Note : Well things seem to be proceeding smoothly with this fic but now comes the part where you the readers help me a bit. The next few chapters will involve Xander's training in how to operate a hovercraft as well as his Matrix training. However I do not want to make this just another re-hashing of what Neo went through in the first movie. So I would appreciate some input from you the readers as to what to do in the next chapter. I may or may not use your ideas in the fic or I may just use the ideas as inspiration for my own scenario but I would appreciate the help.
The Council Chambers of Zion, One Hour Later
Now I remember why I preferred to be supporting staff rather than one of the big guns! Xander thought to himself as he tried his very best not to fidget in his seat behind a small table across from the raised table where ruling council of Zion sat.
Contrary to the popular theory that most guys his age wanted to be the big hero and they person everyone looked to for the solution to their latest problems he was perfectly content to just be a helper. In his opinion the job of leader was way too stressful and everyone tended to expect you to be right all the time without exception. The role of leader was associated with the idea of strength and wisdom which he didn't possess in sufficient quantities to lead anything larger than a raid of the fridge. Now with the entire Council looking at him with curiousity, suspicion and a weird look that only the one Niobe identified as Morpheus was giving him he was more than a little nervous. He had nowhere to go, knew no one outside of the Matrix and was now face to face with the people who would decide his fate with nothing but his own words to defend himself with. What if they decided he was too dangerous to be allowed to roam free and locked him up? What if they decided to kill him? He was essentially at their mercy and having no options as to what to do bothered him to no end. Still most of their attention seemed to be focused on Niobe and questioning her on what happened so he was currently praying to whatever non-machine created deities existed that they wouldn't call on him.
"Mr. Harris? Do you have any idea why these rebels would want you to join their side?" asked an elderly old man that reminded him of his grandfather.
I should know better by now than to call on those idiots for anything , Xander thought sourly before replying , "No idea whatsoever sir. I'm just plain old Xander Harris from Sunnydale, California. Personally I think their brains must have been on the fritz when they decided kidnapping me would be a good idea."
Some of the council members took this in good cheer and chuckled a bit at his opinion of the rebel factions' IQ. Morpheus on the other hand was barely grinning and was still giving him the hairy eyeball like he a suspected traitor or spy. Given that these guys were fighting against their own people who knew the ins and outs of this city as well as anybody on the other side he could kinda see his point of view. After all how did they know that Gabriel and her flunkies hadn't converted him to their side weeks before and staged everything that happened to get him into Zion in a way that wouldn't rouse suspicions. After all what reason would they have to suspect someone who had been jacked into the Matrix for his entire life and as far as they knew had only recently been told the truth about the world. He could only hope that when they didn't find anything they would stop watching him like he was some suicide robot that was going to blow up Zion the second the stopped looking at him.
"In any case until we have ascertained the purpose behind their actions you will understand if we assign a security detail to keep watch over you and keep you out of certain sensitive areas." Councilman Harmann said trying to sound diplomatic and kind.
"No problem." Xander said unable to come up with a witty line to lighten the mood in the room.
"Very well. Guest quarters have been set aside down on level eight for you." , Morpheus said as if reading from a script in an empty room, "Captain Niobe will escort you there."
With that the council meeting was over although there were a few members who had apparently chosen to stay behind and talk the matter over further of which Morpheus was one of them. Chances were until he managed to win over him everyone he came across would likely look at him with a certain bit of suspicion and in some cases judgement. Still there was no point in worrying over something he couldn't do anything about at the moment so he shelved the problem for the moment and followed Niobe to his new home. Zion was certainly buzzing at the moment with people going up and back the pathways that criss-crossed the entire area but it wasn't hard to spot the cops in the crowd. It was obvious that having the rebels be former neighbors and comrades had made them a little paranoid about who they could trust. After all if people you cared about and who you thought cared about you could turn traitor than could you really trust anyone at all. They went down to what looked like a freight elevator and got in with a few other people before Niobe hit the eight button next to the door. Since it would be awhile before they reached the right floor he decided to try and figure out for himself why Gabriel and her crew tried to grab him.
There were two things that were immediately obvious to him based on what he remembered from the moment the Thief attacked him in his place to moment he was unplugged from the Matrix. The first was that they had wanted the grab to be nice and quiet without anyone knowing what was going on until they had made their getaway. It was clear from the way that the Thief had come out of his room, kicked his butt and then was called off by whoever was on the other end of the cell phone that confrontation was not included in their mission plan. The second was how determined they seemed to get him at the church with the numerous minions around and the rough treatment he received before having the pill shoved down his throat. This told him that they were determined to get him which was weird if he was just some average Joe America that they were planning on recruiting to the cause. However if they thought he either knew something or saw him as something that could help them in their 'crusade' then that might explain a few things. For the life of him though he couldn't recall anything that he might know important enough for what Gabriel and her group were trying to pull off. As for being special that was another nada since he was the most normal person of the Scooby gang and had never exhibited any out of the ordinary abilities. So all in all if there was anything important about him or within him he most certainly hadn't been told anything about it.
So either I was right and they're all idiots or else I'm suffering from an extreme case of amnesia. Xander thought as the elevator finally came to a stop on a floor and Niobe started to walk out.
She didn't say anything like "c'mon Xander! Hurry up!" so obviously she expected him to be smart enough to follow her along without having to be treated like a kid. Whether this is because she saw him as a competent person or simply was performing her duties and didn't really care one way or another whether he followed her. Still he did his best to keep up with her since the prospect of getting lost was not something he thought was of the good especially since it would only reinforce their suspicions that he was a spy if he wandered into a sensitive area. Looking at this 'residential area' if he could call it that it was obvious that this underground area had originally build to be some kind of factory, power plant or some other building not intended for human habitation. After all even the most utilitarian apartment complex still managed to look like it had been made with humans living there in mind. On every level up to four above and six below from what he could tell there was a set of doors arrayed next to each other from one end to another that looked like the doors on the Neo Trinity. All either oval or vertical rectangle shaped with a large wheel door knob in the middle to either open or close and perhaps even seal each room.
It seemed like this is what he would have to expect but to tell the truth he still took it as yet another piece of evidence at how harsh things were in the real world. Back in the Matrix things may have been fake but they were comfortable and in some cases promoted optimism in the future. Here though things were dreary to the point of being depressing and while there did exist some hope it was also accepted that it would be a long time before the human race would ever return to a level of living that they once knew. Until then he supposed he would just have to grin and bear it taking happiness and joy where he could and maybe try and get a posting on a ship once they stopped looking at him like he had a "I'm a spy" t-shirt on. Then he could occasionally go into the Matrix and for awhile pretend that nothing of what he had experienced in the last while was real.
Finally they seemed to reach their destination and with a spin of the wheel clockwise the door unlocked and Niobe pulled it open and entered the room. When he stepped in he found pipes and vents arrayed about the room just as he suspected they would be with a fold up bed present along with a sink and latrine. He shuddered at the hygienic faux pas this place had and how much it made him appreciate the basement he had been stuck in before he had moved to his apartment. It may have been damp, smelly and cold but compared to this place it was a luxury suite at the Ritz Carlton but as he doubted he could get a better room if such a room existed he would have to live with it.
"This will be your room until the Council decides what to do with you." , Niobe said as she gave a grand sweep of the room with her arm, "However as you might expect we would ask you to try and not be wasteful with water and the other resources made available to you. Things might be getting better ever since peace was achieved with the machines but we still have to make everything last as long as possible."
"Sure. Niobe? What do you think the Council's decision will be?" Xander asked hoping that she might have an idea of how good or how bad things were at the moment.
To this question she seemed to hesitate a moment before she said "Truthfully I don't know. Security is a constant concern with the people of Zion given that the rebels once lived here with us back during the war. However the most damaging weapon they have is that their leader was once in charge the city's security and defense. This has made the people's safety uncertain and in doubt with many on the ruling council and the defense force. For what it's worth though I don't think you're a spy."
"Why is that?" Xander asked innocently enough.
"You're too much of a pretty boy to be one." , Niobe said in a perfect deadpan manner, "I'll be around later to show you down to the mess hall for lunch."
With that she left and he was alone to do what he would until she returned. Deciding to start with the most important and then work his way down until his 'rescuer' returned he walked over to the bed and laid down to test its comfort factor. Unfortunately it turned out to be of the same quality as the rest of Zion as it was only a few steps above being a slab of concrete and maybe it was just his imagination but it kinda smelled. Hopefully though he could move up in the living conditions area as they came to trust him more and more otherwise he might wind up becoming as dark and moody as deadboy. Hopefully though if he even got that bad someone would have the decency to either shoot him or toss him over the railing outside his room. Heaven forbid that he should ever wind up acting like Lord Forehead even if it there was a chance that hot women liked the dark and moody type.
And so marks the transition from blissful ignorance to poverty level living conditions. , Xander thought angrily as he imagined the face of the person he held responsible, Thank you very much Gabriel, you pompous British bitch!
The Matrix, Sunnydale, Same Time
"Any luck?" Willow asked with concern as Buffy walked in the door looking more than a little tired.
"No. I hit every demon hang out, nest and lair in town as well as Willy's bar and none of them seemed to know anything about Xander." Buffy said with fatigue creeping into her voice.
It had been like this for the past two days ever since they had upgraded their status from 'haven't seen Xander around' to 'Xander is officially missing and likely in trouble'. Since then Buffy had started raising hell (figuratively speaking of course) with the local demon community trying to track him down and had little to show for her efforts except maybe scaring some species of demon out of town in a big hurry. Willow had been working on the less physical and more mental end of the investigation looking through the online sites she had been shown by Ms. Calendar . Unfortunately she was experiencing a similar lack of progress but that could just because of the premise she had been working on that the same people that had broken into Xander's place. All she had to show for it was a few vague accounts of leather wearing people disappearing from rooms with only one entrance and no exits. This matched what Buffy had been able to pound out of Willy the first time around but when she tried to delve deeper and go back a few years things just got increasingly vague and conflicting. Whoever these people were they were very good at covering their tracks and staying below even the arcane community's radar.
"Well then we're just going to have to work harder. Someone has to know something about where he's disappeared to!" Willow said with a little frustration and anger.
"Easy Willow. We will find Xander, I promise!" Buffy said as she plopped herself on a set next to Willow and the Magic Box book table.
Grabbing a random volume she began to try and sift through the information and find something useful despite her deficiencies in the area of homework and dusty book reading. She was determined to find her Xander-shaped friend no matter what and that included going through books that made her head hurt. Giles was out of town at the moment visiting a coven of witches overseas that he hoped would have a better time tracking Xander down using magic. After all Willow might be talented in the area of magic but she was still just a student whereas the coven was filled with seasoned experts with much more practice doing this sort of thing. Giles said that he would call them later today whether he had anything to report or not and would likely be back sometime later in the week. Until then they were left searching through every resource they had access to at the Magic Box and online to find answer to their questions. If they kept going as hard as they were and didn't let anything get in their they just might get their first bit of good info some time in the next decade.
Just then Buffy's Slayer sense pinged to life and let her know that something distinctly hellmouthy was approaching the front door to the store. Tossing the book back on the table she immediately took up a defensive position between the door and Willow keeping her hands at her side and near a dagger she had hidden on her belt beneath her coat. When the door opened and the bell over the door rang to announce a new customer she immediately went on the defensive at the sight of the rigid and obviously federal agents. They both looked like they had a titanium rod stuck up their asses and had a feel about them that screamed 'I am going to seriously creep you out for as long as I am here'. They stopped just inside of the door and seemed to case the place before proceeding over to them milking the mysterious 'Men in Black' routine to the max.
"Ms. Summers, Ms. Rosenberg. I am Agent Dalton and my partner is Agent Wright and it has come to the attention of our agency that you have been illegally hacking into several databases you shouldn't be." , Agent Dalton said as he seemed to focus on the pile of occult books on the table, "While this would normally result in your immediate arrest I can sympathize with your desire to find your friend. Therefore I will tell you what I can about your friend's situation."
"What do you know?" Buffy demanded as she attempted to intimidate the Agents who she was fairly certain were the ones who visited Xander before the day before he disappeared.
"While I cannot divulge everything Ms. Summers I can say that he has been relocated to a secure location for his own protection. The thief that broke into his apartment is a part of a terrorist group who for unknown reasons want him in their possession very badly." , Agent Dalton replied as he countered her intimidation tactics with an air of indifference, "Until such time as we can successfully determine the reasons for their actions Mr. Harris will be staying in federal custody."
This answered some of the Slayer's questions but not all of them as she got the distinct feeling that these guys weren't telling them everything but rather what they believed she needed to know. It was the same old cloak and dagger bullshit she that seemed so cliché in the movies but at present irked her big time. Still despite her wish to introduce these guys to her fist she knew it would only serve to plug up a potential source of information. She knew that if these guys were going to be investigating why this terrorist group was interested in Xander which meant that they would be keeping near Sunnydale and snooping around. If that was so then she could trail them when they were in town and hopefully learn what they were unwilling to tell them right now.
"Is there a way we can get in touch with him?" Willow asked who was likely torn between wanting Xander to be safe and losing contact with him completely in the process.
"At the moment it would be better if Mr. Harris remained hidden. Perhaps at a later date when more secure channels of communication are set up it may be possible for you to contact him but at the moment that would be inadvisable." , Agent Wright said in reply to the Wicca's question, "We will try to keep you as apprised as I can on the progress of our investigation but there will be some facts which will have to remain classified. Good day Ms. Rosenberg, Ms. Summers."
With that brief conversation the two agents left the store leaving the two Scoobies present in the store wondering just what it was that their friend had gotten them into.
Zion, Mess Hall, Noon
And the hits just keep on comin'! Xander thought to himself as he looked at what was supposed to be lunch.
Niobe had come to pick him up about half an hour ago and brought him here to show him where he could get something to eat and what they had to offer. Unfortunately he soon realized that living deep beneath the surface of the Earth had a serious effect on the variety of food that was available for consumption. Thanks to the clouds of darkness the blacked out the sun pretty much all plants had been rendered extinct within a decade of the Black Death as the clouds had come to be called. The only plants that were able to survive and currently existed here in Zion were ones that had been genetically altered so that they could survive off of artificial light instead of sunlight. Niobe had gone on to explain the matter further entering into geek territory but he had pretty much ignored her and just remembered to nod at the right moments. It had been an age old talent he had perfected in high school during class and only Willow had been able to see through his devious strategy. Fortunately that didn't stop her from helping him cram for tests or cobble together passable research papers on stuff he hadn't read about. By the time they got to the dispensers she had finished her little lecture and showed him what came out of what and how much he was allowed to have. Fruit was a big thing but also limited to one item of fruit per person on account of the size of the crop and how many people lived here. Niobe said that they were working on expanding that but that it was still in the planning stage.
However what made up the main dish however made him want to hijack the Neo Trinity, track down Gabriel and personally inform her of how 'displeased' he was over unplugging him from the Matrix. It looked for all intents and purposes as if someone had taken a handful of rice, mixed it with water diluted miracle whip and then put it into a blender on frappe. Needless to say he was none to eager to try it out so he decided to eat the apple (at least that is what he thought it was) as slow as possible and hope that he could hold out until supper when he could get his next piece of fruit. Anything except eating something that looked like someone had upchucked it onto his plate for him to re-consume. Unfortunately Niobe noticed this and the look on his face seemed to amuse her a great deal as she let out a light chuckle while shaking her head.
"Don't worry kid. Everyone recently unplugged pretty much as the same opinion of the stuff at first but it really doesn't taste that bad." , Niobe said with only a little amusement in her voice, "Besides it contains all the necessary nutrients and vitamins we need that we can't get the natural way."
Deciding to give her the benefit of a doubt he spooned some of the stuff up and put it in his mouth to see how it tasted. It was definitely making him miss the Matrix but he felt that if he had to he might be able to get used to it. Eventually. Until then though he figured the best way to deal with the foul taste would be for him to shovel it into his mouth as quick as he could and swallow before his sense of taste caught up with his brain. This seemed to make Niobe chuckle a bit harder and made him wonder how many other people had used a similar tactic to deal with this slop. In any case though he was finished the U.I.S (unidentified icky stuff) fairly quickly and tried to cover up the taste of the stuff with the fruit. It did a pretty good job but he could still taste some of the U.I.S in his mouth and hoped that it would eventually go away. Once they had returned their trays to the kitchen staff to be cleaned and sterilized Niobe took him to the elevator saying she wanted to show him 'The Temple'. According to the captain of the Neo Trinity it was used as a meeting place for important announcements, parties, mass and if need be a pseudo bomb shelter.
When they reached the entrance to the place he could see that it was apparently naturally formed stone cave with fissures here and there in the ground to let geo-thermal heat to come up and keep people warm. Unfortunately given that he was still wearing the clothes he had been wearing since waking up on the Neo Trinity it was a touch warm for him. The place was pretty empty at the moment with only a few people kneeling in prayer and they seemed to be dressed in clothes consistent with desert dwelling people. Hopefully they would be kind enough to bestow him with such garments or he was going to get pretty dehydrated if the meeting lasted longer than an hour. After Niobe finished her initial summary she seemed to space out for a bit as if reliving old and potent memories. Given what she said had been going on here in Zion ever since the end of the war with the machines it was easily believable that some pretty heavy stuff had happened to her. Betrayal, forced to fight those who she once called friend and not being able to let down her own guard even in her own home. Being here must remind her of happier times when they were all unified under a single banner and could trust one another with their lives. For a moment he wanted to try and comfort her but decided to keep his mouth shut. He barely knew her and she barely knew him so he didn't really have the right to be all buddy buddy with her like that so he just stood there and waited until she came out of it.
However it was at that time that someone coughed behind them making them both turn to face the person who had made the sound to find Morpheus standing there.
"Morpheus." Niobe said neutrally with her emotions concealed.
"Niobe. The Council has reached a decision regarding Mr. Harris." , Morpheus said although Xander could tell he was able to see past the woman's shields, "They are waiting for us in the council chambers."
Zion Council Chambers, Twenty Minutes Later
"Mr. Harris. It has been decided by this council that while we do not know why the rebel faction is so interested in you it is highly unlikely that you are one of their agents." , Councilman Harmann said in a speech like tone, "Therefore we welcome you into our community and hope that you will come to view us as family. However in this family everyone must pull their own weight and contribute something to the rest of the group. There are several options open to you from city maintenance to a post on one of newly commissioned hovercraft. The choice is yours."
Xander let out a mental sigh of relief at the thought that he was no longer suspect numero uno and could now move around without feeling like everyone was looking at him. As far as doing his part there wasn't really any choice as far as he was concerned.
"I'd like to be assigned to a hovercraft sir if that is alright with the council." Xander stated like he was talking to either a judge or a supervisor.
"For what purpose?" Morpheus asked out of the blue causing more than one member of the council and Niobe to look at him in puzzlement.
"Well to be brutally honest because it increases the chances of me being able to enter the Matrix and visit my friends when I can." Xander said deciding to confuse them by being completely honest rather than try and come up with a more appealing reason.
"Do you wish to return to the Matrix?" Morpheus asked bluntly which only seemed to confound the council members further and apparently irritated Niobe for some reason.
"No I don't. Now that I know the truth going back would be intolerable." Xander replied madding a concentrated effort not to let the man's questions provoke him.
"Why?" Morpheus asked ignoring the looks he was getting.
"Because ignoring the truth after learning it would make me a coward and I'm no coward." , Xander said with a stony tone of voice, "Besides Gabriel and her goon squad would only come back and unplug me eventually if I went back. Personally I think I'm safer here in your guys' company than in theirs."
Morpheus nodded, apparently accepting this answer for the time being although he was still giving the Zeppo the hairy eyeball for some reason.
"Well if that is truly your decision than we will review the status of the crews on the active hover crafts and see if there are any vacancies that need to be filled." Councilman Harmann said as he tried to return this meeting to some manner of normalness.
"With the council's permission I would be willing to add him to the crew of the Neo Trinity." Niobe said surprising everyone in the room to varying degrees.
"Do you have a reason for this offer Captain Niobe?" Morpheus asked with some hostility.
"It is a matter of fact that I am going to soon be reaching the age when most hovercraft captains retire. I know this and I accept it." , Niobe said remaining calm in the face of Morpheus' hostility, "If I start teaching Xander how to operate certain parts of the ship now it will make for a much smoother transition when the new captain is assigned later. Not as many positions to fill and there'll be someone to make sure the new guys don't mess up my ship when I'm gone."
This seemed to dispel whatever it was that Morpheus didn't like and he said "Very well then. If there are no objections from the other members of the council then I will place Xander as a crew member on the Neo Trinity in our official records."
Xander himself was still a little floored at Niobe volunteering him for a position aboard the Neo Trinity like this. After all they barely knew one another so it couldn't be for any personal reasons or for friendship. So why did she do it? He guess he would just have to wait and see if she would explain herself later.