Chapter 8: It can't be… but it is…
Mia swallowed hard and walked forward. She could hear her simulated heart beating in her ears – what was he going to do to her, where was this place? She had never believed him when he said he just wanted to talk – Agents did not talk to people – they killed them.
The entire crew crowded around the monitors and watched as Mia and the Agent walked up to the apartment door and went in. The screens suddenly all went blank and the only thing they could tell was that she was still in the Matrix. Her vitals went off and it was as if she had stepped through a door and shut it closed behind her. Lewis leaned forward and said, "The Bastard has a God Damned Firewall!"
As Mia walked into the room, she stopped and stared. It was her old apartment, the one she had lived in while she was still in the Matrix. She walked in and stood in the living room as a rush of mixed emotions flew through her mind. She raised her hand to her mouth and was not sure what she was feeling. She heard the door close and forced her thoughts back to the present. She watched as Agent Smith walked towards her but stopped a few feet away and stood just watching her. She met his glare unflinching and waited for him to speak. After a few minutes of staring at each other, she once again had to look away. She heard him chuckle and then say, "So, what to do you think of this place? I thought we could talk better if you were in familiar surroundings. "Mia walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge and shook her head, it had everything even, even down to the iced tea. She shut the door and stood looking at the Agent standing in her kitchen doorway and felt like she was in the middle of some really bad nightmare. She pulled out a chair, sat down and said, "Okay, so what do you want to talk about, what's so important that you practically kidnap me." She took off her sun glasses setting them down the table and rubbed her temples as if getting ready for anything he was going to say.
She watched as he reached into his jacket and she flinched as she thought he was going for his gun. She looked through her arms to see him hold up a pair of sun glasses and show her they were not his gun. He walked over to the table to her and slowly raised the sun glasses to his nose and sniffed before placing them down next to her. He said, "They still smell like you." Mia looked from the glasses to him and said, "You brought me here to give me my sun glasses back and to tell me I smell nice?" He tilted his head and answered, "No, there are other things I wish to discuss as well. As I said in our first meeting, I want to learn about humans and their thinking methods – although crude, they do have their purpose." Mia used her foot and kicked out a chair and said," Sit down, you're making me more nervous than I already am." Agent Smith looked at the chair and then undid his suit jacket button as he sat down facing her. He began, "I do not mean to make you nervous although I do understand how I, being an Agent of the System can cause this. You have my word that I will not harm you while we are in this area. Think of this place as neutral ground. But once outside, you are just another rebel." Mia watched him as he said this and then said, "Take off your sun glasses. What do you want to talk about?" She watched as he removed his sun glasses and neatly folded them, placing them on the table. He then clasped his hands and leaned forward saying, "I want to know everything about you, why you think and do the things you do." Mia blinked and said, "That's a lot to cover and you do know that I can't tell you some things. I also think it's only fair that if you get to ask questions, I get to ask them back." He nodded and said," Okay, I will ask the first question. Why did you come back into the Matrix if you knew I would be looking for you?" Mia shifted uneasily in her chair and answered, "Because everyone wanted to know what you wanted to know and why." He nodded and said, "I have already answered that. Your question now…"
Mia thought about a question and asked him about being an Agent and if he liked it. His answer was, 'It is my purpose, I was created for it and I do it exceptionally well. Mia eyes widened at the last statement as she realized this A.I – this Agent had an ego!
He asked her about her life outside of the Matrix, she answered the best she could without giving too much away. She asked him about the Matrix and how long he had been an Agent. The questions went back and forth for a while, each gaining a better understanding of the other.
Agent Smith had launched a new set of questions and Mia was beginning to wonder if he was going to let her go. He had asked her how long she had been awake and if she had any regrets about being in the real world. She shook her head and said, "No, she'd rather have a tough existence than live in slavery. He then started a debate on how the humans had first enslaved the machines and it was only when the machines started thinking for themselves, did man panic. " The conversation had become heated for several minutes before Mia realized she was sitting there yelling at an Agent. All at once, she sat back and became quiet. For a minute, she forgot who she was arguing with and what amazed her most, he was arguing with her!
Agent Smith listened to Mia's argument and admitted that she had some valid points but she just would not accept the fact that machines were just plain superior. That the humans had their time and it was only evolution that was happening now. He was surprised that she had argued with him to the point of raising her voice and a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, She must have noticed because she suddenly went quiet. He adjusted the cuffs on his shirt and said, "Mia, I have found our conversation enlightening and I think you are very interesting for a human. I would like to continue this discussion at another time, that is, if you feel comfortable enough in my presence? As I said, this place will be considered neutral and no Agents will come after you as long as you're in here. When you enter this place, I will know and meet you here. But I caution you, always come alone. I have made an exception for you and you alone, I cannot guarantee the safety of anyone else who came with you. "
Mia sat back and thought about his offer, it was intriguing to listen to him talk. She didn't trust him but so far he had kept his word. She only said, "I will need to run this past my crewmates and see what they have to say. " He leaned back in the chair and said, "Alright, as I am sure that your superiors are as interested in what we talked about as mine are." He stood and Mia took this as her sign to exit and stood up as well. She walked from the kitchen to the living room with him close behind her. She started walking towards the door when he called out for her to wait. She turned to face him and found that he was right in front her and she nearly bumped into him. She watched as he reached up and unplugged the wire piece to his ear and dropped it, letting it dangle over the edge of his collar. Agent Smith then reached over and touched her long hair before brushing it off her shoulder to hang down her back. He was looking at hair as he said, "I have never touched a human before that I didn't kill. Mia, there is something different about you and I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's your smell that I find intriguing or the way you look at me. I only know that I… am curious about you." He then placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned over and breathed in her scent.
Mia could feel the weight of his hands on her shoulders and the nearness of him made her dizzy. She didn't know if it was fear or something else that was making her heart quicken. He had a smell to him as well, he smelled like freshly laundered clothes which surprised her. She realized they were both doing the same thing and quickly stepped back out of his touch. She thought, this could not be happening but only said, "I had better go." He held out her sun glasses and said, "We will exchange these so I know you will be back." Mia nodded and handed the ones she had in her hand to him and taking the ones offered, put them on. As she walked to the door, she heard him say, "You have 5 minutes to make it to your exit." Mia turned the handle and started running.
Mia swallowed hard and walked forward. She could hear her simulated heart beating in her ears – what was he going to do to her, where was this place? She had never believed him when he said he just wanted to talk – Agents did not talk to people – they killed them.
The entire crew crowded around the monitors and watched as Mia and the Agent walked up to the apartment door and went in. The screens suddenly all went blank and the only thing they could tell was that she was still in the Matrix. Her vitals went off and it was as if she had stepped through a door and shut it closed behind her. Lewis leaned forward and said, "The Bastard has a God Damned Firewall!"
As Mia walked into the room, she stopped and stared. It was her old apartment, the one she had lived in while she was still in the Matrix. She walked in and stood in the living room as a rush of mixed emotions flew through her mind. She raised her hand to her mouth and was not sure what she was feeling. She heard the door close and forced her thoughts back to the present. She watched as Agent Smith walked towards her but stopped a few feet away and stood just watching her. She met his glare unflinching and waited for him to speak. After a few minutes of staring at each other, she once again had to look away. She heard him chuckle and then say, "So, what to do you think of this place? I thought we could talk better if you were in familiar surroundings. "Mia walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge and shook her head, it had everything even, even down to the iced tea. She shut the door and stood looking at the Agent standing in her kitchen doorway and felt like she was in the middle of some really bad nightmare. She pulled out a chair, sat down and said, "Okay, so what do you want to talk about, what's so important that you practically kidnap me." She took off her sun glasses setting them down the table and rubbed her temples as if getting ready for anything he was going to say.
She watched as he reached into his jacket and she flinched as she thought he was going for his gun. She looked through her arms to see him hold up a pair of sun glasses and show her they were not his gun. He walked over to the table to her and slowly raised the sun glasses to his nose and sniffed before placing them down next to her. He said, "They still smell like you." Mia looked from the glasses to him and said, "You brought me here to give me my sun glasses back and to tell me I smell nice?" He tilted his head and answered, "No, there are other things I wish to discuss as well. As I said in our first meeting, I want to learn about humans and their thinking methods – although crude, they do have their purpose." Mia used her foot and kicked out a chair and said," Sit down, you're making me more nervous than I already am." Agent Smith looked at the chair and then undid his suit jacket button as he sat down facing her. He began, "I do not mean to make you nervous although I do understand how I, being an Agent of the System can cause this. You have my word that I will not harm you while we are in this area. Think of this place as neutral ground. But once outside, you are just another rebel." Mia watched him as he said this and then said, "Take off your sun glasses. What do you want to talk about?" She watched as he removed his sun glasses and neatly folded them, placing them on the table. He then clasped his hands and leaned forward saying, "I want to know everything about you, why you think and do the things you do." Mia blinked and said, "That's a lot to cover and you do know that I can't tell you some things. I also think it's only fair that if you get to ask questions, I get to ask them back." He nodded and said," Okay, I will ask the first question. Why did you come back into the Matrix if you knew I would be looking for you?" Mia shifted uneasily in her chair and answered, "Because everyone wanted to know what you wanted to know and why." He nodded and said, "I have already answered that. Your question now…"
Mia thought about a question and asked him about being an Agent and if he liked it. His answer was, 'It is my purpose, I was created for it and I do it exceptionally well. Mia eyes widened at the last statement as she realized this A.I – this Agent had an ego!
He asked her about her life outside of the Matrix, she answered the best she could without giving too much away. She asked him about the Matrix and how long he had been an Agent. The questions went back and forth for a while, each gaining a better understanding of the other.
Agent Smith had launched a new set of questions and Mia was beginning to wonder if he was going to let her go. He had asked her how long she had been awake and if she had any regrets about being in the real world. She shook her head and said, "No, she'd rather have a tough existence than live in slavery. He then started a debate on how the humans had first enslaved the machines and it was only when the machines started thinking for themselves, did man panic. " The conversation had become heated for several minutes before Mia realized she was sitting there yelling at an Agent. All at once, she sat back and became quiet. For a minute, she forgot who she was arguing with and what amazed her most, he was arguing with her!
Agent Smith listened to Mia's argument and admitted that she had some valid points but she just would not accept the fact that machines were just plain superior. That the humans had their time and it was only evolution that was happening now. He was surprised that she had argued with him to the point of raising her voice and a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, She must have noticed because she suddenly went quiet. He adjusted the cuffs on his shirt and said, "Mia, I have found our conversation enlightening and I think you are very interesting for a human. I would like to continue this discussion at another time, that is, if you feel comfortable enough in my presence? As I said, this place will be considered neutral and no Agents will come after you as long as you're in here. When you enter this place, I will know and meet you here. But I caution you, always come alone. I have made an exception for you and you alone, I cannot guarantee the safety of anyone else who came with you. "
Mia sat back and thought about his offer, it was intriguing to listen to him talk. She didn't trust him but so far he had kept his word. She only said, "I will need to run this past my crewmates and see what they have to say. " He leaned back in the chair and said, "Alright, as I am sure that your superiors are as interested in what we talked about as mine are." He stood and Mia took this as her sign to exit and stood up as well. She walked from the kitchen to the living room with him close behind her. She started walking towards the door when he called out for her to wait. She turned to face him and found that he was right in front her and she nearly bumped into him. She watched as he reached up and unplugged the wire piece to his ear and dropped it, letting it dangle over the edge of his collar. Agent Smith then reached over and touched her long hair before brushing it off her shoulder to hang down her back. He was looking at hair as he said, "I have never touched a human before that I didn't kill. Mia, there is something different about you and I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's your smell that I find intriguing or the way you look at me. I only know that I… am curious about you." He then placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned over and breathed in her scent.
Mia could feel the weight of his hands on her shoulders and the nearness of him made her dizzy. She didn't know if it was fear or something else that was making her heart quicken. He had a smell to him as well, he smelled like freshly laundered clothes which surprised her. She realized they were both doing the same thing and quickly stepped back out of his touch. She thought, this could not be happening but only said, "I had better go." He held out her sun glasses and said, "We will exchange these so I know you will be back." Mia nodded and handed the ones she had in her hand to him and taking the ones offered, put them on. As she walked to the door, she heard him say, "You have 5 minutes to make it to your exit." Mia turned the handle and started running.