Protector of Men Ch 79
The crew of Libertas was settled in the mess room. Cover had called a meeting and since none of the crew had any idea why it had been arranged, they arrived early. Looks of uncertainty and concern ricocheted against the metal hull of Libertas, and tension was rising.
"Things are changing," Cover first announced, looking at each of the crew in turn. His eyes stopped on Zandra. "And I think soon it will become obvious that accommodating these changes will not be easy." His tone was serious, and the air was so dead that it chilled each of the crew.
"I recently spoke with the Oracle… and things did not sound good."
"When did you see her?" Zandra asked, breaking the crew's silence.
"While you were with Neo," he answered. "It has been almost thirty-four years since this war started, and since then, Zion has grown to hold almost fifty thousand people. The Oracle told me that the machines start the real battle at thirty."
They wanted to ask what it meant, but they already knew. The real battle would start.
"We're headed into darker times. They'll start looking for Zion now – and I've already contacted the dock to give them a heads up. They told me the search already began a few hours ago.
"Two ships were downed today – and they were only 40 kilometers away from home. Our last trial in Purgatory was the largest attack by sentinels ever… but I have a feeling that will change soon." He then gestured to Kesia, and in unison all eyes switched from their commander to their operator, hungry for more information.
"Kesia can tell you why you're not jacked in right now – and it's because the sentinels are guarding our broadcast depth."
He looked again to Zandra, and now all eyes were on her. His visage was oddly darkened, and it seemed to her that he wasn't himself. She had known her captain for a few months and his speeches were never over two sentences long. The Oracle must had said something big – though Zandra wasn't sure exactly what.
"Every jack has to count," he said, still staring at her. "We have to unplug as many bluepills as we can, as fast as we can."
Zandra nodded – the connections were slowly taking shape in her mind. More bluepills meant more soldiers, and more soldiers meant a better chance of victory when the real battle started.
"As soon as we find an opening, you and Shade are going in. The Oracle asserted – and I feel comfortable – that you'll know what to do once you're there."
Zandra nodded and looked to Shade. He was nodding too.
"It looks like we have a plan," Cover said, his thin smile making a quick cameo before disappearing again.
Soon the crew made their way out of the mess hall. Zandra stayed behind though, figuring that it would be best to eat now rather than later. It was going to be a long day again. "So what's your plan?"
She turned around startled, but it was only Trim. He was sitting against the wall of the mess room, playing with some fringe on the end of his shirt. It looked like it had been played with before; much of his shirt was looking raggedy and pulled.
"Oh," she replied, "I'm not sure. I think I'll contact an old professor of mine."
Trim nodded a few times to himself, but he looked angry. Zandra decided not to delve further, and instead got out a bowl for herself. Trim got up as she poured some single-cell, and he sat across from her as she plunked down in a seat. His eyes were cold, almost menacing. Zandra was silent as he talked.
"So why does he keep letting Shade go in," he asked, shaking his head a little. Again Zandra said nothing.
"I don't get it," he continued, "This guy's been with the crew for half as long, and has even less experience than me.
"I bet the only reason Cover's putting him in is because he's older."
They were quiet for a second. She should have guessed this was coming – especially since Alias was gone. Trim really didn't have anyone to talk to anymore: Kemp was dead, and Alias wasn't with the crew anymore. Therefore, he'd turn to her.
"Do you see what I'm saying?"
Zandra nodded quickly; "Yes, yes."
"I'm glad someone does. I just… he gets all the credit around here for being the big guy and I'm doing all the work." He suddenly got much quieter, and spoke almost to himself: "It's only because he's with you that he gets anything done."
She had caught his obvious aside, but decided not to pursue it. The rest of her breakfast was eaten in silence, and Trim left soon with a grimace and shake of the head. He had become much angrier lately – and Zandra didn't know what to attribute it to. Whether it was hormones, or just growing up, or something more…
They had to be close – that was the only way they'd succeed; perhaps the only way they'd survive. Purgatory had gone through a lot of jarring changes: from Zandra's introduction, to Alias' paralysis, to Stephen's death, to Kemp's arrival and premature departure, and now to Alias' dropping out. They were all that was left of Purgatory, and they'd have to work together to persevere. Trim was worrying her, and not only because of his attitude. Why had he volunteered to leave? Questions ate at her from the inside, but that was normal. Just another thought to ignore.
Her dreams were becoming more profuse, and though she didn't remember them as often, there were more of them to forget. They were always so mundane; so much like memories that it was hard to tell what was real and what was not. For Zandra, it was always a test in the mornings to see whether she was still in her dreams or not.
At least they weren't about Stephen anymore. Though she still dwelled on his passing often, it hadn't dominated her sleep for a few weeks now, and she was grateful. Now her nights were filled with thoughts about her presentation, about her life right before the truth… and it made her more aware of what was to come. The time was coming for her to do something drastic, and whether it had something to do with the prophecy she did not know. She had already decided that it was her duty to act on their perception of her, but yet had no firm idea why. Other people believed in her, and she had to live up to their expectations. That was how she had always worked. Not doing so would break the resistance, she figured, and therefore she had steeled herself to be the One whether she truly was or no.
The Oracle had finally gotten to her.
But the question still remained: what was their plan? She knew she wanted to contact a professor of hers, but which one was a mystery to her. There had been a dream… something had reminded her of a professor… Sherman? Surely there had to be a way to contact him, or at least find his whereabouts. She decided to ask Kesia, and quickly made her way down the small hallway of Libertas to find her.
"We've found a spot to rest, so Zandra and Shade get ready."
The PA soon crackled back into silence, and Libertas got into action. Zandra stood where she was: sitting upright on one of the jack chairs. There was a plan now – and just in time. Kesia would find her professor, and they would speak to him. Hopefully he would listen to them, and hopefully agents wouldn't be deployed too quickly. Zandra had a feeling that Shade wasn't an equal match to their supreme abilities, and dreaded another showdown.
Cover soon came in, and Zandra briefed him on her mission. She was going to jack in, log onto a free-port computer, and contact her professor through an internet connection. Once she had given him the information, she'd transmit a virus with the same information into email services. It was the perfect plan. The perfect hack – not only was it a hack into the matrix, but a hack within the program. They would expose the system from the inside out. At least, that was the plan.
Only Kesia and Cover watched as they jacked in.
"In and out," Cover repeated seriously, "We can't waste time when the sentinels are around."
Zandra nodded from the reclined seat. "In and out."
"Good luck," he said, and thrust the needle in. The world went black, and Zandra was back in her element.
A/N – I'm planning on making a fanfic tips/meeting website, anyone have any ideas? Planning on having general info, info on posting, on how to maintain OC's, how to make believable CC's, genre writing, and theory. Anything else? Oh, and I'll of course have a link to my story.