Nico stared at the fleeting world through the window. Pedestrians crowded the streets, continuing their daily rituals; unaware of their unseen bondage. Nico smiled as he noticed the park he had played in-no, thought he played in as a child. It had all seemed so simple in those days, before the struggle, and anguish the discovery of the matrix had caused him. He often wondered if he had made the right choice all those years ago. What the Oracle had revealed to him only further added more to his eternal conflict. The aging guide had told him one thing: he would find the One.

At first he was confused; he heard of the One in Zion, a so-called messiah who had freed the first of Zion from the Matrix. According to the believers the One would return, marking the end of the war and the liberation of the human race. However, he was told that the One was just part of a dying archaic religion. Still, after seeing what the Oracle was capable of it was hard to doubt her. If the One is real, why am I responsible for his return?

"Nico."

The sound of his name pulled Nico back in to reality, or at least this version of it. He turned away from the window, nearly bumping into Zebadiahs' face. The behemoth of a man smiled.

"Wha'd she tell you?"

Before Nico could answer Abner shot Zeb a cold look. He shook his head in anger and ran a beefy hand through his dreadlocks. The four passengers continued silently, and then, the world went to hell.

The left side of the car crumpled, throwing Nico across the car. The force lifted the car from the ground, flinging it into a nearby phone booth, crushing the unfortunate soul who inside. A streetlamp stopped the car in it path, throwing Aiden through the windshield. Nico's head slammed into the window. In his swirling vision he saw a man outside, a man in a black suit, and he then he fell into unconsciousness.

Agent Smith closed the door of his black Crown Victoria, used only seconds before as a battering ram. He put his hand to his earpiece, calmly waiting for further instruction. He removed his desert eagle from his holster, the safety already off. Aiden was drifting back into consciousness, groaning from the numerous injuries he had sustained. Smith knelt next to the young man, his fifty-caliber magnum resting against Aiden's temple. He looked into Smiths shaded eyes, a sense of acceptance in his eyes. Smith smiled, he always liked it when they did not struggle.

The pounding resonated through his ears, echoing endlessly in his head. Nico's subconscious struggled to identify the sound. Slowly the sound faded, assimilating itself into the surroundings. Nico opened his eyes, his surroundings coming into focus. His deafening heartbeat assumed its place within his hearing, leaving him staring at the crumpled roof, dumbfounded. His memory returned in a surge, the matrix, oracle; everything returned to him, including the man in the suit.

Nico rolled to his side, half knowing the agent was there. The Tech 9 was in his hands; he pulled the hammer back. The noise reverberated through the empty streets, warning the Agent of the on-coming barrage. The gun jumped in his hands, struggling to escape Nico's grip. The agent turned faster than humanly possible, merely side stepping to evade the first onslaught of bullets. Nicodemus tightened his grip, directing the seemingly unending stream of lead, leading the agent away from Aiden. The agent stepped back into the street his body a blur of movement.

Without warning the bullets stopped; Nico's gasped: he was out of bullets. Smith smiled. The agent straightened his suit, unfazed by Nico's effort. Nico dropped the gun, knowing he would be dead before he could reloaded his weapon. The agent shook his head in disapproval.

"Mr. Elliot," said Smith. I am afraid your little adventure ends here. You see, you and your comrades have become quite the annoying pests, and I, well, I am the insecticide."