The Scout Part 2

By Michel Ward aka Wolfbert

I was a hacker, the best (at least IMHO). Then I was offered a chance to learn the truth and I went for it. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. When I was pulled out of the Matrix I was shocked and horrified at what I learned. When I was asked to join the others to fight the AI's and go back into the Matrix I refused. I never want to go back there again, it was a lie and I thought that the best anyone could do was just get killed by an Agent. Needless to say the people who risked their lives to get me out where not happy about my choice but they respected it.

Now I'm a Scout, a fearless (or crazy) few who roam the wasteland of the real world looking for clues as to why the AI's turned against man and how to defeat them. I was on one such mission and had found a lead that was taking me to what use to be the San Diego Super Computer Lab in California when I got sidetracked.

I had received a call for help. Some hackers where stuck in the Matrix and I was the only one close enough to help even though I had no way to jack in. I was able to get to the power plant and jack in the old fashion way and release my ICE breaker program called Fido, he made short work of the Agents that where after the hackers and even brought one of the Agents back to me. I was then able to help get the Matrix hackers out and high tail it out of the power plant.

The real problem is that when I answered the call for help and took the hover skiff to hypersonic to get to the power plant in time to help I had basically sent up a signal flare to every AI Hunter/Killer unit in North America. As I took off from the power plant I had five SwiftKiller coming in on me from different directions. I aimed for the widest gap between two of them and pushed the throttles up to full power. The ones behind me would not be able to catch up unless I had to do too many evasive maneuvers but the ones ahead of me where closing fast and my system where warning me of acquisition radar trying to lock on me. And here I thought it was going to be a boring day.

Now that the SwiftKillers know that I'm here I don't have a reason to keep the sensors on passive and switch them to active. Information begins to flood the screens and HUD, terrain, weather, location, direction, and full read out on the five SwiftKiller after me. The closing velocity on the one in front of me is a combined speed of mach 12 and at that speed if we pass within 100 feet of each other the shock wave alone will shatter all of us. If we collide they'll hear the bang all the way back at Zion. The SwiftKiller seem to come to the same conclusion and adjust their course so that they will drop in behind me as I pass between them.

I'm thinking fast trying to figure a way out of this mess. The closest tunnel access is in Salt Lake City and I will be shot out of the sky long before I reach it if I can't get these guys off my back. I take the Skiff low and try to use some of the terrain to give me cover. I activate the ECM (Electronic Counter Measures). This should make it a little harder for them to lock on me. I power up the rear turret and check the scope for the SwiftKillers following me. They're a little ways behind me and appear as small dots on the screen. I come to the realization that it would have been a good idea to put some sort of auto targeting system on this. It's hard to fly low and line up the crosshairs to a small blip on a screen at the same time. Suddenly the sensors tell me that there is something in the air ahead of me. As the data comes over the screens I see that it is the Harvesters hovering over the birthing fields, I then get an idea.

I throttle back just a little so that the pursuing SwiftKillers can slowly catch up and adjust my course to the Harvesters. As the SwiftKillers close I hear the warning calls as their acquisition radar starts to lock on me. As the tone becomes a steady shrill I bank the Skiff just as four beam of coherent light slice overhead. At this speed rockets and bullets are not that effective so the SwiftKillers are armed with four heavy lasers in front, any one of them could lance clean through the Skiff if it hits dead on. As I close on the Harvesters and the SwiftKillers close on me I start to line up the closest one in the rear turret's crosshairs, I need to time this just right. I can see the Harvesters now as I come in on them fast; I line up the SwiftKillers sensor port in my crosshair and fire. The red beam slices through the armored glass of the sensor port and blinds it just as I bank hard to miss the massive Harvester. The SwiftKiller blinded, smashes straight into it lighting up the sky as they both crash to earth in a ball of flame.

The second one easily doges the fireball and continues after me. Well one down and one to go. I try to line up the second one but after seeing what I did to its companion it is more cautious now. It moves back and forth and I can't get a clean shot and fly this low at the same time. If I pull up and fly straight it will pick me off easy. I rack my brain for another option as the Swift killer takes several shots at me, some of them coming very close. As I check my screens again I see that the terrain radar shows a large lake ahead, I get another idea. I slowly loose more altitude until I am almost twenty feet off the deck still weaving back and forth dodging shots. As I close in on the lake I stop weaving and fly straight, the SwiftKiller drops in directly behind me and I brace for the beams to come right up my backside. Then the hoverskiff blast over the lake. The hypersonic shock wave slams down on the water's surface and shoots a geyser of water in the air behind me. The SwiftKiller flies into it and it's like hitting a rock wall, it tumbles out of control and crashes into the lake. That's two.

I check the screens and the other three are still to far back to catch up. I set a course straight for Salt Lake City and hope that there are no Squids waiting at the access point into the tunnels.

I make the tunnel point and its all is clear. I bring up the map of the sewer system and begin to decide where to go from here. I could travel most of the way underground to San Diego or I could head back to Zion and let them know what I found. After thinking it over I chose plan C, find somewhere to hold up, get some sleep, and continue on tomorrow. I find a quiet little hole and park the Skiff. I get out and start to cover her with the scatterback camo when I notice a large scorch mark on the left wing, it looks like the SwiftKiller got a piece of me after all. I check the damage and find out that it is minor, one of the flight control hydraulic lines has been nicked and it is leaking. I put on a temporary patch and check the levels in the tank, it's low but not bad. After dinner I send a signal to Zion encrypted with today's code requesting information on any ships in the area. Later I turn in for some rest, as always the nightmares come.

I'm being chased, I can't see them but I know they are there. As they get closer I can see them out of the corner of my eye but when I look right at them they disappear and it's just some Joe Blow standing there. I hear the phone ringing in the distance and I run harder to it. Any second I expect to feel a bullet tear through my back. The ringing phone is coming from a broken down hotel and I run inside and take the stairs three at a time to the third floor. It seem that time slows. The ringing is getting louder almost deafening. I crash through the door only to come face to face with him. It's always the same Agent. His gun is already drawn and pointed square at my chest. Just behind him the phone stops ringing and the Agent unloads the entire clip into me. I wake up with a start, God I hate that dream. I get up and strip off my sweat soaked clothes. I step into the refresher to get cleaned up.

Afterwards I decide to check on my ship guest. The Agent program is still there and it's not happy. Fido reports that it has tried to escape several times but it has not been able to get past him. Fido also reports that on several time the Agent program has tried to decompile itself but he was able to prevent it from happening. I decide to take a peek at him. What little code I look at is a real piece of work. Very elegant where it need to be, simple and straightforward in other areas. Then I think it caught me peeking and then tries to break free again only to be smacked back down by Fido.

I leave my ship guest to stew and check to see if there is any return message from Zion. They report that there will be a ship close by called Aries and that they have notified them that I am in the area. I decide to pay them a visit.

I bring up the Skiff's power system up slowly and check the area with passive sensors. No Squids show up on screen. I go back out and remove the camo net and check the patch on the hydraulic line. It is still good and should hold. I take off and head towards my rendezvous with the Aries. I find her parked right where they say it would be and hook up to their docking port.

I climb up the hatch and enter into the Aries. The command deck is a mess of cables all running from the central computer core to the command consol and then to six chairs. The commander greets me.

"Hi I'm Choi, commander of the Aries."

"Hi I'm Darien, commander of the Shadow," I say as I shake his hand.

The guy looks to be in his twenties with short curly reddish hair and a goatee. He introduces me to the rest of his crew. Most of them are just kids. God was I ever that young? After the introductions we swap news about what been going on and just like everyone else who finds out you're a Scout they want to know what is going on topside. I fill them in on a few things and omit the part about the San Diego AI. I tell them about how I helped get this guy Morpheus and his crew out of the Matrix by breaking into the power plant and hacking in (I omit the part about Fido and the captured Agent). After I tell them that they get real quiet and just stare at me.

"What?" I ask looking from face to face wondering what I said wrong.

"You don't believe that I broke into the power plant and hacked in with a mobile? Hey if you don't believe that then I won't tell you how I took out two SwiftKillers."

"It's not that we don't believe you it just we didn't know it was you who save Morpheus." Choi says.

The look on his face and on the faces of the others is close to awe, it makes me a little uncomfortable.

"So who is this Morpheus guy?" I ask and apparently showing my stupidity.

"You mean you never meet him?" Choi asked surprisingly.

"Hey I'm a Scout, we spend a lot of time topside, and we don't get much time to socialize."

Choi smiles "Well if you get the chance I'm sure that he will want to meet you."

After our conversation we settle down to business. Choi's crew is top notch. They may be young but their professional. They are able to spare some hydraulic fluid and fill up the tank. Their mechanic gives my ship the once over and complements me on how I take good care of her. He checks out the battle damage and helps me tighten you a few lose nuts and tweak the engines. Later we sit down to dinner in their galley. Choi and his crew are real good people and I enjoy their company so I surprise them with a bottle of Tabasco. They are amazed and thrilled at the gift and I tell them that I appreciate all their help. One of the crew even mentions that he might become a Scout if it means getting a hold of stuff like this, I hope he's not serious.



Later we say our good byes and then I disconnect from their ship. I hope that I run across them again. I then plot a course, I need to get the hydraulic line replace so that means that I'm heading for Zion.



To Be Continued…