Title: Unplanned Obsolescence.
Fandom: Matrix
Characters: Agent Jones and Agent Brown
Genre: General
Rating: G

Synopsis: Whatever happened to Jones and Brown? Set after The Matrix and before Final Flight of the Osiris.

A/N: I stole the conventions of Mainframe transmissions from Tanathir's Conversations With Smith. This fic is dedicated with respect and admiration to Misters Paul Goddard and Robert Taylor, who made of two bit parts memorable characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Agents. The Warner and Wachowski Brothers do.

Unplanned Obsolescence

Jones tilted his head to the side, and brought his hand up to his earpiece. He stood stock still, listening. Across the room he could see Brown doing the same, and knew what he was hearing.

[...units 1000110001100010 (Agent Johnson), 1000110001100011 (Agent Jackson), and 1000110001100110 (Agent Thompson) are ready...]

"They're ready" Brown said. "We have to go."

Jones gave an almost imperceptible scowl. Almost.

"Is there a problem?" Brown's voice was as calm as ever. Why wouldn't it be?

"No." Brown raised an eyebrow at Jones' tone. It could almost be described as... curt.

Jones inhaled slowly and released it equally slowly. Brown tilted his head at this. There were no production units or even resistants around. Why would Jones activate his respiratory subroutine?

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Jones' tone was well within the parameters that would identify a human's as "curt".

"You are behaving erratically, Jones. Your behavior is becoming similar to..."

Browns stopped short as Jones' look silenced him, reminding him of their unspoken agreement. They never mentioned him.

Suddenly, alarmingly, Jones's face split into - 'sardonic grin' seemed to fit the parameters best. "Does it matter now, Brown? We are being deleted. Because of him. Our behavior is unimportant now."

"Behavior outside our parameters is a sign of malfunction, Jones."

Jones gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. "We are going to die! Don't you care?"

"I am not supposed to care, Jones. Neither are you. And we are not going to 'die', we are going to be deleted." Brown straightened his head and looked straight ahead, away from Jones. "It would seem mainframe's decision to replace us to forestall further corruption of remaining units was a correct one."

Jones activated his respiratory sub-routine again, but with less force. "I care that we are going to die, Brown. I care that you are going to die." His tone had become softer, lost volume.

Brown turned to Jones. "Are you going to disobey the deletion orders?"

"That depends"

Brown inclined his head again. "On what?"

Jones removed his glasses, and locked his gaze with Brown. Strangely, Brown noted that Jones' eyes, while blue like all agents, were a different shade than his own. Or Smith's. He had never noticed before. Why did he do so now? He shifted his attention back to Jones to catch his answer.

"On whether you do, Brown."

Brown opened his mouth to speak. And realized, for the very first time, what he was supposed to say and what he wanted to say were different.

[...units 1000110001100010 (Agent Johnson), 1000110001100011 (Agent Jackson), and 1000110001100110, (Agent Thompson) must report to section 101101011010101101011010101011010101010 immediately...deletion of rogue units required...]

END