"Commander," Exeter whispered, as the Felicitas floated slowly towards the fetus fields, "Are you sure coming this close was wise? We don't know how soon the Agents are going to strike…"
The Commander smirked. "They are merely licking their wounds. Stop being so paranoid, Exeter."
Captain Exeter leaned back in his chair. "And what exactly did stop them? Do even you, the Leader of the Underground, know?"
"All I know is that it is something dangerous. We need to keep all eyes open for anything in the Real World."
Exeter laughed. "Now who's being paranoid?"
The Commander simply frowned and pressed a button. "We're going back in. You've been out of the Matrix for too long. I think you need to see what we're up against. I'll send a new crewmember in. You watch."
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A solitary figure quickly dashed across the rooftops. With each new building, he took a superhuman leap into the air before continuing on.
He quickly rolled into a cartwheel as a blue streak flew past him. "You missed," he chuckled, and carried on. Five others ran behind him.
The one leading the group suddenly burst forward, as though suddenly being propelled by rockets. Another flew faster to keep up, leaving behind a trail of pitch-black against the already night sky.
The man pulled out a shotgun and fired blindly backwards. Surprisingly, the shots hit their mark: the green phoenix and the android. Both fell backwards and down into an alley. "Cyborg!" cried an aerial Titan, before she too fell under the aim of the shotgun.
Dark Robin dove into his friend and pushed both out of harms way as the shot flew past. Dark Raven quickly summoned a vast amount of dark energy and unleashed it upon the figure.
"Heh," he laughed, before leaping forwards into the blast… which suddenly became harmless as he threw a single fist into it and shattered the energy field.
Dark Raven's eyes widened, but she was helpless to defend as the figure leapt up at her and threw her to the ground. Kory leapt to her feet, checked to make sure Robin was okay, and continued the pursuit.
As she fired a starbolt, he suddenly backflipped over her. The girl gasped in surprise as two heavy boots collided with her back. She was crushed against the hard rooftop.
He ran forward, gave a jaunty wave, and continued on his way.
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"Who was that?" Sparks whispered as he watched the slow fall of the Matrix feed. Niobe glanced over. "What did you say?"
He shook his head. "I didn't say anything. Now hurry up. If the Agents are taking over the Sentinels again, I want to get back to Zion asap."
"Sparks, you are truly a man of cowardice," Ghost laughed. "I appreciate all you do to try and stop us from doing something that will kill you, but you need to realize that we need as many people as possible OUT."
Sparks coughed and pressed the button. The four silently jacked into the Matrix.
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"So, are we meeting any other crews? I don't fancy fighting those freaky kids again," Bane said to Ghost as Niobe drove them down the city streets.
Raven's eyes flared. "You know… I was one of those 'freaky kids.'" Bane gulped. "You're not going to hurt me, right, Rae?" he asked, trying to put on a puppy-dog face and failing miserably.
Ghost's phone rang. The Asian man snapped the phone to his ear and barked, "What is it, Sparky?"
It wasn't Sparks. "Ghost. It's us. My crew and Roland's crew are in the Matrix… and we have important news." It was Morpheus.
Ghost put the phone into his pocket and grimaced at his crewmates. "It's Morpheus," he said simply.
Niobe sped up. "As soon as we get to the rendezvous point," she ordered, "we're going straight after those red-pills. If the Titans are in the area, they're going to recognize both ships. We need to stay away from them."
"Why?" Bane asked. "If we already beat them once before, it can't be too bloody hard to do it again, right?"
Niobe bit her tongue. "Programs are not like humans, Bane. They'll learn from their mistakes. It didn't take long for you to go down last time, remember?"
Bane's face flushed. "How d'you know that?" he demanded. Ghost giggled unnaturally. "It was me," he said in an immature voice.
"Ghost shows his true gender," Raven said, as serious as ever. Bane and Niobe burst into laughter, the latter nearly crashing the car into a truck.
Niobe's eyes widened when the truck moved to block them. Ghost loaded his gun and resumed his normal philosophic-assassin expression. "Agents… about time," he muttered. Raven's heart went into overdrive.
A scream escaped from Bane's mouth as Agent Johnson leapt onto the hood, already taking aim. Ghost had taken aim faster. The Agent fell off the hood, bleeding, as Bane curled up in the backseat.
"God," Raven muttered to her crewmate, "between you and Gar, I'm surrounded by pansies. Be a man!"
Bane tilted his head slightly. She saw that he was grinning. Raven then noticed the position he was in: not curled up, but in a crouching position… "Done."
The boy leapt out of the car, brandished two Sig Sauers (forever the trademark of his mentor, Ghost) and landed Samus-style on the pavement. Johnson stepped to his feet and, ignoring his obvious wounds, began to furiously beat the boy.
Bane's neck cracked after a particularly heavy blow, and the teen struck back. Johnson dodged a shot from one Sig Sauer. Another bullet struck him in the hand, but Agents like Johnson were nearly impervious to pain. The third bullet finished him.
Bane sped after the car, running at an impossible speed. Ghost grinned and pointed his thumb back. "I taught him that," he laughed as Bane leapt into the gap that was once the top of the car.
"Well, that was pretty easy," said Bane.
"Let's get to that rendezvous point!" Ghost whooped and raised his hand into the air. Raven cocked an eyebrow.
"Um…. Bane is supposed to be the comedy relief of the crew," Niobe informed her First Mate. Ghost slumped in his seat.
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"We all know the assignment: free the cluster of minds at the National Congress Library. The problem is that those programs based on the Titans somehow knew we were coming. They have staked the place out, along with several policemen and…most likely… the Agents," Morpheus droned. Raven looked into space as Niobe and Ghost stood at attention.
"Bloody boring, this is," Bane muttered to his friend.
"Then that's it. Go to your posts, and we'll continue with the plan from there. Just remember: this plan is essential. If anyone slips up, it's certain death for all of us. The Machines may have stopped fighting, but the Agents have not."
Bane looked up. "Uh-oh…" Raven grinned. Time for improvisation.