Wow, you're still reading? Good on you, my friend! The Merovingian does speak quite a bit of French – if he says anything important, I've put the translation next to it. If there's no translation, then don't worry about it – he's just grumbling. :)
Thanks so much for the reviews:) Yes, there will be a twin vs. twin showdown in the later chapters. Heehee! This chapter is mostly explaining the situation; after this things get juicy… Sorry so short, next chapter will be longer.
See 1st chapter for disclaimer.
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The Merovingian paced restlessly up and down in front of his desk, brow furrowed, deep in thought. It was one of those times again.
He was hiding more rogue programmes than anyone else in the Matrix, and the authorities were well aware of it. He was very high on the list for deletion, along with nearly everyone he was harbouring, and the Architect was making yet another attempt at destroying him.
It was quite a regular occurrence, in fact – every year or so, someone (usually the Architect) would send a band of programmes after him, each one bigger and better than the last, but none had yet succeeded in taking him back to the Source.
It was a disturbance he was getting used to, even learning to ignore. Since he had found the Virus Twins, things had been considerably easier. But this time was different.
There were rumours going around that Neo had 2 younger sisters still in the Matrix. Of course, the Merovingian only saw potential in that – potential for his benefit. They, surely, could protect him from the Architect's henchmen? All he would have to do would be find them, free their minds, and get them on his side. The first and last parts wouldn't be hard at all. But the meatiest part of his plan was nigh on impossible for him.
No programme had the necessary means or authority to free minds. Only humans already outside the Matrix could do that. But it had to be done, or they would never reach their full potentials, which was what he needed. This was where his problem lay.
His chain of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Yes?" he called. Abel poked his head around the door, and held up several sheets of paper. The Merovingian nodded him in, and went over to shut the door behind him.
"Qu'est-ce qu'avez vous? What have you got?" Abel handed him the paper, and began to give him a brief narrative of the contents as he flipped through them.
"Neo's sisters are twins, Hannah and Sarah. Parents are divorced; they were living in Paris with their father, then in England with their mother, but she disappeared with an as-yet unidentified man when they were twelve and they ended up in a boarding school – the details are just there – and they've been there for the past 3 years. Socially introverted, philosophically inclined…minds just waiting to be freed."
The Merovingian shook his head as he scanned the information on the pages he held in front of him.
"Yes, yes - c'est vrai, mon ami, but who is going to do it?"
Abel grinned. "That's covered on the back page. Someone else is after them. We don't know who – some Egyptian guy by the sounds of things, but whoever it is has convinced Morpheus to do it for them."
"Morpheus?"
"Yes – we think it will be within the next week or so. If we can get hold of them after they're freed but before they're handed over to this other guy, then we're in."
"Seulement une semaine…a week is hardly any time. Merde, we are going to have to work fast." The Merovingian sat down behind his desk and put the papers to one side. "Go and find out when and where they will be after their minds are freed. Tell me when you know and I will send the Virus Twins to fetch them here. You have until tomorrow. Bon soir."
