Chapter 3
It was the very next evening and everyone in the matrix was gathered for a meeting at Club Hel. Jackson walked in and noticed that the huge crowd was both human and program. Niobe, who was now an old woman was in the center of the room holding a small box. The Zion elder began to speak.
"Alright everyone! Gather around and be quiet! As you all know the hour has come to choose for this night. Each person's name in this box has been checked."
Jackson watched from the back of the club as the box was ceremoniously handed to Merv who opened it.
"May the gods of Zion and 01 watch over them." She said.
She unfolded the paper and spoke the name.
"Rama Kandra. Are you here?"
A few seconds later, an older mid-western gentleman with silver hair and a shotgun stepped forward.
"I am. I take my responsibility." The man answered.
A few seconds later an attractive young woman in her mid 20's with long dark hair and olive skin stepped forward and grabbed the old man's arm.
"Please father." The young woman begged.
And then she turned to Niobe to speak.
"He has already been up once my lady. Why does he go again?"
"This is a lottery, Sati. It is just as easily might be anyone here in this room." Her father said.
"Then... I will go with you father." Sati said.
"No, Sati. You will obey my wishes."
He looked into the crowd and saw Merv standing not far away.
"Merv, please look after my daughter." He said.
Merv nodded silently as he took Rama's reluctant daughter out of the room. The poor woman broke down in tears as the Frenchman gently lead her out of the room. Jackson walked up to the sobbing girl as Merv tried to comfort her.
"Everything will be okay. Nothing is going to hurt your father out there." Jackson said handing her a kleenex.
"You really have no clue do you?" She said through her tears.
The crowd watched as Rama Kandra made his way into the night.
Later on that evening Jackson was back at his apartment typing at his computer terminal and out of nowhere he heard a voice that he could have sworn belonged to Persephone.
"You will dream."
Jackson stopped typing for a moment until he heard a knock at the door.
"It's me." It was Persephone.
Jackson looked at himself in the mirror next to the computer and straightened his tie and then he got up to answer the door to find Persephone smiling that sweet warm smile that would make any male human or program melt.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Jackson said.
"I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I would drop by and say hello."
They stood there for the longest moment and then finally Jackson spoke..
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" She asked.
"Oh yeah! Come on in." Jackson said.
Persephone entered Jackson's small studio apartment and looked around.
"Sorry, it's not much but I call it home...for now."
"It's not bad, but it could use a woman's touch." She said with a smile.
Jackson grinned at her comment.
"Anyway, what brings you here?" He asked.
"Well I was doing my research and it seems that during earlier versions of the matrix, this whole area used to be an Indian burial ground. The chiefs would hold rituals before their land was taken." She told him.
Jackson could not believe his ears.
"Okay so what you are saying is this supposed curse has stuck in this particular area with every reload of the matrix?"
"Pretty much." Persephone said.
"Okay go on."
"It's also something in the air that dreams come to everyone. Back when this was Indian land, spells were cast and they still linger with each reload. Only they get stronger. You see the battle between machines and humans was small compared to this."
"Okay so what are you saying Persephone?"
"That every living being has a soul, both machine and human. And there is something more sinister here than what meets the eye." She told him.
Jackson was beginning to think Persephone was a nut job until she changed the subject.
"Another reason I stopped by, is that I wanted to apologize for Merv's behavior when you first arrived. There was no excuse for that."
She turned to leave.
"I'll be going now." She said.
Jackson stopped her.
"No, wait I should be the one apologizing. I uh... well... when it comes to meeting new people... I'm just..." Jackson couldn't find the words.
"Shy?" Persephone finished.
"Not really shy. I'm just not good at making small talk with people I just met is all." Jackson confessed.
Jackson offered Persephone a seat on the couch and they sat down together and continued talking.
"Is it just me? Or are you always this nervous around females?"
"Maybe it was because your husband was being an asshole."
"Oh that's just Merv. He gets like that. We have had long talks about his jealously issues. But with no success." Persephone said as she rolled her eyes and spoke about her husband.
"Ah, that would explain his anger issues. Can I offer you anything to drink?" Jackson said.
"Water will be fine." She answered.
Jackson excused himself and went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He grabbed two bottles of Evian water. He made his way back to room where Persephone was still sitting on the couch.
"Is bottled water okay?" He asked.
"Of course." Persephone said.
He sat down beside her and she continued to speak.
"You know I have heard a great deal about The Agency. It sounds like a fascinating job you have."
As she spoke, Jackson could not help but be mesmerized by her warm brown eyes and sweet smile. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, But knowing that she was a married woman he quickly dismissed those thoughts out his head.
"It's okay. But how about you tell me about this headless Agent program." Jackson prodded.
"Not all think that this an Agent program. Many say that witches come from all parts of Zion and the matrix to steal skulls, both human and machine for their rituals. Some believe that a person in this very mainframe kneels before the dark lord, offering death as tribute. And then there are those few that believe it is all a bunch a bullshit stories." She explained.
"So tell me are you superstitious?" He asked.
"To imply that one is superstitious is to imply a fear of magic. But not all magic is black, there is white magic too." She said.
"There's no such thing as magic. We're machines, magic is a human belief."
Persephone cocked her eyebrow at the Agent's comment.
"Really? Then what about the works of William Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson claiming that the proof of magic is in a rose at full bloom, or even in a single tear." She challenged.
"Human poets have silly notions about plants and bodily secretions anyway. We programs don't have to worry about such things."
Persephone let out a small laugh at Jackson's comment.
"You are too funny." She said.
A few moments later the phone rang. A look of fear spread across Persephone's face. Both she and Jackson had a feeling something bad had went down.