TRANS

Okay, okay, I know. I can be a bit of an ass sometimes. I'm not usually that critical of things, I just tend to say whatever I'm thinking. It's not always a good thing to keep your opinion to yourself, though some people would disagree with me on that particular point.

Anyways.

Nexus had slept like a baby after being told the truth. Even I have to admit, she handled it well. When I had been in her place I had suddenly found it difficult to breathe, and passed out temporarily, and Loki has not let me forget it since.

He and Koi had eaten breakfast earlier with Medea. They were supposed to accompany Medea to see the Oracle. I went to see her once, when I was just starting my training. She was a nice enough lady- kinda like my grandmother was, actually- but messages tend to be vague, and often cryptic. She asked me how my training was going, told me to keep my head up, because dangerous times were coming. Times were already dangerous, but I didn't argue. Besides, I felt better- as everyone does- after I ate the cookie she gave me on my way out. Koi and I sometimes joke that she spikes those cookies with some kind of upper to keep us coming back.

I had come down later to eat, after the others were had plugged in, with Aiglos already focused on the screens, watching closely for any potential problems. I greeted him as I passed on my way to the dining hall, and he barely grunted his reply. Skylla was just starting her breakfast when I sat down, and Nexus came in a few minutes later, sending slightly confused glances backwards at the plugged-in crew.

I suddenly felt a little bad for how I had acted earlier. Everyone has a rough time when they're new. "You hungry?" I asked.

Nexus glanced backwards one last time, then turned her attention back toward us. "Yeah…what do you guys eat here? I haven't noticed a stove or a toaster anywhere…"

Skylla snorted, trying to hold in a sudden burst of laughter. I grinned too. When I was first unplugged, the others seemed to have great fun in introducing to me the slop that would consist of my entire diet while in the tunnels. Now I wanted a turn at it. "May I?" I asked Skylla in a mock formal voice. She made a gesture for me to go ahead, nearly stuffing her fist in her mouth to silence herself.

I got up and walked around the table to the slop pump. Grabbing a bowl, I served some of the slop up and presented it to Nexus, who turned a slight shade of green. "Hope ya like it. We don't got anything else here." She gingerly took the bowl and sat down with it. Skylla handed her a spoon. "Try to pretend its oatmeal or something."

Hesitantly, Nexus dug the spoon in and raised it to her mouth, pausing when she realized that we were watching to see her reaction until we went back to pretending to eat. She had a mouthful and immediately turned a deeper shade of green, looking as if she were about to retch. By some miracle she managed to swallow it. When she got her breath back she asked us incredulously, "You eat this every day!"

Skylla could no longer hold it in, and burst out laughing, patting her on the shoulder. "You get used to it, trust me. It's actually pretty good for you, they just forgot to add anything resembling taste, that's all." I thought of the snot analogy to our meal, but decided against it. She looked sick enough as it was. "Might as well eat it," I advised. "It's not so bad if you make it quick."

Nexus obliged after a moment of staring at the mess in her bowl. A few moments later she had finished it, and pushed her bowl away with a look of distaste on her face. Skylla decide right then to start a conversation. "Y'know, we were pretty impressed about how you took the truth yesterday. Not a lot of people" Skylla sent me a pointed look, "take to it too well at first."

Nexus look startled at the mention of the previous day's events, then distracted. "It's the weirdest thing," She started. "I had to study this text and present my findings from one section just before I saw…" She trailed off. After a moment, she shook her head. "Never mind. It was so weird. Everything she said to me…I had already read it in a book written two thousand year ago."

Skylla's eyes went wide, all mirth gone from them. "What do you mean?" her voice had gone quiet, almost awestruck.

Nexus was no longer looking at us. "Plato's Republic. The technology's updated, but all the parts are there." She looked almost as though she were trying to convince herself, rather than us. Her head suddenly snapped us as she remembered that we were there, and she blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry. I should explain."

"Say that there were a group of people raised from childhood in a cave. Their arms and legs are bound, and they can't turn their heads to the side. An overseer tends a fire behind them, and uses it to create shadows on the wall in front of them. These people come to believe that these images are real things, that they are all there is of the world."

I nodded, almost unconsciously. Yes, that did sound a lot like the Matrix. I glanced at Skylla, who looked slightly disturbed. Nexus continued.

"Now say one of these prisoners somehow got out, out of the bonds and outside of the cave. They would likely feel like their senses are overloaded, since they are seeing sun and stars and trees and whatnot. Again, the truth is a little different, darker, but still pretty close." She paused, her eyes darting between Skylla and I to gauge our reactions. We had become very quiet. "It's actually the next part that makes me a little nervous, because the rest of it has already come true. It's about that person making a choice between whether to hide away or to go back and try to get the others out. If the person chooses to hide, they might be more safe, but would feel guilty for leaving the others behind. If they went back in…well they stood a pretty large chance of getting killed. Either by the overseer trying to keep the outside a secret, or the by other prisoners out of fear from hearing such a strange tale."

Nexus had grown increasingly pale during that last part. She looked at Skylla, then me, and looked sick all over again. "Oh shit," she said in a frightened whisper. "It's true, isn't it?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I never imagined that anyone could have forecasted humanity's future so accurately millennia ago. "This is on a bigger scale," I said lamely. Oh, right, like that will make her feel any better about the situation. "I guess that's the general idea, yeah. But some parts are actually pretty amazing. You'll see when you start training."

"Training?" She looked like she was just remembering something. "Oh! I meant to ask before. What are they doing?" Nexus indicated to the rest of the crew strapped into the chairs in the other room.

Skylla seemed relieved to be back on familiar ground. "They've gone inside the Matrix to see the Oracle. She shows up inside now and then, rebels-that's what we are- go to see her for advice and such. You'll probably meet her sooner or later." She sent me a look that was slightly resentful. "I've heard she makes good cookies. I wouldn't know, of course- no holes." She patted the back of her head.

I scooped up the last mouthful of slop from my bowl. "I wouldn't worry about it," I said. "She's a little vague with the advice. I guess that she doesn't want people to look too far into it or something."

Nexus looked interested. "Did you see her?"

"Yeah. It's- well, you'll see when you go meet her I guess." I left it at that. She looked at me quizzically, but didn't press it any further.

MEDEA

Loki pulled the car over to the curb in front of a building that seemed to have seen its share of years. Graffiti covered to orange brick of the apartment building, and the concrete stairs were on the edge of crumbling into pieces. I silently got out of the passenger side door and made my way inside.

I still wasn't sure why the Oracle wanted me here. However, I had not heeded her last warning, all those years ago, and it had ended disastrously. This time I would listen.

I took the elevator upstairs to her floor and walked to her door. Strangely, no one was there to greet me at the door. I entered the apartment. It was so quiet inside. The children that were normally there, those gifted ones, were gone. I headed for the kitchen door.

She was inside, beyond the beads that served as a door to the room. She sat at the table, as always, already with her cigarette. "Quiet here today," I commented.

She gave me a motherly smile. "Yeah, this hasn't been a good place for the kids lately. They're spending a little time at home for now. So, Medea. It's been a while since you last came around to visit. How have things been for you?" She always seemed so casual. She might have been commenting on the weather.

I kept my poker face. "Tolerable, I suppose." The Oracle smiled; I supposed she saw right though the lie, but wasn't about to call me on it. We both knew it, so why say it out loud?

There was a long silence. She finally sighed. "Tough times ahead, hon," she said, looking out the window. "And hard decisions will come with them for everyone."

It was now my turn to sigh. Vague, as usual. "I've heard some rumors about the Nebuchanzzar," I said, hoping to get some more direct information.

The old woman's eyes lit up. "Neo's a good kid. He's making a lot of things possible for all of you now." She changed the subject. "I hear you got a new girl on board. You should bring her around next time you're in the neighbourhood."

I nodded, turning to go. "I'll do that."

I turned back when the Oracle offered her traditional cookie, thanked her, and left, walking away as quickly as I could. She was a nice woman, but she always gave me the creeps. That place always brought back bad memories for me, memories that were better left buried.

I exited the building, and got back into the car. As Loki pulled away from the curb, Koi called up Aiglos to tell him that we'd be back soon. Loki looked at me questioningly. "I want to start training Nexus tomorrow. She wants to see her soon." I jerked my head in the direction of the building that was rapidly falling behind us.