The Matrix: Immortal

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"The tunnels? You know how far that is?"

"Yes I know how far it is, don't worry about that just worry about helping me fly this thing. Is our power back?"

"100% power, got any ideas?"

"Increase the speed."

As the Nosferatu entered the passage that was in the mountains, Nitro increased the speed to make the ship go as fast as it could go. The g-force threw him back into his seat. "Whoa! What are you doing up there?" Sideways asked. "Hauling ass!" Blood shouted. Coming out of the passage and passing through the wreckage of towers still standing, Blood could see the exhaust vent up ahead when he saw the smoke and steam rising out from the ruins. Nitro checked the rear visuals and saw 150 small red lights in the dark of the passage chasing after them. "Not good...They're still after us." The Nosferatu was coming over the ventilation shaft now. "Alright Nitro, on my mark take power from the front pads and reroute it to the rear, I need a 90-degree front tilt when I come around that vent shaft." Nitro typed in the commands.

"Reroute to rear pads...90-degrees front. Waiting for your signal.."

Blood swerved to the right of the vent shaft and turned left to bring the ship so that it was facing it. "Now!" Nitro activated the set commands and the stern went up into the air bringing the ship completely veritcal. Nitro held onto his chair. "Ah..shit...." he mumbled as he nearly fell out. The Nosferatu spun as it flew deeper into the tunnel as though it were a screw. The sentinals weren't far behind. The tunnel began to bend, and they were getting closer to the point where the tunnel would cut left and begin to straighten out for about a hundred miles. "How are we going to lose them in that tunnel?" Nitro asked. "Get ready to tilt the ship again. Route all power from the pads to the bottom pads, were gonna hug the wall when we make that turn," Blood answered. Obviously he was worried about getting the ship steady before worrying about sentinals. The turn came, and a plethora of blue bolts sparked out from the pads on the bottom of the ship, pulling it closer to the wall and scratching up against it a bit, makign screeching noises.

"That didn't sound so good.."

"Did we lose any pads?"

"No, hull integrity is still 100%. Turrets are firing away."

Bullets luminated in an orange glow flew from the turrets and were shot into the swarm of sentinals. "Not that the ship is moving straight, it should be easy to take them out!" Blood said into his headset. "We're working on it..!" Blood said through gritted teeth as he tried to stay in his seat and shoot at the same time. One of the red blips on his targeting screen disappeared. "Got one." Leon shot down another. "Make that two!" Blood tilted his head over to Nitro as he looked straight ahead. "Find out how close we are to the mapped tunnels and increase our speed."

"Speed's as high as she goes. 17 miles from mapped territory."

"Using Zion's dock EMP's are too risky, the ship won't be able to get out and we could be captured."

"So what are we gonna do?"

The holographics console beeped, a new image was on backup display. Nitro checked to see what it was; It was the Rebellion. "Rebellion's close by."

"Call'em." Nitro typed in "OPENTRANS\:REBLLN," and a communications link was set up. "Django you better be there I need your help!" Blood shouted into the headset microphone. He turned right into a side tunnel and cut another left. The radio crackled and Django called back. "What's wrong?"

"I have about seven sentinals chasing me, we need to set up a trap for them."

"Alright, I see you, go down the tunnel and go down the first chance you get, I'll be waiting there."

Remembering the directions Django provided, Blood sped the ship forward. "He better have a good plan."

"He's Django," Nitro said. "He's always got a good plan."

Django activated the Rebellion's propulsion system and retracted the landing gears. The ship rocked and the rest of the crew looked around. "What was that?" Sigma asked, looking at the others. She was about 5'5, and wore dark blue pants and a white shirt. "He's taking off," said Cable, the ship's operator. He was wearing a black short sleeved, wide collared shirt with dark blue pants and brown boots. "Sit tight, I'll check it out," Jax said, and he went off the the cockpit. He wore a red long sleeved shirt with blackpants. The ship lifted off with a forward tilt and movd out into the mainline tunnel, adjacent from where the Rebellion had set down. Jax moved into the cockpit and sat in the passenger seat. "What's going on?"

"Nosferatu's coming in, being chased by sentinals. We gotta help him out."

"This should be fun." He grabbed an headset and turned it on. "Cable, arm the EMP, we're gonna need it in a minute."

Cable answered with an "uh-huh" and pushed the "ARM" button, turning on the light under the red switch. The Rebellion moved in and set down on the ground in the tunnel in a small ditch in the rock, and it sticked out just a few feet above the surface of the tunnel lining. Up ahead, Django looked out the window and saw the Nosferatu turn down into the tunnel. Then the sentinals followed after it.

"Alright Blood, you see my ship? Pass overhead and when you're out of my EMP range I'll burn the squids."

"Thanks."

"Bring up the holographics on our EMP range Jax."

Jax brought up the holographic image and it showed an image of the outside surrounding area. It showed the tunnel, with a red ship in the middle showing the Rebellion's position. Another red ship was approaching, and that was the Nosferatu. A clear, blue tinted bubble surrounded the red icon that was the Rebellion, which showed the ships EMP range. The blast radius was 200 meters from the ship. "Here he comes.." Django said under his breath. The Nosferatu apporached and Django watched the holographics. It passed over and was almost out of the EMP blast range, while the sentinals were just coming in, not knowing the Rebellion was even there. "Stupid squids.." Django said as the Nosferatu came out of the EMP range. "Now, Cable." Cable turned the key and the blue electric shockwave exploded out from the ship, rocking the surrounding area. The sentinals sparked and shook violently for a moment in mid air as electric bolts passed through them. They dropped lifelessly to the ground with a "CLUNK". "Thanks Django, I owe you," Blood said into his headset. "Don't mention it. What happened out there?"

"We found something, then we wrecked it."

"What was it?"
----

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Nothing like the taste of pure Italian wine. Captain Raven of the Vendetta thought to himself, sipping the glass he had poured, placing the bottle on his oak desk as he drank. He savored at the sweet and yet sour liquid, the same liquid that nearly a millenia ago that had been drunk by Julius Caesar and the great Emperors of Rome. Or atleast, it was supposed to be, had Raven not known better. As one of the Resistance captains, he was fully aware of the Matrix and the conflict going on in the outside world, but he didn't let it deny him the pleasures of his life.

There he was, in his office at the top of the tower. Right now, he was posing as the CEO of a software corporation called the Rivermore Corporation, a proud company that boasted for its support to the United States military and several other large groups around the simulated world. While the real President of the company was currently in Hawaii with his secretary on a 'business trip', atleast as a phonecall between the President and his wife described it, Axe, the Vendetta's operator, managed to alter the last given orders so that Raven would be named CEO in his absence, atleast for sometime.

It was the perfect way to create undercover operations within the Matrix that would tie the Resistance closer to the machines, as well as other things. Raven particularily enjoyed the setup, being at the top floor that overlooked the city in an office with black tile, an oak desk, a flat screen drop down TV/entertainment center with surround sound and two glass visors that surrounded the office at 90 degree angles, being divided by the entry way to the secretary's office and hall way, and the wall behind the desk that held the President's various awards, certificates and deplomas, plus three pictures, each of a friend of the Presidents. It originally had a picture of the President too, but Raven had Axe hack that out of the office and replace it with a picture of himself.

From his view point, Raven could see evening was beginning to set in through the clear sky, as darkness start to creep into the blue. He sighed at that, wishing the sky around Manhatten would be more like how it was in Arizona, which had a mixture of pink, orange and yellow colors in the evening. Then again, Raven probably wouldn't have been able to put up with the simulated heat, or the pure, unsolified desert for that matter, so he didn't complain about the chosen location for this job.

The door opened to reveal a man dressed in a white suit with knee high black boots, and a crimson red cape slung over his shoulders. If this were the ancient world, one would mistake the man for a german kaiser of sorts, judging from the ornate black lining around his white suit and the fur on the top end of the cape, which encircled the man's neck before ending at the sides. The suit was split open to reveal a black undershirt, but barely enough that one could just see a line of black in the man's attire. At his right side, he had a single Colt Single Action Army revolver holstered, and though it could not be seen, there was another "Peacemaker" revolver at his left, except that one was on the back of the man's left side, covered over by the cape. He had a stern look on his face, which was squared and somewhat broad, definately specifying the man as Austrian decent. His hair was combed back, and his mustacche was neatly trimmed. And finally, he wore a pair of shades that had long, slender lenses which covered his eyes entirely. He gave Raven a nod.

"What is it Arius?" Raven asked, adjusting his square shaped, shaded glasses a little.

"Aur dealar is hear, Kaptan." Arius said in a thick Austrian voice, booming and strong.

"Excellent, send him in at once." Raven spoke in a cool, yet happy tone. He himself wore a black business suit here, with a dark green dress shirt, black tie and slender black slacks with dress shoes. Everything he had on was black and dark green, aside from the gold buttons, cufflinks and the button on emblem on the tie. His hair was also black, parted to the sides to make him look more like a gentleman to females and a negotiater with males. And as always, he wore glasses so no one could see to his eyes in conversations.

Arius stepped to the side and allowed a man dressed in a black jacket, black slacks, a red undershirt and a noticable head with flat, silver hair walk through the door. As he did, he took out his right revolver and began to pistol twirl it up and down in similar fashion to a cowboy. Following was another man, dressed in an overcoat that extended to his knees, a black dress shirt and black dress pants. Curiously, the sleeves of his overcoat both had white crosses emblazed into them. Other than that, there wasn't much to discern. His hair was short, parted at the side, and he also wore a pair of square shades similar to Raven's, accept his were reflective. As the silver-haired man had learned, it was impossible to see past those shades to the man's eyes, as they were as dense as a blind man's.

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"Ah, Captain Roland, a pleasure that you finally arrived." Raven began, "Please, have a seat, we have much business to discuss."

"I prefer to stand." Roland stated.

"Sit doun." Arius barked with thunder.

Roland immediatly jumped at the man's voice, to which Raven held his arms up in the air. "It's alright, Arius. If he doesn't want to sit, then we should honor his decision. After all, Captain Roland is technically sitting down at this very moment, if you think about it. Still, for the sake of appearences, I must request you, Captain Roland, to reconsider." Raven tipped his head down to give Roland a view of his eyes, showing his enjoyment at watching the man sweat.

Roland hesitated for a moment, but complied with Raven's request, taking a seat at the front of Raven's desk. "Thank you." Raven said, also taking a seat at his chair, then proceeded to pour some more Italian wine for himself. "Would you like some as well? I know it's simulated, but one should not deny the body the enjoyment of taste."

"No, I'm here on business and business alone, Raven." Roland said in a low growl, trying to hold back the venom he felt toward this man.

Raven sipped his wine and then took a cigar out from the desk, and with it a pair of clippers. "Always business, Roland?" he sighed as he clipped the tip off the cigar, "For once, I wish Zion would get a man just like me. Someone that I can enjoy a glass of wine or smoking a cigar with."

"You never offered me a cigar."

"You want one?"

"No."

"My point exactly." Raven said, raising an eyebrow at Roland. He took a wooden match and lit the cigar, then placing it in his mouth, inhaling the thick smoke. He let out a puff of smoke from his throat. "You know, I've always wondered why Zion treats the Resistance with such hatred, like you're treating me now." he said, taking the cigar out of his mouth, "But I can understand why you think we're villains, just..." he looked up in the air as if thinking, "What if, in the middle of the story, the protagonist decides to quit in his quest? What if, just before he fights his nemesis, he decides he doesn't want this anymore and just goes back to his home. And better yet, who is there to take his place?"

Raven grinned, "There will be no one else but the villain to take his place. Granted, the villain's role was originally to make the hero's life more difficult, but in this case, the so-called heroes quit ahead of time, leaving only the villains to slay the dragon. So tell me Roland, if the villain is fighting for the hero's cause, does that make him a villain? Even if the title remains, would it be a sin for the villain to win?"

"You, Blood and the rest are nothing more than terrorists." Roland said with an accusing tone, "Disturbing the peace between Zion and 01 for some mad scheme."

"Please, you call that peace?" Raven laughed, "To me, it takes more than a deal to create true peace. It takes an agreement between the two parties on the matters they originally disagreed on, the building of a relationship between the two races. Not some deal made between Neo and the great Lord of the Machines itself. That's why 'villains' fight on, to continue the work 'heroes' like yourself started and abandoned for some cheapass excuse. 'Neo saved Zion... Neo this and Neo that....' Pah, the thought of a whole treaty made because of one heroic act, such hypocricy on the heroes' part for believing it."

"It wasn't until you and the rest of your fleet went active that our relations with 01 have turned for the worse." Roland sneered, "Frankly, I don't want any part of this war."

"Then why are you here? Why did you want to make this deal with us?" Raven wondered.

Roland sighed, "Because 'General' Morpheus still thinks our job isn't finished in the Matrix, and he has ordered the remains of Zion's navy to deploy."

Raven laughed at this, "Oh, this is rich. Very rich. Like a divine comedy even." he leaned forward, "No matter what side you're on, the Matrix is still the center of attention. Tell me, is it your homesickness for Zion fueling your decision, or just your hatred for Morpheus?"

"Neither." Roland said, "I'll make this point right now, I don't give a damm about your crusade. If you want to fight the Matrix, that's fine with me, but I don't want to be involved with it."

"And yet you are."

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Roland sighed, "I'm merely giving you an advantage in the war." He pulled up a briefcase that he had carried into the room before, placed it on the desk, and opened it to reveal several CD cases stacked together like dollar bills, "Each of these discs contain a renegade program that was either created by Zion to fight the war or was captured in the Matrix. If you can utilize these under your control, then you will be one step ahead of Morpheus and the machines."

"Very interesting." Raven said, pulling a CD out and looking it over, seeing his own reflection on the plastic cover. He then looked over to the man in the black overcoat, "Magnus, is he speaking the truth?"

Magnus slowly walked over to the case and looked at it. Immediatly, Roland felt a cold tension wash over him, as if the coding that made his self-image had fluctuated. His heart beat quickened as a result. Just what was this guy doing?

"He speaks the truth." Magnus assured, "However, our friend's neural patterns have sped up some."

"So I see." Raven smirked at the sight of a nervous Roland, "You must disregard Magnus, he has some 'sensitivity' in the Matrix. He can feel out coding and impulse patterns the same way AK can at the operator's consule." he looked back at Magnus, "That's all I needed to know."

The man in black nodded and stepped back next to Arius, who was still pistol twirling his revolver. Raven continued to speak, "Now, the question is what's in it for you? You gave us what we want, but why did you on your own accord?"

"I want your word that you will force Mjolinir out of the Matrix." Roland stated, "I don't care about Morpheus' scheme or yours, I just want my ship back into Zion."

"And how do you suppose I do that?" Raven asked, "If you've failed to notice, we are villains in the eyes of the High Council."

"Figure something out." Roland said.

The apparent negotiator slowly nodded, "I suppose Blood could battle the Mjolinir with his Nosferatu, make it disabled, but possess enough power to go back to Zion."

"No, I don't trust Blood." Roland said, "Then again, I don't trust you either."

"Please, in a straight forward fight, you know my Vendetta is no match for Zion's proudest gunship next to the Neodammerung." he said, recalling one of his sources in Zion mention information about Morpheus' new ship, "It would be quite embarrassing on your part to have your ship shot up by a mere insect."

"I told you, I don't care how you do it, just find a way to convince Lock or the High Council to pull my crew back." Roland said, "We're all tired of fighting this war, some of us have gone monthes without seeing our family and friends..."

"Please, no sob stories, they don't do anything for me." Raven griped, contemplating, "I tell you what. One of my sources in Zion is in a rather close position to your Commander Lock. And you know how close 'Deadbolt' is to the High Council. I'll work something out with him, and you'll be on your way back to your precious city. Do we have a deal?" he reached across the desk with his right hand.

At first, Roland hesitated, feeling as though he had just sold his soul to the devil himself. As he recalled in old mythology, ravens were birds that carried the souls of the dead to heaven or hell, and right now, he didn't trust this raven at all. Still, if he or his crew were to see Zion again, then he had no choice but to make a deal with this demon. He took the hand, "Alright." Roland said, "If you'll excuse me, I must get back to my ship." He got up and turned, walking out the door, past Arius and Magnus.

"Ever a prudent man, don't you agree?" Raven asked his two crewmembers.

Magnus just smirked, "I can sense his fear. Right now, he's regretting making negotiations with us, trying to find another way out of our deal."

"Shal I shuut him boss?" Arius asked, immediatly grabbing the handle of his Colt in midtwirl and pointing it at the doorway.

Raven shook his head, "No, we made a deal, so we must honor it, even if he regrets it. After all, honor is one of the traits that we have that will put us above the machines." Just then, his cell phone rang. He slipped it out of his pocket, opened it and placed it at his ear, "This is Raven."

"Axe here, Captain. Just got word from the Nosferatu, I think it's something you want to here..."
----

Morpheus sat topless on the table in the infirmary. Two wires were taped onto his chest with medical tape, taking his heart rate. Another plug was inserted into the canal in the back of his head. On a screen his vitals were displayed, recording his heart rate and brain waves. Zee came over with a syringe filled with white fluid and injected it into one of the plugs on his forearm. Morpheus gritted his teeth at the annoying sting of the needle. "Don't be a baby," Zee told him. "You'll be fine." He chuckled. "You know, for a crew mate you sure do take the liberty of making fun of your captain," he said to her. "Yeah, well, I volunteered to come on board as a medic. Someone has to watch you guys to make sure you don't kill yourselves."

"You're just here because you think I'm crazy," he said with a smile.

"That may be a reason, but I just figured the more help you had the better." He laughed. "Do you think we can't handle ourselves out here?"

"No, that's not it," she said as she disposed of the needle and checked the area he had been shot in. "One of the main reasons is so I know Link is okay. I figured if he wouldn't stop operating for you, then at least I could go out with him. I can handle myself around here." He nodded. "That's true. How long have you been with us?"

"Two years."

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"Ah, that's right. Two years of dependable service and not a second of doubt." She rolled her eyes whilst shaking her head as she smiled. "Are you still hurt?" He shook his head. "No, not really. I've been at this game long enough. Knowing it isn't real takes the pain away." Zee came back up and began taking the wires off of him. "Yeah, well, at least it was only a 9mm round. Could have been worse," she said suggestively. There was a creaking noise of a hatch being opened. They looked over and saw Niobe coming in.

"You know," she began as he walked in, "There wouldn't be any pain if you didn't create the Matrix Corps." Morpheus raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he inquired. "I suppose you have a point, but then again, our presence in the Matrix during this war is just as important as it was during the last, maybe even moreso." Zee unplugged the coaxial from his head.

"Yeah, maybe, but it's a lot more hectic. I mean, why do we even fight in there anymore? New Agent programs are so deadly, it's obvious they want us out. Five years ago I thought we had peace, and we wouldn't have to fight and live like this anymore. Don't you get tired of it sometimes?"

"Part of me agrees with you, and I want to say yes, but at the same time, I can't, for two reasons. One is because if I learned anything from Neo, it's that we need the Matrix as some sort of medium between man and machine, a place to coexist. That's a belief I can't change."

"Why not? Didn't that prophecy say The One was going to end the war and destroy the Matrix too? That turned out to be lame anyway." Morpheus sighed, remembering how the prophecy he believed in so much was just a measure to keep him under control. "He ended the war. He did what he had to do. This wasn't planned by either side." He took a moment and sighed. "The other reason is because the Council also thinks we need to be in the Matrix, to take care of the ships that left. That's why I'm sitting on this table anyway."

"Oh yeah, that's right. 'General Morpheus of the Matrix Corps'," she said in a mocking yet playful tone. "Jason couldn't believe that, you becoming his equivalent in another field," she said with a laugh. "Oh yes, who could forget," he said in a concuring manner. "Victory never tasted so good. Besides, someone has to oversee Matrix activity."

"Yeah, who better than you?" she asked, drawing a look from him. "Are you mocking me?" She smiled. "Relax tiger, playing with you." Zee laughed to herself while she cleaned up her equipment and unplugged the heartrate monitors. Morpheus looked over and paused for a moment, then he smiled. "Alright, playtime's over. Niobe, Link is in the cockpit getting the ship ready, we're going back to Zion and you two are flying like usual, so get going.

"Yes, Captain." She said in a cool tone. She turned to walk out but just as she was about to walk through the door, she stopped and looked back. "Or is it General?"

"Move it." He said with a stare and a deep tone. She smirked and went to the cockpit.
----

Niobe and Link sat at the controls in the cockpit. They slowly drifted down an entrance tunnel approaching Zion gate six. Wires hung like vines from junctions and metal criss-crossed to form frames that loomed overhead like rafters. The gate up ahead was closed, with two turrets on either side. Every 250 feet a small cyllindric object came out of the top of the entrance tunnel with a blinking blue light. These were the EMP charge defenses, some of many that surrounded Zion. Link put on a headset and turned on his holographics monitor. "Zion control this is the Neodammerung on approach requesting access through gate six." Behind the gate operators plugged into their chairs sat another operator, hovering over his keyboard and listening in to the conversation on his headset. His screens displayed blue code strands falling down the screen, and he logged in that the Neodammerung was incoming, then patched Link through to the control, and then monitored the procedure. In the construct sat the six Zion gate operators clad entirely in white. An asian man pushed, pointed and dragged several boxes on the interface before him that formed pictures of the gate, the turrets, the tunnel, several trickling numbers that were statistics, and the oncoming ship. "Neodammerung, your request is confirmed, standby."

"Roger that, control." Link responded. He looked at Niobe and they smiled as if to laugh, at how many times they'd gone through this same procedure.

"This is gate control ordering a weapons stand down at gate six, the Neodammerung is coming through. Open the gates." As the Neodammerung passed by, the gun turrets disengaged. "Neodammerung, you are cleared through gate six to bay five."

"Roger that control," Link said again. The doors began to open with a loud rumble, blue light peering through. "Welcome home Neodammerung, good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Link replied.

As the Neodammerung passed through the narrow opening in the tremendously thick bay doors, some bolts shot from the pads into the doors. "The Neodammerung is through," said the operater watching the screens of blue coding. Up in the tower in the center of the dock, a gate control operator nodded upon seeing the ship pass through. "Roger that control. Zion control, standby for gate six lockdown." The giant gears marked "ZION FOUNDRY" and the counterweights and the chains began to churn slowly. As the gate began to close, an APU stood by, armed, its guns aimed down the entrance tunnel. The huge gates closed with a "SLAM", and he turned the APU around and disengaged his weapons with a smug nod. Drifting the ship in and taking it down ever so slowly, Link guided it down into bay five. It shook as it came down, and touched down smoothly.

"The Neodammerung is down in bay five," said the gate control operator. "Roger that," the operator behind the screens of blue coding responded.

The hatch opened with a hiss. The crew- Morpheus, Niobe, Ghost, Kidfried, Link, Sparks, and Zee, all walked down the ship ramp with their bags slung over their shoulder. They looked out at the dock, seeing that some ships were also back, such as the Interceptor and the Validus, two of Zion's newer ships since the others had been destroyed, but since the other five left, Zion was down to four ships. Civilians and soldiers walked around peacefully. Calm was in the air, and the light shined down upon the dock crane on top of the gat control tower, creating quite the welcoming atmosphere. It was good to be back. Morpheus was greeted by a passerby, then he turned to the crew.

"Go on ship's liberty. Meet me in the Dead Duck at 21:00 hours, drunk or sober." Smiles came out amongst them. “Alright!” Link said, and he turned to give a high-five to the hearest person, that being Kidfried. He laughed. As they began to walk away, Morpheus began walking in another direction, and Niobe arched a brow. “Where are you going?”

“I have to speak with the council. I’ll be with you shortly.” She nodded and he walked off. She joined up with the rest of the group as they walked down the street suspension past several people. Civilians and soldiers gave them nods as they passed by, acknowledging the fact that another crew had come home. It was a custom among the people that lived here. The mumble of the voices of so many people drowned out the sound of the footsteps clanking against the iron plated street. Carved into the street level wre innumerable stores and shops, above them, apartments and balconies that lined the cyllindric area of living space that housed thousands. People flowed through the streets. Their clothes of homespun wool, denim, and leather. Carved into the solid granite walls, between homes and around red steel doors, were intricate and beautiful carvings. They navigated through thich crowds of people, humanity melting into one race. This was the main street, full of fighters, some even children. As they walked by, they passed a workshop with children approximately twelve and thirteen years of age working on a machine. They stepped into an elevator, and came down to a street full of shops. Stepping out of the elevator, they walked down the street and step into a club, Dead Duck. It’s a sailor joint. A not so shabby place, with beer on tap, and rum. Crewmembers of other ships recognized them, and greeted them with nods and hellos. They took a booth in the corner and the waitress arrived.

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"Welcome home, brothers and sisters. First day back?"

“Yes, lovely.” Sparks said with a wink.

"On the house then. Six rums?"

"Sounds good." Niobe said. The waitress nodded and walked off.

“Good to be home..” Sparks said with a relaxed tone. “You can say that again,” Kidfried added.

“What do you think Morpheus is up to?” Link asked.

“Nothing important, he went to check in with the council. Probably giving them an update.” Niobe told him.

“Oh. Nothing special.” Link said. He looked over at Zee. “You look better when we’re here, you know that?”

The others came back with a loud “Aww!” Link and Zee smirked. “Don’t be jealous!” She said. The others laughed, and the waitress came back with their drinks. Tall glasses of rum. Sparks picked up his glass and the others rose theirs up.

“Live free or die fighting!” They hit their glasses together and slammed their drinks back in one gulp, and slammed the empty glasses onto the table.

“How about one more round?”

They all said “Yeah!”
----

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Morpheus stood before Zion’s high council. “General Morpheus,” Councillor Hamann called out. “You have something to report?”

“Yes Councillor, I do. An update on the war front.”

“Good. How are things looking?”

“My crew and I ran into Blood’s crew in the Matrix. A shootout ensued, but no one was killed. They were being pursued by an Agent, for what reason I don’t know.”

“Do you have any insight on their activity?” Councillor Danzer asked.

“We don’t know what they are doing in the Matrix for sure, possibly looking for a way to destroy it, but we do believe they are up to something in the tunnels and on the surface that could be very dangerous.”

“What do you mean?”

“Intel between our ships still out in the tunnels report that several of the Resistance ships have been moving into uncharted territory and to unseen areas on the surface to look for a way to destroy the machine city itself.”

“That’s proposterous!” Councillor West called out. “How do they plan to do such a thing?”

“We were wondering the same thing. The other day, Captain Jade reported that the Nosferatu passed by and was being pursued by several sentinals, and the readouts that her sensors took read that the emp had just been fired off. After tapping into their radio frequency, it was revealed that they had taken out some sort of power station for the machines.”

“They didn’t even call in the attack or ask if they had the go ahead!” Councillor Undila claimed.

“Why would they? They left Zion, they wouldn’t listen to us or take orders from us.” Councillor Hamann said.

“We will continue monitoring their activity without their knowing as best we can. Until then, I have no news from the Matrix Corps.”

“Thank you General, you’re dismissed.” Councillor Dilliard said. Bowing his head slightly, he turned and left the chamber.

“If we don’t stop them quick they’ll get us all killed,” she said. “Councillor Hamann let out an irritated “Hmm.”
----
The Nemesis' mess hall wasn't really the most glorious looking part of the ship, but then again, not alot of hover ships in this day and age were that way. As far as old time ship classification would be concerned, the Nemesis would be an assualt cruiser, placed between the sizes of ships like the infamous Logos and the Mjolinir, as well as balanced between speed and offensive capabilities. Basically, a medium sized hovercraft, like that of the late Nebuchadnezzar and the more recent Neodammerung, in the Medium class. It was an ideal multi-task vessel that could be put on any mission front and expected to accomplish it with flying colors, thus making it suitable for a pirate band. But that still didn't leave much room for the mess hall or quartering.

As one would see, the mess hall was the same gunmetal grey colored surrounding as the rest of the ship, dank and generally unkept. A few shoddy posters decorated the walls, one of which was a picture of Zion General Morpheus standing in his Matrix attire with sunglasses and a sheathed katana slung over his shoulder, the bottom line reading 'ZION WANTS YOU', a promotion for the Matrix Corps. The poster had several make shift darts embedded into Morpheus' bald head, reflecting the crew's thoughts on the poster. The rest were several pictures of naked woman with beer bottles, balls, revealing clothing and other objects covering their breasts and vaginal areas or some movie posters like a 'Star Wars' poster with Jango Fett or 'Hellboy' with a picture of a big red guy brandishing a magnum revolver. There was also a movie poster for 'Harry Potter', but that one had a few metal darts through it as well. As for the room itself, it was really nothing more than a metal 'picnic table' set in the center, the galley across from that, and the entry way on the other side. Anubis was sitting at the picnic table, currently eating some makeshift oatmeal, minding his own business as usual. At the corner of the room, Solitaire was leaning against the wall, filing her nails with a make shift file.

Though being freed from the Matrix, Solitaire had made it a habit to take care of her body's appearence, despite the rather primtive society she now lived in. Not that she was the stereotype supermodel wannabe, it was just something she was used to in the Matrix, a habit that was hard to abandon. Much like her love for martial arts. She loved studying new forms of combat style and ways to make her body move, ways that took strength and stamina to make happen. In fact, that was the motivation that made her free her mind, the thought that she could accomplish techniques that she never thought possible. Times were tough, but she had no regrets about her decision.

There was some light music in the room, jazz playing from speakers that were placed at every corner of the room, as if the 'bloodthirsty' pirates were trying to establish a calm atmosphere. The band was unrecognizable, but one could tell the music was ripped from the Matrix. It was at this point Blade came through, in his stern attitude as always, looking ready to pick a fight. "I hope you two aren't planning to stay here all day." he said.

"Not really. After I'm done with my nails, I'm going go shopping at Times Square, then to Broadway to see Phantom of the Opera." Solitaire rolled her eyes. She spoke with a chinese accent in her voice, but unlike other members of her 'race', she could speak fluent English. "Geez, Blade, you should sit back and relax. It's not like Zion has orders for us."

"Solitaire, if you haven't noticed, we're not in Zion right now." Blade shot back. Blade was an interesting character, as he took himself as the stereotype second-in-command that would hold the ship together, even with a lazy captain and a motley crew. Difference was, Irvine was quite serious about his job, and the crew, though being pirates, were very good at their jobs, needing little to no management to keep them in line. In many opinions, Blade took his job well too seriously, always acting as though Commander Lock or General Morpheus had issued important orders to the crew for some special ops mission. Some have even questioned why Irvine took him on as his first mate, but so far, the Captain of the Nemesis has failed to give out with an explanation. "If Sentinels all of a sudden pop out of nowhere, I don't want to die because you two being lazy."

"I'm not being lazy, 'if you haven't noticed', I'm filing my nails." Solitaire stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "Even if our minds our 'free', we have to care about our bodies. It's part of our nature after all, right Anubis?"

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Chapter 8: Other than the Matrix (cont'd)

Anubis just continued to eat his apparent snack, trying his best to ignore the two around him. He did, however, look up and give Solitaire an icy glare, one that made her regret trying to bring her apparent comrade-in-arms into the conversation. As she and the rest of the crew had noticed over the past few days, ever since his mind was freed, Anubis was a cold man, uncaring about what the rest of the crew did around him. But Solitaire new better than to judge him here. She had seen how he fought, even before his mind was freed, when he was Daniel "the Swordsman" Lancaster, the infamous assassin for a North American syndicate. A cold man, but one well versed in the art of combat, especially when it came to the sword. Solitaire felt her body shiver remembering one of Anubis' little bouts in a training program.

"And what about you, Anubis?" Blade changed his direction toward the man sitting at the table, "Didn't you hear Solitaire ask you a question?" he sat down, and gave of a sneer at Anubis, who continued to eat, "What's the matter? Parla ingles? Did your vocal cords fail to generate when you were grown?"

"Leave him alone, Blade." Solitaire said, putting her file down and now looking at the table with the two men, "I thought he'd enjoy verbally making you look dumber than you are anyway."

"No, no, Solitaire." Blade replied, "I know his type, I've seen it before back at Zion."

"Here we go again..." Solitaire muttered to herself.

"Whenever a mind is freed, it's usually greeted with confusion and fear, of the regular world." Blade began to preach, "However, some new minds tend to keep quiet and not affiliate with their shipmates after being freed, because they have this little bit of hope..." he gestured with his index finger and thumb, as if he were holding a speck of dust, waving it in Anubis' face, "...that this is all a dream, that they will wake up to their regular lives in the Matrix like nothing happened. Guess what, my friend, this isn't a dream." Blade then shaped his hand into a fist and punched Anubis across the face. While Blade wasn't super strong physically, the punch was enough for Anubis' head to shift to the side.

"You see?" Blade smirked, "Life is not a dream after all."

"Ah, if I were you Blade, I wouldn't talk anymore." Solitaire said, in warning.

"What do you mean...?" That's when Blade felt all blood flow to his hand begin to shorten out. Since he was looking at Anubis' face the whole time, he failed to notice that after his punch had landed, Anubis' right arm had grabbed onto his wrist, singled out a nerve point and was now pressing on it with much pressure with his thumb. Blade grimaced, feeling needle-like tingling around his entire arm, trying to break free of Anubis' stone hard hold. Seeing his point had been made, Anubis let go, as Blade took back his arm.

"You son of a..."

"Bloodthirsty my ass." a voice said around the corner. Both Solitaire and Blade turned to see Jarvas leaning against the wall, with his arms folded. His hair had grown back more, slightly longer than it was before he was unplugged. "Geez, Blade, you sound like what that Commander Lock guy Marley told me about."

"And what are you-?"

"Don't start bitching at me after that little speech to Anubis." Jarvas stated with metal in his voice, "Because I won't let that punch land. I'd grab your fist before it hit and sever your nerve." Jarvas' eyes narrowed, some of his attitude as a narc detective returning to his personality. It was no different than some mob boss or street punk trying to intimidate him into backing off, aside from Blade just being an [a-hole] with no back up. Either way, he never took that.

Blade sneered, "Fine. If I had it my way, I would dump you and any other new mind back to the machines." he growled. After that, he promptly stormed past Jarvas, heading to cockpit. Jarvas merely shook his head, "Is he always like that?"

"Don't mind him, he has a prejudice toward newly freed humans." Solitaire shrugged, "After all, he's a seasoned warrior of Zion that's seen it all," she said with great sarcasm, "New minds to him are a liability."

"Why did he leave Zion?"

"He got tired of 'elite soldiers' like Lock or Morpheus bossing him around." Solitaire answered, rolling her eyes at the irony.

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Jarvas just chuckled, also seeing it, but being amused by it. Without another word, he walked past Solitaire and got his own bowl of food, or whatever they called 'food'. Deep down, Jarvas longed for a decent hamburger or hot dog, the kinds you got from street vendors. He sighed, as regret started to settle with the effect of a tidal wave. He knew he gave up on Cheryl and his career, but he never contemplated losing some of the smaller pleasures like a hot dog or even a microwaveable pizza. Stuff that humans took for granted, but would feel dire regret if they lost the privilige of having in their lives. After getting his bowl and some water on the side, he took a seat next to Anubis and started to eat, immediatly grimacing at the flavor. "What is this stuff anyway?"

"Some sort of protein enzyme, mixed in with enough vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy and alive," Solitaire explained, sharing some disgust. She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small sack of paper, tied together with a piece of yarn, or atleast it looked like it, and tossed it over to Jarvas.

"What's this?" Jarvas asked.

"Salt." Solitaire explained, "Pure salt, mined in the caves around Zion. I managed to sneak a whole load of the stuff out the last time we were there."

Nodding, Jarvas opened the bag and sprinkled the white crystals over his bowl, then taking another taste. He closed his eyes, savoring at the new flavor. A flavor that he had missed, "Thanks, much better."

"No problem." Solitaire said, "You miss your old food, don't you?"

"How did you-?" Jarvas began.

"I've seen it before on a lot of people. When it finally comes down to it, people only think about what matters the most to them like family, friends, stuff that motivates them. However, they never think about the minor stuff that plays a huge effect in their lives. Hobbies, like going to the movies, playing video games, listening to music or eating decent food." Solitaire explained, sitting back, and thinking.

"Back in the Matrix, I was a movie star in Hollywood. I made several kinds of movies, mostly martial arts and action, because people knew me better as a fighter than an actor. Everyday, after I was done practicing or shooting a scene, I would stop by this one little chinese cafe for my dinner, as a mental reward to myself for completing my tasks." she closed her eyes, remembering the taste of fresh sesame chicken, pork-fried rice and an eggroll, "In a way, that cafe was as important to me as my career, I probably could never live without it in the Matrix."

"But here?" Jarvas asked.

Solitaire smiled, "Just the thought of doing stuff that people would think impossible keeps me going." she leaned her head against the wall, "What about you? What do you miss the most from the Matrix?"

Jarvas let out a short sigh, "Out of everything, including habits, it's my former girlfriend. I know it sound cheesy, but she kept me in line and on track of things, kinda like how you make that chinese resteraunt sound. She was someone I could talk to, who would listen and understand, and... I don't know, help me through it."

"And how do you feel now?" Solitaire asked, "If it's alright for me to press on."

"It's alright. Now, I really don't know what I'm here for." Jarvas replied, "It's like going undercover in the mafia or some gang syndicate, that kind of feeling, except here you know there's no way out. Once you're in, you're in, so you have to make the best of it and try to do your job. That's how I feel anyway."

"I see..." Solitaire said solemnly.

"What about you, Anubis?" Jarvas turned to the man beside him.

"Ah, I wouldn't do..."

"I don't miss anything." Anubis replied, with a monotone voice that spoke volumes of his nature. "I left the Matrix because that world had nothing for me to believe in, nothing more."

"And this world has something for you to believe in?" Jarvas said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't understand. Daniel Lancaster, the Swordsman, a dark legend among the crime lords and police force alike. You must've had something that kept you working, everyone that works in crime does."

By this point, Anubis had finished his meal and got up. Without responding to Jarvas, he moved past, and washed his dish in the sink area in the galley, then walked out. Solitaire and Jarvas exchanged looks with a shrug. Marley walked in and gave the two a nod. "Hey guys, whatcha doin'?"

"Just talking, really," Jarvas answered. Marley went over a pulled a makeshift pitcher from the fridgerator and poured it into a makeshift cup. He chugged it down and due to the bitterness of whatever it was drinking, his face scrunched up and he shook his head. "Woo! Strong stuff!," he said. He began to pour another glass and glanced over at the others. Jarvas looked curious. Solitaire was indifferent, as she was back to filing her nails.

"Want some?" he asked Jarvas.

"Uh, sure."

"Comin' right up." He pulled out another cup and poured some in, then handed it over to Jarvas. Jarvas looked down at the liquid in a skeptive manner. He looked back up at Marley, who took a gulp. "Well don't just look at it, go ahead, take a sip." Jarvas shrugged. Couldn't hurt, right? He took a small sip and spit it out in the same instance. Solitaire looked up as Marley started laughing his ass off. Jarvas looked up at him, his face and mouth all wiry from having sipped something so strong and bitter, yet sweet and flavorful at the same time he couldn't take it. "What the hell is that?" Ride came in and poured herself a bowl of the enzyme goop, sitting down to eat while Marley laughed up a storm.

"Hahahahaha-huh? Oh, what you never drank before have you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No, you've never really drank before."

Rolling his eyes, he got it. "No, I guess not."

"You know what else you've never done before?"

"What?"

"You've never gotten your freak on either. We got two fine ladies on board, I'm sure one of them would be up to dancing horizontal with you. Which one you want? Solitaire? Ride?"

Jarvas glanced from Solitaire to Ride, and saw Ride was blushing. "Uh.."

"Yeah, and virtual doesn't count, Mr. I can't remember having sex with my girlfriend," Solitaire chimed in.

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"Well, I'll drink to that," Jarvas answered with a grin. "Here, here," Marley called and hit his glass to Jarvas'. This time they both took the beverage down in one gulp. Marley let out a refreshed "Ahhhh" while Jarvas coughed for a moment. "Well, I gotta go. Stuff to do." With that, he left. Jarvas looked up to Solitaire, glanced at Ride, who was looking down at her bowl of goop, and back to Solitaire, with a look that said "Did any of that make sense?" She let out a small laugh, and Jarvas let out a small laugh in return. Good times.

----
The Nemesis was parked in a dark and damp sewer mane. The pads were shut off and this was where they planned to stay for the night. Freezing cold drips of water dropped from the top of the sewer mane to the bottom, giving it the likeness of a cave. A quartet of sentinals wormed their way into the murky depths and slipped by. Worming their way through a twisted passageway, they passed the cockpit by mere feet. In the shadows, Irvine and Blade watched them sail by, an appearance of beauty and terror at the same time, as though they were mechanical organisms. They faded off into the distance.

“Power up. Sleep mode.” Irvine whispered. Blade nodded, and flicked two switches and typed something into the keyboard in front of him, setting the mode. Minimal cockpit displays turned on, and the cabin remained dark. The ship was small, cramped, cold. Nonetheless, it was home.

On the main deck, Glitch, Ride, and Jarvas were hanging out. Jarvas leaned against a bulkhead while Ride stood up on a ladder. Glitch was standing, pacing around, quizzing Jarvas.

“Okay, the Construct...”

“Holding program used to load things like clothes, weapons, and training simulations. We go there before going into the Matrix.”

“Right. The Matrix is...”

“A virtual reality program that’s made to keep the minds of the enslaved oblivious to the fact they’re in a prison.”

“Hmmm, yeah.”

“What?”

“Well, you can’t really tell someone what the Matrix is. They have to see it for themselves after they’re unplugged to see it for what it really is.”

Jarvas thought about it. It made sense, sort of. He shrugged, figuring he’d know what it meant later.

“Your eyes felt weird when you were unplugged because..”

“I never used them before.”

“Good. Now what’s this?” He pointed over at one of Jarvas’s monitors.

“Life systems monitor, glucose levels.”

“What’s that?” He pointed over to the giant silver ball over in the back.

“Main power supply to the core.” He followed Glitch over to the operator’s station, where there were vines of coaxial hanging and snaked to and from huge monolithic battery slabs, a black portable satellite dish among banks of ship systems and keyboards and computer monitors. He pointed over to the red key-switch.

“How about this?”

“Power systems self destruct. Uses all remaining power to generate an E.M.P”

“Our best weapon against the machines. The problem is if someone is still in the Matrix when that thing goes off, they're not coming back.”

Jarvas nodded. He looked over and stared at the screens displaying the huge syllabus of green Matrix code characters that fell in strands. Over the past few days he’d been struggling to learn the complex codes. “Ka equals 9. But reverse Ka is point-nine, right?” Glitch nodded.

“You catch on quick man”

“I know these symbols from the hacking trainer. But why’s it so hard to find them on the keyboard?”

“Your brain knows what to do,” Ride said. “But it has to associate the characters with your body.”

“It’s muscle memory, Jarvas. Think of the space bar and your thumbs nail it, because they’ve hit the space bar millions of times. But think about reverse ‘ka,’ and your fingers don’t automatically hit the reverse keyt and the ‘ka’ key in one shot.”

“Where did these symbols come from anyway?”

“Most of it is from the old Japanese. It’s Katakana. See, the machines aren’t binary, no zero and one. They’re quantum-based, so instead of an open-close base of zero or one, open and closed, they use all numbers between zero and one.”

“All numbers between zero and one. That could be an infinite number of numbers.”

[Return of the Peacecraft]

“Not could be, it is.” Jarvas was astounded.

“Holy shit. How many calculations per second?”

“How many CPS...well, that’s kind of hard to estimate. Put it this way: picture all the particles in the known universe. Not just atoms, but sub-atomic particles that compose atoms.”

“Okay. At last count that was like, billions right? Trillions?”

Glitch let out a “Heh.” with a smile. “Well, it’s up there. In any case, the number of calculations per second the Matrix can perform is greater than the estimated number of particles in the known universe.”

“Whoa.”

“That’s how they have the operating power to create entire worlds within their mainframes.” Ride said.

“That’s why it looks like reality. They have the computing power to create entire worlds.”

Glitch nodded. “Right.”

“So, if we hack into the Matrix, why can’t we just change the code while we’re at it?”

“No, no. See, it’s not that simple. We broadcast a signal to hack into the matrix, which is what this black satellite dish is for. If a hack is discovered, security measures are taken to secure the breach, like for instance, sentinels may be dispatched to the ship location or Agents might be distributed to the hardline location. The sentinels may logically decide to watch that location going forward, terminate it, or change some codes to access it. The Agents would sever the hardline, thereby setting a trap, refusing entrance or exit. It's like the wireless internet. It frees you from connecting your machine to the internet with wires. Kind of like how remote controls changed the way people interacted with their TVs. However, some people do not secure their access point. An access point is essentially a receiver waiting for a broadcast signal from a client machine. What ends up happening is that other people run what are called sniffers that will locate these open 'hotspots' and log on. So basically someone is piggybacking off of someone elses internet access. Until the access point is secured like with a password then that access point is wide open to penetration or hacking into the main system, the internet. In our case, we try to secure the access point before sending you in, and then if it becomes secured, either we find another one or we hack it and patch it again. Now, the reason we can't just change coding around when we hack into the Matrix; The machines, the programs that code, create, and maintain the Matrix, they are code. There are different types of programs at work, many unseen with no interaction in the Matrix. Then, there are the enforcers, the ones we all know otherwise as Agents. In simpler terms, think of the game battleship. You can see your field, and I can see mine. But we cannot see each other's and yet that is the goal of the game, to locate your opponent's coordinates and remove their pieces. If there is a third party watching along with us who is not participating in the game proper, then they can see the picture in its entirety, they being the machines and programs that operate in the Matrix. They have the overview that we are trying to attain. They have uploaded all the information and can be arbiters of what is to happen. They are the server. They are the control."

“Right.”

“Well, my point is, the machines code and recode the Matrix by pure will. Interaction with the Matrix, the physical act of being there, by default, allows people to change their environment - The Matrix. They move objects, make sound, affect cause.”

“Like reality.”

[Return of the Peacecraft]

“Almost,” Ride began. “Reality is unalterable. But the fabric of reality in the Matrix can be rewoven. Some can reach beyond normal cause. Their affects on the Matrix are deeper than the average. They have learned to change it according to their needs. But they don’t have total control. That’s why we need operators like Glitch here."

“Oh. What makes us able to change the Matrix when we need it?”

“A free mind.” Ride said with a smile. Caught off guard at first, he paused for a moment before smiling back. Glitch looked up to see Irvine walk in as Blade went to his quarters.

“Whatcha guys talking about?”

“We just finished the operation programs and he's showing great retention. I’m trying to teach this guy some programming. He’s stuck in the 20th century. He’s got no skills.” Jarvas smirked.

“Don’t worry, he’ll learn in time. But we’re done for the night, so get some rest.” The others nodded and went off to their quarters. Glitch went in first, and Ride and Jarvas were still on the way. He swallowed a knot in his throat. “Hey, Ride,” he called out. She paused for a moment and turned around. “Yeah?” He looked down and first but shook his head and looked up, his eyes meeting hers. They both paused for a moment then. “Uh, this life you live. The cold ship. Never knowing when danger will show up, and fighting in the Matrix...Why do you do it?” She thought about it for a few seconds, looking down to break the eye lock. “I don’t know, really. I asked for the truth, and this is what I got and there’s no turning back. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know it sucks at first, but you kinda get used to it. Have you ever felt like you couldn’t find your niche in life?”

“...Yeah.”

“Well, after Irvine found me, I felt like I found my place.” His eyebrows wrinkled as he thought about it. He knew exactly what she meant, and found himself nodding his head in agreement.

“Like when you live day to day waiting for something to happen in your life, but when nothing happens, it just seems meaningless?”

She looked up at him, sort of surprised. “Yeah...just like that. How did you know?”

“I felt the exact same way until I came here. After that...this life is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. I didn’t care what it was, I just wanted something to happen. I always knew it was there, I just didn’t know how to get to it.”

Ride looked at him like he was a whole different person. In a few seconds, he put her whole life into a few words. She felt like she knew him for the longest time. She looked down, contemplating her thoughts, and looked back up at him. “Are you alright?” He asked her.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. His head moved back slightly and his eyes closed, and when she pulled her head back, she almost laughed at the shocked and surprised look on his face: His semi-open mouth, the caught-off-guard stare in his eyes. With a smile she said “Goodnight, Jarvas” and left to go into her room, leaving him standing there in the hallway. He heard a voice behind him say “Make a hole,” and he turned around to see Marley coming down the hall. He caught the tranced look on his face. “You okay man?” He shook his and blinked. “Uh yeah, I’m fine.” He let Marley pass and then went into his own room. As he took off his boots and climbed under the covers, it was all he could think of. He put his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes to go to sleep.

Things were looking up.
----

[Return of the Peacecraft]

Chapter 9: A Glitch in the Matrix

Date: Approx 2204
Time: -
Area: Tunnels of the Real


The Vehemens slowly cruised through the tunnels of the unknown region, the bright search lights and the blue energy generated from the hoverpads providing the only lights in the tunnel. Being a medium sized hovercraft, it was a little harder to manuever in tight spaces than the Atlantis, a small hovercraft Ravage was put in command of before receiving the Vehemens. At times like this, he really, really missed the little ship, since he was currently deep within the unknown territories, probably somewhere around what used to be Russia. Next to him, on the co-pilot's seat, Iratus was laid back, with a pair of operator headphones over his ears, listening to some music downloaded from a file sharing program in the Matrix. The large, well built captain let out a small grumble at the sight of his so-called first officer, silently wishing he had the same "bad luck" as Irvine when it came to crew assignments. While Iratus was an expert gunman and fighter, since he was a former bounty hunter in the Matrx, he lacked any enthusiasm toward his job, and had overtime adopted a lax nature, even around Ravage. Not that Ravage minded this, it was just in situations like flying through an unknown region that he wished Iratus would take his job more seriously. Or atleast, take off the stupid headset and talk to him, so Ravage wouldn't feel so dam bored at the helm.

The Resistance captain then noticed that the tunnel began to extend upward, toward the surface. He keyed in the intercom to the main part of the ship, "We're going up, hold onto something." Ravage said, in his usual, nearly booming tone. After a moment, he pulled the medium sized hovercraft up along the tunnel's curve. He fought the urge to suddenly turn the ship to the side, just to throw the now snoring Iratus out of his seat. He didn't have to though. The ship was angled back so much, the co-pilots chair turned ninety degrees, forcing Iratus to fly out of it, roll along the deck until he fell against the entry way. "If you're going to sleep like a dog, then you can sleep on the ground." Ravage said, now in the tone of a master training his pupil. Iratus merely blinked a little at his statement, "You could've dumped water on me." he said, before yawning. Ravage just shook his head, as he angled the ship out, so that they flew along the rugged terrain of the region. Unlike the area surrounding 01, this point was a more mountainous region, with large peaks stretching over the land, as far as the eye could see. And also unlike 01, this area was much, much cooler. The black atmosphere remained abundent, but the ground was littered with black ice and snow. In fact, at that moment, both Ravage and Iratus could see small drops of snow hit the viewport. "I hope this doesn't turn into a storm." Iratus complained, getting back into the co-pilot's seat, slipping his headphones back on.

Ravage nearly ripped the headphones off his head, "We're near our objective point, stay alert." he ordered Iratus. The first officer held his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright. I'll go back and make sure everyone's ready." he replied, wanting to avoid Ravage's trademark temperment. He got out of his seat and paced out of the bridge, walking down the hall until he got to the main deck.

It took him a few moments to get to the main area of the Vehemens, where the rest of the crew were. Including Ravage and Iratus, there were six crewmen: four Matrix fighters, one operator and one helper. The first one that Iratus saw was Zero, the Vehemens' operator, sitting at the main console, monitoring a duel between Circa and Alucard. Or atleast it looked like it, he kept switching inbetween the monitor that displayed the duel to another one which had code on it. As far as looks went, Zero wasn't anything special, and because of his attitude, many had considered him a lowlife of sorts. His messy brown hair and the many stubbles on his chin hinted to his spending hours on end at the operator's screen, or in the medical ward before leaving Zion as a volunteer nurse. Iratus grimaced at that last part, knowing he wasn't a real medical man, and at the same time, he was usually posted in a room where there were lots of comotose woman. Which was probably why he was on the Vehemens, to escape life in the stockade. His only saving grace was, he was a lowlife with computer skills, the best out of Zion argueably. Who else could hack timed explosives into a government facility in the Matrix, without alerting the Agents, like he had done on more than one occasion.

As Iratus approached, he saw that Zero was shivering, keeping his arms crossed and his knees up to them in an attempt to conserve body heat. "Why did it get so dam cold all of a ssuudden?" Zero asked Iratus as he approached.

"It's snowing outside, that's why." Iratus replied, "We're near the operation point, so call off their little fight and get back to work." the first mate ordered in cold monotone.

Zero grumbled, looking over at that side monitor again, "Dammit, Iratus, you know how hard it is to hack a pornography file out of the Matrix!?" he complained, "Especially the kind that you carry home in a brown paper bag?"

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"How far are you on downloading it?" Iratus rolled his eyes, feeling like he was a father, telling his son to get up from the TV set on a saturday morning to go mow the lawn.

"76% right now." Zero replied.

"Alright, I'll let you keep it on, but concentrate more on the sensors." Iratus said. Zero nodded to this and keyed into the training simulation, "Ok, fun times over you guys. Back to reality." he said. Without waiting for a reply, he deactivated the simulation program and brought the two fighters into the construct, before jacking them out. The first to wake up was a pale skinned man, in his mid-30s, with comed back black hair, and a calm looking exterior, although the other crew knew better on that last part. It was the kind of exterior you compared to James Bond, plain looking, but a cunning thinker underneath. He was dressed in a white uniform sweater with black pants and black boots, as if he were still in the Zion military. The other one was a young teenage girl, 17 years in age, something of a rarity to see onboard a ship. Even stranger was she was oriental in origin, with dark brown eyes and a long mane of black hair. As well, despite her age, she had fully developed breasts, which an observer would first notice do to her chosen outfit: a pair of uniform pants with boots, and an olive green tank top that barely drew down to her waist, fully showing off the size of her chest. She followed the man in waking, stretching her rather-built arms out in order to get blood flowing again. "That was a fun break." she said, looking at her left arm, running her right hand index finger down, indenting where a scar had been, "Although I'm getting really tired of your knife tricks, Alucard. Why can't you use a handgun like everybody else?"

"And why can't you fight in a close-range battle, Circa?" Alucard shot back, speaking in a pure Romanian accent, "Hiding on a roof top with a PSG-1 isn't exactly very bushido." he simply put, in an amused tone of voice. "Although, you shouldn't complain." he wiped his hand across his mouth, turning it around to reveal blood to her.

Circa smiled at her handiwork, "I can't help it. I love watching the little people run up and down the city through a sniper scope, because no matter what they're doing, their lives are in my hands."

"Will you two knock it off?" Iratus said, "We've got work to do."

"What kind of work do you mean, Iratus?" a new voice said. In came a woman with blonde hair, late-30s, dressed in a grey outfit that signified her as the ship's helper. There wasn't much to discern, she wasn't very beautiful, with her built exterior and aged expression, but one could say she looked deadly and at one point had her looks. However, where right eye would have been, there was a black eyepatch, and a scar the size of a Sentinel claw going down through her eye to the bottom of her cheek. "Trancing around an unknown region is a lot of hard work indeed. I honestly wonder how we'll ever survive, Iratus."

"Shut up, Artemis." Iratus put out, "I'm only following the Captain Blood's orders. We're to remain alert in case we find anything 'important'."

"And what's so important that Blood would send us all the way out here?" Artemis shot back, "This place is a waste zone. There hasn't been any machine activity in this region for decades. Hell, even Commander Lock chose not to explore further into this area, because the climate is more of a threat than the chance of Sentinals operating here!"

Iratus merely gave a half 'whatever' smirk and shrugged, "I'm not going to question Blood on this one, because he was so dam sure about it. As much as I hate asking machines for guidance, the Oracle's alot better than wandering around the region blindly*."

"With all due respect, 'sir'." Artemis seathed, "I don't believe in her prophecy mumbo-jumbo. A program that can predict the future... heh, right."

"She's proven useful so far." Iratus said.

"Hey, I got something!" Zero yelled out, breaking up the conversation. Iratus gave Artemis an 'I told you so' look, before everyone in the room gathered around Zero, looking at the main monitor. The main monitor was displaying a large red area on a black land scape, which nobody but Zero knew. "Ok, I'll start." Artemis said, "What are you using, and what have you found?"

"To answer your first question, Arty, this is Infrared." Zero replied, "It's a sensor system that detects heat, instead of sound like Sonar or objects like radar. I just copied some data from the Matrix and wrote my own program for it. And for what I found, it's some kind of facility." Zero typed further, switching over to RADAR.SEN. Angling the radar over to the location, he got a general outline of the facility. It was square shaped and generally uncovered, outlined by a parameter of metal. The main building itself looked like a bunker of sorts, since radar was couldn't scan further into the base line.

Zero then remembered they were still flying, so he keyed in the innercomm, "We struck pay dirt, Captain. Better land here. We have a big heat signature in those mountains."

"Alright, I'm putting her down." In a few moments, everyone felt the forward motion of the ship slow, and eventually drop down onto the soft, black terrain below. Although they were well out of the range of infared, everyone could feel the spot they landed in was warm. Rather strange, considering this territory was a frozen wasteland. Another few moments, Ravage emerged from the cockpit, as the sound of the Vehemens' hoverpads winding down echoed across the ship. "Ok, so what are we looking at? Volcanic activity?"

Zero shook his head, "I'm not detecting any movements in the ground. Whatever it is, it's on the surface. And it's very, very hot." Everyone, without a word, looked at Ravage for orders. "You want to find out what it is?"

"Of course I do." he began to give orders, his booming voice never dropping, "Circa, Alucard, Artemis, join me at the exit hatch and get suited up. Iratus, stay with Zero on the ship. If this is a trap, I want you to fire the EMP and get the hell out of here, with or without us."

"Why does he get to stay behind? He could fly off witho..." Artemis began to complain in her scathing tone. Before anyone blinked, Ravage grabbed her shirt with his right hand, yanked her into his grip and threw her on the right side of the operator's console. Seeing Artemis' expression turn from anger into fear and shock made Ravage feel self-satisfaction inside, and also told him she was now more than willing to listen to him.

He continued. "Out of all of us, Iratus is the only one that can fly the ship, thus our best getaway driver. But, assuming he is a traitorous bald-headed caucasian bred dog for a moment, as you think of him, I'll clarify. Yes, he could fly off without us, but he wouldn't get far. The closest ship to our position is the Nosferatu, way back in the 01 region. Since I'm the only one that knows the route back to the 'Bloodsucker', he'd most likely end up getting lost. And if he gets lost, chances are, Sentinals will find him. Without Circa, Alucard and yourself, he'd have one hell of a time to fight them off."

"Even if he didn't have all that to deal with, Iratus is the first mate of this ship, and your fellow comrade, so you better put as much trust into him as I do. Because that, my dear Artemis, is what will keep you alive." Ravage wrapped up with an even deeper, more intense voice, "Do I make myself clear?" he said, returning to abnormaly calmer vocation, as calm as he was anyway.

Artemis grimaced at that part. Ravage was very well know for his disciplinary methods, and she didn't really want to know what the big oriental man was capable of. "Yes sir." she growled, in pure, unjaded irritance.

"Good." Ravage said, dropping her, "Now, if everyone will join me..."

After some time, the Vehemens' loading ramp lowered, revealing Ravage, Alucard, Circa and Artemis clad in environmental suits. One of the latest designs from Zion, the environmental suit was made to allow humans to explore some of the more hazardous environments on the planet. Originally made for the lava tubes that were around Zion, they could absorb a great amount of heat, making them ideal for this situation. "Alright, let's go." Ravage ordered, after taking a moment to survey the scenery. Hesitantly, the others followed him as he walked toward the ruins ahead of them. The complex wasn't very big really, but it looked extremely sturdy, built in an age where the force of an explosion was mankind's most powerful weapon. It was rectangle shaped with rounded edges, and a large shutter type door at the end of the building. Despite its durability, time had taken a tole on the building. The metal walls that had been designed to absorb missile attacks were now rusted over, with some tears appearing around the sides. Only a few metal bars remained of the chain linked fence that once surrounded the facility and an empty checkpoint post was all that evidenced a gate being there. Aside from that, there were some remains of T-72 Tanks, perfectly lined and parked in front of the complex, and the wreckage of an Mi-24 "Hind-D" attack helicopter scattered across the helipad.

Everyone ventured past the wreckage and approached the shutter door. Alucard was the first, reaching out and wiping the black frozen ash off a sign. Although the sign was written in Russian, Alucard stumbled back when he recognized the black fan-like symbol. Ravage rose an eyebrow behind his visor, showing great interest, while Circa remained indiffernt. Artemis was the only one that didn't know what it meant. "What is it?"

[Return of the Peacecraft]

"That explains the heat signature." Ravage said, "It's a nuclear waste facility, left over from the Cold War." he pointed at the hammer and sickle emblem at the bottom of the sign, the symbol of the defunct Soviet Union, "Dam Ruskies, they never picked up after themselves." Without saying another word, Ravage reached down, and with his immense stregnth, forced the shutter upward. Being over two centuries old, the shutter was almost rusted tight, but Ravage managed to open it all the way, doubting he could pull it back down though. But that didn't matter, it was inside that counted.

All around, there were tight-sealed boxes, almost perfectly preserved thanks to the armored structure. All of these boxes had the same emblems that were on the warning sign, both the radioactive symbol and the Soviet hammer/sickle. "I understand now." Alucard spoke up, "This was probably a disarmament or storage facility at some point. Alot of these places were abandoned when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, since the scientists had no party to tell them what to do."

"Wouldn't put it past those hockey-playing bastards." Ravage laughed, "Such a pathetic race. No matter what age it was, they always needed someone with absolute control over them in order to function. It's no wonder their country turned into this mess in '89."

"Captain." Circa pointed to one of the boxes that had been crushed open in it, probably from a shard falling on it, "That explains where the radiation is coming from."

Although nobody saw it, Ravage had a very large grin on his face. If he were religious, he would've thanked God, Allah, Ryujin or whatever God had led him to this place on the spot. This was exactly what they needed against the machines. "Ok, guys, we're going to take a few boxes with us back. Alucard and Circa take one box, while Artemis and I take another."

"You're not serious, are you Captain?" Artemis griped, "According to the Second Renaissance..."

"I know what happened in the war against the Machines, Art." Ravage shot back, "But there was a catch. Usually, a nuke will set off an EMP just before it strikes its target, but some idiot in the UN had the warheads armed without the EMP effect, relying on the radiation exposure to take down the Machines. If we can use these things more effectively, we'll have an advantage."

"Out of curiousity, Captain Ravage, how do you know so much about nuclear weapons?" Circa chimed in, "You know how much I love intellegent men."

Ravage chuckled at that, "Believe or not, I was a military officer before I got my mind freed, in charge of a nuclear facility in Arizona, so I know a fair share of information. But most importantly, I know how to put these to good use." he waved his hand around at the various boxes. "Now get to work."
----

Raven couldn't have been more pleased with himself at his accomplishment. Before him, he watched as Sideways, the operator of the Nosferatu, was typing with great hype at his monitor, browsing through the renegades Raven had obtained from Roland, like a fourteen year old looking over his dad's porno mags. Arius gave his nod of approval, highly anticipating the usage of these programs in the future. Magnus, however, remained unphased at this. "I've got to hand it to you, Raven, this is some cool shit." Sideways said with great excitement, "I can't believe Zion actually had some decent renegades in their arsenal."

"All in a days work, my dear Sideways." Raven said with his usual charisma, "You will relay these babies to the other ships, won't you?"

"The one's that I think are useful, sure." Blood, who had been standing behind Sideways this entire time, spoke up, "The rest we'll save for when we get into Zion's main frame. Just a little 'thank you' for all the support they've given us." he said with sarcasm.

"That aut ta be entataining." Arius said in the background

"So, what do you want us to do now? We've still got that office building for a few more days, and if not that, we can always get another one." Raven said.

"Just do what you're doing right now, keeping an eye inside the Matrix." Blood replied, "We just got word that the Neodammerung is in Zion right now, so that'll take General Morpheus off our backs for a while. However, Sideway's been picking up some abnormal activity in the Matrix, and I want that investigated."

"Axe has as well." Raven gestured at the large black man sitting at the operator's console, "Unfortunately, not even Magnus can figure out what it is, though it does seem to put pressure on him. Some new type of reaction to the code flucuations I assume."

"Whatever it is, Raven, I want to know about it yesterday, so head back into the Matrix. Nosferatu out." The comm. screen ended there, and the monitor Blood's face was on at Sideways' consoles switched back to flowing green code strands.

"So much for our benefit." A black woman with a ponytail complained, "Can't the guy cut us a break for once?"

"If he did, Kahn, he wouldn't be Captain Blood." Raven chimed, "And if he wouldn't be Blood, then this would all be a waste of time anyway."

"Whatever." Kahn said, looking at Magnus, "What about him? You just said the waves are having some effect on his brain..."

"I'm fine." Magnus simply replied, not turning to look at her, "The pressure doesn't hurt, it just doesn't feel normal. The whole reality fluctuates to this wave, like an ocean. I myself want to know what's causing the waves."

"You sure, Magnus?" Raven said, his usual demeanor now traded over for concern, "I can do this without you."

"No, Captain, I have to find out what this is." Magnus looked up at Raven with his pale blue eyes, "Because I can feel the pressure now, even outside the Matrix."
----

The Nemesis sped through the tunnels and as Marley typed in the commands ro bring up sensor readings, he noted the temperature was dropping. "Temp's dropping Cap, we're getting closer to the surface." Irvine let out a hiss of air through his nostrils as if the news were obsolete. "Only thing that matters right now is getting as far away from that swarm as we can, got it?" Marley nodded and in a more serious tone he answered, "Yes sir." From their last location, Glitch suddenly picked up readings that Sentinals were swarming the ship from all directions in a circular shape, so Irvine had the crew get ready and got the hell out of their. Problem was, they were leaving a heat signature behind and since the area they were in was cold and only getting colder as they went, it would be easier for the sentinals to find them.