Hallelujah

*********

Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

*********

The Icarus.

The operator sat at the monitors staring tiredly at the green scrolling code in front of her, she would only be to glad when her shift ended and she could get some sleep. A loud beeping sounded, which woke her out of her half slumber, she thought it was sentinels. But when she glanced at that screen there was nothing there, she tapped a few keys, then spoke into her headphones.

"Captain, you'd better get up here." She said. Less than three minutes later Ajax stood next to her, looking over her shoulders at the same monitors.

"Jesus! Are you sure this is correct?" He asked, Cyladriel; his operator. She nodded, not looking up from her typing.

"Yes, sir. Went off a few minutes ago. She's waking up on her own."

"How can that be?" Ajax murmured half to himself. It took him a moment to recover from his shock, before he started giving orders. Within minutes the rest of the crew were on the main deck.

"Are we near enough to go get her?" He asked.

"No, sir." Replied Gaze.

"Are any of the other ships near to the fields?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Then find out!"

*********

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

*********

The Fields.

I woke up and all I wanted to do was roll over in bed and go back to sleep. That was when I realised I wasn't in bed, but rather floating in some kind of a pod. At first I thought I was dreaming, but when I felt something stuck in my throat I knew this was no dream and because I could see things, I had to shut my eyes almost instantly though, as it was so bright it almost blinded me. I pulled the tube from my mouth and gagged, coughing and trying to get my breath. Where the hell was I? I felt some grab me by the neck and pull something from the back of my head. Then I was sliding backwards to splash into water. I slapped my arms, or perhaps I should say that I tried to swim, but for some reason my arms and legs wouldn't respond the way I wanted them too. In the end I gave up and tried to twist around onto my back. How long I stayed in the water like that I don't know, floating on the weird smelling water.

The Hammer.

AK sat back, watching the green code as it descended from the top of the screen to the bottom. He was interrupted by the radio, as someone sent out a transmission. He flicked on one of the monitors and the face of Ajax; captain of the Icarus appeared on it.

"This is the Icarus, calling the Hammer. Please respond." Ajax said. AK switched the radio over for a moment.

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission from the Icarus." He said.

"I'm on my way." Roland said.

"Go ahead Icarus." Roland said as soon as he got to the main deck.

"Roland, twenty minutes ago we received readings from the Matrix and the fields. Someone is waking up and you're the only one close enough to get them. I'm sending you the co-ordinates of where they should be." Ajax said. Roland froze for a moment; the last person who had woken themselves up had been the one, the first person to wake up from the Matrix. Then he was moving into action.

"We're on our way, Ajax." He said, before cutting the transmission.

*********

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her

She tied you

To a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

*********

The Fields (or whatever that water place is)

I was growing tired, and getting colder. All I wanted to do was sleep, but something told me to stay awake long enough for me to get out of here. And just how the hell am I supposed to do that when I can't see? I wondered. I heard a crackling, humming noise over me and I felt myself being lifted out of the water. Strange as it sounds I wasn't afraid, I mean most people would be, not knowing where they were going or what was happening to them. Someone covered me in a blanket and lifted me up.

The Hammer.

"Get her to the infirmary." An authoritative male voice ordered.

"Yes, captain." A woman responded. Great these people probably thinkt I'm asleep. I thought. I cracked my eyes open and instantly regretted that decision, as I was blinded by light. Instinctively I jerked my head backwards, at the same time closing my eyes.

"You're awake." The woman said. I tried to nod, but didn't seem to have the strength to do that.

"Din' wanna fall a 'sleep an' drown." I mumbled sleepily.

"It's okay for you to sleep now." The woman said.

"She's gonna need it." Another male voice said near my ear.

*********

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

*********

When I woke up the next time I sighed, some part of me had hoped it had all been a dream. Something covered my eyes, reaching up with one hand I found a pair of goggles strapped to my face. My eyes slowly adjusted and I saw that I was on a bed in a room I didn't know, hardly surprising really. I got up and walked out the door, time to find out where I am. Making my way around, I finally figured out I was on a ship of some kind, the thrumming I felt come up through the grates under my feet told me that much. I continued on my journey, looking for anyone else. Eventually I heard voices and following the sound came to a big room, with a long table that had three people sitting at it. They didn't seem to notice me as I stood in the doorway watching them. Finally I decided to interrupt.

"Where am I?" I asked. At the sound of my voice the conversation stopped and all three looked up at me. The woman smiled, standing up she came over to me.

"Hello...?" She said.

"Silver."

"Silver. I'm Maggie, that's Mauser and that's AK." She pointed to each of the men in turn. Mauser waved, as he to stood up.

"Gotta go, see you later guys. Nice to meet you Silver." He said, striding out of the room.

"Sit down, join us." Maggie invited. I did as she directed and she put a bowl of...something in front of me.

"Eat, you'll need it." Maggie said. I picked up the spork and poked at the food cautiously.

"It won't bite you." I shook my head as I looked over at her.

"I know, it just reminds me of this stuff my beloved mother used to make me eat when I was younger. It was called...tapioca, I think."

"It does kind of resemble that, doesn't it?" AK said. I glanced at him, smiling slightly.

"I always hated tapioca." I told him. He laughed.

"Not as much as you're gonna hate that."

"So where am I?" I asked them.

"Welcome on board the Hammer. It's a hovercraft."

"Yeah, I kind of figured it was a ship of some kind. I meant where am I, as in what country...or whatever." Maggie looked at AK.

"I think that the captain should tell you that." Maggie said eventually.

"Okay. What about the goggles, why am I wearing them and when can I take them off?" I asked.

"Have you ever heard of Lucos syndrome?" Maggie asked.

"Nope, should I have?"

"Probably not. It's very rare, effects about one in every five thousand people. You've got it. You won't be able to take off the goggles, Lucos is incurable. It has only been discovered in the last ten years, usually it only affects plug ins." She said. What the hell is a plug in? I wondered

"Great, so how did I get here?" I asked. Maggie and AK gave each other a strange look.

"You're taking this all very calmly." AK said. I shrugged.

"I think this is either a very imaginative dream, or else it's real. Either way I can't do anything about it." I said.

"So when do I get to meet the captain?"

"Right now. Are you set up, AK?" A new voice said. I looked over towards the door, a tall blocky man stood there.

"You're going to tak...yes, sir." AK said. Then the man turned to me.

"Welcome onboard my ship, the Hammer. I'm the captain, Roland."

"Nice to meet you," I think, I added on silently.

"I'm Silver." I said.

"Come with me." He said and walked out. I followed him down the corridor and up a ladder onto a wide-open area, a number of strange looking chairs were arranged in a circle.

"You have one to." I said. He turned his head to look at me.

"Have one of what?"

"That thing...that hole in the back of your head. What is it for?"

"You're about to find out." He said. Great, don't you give any straight answers, I wondered.

"Sit down." He told me. He to took a seat and AK came over strapped my feet and arms down.

"You might find this a little uncomfortable." He said. I was about to ask him what he meant when he shoved something into my head. And next thing I know I'm not on the ship anymore, I don't know where I am. But the goggles are gone, to be replaced by my usual sunglasses.

*********

You say I took the name in vain

I don't even know the name

But if I did, well really, what's it to you?

There's a blaze of light

In every word

It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

*********

"This is the construct. We can load anything we want here, training programs, weapons, clothes, you name it." I turned in the direction of Rolands voice.

"Take a seat." He said.

"I'd rather stand." I told him. I could hear something clicking, like he was pressing buttons.

"The world you knew is a computer program. It's not real. This is the world as it really is." I heard more clicking and I laughed once.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"Nope." I replied.

"So what about the hole in my head, and the...whatever they are in my arms?"

"You weren't born, Silver. You were grown. Human beings are what give AI power."

"AI? As in Artificial Intelligence? How's that possible?"

"We created AI. We destroyed the sun, as you can see, it was their main source of energy at the time. But then there was a war and after the machines won that war, and we in turn were used to power them. These are the fields, they grow humans here and then they are moved over there, where they are plugged into the Matrix; a computer program that keeps them occupied while they suck us dry." There was a pause and then he went on again.

"But some of us were freed from the Matrix, we were unplugged and brought into the real world. This is the real world, not very nice is it?" He asked.

"How would I know? I can't see it." I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't see it, in here I can't see anything. Must have something to do with what Maggie said about Lima disease."

"Lucos syndrome."

"Whatever. My point is that she said it had only been discovered in the last ten years, maybe these machines haven't figured out how to interpret it yet, so they just make the people that have it blind."

"So you're saying that all this time you couldn't see anything?"

"Yep."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew." I shrugged as I said it.

"Goddammit." He muttered. I walked towards him and then stopped when I heard his surprised indrawn breath.

*********

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

*********

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You're standing in the middle of the chair." He said. I shrugged again and kept walking.

"So what? You said this is a computer program if that's true then that chair isn't really here. Neither am I for that matter. So what's the problem?" I asked.

"Besides, it's not the first time I've done something like that."

"You mean you've walked through stuff before?" He said, just as I walked right into him...and stumbled backward.

"What the...? What did you do to me?" I asked, taking off my glasses and rubbing my eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, genuine concern showing in his voice now. I shook my head as whatever had happened went away again.

"Nothing, I don't know." I said.

"Wait a minute give me your hand." I waved my hand around a few times searching for his, before he caught my hand in his. Now I knew what had happened.

"White?" I said.

"What?" He asked.

"My hair, is it white?" I remember when I was younger my hair had been snow white.

"Yes." He replied. I dropped his hand and stumbled backward.

"How the fuck did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me see through your eyes. What the fuck is going on?" I grabbed his hand again. He was looking at me through narrowed eyes, as if not quite sure if he should believe me or not. Then he looked up at the ceiling.

*********

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you

And even though

It all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

*********

"AK, get us out of here." He said. AK pulled the spike out of my head; I sat up as soon as he unstrapped my arms and feet. I looked over at Roland.

"What the hell was that?" I asked him. Roland looked at AK. AK shrugged.

"It wasn't me, captain." He said.

"I don't know. I didn't know you could do that." Roland said.

"You're not the only one who didn't know." I muttered.

"I think I might have figured out how I did it though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you're probably gonna think it's whacked though. You said before I did that, see through your eyes I mean that I walked right through the chair. I couldn't see it, didn't know it was there. If I don't know that I can't do something, then maybe I can. The construct is a kind of computer program, right?"

"Yes."

"Every computer system has...laws, regulations, whatever. Anyway, you can break the laws of a computer system, like a game player cheats, or a computer hacker. I just broke those laws...I think." Neither Roland nor AK said anything.

"Told you that you wouldn't believe me. But I still believe that's what happened."

"No, I believe. It makes sense. Wait a minute, Silver?" Roland asked.

"What?"

"No, I mean are you the Silver that hacked into the CIA and FBI data base."

"Umm...yeah."

"How can you hack, I mean you're..." AK trailed off.

"Blind? I know, that's why it was so easy. No one believed that a blind person could do that." I smirked at him.

"That's how you found out about the Matrix." Roland said.

"Nope. You remember a few minutes ago when I walked right through that chair? I said it wasn't the first time. When I was younger I used to walkthrough furniture, doors, walls etc etc. I just never stopped doing it. That's how I found out about the Matrix, of course I didn't know that's what it was called. I just knew that I shouldn't have been able to walk through stuff." I said, yeah I know what I said didn't make much sense, but you try explaining it.

*********

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah

*********