FF:\AuthorNote
Thanks for the review, Sapphire. Just to clarify: the stories are NOT
connected. Thanks for your time.
AuthorNote end.
Night shifts were always tedious. Sphere tried to keep herself occupied watching the sleeping simulation of the UK-Matrix, but that was so boring she eventually decided to hack somewhere. There was a race on at the moment in the US, according to the third code-screen.
Sphere tucked her straight hair behind her ears and booted up another monitor, working her way into the television cameras. Pictures form the race flashed up, slightly blurred, on one screen. She watched.
A code string flashed white on the middle screen. Sphere's attention snapped to it, and she decoded it quickly.
'Shit... what the hell's going on there?"
Confused, she scanned the code for any more explanations. She counted four Agents, plus the eight runners.
"Christ..." whispered Sphere in disbelief. Her eyes locked onto one strip of code as the runner pushed himself further and further towards his goal. When he probably didn't realise was that the simulation boundaries were not designed to hold this kind of speed. As an Operator, Sphere recognised the tell-tale error messages which meant that rules were being broken.
He was going to wake up.
Sphere leapt out of the chair and slid down the ladder, racing along the corridor of the dormitories. "Wake up everyone! We have a self- substantiation!"
The captain's door groaned open and Tiresias stood blinking uncertainly, "What the hell?"
"There's a race on in the Matrix – a runner's breaking the rules. He's going to wake up!" gabbled Sphere, her eyes glowing in the dim light. The crew that were awake enough to hear what she said sprinted up to the core.
Sphere sat in the chair again and the entire crew focused intently on the codes. "Can you broadcast?" asked Echo, the second-newest member of the crew.
Sphere shook her head, "No. We're too deep. I hope some other ship is watching this..."
"Look," commented Cube, pointing at the code, "one of ours is in there."
"Can you contact her?" asked Tiresias. Sphere was about to try when the code flashed crazily. "Oh my God..."
"He woke up..." murmured Echo, her green gaze focused intently on the screen. Sphere typed something and yanked her headset on.
"This is the Gnosis – anyone reading us?"
There was static for a moment, then a voice crackled, "Gnosis, this is the Nebuchadnezzar, reading you. What's up?"
"Link, are you anywhere near the Fields?"
"Pretty close, why?"
"Do a sweep. There's been a self-substantiation. We need to know whether to attempt a rescue."
There was silence for a couple of minutes, then Link's voice came again, "Jesus... You're not going to believe this Sphere, but they're forcing him back. Some kind of emergency back-up. Ooooh God, that looks painful... We'll try and hack it, hold on..."
The crew waited a few tense minutes, whilst the runner, Dan Davies, sprawled motionless on the track. The Agent codes had stopped moving.
A disappointed Link spoke again, "Sorry, kids, they got him again. They wiped the race from his memory. He's completely knackered his legs too – they made it so he'll never walk again. Bastards..." he added bitterly.
Sphere sighed, "Alright then. Thanks anyway, Link."
"My pleasure, honey. Call again." Link ended the transmission and Sphere pulled off her headset and slumped. The crew watched, downcast.
"Oh well..." said Echo quietly. One by one, the crew turned away from the monitors. Sphere stayed; she couldn't understand why she was so disappointed.
She jerked up suddenly, "Shit, he's getting up again!"
The closest person, a free-born named Jason sprinted back to the panels. Sphere pointed, "See? And there's an Agent.. Get up, get up..." she repeated.
They watched as Dan snapped through the braces supporting his legs and stood up tall, to the amazement of the nurse. Sphere watched the Agent break into a sprint as the runner took a step...
Sphere sighed again, deeply. Jason looked at her puzzled, his large brown eyes questioning. Sphere explained quietly, "He fell over. He didn't make it."
"Oh." Jason gave her a strange look and padded away. Sphere stared at the screens and wondered why a single bitter tear crawled shakily down her cheek.
Fin.
Night shifts were always tedious. Sphere tried to keep herself occupied watching the sleeping simulation of the UK-Matrix, but that was so boring she eventually decided to hack somewhere. There was a race on at the moment in the US, according to the third code-screen.
Sphere tucked her straight hair behind her ears and booted up another monitor, working her way into the television cameras. Pictures form the race flashed up, slightly blurred, on one screen. She watched.
A code string flashed white on the middle screen. Sphere's attention snapped to it, and she decoded it quickly.
'Shit... what the hell's going on there?"
Confused, she scanned the code for any more explanations. She counted four Agents, plus the eight runners.
"Christ..." whispered Sphere in disbelief. Her eyes locked onto one strip of code as the runner pushed himself further and further towards his goal. When he probably didn't realise was that the simulation boundaries were not designed to hold this kind of speed. As an Operator, Sphere recognised the tell-tale error messages which meant that rules were being broken.
He was going to wake up.
Sphere leapt out of the chair and slid down the ladder, racing along the corridor of the dormitories. "Wake up everyone! We have a self- substantiation!"
The captain's door groaned open and Tiresias stood blinking uncertainly, "What the hell?"
"There's a race on in the Matrix – a runner's breaking the rules. He's going to wake up!" gabbled Sphere, her eyes glowing in the dim light. The crew that were awake enough to hear what she said sprinted up to the core.
Sphere sat in the chair again and the entire crew focused intently on the codes. "Can you broadcast?" asked Echo, the second-newest member of the crew.
Sphere shook her head, "No. We're too deep. I hope some other ship is watching this..."
"Look," commented Cube, pointing at the code, "one of ours is in there."
"Can you contact her?" asked Tiresias. Sphere was about to try when the code flashed crazily. "Oh my God..."
"He woke up..." murmured Echo, her green gaze focused intently on the screen. Sphere typed something and yanked her headset on.
"This is the Gnosis – anyone reading us?"
There was static for a moment, then a voice crackled, "Gnosis, this is the Nebuchadnezzar, reading you. What's up?"
"Link, are you anywhere near the Fields?"
"Pretty close, why?"
"Do a sweep. There's been a self-substantiation. We need to know whether to attempt a rescue."
There was silence for a couple of minutes, then Link's voice came again, "Jesus... You're not going to believe this Sphere, but they're forcing him back. Some kind of emergency back-up. Ooooh God, that looks painful... We'll try and hack it, hold on..."
The crew waited a few tense minutes, whilst the runner, Dan Davies, sprawled motionless on the track. The Agent codes had stopped moving.
A disappointed Link spoke again, "Sorry, kids, they got him again. They wiped the race from his memory. He's completely knackered his legs too – they made it so he'll never walk again. Bastards..." he added bitterly.
Sphere sighed, "Alright then. Thanks anyway, Link."
"My pleasure, honey. Call again." Link ended the transmission and Sphere pulled off her headset and slumped. The crew watched, downcast.
"Oh well..." said Echo quietly. One by one, the crew turned away from the monitors. Sphere stayed; she couldn't understand why she was so disappointed.
She jerked up suddenly, "Shit, he's getting up again!"
The closest person, a free-born named Jason sprinted back to the panels. Sphere pointed, "See? And there's an Agent.. Get up, get up..." she repeated.
They watched as Dan snapped through the braces supporting his legs and stood up tall, to the amazement of the nurse. Sphere watched the Agent break into a sprint as the runner took a step...
Sphere sighed again, deeply. Jason looked at her puzzled, his large brown eyes questioning. Sphere explained quietly, "He fell over. He didn't make it."
"Oh." Jason gave her a strange look and padded away. Sphere stared at the screens and wondered why a single bitter tear crawled shakily down her cheek.
Fin.