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1001101222022010Neodammerung part 1: Bonnie Definately001010000101
Asato ma sad gamaya
tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
mrtyor mamrtam gamaya
{from delusion lead me to truth
from darkness lead me to light
from death lead me to immortality.}
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Ron followed Bonnie to her quarters, and entered without knocking. "STOPPABLE!" Bonnie cried in surprise, "What if I was undressed?"
"Not like I haven't seen it," Ron stated seriously, "You mind telling me why you hate me so much? As long as I can remember you've had a problem with me, and I want to know why? Are you still pissed about what happened during your fight with Kim?"
"It has nothing to do with THAT, but it does have to do with Kim," Bonnie said, turning on Ron, her eyes filled with tears, "We should be together, not you and Possible!"
"Bonnie, we had one date, let it get out of hand, and had sex, that's hardly reason enough, don't you think?" Ron asked, letting his voice raise.
"You really don't remember do you?" Bonnie sniffed, looking away.
"Remember what?" Ron asked, stepping toward her but Bonnie just turned her back to him. "Bonnie, what am I supposed to remember? Tell me!"
"You, Ron Stoppable, were my first friend, or have you forgotten?" Bonnie asked, turning back with a tear-stained face. "For as long as I could remember until I was five, you were my constant. You stayed by my side no matter what. You refused to leave me alone. And then she came…"
"Bon, we were five, I …" Ron rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't give me you don't remember, you said yourself you remember the first time you saw Kim, but do you remember just before that? Do you remember just walking off without saying a word? And not talk to me again for SIX MONTHS?"
"Bonnie …"
"You just left me for her. Never even looked back. I hated you for that!" Bonnie sobbed, "I hated you for leaving me, and hated Kim for taking you from me. And then … and then we got out, and … and Oracle said we'd be together. It was my fresh start with you again. And … and I had you but I screwed it up …"
Bonnie walked up to Ron, and locked eyes with him, "I lied to Kim, Ron. I lied to her. I lied to spite her, I didn't sleep with you to get to her, I swear on everything I am that's the truth."
Before Ron could do or say anything Bonnie's lips were on his in a passionate kiss. Ron refused to return the kiss and shoved her back, "Bonnie, I'm married to Kim, remember?"
"Is she here?" Bonnie asked seriously.
The temptation was incredibly strong. Stronger then any Ron had ever faced. It felt both wrong and right to be with Bonnie right then. Before either could do or say anything the alarm sounded through the ship.
Bonnie and Ron dashed from the quarters and ran to the bridge.
"It's those damned supped up Sentinels!" Barkin yelled, "Can you take um out, Stoppable?"
Ron closed his eyes, "If they were at one side probably, but we're surrounded," he stated seriously, "I can stop several, but a few will get through."
"That's just prime," Barkin sighed, before turning to his controls, "Do what you can, the rest of you battle stations!"
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Vidyam cavidyam ca yas
tad vedobhayam saha
avidyaya mrtyum tirtva
vidyayamrtam asnute
{He who knows both knowledge and action, with action overcomes death and with
knowledge reaches immortality.}
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"I have a bad feeling about this, sir," Link said to Morpheus through his cell phone.
"I know, Link," Morpheus replied, "But Oracle said that the means for Ron's victory would be here at exactly 1700 hours. It's 1655 right now."
"Yeah, but it still feels like a trap to me," Link sighed, "I'll let you know if I see anything, Operator out."
Morpheus closed his phone and walked over where Niobi and Kim were sitting on a park bench beside the large lake in the center of the city. Ghost stood a few feet away watching the dark cloud approach the city.
Kim looked incredibly frightened. "I'm sure things will go as they are meant to, Kimberly," Morpheus said sitting down beside her.
"I don't," Kim gulped, "If it does go the way its meant to, I lose Ron. I still can't believe it, I'm going to be a mother, we're going to be parents … what if he gets upset, what if he …"
"That's enough of that, Kimberly," Morpheus silenced her, "What comes will come. Remember that."
"It's time," Ghost said walking over to them and the group stood.
"So where is this 'means of victory'?" Niobi asked glancing around the abandoned park.
"I do not known, Niobi," Morpheus said, fingering the handle of his katana in his coat. "Oracle said that the way for Ron and mankind to survive the war shall be here at 1700, and it is one minute till. Be ready."
"Morpheus, Ms. Niobi, Ghost, KP, how nice to see you here!" a sinister voice sounded in stereo all around them.
From the small forest countless Agent Smiths walked out and quickly surrounded the four heroes. "Nice night huh?" the lead Smith said, "Would you like to join the club?"
"Like hell," Ghost said pulling his gun and shooting at the Smiths who all dodged the shots easily.
"Very well then," Smith said, turning to his 'brothers'. "Shoot them. Those that survive take them."
The Smiths all drew their .45 style handguns and opened fired on the helpless group. Morpheus grabbed Niobi to shield her while Kim raised her hands on instinct before the incoming bullets.
"What?" Smith grunted, glaring at the mass of bullets floating in mid air.
Kim blinked and looked around but Ron was nowhere in sight. "Who… what happened?"
"It was you, Kimberly," Morpheus said, his eyes lighting up in realization, "You have Ron's code inside you, inside your children. You can fight as he fights!"
"Take them …" Smith snarled, before the mass of black suited men dashed toward the group.
"Do not worry about us, Kimberly," Morpheus said, drawing his katana, "defeat Smith!"
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The Mad Dog flew at top speed down the tunnels below the earth surface, five Sentinels still on their tail.
The guns whined as large Vulcan-like shells shot toward the incoming enemy.
One of the Sentinels exploded from Brick's fire, and he stopped to cheer himself, "HAIL TO THE KING, BABY!! Oh shit!" He cursed, before firing at another that got too close.
Ron stood in the center of the ship his hands raised toward the back, concentrating as best he could to force the Sentinels back.
"I can't hold them much longer …" Ron groaned, his body soaked with perspiration.
Ron's trembling legs finally gave out and he fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry …" Ron breathed, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Got them all but one!" Brick yelled, "INCOMING!!!"
The armor above Ron began to pull back from the outside and the horrific machine slithered in. It spotted Ron and its cable-like tendril shot toward him as fast as a bullet.
Ron glanced up, and saw it coming, but didn't have the strength to stop it.
"RON!!!!" Bonnie screamed, diving at Ron and shoving him out of the tendril's path.
"Bonnie?" Ron asked pulling himself off the ground, but felt bile rise in his throat at seeing the girl impaled and pushed into the floor of the ship from the monster's metallic tentacle. Rage boiled in him renewing his strength, and he held out his hand to the machine making the inner workings of the machine literally melt, "DIE YOU SON OF A BITCH, DIE!!!"
The machine slumped to the ground, and Ron was at Bonnie's side in a second.
"R-Ron?" Bonnie asked in short, sharp gasps. The foot and a half diameter tendril pushed through her body right at her bottom rib. "Ron … don't … don't leave me again … please don't …"
"Don't talk, Bon, save your strength …" Ron whispered, taking her hand in one hand, and stroking her face with the other.
"I'm sorry," Bonnie gasped hoarsely, "I'm so sorry … if I … if I hadn't … been an idiot … we would have been … It could have been … you could have been happy … with me …" She stopped to cough up a bit of blood, "Don't … hate … me …" Bonnie breathed before her eyes lost focus and her breathing slowed to a stop.
"Bon? Bonnie? Bonnie don't … Bonnie! Bonnie …" Ron whimpered, holding her hand to his face.
The ship was completely quiet, except for Brick's not-so quiet sobs. Suddenly the rage boiled in Ron yet again, and he let out a heart wrenching, almost feral cry. At that very moment every Sentinel in a seventy-mile radius suddenly and violently exploded.
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Yasmin dyauh prthivi
cantariksam otam manah saha pranais ca sarvaih tam evaikam janatha atmanam anya
vacah vimuncatha amrtasya esah setuh
{In him are woven the sky and the earth and all the regions of the air, and in
him rest the mind and all the powers of life. Know him as the ONE and leave
aside all other words. He is the bridge of immortality.}
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Kim dodged one of the Smiths and kicked another. There was so many and she could tell that the others were having even a harder time.
"GHOST!!" Kim cried as three Smiths stabbed him in the back with their fingers, slowly changing him into one of their own. "NO!!" Kim yelled before what used to be her friend turned toward her and swung a punch toward her head.
Kim jumped and got back to back with Niobi. "This is bad," Kim said barely dodging another attack.
"You said it," the Smith that used to be Niobi said elbowing her in the sternum.
"No …" Kim breathed backing away in a lotus stance.
"KIMBERLY!" Morpheus said, as he was slammed down on his back, "Do not give up!" he said just as he too was infected with the rogue program.
"Oh God …" Kim's green eyes widened in panic, despite the added power Ron unknowingly gave her, she was now alone with hundreds of Smiths.
Kim shook it off; she wasn't about to just let them fall in vain. She dove at the Smiths fighting them as best she could.
"You're not bad, KP," a Smith commented, dodging her attack, "But I've seen better. Ron fought much better then this!" Smith said knocking her back.
Kim's eyes widened in realization as the words Trinity told her in a dream returned to her. "There will come a time when you will have to let go. Let go of yourself, let go of control, and let go of your one, and there will be nothing you can do but have faith."
Kim lowered her fighting stance, and just stood before the Smith. A smile played on her lips as she felt the sharp sting of his fingers diving deep into her chest. She felt her consciousness -her control- begin to waver as her body was ran over by a ice cold chill. "I believe in you, Ron," Kim said as white light blinded her vision.
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"She knew what she was doing, son," Barkin said softly placing a hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Doesn't make it any easier," Ron said weakly.
"Hey, guys," said Sparks from his station, "We got a distress signal!"
"What ship?" Barkin asked as he, Ron, and Brick approached the communications station.
"The Neb II sir," Sparks said, eyeing Ron carefully. "Three miles down, we can get there in no time."
"Lets move then."
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Indriyebhyah param mano
manasah sattvam uttamam
sattvad adhi mahan atma
mahato vyaktam uttamam
{Beyond the senses is the mind, and beyond the mind is reason, its essence.
Beyond reason is the Spirit in man, and beyond this is the Spirit of the
Universe, the evolver of all.}
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The Mad Dog quickly docked with the Nebuchadnezzar II. Ron, Brick, Sparks, and Barkin quickly ran into the ship and found Link in the central chamber, with everyone who could jacked into the Matrix.
"Link's what's wrong?" Ron asked as Link turned to him with tired worried eyes.
"He has them," Link gulped, "He has all of them. And not just our people, Ron, he's got everybody. Oracle, Persephone, your parents, the whole goddamn Matrix is his now."
"Oh God …" Barkin gasped, as Brick sat down roughly in a free seat.
Ron said nothing but walked to Morpheus and Niobi's seats and placed a hand on Trinity and Neo's shoulders, both still refused to leave their parents' side. "They'll be ok," Ron whispered to them before moving on to Kim's side.
He stroked his wife's pale cheek before turning to the Mad Dog's crew and Link.
"Smith has to be stopped. No matter the cost."
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Yada pancavatisthante
jnanani manasa saha
buddhis ca na vicestate
tam ahuh paramam gatim
{When the five senses and the mind are still, and reason itself rests in
silence, then begins the Path supreme.}
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Ron walked with a purpose down the main street of the city. Water splashed with each step from the flooding streets. On either side of the street on the sidewalk and in every window countless Agent Smiths stood sneering and growling at him, but he paid them no mind, nor did he pay attention to the downpour of rain that soaked his hair and trench coat. His eyes were on the single Smith at the end of the street: the one that was the original copy of him, the one without a host.
"Mr. Stoppable! Welcome Back!" The Alpha Smith grinned walking out before him. "We've … missed you." The man then glanced around at the army of copies, "Like what I've done to the place? Sure it was a bit of a hassle, but really it was… no big."
Ron glared at the man, his jaw set and his muscles clenched. He finally spoke words that he knew would be true one way or another.
"It ends tonight."
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Bhidyate hrdayagranthis
chidyante sarvasamsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
tasmin drste paravare
{And when he is seen in his immanence and transcendence, then the ties that
have bound the heart are unloosened, the doubts of the mind vanish, and the law
of Karma works no more.}
10001011101001010TO BE CONTINUED001010000011010
A/N first off, next chapter will NOT be the last chapter. We still have at least two unresolved issues after the major Smith issue. Namely the major battle between the humans and machines and also we got one Smith not 'networked' to watch out for. All I can tell you hang on, the final four or five chapters are going to be a hell of a ride!