The Matrix: Legacy
Eighteen
Homecoming

Horizon woke in the hospital. Her side didn't hurt, so she figured that she was doped up so she wouldn't feel the pain. Her neck hurt, though. Damn pervert. She struggled to sit up, a difficult task - Yup, they drugged me - until a strong hand caught her behind the shoulder and helped her up.

"How are you feeling?"

She knew that voice. She smiled up at her cute neighbour. "Like they've got me on ten different types of painkillers. Simultaneously. How are you?"

Seraph smiled back. "I am relieved that Vlad did not kill you."

"His name's Vlad? Figures. Pervert bit me. Hey, could you look into getting me a rabies shot? That sucker hurt."

"When you are ready to leave, there is someone who is waiting to see you. She was very worried when she heard you had been shot. I believe her exact words were, 'I knew something bad would happen to that idiot if I left her alone, I knew it!'"

Horizon's eyes widened. "Avvy's back!? Get me out of here!"

Seraph noted that either she was easily distracted, or she prioritised in an interesting manner. She hadn't even asked how he'd known her assailant's name. But then, that was a good thing. He didn't want her to know that he'd once been connected to the people who kidnapped her friend.

Liberal application of his 'Jedi Mind Trick' got her out of the hospital as quickly as it had gotten her in, though Seraph flat-out refused to let her walk and she flat-out refused to ride in a wheelchair. They compromised: Seraph carried her out and she blushed like mad.

"So where is she?" Horizon asked him eagerly.

"With Sati and the Oracle," he replied. "And your friend Gunner."

Horizon grinned. "He must be over the moon now that she's back. He's been blaming her kidnapping on himself."

Seraph knew it well. It did not help matters any that the mafia Gunner enforced for was starting to nibble very delicately on the edges of the Merovingian's territory. Perhaps it was a good thing that those who were the farthest along tended to be unplugged before the Frenchman got really annoyed.

It had been difficult, prising Avalon away from her suddenly overprotective parents for Horizon's homecoming. Liberal application of the Jedi Mind Trick, promising that she wouldn't be out of sight, and promising that he or Gunner would be with her at all times had finally gotten the desired result, and Avalon had been so grateful to him for getting her away she hadn't asked how he'd known her alias.

Seraph pulled into their apartment complex and helped Horizon upstairs - the elevator was still out; he was going to have to do something about that. Sati greeted them at the door with her usual cry of, "Miss Seferino!" and her usual tackle-hug; however, due to the TA's injuries, she tackled her around the hips instead of the waist.

"'Rizon!" Gunner cried, reaching over Sati and pulling the Hispanic woman off the ground as he gave her a back-breaking bear hug. "Welcome back," he grinned before a blur of black and white zoomed from another room and slammed into Gunner's side, trying to hug Horizon as well.

"Avvy!" Horizon cried as she wriggled from Gunner's hold to hug her best friend. "You escaped! You got out!" Avvy grinned and signed too rapidly for Seraph to read. Horizon and Gunner could, and both of them laughed.

"Over the balcony! Only you, child!" Gunner chuckled.

News was exchanged, and Avalon's signing slowed as she detailed her imprisonment. Seraph's eyes narrowed as she mentioned the nightmare - a leftover memory of the Smith Assimilation? - and then the Agent attack. Rogue Agents were certainly becoming a nuisance these days.

So, Seth was still working for the Merovingian? Of course he was, Tiger was still there. And Cain and Abel were up to their usual tricks, though Copycat had mentioned Abel's strange new craving for cookies when he'd come to warn them that the Avalon would pass through.

However, the Matthias she'd mentioned, who had helped her - who was he? He had to be a newcomer, especially if he wasn't partnered up like the rest of the programs. Perhaps a former Agent as well? He would have to fight him to find out.

Much more interesting were the things Avalon wasn't mentioning that the Oracle had, including the starts of an emotional attachment. That was bad; nothing good ever came from program/human relationships. They were to be avoided at all costs. Shyama had not followed that, and she had....

Stop thinking about her, he thought fiercely. She left a long time ago to have her little 'family'. He watched the three friends talking, not realising that his eyes tended to linger on Horizon.

The Oracle noticed, and she hid a smile. This new game would be most interesting.

---------

Seth, Tiger, Cain, and Abel were in disgrace. The Merovingian ordered a retaliatory strike on the program-owned diner, but when Cujo and some of his werewolves arrived, Gabriel and Copycat had skipped out on their own escape route.

The four programs laid low until the Merovingian's black mood abated, and even then they stayed out of his way - out of everyone's way, really, it was embarrassing being outwitted by a teenaged girl.

Cain and Abel had sworn revenge on the Logos' newest addition, Krsna Aatmik. Oh, they knew what he was, all right, which just made his crime all the worse. They'd managed to track the girl to the bus' next stop, but the Ghost and the kid had been waiting for them. Ghost had provided a distraction, then before either knew what was happening, Krsna had detonated a very specialised bomb.

A scent bomb.

Every other scent was immediately wiped out as both of their noses were flooded with peppermint. Strong peppermint. Both nearly fainted from the sensory overload; nearly a week later, both were still craving candy canes. Luckily, it was close to Christmas, so there were most definitely candy canes to be had.

It was going to take some time to get back in the Merovingian's good graces. Fortunately, time was in good supply at the château. Hopefully, nothing else would screw up.

Damn humans.