9: PARALLEL

The wingless one flies again.

A steady stream of cursing issued from Phoenix's lips as she worked the array. 'Shit shit shit…'

Spess, Vriha and Genius watched anxiously. 'What's going on?' asked Vriha, the only one aboard whose Matrix-code was not up to scratch.

'They're being attacked by the Twins and that bird thing again,' replied Spess, his voice terse. His eyes darted back and forth as he decoded the encryption from the endless streams of green light.

'Mimic's down,' announced Phoenix grimly. As she spoke, Mimic's still form spasmed and blood spluttered down her front.

'Is she okay?' asked Spess.

'Pretty badly sliced up.' Phoenix leaned around and observed her monitor. 'Heart's going fine though. She'll live.'

Genius pointed suddenly, 'They've got Aerial!'

'Oh… fuck…' Spess' whispered exclamation summed up the crew's sentiments perfectly as the Twins dragged the unconscious Aerial towards the car.

'Sphere down…' Sphere's body jerked in the restraints. Vriha bit his lower lip.

A beeping alarm, the dreaded beeping alarm, made them jump. A red light flashed: PROXIMITY WARNING.

'Shit…' Spess took off towards the cabin, Vriha in pursuit. Genius diverted and made for the forward gun turret.

Spess' voice came through from the comm, 'There're two of them doing a routine sweep, coming from our front. I'm amazed they haven't seen us. We can't blow the EMP, so we'll have to take 'em down the hard way. Phoenix, stay there and grab a plasma rifle, just in case.' In a couple of minutes, Spess and Vriha came flying back, leaping to the ladder and taking opposing turrets. Genius was ready and scanning the red screen for a target.

In a few crazy minutes of hailing bullets, it was all over. The Sentinels had not been expecting resistance and were consequently taken by surprise. Phoenix exhaled a long sigh of relief and stowed the gun away under the array. Her attentions turned back to the Matrix and the two prone bodies lying within it. She dialled Mimic's phone and waited.

------

The streetlight shed an electric glow over Sphere as she spat blood and dragged herself onto all fours. Pain shot up and down her spine, and looking behind she could see the cracks in the brickwork where the bird program had kicked her into the wall. She accustomed herself to the pain she suspected would linger for a good few hours, then crawled over to Mimic and rolled her over.

'Mim! Mimic, can you hear me?'

Her Captain writhed and groaned in agony, but she was alive. Sphere swept a trained eye over her sliced up body, and was relieved to find none of the slashes were particularly serious. She would be out of the next mission, though. 'Come on; let's go home.'

'Where's Aerial?' managed Mimic, spitting mucus and blood onto the pavement.

'They got her,' said Sphere simply, a wave of hatred against the albinos sweeping over her. She grabbed Mimic under the arm and hauled her upright. 'Oh no...'

Her gaze fell on the form of Seraph, lying face down. Simultaneously, Mimic's phone rang, shattering the disbelieving silence. Mimic thrust a blood-stained hand into her jacket and answered it. 'Yeah?'

'Mimic, are you all right?'

'I'll live. What about Seraph?'

'Mim, if you can get him to the Oracle's now, he might be okay. It looks as though he's programmed himself into limbo – he can't live or die. The Oracle will be able to fix him up, I'm sure of it. But you have to go now'

'One more thing: where are they taking Aerial?'

'It looks as though they're heading right into the city.'

'Right.' Mimic hung up and relayed the information back to Sphere. 'If we can get him to the Oracle's, he'll be all right.' She took a step forwards and winced painfully. Her numerous cuts had congealed, and although they weren't leaking blood anymore they were still tender and painful. Mimic was glad she couldn't see her face – the Twin's razor had scored deep lines across her nose and cheeks, and one eye felt like fire. She pushed the relentless throb of the pain out of her mind and heaved the prone form of Seraph over her shoulder. Sphere led the way back inside the apartment, anxious for the program's health.

------

Aerial awoke... and immediately wished she hadn't. Falcon was arguing furiously with the Twin who wasn't driving, and the flashing of the streetlights was doing nothing to help the ache building at the back of her head. She struggled into a more upright position on the seat and drew a couple of deep breaths, trying to expel the sick feeling in her stomach. A glance out of the window revealed they were still in the city, so they can't have been driving long. Unless they had left the city and were in another one... No, the clock on the dash said 21:02. Slightly reassured that they hadn't gone far, Aerial came back to the moment with the realisation that the Twin and Falcon had ceased their arguing and were watching her.

The albino studied her face, and then commented, 'We see the resemblance.'

The car hit a rut, and the resultant jolt made her close her eyes as nausea clawed at her stomach. She cupped her forehead one hand, noting with quiet satisfaction that her hands weren't tied. The headache was spreading to the front of her head, and the base of her skull where the Twin had clubbed her throbbed incessantly. 'Where are you taking me?'

'Club Hel,' answered Falcon from beside her. She glanced sideways, feeling someone staring at her, but the bird was watching the road through his window. She looked up through her fingers and saw the second Twin watching her in the rear-view mirror. She shivered involuntarily. The Twins were subtly scaring her.

Out loud, she said, 'Why are you taking me to a nightclub?'

On her left, Falcon turned his head to face her. The Twin was right; Aerial saw her high cheek bones and sharp nose reflected in the program's features. 'Do not question. You are under our command now and you will do as we say.' She flinched at his clear accent, parallel to her own. To think she had thought the idea of the Matrix weird – this was strange beyond her nightmares.

She was compelled to disobey, to show them that she never would be under their control. 'Why did you snatch me, anyway?'

The Twin half turned in his seat to answer. 'Because, according to Tweety-Pie here, your abilities mirror his own.'

'Now who's turning American,' said Falcon nastily. The Twin stared at him, his sunglasses obscuring the filthy look he was giving the bird.

Aerial carefully filed this information. So, Falcon still thought she could go incorporeal and split herself, as she had done when protecting Tiresias in the park. When they discovered that in fact, she could do neither of those things, perhaps they would let her go?

The journey continued in silence. As they neared the city centre, the traffic lights multiplied, as did the number of copper-tops swarming along the pavements. Once Aerial twisted her head sharply, certain she had glimpsed a Rebel amongst the crowds, but the movement made pain slice into her skull, and she pressed her forehead against the cool window. The car was stuffy and humid, and she longed for fresh cold air. She rolled up her sleeves to try and cool off, and was surprised to find goose bumps peppering her arms. Her mind wandered back to the Oracle's apparent, and the injection she had been given.

'Bloody virus…'

Twin-who-wasn't-driving turned in his seat. 'We beg your pardon?'

'Aerial hesitated. 'Oh nothing.'

'Tell us.' The command held tones that suggested if the receiver refused, something unpleasant and painful would occur very shortly. Fortunately, Aerial was saved from a reply by the car taking a series of speed bumps at completely the wrong speed. Her stomach lurched and she vomited what was left of her last meal onto the floor. The Twin's porcelain face twitched in disgust and he turned back around without another word.

Falcon pushed a tissue box across the middle seat. Aerial grabbed a handful and tried to mop up the mess she had made. 'Forget it,' said Falcon softly, and a sneer thinned his lips. 'It's their car.'

------

The door to the Oracle's apartment was already open by the time Mimic and Sphere staggered up the last flight of stairs. They had declined from taking the lift due to Aerial's tinkering with the display. Of course, the Oracle knew what had happened. The two priestesses hurried out, and with a strength that defied their images, gently lifted Seraph from Mimic's shoulders. Mimic sagged against the wall, breathing harshly.

One priestess carried Seraph in her arms, the other shooed a gaggle of children back inside. A little Japanese boy in Buddhist robes dodged out from her arms and scurried across to the panting American in the stairwell. Mimic felt slim cool fingers stroke her forehead for a moment, and her strength flowed back into her arms and legs. The boy bowed to her and retreated back inside. Sphere raised her arm from the doorframe to let him scamper past and looked anxiously towards Mimic.

Mimic pulled herself up the last three steps and followed the Asian inside. The priestess crossed the sitting room and laid Seraph on the coffee table. Tiresias pulled his hands back as though he had brushed Seraph, but this was odd since he was a metre away from touching him. Sphere narrowed her eyes at him, and he turned his unseeing gaze on her, displaying that abnormal perceptiveness which had freaked them all out at one time or another on board. She noticed the flame-robed boy clinging to his arm.

The other Potentials surrounded the table in stunned silence. Sphere's almond gaze fell on a young girl, aged about nine. Her features strongly resembled Seraph's, and Sphere saw her eyes shine with tears. The Oracle herself entered from the kitchen, her eyes widening as her gaze took in the shot wounds to the program's torso. The blood made a stark contrast to the pure white of his jacket, and the children's gazes were transfixed by it. Sphere wondered at the fortunes that held them all, and her non-belief in deities was confirmed again. No God or Goddess would allow children to witness such things as this.

The Oracle knelt at the head of the table, parting the children gently. She examined Seraph with her eyes only, and Sphere got the impression they saw more than what was presented. A wave of guilt trickled over her, settling on her heart.

'Tiresias. Under the coffee table by your feet is a disk. Pass it to me, would you?' Tiresias reached a slender hand underneath the table and let his fingers explore the shelf beneath the glass surface. Sphere wondered as to why she had asked the blind one to find it, but reflected that she was probably testing him all the time.

Tiresias produced the disk, and the Oracle took it from his searching hand. She turned to another Potential, 'Kaede honey, could I borrow your laptop for a few minutes please?' The girl complied and fetched the device from the dining table at the other end of the lounge. The Oracle received it from her and slid the disk into the drive. She lined the body of the laptop up exactly with Seraph's head and ran the program contained on the disk.

Sphere opened her mouth to ask a question, but the Oracle answered before she had time to speak. 'The disk contains the back-ups to every program here, even Psyche, Delphi and myself.' She gestured to the two priestesses. 'It also contains encrypted versions of the programs working for the Merovingian, but that is another story. As soon as this baby kicks in, Seraph will be right as rain.'

The silence continued for a few minutes more, save for a clicking sound as the disk drive worked. The rhythm reminded Sphere of a heartbeat, and she realised that in effect it was. The little Chinese girl let slip a small sob, and the Oracle took her into her arms. 'Don't be troubled, sweetie. He's coming back, I promise.'

The whirring sound stopped, and something clicked. There was a burst of rich golden light, and Sphere squinted against the bright glare. The light lingered, and there was a metallic pulsing sound. The light intensified in waves which surged down the programs' prone form, each wave healing a single bullet wound. There was one more tremendous swell of sound and light, then the glow faded and the noise died.

Seraph's sculpted eyes flickered open.

A/N:: To echo the notes in my Bio, please comment on somewhere I can improve. I write fanfiction as training for "real" fiction. Also, the Sentinel fight is not detailed because it is not important.

19-7-04 Altered due to review from Dark Puck – thanks!