No such Things as Ghosts- A Matrix story by BeyondInfinity171
I started writing this fic back in 2011. It is now complete. I originally posted it on Ao3, but I have been asked to cross post it here.
I will try to update every week if I can.
There may be a few changes to the fic (mostly grammar) as I edit the story, but there will be no major changes from what I posted on Ao3.
Also, I am British trying to write as an American. I apologise if there are any glaring errors.
**Denotes speaking via thoughts/ telepathy.
Chapter 1: I don't believe you
'This is not how I planned to start my new book, and I have a feeling my publisher may not even release it, so I guess this is more for my benefit than anyone else's. If you have enjoyed my previous book "Mediumship- Seeing the Spiritual Truth," then this is going to blow your mind.'
I sat back from the computer screen with a huge sigh. How on earth was I going to convey what had happened to me in the last hour without sounding like some mad woman who really had lost her grip on reality. I sat up straight and began typing on the keyboard again.
'When I first became a medium seven years ago and I realized that I could see and communicate with the dead I thought my world had turned upside down but that is nothing compared to what has been revealed to me.'
My fingers hovered over the keyboard, unable to type the next sentence. I got up off my chair and paced next to my desk. My hands were clammy, and I felt sick to the stomach.
'Get a grip,' Tegan, just start from the beginning.' I told myself sternly and sat back down in front of the computer screen.
'.. I am used to hearing disembodied voices. It's something I have lived with for years. Some voices are barely audible while others are so clear it may as well be yourself speaking. This particular voice had the effect of knocking me off my feet with the intensity of it. I wasn't even doing a reading for anyone, I was just in my home, washing my hands in the bathroom, and glanced at the mirror above my sink. That's when the voice sliced through my mind, causing me to fall to the floor.
*What? No! NO!* Yelled a male voice.
"Stop it!" I cried, clutching onto my head in pain. "You're hurting me!"
Suddenly, I stood up but I wasn't in control of my body and I looked in the mirror again. Whoever had possessed me did not like what they saw and made my hand into a fist and struck the mirror in anger, letting out a war cry. My hand left bloody marks on the mirror's surface.
Enough! I thought, and I took control back of my body and protected myself before confronting this unknown, aggressive entity. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
Images flashed through my mind of a man in a black suit and harsh black sunglasses.
"Please speak to me, you don't have to be afraid, I can help you." This was met with a stony silence, but I could still sense the man's presence. I was feeling very annoyed and busied myself by tending to my wounded hand. "Fine suit yourself, bloody stubborn spirit."
*I am not a spirit, * the voice in my head spoke.
"Well, if you're not a spirit, then what are you?"
I asked, yet again there was silence, and my patience was wearing thin. "Speak to me, what are you?"
*I'm not sure any more.* Drawled the man. It was an American accent, hard to place, but reminded me of a 1950s newsreader with a slight monotone quality. I decided to speak with him in my head.
*Look, I am a medium, so I can contact the dead. Do you know if you are dead?* It might have been a stupid question, but it was not uncommon for spirits to not realize that they were no longer alive.
*I can not die.* came the flat reply.
*What do you mean?* I asked, cleaning my blood off the mirror.
*You are a human, so you will not understand.*
Confused, I stopped what I was doing, *are you not human then?* Oh gods, this had better not be some demon!
*No. I am not. This will be difficult for you to comprehend, but I will try and explain it in a way you will understand. I am a program created by a race of machines.*
Not a demon then, but I didn't believe this guy one bit. Did he think I was an idiot? However, I decided to play along for now.
*A program? Like a computer program? That doesn't make any sense. Are you telling me I am talking to a machine?*
*At the simplest level, yes, but not in the way you are thinking. The machines I speak of are beings of artificial intelligence.*
I shook my head, dismissively. Did this guy take me for a fool? *I don't believe you. I want you to leave, now.*
*Do you think I want to be here? I have tried to leave but I can not. It appears... I am stuck.*
I leaned against the bath as I felt as if my legs were going to give away again.
*Stuck? That can't be? This has never happened before, but then I've never been contacted by a computer before.* I was starting to panic, I could feel my heart was racing and I tried to calm myself down and took some deep breaths. *Okay, let's figure this out. Where were you before you discovered you were stuck?*
It took a while for the 'program' to answer me, so I moved out of the bathroom to sit in the living room.
Finally, he spoke. *At this moment in time, all I remember was watching a fight between myself and Mr. Anderson. I was winning, and then there was a blinding white light, and I found myself in your body; here.*
I furrowed my brow. This was getting stranger and stranger. *You were watching the fight, yet you were in it? I don't understand that. Oh, wait! Are you part of some sort of fighting computer game?*
I could feel Smith patience was wearing thin. *This is not a game. I am not human like you. I am a sentient program in what is known as the Matrix. The world around you is the Matrix. It is a computer generated world to keep human beings in slavery. Machines feed off your energy so that they can survive. You are in a prison that you can not see, feel, or touch. I was once an enforcer for the Matrix.*
I laughed. *How do you expect me to believe that? It's impossible.*
FLASH! I saw humans, hundreds of them all in strange looking pods. They were all in a slumber, and around them, insect looking machines worked. FLASH!
*What I just showed you is the real world. Your organic body lies in one of those pods while your mind resides in this digital world.*
I felt my stomach heave as I couldn't get the image of the lifeless bodies out of my head.
*Who are you?* I asked in trepidation.
*Smith.*
I waited for him to expand on that but I had to prompt him. *That's it? No first name?*
*I was once called Agent Smith, but now I am just Smith. And you are?*
*I'm Tegan Mills, it's nice to meet you.*
Smith made a noise of affirmation.
*So then, 'Just Smith', what do you suppose we do next?* Part of me still wasn't willing to believe him, but I decided to play along for the time being.
*The next course of action would be to figure out why I should be within your mind.*
I felt a tingle through my body, and I realized Smith was trying to possess me again, but I had put my protection up to stop that from happening.
*Oh no, Mr. Smith, no more possession from you. I have warded myself against you. If you want my help, then you will just have to cooperate with me.*
I felt Smith emit a growl in annoyance.
*Very well then, Mrs Mills.*
*It's Miss, actually, and call me Tegan.*
*Tell me, do you know of the Oracle?* He asked, completely ignoring me. Rude.
*The Oracle? Yeah, I do, I had my first reading with her over seven years ago. It was the Oracle who told me I had the gift to communicate with spirits.*
*Those so-called spirits you are referring to are actually sentient programs, like me.*
That threw me. *What do you mean?*
Smith sighed in exasperation. *There is no such thing as ghosts. What humans believe to be spirits are actually exiled programs inside the Matrix.*
*Oh yeah? Then tell that to my spirit guide.* I said dismissively.
*Your 'spirit guide' left as soon as she recognised me; a once feared agent program that could easily wipe her out.* Smith said, almost gloatingly.
*What? Kathy, are you here? Kathy?* I asked out into the void, but there was no answer. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed my guide had gone. It felt like the bottom had dropped out of my world. Everything I knew and understood was being blown apart by this mysterious man.
*Miss Mills, your 'spirit guide' has gone. It is just you and me now.*
*So does that mean you are my new spirit guide?* I said, trying to make sense of it all.
*You are not a very intelligent person, are you, Miss Mills.* Smith sneered.
*Hey! I resent that. I am finding this very hard to accept. In fact, I don't accept it, and I believe that you are an evil spirit trying to trick me. Well, it won't work on me 'Smith', if indeed that is your real name. I am not listening to you anymore.* I got up from the sofa and walked over to my computer and opened the word processor, I needed to write what had happened in order to make sense of what was truly going on...'
I sat back from the computer and rubbed my hand across my face. Not believing what I had written. I yawned, I was surprised at how tired I was. I decided to get up from the computer chair and went into the kitchen, made a cup of coffee, and sat down on the sofa to watch 'Totally Haunted'. I felt completely exhausted.
FLASH!
I was standing on a road in the city. There were no cars, and no one else was around. I looked behind me to see a man wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a black tie with a tie clip. He wore sunglasses, even though it was night. He looked like he was in his early 40s. His features were quite striking as far as I could make out. His nose was well defined as was his lips, which were in a tight line. His hair was auburn in color with a high receding hairline. Everything about his appearance screamed authority, I was almost expecting to see an earpiece in his ear like the secret service have but there wasn't one.
"Smith?" I asked, unsure.
"Correct, you have fallen asleep, I have taken this opportunity to talk to you, face to face, so to speak."
Smith started walking towards me. Now that I could see him, I felt anxious. It wasn't so bad just hearing his voice in my head, but he cut an intimidating figure. He must have seen me tense up, and he stopped his approach.
"Relax, Miss Mills. I can not hurt you, for if I did, I would inadvertently be hurting myself."
I let out a sigh of relief but did not relax completely. "Okay you have my attention now."
"Do you believe me, about the Matrix?"
"I don't know... you are the first one to mention it. I have never heard of it before now."
"Of course not. The Matrix is designed to be a prison that humans are oblivious to. if they found out, there would be chaos." He sneered.
"No joke. Okay then, so you were an enforcer, you said, was it your job to make sure that people like me never found out the truth?"
Smith gave a sharp nod, "That was part of the job description, along with hunting down human rebels who did know about the truth and tried to free others from the Matrix."
"You are in purgatory for your crimes against humanity. Sorry, but I don't help 'things' like you. Go find another medium." I went to turn my back on him, but his hand came hard down on my shoulder. It was a firm grip, and it had the effect of chilling me to the bone and stopped me in my tracks.
"You will help me, Miss Mills. We will go and see the Oracle, she will know what to do."
The sound of my doorbell cut through my dream and caused me to awaken. I stood up and rubbed at my neck as I had fallen asleep in a funny position. I walked over to look through the spy hole in the door. It was my boyfriend, Aidan. I opened the door to him and he gave me a hug and a kiss.
*You are in a relationship?* Smith enquired.
"Hey Tee, sorry I left my key at my place. Are you okay? What did you do to your hand?" Asked Aidan, taking in my dishevelled appearance and bandaged right hand.
"I.. knocked my hand on the door frame. I didn't have a great night's sleep." I lied.
Aidan frowned, "have you been having nightmares again, Tee? Did Kathy show you something?"
"No, Kathy's gone..." Oh shit why'd I go and say that for?
"Gone? Where? Why?" Aidan took my hand. He was clearly worried.
*Oh please* said Smith sarcastically, and I bet he was rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses.
"It's okay Aidan, she will be back soon, she just had to go away for a while. Don't be worried, I'm not."
*You're a terrible liar, Miss Mills.*
Shut up, Smith.*
"Well if you say so, you know more about these things than I do. Anyway, I got you series six of 'Totally Haunted'. Ta da!" he said cheerfully, presenting me with the DVD.
"Oh quick, stick it on! I'll get the drinks." I said and retreated into the kitchen.
*Miss Mills* Smith's voice was so commanding I couldn't ignore it.
*My name is Tegan.* I replied.
*How long have you been in a relationship with your boyfriend?* said Smith, completely ignoring my comment.
*Why Smith, taking an interest in me now? Why do you want to know?*
*So I know what to expect between the two of you. " He said in almost a disgusted tone.
*Oh!* I blushed, I hadn't really thought what it was going to be like with Smith as my spirit guide.
*I told you, Miss Mills, I am not your spirit guide. How long have you been in your relationship?*
*About two years now, and yes, we are very serious about our relationship, and just because you are in my mind, it is not going to stop us from having one. Got that?*
I was met with silence again. *Good.*
I left the kitchen with the mugs of tea and handed one to Aidan, who was seated on the couch. I sat down next to him and tried to remain focused on 'Totally Haunted.' This proved difficult as when Darrel; the medium on the TV show, explained how there was a man in the room with a pale gaunt like features, Smith said how they used to be a program for mud and that becoming an exile and scaring humans must have appealed to him. I chose to ignore Smith, but then every time a spirit was mentioned, he would say how they were some exiled program and what their job used to be.
*Just shut up, will you?* I said in annoyance.
Suddenly I felt Smith's presence, he was pushing down on me and I couldn't stop him.
*You will not talk to me like that, Miss Mills. You have no idea who you are dealing with. I am not some 'spirit' you can control. I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be. I have told you what we should do, so until then, we will have to work through this, understood?*
I let out a sigh as Smith let his hold over me slacken.
"Tee? What is it?" Asked Aidan.
"It's nothing..." Luckily, I was interrupted by my phone ringing. "Excuse me." and I got up to answer it. "Hello this is Tegan Mills."
A very quiet voice at the end said "Ms. Mills, I've been told you can help me."
"I try to help if I can. Can I ask who is speaking?"
"My name is Jill Herald... I would like to book a reading with you if I can?" She asked meekly.
"Of course. Now how did you find my number?"
"I was recommended to you by my friend, Beverly Knight."
"Ah yes, Beverly. Well Mrs Herald, are you free to have a consultation tomorrow afternoon? Say about 2 o'clock?"
"Erm.. yes that should be fine."
"Fantastic, now would you like to meet somewhere or would you like to do it in my home? I do get the best results when I work from home."
"I will come to your home, Beverly told me your address."
"Well that's great! Okay then, Mrs Herald, I look forward to meeting you tomorrow at two, and I hope I can bring you peace."
"Thank you, thank you very much."
I ended the call and sat back down on the couch.
"You got a job?" Aidan asked.
"Yeah, she will be coming here tomorrow for a reading."
"Will you be okay ? I mean, Kathy hasn't come back yet, has she?"
"No, but just because my spirit guide isn't here doesn't make me any less of a medium, it just will take a little longer to connect to the other side, that's all."
Aiden looked at his watch, "well I best be off, got work early tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll want an early night, get a nice relaxing bath or something."
Bath! Oh god, that means that Smith would... well, he would…
"Tee you're blushing. What is it?"
I was? I looked in the mirror over Aidan's shoulder, Oh god I was! I was as red as a beetroot!
*Red is not your color, Miss Mills.* Smith drawled.
Oh god, quick Tegan, say something!
"I just remembered when we used to have baths together." Nice save.
Aidan smiled, "Oh yes, I remember that as well, maybe another time, eh?"
"Sure, it's a date!" I laughed nervously. "Well, goodnight."
"Night Tee," and he went to kiss me, but I turned my head, so he kissed me on the cheek to save any more embarrassment from Smith. It didn't seem to bother Aidan, and he left without another word. When he was gone, I shut the door and let out a breath that I didn't realize I had been holding in.
*What now, Miss Mills?* asked Smith.
I looked at my watch, it was too early to go to bed but I suddenly felt exhausted, it seemed that Smith was taking a lot of my energy. *It's Tegan, and now I am going to bed.*
*That woman who called you earlier, you won't be able to contact anyone she knows. As I told you, spirits are exiled programs, not deceased humans.*
*Well, we will see if you are right tomorrow after the consultation.*
I made my way into the bedroom, feeling annoyed that I had to share my private sanctuary with Smith. I believed that he could see and hear everything that I could, and it was quite unnerving.
*Smith is there, um.. any way that you could distance yourself from me? Like shut your eyes or something?*
Smith made a growling sound, and it felt really odd because I could feel it as well as hear it. *Why are you worried about me seeing you naked? I am a program. It doesn't matter to me if you are clothed or not.*
*Are you trying to reassure me? Just close your eyes, please, for my sake.*
*Fine.*
I got changed as fast as I ever had before and went through to the bathroom. My eyes fell on the crack in the mirror.
"Aw man!"