Chapter Two: Plug It In
The door opened and X stepped in. "My head hurts."
"You were out there forever. What exactly were you doing?" Each of them had been given a turn to create their Matrix character. That meant assigning a wardrobe, automatic program weapons, and whatever else was needed.
"I had to spend a lot of time making viruses."
"Viruses?" Both other boys asked.
"Yeah. I'm a hacker. I know viruses. It's how I fight."
"What kind of viruses?"
"Whatever kind you need, plus some other helpful stuff. I also had to upload Neovision, remember?"
"Ah." Shadow said as X sat. "So, when were you freed, X?"
"About two years ago, give or take some months. You?"
"Two years."
"Three years." Pyro added.
"So you're pretty good at fighting, eh?" X asked him.
Pyro smiled. "When they put that first gun in my hand, I knew it was for me. I guess it just came natural."
"I saw some of the stuff you did in your simulation." Shadow said to Pyro. Each of them had gone through a short simulation so that the others could get a small look at each other's style. "Pretty crazy. The cap'n says you're a regular Neo."
He snorted. "I wouldn't go that far. But, man, that's some nice stealth you've got going."
Shadow grinned at his recognition. "Before I was unplugged, I'd always sneak up behind people and scare the pants off them when the turned and saw me right there." He chuckled. "And the bullies could never get me because I always knew this great place to hide. I've always had a passion for the sneaky approach."
"I hear you're quite the, uh, 'imitator' as well." X pointed out. Shadow shrugged.
"So I fib a little."
"A little? Oh, and I don't think a person's back is supposed to bend the way yours does."
"I'm evasive. So? And what about you? How'd you learn to work computers like that? Let me guess. You were just born with it, right?"
"Actually, no. I began hacking only five and a half months ago."
"Why? What happened then?" Pyro asked.
X moved the hair on the side of his head. "That's the scar from the hit I took. Something went wrong with the simulation and the demonstration program got the best of me. He knocked me out. I woke up, like, three hours later. That bump on the head really did it for me. I just had this massive increase in my mental capabilities. I just went from there."
"And in only five months, you're making multiple viruses?" Pyro noted.
X shrugged. "Yeah."
Shadow noticed something. "What's that around your neck?" X looked down.
"Oh, this?" He pulled it out. It was a small memory stick attached to a necklace. "It's only my greatest creation ever. It's also a virus, but unlike anything you guys have ever seen. It's unbelievably deadly. It'll either completely destroy any computer, or make it do what I want, depending on what I need. It's untraceable and incurable. Once my virus gets in-and it will get in-there is no hope, try as the opponent might."
"How dramatic." Pyro said. "What do you call it?"
"The X-Virus."
"I should've guessed."
"So here we have a fighter, a hacker, and a spy." Shadow noted. "With our combined talents, we should be a pretty formidable force."
"Let's hope so." Captain Riley said, stepping into the room. "We have a minor problem in the Matrix."
"What's up?" X asked.
"Well, to anyone still plugged in, it would seem like just a gang fight, but in truth, it's a program battle. A good number of them are attacking some of our own. Now, they can probably take them out, but I figure you three could save them a few bruises. You three up to it?"
"Are we ever!" Pyro jumped up, ready to roll.
The three of them helped each other get plugged in.
"You ready?" Riley asked. Pyro was smiling.
"Let me at 'em." He was plugged in. Shadow and X followed.
It was evening in the Matrix, but the Mega City was still alive. Citizens were heading to one of many clubs all over the city, or just out doing their business. Pyro, Shadow, and X stepped out of the empty apartment building they'd been entered into.
"Alright." Pyro said. "The real thing." He wore a khaki pants with black boots and a black, sleeveless shirt covered by a black, sleeveless trench coat. Plus, he had black shades, but his bangs covered them a little.
"The sun is setting." Shadow smiled. "All the better for hiding." He wore a black shirt with black pants and a long, black trench coat with a high collar. The coat was tied around his waist by a black sash. He also had black boots and shades, but he'd done something different with his hair. Now, it was midnight black with red streaks going down it.
"Let's get moving." X said. "We don't want to miss the action." He had a black sleeveless shirt with a dark trench coat with the sleeves cut off. He had black pants and boots and a black cuff under his left shoulder and his right wrist. Neovision was transformed from a headset into thicker shades with a nearly invisible switch on it. Flip it on and he could see the code. Under his trench coat, there were three utility belts: One around his waist and two crossed into an X. They were loaded with viruses and who knew what else.
The three of them jogged off and ran down an alley. The battle was taking place at a sort of "alley intersection". There were a good number of programs facing about four crewmen of another ship. It was like Riley said. They could probably handle it, but help wouldn't be a bad idea.
Shadow, being the fastest, got ahead first. He flipped a switch on a small black device on his wrist and-to human eyes-he disappeared. What he'd actually done was hide in the code. The only way to see him was to see the code itself. Some programs could see that way, but a good deal couldn't. Besides, it gave an extra element of surprise.
Shadow ran and jumped, kicking through about three programs, knocking them to the ground. The matrix-enterers looked over and saw the other two coming.
Pyro charged head-on, tackling a program. He rolled and turned to fight again. The program catapulted up and charged. Pyro dodged two punches, then swung twice. Both fists were grabbed, so Pyro jumped and kicked off the program's chest, backflipping with the force. Two more ran at him. Pyro bent back, shooting his foot up and catching a program in the jaw. The other one swung at him and Pyro bent to the side to evade it, then swung back with a powerful punch. The first program flew into the second.
Shadow jumped clear over a program who didn't even see him coming and kicked behind, knocking him right into a fighter's kick. Shadow landed and flopped onto his back, putting his feet up to catch the program as he fell, then kicked him over his head and into a wall. Shadow saw another fighter in trouble and kicked out its legs. The program fell onto its back and Shadow jumped into the air and landed with his elbow in the program's chest.
X slid right into the battle, tripping two programs, then jumped back up. One program jumped right back up angrily and swung at him. X blocked the hit, as well as the next two, and then got in a punch of his own. The program caught his fist and threw him over his head. X went with it and kicked off a wall, then shot back and kicked the program. It catapulted up instantly and kicked twice. X knocked away the third kick and reached into his coat and grabbed a small item. He ducked under another attack and spun into the program. All the program felt was a pinprick as X hit him, then spun away. In only a second, the program felt something welling up within him. X smiled and held up the small, rectangular device with a needlepoint. It was like some sort of strange syringe. The program fell to his knees as an outward force filled his body. The program gave a cry as red light came from his eyes and mouth. Then, he burst into fragments of code and was no more. The program was deleted.
The fight continued in favor of the enterers. The programs were being picked off one by one. They weren't entirely strong in the first place. Finally, the programs ran off in different directions.
"Split up!" Pyro ordered. "Meet back right here!" With that, each member of the team ran off down a different alley.
Pyro ran as fast as he could in hot pursuit of the program, a long- haired, tall, and scrawny freak. He was rather quick, but Pyro kept running. The program kept looking back and kept seeing Pyro, so it finally decided it wasn't going to get out of this by just running.
The program pulled out a handgun and fired rapidly. Pyro dove behind a dumpster and waited for the firing to cease. When it did, he ran again. The program was further ahead now. Pyro was no longer certain he could catch him. He saw the program turn to fire again. Pyro knew only one way to stop this. As soon as the firing started, Pyro ran over to a wall, then ran on it. As he ran he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, one of his favorite weapons.
Pyro took aim as his enemy kept firing. Pyro fired once. He heard a yelp of pain as the program's gun flew out of its hand. It stumbled and fell, giving Pyro another chance to run. He got back on the ground and started to aim again. Not wanting to take another shot, the program ran again, this time down another alley. Pyro lowered his gun and put his strength into running.
He turned down the same alley as the program, jumping out of the way to avoid the expected fire from his foe. He looked, but the program could not be found. He saw something above him and looked up. The program was hopping up the fire escape of an apartment building. Pyro jumped atop a dumpster and forced a super-high jump, ascending about four floors. He flipped up onto the fifth, then ran up the rest of the way. On the tenth floor, he leaned over the edge and pointed his gun upwards. But to his surprise, he found no one.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Pyro looked over and saw the program coming at him. Apparently, he had jumped over to the opposite building and was now jumping back. Pyro ducked under several bullets, then came up. The program was right in his face. Pyro fired, sending a shotgun bullet right into the program's head.
Though he was dead, the program was still flying. It slammed into Pyro at full force. Pyro's head smashed against the brick wall behind him.
He knew no more.
X hated chasing his enemies. He liked to get it over with right then and there.
"Come on and fight me, coward!" X spat. The program rounded a corner and X chased after him. Unfortunately, he forgot one of the many things you learn from TV: if an enemy runs around a corner and you pursue them, they WILL be waiting for you.
The program shot his hand out and clothselined him. X was knocked onto his back, dazed. The program stomped on his chest, then swung a powerful kick that launched him into the wall nearby. He came forward, but X whipped out a handgun and fired. The program evaded the bullets, but knew it was best to leave, so he did.
X rubbed his sore ribs and painfully got up to continue the chase. He fired a few rounds every now and then, but he never hit the program. He did, however, stall him by forcing him to dodge the bullets, instead of continue forward.
The program ran to the end of the alley and turned to run down the sidewalk. This time, X put his back against the wall, then spun around, gun ready. He froze. The program had run for help. He stood near black car with two big programs, each carrying a very large gun that X guessed were automatic. He was right. They fired, accompanied by the program X had been chasing. X jumped back behind the wall, avoiding ricocheting bullets. When the stopped firing, X knew he needed a better place to attack than this.
X focused and ran. Bullets flew around him. He jumped and rolled across the street. Bullets struck passing cars, causing them to swerve and crash. X dove behind a car, then poked his head out for a few shots. He missed and his enemies kept firing.
X cowered behind the car, which took massive amounts of damage. Soon, he was forced to move to the next car. He fired a few times and ducked again. This car, too, took a beating.
Just then, the firing stopped. Well, it didn't stop, but the car wasn't being impaled. X looked over the hood and saw a program drop. The other two were firing at something else. X stood up to see and his eyes shot open. It was a girl, late teen, he assumed, with an Uzi. She kicked off the wall and soared over the programs, firing rapidly. The two remaining programs fell before she hit the ground.
When she landed, X got a good look at her and couldn't take his eyes off. Physically, she was virtually every man's dream of a woman. Fairly tall with long, blonde hair, parts hanging over her face. She was very, eh, "well-developed". Curvy, curvy, curvy. Long legs, tight body, tight outfit, this babe was meant to impressed. It seemed nearly impossible that a girl this hot could exist!
X was glade he was wearing shades, so she couldn't see how wide his eyes were as she looked over at him, lowering her weapon.
"You okay?" She asked in a melodic voice that captivated him.
"Um . . .yeah. I'm, uh . . .I'm fine." And so are you. He thought. They walked closer to each other and the girl looked him over. She took off her shades, revealing her cool blue eyes. Her eyebrows perked as she eyed him. "Mm." She grinned, approvingly.
"Wh-what?" X stammered.
"You're kinda cute."
Okay. A supremely hot fighter chick in tight clothing just said you were cute. What do you do? X certainly didn't know, other than stutter mindlessly.
"Uh, well, I, uh, dyah, uh, heh, I, um, heh, heh..."
She chuckled. "Easy, boy. What's your name?"
"My, uh, my name? It's uh, it's X. My name's X."
"X, huh? Mysterious." Something about the way she said "mysterious" made it sound like she liked him all the more. X could barely believe it.
"What's, uh...what's your name?" He desperately wanted to know.
"Call me Siren."
"S-S-Siren, eh? Nice. Very nice name."
"Why thank you."
Brrriiiinnnggg!! Siren pulled out her phone.
"Siren." There was a pause. "Alright." She hung up. "I'd love to talk more, but I have to get to my exit." She turned. "See you around."
As she walked off, X was able to get a good look at her glorious backside.
"It's not polite to stare." Siren said without turning. X's face flushed with embarrassment. "But you know," She tossed her head back and looked at him. "Some girls like it." She gave a devilish smile and walked away.
"Wow." X said.
Brrriiiinnnggg!!
X snapped to attention and answered the phone. "X."
"What were you doing?!" Hero demanded.
"I, uh . . .I was . . ."
"Talking to the hot chick?"
"Y-yeah."
"I guessed by the way your body was . . .ah, never mind. I don't wanna think about it. Just get back to work!" Click.
X scratched the back of his head and headed back.
Shadow had a history of being rather fast. People told him he should've joined the track team back in the day. He declined, saying he didn't want to embarrass the professionals.
Now, surrounded by the dark night and dimly-lit alleyways, running as fast as he could in pursuit of his foe, Shadow felt truly at home. He charged at full speed, drawing nearer to his victim. The program looked back, and could obviously see him because he ran harder. Shadow cut through an early alleyway just as his victim turned down another. He drew his gun and ran to the next intersection. As soon as the program showed itself, Shadow fired. The program dropped to the ground. Shadow twirled his gun and put it away.
As he walked back, he saw someone fly across his path. Someone else chased after them. Shadow looked over and saw a program attacking someone, a girl. She jumped up and kicked at the program. It took the hit, grabbed her, and threw her into the wall. She'd obviously taken a beating already by the way she struggled to stand.
Shadow ran up, jumped off a wall and spun into a kick, catching the program by surprise. It jumped back up and looked at him with angry eyes. The program swung twice and Shadow dodged them both. It swung a high kick, which Shadow ducked under, then a low kick, which he jumped over. While jumping, Shadow kicked him. The program kept swinging at him, but Pyro could not be touched. He bent and twisted in every which way to avoid being hit and it paid off.
The program was getting angry and started to charge again.
BLAM! The program fell dead. Shadow looked over at the program's potential victim.
"Didn't see that coming, did he?" She asked. Shadow turned off his stealth and helped the girl up.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She brushed her hair away from her face. Now, it hung down little below her shoulders. She had a black, sleeveless top that left her midriff exposed and slightly baggy black pants tied tight around her waist and black boots underneath them. She was rather pretty, really.
"Wow." Shadow said.
"What?" She asked. He quickly looked for an excuse.
"That's a nasty gash there." He gestured to her shoulder.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm fine, really."
"Okay."
"But, um, thank you for your help."
"Oh, no prob. Thanks for shooting him and taking a load off me." They both chuckled. "I'm Shadow."
"You're a spy?"
"Yeah."
"I guessed. I'm Shade." They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. We should get back."
They started walking. But Shadow's interests had been raised already.
"So, uh, you new?"
"Yeah. Was it that easy to tell?"
Shadow quickly shook his head. "No, no. You just looked kinda young."
"Mm. I've been doing this for only two months. If I had to guess, I'd say you're a newbie too, right?"
"Yeah. This is my first mission."
"First? Really?" She asked in disbelief. "Wow. You're pretty good for your first time."
"Thank you."
"I didn't know someone's back could bend that way, even in the Matrix." She chuckled. Shadow was flattered.
"Well, I do practice on evasion and stealth the most. I like the secret approach."
"Me too, but once they know you're there, it gets more difficult." She rubbed her neck. She had to admit to herself that she was getting a little interested in this Shadow character. "So what ship do you travel on?"
"The Genesis. What about you?"
"The Beta Neb."
Shadow stopped. "The Beta Neb?!"
"Yeah."
Shadow couldn't believe it. The Beta Neb was the most highly regarded ship on the fleet. It was named from the Greek word "beta", which was second, and "Neb" was short for the most famous ship ever. The Beta Neb was a reconstruction of the Nebuchadnezzar
"So . . .you know him?"
Shade knew what he was talking about. "Yes, I do."
"Wow. That's amazing!"
"You get used to it." She shrugged.
Soon enough, they came to the alley intersection again, where everyone was waiting.
"Hey!" X called. "What's up?" Everyone turned to them.
"Shade. There you are." A deep voice acknowledged. Shadow couldn't believe who he was facing. He was a tall, black man with a large frame and bald head. He always spoke coolly and professionally, like he had all the answers. Everyone knew him.
"Captain Morpheus." Shade said.
"We were starting to worry." Another voice said. He was younger, but a year older than the others. Shadow knew him as one of the greatest heroes Zion ever knew. He was the one who opened the gate and let in the Hammer during the Great Sentinel Battle. His alias: Kid.
"I must admit," Shade said. "If it were not for Shadow here, I probably would not be here."
"Then we are grateful to you, Shadow." Morpheus shook his hand, as did Kid and another person: A long-haired man in his late twenties named Fox.
"Didn't you guys have a third member?" Fox noted. X and Shadow looked at each other. X asked it first.
"Where's Pyro?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I had a bit more fun with that chapter. I had to have Morpheus somewhere in the story. Why not? So, X and Shadow are safe, but what of Pyro? The next chapter will tell. In the meantime, thanks for reading and please review! Ciao.
The door opened and X stepped in. "My head hurts."
"You were out there forever. What exactly were you doing?" Each of them had been given a turn to create their Matrix character. That meant assigning a wardrobe, automatic program weapons, and whatever else was needed.
"I had to spend a lot of time making viruses."
"Viruses?" Both other boys asked.
"Yeah. I'm a hacker. I know viruses. It's how I fight."
"What kind of viruses?"
"Whatever kind you need, plus some other helpful stuff. I also had to upload Neovision, remember?"
"Ah." Shadow said as X sat. "So, when were you freed, X?"
"About two years ago, give or take some months. You?"
"Two years."
"Three years." Pyro added.
"So you're pretty good at fighting, eh?" X asked him.
Pyro smiled. "When they put that first gun in my hand, I knew it was for me. I guess it just came natural."
"I saw some of the stuff you did in your simulation." Shadow said to Pyro. Each of them had gone through a short simulation so that the others could get a small look at each other's style. "Pretty crazy. The cap'n says you're a regular Neo."
He snorted. "I wouldn't go that far. But, man, that's some nice stealth you've got going."
Shadow grinned at his recognition. "Before I was unplugged, I'd always sneak up behind people and scare the pants off them when the turned and saw me right there." He chuckled. "And the bullies could never get me because I always knew this great place to hide. I've always had a passion for the sneaky approach."
"I hear you're quite the, uh, 'imitator' as well." X pointed out. Shadow shrugged.
"So I fib a little."
"A little? Oh, and I don't think a person's back is supposed to bend the way yours does."
"I'm evasive. So? And what about you? How'd you learn to work computers like that? Let me guess. You were just born with it, right?"
"Actually, no. I began hacking only five and a half months ago."
"Why? What happened then?" Pyro asked.
X moved the hair on the side of his head. "That's the scar from the hit I took. Something went wrong with the simulation and the demonstration program got the best of me. He knocked me out. I woke up, like, three hours later. That bump on the head really did it for me. I just had this massive increase in my mental capabilities. I just went from there."
"And in only five months, you're making multiple viruses?" Pyro noted.
X shrugged. "Yeah."
Shadow noticed something. "What's that around your neck?" X looked down.
"Oh, this?" He pulled it out. It was a small memory stick attached to a necklace. "It's only my greatest creation ever. It's also a virus, but unlike anything you guys have ever seen. It's unbelievably deadly. It'll either completely destroy any computer, or make it do what I want, depending on what I need. It's untraceable and incurable. Once my virus gets in-and it will get in-there is no hope, try as the opponent might."
"How dramatic." Pyro said. "What do you call it?"
"The X-Virus."
"I should've guessed."
"So here we have a fighter, a hacker, and a spy." Shadow noted. "With our combined talents, we should be a pretty formidable force."
"Let's hope so." Captain Riley said, stepping into the room. "We have a minor problem in the Matrix."
"What's up?" X asked.
"Well, to anyone still plugged in, it would seem like just a gang fight, but in truth, it's a program battle. A good number of them are attacking some of our own. Now, they can probably take them out, but I figure you three could save them a few bruises. You three up to it?"
"Are we ever!" Pyro jumped up, ready to roll.
The three of them helped each other get plugged in.
"You ready?" Riley asked. Pyro was smiling.
"Let me at 'em." He was plugged in. Shadow and X followed.
It was evening in the Matrix, but the Mega City was still alive. Citizens were heading to one of many clubs all over the city, or just out doing their business. Pyro, Shadow, and X stepped out of the empty apartment building they'd been entered into.
"Alright." Pyro said. "The real thing." He wore a khaki pants with black boots and a black, sleeveless shirt covered by a black, sleeveless trench coat. Plus, he had black shades, but his bangs covered them a little.
"The sun is setting." Shadow smiled. "All the better for hiding." He wore a black shirt with black pants and a long, black trench coat with a high collar. The coat was tied around his waist by a black sash. He also had black boots and shades, but he'd done something different with his hair. Now, it was midnight black with red streaks going down it.
"Let's get moving." X said. "We don't want to miss the action." He had a black sleeveless shirt with a dark trench coat with the sleeves cut off. He had black pants and boots and a black cuff under his left shoulder and his right wrist. Neovision was transformed from a headset into thicker shades with a nearly invisible switch on it. Flip it on and he could see the code. Under his trench coat, there were three utility belts: One around his waist and two crossed into an X. They were loaded with viruses and who knew what else.
The three of them jogged off and ran down an alley. The battle was taking place at a sort of "alley intersection". There were a good number of programs facing about four crewmen of another ship. It was like Riley said. They could probably handle it, but help wouldn't be a bad idea.
Shadow, being the fastest, got ahead first. He flipped a switch on a small black device on his wrist and-to human eyes-he disappeared. What he'd actually done was hide in the code. The only way to see him was to see the code itself. Some programs could see that way, but a good deal couldn't. Besides, it gave an extra element of surprise.
Shadow ran and jumped, kicking through about three programs, knocking them to the ground. The matrix-enterers looked over and saw the other two coming.
Pyro charged head-on, tackling a program. He rolled and turned to fight again. The program catapulted up and charged. Pyro dodged two punches, then swung twice. Both fists were grabbed, so Pyro jumped and kicked off the program's chest, backflipping with the force. Two more ran at him. Pyro bent back, shooting his foot up and catching a program in the jaw. The other one swung at him and Pyro bent to the side to evade it, then swung back with a powerful punch. The first program flew into the second.
Shadow jumped clear over a program who didn't even see him coming and kicked behind, knocking him right into a fighter's kick. Shadow landed and flopped onto his back, putting his feet up to catch the program as he fell, then kicked him over his head and into a wall. Shadow saw another fighter in trouble and kicked out its legs. The program fell onto its back and Shadow jumped into the air and landed with his elbow in the program's chest.
X slid right into the battle, tripping two programs, then jumped back up. One program jumped right back up angrily and swung at him. X blocked the hit, as well as the next two, and then got in a punch of his own. The program caught his fist and threw him over his head. X went with it and kicked off a wall, then shot back and kicked the program. It catapulted up instantly and kicked twice. X knocked away the third kick and reached into his coat and grabbed a small item. He ducked under another attack and spun into the program. All the program felt was a pinprick as X hit him, then spun away. In only a second, the program felt something welling up within him. X smiled and held up the small, rectangular device with a needlepoint. It was like some sort of strange syringe. The program fell to his knees as an outward force filled his body. The program gave a cry as red light came from his eyes and mouth. Then, he burst into fragments of code and was no more. The program was deleted.
The fight continued in favor of the enterers. The programs were being picked off one by one. They weren't entirely strong in the first place. Finally, the programs ran off in different directions.
"Split up!" Pyro ordered. "Meet back right here!" With that, each member of the team ran off down a different alley.
Pyro ran as fast as he could in hot pursuit of the program, a long- haired, tall, and scrawny freak. He was rather quick, but Pyro kept running. The program kept looking back and kept seeing Pyro, so it finally decided it wasn't going to get out of this by just running.
The program pulled out a handgun and fired rapidly. Pyro dove behind a dumpster and waited for the firing to cease. When it did, he ran again. The program was further ahead now. Pyro was no longer certain he could catch him. He saw the program turn to fire again. Pyro knew only one way to stop this. As soon as the firing started, Pyro ran over to a wall, then ran on it. As he ran he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, one of his favorite weapons.
Pyro took aim as his enemy kept firing. Pyro fired once. He heard a yelp of pain as the program's gun flew out of its hand. It stumbled and fell, giving Pyro another chance to run. He got back on the ground and started to aim again. Not wanting to take another shot, the program ran again, this time down another alley. Pyro lowered his gun and put his strength into running.
He turned down the same alley as the program, jumping out of the way to avoid the expected fire from his foe. He looked, but the program could not be found. He saw something above him and looked up. The program was hopping up the fire escape of an apartment building. Pyro jumped atop a dumpster and forced a super-high jump, ascending about four floors. He flipped up onto the fifth, then ran up the rest of the way. On the tenth floor, he leaned over the edge and pointed his gun upwards. But to his surprise, he found no one.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Pyro looked over and saw the program coming at him. Apparently, he had jumped over to the opposite building and was now jumping back. Pyro ducked under several bullets, then came up. The program was right in his face. Pyro fired, sending a shotgun bullet right into the program's head.
Though he was dead, the program was still flying. It slammed into Pyro at full force. Pyro's head smashed against the brick wall behind him.
He knew no more.
X hated chasing his enemies. He liked to get it over with right then and there.
"Come on and fight me, coward!" X spat. The program rounded a corner and X chased after him. Unfortunately, he forgot one of the many things you learn from TV: if an enemy runs around a corner and you pursue them, they WILL be waiting for you.
The program shot his hand out and clothselined him. X was knocked onto his back, dazed. The program stomped on his chest, then swung a powerful kick that launched him into the wall nearby. He came forward, but X whipped out a handgun and fired. The program evaded the bullets, but knew it was best to leave, so he did.
X rubbed his sore ribs and painfully got up to continue the chase. He fired a few rounds every now and then, but he never hit the program. He did, however, stall him by forcing him to dodge the bullets, instead of continue forward.
The program ran to the end of the alley and turned to run down the sidewalk. This time, X put his back against the wall, then spun around, gun ready. He froze. The program had run for help. He stood near black car with two big programs, each carrying a very large gun that X guessed were automatic. He was right. They fired, accompanied by the program X had been chasing. X jumped back behind the wall, avoiding ricocheting bullets. When the stopped firing, X knew he needed a better place to attack than this.
X focused and ran. Bullets flew around him. He jumped and rolled across the street. Bullets struck passing cars, causing them to swerve and crash. X dove behind a car, then poked his head out for a few shots. He missed and his enemies kept firing.
X cowered behind the car, which took massive amounts of damage. Soon, he was forced to move to the next car. He fired a few times and ducked again. This car, too, took a beating.
Just then, the firing stopped. Well, it didn't stop, but the car wasn't being impaled. X looked over the hood and saw a program drop. The other two were firing at something else. X stood up to see and his eyes shot open. It was a girl, late teen, he assumed, with an Uzi. She kicked off the wall and soared over the programs, firing rapidly. The two remaining programs fell before she hit the ground.
When she landed, X got a good look at her and couldn't take his eyes off. Physically, she was virtually every man's dream of a woman. Fairly tall with long, blonde hair, parts hanging over her face. She was very, eh, "well-developed". Curvy, curvy, curvy. Long legs, tight body, tight outfit, this babe was meant to impressed. It seemed nearly impossible that a girl this hot could exist!
X was glade he was wearing shades, so she couldn't see how wide his eyes were as she looked over at him, lowering her weapon.
"You okay?" She asked in a melodic voice that captivated him.
"Um . . .yeah. I'm, uh . . .I'm fine." And so are you. He thought. They walked closer to each other and the girl looked him over. She took off her shades, revealing her cool blue eyes. Her eyebrows perked as she eyed him. "Mm." She grinned, approvingly.
"Wh-what?" X stammered.
"You're kinda cute."
Okay. A supremely hot fighter chick in tight clothing just said you were cute. What do you do? X certainly didn't know, other than stutter mindlessly.
"Uh, well, I, uh, dyah, uh, heh, I, um, heh, heh..."
She chuckled. "Easy, boy. What's your name?"
"My, uh, my name? It's uh, it's X. My name's X."
"X, huh? Mysterious." Something about the way she said "mysterious" made it sound like she liked him all the more. X could barely believe it.
"What's, uh...what's your name?" He desperately wanted to know.
"Call me Siren."
"S-S-Siren, eh? Nice. Very nice name."
"Why thank you."
Brrriiiinnnggg!! Siren pulled out her phone.
"Siren." There was a pause. "Alright." She hung up. "I'd love to talk more, but I have to get to my exit." She turned. "See you around."
As she walked off, X was able to get a good look at her glorious backside.
"It's not polite to stare." Siren said without turning. X's face flushed with embarrassment. "But you know," She tossed her head back and looked at him. "Some girls like it." She gave a devilish smile and walked away.
"Wow." X said.
Brrriiiinnnggg!!
X snapped to attention and answered the phone. "X."
"What were you doing?!" Hero demanded.
"I, uh . . .I was . . ."
"Talking to the hot chick?"
"Y-yeah."
"I guessed by the way your body was . . .ah, never mind. I don't wanna think about it. Just get back to work!" Click.
X scratched the back of his head and headed back.
Shadow had a history of being rather fast. People told him he should've joined the track team back in the day. He declined, saying he didn't want to embarrass the professionals.
Now, surrounded by the dark night and dimly-lit alleyways, running as fast as he could in pursuit of his foe, Shadow felt truly at home. He charged at full speed, drawing nearer to his victim. The program looked back, and could obviously see him because he ran harder. Shadow cut through an early alleyway just as his victim turned down another. He drew his gun and ran to the next intersection. As soon as the program showed itself, Shadow fired. The program dropped to the ground. Shadow twirled his gun and put it away.
As he walked back, he saw someone fly across his path. Someone else chased after them. Shadow looked over and saw a program attacking someone, a girl. She jumped up and kicked at the program. It took the hit, grabbed her, and threw her into the wall. She'd obviously taken a beating already by the way she struggled to stand.
Shadow ran up, jumped off a wall and spun into a kick, catching the program by surprise. It jumped back up and looked at him with angry eyes. The program swung twice and Shadow dodged them both. It swung a high kick, which Shadow ducked under, then a low kick, which he jumped over. While jumping, Shadow kicked him. The program kept swinging at him, but Pyro could not be touched. He bent and twisted in every which way to avoid being hit and it paid off.
The program was getting angry and started to charge again.
BLAM! The program fell dead. Shadow looked over at the program's potential victim.
"Didn't see that coming, did he?" She asked. Shadow turned off his stealth and helped the girl up.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She brushed her hair away from her face. Now, it hung down little below her shoulders. She had a black, sleeveless top that left her midriff exposed and slightly baggy black pants tied tight around her waist and black boots underneath them. She was rather pretty, really.
"Wow." Shadow said.
"What?" She asked. He quickly looked for an excuse.
"That's a nasty gash there." He gestured to her shoulder.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'm fine, really."
"Okay."
"But, um, thank you for your help."
"Oh, no prob. Thanks for shooting him and taking a load off me." They both chuckled. "I'm Shadow."
"You're a spy?"
"Yeah."
"I guessed. I'm Shade." They shook hands.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. We should get back."
They started walking. But Shadow's interests had been raised already.
"So, uh, you new?"
"Yeah. Was it that easy to tell?"
Shadow quickly shook his head. "No, no. You just looked kinda young."
"Mm. I've been doing this for only two months. If I had to guess, I'd say you're a newbie too, right?"
"Yeah. This is my first mission."
"First? Really?" She asked in disbelief. "Wow. You're pretty good for your first time."
"Thank you."
"I didn't know someone's back could bend that way, even in the Matrix." She chuckled. Shadow was flattered.
"Well, I do practice on evasion and stealth the most. I like the secret approach."
"Me too, but once they know you're there, it gets more difficult." She rubbed her neck. She had to admit to herself that she was getting a little interested in this Shadow character. "So what ship do you travel on?"
"The Genesis. What about you?"
"The Beta Neb."
Shadow stopped. "The Beta Neb?!"
"Yeah."
Shadow couldn't believe it. The Beta Neb was the most highly regarded ship on the fleet. It was named from the Greek word "beta", which was second, and "Neb" was short for the most famous ship ever. The Beta Neb was a reconstruction of the Nebuchadnezzar
"So . . .you know him?"
Shade knew what he was talking about. "Yes, I do."
"Wow. That's amazing!"
"You get used to it." She shrugged.
Soon enough, they came to the alley intersection again, where everyone was waiting.
"Hey!" X called. "What's up?" Everyone turned to them.
"Shade. There you are." A deep voice acknowledged. Shadow couldn't believe who he was facing. He was a tall, black man with a large frame and bald head. He always spoke coolly and professionally, like he had all the answers. Everyone knew him.
"Captain Morpheus." Shade said.
"We were starting to worry." Another voice said. He was younger, but a year older than the others. Shadow knew him as one of the greatest heroes Zion ever knew. He was the one who opened the gate and let in the Hammer during the Great Sentinel Battle. His alias: Kid.
"I must admit," Shade said. "If it were not for Shadow here, I probably would not be here."
"Then we are grateful to you, Shadow." Morpheus shook his hand, as did Kid and another person: A long-haired man in his late twenties named Fox.
"Didn't you guys have a third member?" Fox noted. X and Shadow looked at each other. X asked it first.
"Where's Pyro?"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I had a bit more fun with that chapter. I had to have Morpheus somewhere in the story. Why not? So, X and Shadow are safe, but what of Pyro? The next chapter will tell. In the meantime, thanks for reading and please review! Ciao.