Chapter 3
It had been three weeks since Adam who was now Phoenix was awakened and living in the real world. When he got his strength to move it would be time for his training in the construct. He was in a white karate uniform while his instructor, a young man with pale skin, dark hair, blue eyes and about the same age was dressed in black. His name was Talon. He began to speak.
"It is now time for your training Phoenix." He said.
"I can't believe I actually know Kung Fu." Phoenix told him.
Talon raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Yes, it's amazing what you learn when you become unplugged. So you wanna show me?"
Talon assumed the fighting stance.
"Attack me." He told him.
Phoenix assumed a similar stance cautiously circling until he gave a short cry and charged at Talon, launching a furious attack. Fist and feet flew at high speed but no matter how hard Phoenix tried, Talon was kicking his ass.
Back on the bridge everyone was watching while Phoenix was jerking in his chair and next to him Talon was breathing steadily.
Back in the Dojo, Phoenix looked pissed, his face twisted with rage and frustration. He hurled himself at Talon.
"Good. Adaptation. Improvisation. But weakness is not your technique." Talon said.
And with that Talon attacked him and it was nothing like Phoenix had never seen. Talon's fist and feet were flying everywhere taking him apart. For every blow that Phoenix blocked, Talon came back with another and another until he fell. Talon stood over him.
"Tell me, how did I beat you?"
"You're too fucking fast." Phoenix said as he trying to catch his breath.
"Do you think that my being faster, stronger has anything to do with muscles in this place? We're the same size and height man."
Phoenix was frustrated by Talon's words. He was still unable to catch his breath.
"Do you this is really air that we are breathing right now?" Talon asked him.
Phoenix squinted at him.
"If you can free your mind then the body will follow."
Phoenix was now on his feet. He now understood.
"Again." Talon ordered.
This time fists were flying at a blur.
Back on the bridge everyone was watching the fight. A young bald man stood next to the operator, his mane was Shocker.
"Jesus Christ! The motherfucker is fast!" Shocker said with amazement.
"Yeah no shit!" Said the girl next to him.
"Talon is right, he has got to be the second coming." The operator said under his breath.
Back in the Dojo the speed increased between the two men. Finally with one single blow ,Phoenix caught Talon off guard knocking him down.
"I don't fucking believe it!" Shocker said.
Talon was now down on the ground rubbing his face.
"I believe you are pissed off at me." Talon said.
Phoenix panted because he was exhausted and yes he was pissed.
"Ya think?"
"It okay. It's natural to be pissed off."
"I do feel better." Phoenix admitted.
Talon got up and walked over to Phoenix putting his arm around him.
"That is good. Anger is a gift, Phoenix, but it's a heavy one."
Talon smiled and patted him on the back.
"Blaze, load the jump program."
They were now on top of a roof. Phoenix was now in his street clothes and Talon was in a long dark jack that went to his ankles.
"You must let go of that anger, you have to let go of everything."
A cold wind whipped right through the both of them making Talon's long jacket blow in the breeze.
"You must empty yourself to free your mind."
And with that he spun, running hard at the edge of the rooftop. He jumped. He sailed through the air with his coat billowing out behind him like a cape. Once he came close, somersaulted in midair and landed on the roof across from them.
"Shit." Was all Phoenix could say.
Phoenix look down to the street above twenty floors below and then at Talon who was an impossible fifty feet away.
"Okay I can do this. I'm freeing my mind."
He took a deep breath.
"Free my mind." He said to himself.
He concentrated and then he ran. He leaped off the roof and just like in Wyle E. Coyote cartoon he stopped in mid air and then he fell straight down hitting the ground hard, except he wasn't dead. Talon was there a few moments later to help him up.
"Everyone falls the first time." Talon reassured him.
Phoenix nodded quietly.
"If you never know failure, how can you learn success?"
Back on the bridge Shocker had really hoped that Talon was right.
"What does it mean?" Shocker asked.
"It doesn't mean anything." Said the girl next him.
A few moments later both Talon and Phoenix were unplugged , but Phoenix was cradling his ribs and held his mouth, he discovered he was bleeding a little bit. He stared at it.
"I thought you couldn't get hurt in the matrix."
He continued to stare at his own blood.
"So does that mean that if you are killed in the matrix, you die here too?"
"That is correct. The body cannot live without the mind." Talon told him.
Phoenix was exhausted after the training and went to bed. He closed his eyes and started to dream. It was raining heavily. And to each side of him there were rows of women dressed in black. All the same copper red hair perfectly pulled back, with the same sunglasses and the same painted crimson lips. To the right a lone woman stepped out removing her dark glasses in the rain revealing her almost glowing amber eyes. She slowly walked up to him until they were almost nose to nose in the rain. He spoke.
"It ends tonight." He told her.
"I know. I have seen it and I know it is me who beats you Mr. Anderson. So the rest of me is just going to sit back and watch the show." She told him in a smug tone.
She threw the first punch knocking him down to the ground and then like a wild animal she pounced on him, pinning him down. They looked into each others eyes and then she kissed him. He resisted at first and then he kissed her back as her copies looked on. A noise in the distance got louder and then finally he was back in his bed on the ship.
He awoke with a bolt and in a cold sweat. He was disturbed by the dream because the agents were nothing but cold hearted killing program even if they were female. But yet Phoenix could not help but be bewitched by Agent Lewis' beauty. Why did the matrix have to make a killing program that beautiful? But he couldn't think such things. Phoenix was human she was a program and a very dangerous program at that.
