I might've been a full machine. I have memories, and the human memories dominate. I see people, and I recognise them, I could tell you who they are, but I was always unsure. Machines don't have memories. I was supposed to be built equally, so one side wouldn't dominate the other. I wasn't supposed to remember who I once was. I have decided to never tell them about this little glitch I hold so dear.
The machines chose me for the operation because I had already been in a coma, for fighting. I don't know whether the humans knew about them using me or not. Even though I was still in a coma, they gassed me, so I wouldn't wake up. They used laser for the majority of the operation, and medical knives and scissors for the smaller parts. First, they tore my fucking spine out. They sliced right out my fucking back, and replaced with a "more efficient" metal one. I hate the piece of shit, it pops right out my back, and each vertebrae has this huge spike crowning it, so I look like some twisted dinosaur. They said that if they didn't replace it, then the rest of the procedure would have failed, and I would've died. I think you already know my opinions on that. So they cut my legs off. That's right, without the machine part of me I have nothing left from the pelvis down. They had a huge, metal sort of orb prepare for me. I tell you, this shit kicker is a whole military arsenal in one. So they wedged me into that. My spine is attached to the orb, it controls most of my movements. At least six, or maybe even eight steel legs stick out of the thing, so I look like a fucked up spider. I told you, I'm a monster.
They knew my mind would reject it. They knew I'd try to kill myself. They knew I'd go crazy when I saw myself. That's why I have this huge plug thing sticking into my skull, right where we used to put the plugs when you needed to jack into the Matrix. It keeps me stable, or, somewhat stable. Its actually more like a shock collar. The first time I saw myself, I immediately freaked. I just said the word "no" over and over again. I attacked the machines who were watching me. I swore at them and told them that I didn't want to live like this, I would rather die. Then I tried to kill myself. I picked up one of the little medical knives and tried to slit my wrist. Them I heard a booming voice say, "stop it" in my head, and I stopped. I jerked the knife away from my wrist and dropped it, then I just stopped moving altogether.
They tried to comfort me. They told me about the unity. They told me what I was meant to be. They tried to convince me I was a good thing. They told me I was their peace. They called me a revolution.
They lied to me. I am no peace. You see, the people I mentioned before, the ones who couldn't stand the unity, they got stronger. They started building armies. The declared war, and started attacking both Zion, (the human city) and Zero One. I was they're weapon. They sent me out as part of the machine army, and we fought them. They couldn't hurt me. I scared them more than anything. Most of the people I fought hesitated when they saw me, unsure of what I am. Some of them even asked me what I was. I never answered them. After awhile, it became a sick pleasure to brutally crush the faces of the people who questioned me. Every night I would go back with my legs drenched and stained in blood.
Let me tell you about the first time the humans saw me. The machines informed the humans that they had "finally created unity". It was a cryptic message, but the humans took it. They sent three ambassadors. I recognised all three of them. They were popular people. One of them was commander Locke. I never liked him. I don't think anybody ever did, but the human Council saw something in him, leadership skills or something worthless like that. The next was captain Niobe. Everybody respected her. She could pilot very well, not to mention she was an overall nice person. And finally, there was Morpheus. I knew him the best. He was the one that got me out of the Matrix, before the war ended. He was quiet, but respectable and even inspirational.
I'll never for get the look they made when they saw me. Oh my god. They looked disgusted. Niobe looked like she was going to be sick. Rumour has it, that on the way back, she was. Locke was outraged. He couldn't understand how the machines could calculate a need to create such a monster. Morpheus was the only one who stayed calm, but even he looked less disgusted, than......scared? Why would he be afraid of me, I wonder?
The machines tried to explain that it began as a simple operation, but it escalated. They told them the same things they told me, that I was something good. They said I could fight well. They told them I had been fighting in the last two battles. This only outraged them even more. The machines urged them to reconsider before they exiled me, for being a freak. They said to watch me in the next attack. To see how well I could fight. To see how well I could kill.
So they did. They watched me fight. They watched me crush, stab, impale, decapitate, and destroy their enemies. They watched it and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it too. I never told them exactly how much I enjoyed it. It seemed nice to have a secret to keep. It made me feel human, though I wasn't.
Soon I had many secrets. I never told how intense the battles got. I never told them how many times I tried to hurt myself. I never told them how many times I hesitated when faced with danger in battle. I never told them about the soldier who begged me for mercy. The one who cried, and pleaded that he was sorry for calling me a freak, he was sorry for hurting so many people, he was sorry for being so stupid. I never spoke. When I didn't, he started praying. He started asking for god to forgive him.
I stared at him. Then I slowly lifted up the metal stick I was holding. I shoved the stick into his back while he prayed.
I never told him how I hated myself.
At the following human/machine council meeting, I asked them to excuse me from the battles from now on. I said I couldn't fight anymore. I said my mind couldn't take the killing. I thought they would understand. I thought they would let me go. They didn't. They said I was too valuable. I begged them. I was on the brink of tears, if I could still cry. They refused. They weren't even listening to me. I was a weapon to them, a tool for them to use, nothing more.
I got angry. I yelled. I told them that if they didn't listen to me now, I would make them listen. They asked me if I was threatening them. I asked them why they were afraid.
Since then, a lot of things have happened. I have been exiled. The short war between the humans and the other humans, ended. Both were coming together to fight a new oncoming threat: Me.
There were other Hybrids that were being built you know. None of them had actually woken up yet. I found them. I woke them up. I told them what they were. I told them what I was. I told them what happened to me, and I told them that the same thing was going to happen to them, if they didn't follow me. These Hybrids were different from me. I was the first. These Hybrids were programmable. They had emotions. I programmed them to like me. I programmed them to trust me, no one else. They will die for me. I programmed them with one other emotion. Hate. They hate the humans, they hate the machines. Just like me. They don't hate me. They don't hate themselves. They are connected to me, the feeling is wonderful. If I die, they all fall with me.
I have to go now. We are going into our fifth battle with the humans and machines. So far, we have lost none. Our enemies seem to have endless armies. I don't want to fight, but I have to. They depend on me. I am their master. I am the One.
I just hope Trinity can forgive me when I die. I miss her so.
[Neo has signed off]