He said he killed an Agent

Chapter 2: If the war were over, Zion's where the party would be

" So I take it your recruitment effort went as well as mine." Pandora said to her captain sarcastically, as the needle was pulled from the back of her head.

Ganymede gave a short laugh. " Well, I did get to talk to mine...but at least you were saved the disappointment of another blue pill."

Pandora gave a grim smile. " That's too bad. I have to say the ship's become a little roomier lately, but we need a larger crew."

The captain nodded, running his hand over his coarse beard thoughtfully. " I'm glad you're alright, Pan. The Mnemosyne wouldn't last long without you."

The gorgeous blond woman smiled and gave him a wink, as she started to attend to her duties.

" Dial, how's you're leg?" The captain asked, changing his focus to his first mate's injured limb.

Dial cringed and grunted as he tried to move it. " Well, it doesn't bend..."

Gannon put his hand on his first mate's shoulder. " I think you'll be okay, you're not losing much blood. Hermes, how long 'till we're in Zion?"

Hermes glided his fingers over his many keyboards, typing away. " Less than an hour." He responded.

Ganymede nodded. " Thank God. Tell Zion we've got one wounded and ask if there are any available potentials for joining Mnemosyne's crew."

" Already done."

Dial looked up to his captain. " Replacing me so soon, Gannon?"

The captain shook his head. " Not a chance. But we need a larger force to take into the matrix, and just to keep up with maintenance. I'm tired of sending one person alone into the matrix. I no longer see the point in sending any member of any crew into agent infested waters, just so some coppertop can say 'thanks, but no thanks."

" Gannon," Pandora spoke up, " what about that man who fought the agent...the maniac?"

" That's right," Gannon said, " Hermes, could you get anything from the code?"

The operator shook his head. The code had been nearly unreadable for the last two months. It was highly disrupted when Smith took over, but after the war ended, it had actually become more chaotic.

" All I saw was explosions." Hermes replied. " I couldn't identify any of you."

" But how many programs did you read?" Pandora asked.

Hermes looked skeptical. " Two people were reading like agents, but...there was something else. I thought it was a red-pill, but as the fight went on...something started interacting with the code in a way a program would."

" He's unplugged...but he acts like a program?" Gannon questioned.

Hermes laughed. " I know, when I first saw it...I had to ask myself, I mean...I know he's supposed to be dead...but.."

Pandora chuckled as well. " Don't worry, Hermes. I saw the guy. Trust me, he's no Neo."

There was a short pause of silence.

" Did the agents kill the guy?" Dial asked, shattering the quiet.

Hermes shrugged. " When you reached the exit, the agents were gone, and so was the other guy. The code actually shorted out for minute, my screens went white, but then it went back to...well, not normal...but you get the idea."

" He helped us get out alive," Dial pointed out, " whether he meant to or not. It's too bad...we left him fighting two agents."

The crew of the Mnemosyne all met eyes for a moment, communicating without words, and then resumed their activities, as the ship closed in on the gates of Zion.

Zion was a zoo.

The Mnemosyne's landing had to be delayed an extra hour because debris had to be cleared from the ship's landing area on the dock. After the war, the dock could only house a third of the ships it used to hold, due to the extensive damage. Incidentally, many more ships were forced to roam broadcast depth, which meant many less trips to Zion. A ship could only return when it had casualties, or needed to recharge.

Ganymede and Pandora reached upwards to help Dial off of the ship, putting his arms around their shoulders to carry him into a wheelchair. Hermes grabbed what little luggage they required, as it was expected to be a short stay.

Making their way to check in, the four had to be careful not to slip on a machine-gun shell, or trip over a large tentacle that had belonged to a sentinel. Zion, especially the dock, was still haunted by the memory of war. Only two weeks ago had all the dead been cleared and buried.

The crew only had gone thirty feet before their escort approached them. It was three men in standard Zion military uniform, the man in the center seeming to be an officer.

" Captain Ganymede!" The officer said, stopping in front of them and shaking the captain's hand. " I'm Lieutenant Hauss. We received your message. My men will take Dial to recovery."

The two men behind Hauss nodded and grabbed Dial's wheelchair.

" I expect flowers from each of you!" Dial joked as they wheeled him off.

Gannon turned to the Lieutenant. " How long will he be? I plan to take off as soon as we're recharged."

Lieutenant Hauss smiled. " Recovery is still swarmed, so they'll want to get him out of their as fast as possible. In the meantime, you'll be happy to know that there are some crew potentials available, and the council has handpicked two men and assigned them to the Mnemosyne. With your approval, of course."

Ganymede nodded. " Let's meet them."

" This way." The Lieutenant replied, as he turned around to lead the three to their newest crew members.

Gannon, Pandora and Hermes could not help but look around with wonder as they walked the crowded corridors of Zion. Although Zion was said to be 'dying', it had never looked more filled with life. The rebuilding process would be an infinitely slow one, the council had been prepared for that. But it was still quite a site to see every man, woman and child with a tool in their hands, carting off supplies or clearing debris, painting a wall or welding a door. Everyone was filled with purpose, and did not complain. It had to be done.

The crew was also surprised at how the majority of the workers, men and women, were bald. Despite the fact that many in the matrix were deciding to stay, it seemed that there were still a great number of newly unplugged humans residing in Zion. They were of course given less labor-intensive jobs, as their muscles were still rebuilding from atrophy, but they were active.

It filled many with pride, and it was really an exciting time. There was talk of building other human cities, of expanding Zion into the tunnels and even about re-surfacing. Technology, now that it was not distracted by war, could again start to advance, and perhaps the skies could be cleared, and warmth could once again reach the surface. This, of course, was all up to the council, but anything was possible.

And then the small dose of reality hit, as the crew walked by a very disturbing sight.

A sentinel, floating around the workers of Zion.

Gannon could not help but to put his hand on the knife at his hip, even knowing that the sentinel would cause no harm. Pandora and Hermes gave the machine equally evil glares, and the Lieutenant pretended to ignore it.

It was something they could never get used to. To ensure peace, machine representatives were allowed inside Zion. Nobody was comfortable with this, but it was "for the best". There was even a machine inducted into the Council: Councilor Homosapius, or Councilor Hom. Hom was modeled to resemble a human, instead of the insect-like designs of the majority of machines. Hom was always in direct communication with the rest of Zero-One, so the machine was able to negotiate in the machines' best interests.

Councilor Hom was completely weaponless, as were the few sentinels allowed to occupy Zion. But everyone knew that if at any moment the machines changed their minds, the sentinels had the force to shove their tentacles right through any human. Thus there was always tension.

Because the matrix was not completely abandoned, the machines still were able to have an energy source, but it no longer effectively supplied their army, and many machines were "starving". As part of the newly negotiated treaty, the machines could never again "breed" humans, but were allowed to use those who chose to stay in the false world for energy.

The machines, however, realized that eventually those humans would die, and even if they reproduced, it would most likely not be an efficient means of power. Both sides realized that eventually, they would need the sun. Although man had done nearly irreparable damage to the skies, the machines already had been working on a "vaccine" for the atmosphere, and were nearly done.

The council was unanimously in support of bringing back the sun, it meant agriculture, warmth, and the possibility of humans returning to the surface, and escaping the sewers of their ancestors. But everyone was weary of the machines releasing chemicals into the air. After all, it could a biological weapon, and kill all the humans. Thus, Zion had sent numerous envoys into the heart of the machine city, to "monitor" the development of the cure for the skies. These envoys were manned by Zion's bravest, and were led by the heart of Zion's army: Morpheus, and his wife Niobe.

However, even if the chemical worked, and humans could once again live on the surface, that would mean the machines would have to stay on the surface, and the two forces would have to learn to co-exist, without the relationship being parasitic.

The council had much work to do.

Lieutenant Hauss stopped in front of the entrance to one of the personal quarters, knocking twice on the thick metal door.

" This is it." The Lieutenant stated, as the door unlocked, and an officer on the other side opened it. " Please," Hauss motioned them to step inside.

Inside the poorly lit, cramped room was one man, of fair height and build, with short, light brown hair standing with a smug grin. The man's face was handsome, although fairly unremarkable, and he had steel blue eyes.

" Captain Ganymede, this is former Captain Nighten, he'll be joining your crew."

Gannon shook hands with Nighten, but he had a puzzled look on his face.

" Excuse me, Lieutenant, did you say Captain?" Gannon asked.

" Former Captain?" Pandora added, as the group looked to the former Captain.

Nighten nodded, his smug grin replaced by a more serious expression.

" My ship, The Centaur, was destroyed in the battle for Zion." Nighten explained with regret. " But to be honest I'd rather be back on a ship then stay here and rebuild. I'm better with a pistol then I am with a paintbrush, so if you wouldn't mind, Captain Ganymede, I'd like to join the Mnemosyne. You come highly recommended."

Ganymede gave a slight nod of satisfaction, but wasn't about to let just anybody aboard his ship.

" How much experience do you have in the matrix?" Gannon questioned.

Nighten once again put on his smug grin. " I was a Captain, Ganymede. We jacked in regularly."

" What about combat experience?" Pandora asked, as she put her long blonde hair back into a ponytail.

Nighten answered with a simple, " Yes."

" Agent experience?" Gannon said with intensity.

Nighten paused, smiling as if he was hiding something. But after a short pause, he answered again a short " Yes."

Gannon looked from his crew, to Nighten, and then to Lieutenant Hauss, and finally nodded.

" Okay, Nighten, you're in." The captain stated, shaking the newest member's hand once again. "The Mnemosyne definitely needs you. While in the matrix, you can help us on our recruiting missions. While on the ship, I'll need you to help with repairs. The Mnemosyne's a strong ship, but could use a tune up."

" Sounds great, Captain Ganymede." Nighten said with satisfaction.

" My crew calls me either Captain or Gannon." The captain then pointed to the people behind him. " And here they are, this is the rest of my crew. The lovely blonde woman in front of you is Pandora, the most skilled matrix fighter aboard the ship, save myself."

Pandora smiled and shook Nighten's hand, but upon looking into his steel blue eyes, she saw something she recognized, but could not identify. Pandora tried to be polite, but she could not take her eyes of his grin...

" And this is our operator, Hermes," Gannon directed Nighten. " He's committed nearly every exit in the matrix to memory, and can type faster then you can blink."

" Good to have you onboard, Nighten." Hermes said, shaking his hand.

Gannon turned back to his newest crewmate. " My first mate and the ship's gunner, Dial, was injured on our last visit to the matrix. He was shot in the leg by an Agent when we were trying to help Pandora, but he should be fine, and hopefully you'll meet him shortly. I'm sure you're undoubtedly aware of the growing agent situation, it seems we've been running into them more often."

Nighten smiled. " Then I'm sure you'll find me very useful."

Gannon was a little stunned by that comment, but he just nodded and then turned to Lieutenant Hauss.

" Lieutenant," The captain said with authority, " I believe you said there were two potentials?"

Hauss frowned, slowly taking steps toward the captain.

" Yes, Captain Ganymede. However, I have to warn you, this one probably isn't what you're expecting."

Gannon frowned. " I'm expecting a capable crew member, Lieutenant, nothing more, nothing less."

" Of course," Hauss replied, " which is why this person will come as a surprise." The officer walked over to a door on the side of the room, preparing to open it.

" In fact," Hauss continued, " this person really is more relevant to Pandora."

" What?" The stunning blonde was surprised at the mention of her name. " What do you mean?"

Hauss paused with uncertainty, and then opened the door. He motioned for the person on the other side of the door to step inside the room. A moment later, a small boy, no more than eleven, with extremely short blonde hair walked in the room.

Pandora almost cried.

" Jonathan?" The blonde woman asked, as she put her hand over her mouth. Her face was turning red, and her eyes were watering.

The little boy looked at Pandora at the mention of his name, and then screamed with joy.

" Jenny!" The boy cried, and then ran into Pandora's arms. The two embraced tightly, and then Pandora had to pull him away to look at him.

" Hey, Sis! They told me you'd come to see me!" The young boy said excitedly. This comment only created more tears with Pandora, and shocked the rest of the crew.

" I can't believe it..." Pandora said, wiping her eyes in order to see. " My little brother...the last time I saw you, you were only five..."

" We unplugged him four days ago." Lieutenant Hauss explained. " It turns out he ran away from his home in the matrix, and ran into a red-pill on a recruiting mission. The boy was eager to escape, and so we had no choice, he had made his decision. Because this is happening more and more often, I cross-checked his name for relatives. You can imagine my surprise when your name came up, Pandora."

Pandora was still in disbelief. " This is amazing, Jonathan, how did you...why did you..."

The young boy smiled, shaking his head.

" I'm The Crusher now, Jenny!" Crusher said with pride.

Pandora's eyes went wide as she looked to the Lieutenant, who simply shrugged.

" The rules say he can pick his own name." Hauss admitted.

The blonde woman just laughed. " Okay, Crusher, well, I'm really happy to see you. We've got a bit of catching up to do. But...what are we going to do with you?"

Pandora looked to the Lieutenant.

Lieutenant Hauss looked to Ganymede.

Gannon's eyes went wide, and he started shaking his head furiously.

" Hold on a minute! Lieutenant, are you suggesting..."

" He's eleven years old." Hauss explained. " He'd only get in the way while we're trying to rebuild, and there's nobody else to take care of him. He's just too young to stay in Zion alone."

" And he's definitely too young to join my crew!" Gannon said defiantly.

" The Crusher isn't too young!" Crusher argued.

" Lieutenant, the risks of having a child aboard a ship...it's unheard of!"

Hauss nodded. " And I can't make you do it. But I wanted them to meet, and figured we could decide from there."

Gannon looked to Pandora pleadingly.

" Pandora, if we were all killed in the matrix..."

The woman smiled knowingly, but shook her head. " But he's my little brother.."

Gannon frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and pacing around the room.

A moment later, Dial walked into the room, with a slight limp, and his leg bandaged.

" Well, the good news is they didn't have to cut it off!" Dial said excitedly, as he looked around the room. He was only met with stares. " Whoa, what's going on? Who are all these guys?"

" That's Nighten, our newest crew member." Hermes answered, pointing to the man with short brown hair.

" Nighten, huh?" Dial said, shaking the man's hand. " I'm Dial, the first mate with the limp." He smiled, and then saw the little boy in Pandora's arms.

" And what about the little guy?" Dial asked.

Everyone in the room looked to Gannon. The captain paused for a moment, and then rubbed his coarse beard thoughtfully.

" Well," Gannon slowly answered, " that would be The Crusher. Our new cook."