**I typed up this chapter using the computer at school, so if there are any mistakes of any sort, I'm sorry I was rushing. +Foul language in this chapter, enjoy.**
Chapter 9
Zion
Frost sat there with Oz for over three hours, patching holes and reattaching things. At the moment Oz was hanging upside down from the underneath of the ship. Frost watched the former werewolf as he swung back and forth. The harness attached to his waist letting his arms hang free past his head, while his legs were pointed upward. Frost felt so confused. Was Oz right? Was his whole life a lie? Nothing made sense. He looked down again and saw his reflection in a pool of water. His reflection, something the matrix told him, he shouldn't be able to see. Oz climbed up his harness.
"Ready to go back in?" Frost nodded his head and followed Oz up to the top of the ship.
"Damn." Frost looked down to see Oz holding his right hand, which was bleeding from a gash on his palm. Oz caught Frost's eyes. "You want a taste, don't you?" Frost was surprised by Oz's bluntness. "I can see it in your eyes." Oz rubbed the blood onto Frost lips. "Taste," he commanded. Frost licked his lips. The blood tasted salty, not sweet like it should, did. He turned his head and spat the blood out. "See what I mean?"
"I've such an idiot." Frost said, as he opened the hatch. He ignored the ladder and simply dropped into the ship. Oz watched Frost disappear as he climbed in and closed the hatch behind him.
The next day the crew sat eating lunch, when Eyecon walked in. He stood at the head of the table and waited for everyone attention. "I know all of you can't wait to get home. I also know you, well those of you who have been with me for a while, have been waiting for my announcement. I know in the past few months I haven't been much of a captain to you. I mentally haven't been fit to. I hope you will forgive me for that and give my successor the same respect you gave me. It has been an honor and my pleasure to work with all of you. Crew, please respect Oz as you have me." The crew smiled.
"Thank you, sir." Oz replied.
"We're docking." They heard Ivy yell.
"Well, I guess I'll see you all in two weeks." Oz said, as he stood and put his empty bowl away.
Roin shook Oz's hand, walked over to Eyecon and hugged him. "I'll see you all later." He said as he left the room. Twitch followed Roin lead: shaking Oz's hand, hugging Eyecon, and leaving. Kale hugged Oz and Eyecon. "I'll come visit, I promise."
She said as Ivy entered the room. Kale pulled away and let Ivy give a hug, too. "It's been an awesome ride." Ivy said. "Oz, I'll see you in two weeks." With that the sisters left.
Faith watched as El stood slowly, but ran to Eyecon with tears in her eyes. "I'll miss you." She said hugging him.
"Take care, and feel free to come visit." He said returning the hug.
"You too, and I will." She said through sniffles. She pulled away, smiled at him, and then ran to catch up with Twitch.
"Faith, Frost, go with El, I'll meet you later." Oz ordered.
They stood and shook Eyecon's hand, before leaving the room. They found El waiting for them at central ops. She led them to the hatch, the others were already gone. Faith glanced up there were docking bays with ships both above and below them.
El led them across the catwalk to a bank of elevators. "You guys are going to stay with Oz and me." El explained as she pushed a button for the elevator. When the doors opened they revealed a very weary looking man and woman. Faith felt a buzz. It was the man she saw at the Oracle's. "You!" Faith said as she got on. He looked up at confused. "I know you; you're from Morpheus' ship." She said recovering from her sudden outburst.
"Oh, my name's Neo."
"I'm Faith."
The woman made eye contact with El.
"Trinity, this is Frost." El said. "Frost, Trinity."
The elevator door opened. Neo stepped out and turned back to Faith. "It was nice to meet you." He said to them, but was looking at Faith.
Trinity smiled at everyone, but Faith who she stared coldly at. The doors closed in front of her.
"He gives me the creeps."  Frost commented more to himself than to the others.
"He's a changeling." Faith said.
"How?" †El asked.
"The Oracle said that I will be able to sense changelings."
"Oh." El replied. "Well, this is us." She said as the door opened again. She turned left and opened the sixth door. "Two beds, one bath, and a living room."
Frost took a seat at the table. "So where's Oz?"
"Every captain is told the codes to the Zion mainframe. He's gone to receive them."
Faith suddenly felt a buzz. She stepped back out into the hall in time to see a teenaged boy walk by. He turned back and smiled at her. His skin was tan, his hair in thick dreads with pieces of metal twisted into it, and his face was shaped like and upside down tear drop. He looked like he was wearing eyeliner, but she had a feeling that he wasn't, that it was natural. He faced her completely, smiling like Cheshire cat, mischievously. "Hello, slayer." He spoke, and then continued on his way.
"And you are?" She asked regaining her composure. He kept walking. "Just wait, the answers will come." He said as he disappeared into an elevator.
El appeared in the doorway. "Faith?"
"Who, who's that?"
"Sorry missed him." El stepped back as Faith entered the room. "What did he look like?"
"Tan, your height, dreads."
"Oh, Ra."
"Like the Egyptian god?"
"I think, Oz knows him better."
"That's what he said."
Oz couldn't believe he was captain. He left Eyecon at his room after he received the codes. Eyecon was a good man, he would miss him. He pressed the elevator button. When the door opened, he laughed at who was inside.
"Oz!" The boy hugged him. He pulled away and patted his shoulder. "Captain Oz?"
"Good to see you again, Ra."
"I met your slayer."
"Not mine, everyone's."
"She's cute."
Oz raised an eyebrow. "Not the word I would have picked."
"Dangerous, sexy, witty."
"First two," Oz said smiling. Oz tinted his head to the side, in an animalistic way. "You like her."
"I get this vibe from her, she's special."
Oz nodded his head.
"Yeah."
"Can I join you?"
"Why so you can to keep asking me questions about Faith?" Oz said giving Ra a mischievous smile.
Ra slapped Oz's arm.
Faith was doing push ups when she felt that buzz again. She lost concentration and plopped onto the floor. Frost snorted. The door opened as Faith sat up. It was Oz and the changeling from the hall.
"Hello again." He said to Faith.
Oz gave Ra a look, but he just smiled back. "Faith, Frost, this is Ra, Ra, Faith."
Ra shook their hands and smiled. "A vampire and a slayer, you have excellent taste, Oz."
"How do you know what we are?" Frost asked.
"I can sense changelings."
Faith narrowed her eyes at that statement.
"So are we going to go down and get some dinner?" Oz asked.
El stood up. "Finally."
Faith smiled, as Frost smirked. El may act like an adult some times, but she was still a 17 year old. She led them out, down the hall, and past the elevators they had used early to a new bank of elevators. The elevator was there waiting for them, when El pushed the down button.
"We could eat in our rooms if we choose to, but after being on the ship for so long it nice to be around people."
"Meaning Oz wants to show you two off." Ra said.
The doors opened to reveal a large cavern. People were everywhere, both unjacked and Zion born. Faith felt a huge buzz; she suddenly understood what her watcher meant all those years ago about sensing vampires in a crowd.
"OZ!" Two voices exclaimed.
The group looked up to see a boy and a girl rushing toward them. They both had shoulder length hair. The boy was blonde and the girl was a brunette. They stopped in front of Oz.
"Party tonight!" She exclaimed.
"Huge, we set up drums. He added.
Oz smiled slightly. "Guys."
They froze when they saw Faith and Frost.
"Company?" He asked.
"New guys." She added.
"Faith, Frost, this is Axel (gestures to the girl) and Rose (points to the boy). Guess who they admire?"
Frost rolled his eyes, as Faith arched an eyebrow.
"When were they unjacked?" Faith asked.
"Six years ago."
"So you haven't heard the new album?" Faith asked.
Oz shook his head scolding. "Faith, don't."
"Don't what?" Rose asked.
"Nothing," Oz said. "What's the celebration for tonight?"
"The one has been discovered." Axel said proudly.
"That will be a small party." Ra remarked. "Who found him, Morpheus?" He mocked.
"What's the deal with the one?" Frost asked.
"He is supposed to a savior." Ra said, like he was describing a children's story. "I always hoped that the one would be a slayer." He said glancing at Faith.
"Thanks, I think."
As they continued toward the dining hall, more and more people came over to congratulate Oz or chat with Ra. Zionians and changelings were in awe of the first unjacked slayer. People watched the group of changelings with wonder and awe. Faith noticed groups of people huddled along the wall. Some seemed to be trading while others were eagerly talking over pieces of machinery. As she walked by she caught bits of conversations.
"No, no, you have to oil the gears, and then tighten this line."
"I just don't understand it, yesterday it worked fine. Now I can't even get the engine to turn on."
"Did you check the boiler?"
"Faith?" She heard Frost suddenly ask.
"What?" She asked as she turned to see that the group was a few feet ahead of her. "Sorry." She muttered as she caught up to them. "This place is just so...big."
"Sensory overload." El said. "Understandable, my first time here Eyecon spent an hour trying to find me."
"He found her fighting with programmers." Oz whispered to Faith.
Faith smiled as she looked up to see a tall, lanky, pale-white man white long white-blonde hair walk up to Oz.
"Oz, Ra." His voice was strong and raspy. "Tomorrow 11am, meeting of Changelings, intros. and discussion of the One situation." He spoke like a soldier on a mission.
"Trans, calm down." Ra said, placing his hand on the man's arm.
"Sorry, it's just she's so full of energy." He said as his line of sight trailed over to Faith.
"Sorry about him, he's an empathic ghost." Oz said.
"Empathic?" Faith asked.
"He can sense people's emotions." Frost explained.
"Oh," Faith held out her hand. "Faith," he took it and shook it.
"Trans," he said trying to hold off a shiver. "You're very powerful."
"Thanks, Trans, does that stand for something."
"Translucent." He replied, glaring at Ra.
"What?" Ra asked innocently. "I didn't say anything."
"No, but you usually do. For someone your age, you're quite immature."
"Hey, I'm an immortal 18 year old, forever stuck in the same body with the same hormones."
"Yeah, but you're over 300."
"Your point, Mr. Transsexual."
"Translucent, ass."
"Whelp."
"Are they always like this?" Faith asked.
Oz nodded his head.
As Ra and Trans continued to bicker, Frost turned to Oz. "He's 300?"
Oz shook his head no. "Older, but he says that 300 is a nice even number. Truth is he has no idea how old he is. In the matrix, he's supposed to be thousands of years old, but..." Oz raised his right eyebrow punctuating the end of the sentence.
"Right everything you know is a lie." Frost said dictating the sentence.
"Dick!" Trans exclaimed.
"Mine's bigger." Ra retorted.
"FOOD NOW!" El commanded suddenly, making everyone jump. She ignored them as she grabbed Faith's arm and pulled her forward. She leaned closer to Faith. "Last time they got so far as trying to get me to measure which was bigger."
Faith laughed with raised eyebrows. "Seriously?"
El nodded her head.
As they entered the next cavern, Faith gasped. If there were a lot of people in the last cavern there were hundreds in this one. Faith didn't think she had ever seen so many people. El guided her to the right, where there were goop dispensers. Next to the dispensers were tables set up where people were trying to get people to try their latest recipes.
"I wouldn't, it's usually just goop with seasoning." El said, seeing where Faith was looking.
The two grabbed some food and went to find a seat. The large metal table reminded Faith of the prison mess hall, but the stool attached to the table were each crafted artistically different. El spotted two seats amongst a group of boys.
"El!" They yelled when they saw who was about to sit with them.
El smiled, "guys!" She placed her stuff on the table and hugged each of the six guys. Afterward she turned to Faith, who was still standing watching them. "Sorry, guys, Faith, Faith, guys."
"Faith?" A skinny, tall, brunette asked.
"Yeah." Faith replied, taking a seat.
"You're the slayer, right?" He asked.
Faith glared at El.
"Don't look at me like that, I didn't do anything." El squealed.
"Nah, not El." He said. "Roin told me about you. I'm Bones, by the way. Word of advice, watch out for Morpheus."
"Why?" El asked.
"Morph thinks that the slayer is a myth." Said a muscular, blonde sitting next to Bones.
"And yet he believes in the one," another scoffed.
"Hi, I'm Lex." The brunette teen sitting to Faith's right said introducing himself.
"Hi." She said as she shook his outstretched hand. "So what is Morpheus' deal?" She asked.
"He's on a war path." Ra said.
"Why? What did I do?" Oz said.
"Prove him wrong." Trans said.
"About Faith?" Frost asked sounding confused.
"Yeah, it's stupid; really, we say there is no One, while he says slayer doesn't exist and that changelings are fake." Ra explained.
Suddenly the cavern grew quiet. Oz looked up to see that Morpheus, Trinity, Tank, and Neo had entered. Neo looked like he was about to pee his pants. The crew got their food and began to move through the hall for a seat. Tank went to sit with a group of Zionians. Oz saw the three empty seats next to him, and smiled. Ra narrowed his eyes, seeing the smile. Oz stood and caught the eyes of everyone in the room. "Morpheus, sit here."