First of all I AM SOOOO SORRY! But I had Sci fair and blah I have been writing just not this part…so sorry sorry sorry! Anyways this chapter is long to make up for it! Lol…
And Nagame (max lol) I want to! I really do! But I can do story boards to save my life!
O and look at my .hacksign thing…I was bored on day and started writing that…
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Destiny had helped me with my chair, she showed me that it scanned the eyes and fingerprint. She had plugged me in, but this time I stayed in the real world, I wasn't sent to the construct.
"How about some good old gymnastics?" she asked.
"Sure, I used to do that, never was much good."
"Oh, you will be now," she said smiling taking out a small disk; she was sitting at her chair. She placed it into a small opening below the screens.
Overload, and then I relaxed. I knew I could do any gymnastics move ever created. Whoa. Destiny grinned. "Cool huh?" she said as she typed on the keyboard, "lets do some serious stuff." I just gaped in awe.
I knew every fighting style ever created, stuff I didn't even know existed; it took a long time. Me lying there, Destiny sticking in more disks, my brain overloading, Mouse came by sometimes. He made a lot of these programs supposedly. After a while I was given a lunch break.
"How's it going?" asked Loki as he joined me.
"Okay I guess. How much do I have to learn?" I took a spoonful of the goop and shoved it into my mouth.
"Oh," he said leaning back, "you're probably pretty much done, and if you ever need more, they can program it into you at any time." Nothing ever seemed to dampen the twenty-year-old's spirit. Everything had a good side, everything was a joke. Except when it came to fighting, I had heard some stories where he was a downright awesome fighter.
He wasn't even using a spoon; he just picked up the bowl and drank the stuff. It was gone in seconds.
"So, how's life been?" he said placing the empty bowl back on the table. I shrugged. "Teenagers," he mumbled, "never say anything."
"Well," I said putting the spoon back into the bowl, "lets just say that at age fifteen I was yanked out of high school, woke up in jell-o (with no hair mind you), told my whole life was a lie, and is now on a flying ship and being taught Kung-Fu." Loki laughed, but I didn't join in.
"I was fifteen too you know," he said leaning over the table towards me, "but I was sent to an orphanage." THAT caught my attention.
"What was it like?" I asked, forgetting my lunch.
"It was okay I guess, I wouldn't want to go back," well comforting, I hoped I wouldn't have to go there. "Technically you shouldn't be taught how to fight yet, and we should be going back to Zion but Apollos doesn't like following orders."
"Why?" I asked.
"I dunno, doesn't like the man in charge of this part of the fleet. The head general is fine, but he can't stand Zarofe."
"How many ships are there?"
"Maybe," Loki looked at the ceiling, counting in his head, "forty or so, Zarofe is in charge of about a dozen. Including the Alpha and the Hunter, the captain of the Alpha was the one who freed me. Her name is Pricilla, you don't mess with her." He smiled, "funny she's the captain and yet her husband is only second in command. The Hunter is one of the most heavily armed ships in the fleet, and so Zarofe's favorite of course." He looked back at me, "better eat up, cause I bet you they will test you soon."
"Test me?" I said picking up my spoon and shoving down some more of the slop.
"Yeah, see how well you fight."
"How well I what?" I said dropping my spoon.
"You don't think we will just let you learn to fight and not see your style or anything." Well sorry if I DID. The door opened.
"Common Ara, about time we see you fight," said Edrahil. Loki gave me the 'told-ya-so' look, I gulped.
* * *
"Jump," said Apollos.
"What?" I said in disbelief daring a glance over the edge of the building.
"Jump across," he said again, he turned and walked a bit from the edge. Well sorry if I'm afraid of heights and everything, but jumping between skyscrapers ain't my thing. And yes I can say ain't, I am from Tennessee.
No way, no freaking way will I jumping across a huge distance this high in the air.
"Just believe you can and you will," he ran, right towards the edge, and jumped. He was running on air, yeah okay maybe in martial arts movies…but heh not here. No way, I can't stand heights; I was never good at the long jump. My brother and I had always had competitions on the beach, but that was when I was small. Apollos was waiting, I gave him a glare, which he might not have seen from that far away. He was expecting me to do it, yeah okay.
Just jump.
Ha.
Fat chance.
But I back away from the edge anyways, I can do this. It's a stupid and impossible jump but if some old guy can, I can. I think, but that's all that matters right?
Think you can.
Think you can.
I ran to the edge. Apparently thinking you can isn't enough. The mental bridge thing fails about halfway across when I looked down. Opps.
Well anyways, I hate falling, and I never really wanted to go sky diving, but that's what I got. Why don't you free Orlando Bloom? He would have a blast, him and his sky diving/bungee jumping obsession.
If you couldn't tell already I wasn't appreciating this 'training' so far, I'd take long block Spanish any day compared to this. I don't care if the concrete bends when you hit it, it goes right back solid when you come back down. Totally not cool, and then he says 'don't worry no one makes the first jump', well if you knew I was going to fall you could have made the landing a little more comfortable.
The scenery immediately changed. A room, with a doorway was before me. "Open the door," said Apollos, it wasn't a request it was a command. I grasped the handle, it opened. A huge field was before me, I closed it. I opened it again, another room with a door. I clearly looked puzzled. "Go on…" said Apollos, emotionless as ever. I went through. Morpheus followed and shut the door. The door disappeared into the wall.
All this was sort of freaking me out. I went to the other door heart pounding…what it I fell into space or something…? I thought, nothing's real. I took a breath and opened the door. A city, a huge city with cars honking EVERYTHING, was right outside. I closed it. I opened it again. This time I saw space…planets galaxies. I opened it again. Another room with a door appeared. I walked boldly through and Apollos followed.
The door we came through vanished and I walked to the next. I opened it. Water…a whole ocean kept back by some invisible wall. I looked at Apollos. He nodded and motioned me to put my hand in. I stuck it in. It went straight through the invisible wall, I could feel the water. I pulled my hand back.
It was wet.
Freaking out MIGHT be an understatement around now. It's just a program it's just s program, STOP FREAKING OUT!
"Good, its working this program will do you no more good." Said Apollos I just sort of glared at him. He snapped his fingers, everything disappeared and a kung-fu studio materialized.
"Oh no…" I said walking back and nearly missing a pillar. "No…no…oh no…" I mumbled. Apollos just moved into position. I can't fight! Is this man crazy? Well I got in the middle and tried to calm down. He motioned me to charge. I charged and kicked at his head. He ducked and came at me. I was falling back trying to stop his blows.
"You can go faster!" He cried as I fell to the ground. Faster isn't possible…sorry! I came at him again faked a punch and went for the side. Didn't work I found myself slammed against a pillar. It cracked or maybe it was my back but it hurt, but I was right back at him trying to get him as best I could. I was doing better, but Apollos kept bending the rules ever so slightly. Rules-that no matter what-my mind would not let me bend or break.
Eventually Apollos sighed and told me I should have a break. I very much agreed, but it turns out-a break was very different then I expected. Mouse had just entered with two sabers. He pointed the wall were two more were hanging. I grabbed two and watched Mouse as he swung his a few times to get the weight right. He turned looked at me and swung the air. He charged first, I held up my own swords to stop the blows, then I swung he jumped back I swung again he ducked. Then he swung at my again. Double flip back and I was ready. Up, down, left, right the blades swung the clash of them colliding and the wiping noise of them hitting nothing. Apollos watched carefully from the pillars. He swiped at me again I dodged and went behind a pillar. He swung again hit the pillar and then the other side as I strained to protect myself.
"Bend the rules!" he commanded.
"I," I said swinging wildly, "can't!" He stopped. I caught my breath. Then he pulled out blindfolds.
"You need to use your other senses." He explained throwing me a blindfold.
"This is insane." I said as I tied it on. I closed my eyes and listened carefully. I had always been good at listening to sounds, catching soft noises in a din of noise. I heard Mouse sneaking around to my left. I stayed in the same spot but turned. He paused, and then he charged. I swung my right sword up to try to protect myself from the blade I heard coming down. It collided. That should please Apollos, I thought. Now I swung Mouse blocked and again. He had jumped back. I followed his quiet footsteps and swung again. The blades crashed I swung my other sword. It collided also. Then he was gone. I couldn't hear him. I was beginning to panic and spun wildly. Then I was quiet.
Sixth sense is more then a movie. In Russia they can feel people doing things behind them, you can too when someone enters a room and you feel there presence. It's the energy coming off your back being disturbed. Theatre class. Breathe, concentrate, in a way be on with your energy.
This in not theatre voodoo.
No, it wasn't he was coming from the right. I put out both blades to block his. He missed me and I swung at him. I got air; he had come to the left. He swung, it hit my leg.
Pain like nothing you have felt in your life was running up my leg. I let out a yelp and feel to my knees. Mouse had taken of his blindfold and had come to take off mine. Crimson blood ran from the huge gash on my leg.
"You did well," he said I glared. I mean it hurt, badly. Apollos walked over.
"Yes you did well, here," said Apollos as the program changed to an emergency room; an emergency room just for me. They had me sewed up in no time. They let me out then. Though there was no cut on my leg it hurt like crazy.
"Your mind will heal quickly," said Apollos lightly. Comforting, well sorry it hurts NOW, I grumbled. I went to my room and rubbed my leg where it had but cut so badly. This was so weird, I thought, what the heck is going on? Mouse opened the door later asked how I was. Felt like saying, "I feel like crap go away," but I managed a smile.
"It's really weird, but it should be ok soon." He smiled and said it was dinner time.
* * *
"You see soon your mind will either heal or just notice that it actually never happened. Once it sees that nothing is wrong with your leg it will heal." Mouse explained later. "It's only your mind that's hurting you…It's only your mind that will kill you."
"When will I see the oracle?" I asked quietly bring my head up from staring in fascination at my leg.
"Basically whenever you heal and Jalax tells us that the Agents are not expecting anything. If you're not fully healed your mind will see the wound and make everything a million times worse."
"Who's Jalax?" I asked.
"He's one of the best things about the Matrix," said Mouse with a grin. "For more then one reason, he's a spy in the Matrix." Jade had just come over from across the room.
"Forgot to mention your favorite part," she said, "he owns a club." I grinned even more.
"ANYWAYS," said Mouse as Jade walked on laughing, "he's not exactly totally legal. He counterfeits money and being a program he can make it impossible to tell it from 'real' money. Course none of its real anyways…" Mouse shifted his weight on the box he was sitting on. "We look out for him and him for us. I also am coming up with new programs for him to use; guards, bartenders the like."
"Oh," I said quietly. My leg still hurt but it was much better now. I looked down at it again.
"Oh that should heal within a day," said Mouse. "Well you better get some sleep." I tried to get back up but I fell to the floor, pain running up my leg.
"Oh, almost forgot here," said Mouse he helped my up and had me lean on him to get back to my room.
"Thanks, night," I said softly as he helped me down.
"Night," he said softly as he let go of my hand.
"GET OUT OF HER ROOM MOUSE!" I heard Trinity yell. I laughed he gave me on last glance and left closing the door gently.