Chapter Ten: A New Plan
Having sentinels for gunmen wasn't a bad idea at all. They knew their kind. They knew their weak points and exactly where on the ship they would attack. The sentinels tore through the enemy with a barrage of bullets from five gun turrets while Riley navigated the ship, just trying to buy some time.
But the sentinel army was a large one and some got through. Riley was able to shake most of them, but then . . .
Hero's eyes were glued to his screen, watching Pyro beat the tar out of X. Shadow tried intervening, but he was tossed aside.
"Pyro, what the heck is wrong with you?!" Hero grumbled to himself. Suddenly, he heard the sound of metal twisting and ripping. He spun around and looked up. A hole was being cut in the ceiling. "SHOOT!!" He grabbed an electric rifle and fired up at the hole. Success! He hit a sentinel and it flew off. There were more, though. One stuck its head it and Hero fired again, dismantling it. The third came in and hovered over Shadow's body. Hero fired and got him too, but the fourth and final one flew in and swung at Hero, knocking him across the room, causing him to drop the gun.
The sentinel turned to X and raised its claws. Suddenly, it stopped. It looked at Pyro and went for him instead. That gave Hero enough time to roll over, grab the gun, and fire. The sentinel twitched and writhed, but somehow, it didn't die. It turned and glared at him, then jumped at Hero. Hero fired again, stopping it dead in its tracks and the machine fell to the ground.
Hero painfully ran to the intercom. "Captain! Breach in the Matrix room!"
Riley heard the message. "Of all the places." He sighed. Then, he said to Hero, "Keep the sentinels at bay! I have an idea!" It was risky, but he'd done it before. The sentinels knew the ships of Zion, which is how they knew where to cut into the ship. But they also knew what to look out for.
Riley began slowing the ship and lowering it.
Hero felt the ship slowing down. At first, he was frightened, but then he remembered the last time they'd been in a jam like this. He smiled.
The sentinels at the guns were confused. Why was he slowing down? Why was he landing the ship?!
The ship lost its altitude and landed in a clear spot. This would seem like the perfect opportunity to strike, and in truth it was. But the sentinels were too smart for their own good. As the ship landed, the sentinels bolted away, just as Riley expected.
"Ha, ha!!" Riley laughed over the intercom. "Suckers!!"
A sentinel sent Riley a message to the front, wondering what happened.
"Simple." Riley told them. "When I landed, they thought I was going to use the EMP, so they fled! Now let's get outta here before they fling a bomb or something." He lifted the ship and flew off again.
X was a dead man. There was no way he could beat Pyro in a one-on-one battle. How could he stop him? Shadow had already tried helping a couple of times to no avail.
Pyro jumped up and struck again. X rolled away and jumped to his feet. Pyro swung upward, planting another slice on X's face, then kicked him back.
X saw no other choice. He put his hands on his stomach and whispered to himself: "Fight back."
Pyro ran at him. X's body acted on its own. He jumped clear over Pyro's head and kicked him from behind. Pyro spun and swiped at him, but X shot out his arm and blocked the sword, then punched Pyro away.
Pyro got up and moved away as X struck with his fist. He swung low at X's feet and X jumped over it, kicking Pyro in the face. Pyro took the hit and stabbed at him. X grabbed his hand and rolled in, bashing Pyro's stomach with his elbow, then his face. He yanked the sword from Pyro's hand and swung a spinning kick, knocking Pyro several feet away onto his back.
X ran to him and jumped, sword pointed down. Pyro shook his head on the ground and didn't see X until it was too late. Fire in his eyes, X landed over Pyro, sword a millimeter from Pyro's chest. X breathed heavily and unevenly, as if straining. His hands twitched. Pyro knew that part of X wanted to finish him right there.
But that other part of X knew better. Slowly and with much effort, X pulled himself off Pyro and tossed the sword away. Then, he fell to his knees, panting. Pyro sat up and looked at him. X returned his gaze.
"You stopped." Pyro noted.
"I had to." X wheezed. "You're . . .you're my friend."
Pyro looked at the ground. "I see . . .I see Abyss's will cannot conquer yours." He stood up and extended his hand to X. "Forgive me. I had to be sure."
X stared at him for a minute, then took his hand. Once he stood, X punched Pyro in the jaw.
"Forgiven." X said. Pyro had to smile.
"Well," Shadow said, "Now that you're both sane again, can we get outta here?!"
Brriinngg. Pyro's phone rang.
"Pyro." He answered impatiently.
"It's me." Veronica said.
He sighed. "This probably isn't the best time." He said.
"I think this may be important." She replied. "I was going to tell you earlier, but I had to run again."
"What is it?"
"When Abyss came disguised as you, he asked for the numbers you gave me."
Pyro didn't like that. "You told him, didn't you?"
"Yeah . . .sorry."
"It's not your fault. He has a way with people."
"Is this a problem?"
Pyro sighed. "I don't know. Thanks. Bye." He hung up.
"Who?" Shadow asked.
"Veronica. Abyss came to her yesterday disguised as me."
"What did he want with her?" X asked.
"And how does she have your number?" Shadow asked suspiciously.
Pyro sighed. "I gave it to her."
Shadow slapped his forehead. "Are you nuts?!"
"It . . .gets worse."
"What?"
"Abyss got the number from her...and the number to the ship."
"To the ship?" X asked.
"She HAD that number?!" Shadow exclaimed.
"Yeah." Pyro sighed.
Shadow threw his arms in the air, then punched Pyro in the same jaw that X had.
"I guess I deserve that." Pyro said, rubbing his jaw.
"And more! You gave the ships number to her? To ANYONE?!"
He didn't answer.
"Well," X said, "What use could Abyss have with the ship's phone number?"
"Is it possible to find more about the ship from that number?" Pyro asked him.
X thought. "For a Abyss? Quite possibly."
"I think we should get back." Shadow said. They ran to the phone and exited.
The boys were met with surprise when they opened their eyes. The side of the ship hit a tunnel wall and they fell out of their seats.
"It's about time!!" Hero shouted as he fired his gun at the sentinel coming through the hole. "Grab a weapon!"
The ship rumbled at the sound of a blast.
"That can't be good." Shadow said. A few seconds later, a sentinel came in from the back. The boys pointed their guns, but it displayed a message.
"One of the turrets was destroyed. There are just too many. You must use the EMP."
"What about you?" Hero had to ask.
"We've served out purpose. Do it now!"
Hero nodded and charged it.
"Captain." Hero said over the intercom. "The boys are out and the EMP is charged."
"Punch it!! Punch it now!!"
"Shouldn't you land first?"
Riley was staring at a sentinel who had come through the cockpit roof.
"I SAID PUNCH IT NOW!!"
Hero did. A blue bubble of electricity erupted from the ship and expanded widely, disabling all sentinels. They fell to the ground with a metallic crash.
But the ship was also disabled. All power left the engines and the ship went down.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!!" Riley shouted.
The ship crashed hard on its belly and slid along a good ways. People and objects were tossed every which way in the ship as it skidded along the ground. It slowed to a stop. Everything was quiet.
Hero kicked a crate off himself and pulled himself onto his feet.
"Everyone okay?" He called.
"Asprin would be nice." Shadow said, standing up.
"I second that." X said, popping up from behind one of the chairs. "Pyro?"
Pyro walked in, rubbing his chest. "I hate machines."
With more rattling, Captain Riley walked in. The sentinel had cut him up pretty bad and he'd been banged up from the crash, but he still walked in tall and proud.
"Alright." He said. "Let's get to work."
After the whole story was spilled, Pyro was suspended "until further notice" for attacking X and for giving the ship's number away, which, as they concluded, was how the sentinels knew where they were. Abyss must've informed some people.
"Is it fixable?" Riley asked after Hero did a full check on the ship.
"That depends." Hero replied, walking out from under the ship. "Is it fixable period? Yes. Is it fixable now? No."
"Why not?"
"Well, we can make some repairs, but without an alternate power source, there's no way we can fly this baby again."
"Why not?"
"The sentinels hit the backup generator pretty hard. We can get the interior running so we don't freeze or starve to death out here, but there's absolutely no way we're going anywhere."
Riley sighed. "Alright. Hero, you get that backup running so we can call for help. Pyro, Shadow, X, start working on fixing the holes in the ship."
"Uh, captain?" Hero spoke up.
"What now?"
"Our transmissions are gone. There's no way we're making a call."
Riley rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, maybe we can get to someone through the Matrix."
"Negative, sir. Not enough power."
"So . . ." Shadow said, "Are we stuck here?"
"It seems so." Riley said. He looked at Pyro. "Those sentinels knew exactly what to hit!"
Pyro looked down. They started working.
"This is all my fault." Pyro muttered.
Shadow patted him on the back. "We all do stupid stuff from time to time."
"Yeah, you were just trying to help someone." X added. "C'mon. You might make the captain happier by helping us get this done as fast as possible. We don't want anymore sentinels riding up on us."
Pyro nodded. "Yeah. Let's get to work."
They spent the rest of the day and part of the next fixing up the ship. Like Hero said, the interior was up and running, but not at full power. The Matrix feed was blank and nothing in the cockpit worked. But if they were attacked again, the guns wouldn't work, much less the EMP. Right now, they were sitting ducks.
On the second day, they were all eating the noon meal. Everyone was on the edge. They hadn't all talked to each other much except for work.
Finally, Shadow came up with something. "So . . .this, uh . . .this Abyss guy . . .he's really something, huh?"
They couldn't help but chuckle.
"You should see him when he's really mad." Riley said.
"How did you escape?" X asked him.
Riley shook his head. "I don't know. Extreme luck or divine handling, one of the two. We tried fighting Abyss, but he was unbelievably powerful. "
"So we gathered." Pyro snorted.
"No." Riley said. "I think he was just toying with you three. When he attacked us, he went to kill. We soon realized that we couldn't defeat him like this, so we ran. But Abyss was there at every corner, every turn. He picked us off, one by one. Finally, I was all that was left.
"No matter how hard I ran, he was always a step behind me. I couldn't escape, but that one step ahead could save me. He barred my paths, but I always found another. He threw what he could, but I was too quick. I never felt adrenaline like that before or since. He'd already beaten me pretty good, but I kept running. I never looked back, but I knew he was right behind me, which motivated me all the more.
"Finally, there it was: my exit. I pulled a fake left, but then ran to the right. Amazingly, Abyss fell for it. I made it to the phone and, according to Hero, he smashed it instantly afterwards, nearly getting me.
"I woke up with a tremendous headache. I couldn't fly the ship."
"He passed out soon after." Hero said. "I called in for help and help came. They took us both back to Zion, where the captain was treated. His brain had apparently gone through a lot of trauma while in the Matrix and that's why the doctors said he shouldn't enter again at risk of déjà vu. When he could fly again, they took us back out here and we took the ship back to Zion to look for new recruits."
"And that's how we found you three." Riley finished.
"And you probably regret it, huh?" Pyro said. "Shadow dawdled with Shade, X is a virus backup, and I royally screwed us over. We're not exactly the best recruits."
"No matter how much training you go through, nothing prepares you for the real thing. You three are still novices. Mistakes happen . . .not this big, usually, I admit, but still, mistakes happen." Then he added, "But I expect you to learn from them."
"Yes, sir." They all said. "Good."
There was a moment of silence. "So," Hero said, "What do we do about Abyss?"
Riley shook his head. "That's one name I really don't need to hear right now."
"Any ideas, X?" Shadow asked.
"I'm working on it." He said.
"You are?" More than one person asked.
"Yeah, but I need more time . . .a lot more time. I'm gonna try and work non stop on my latest projects."
"Plural?" Riley caught.
"Yeah. If all goes well, one can save us. The other is a backup."
"Can you tell us what they are?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Don't want to get your hopes up."
"That good, huh?" Riley smiled.
"I hope."
"It's about time we heard some good news."
Just then, a nearby computer screen began beeping a warning. Riley jumped up and looked at it.
"Of course." He snorted. "Sentinels."
Hero ran over and looked. "Small party. Less than twenty. Maybe they're ours?"
"I won't take any chances. Everyone grab a gun and follow me."
They each took an electric gun and took off. Riley opened the hatch and they all ran down the ramp.
"Split up!" He said. They all did, each running behind different pieces of rubble.
The small sentinel group came around the corner, but not as fast as their previous attackers. When they got close enough to see the ship, they stopped. They moved around a little, seeming to be discussing the situation. They slowly began hovering closer to the ship. They surrounded it and some went inside, but came back out dissatisfied. Then, they turned and looked about. They turned on lights from their domes.
The crew knew they'd be discovered soon. There was only one way of knowing if they were on their side.
Riley stepped out from his hiding spot, gun high.
"Hey!" He said. The machines instantly turned to him, lights on him. Riley suddenly realized his disadvantage. With their lights on him, he couldn't see to aim. But then, one of the lights went off and a sentinel came up and projected a screen. It was the code for peace.
Riley lowed his gun. "It's alright!" He called. The others came out and joined the captain. "How did you find us?"
The sentinel typed, "One of the sentinels before sent us a message. It said your ship was being damaged and would need repair and surveillance."
"We do." Riley said. "Most of the hull is fixed up, but our main problem is a lack of power. We need a boost."
The machines discussed amongst themselves, then agreed.
"We'll do it."
Ten sentinels wrapped themselves around the ship in various parts and transferred their energy to the ship. Sparks flew and lights flickered, then the ship roared with life. But the ten sentinels fell to the ground, motionless. The other three paid little heed.
"Anything else?" One asked. The crew looked at each other.
"Just a few body repairs." Riley said. They got on it. "X, you can work on your big projects now."
"You got it." He ran inside.
"The rest of us will assist the machines."
The ship was fixed soon enough and they were up and running again with three new sentinel passengers.
X worked his butt off, but it was going to take some time, no matter how fast he worked. For another week and a half, he worked at the computer. The trio entered the Matrix a few times for small assignments, but nothing big, and they hadn't seen or heard from Abyss in an uncomfortable amount of time.
Shadow hadn't seen Shade in weeks. He was starting to miss her.
Pyro was beginning to wonder about Veronica. How was she surviving?
X was glad he didn't have a woman to fret over, seeing as he had enough problems.
Hero often watched X work, fascinated. But he had no idea what he was working on.
Captain Riley was getting impatient. If Abyss could be destroyed, it had to be done as quickly as possible.
Finally, X ran in to the meeting room with a smile on his face.
"Done!!"
Everyone jumped from their seats to see what he had.
"Well?" Shadow asked. "What is it?"
"Which do you want to know about first? The Hope or the Backup?"
"Hope." Everyone said.
"Alright." He held up a flash drive, similar to the X-Virus, but a different color. The virus was black. This one was blue. "Eureka!"
"What is it?" Riley asked him.
"The vaccine."
"Vaccine?"
"I began thinking, if Abyss was able to stop my virus, maybe I was too! I studied if for a long time and began putting pieces together, like one big puzzle. Of course, most was trial and error until I came up with the perfect combination."
"So that thing can stop Abyss?" Pyro asked, anxiously.
"I think."
"You think?!"
"Well, it hasn't been tested. But there's a small downside, even if it should work. The vaccine is the equal and opposite of the virus. They cancel each other out, leaving neither formula the victor."
"So what's your plan?" Riley asked.
"Upload me with the vaccine."
"Are you sure it'll work?"
"Positive. If I can get close enough to Abyss and fill him with the vaccine, it'll cancel him out."
"And you."
"No. I still have a human flesh, while Abyss has nothing but his viral self."
"Sounds like a plan." Hero said. "But what's your backup?"
"Can't really call it that. It's just an addition to our initial entering programs. I've added a new set of weapons. I call them Data Grenades. Another too created from the X-Virus. It attacks the very fiber of the Matrix, deleting whatever it touches, nice and clean. Might be useful on Abyss."
"Let's start with plan A." Riley said. "Now." He turned to Pyro. "You're going in too. I'm lifting your suspension. This could be dangerous."
The boys sat in the chair and the sentinels set them up. Hero got the vaccine ready.
"Should we be uploaded with the vaccine also?" Shadow asked.
"No." X said. "My virus, my problem. If it has any side-effects I'm not aware of, I want to be the only one to endure them."
"Your skin." Pyro said with a grin.
X laughed. "Let's go."
"Do it." Riley said. The machines plugged them in.
In that instant, the Matrix feed went haywire. The code was scrambled and in pieces, flashing all over the screen.
"What happened?!" Riley demanded.
"I don't know!" Hero said. "We lost the feed!"
But a few seconds later, it came back clearly. But something was wrong.
Shadow and Pyro didn't know of anything being wrong until they got into the Matrix. The Matrix itself was fine, just the feed was screwy.
"Okay." Pyro said. "Let's find Abyss."
Shadow noticed it first. "Where's X?"
Pyro turned. X wasn't with them. "X?" He called.
A second later, Shadow's phone rang.
"Shadow."
"Please tell me X is just hidden." Hero pleaded.
"Nope. He's not here."
"How did he just disappear?"
Pyro's phone rang next. "Hello?"
"This is Seraph. You must come to the Oracle's home at once." He hung up.
Pyro gave the news to Shadow, who told Hero. Hero told them where to go.
"She knew this would happen." Shadow said with a sigh. "Figures."
"Whatever." Pyro said, a little irritated, "Let's go."
X's eyes fluttered open. Bright light! He shut them again, then began slowly opening them so he could get used to the light. It wasn't so much the bright light that hurt his eyes as it was the bright white walls which reflected it. X sat up and looked around. He was on a concrete floor and white tile walls a were in front of him and to his left. To his right was a drop off onto a set of railroad tracks.
He was in some sort of underground train station, he soon figured.
But Pyro and Shadow weren't here. He was along. Well, not alone. Sitting on a bench, there was one other person, an elderly black woman holding her purse. She waved to him and X waved back.
"Have a nice sleep?" She asked.
"Uh . . ." X replied. "Where am I?"
"The Train Station."
X raised a brow, then flipped on Neovision. But to his surprise, nothing happened. There was no code to see. Everything looked the same.
"This isn't the Matrix." He noted.
"No, it isn't." The woman said. "It's a place between your world and mine. It's used to smuggle programs throughout the Matrix."
"How did I get here?"
"Your mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it came here by accident."
"I don't understand."
"You don't have to yet." The woman smiled.
X cocked his head. That tone in her voice was familiar. "Do I know you?"
"Yes, you do." She said. "I'm the Oracle."
X didn't believe her. This woman's skin was much darker than that of the Oracle he knew.
"What . . .how?" X asked.
She sighed. "Abyss."
"He found you?"
"He did. He tried using me to see into the future."
X didn't like the sound of that. "What did he see?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"He saw nothing and became irritated, so he deleted me." She smiled. "But he's not the only one who can create a backup of himself."
"But you had to take on a new appearance."
"It's not the first time." She assured him.
"But . . .how did he see nothing?"
"Because I can't see past my own lifetime, you know! I knew he was going to delete me whether he saw something or not, so there was nothing left for him to find but my end, which he executed." Then, she said, "Why don't you sit down here?"
X nodded and sat down next to her and removed his glasses, seeing no use for them here.
"What exactly was he looking for?" X asked her.
"I don't know. Maybe he's trying to see whether or not he'll win this battle."
"He's uncertain?"
"Perhaps."
"That may help us." X then changed the subject. "How exactly did I get here?"
"What were you doing when you entered the Matrix?"
X thought. "Well, I was being uploaded with a vaccine as to stop Abyss."
"That may have something to do with it."
"But what?" X wanted to know.
"The question you need to ask now is 'how are you going to get back?'"
He gave her that one. "This place smuggles programs in, right? Maybe I can hitch a ride."
"That depends on the Trainman."
"Trainman?"
"He created this place. If you want a ride, you must take it up with him."
Then, they heard the train's deep whistle.
"There it is." The Oracle said. She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. X put on his glasses again. He didn't know if his viral powers would work here, but he still had his staff, which would probably be his best option.
The white train rushed into the station and came to a stop. One of the double doors opened and a tall, ugly hobo stepped out.
"Come on, you!" he sneered to the Oracle. She walked in. X tried, but the Trainman stopped him. "Who are you?!" He hissed.
"A passenger." X said.
The Trainman's eyes narrowed. "Wait...I know who you are!" He smiled through his twisted, yellow teeth. "Yes!" he said. "Of course you can get on the train!"
"Thank you." X said. But suddenly, the Trainman swung an uppercut right into his gut. X flew up to the ceiling, breaking a few pieces of concrete and fell onto his stomach. The Trainman picked him up and threw him inside the train.
X was groggy for a minute. He soon found himself strapped to a train seat and the Trainman was on the phone, talking to someone, but X's dizzy brain couldn't calculate it. He looked at the Oracle, who was helpless to aid him.
Soon, the train stopped.
"Alright," The Trainman said to the Oracle. "Get off!" She did so, giving one last look at X. He looked back down.
"X!" A familiar voice called. He looked up and saw Pyro and Shadow running for the train. But the doors closed and the train was off instantly. The Trainman waved goodbye with a smile.
X's journey continued on for a little while longer. Then, X got an idea that he should've thought of a while ago. He was in the Matrix again, so his powers could work again. He gripped the tight ropes in his hand.
"Break." He commanded.
Nothing happened.
X grew fearful. "Break." Still nothing. Why wouldn't it work?!
Then, the Trainman cut him loose, then retied the ropes behind his back as the train slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, X beheld Abyss.
"Welcome back." Abyss grinned.
Shadow and Pyro had gone to the Oracle's house, but only found Satie and Seraph.
"Where is she?" Pyro asked.
"Not here." Seraph said. "Come with me."
Seraph took the wheel, Pyro rode shotgun and Satie and Shadow were in the back. Seraph explained to them about how Abyss came in.
"The Oracle told us to leave before he came and to call you at a certain time. We will meet her at the Train Station nearby."
He found the place and parked the car. For a train station, it was pretty deserted. They ran in just as the train was opening its doors. The Oracle stepped out. Pyro got a peek in the train.
"X!" He shouted. X looked up at them. He was bound to a seat. Pyro and Shadow ran for the train, but the doors closed and the train went off. A tall, ugly, long-haired hobo waved them goodbye with a grin.
"Where's that train going?!" Pyro demanded.
"To the airport." The Oracle said. They looked at her.
"Oracle?"
"I had to take on a different appearance." She said. "Part of life."
"What happened to X?" Shadow asked.
"His mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it went to the Train Station, a world between yours and this one."
"Why couldn't he enter the Matrix?"
"You'll have to ask him. The Trainman is taking him to the airport, where Abyss will be waiting."
"Figures." Pyro muttered.
"You'll have to act quickly. Abyss will try to take him far way from anyone's reach. And Abyss won't be alone. He'll have many deadly programs to aid him."
"Can't X use his powers to stop him?"
"Not anymore."
"Why not?"
"You must learn that from him. Now, go."
"We're gonna need more artillery for an airport." Shadow said.
"Taken care of." Seraph said. He opened the trunk of the car.
Airport Security is tight.
Airport Security is tough.
Airport Security is the worst job to have in the Matrix.
"Remember." Shadow said, keeping his trench coat covered. "Gate D22."
"It's a long ways from here . . .what fun." Pyro smiled.
They'd almost reached the A gates before they were stopped by three security guards.
"Excuse me." One said to them. The boys stopped. "Could you two come with us please?"
"Why?" Pyro asked.
"Just come with us." He put his hand on his gun.
They fought to restrain from laughing.
"Listen, officers," Shadow said, "We're in a hurry and our gate is right there. Why don't you let their security deal with it?"
"Are you resisting airport security?" One asked.
"No, I'm just allowing you three to go back to your jobs and let the gate security do theirs."
The officers found themselves in a bind.
"We've been ordered to take you in." one finally said.
Pyro and Shadow shook their heads in disbelief.
"Now," Pyro spoke up. "If you were real cops, you'd have said that right away. If you were programs trying to stall us, you'd have just made that up."
The officers looked at each other, then went for their guns.
Pyro whipped out an AR-15 in each hand and opened fire on the false cops. Then, he continued firing on the other officers and Shadow joined him with a M-249. The innocent citizens ran for their lives while the false cops were gunned down for a full minute.
When the dust settled, Shadow looked at the two large automatic rifles in Pyro's hands.
"I thought you only needed a pistol."
Pyro looked at him. "Yeah. 'Need'. But what I wouldn't do for a mini gun right now."
Shadow laughed and they began running. Abyss would soon know about them. They had to hurry.
There were so many programs in disguise that Shadow and Pyro were certain they hit a few real cops as well . . .not that they cared much. This was war.
The B gates were lined with many more guards as well, but the guys eliminated them all with ease. The C gates were a problem, though.
There were about twenty of them, the guys assumed. Thinking they had weapons, the guys jumped off the walls, flipping off them, shooting madly. They were sure to have hit almost, if not all the programs, but somehow, when the guys landed again, all of the programs still just stood there, smiling. They fired again, watching the bullets hit them, but still nothing happened.
"They're immune!" Pyro said.
"Wait, look!" Shadow said. "They look like vampires . . .and werewolves."
Pyro thought and pulled from his coat a revolver lined with silver bullets and a long, sharp wooden stake.
"Huh. Now I know why Seraph gave us these." Pyro said as the programs ran at him.
Shadow and Pyro fired a few times, killing four werewolves, then each struck two vampires.
Pyro tucked the gun away and swiped at two more vampires, who jumped over his stake. A werewolf charged at him and Pyro performed a backflip kick, then kicked it into a vampire, then rolled on, stabbing the stake through the werewolf and into the vampire, then shot the werewolf and one more.
Shadow spun into a stab to kill a vampire, then blocked two kicks from another. A werewolf tackled him. Shadow went with it, flipping him over and shot the werewolf in the head, then shot two more, backflipping to evade a vampire's foot. He shot the foot, then threw the gun away to easily stab the vampire's heart.
Pyro bent back to avoid a vampire jumping right over him, then put his hands on the ground behind his head and flipped back to strike his heart before he could counter attack. He pulled the revolver back out and shot down the last were wolf. Shadow threw his stake and struck a vampire down, then finished off the last.
"C'mon." Pyro said. They kept put their weapons away and continued running to the D gates. They burst through the gate security, alarms blaring, but they really didn't care. They tore through security and ran down the gates.
As expected, there was another party of programs right at the gate they needed.
"We don't have time for this!" Shadow said.
Pyro reached into his coat and pulled out the friendly item that X had given him: The Data Grenade. Like any other grenade, he pulled the pin and threw it. The boys jumped back, not sure just how powerful it was. They heard a dull blast, but no rumbling, no shaking, no shouting, and no grand explosion. Just the dull blast. Pyro and Shadow looked back at where the grenade had landed.
Where the gate had been, there was now just a large, perfectly cut gap in the airport. The programs were gone. Pyro and Shadow looked down from the edge of the hole at the ground below.
"A perfect cut." Shadow observed in awe.
Pyro snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"
Shadow looked up, out the window. The plane was gone. "They're gone!"
Pyro's phone rang. "They're already gone."
"No!" Hero corrected. "They're just going to the runway! Hurry and you can catch them!"
Pyro hung up. "They're on the taxiway! C'mon!" They jumped down from the gate and landed on the concrete ground.
"What the?!" A cop on the ground asked.
Pyro shot them both in the legs, knocking them down and they jumped in the vehicle and took off.
"Where are they?!" Shadow asked Hero.
"On the runway!! On you right, parallel to you!" Shadow looked over.
"There!" He pointed to a plane beginning its trip down the runway. Pyro zoomed across the grass and onto the runway.
"Can you take it out?" Pyro asked him.
"I might be able to take out the tires." Shadow replied, holding an M-203, which was an automatic weapon with a grenade launcher under the barrel. A Data Grenade was ready.
Pyro looked back. They were way ahead of the small plane, but it was gaining speed fast. Pyro looked ahead again and realized something.
"SHOOT!!" He slammed the brakes.
"What?!" Shadow demanded.
"We're too far up! By the time you fire, it'll be in the air!"
Shadow looked forward, then back at the oncoming plane. "Go backwards."
Pyro did so, slamming the accelerator.
"We still might be too far ahead if we stop." Shadow said. "Just keep going." He aimed the gun.
"I'll fly right past us!"
"Then it's a good thing I'm the one firing, isn't it?" Pyro admitted Shadow was an excellent marksman, but this was too risky.
"Make that shot." Pyro ordered.
Shadow's head was out the window, watching the plane come at them.
"Steady," He told himself. "Wait for it . . ."
Pyro did his best to keep the vehicle steady as he flew backwards down the runway. He held his breath.
Shadow fired. The grenade flew from the gun and struck the tire right smack dab in the center. As the wheel exploded, the blast caught a piece of the car and the ground. Without the wheel, the plane fell forward and crashed its nose into the ground, skidding along to a stop.
Pyro and Shadow chased after the skidding plane and quickly caught up. They jumped out of the car, guns ready. The roof of the plane suddenly burst open and Abyss jumped out and landed on the runway, X in hand.
"One false move and he dies!" Abyss threatened.
"He won't do it." Shadow whispered. "He needs X."
"Drop your weapons!" Abyss commanded.
"He might hurt him, though." Pyro observed. "Do as he says." They put their weapons down.
Abyss grinned and began walking towards them.
BLAM!! A piece of Abyss's head flew off and he fell to the ground.
"What?!" They asked.
"No time for questions!" X said. "Cut me loose!" Pyro did so and the guys began running. A black car quickly pulled up to them and opened the doors. One agent was driving and the other was riding shotgun with a Sniper Rifle. The boys got in and drove away to the exit.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. My computer was screwing me over for a while. A great plan finally formed to defeat Abyss and now this happens. But why did it happen? And how will this effect X's plans? Find out in the next chapter. Please review!
Having sentinels for gunmen wasn't a bad idea at all. They knew their kind. They knew their weak points and exactly where on the ship they would attack. The sentinels tore through the enemy with a barrage of bullets from five gun turrets while Riley navigated the ship, just trying to buy some time.
But the sentinel army was a large one and some got through. Riley was able to shake most of them, but then . . .
Hero's eyes were glued to his screen, watching Pyro beat the tar out of X. Shadow tried intervening, but he was tossed aside.
"Pyro, what the heck is wrong with you?!" Hero grumbled to himself. Suddenly, he heard the sound of metal twisting and ripping. He spun around and looked up. A hole was being cut in the ceiling. "SHOOT!!" He grabbed an electric rifle and fired up at the hole. Success! He hit a sentinel and it flew off. There were more, though. One stuck its head it and Hero fired again, dismantling it. The third came in and hovered over Shadow's body. Hero fired and got him too, but the fourth and final one flew in and swung at Hero, knocking him across the room, causing him to drop the gun.
The sentinel turned to X and raised its claws. Suddenly, it stopped. It looked at Pyro and went for him instead. That gave Hero enough time to roll over, grab the gun, and fire. The sentinel twitched and writhed, but somehow, it didn't die. It turned and glared at him, then jumped at Hero. Hero fired again, stopping it dead in its tracks and the machine fell to the ground.
Hero painfully ran to the intercom. "Captain! Breach in the Matrix room!"
Riley heard the message. "Of all the places." He sighed. Then, he said to Hero, "Keep the sentinels at bay! I have an idea!" It was risky, but he'd done it before. The sentinels knew the ships of Zion, which is how they knew where to cut into the ship. But they also knew what to look out for.
Riley began slowing the ship and lowering it.
Hero felt the ship slowing down. At first, he was frightened, but then he remembered the last time they'd been in a jam like this. He smiled.
The sentinels at the guns were confused. Why was he slowing down? Why was he landing the ship?!
The ship lost its altitude and landed in a clear spot. This would seem like the perfect opportunity to strike, and in truth it was. But the sentinels were too smart for their own good. As the ship landed, the sentinels bolted away, just as Riley expected.
"Ha, ha!!" Riley laughed over the intercom. "Suckers!!"
A sentinel sent Riley a message to the front, wondering what happened.
"Simple." Riley told them. "When I landed, they thought I was going to use the EMP, so they fled! Now let's get outta here before they fling a bomb or something." He lifted the ship and flew off again.
X was a dead man. There was no way he could beat Pyro in a one-on-one battle. How could he stop him? Shadow had already tried helping a couple of times to no avail.
Pyro jumped up and struck again. X rolled away and jumped to his feet. Pyro swung upward, planting another slice on X's face, then kicked him back.
X saw no other choice. He put his hands on his stomach and whispered to himself: "Fight back."
Pyro ran at him. X's body acted on its own. He jumped clear over Pyro's head and kicked him from behind. Pyro spun and swiped at him, but X shot out his arm and blocked the sword, then punched Pyro away.
Pyro got up and moved away as X struck with his fist. He swung low at X's feet and X jumped over it, kicking Pyro in the face. Pyro took the hit and stabbed at him. X grabbed his hand and rolled in, bashing Pyro's stomach with his elbow, then his face. He yanked the sword from Pyro's hand and swung a spinning kick, knocking Pyro several feet away onto his back.
X ran to him and jumped, sword pointed down. Pyro shook his head on the ground and didn't see X until it was too late. Fire in his eyes, X landed over Pyro, sword a millimeter from Pyro's chest. X breathed heavily and unevenly, as if straining. His hands twitched. Pyro knew that part of X wanted to finish him right there.
But that other part of X knew better. Slowly and with much effort, X pulled himself off Pyro and tossed the sword away. Then, he fell to his knees, panting. Pyro sat up and looked at him. X returned his gaze.
"You stopped." Pyro noted.
"I had to." X wheezed. "You're . . .you're my friend."
Pyro looked at the ground. "I see . . .I see Abyss's will cannot conquer yours." He stood up and extended his hand to X. "Forgive me. I had to be sure."
X stared at him for a minute, then took his hand. Once he stood, X punched Pyro in the jaw.
"Forgiven." X said. Pyro had to smile.
"Well," Shadow said, "Now that you're both sane again, can we get outta here?!"
Brriinngg. Pyro's phone rang.
"Pyro." He answered impatiently.
"It's me." Veronica said.
He sighed. "This probably isn't the best time." He said.
"I think this may be important." She replied. "I was going to tell you earlier, but I had to run again."
"What is it?"
"When Abyss came disguised as you, he asked for the numbers you gave me."
Pyro didn't like that. "You told him, didn't you?"
"Yeah . . .sorry."
"It's not your fault. He has a way with people."
"Is this a problem?"
Pyro sighed. "I don't know. Thanks. Bye." He hung up.
"Who?" Shadow asked.
"Veronica. Abyss came to her yesterday disguised as me."
"What did he want with her?" X asked.
"And how does she have your number?" Shadow asked suspiciously.
Pyro sighed. "I gave it to her."
Shadow slapped his forehead. "Are you nuts?!"
"It . . .gets worse."
"What?"
"Abyss got the number from her...and the number to the ship."
"To the ship?" X asked.
"She HAD that number?!" Shadow exclaimed.
"Yeah." Pyro sighed.
Shadow threw his arms in the air, then punched Pyro in the same jaw that X had.
"I guess I deserve that." Pyro said, rubbing his jaw.
"And more! You gave the ships number to her? To ANYONE?!"
He didn't answer.
"Well," X said, "What use could Abyss have with the ship's phone number?"
"Is it possible to find more about the ship from that number?" Pyro asked him.
X thought. "For a Abyss? Quite possibly."
"I think we should get back." Shadow said. They ran to the phone and exited.
The boys were met with surprise when they opened their eyes. The side of the ship hit a tunnel wall and they fell out of their seats.
"It's about time!!" Hero shouted as he fired his gun at the sentinel coming through the hole. "Grab a weapon!"
The ship rumbled at the sound of a blast.
"That can't be good." Shadow said. A few seconds later, a sentinel came in from the back. The boys pointed their guns, but it displayed a message.
"One of the turrets was destroyed. There are just too many. You must use the EMP."
"What about you?" Hero had to ask.
"We've served out purpose. Do it now!"
Hero nodded and charged it.
"Captain." Hero said over the intercom. "The boys are out and the EMP is charged."
"Punch it!! Punch it now!!"
"Shouldn't you land first?"
Riley was staring at a sentinel who had come through the cockpit roof.
"I SAID PUNCH IT NOW!!"
Hero did. A blue bubble of electricity erupted from the ship and expanded widely, disabling all sentinels. They fell to the ground with a metallic crash.
But the ship was also disabled. All power left the engines and the ship went down.
"BRACE YOURSELVES!!" Riley shouted.
The ship crashed hard on its belly and slid along a good ways. People and objects were tossed every which way in the ship as it skidded along the ground. It slowed to a stop. Everything was quiet.
Hero kicked a crate off himself and pulled himself onto his feet.
"Everyone okay?" He called.
"Asprin would be nice." Shadow said, standing up.
"I second that." X said, popping up from behind one of the chairs. "Pyro?"
Pyro walked in, rubbing his chest. "I hate machines."
With more rattling, Captain Riley walked in. The sentinel had cut him up pretty bad and he'd been banged up from the crash, but he still walked in tall and proud.
"Alright." He said. "Let's get to work."
After the whole story was spilled, Pyro was suspended "until further notice" for attacking X and for giving the ship's number away, which, as they concluded, was how the sentinels knew where they were. Abyss must've informed some people.
"Is it fixable?" Riley asked after Hero did a full check on the ship.
"That depends." Hero replied, walking out from under the ship. "Is it fixable period? Yes. Is it fixable now? No."
"Why not?"
"Well, we can make some repairs, but without an alternate power source, there's no way we can fly this baby again."
"Why not?"
"The sentinels hit the backup generator pretty hard. We can get the interior running so we don't freeze or starve to death out here, but there's absolutely no way we're going anywhere."
Riley sighed. "Alright. Hero, you get that backup running so we can call for help. Pyro, Shadow, X, start working on fixing the holes in the ship."
"Uh, captain?" Hero spoke up.
"What now?"
"Our transmissions are gone. There's no way we're making a call."
Riley rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright, maybe we can get to someone through the Matrix."
"Negative, sir. Not enough power."
"So . . ." Shadow said, "Are we stuck here?"
"It seems so." Riley said. He looked at Pyro. "Those sentinels knew exactly what to hit!"
Pyro looked down. They started working.
"This is all my fault." Pyro muttered.
Shadow patted him on the back. "We all do stupid stuff from time to time."
"Yeah, you were just trying to help someone." X added. "C'mon. You might make the captain happier by helping us get this done as fast as possible. We don't want anymore sentinels riding up on us."
Pyro nodded. "Yeah. Let's get to work."
They spent the rest of the day and part of the next fixing up the ship. Like Hero said, the interior was up and running, but not at full power. The Matrix feed was blank and nothing in the cockpit worked. But if they were attacked again, the guns wouldn't work, much less the EMP. Right now, they were sitting ducks.
On the second day, they were all eating the noon meal. Everyone was on the edge. They hadn't all talked to each other much except for work.
Finally, Shadow came up with something. "So . . .this, uh . . .this Abyss guy . . .he's really something, huh?"
They couldn't help but chuckle.
"You should see him when he's really mad." Riley said.
"How did you escape?" X asked him.
Riley shook his head. "I don't know. Extreme luck or divine handling, one of the two. We tried fighting Abyss, but he was unbelievably powerful. "
"So we gathered." Pyro snorted.
"No." Riley said. "I think he was just toying with you three. When he attacked us, he went to kill. We soon realized that we couldn't defeat him like this, so we ran. But Abyss was there at every corner, every turn. He picked us off, one by one. Finally, I was all that was left.
"No matter how hard I ran, he was always a step behind me. I couldn't escape, but that one step ahead could save me. He barred my paths, but I always found another. He threw what he could, but I was too quick. I never felt adrenaline like that before or since. He'd already beaten me pretty good, but I kept running. I never looked back, but I knew he was right behind me, which motivated me all the more.
"Finally, there it was: my exit. I pulled a fake left, but then ran to the right. Amazingly, Abyss fell for it. I made it to the phone and, according to Hero, he smashed it instantly afterwards, nearly getting me.
"I woke up with a tremendous headache. I couldn't fly the ship."
"He passed out soon after." Hero said. "I called in for help and help came. They took us both back to Zion, where the captain was treated. His brain had apparently gone through a lot of trauma while in the Matrix and that's why the doctors said he shouldn't enter again at risk of déjà vu. When he could fly again, they took us back out here and we took the ship back to Zion to look for new recruits."
"And that's how we found you three." Riley finished.
"And you probably regret it, huh?" Pyro said. "Shadow dawdled with Shade, X is a virus backup, and I royally screwed us over. We're not exactly the best recruits."
"No matter how much training you go through, nothing prepares you for the real thing. You three are still novices. Mistakes happen . . .not this big, usually, I admit, but still, mistakes happen." Then he added, "But I expect you to learn from them."
"Yes, sir." They all said. "Good."
There was a moment of silence. "So," Hero said, "What do we do about Abyss?"
Riley shook his head. "That's one name I really don't need to hear right now."
"Any ideas, X?" Shadow asked.
"I'm working on it." He said.
"You are?" More than one person asked.
"Yeah, but I need more time . . .a lot more time. I'm gonna try and work non stop on my latest projects."
"Plural?" Riley caught.
"Yeah. If all goes well, one can save us. The other is a backup."
"Can you tell us what they are?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Don't want to get your hopes up."
"That good, huh?" Riley smiled.
"I hope."
"It's about time we heard some good news."
Just then, a nearby computer screen began beeping a warning. Riley jumped up and looked at it.
"Of course." He snorted. "Sentinels."
Hero ran over and looked. "Small party. Less than twenty. Maybe they're ours?"
"I won't take any chances. Everyone grab a gun and follow me."
They each took an electric gun and took off. Riley opened the hatch and they all ran down the ramp.
"Split up!" He said. They all did, each running behind different pieces of rubble.
The small sentinel group came around the corner, but not as fast as their previous attackers. When they got close enough to see the ship, they stopped. They moved around a little, seeming to be discussing the situation. They slowly began hovering closer to the ship. They surrounded it and some went inside, but came back out dissatisfied. Then, they turned and looked about. They turned on lights from their domes.
The crew knew they'd be discovered soon. There was only one way of knowing if they were on their side.
Riley stepped out from his hiding spot, gun high.
"Hey!" He said. The machines instantly turned to him, lights on him. Riley suddenly realized his disadvantage. With their lights on him, he couldn't see to aim. But then, one of the lights went off and a sentinel came up and projected a screen. It was the code for peace.
Riley lowed his gun. "It's alright!" He called. The others came out and joined the captain. "How did you find us?"
The sentinel typed, "One of the sentinels before sent us a message. It said your ship was being damaged and would need repair and surveillance."
"We do." Riley said. "Most of the hull is fixed up, but our main problem is a lack of power. We need a boost."
The machines discussed amongst themselves, then agreed.
"We'll do it."
Ten sentinels wrapped themselves around the ship in various parts and transferred their energy to the ship. Sparks flew and lights flickered, then the ship roared with life. But the ten sentinels fell to the ground, motionless. The other three paid little heed.
"Anything else?" One asked. The crew looked at each other.
"Just a few body repairs." Riley said. They got on it. "X, you can work on your big projects now."
"You got it." He ran inside.
"The rest of us will assist the machines."
The ship was fixed soon enough and they were up and running again with three new sentinel passengers.
X worked his butt off, but it was going to take some time, no matter how fast he worked. For another week and a half, he worked at the computer. The trio entered the Matrix a few times for small assignments, but nothing big, and they hadn't seen or heard from Abyss in an uncomfortable amount of time.
Shadow hadn't seen Shade in weeks. He was starting to miss her.
Pyro was beginning to wonder about Veronica. How was she surviving?
X was glad he didn't have a woman to fret over, seeing as he had enough problems.
Hero often watched X work, fascinated. But he had no idea what he was working on.
Captain Riley was getting impatient. If Abyss could be destroyed, it had to be done as quickly as possible.
Finally, X ran in to the meeting room with a smile on his face.
"Done!!"
Everyone jumped from their seats to see what he had.
"Well?" Shadow asked. "What is it?"
"Which do you want to know about first? The Hope or the Backup?"
"Hope." Everyone said.
"Alright." He held up a flash drive, similar to the X-Virus, but a different color. The virus was black. This one was blue. "Eureka!"
"What is it?" Riley asked him.
"The vaccine."
"Vaccine?"
"I began thinking, if Abyss was able to stop my virus, maybe I was too! I studied if for a long time and began putting pieces together, like one big puzzle. Of course, most was trial and error until I came up with the perfect combination."
"So that thing can stop Abyss?" Pyro asked, anxiously.
"I think."
"You think?!"
"Well, it hasn't been tested. But there's a small downside, even if it should work. The vaccine is the equal and opposite of the virus. They cancel each other out, leaving neither formula the victor."
"So what's your plan?" Riley asked.
"Upload me with the vaccine."
"Are you sure it'll work?"
"Positive. If I can get close enough to Abyss and fill him with the vaccine, it'll cancel him out."
"And you."
"No. I still have a human flesh, while Abyss has nothing but his viral self."
"Sounds like a plan." Hero said. "But what's your backup?"
"Can't really call it that. It's just an addition to our initial entering programs. I've added a new set of weapons. I call them Data Grenades. Another too created from the X-Virus. It attacks the very fiber of the Matrix, deleting whatever it touches, nice and clean. Might be useful on Abyss."
"Let's start with plan A." Riley said. "Now." He turned to Pyro. "You're going in too. I'm lifting your suspension. This could be dangerous."
The boys sat in the chair and the sentinels set them up. Hero got the vaccine ready.
"Should we be uploaded with the vaccine also?" Shadow asked.
"No." X said. "My virus, my problem. If it has any side-effects I'm not aware of, I want to be the only one to endure them."
"Your skin." Pyro said with a grin.
X laughed. "Let's go."
"Do it." Riley said. The machines plugged them in.
In that instant, the Matrix feed went haywire. The code was scrambled and in pieces, flashing all over the screen.
"What happened?!" Riley demanded.
"I don't know!" Hero said. "We lost the feed!"
But a few seconds later, it came back clearly. But something was wrong.
Shadow and Pyro didn't know of anything being wrong until they got into the Matrix. The Matrix itself was fine, just the feed was screwy.
"Okay." Pyro said. "Let's find Abyss."
Shadow noticed it first. "Where's X?"
Pyro turned. X wasn't with them. "X?" He called.
A second later, Shadow's phone rang.
"Shadow."
"Please tell me X is just hidden." Hero pleaded.
"Nope. He's not here."
"How did he just disappear?"
Pyro's phone rang next. "Hello?"
"This is Seraph. You must come to the Oracle's home at once." He hung up.
Pyro gave the news to Shadow, who told Hero. Hero told them where to go.
"She knew this would happen." Shadow said with a sigh. "Figures."
"Whatever." Pyro said, a little irritated, "Let's go."
X's eyes fluttered open. Bright light! He shut them again, then began slowly opening them so he could get used to the light. It wasn't so much the bright light that hurt his eyes as it was the bright white walls which reflected it. X sat up and looked around. He was on a concrete floor and white tile walls a were in front of him and to his left. To his right was a drop off onto a set of railroad tracks.
He was in some sort of underground train station, he soon figured.
But Pyro and Shadow weren't here. He was along. Well, not alone. Sitting on a bench, there was one other person, an elderly black woman holding her purse. She waved to him and X waved back.
"Have a nice sleep?" She asked.
"Uh . . ." X replied. "Where am I?"
"The Train Station."
X raised a brow, then flipped on Neovision. But to his surprise, nothing happened. There was no code to see. Everything looked the same.
"This isn't the Matrix." He noted.
"No, it isn't." The woman said. "It's a place between your world and mine. It's used to smuggle programs throughout the Matrix."
"How did I get here?"
"Your mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it came here by accident."
"I don't understand."
"You don't have to yet." The woman smiled.
X cocked his head. That tone in her voice was familiar. "Do I know you?"
"Yes, you do." She said. "I'm the Oracle."
X didn't believe her. This woman's skin was much darker than that of the Oracle he knew.
"What . . .how?" X asked.
She sighed. "Abyss."
"He found you?"
"He did. He tried using me to see into the future."
X didn't like the sound of that. "What did he see?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"He saw nothing and became irritated, so he deleted me." She smiled. "But he's not the only one who can create a backup of himself."
"But you had to take on a new appearance."
"It's not the first time." She assured him.
"But . . .how did he see nothing?"
"Because I can't see past my own lifetime, you know! I knew he was going to delete me whether he saw something or not, so there was nothing left for him to find but my end, which he executed." Then, she said, "Why don't you sit down here?"
X nodded and sat down next to her and removed his glasses, seeing no use for them here.
"What exactly was he looking for?" X asked her.
"I don't know. Maybe he's trying to see whether or not he'll win this battle."
"He's uncertain?"
"Perhaps."
"That may help us." X then changed the subject. "How exactly did I get here?"
"What were you doing when you entered the Matrix?"
X thought. "Well, I was being uploaded with a vaccine as to stop Abyss."
"That may have something to do with it."
"But what?" X wanted to know.
"The question you need to ask now is 'how are you going to get back?'"
He gave her that one. "This place smuggles programs in, right? Maybe I can hitch a ride."
"That depends on the Trainman."
"Trainman?"
"He created this place. If you want a ride, you must take it up with him."
Then, they heard the train's deep whistle.
"There it is." The Oracle said. She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. X put on his glasses again. He didn't know if his viral powers would work here, but he still had his staff, which would probably be his best option.
The white train rushed into the station and came to a stop. One of the double doors opened and a tall, ugly hobo stepped out.
"Come on, you!" he sneered to the Oracle. She walked in. X tried, but the Trainman stopped him. "Who are you?!" He hissed.
"A passenger." X said.
The Trainman's eyes narrowed. "Wait...I know who you are!" He smiled through his twisted, yellow teeth. "Yes!" he said. "Of course you can get on the train!"
"Thank you." X said. But suddenly, the Trainman swung an uppercut right into his gut. X flew up to the ceiling, breaking a few pieces of concrete and fell onto his stomach. The Trainman picked him up and threw him inside the train.
X was groggy for a minute. He soon found himself strapped to a train seat and the Trainman was on the phone, talking to someone, but X's dizzy brain couldn't calculate it. He looked at the Oracle, who was helpless to aid him.
Soon, the train stopped.
"Alright," The Trainman said to the Oracle. "Get off!" She did so, giving one last look at X. He looked back down.
"X!" A familiar voice called. He looked up and saw Pyro and Shadow running for the train. But the doors closed and the train was off instantly. The Trainman waved goodbye with a smile.
X's journey continued on for a little while longer. Then, X got an idea that he should've thought of a while ago. He was in the Matrix again, so his powers could work again. He gripped the tight ropes in his hand.
"Break." He commanded.
Nothing happened.
X grew fearful. "Break." Still nothing. Why wouldn't it work?!
Then, the Trainman cut him loose, then retied the ropes behind his back as the train slowed to a stop. When the doors opened, X beheld Abyss.
"Welcome back." Abyss grinned.
Shadow and Pyro had gone to the Oracle's house, but only found Satie and Seraph.
"Where is she?" Pyro asked.
"Not here." Seraph said. "Come with me."
Seraph took the wheel, Pyro rode shotgun and Satie and Shadow were in the back. Seraph explained to them about how Abyss came in.
"The Oracle told us to leave before he came and to call you at a certain time. We will meet her at the Train Station nearby."
He found the place and parked the car. For a train station, it was pretty deserted. They ran in just as the train was opening its doors. The Oracle stepped out. Pyro got a peek in the train.
"X!" He shouted. X looked up at them. He was bound to a seat. Pyro and Shadow ran for the train, but the doors closed and the train went off. A tall, ugly, long-haired hobo waved them goodbye with a grin.
"Where's that train going?!" Pyro demanded.
"To the airport." The Oracle said. They looked at her.
"Oracle?"
"I had to take on a different appearance." She said. "Part of life."
"What happened to X?" Shadow asked.
"His mind couldn't enter the Matrix, so it went to the Train Station, a world between yours and this one."
"Why couldn't he enter the Matrix?"
"You'll have to ask him. The Trainman is taking him to the airport, where Abyss will be waiting."
"Figures." Pyro muttered.
"You'll have to act quickly. Abyss will try to take him far way from anyone's reach. And Abyss won't be alone. He'll have many deadly programs to aid him."
"Can't X use his powers to stop him?"
"Not anymore."
"Why not?"
"You must learn that from him. Now, go."
"We're gonna need more artillery for an airport." Shadow said.
"Taken care of." Seraph said. He opened the trunk of the car.
Airport Security is tight.
Airport Security is tough.
Airport Security is the worst job to have in the Matrix.
"Remember." Shadow said, keeping his trench coat covered. "Gate D22."
"It's a long ways from here . . .what fun." Pyro smiled.
They'd almost reached the A gates before they were stopped by three security guards.
"Excuse me." One said to them. The boys stopped. "Could you two come with us please?"
"Why?" Pyro asked.
"Just come with us." He put his hand on his gun.
They fought to restrain from laughing.
"Listen, officers," Shadow said, "We're in a hurry and our gate is right there. Why don't you let their security deal with it?"
"Are you resisting airport security?" One asked.
"No, I'm just allowing you three to go back to your jobs and let the gate security do theirs."
The officers found themselves in a bind.
"We've been ordered to take you in." one finally said.
Pyro and Shadow shook their heads in disbelief.
"Now," Pyro spoke up. "If you were real cops, you'd have said that right away. If you were programs trying to stall us, you'd have just made that up."
The officers looked at each other, then went for their guns.
Pyro whipped out an AR-15 in each hand and opened fire on the false cops. Then, he continued firing on the other officers and Shadow joined him with a M-249. The innocent citizens ran for their lives while the false cops were gunned down for a full minute.
When the dust settled, Shadow looked at the two large automatic rifles in Pyro's hands.
"I thought you only needed a pistol."
Pyro looked at him. "Yeah. 'Need'. But what I wouldn't do for a mini gun right now."
Shadow laughed and they began running. Abyss would soon know about them. They had to hurry.
There were so many programs in disguise that Shadow and Pyro were certain they hit a few real cops as well . . .not that they cared much. This was war.
The B gates were lined with many more guards as well, but the guys eliminated them all with ease. The C gates were a problem, though.
There were about twenty of them, the guys assumed. Thinking they had weapons, the guys jumped off the walls, flipping off them, shooting madly. They were sure to have hit almost, if not all the programs, but somehow, when the guys landed again, all of the programs still just stood there, smiling. They fired again, watching the bullets hit them, but still nothing happened.
"They're immune!" Pyro said.
"Wait, look!" Shadow said. "They look like vampires . . .and werewolves."
Pyro thought and pulled from his coat a revolver lined with silver bullets and a long, sharp wooden stake.
"Huh. Now I know why Seraph gave us these." Pyro said as the programs ran at him.
Shadow and Pyro fired a few times, killing four werewolves, then each struck two vampires.
Pyro tucked the gun away and swiped at two more vampires, who jumped over his stake. A werewolf charged at him and Pyro performed a backflip kick, then kicked it into a vampire, then rolled on, stabbing the stake through the werewolf and into the vampire, then shot the werewolf and one more.
Shadow spun into a stab to kill a vampire, then blocked two kicks from another. A werewolf tackled him. Shadow went with it, flipping him over and shot the werewolf in the head, then shot two more, backflipping to evade a vampire's foot. He shot the foot, then threw the gun away to easily stab the vampire's heart.
Pyro bent back to avoid a vampire jumping right over him, then put his hands on the ground behind his head and flipped back to strike his heart before he could counter attack. He pulled the revolver back out and shot down the last were wolf. Shadow threw his stake and struck a vampire down, then finished off the last.
"C'mon." Pyro said. They kept put their weapons away and continued running to the D gates. They burst through the gate security, alarms blaring, but they really didn't care. They tore through security and ran down the gates.
As expected, there was another party of programs right at the gate they needed.
"We don't have time for this!" Shadow said.
Pyro reached into his coat and pulled out the friendly item that X had given him: The Data Grenade. Like any other grenade, he pulled the pin and threw it. The boys jumped back, not sure just how powerful it was. They heard a dull blast, but no rumbling, no shaking, no shouting, and no grand explosion. Just the dull blast. Pyro and Shadow looked back at where the grenade had landed.
Where the gate had been, there was now just a large, perfectly cut gap in the airport. The programs were gone. Pyro and Shadow looked down from the edge of the hole at the ground below.
"A perfect cut." Shadow observed in awe.
Pyro snorted. "Where's the fun in that?"
Shadow looked up, out the window. The plane was gone. "They're gone!"
Pyro's phone rang. "They're already gone."
"No!" Hero corrected. "They're just going to the runway! Hurry and you can catch them!"
Pyro hung up. "They're on the taxiway! C'mon!" They jumped down from the gate and landed on the concrete ground.
"What the?!" A cop on the ground asked.
Pyro shot them both in the legs, knocking them down and they jumped in the vehicle and took off.
"Where are they?!" Shadow asked Hero.
"On the runway!! On you right, parallel to you!" Shadow looked over.
"There!" He pointed to a plane beginning its trip down the runway. Pyro zoomed across the grass and onto the runway.
"Can you take it out?" Pyro asked him.
"I might be able to take out the tires." Shadow replied, holding an M-203, which was an automatic weapon with a grenade launcher under the barrel. A Data Grenade was ready.
Pyro looked back. They were way ahead of the small plane, but it was gaining speed fast. Pyro looked ahead again and realized something.
"SHOOT!!" He slammed the brakes.
"What?!" Shadow demanded.
"We're too far up! By the time you fire, it'll be in the air!"
Shadow looked forward, then back at the oncoming plane. "Go backwards."
Pyro did so, slamming the accelerator.
"We still might be too far ahead if we stop." Shadow said. "Just keep going." He aimed the gun.
"I'll fly right past us!"
"Then it's a good thing I'm the one firing, isn't it?" Pyro admitted Shadow was an excellent marksman, but this was too risky.
"Make that shot." Pyro ordered.
Shadow's head was out the window, watching the plane come at them.
"Steady," He told himself. "Wait for it . . ."
Pyro did his best to keep the vehicle steady as he flew backwards down the runway. He held his breath.
Shadow fired. The grenade flew from the gun and struck the tire right smack dab in the center. As the wheel exploded, the blast caught a piece of the car and the ground. Without the wheel, the plane fell forward and crashed its nose into the ground, skidding along to a stop.
Pyro and Shadow chased after the skidding plane and quickly caught up. They jumped out of the car, guns ready. The roof of the plane suddenly burst open and Abyss jumped out and landed on the runway, X in hand.
"One false move and he dies!" Abyss threatened.
"He won't do it." Shadow whispered. "He needs X."
"Drop your weapons!" Abyss commanded.
"He might hurt him, though." Pyro observed. "Do as he says." They put their weapons down.
Abyss grinned and began walking towards them.
BLAM!! A piece of Abyss's head flew off and he fell to the ground.
"What?!" They asked.
"No time for questions!" X said. "Cut me loose!" Pyro did so and the guys began running. A black car quickly pulled up to them and opened the doors. One agent was driving and the other was riding shotgun with a Sniper Rifle. The boys got in and drove away to the exit.
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. My computer was screwing me over for a while. A great plan finally formed to defeat Abyss and now this happens. But why did it happen? And how will this effect X's plans? Find out in the next chapter. Please review!