First Light

Preface

Some how the world just didn't sit right, Even though he knew he was awake, everyday seemed to feel like a dream. Or more like a waking night mare. He just couldn't work out why. Whenever he said anything to his friends at school they just seemed to lok at him in a funny way and tell him to stop taking whatever it was he was taking.

Whatever it was, it had him on edge. It was like... like looking at life through a tinted lense, like a splinter through his mind, Always there, nagging away but he just couldn't get it to budge, couldn't get his vision to clear.

He needed to find a way, needed to wake up, needed to feel alive.

He just didn't know how


1.
The computer pinged and then the screen went blank. It wasn’t going to work, again. Jason had been trying to find a way round the security firewall for the whole night, and the night before, and the night before that. In fact he’d been trying to get in for nearly two weeks.

This time he’d thought he was in, he should have been, everything he’d done was right. All the hours of trying had taught him what was going on and the systems weaknesses. None of the alarms had been triggered, no one knew what he was trying to do but he still just couldn’t get through that final portal. He needed to know why, he needed to know where he had gone wrong, he needed to get in…. He needed to sleep.

And sleep he did, until well into the morning. He woke with a start, not sure what time it was, with that all to familiar feeling of disjointedness. He’d missed the start of school, not that it mattered. Everything was so basic, so boring to him. It just didn’t matter. Who cared if he could speak French or understand Shakespeare? What possible difference could that make in the grand scheme of things? Any way, his parents didn’t care, they were never around and even when they were they didn’t seem to notice him, they were too busy fighting.

So that was that. School could take a running jump. He had a mainframe to hack and he was getting a little p!$$ed off. It wasn’t about what he found when he got in, interesting as the NSA central archives no doubt were, but it was about the chase, beating the system, and so far there hadn’t been a system he could not crack and this one was not going to be the first. Already the name ‘Morpheus’ was gaining notoriety in high security circles and for 15-year old Jason Marsden that was beyond cool.

2
Jason was a cyber fiend. He spent as many of his waking hours as he could on the internet. Everything else stemmed from this and as far as he was concerned if he couldn’t find it with his computer it wasn’t worth looking at.

He had two main interests, hacking and conspiracy theories. His first major hack had come about by mistake. He was buying some computer parts on line and ordered the latest processing gear. When his Dad saw the credit card bill he want ape. A serious beating and two black eyes later there was no way he was sending the gear back like his Dad wanted. Instead he accessed his Dad’s account on line and tried to cancel the card. When that didn’t work he tried to speak to the banks manager, claiming that the card had been stolen. That didn’t work either. He set to and managed to brute force his way into the banks main frame and remove the invoices, not before he’d triggered at least one alarm alerted the banks security systems of his presence and been traced. That had earned him a visit from two very shady gentle men who threatened to remove his computer if he was ever caught pulling a stunt like that again. So since then he made sure that he was un catch-able. He had set up a complex series of shadow’s and mirrors, routing his path through at least 3 large companies. His password cracking program was like nothing to be found on the net and frankly, he was unstoppable. Since that day He had not had to pay for a thing, with 3 dummy I.D.’s and a credit card from almost every major country in the world

In the last few years he’d heard about hundreds of conspiracies on the net, a lot of them from the lurid underbelly and managed to disprove at least 80 percent of them That was probably how he ended up at the NSA’s virtual front door. He had heard on the grapevine about some sort of control system called the matrix, it sounded to him like the usual neo-military hokum the government would subscribe to but, some how this felt different.

Very nice Swampy.
I know this story will go great places.
I like it, keep up the good work.

Interesting...good start! I like your flow...you've got a good sense of timing.

Very nice. You got some talent Swampy. Keep it up.

If any of you guys are actually hackers then please forgive my bumbling guess at how it would be done. If this is anywhere near accurate then thats a bonus but beyond that I had to exercise my artistic license

3.
This time he was going to get in and no stupid slips were going to get in his way. He was Morpheus, king hacker, undefeated in all contests, about to enter the big time. He fired up his router, checked all his mirrors were secure, the last thing he needed was for some two-bit office IT buff to spot him bouncing off their server. Everything was fine. That done he fired up his shadow and his scrubber. Like playing in the snow, every move you made on line left a clear footprint for those inclined to look. The scrubber programme made sure that those footprints faded as quickly as they appeared.

So far, everything was going like every other hack he’d ever tried. Like clockwork. He was starting to get the usual tingles down his spine that he always got, the rush was just starting to come. He typed the server’s FTP address and fired up his password programme. It was the finest piece of AI programming he’d ever come across, all the more so as he’d written it himself. Each previous attempt the software remembered what didn’t work, narrowing the search and minimising the time he needed to be stood on the doorstep. With that in place he fired up his brute force programmes.

Computers were like women, the best way to get the responses you want and the way to really make them sing was to give them just the right mix of pleasure and pain. Or so he’d been told. Jason’s experience of women was very limited, he’d seen plenty of porn, the net was flooded with it but as far as real life went he was limited to a drunken fumble at the school Christmas party with one of the ugliest girls in the school. It had put him off a bit.

The password programme started ticking through a series of codes at the website door. He fired up his brute force and set it loose on the ftp access codes. The adrenaline was starting to course through his blood. His fingers danced across the keyboard and the screen changed. HE WAS IN! The best the US government had to offer, foiled by the best hacker in the world. Come on!

lmao-I don't think anyone would be a hackerin here. Good piece you've got there...still it doesn't sound like its Morpheus you're describing here. Marsden...doesn't that remind me of an X-men character?

I realise that it doesn't sound like the uber-cool Morpheus we all recognise but he is only in his formative years at this stage of the tale. Also if you look at the difference between part one Mr Anderson and Revolutions Neo, the characters grow very quickly. I have a plan, which will unfold later... wait and see!

Oh and the marsden and x-men link, James Marsden plays Cyclops in the recent movies

4
With every other hack he’d done, the thrill was the breaking and entering. This one was slightly different. Anyone could say they’d hacked the NSA, but he needed to be able to prove he had. As he searched he found all sorts, hidden Vietnamese intelligence sources, Soviet missile plans, Contacts in the Columbian cartels, he even stumbled across a file on ‘Morpheus’, still very small but he copied it any way.

As he dug further in he found what he was looking for, a file entitled ‘Matrix developments: Freed minds enquiry’. Freed minds? What the hell? He copied it across and continued to search, but as he did his mind kept returning to the file and he wondered what it contained. All thoughts of boasting had now gone from his mind. He had to find out what the deal with this ‘matrix’ was and what it meant by ‘free minds’. That bit sounded like hippy s#!t if ever he heard it.

It was time to pull out. He’d been hooked up long enough and even the most secure link was made riskier by spending too long with your fingers in the bad guys wallet. He closed the brute force programme and logged out of the mainframe. He withdrew his tentacles from across the net, and slowly shut everything off, leaving nothing running but the scrubber programme to hide his trail.

It was time for some caffeine. He got up and went to the kitchen to fetch a cup of strong, fresh ground Columbian java before returning to the screen to see what he’d brought out of the NSA’s mainframe. As he went back into his room, down under the stairs and into the cellar, he felt a strange sensation come over him, as if he was being watched. As he opened the door at the bottom he could see the screen had changed. ‘This is not good’ he though to himself as he sat down, the images of the two men he had met last time he’d been caught flooding back into his mind, All black suits and sunglasses with a strange little earpiece.

He read what was written on the screen ‘THE MATRIX HAS YOU’. Jason dropped his coffee, he pulled the modem lead out of the back of his machine, disconnected the power to his modem and unplugged his hardware from the mains. He exhaled his breath and turned back to the screen trying to figure out how he had been traced, only to discover the message was still there. Text started to appear on the screen. How was it doing that? He’d removed the power and everything, what was going….’MORPHEUS, IT IS YOUR TIME.’ ‘Time for what?’ he said. As if in answer the screen changed again: ‘ANSWER THE TELEPHONE MORPHEUS.’ Answer the teleph…. RING-RING, RING-RING, RING-RING

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING!
Here's something we haven't seen...young Morpheus, the early years...heh...I like it!

Man we've got a lot of talent up here...Hmmmmm....

5.
‘Now what?’ he thought. The telephone continued to ring as the text on the screen changed again. ‘ITS FOR YOU MORPHEUS.’ This was all getting a bit weird. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone. ‘Hello, Morpheus, my name is Lock. You have started to ask questions of the world around you. If you want to see how the world appears with out the lenses then meet me in the coffee shop on the corner of 4th and Vine at 4pm this afternoon.’ The phone clicked and then the line went dead.

‘OK’ Jason thought, finally exhaling, ‘what now?’ It hadn’t been the police or the NSA on the phone, which was a good start . He’d heard the name ‘Lock’ before, he just couldn’t remember where. He decided to fire his computer back up and to see what the files he’d found said.

He plugged everything pack in, except the modem. Some how that didn’t seem safe yet. He hit the start button and everything whirred into life. The windows logo came up on screen and his desktop came up as normal. So far, everything seemed OK with his computer.

He decided to open the ‘Matrix’ file first. He double clicked the icon for it and the screen went blank. The file was empty. ‘What the heck?’ Jason thought, his mind racing. He opened the file on himself. It was all there, almost every hack he’d ever completed, but not who he was or where he was from.

So the government knew of ‘Morpheus’ but not who and where he was. Up to now anyways. He’d only adopted the tag after he’d been caught that first time. It was decision time. Did he go and meet this ‘Lock’ or not.

He spent the next 3 hours walking the streets in a seemingly random pattern as he thought. It was now 3.45pm and he was stood just down the road from the coffee shop. He’d seen no one remotely out of the ordinary looking going in or out for at least the last 30 minutes. He set off walking down past it on the other side of the road, trying to get a view of who was inside. Again, he saw nothing that was strange about the place. He’d read enough spy novels to spot any slopping blinds or other strange signals that may be used, so at least he now felt reasonably safe. He walked across the street and came back up the road towards the shop.

He went inside and got a large cappuccino and went and sat in a booth in the corner, with a view of the kitchen, the door and the fire escape. It was still only 3.50pm but he was here and that was that. He sipped his coffee and waited and looked around, just wondering who ‘Lock’ was and if he had been set up.

‘You’re early’ a voice behind him said. Jason turned around and looked at the person who had appeared at his shoulder. A tall, slim, black man, with short-cropped hair, wearing a long coat and black leather boots. ‘I am Lock. If you want to find out what the Matrix really is then come with me’

Niiiice. I like. I was wondering if Lock would be the same Lock that was from the Matrix movies, or if it was a completey different character?

My intention when writing was that it would be the same lock. It will fit in later in the story why it has to be the same one. Lets say that there are some other familiar names yet to join the tale

Wonderful story, When their is more please send it to me.

This episode is slightly predictable I know but the next couple should be quite interesting

6.
They left without saying a word. As they walked out of the coffee shop, the rear door of a large car outside opened. ‘Get in’ said Lock. Jason looked at him, before deciding that if Lock wanted to force him into the car he could. He had to find out what this man knew, so, after a few seconds hesitation he got in.

Sat in the rear of the car already was a heavy-set woman who looked like she could snap him in half like a toothpick. She was wearing a long black coat and sunglasses. Sat in front all he saw were to shaved heads and leather coats. Neither of them turned round. As lock climbed in next to him and shut the door the large woman brought out a knife and held it to his throat. ‘Do not be alarmed’ she said, ‘This is purely for our protection.’ ‘You’re protection?’ Jason said. ‘You will come to understand’ said Lock. The journey proceeded without another word.

They arrived at a disused dock, just as darkness descended. They got out of the car and looked around before leading Jason inside. Inside was a small table with 3 chairs and a phone line. They sat down and Lock began to speak.

‘The world around you is not as it seems. The matrix causes the splinter in your mind you feel. It is a system, designed to control you. Your life so far has been a lie, nothing you have done has mattered. Everything you have ever achieved has been a part of that system. It is above the government of the USA, in fact the file you found was put there by us to see if you were ready. It is above the UN and is beyond your total understanding. You look perturbed, I understand. Every one of us has been sat where you are sat. We have all had our eye’s opened to the truth.’

‘The question is this. Do you want to know just what the real world looks like, to have the scales removed from your eyes or do you want to stay like you are? The option is yours. Before you are 2 doors. You can take the left door and get back into the same car you came here and go home with a few more questions than you had this morning. Alternatively you can take the door on the right hand side, walk away from everything you’ve ever known or understood, leave behind your family and friends and see the world as it really is for the first time. The choice is yours.’

Jason sat in silence for a couple of minutes as he thought through what he’d heard. He thought of his family, his friends his life. He looked at the people around him, his eyes coming to rest on Lock. He looked like a man with the answers, a man he wished his own father was like. He made his decision. He walked through the right hand door

Good job Swampy. I'm eargerly awaiting part 7! :)

Sorry no story over the weekend, haven't even had chance to turn my pc on. Part 7 is very short I know but I've got to do some work so if I get chance I'll write some more later today

7.
He walked into another large room, lighter and more airy than the last one and looked around. In the middle of the room was what looked like a dentist chair with 2 or 3 racks of medical equipment next to it. Just near by was a desk with a couple of computers.

Behind the desk, the woman who had held the knife to his throat sat, staring at the machine, frantically typing away. She looked up at him and said ‘Have a seat’, gesturing at the dentist chair. He went over and looked at it, a worried expression on his face. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be gentle’ she said, smiling. ‘I’m Cristal, you mustn’t read anything into our earlier encounter, I’m really a bit of a kitten.’ A voice from the corner said ‘Yeah, the kind of kitten that eats antelope for breakfast. It was one of the shaved heads from the car. He was about 7 feet tall, with muscles in places he didn’t even have places. ‘Jesus’ said Jason. ‘Close’ said the bald man ‘ I am Messiah, Sit down and take a deep breath. The ride is about to get a bit bumpy’

Heh...nicely done...I like it! Keep it up!

8.
Messiah came over and rolled up Jason’s sleeve. ‘So your Morpheus?’ he said. ‘You’ve done some pretty good hacks. We had a good pool running on how long it would take you to get into the NSA. Cristal won.’
‘Thanks Kid’ she called over
‘I’m going to give you an injection, it will act as a trace programme’ said Messiah

Lock was fitting him up with what looked like a heart monitor when his mobile phone went. ‘The trace is on, have you got anything yet?’ He asked. Just as he spoke Jason began to feel a cold sensation spread up his arm. It emanated from the point where Messiah had just removed the needle. He lost the ability to move it seconds later and he started to panic.

‘His vitals are going crazy’ said Cristal
‘You need to keep calm, Morpheus’ said Lock. His phone beeped.
‘Thanks’ he said a minute later, before turning to Messiah.
‘We’ve got the trace, you’re needed on the Ulysses.’
Messiah walked to the corner and picked up the phone. A strange light covered him and then he disappeared. Morpheus screamed.

Nothing came out of his mouth, he blinked his eyes hard, trying to make the sound come out. He fought and struggled, his eyes still closed and his body feeling more and more sluggish with every movement he made. He tried to breathe but his mouth filled with liquid. He was drowning!

He reached upwards, and felt his hands reach a barrier. He started to tear it when all of a sudden his arm spasmed. This happened three or four times before his whole body shook. He felt like he was having nails pulled from his body and each time one was pulled, his whole self shook. He opened his eyes and saw, nothing. Just a funny pinkish jelly glow. He tried to turn around but couldn’t, he felt strangely restrained and this freaked him out more. All of a sudden the world dropped from beneath him. He fell and his whole body felt suddenly free. This strange sensation lasted for about 4 seconds before he fell into deep water. A strange light appeared above him and a hand reached down, taking hold of his wrists. He was lifted out of the water and into a strange craft. Lock stood before him, flanked by Messiah and Cristal and the other bald head from the car.

‘Welcome to Kansas, you just came back over the rainbow.’

Very good, you really captured the detail :)

Part 9 is very short I know but 10 will follow close after. Agent Drake, your appearance money will start to be earned in part 11.

Any one else interested in joining the party? let me know

9.
The next six months were the hardest of his life. He had to learn to walk and use his muscles in the “real world”. It was like being a small child all over again, worse really because he could remember what it was like when he could walk. The ships crew were all involved in his physical redevelopment. Cristal hadn’t been lying she was one of the nicest people he’d ever met. Messiah helped him with his strength exercises and Lock began to teach him the history of the Matrix.

He learned the name of the other bald head a few days after his arrival on the Ulysses. Swampy was tall and slim, with short hair starting to grow through on his shaved head and a neatly clipped goatee beard. He wore a long grey jumper with a hole on the left hip and black trousers. He was the Ulysses second in command and exuded a quiet confidence. It was his job to train Morpheus in the ways of the matrix.

Originally posted by Swampy
Part 9 is very short I know but 10 will follow close after. Agent Drake, your appearance money will start to be earned in part 11.


Good thanks:) cant wait till part 11 :D

10.

‘Well, my boy, it is time’ said Swampy, ‘Your training starts today’
‘What training?’ Morpheus asked.
‘To survive in the Matrix. You may have lived there for most of your life but now it is different.’

They walked up to the ships communication centre, where there was a ring of 6 chairs, similar to the dentist’s chair back in the warehouse, where the journey had begun. ‘Sit down’ Swampy said, gesturing at one of the chairs. Morpheus sat down in the chair and turned to look at the screen beside him. It looked like a medical display screen, with heart rate, blood pressure and a brain activity monitor.

‘You ready?’ Swampy asked.
‘I guess so’ Morpheus replied
Swampy inserted a connector into the plug on the back of Morpheus neck. He cried out in pain, blinking, before opening his eyes and seeing before him a vast open space.

All around him was empty, filled only with a pale white light. ‘Welcome to the Construct’ a familiar voice behind him said. It was swampy, his scruffy clothes all replaced with a neatly tailored charcoal pin-stripe suit. Under this was a navy blue shirt and gold tie. ‘You will notice our clothes have both changed’ Morpheus looked down, he was wearing his “normal” clothing, a pair of cargo pants and a short sleeved shirt, as opposed to the rags he now wore. ‘This is known as residual self-image. You may also have realised that the plugs have also gone from your arms and head. This is because that is how your mind remembers you from the time you spent in the Matrix.’


‘Load us up’ Swampy said to no-one in particular. The scenery around them changed and the two of them were stood in a large school sports hall. ‘Its time for your first lesson’ Swampy said, ‘Have a seat.’ The two of them went over and sat down on the front row of the bank of chairs. Swampy began to speak;

‘As you have already been told, the Matrix is a system, used to control the minds of the human race. It is a system designed to turn the whole of humanity into little more than a source of energy to drive the machines that know control the world.’ The scenery around them changed, to a large tower covered in row upon row of small pink pods. ‘Until we freed you, your entire physical existence was confined to one of those cells, you were grown from birth in that pod, and when the time came your body would be dissolved and the base materials recycled on your death.’ ‘The machines are our enemy, if you are not connected to the system, you are an enemy of the system. They treat us like an infection, and as such they have antibodies to defend the matrix.’

The scenery changed again and before him stood a man, around 6 feet tall, with a black suit and dark glasses. He was wearing an earpiece in one ear and a firm look on his face. It was the man who’d ‘advised him’ to stay away from hacking that first time and he told Swampy this.

‘They must have known we were watching you, you see our contacting you was not an unplanned event. We had been watching your development since you were very young. The man who you see before you is an agent. Our fiercest enemy within the matrix and the reason we are here today. Every one and everything that is connected to the system can become one of them. If you are not one of us then you are one of them. This is why the knife was held at your neck the first time Lock met you and this is why your training is about to begin.’

Swampy pulled out his phone ‘Load him up’ he said. All of a sudden his head flooded with information. He felt overwhelmed and almost collapsed, the dizziness almost overwhelming. It soon subsided and when it did he felt different.
‘What was that?’ Morpheus asked
‘You have just been updated with every martial art and fighting style known to man. You have also been taught how to handle each of the major weapon types and how to maintain them. In the space of those few moments you have learnt what everything the human race has ever known about self defence. Thousands of years of knowledge in just a few moments. Staggering, Don’t you think? It is however, not enough to defend you against the agents. Every person who has stood and fought them has died. If you are faced with an agent, run. Their strength is matchless, their speed is above any thing the human body could ever achieve. It is not, however, with your body you will fight them. The human mind has an advantage. It is not confined by the rules of the system in which you will face them. It is not enough to allow you to defeat them but it will be enough to let you escape.’

‘Now it is time, I’m taking you into the matrix. There’s some one I want you to meet.’

good stuff, good stuff. i wouldnt mind having a part though...

Originally posted by Swampy
10.

‘Well, my boy, it is time’ said Swampy, ‘Your training starts today’
‘What training?’ Morpheus asked.
‘To survive in the Matrix. You may have lived there for most of your life but now it is different.’

They walked up to the ships communication centre, where there was a ring of 6 chairs, similar to the dentist’s chair back in the warehouse, where the journey had begun. ‘Sit down’ Swampy said, gesturing at one of the chairs. Morpheus sat down in the chair and turned to look at the screen beside him. It looked like a medical display screen, with heart rate, blood pressure and a brain activity monitor.

‘You ready?’ Swampy asked.
‘I guess so’ Morpheus replied
Swampy inserted a connector into the plug on the back of Morpheus neck. He cried out in pain, blinking, before opening his eyes and seeing before him a vast open space.

All around him was empty, filled only with a pale white light. ‘Welcome to the Construct’ a familiar voice behind him said. It was swampy, his scruffy clothes all replaced with a neatly tailored charcoal pin-stripe suit. Under this was a navy blue shirt and gold tie. ‘You will notice our clothes have both changed’ Morpheus looked down, he was wearing his “normal” clothing, a pair of cargo pants and a short sleeved shirt, as opposed to the rags he now wore. ‘This is known as residual self-image. You may also have realised that the plugs have also gone from your arms and head. This is because that is how your mind remembers you from the time you spent in the Matrix.’


‘Load us up’ Swampy said to no-one in particular. The scenery around them changed and the two of them were stood in a large school sports hall. ‘Its time for your first lesson’ Swampy said, ‘Have a seat.’ The two of them went over and sat down on the front row of the bank of chairs. Swampy began to speak;

‘As you have already been told, the Matrix is a system, used to control the minds of the human race. It is a system designed to turn the whole of humanity into little more than a source of energy to drive the machines that know control the world.’ The scenery around them changed, to a large tower covered in row upon row of small pink pods. ‘Until we freed you, your entire physical existence was confined to one of those cells, you were grown from birth in that pod, and when the time came your body would be dissolved and the base materials recycled on your death.’ ‘The machines are our enemy, if you are not connected to the system, you are an enemy of the system. They treat us like an infection, and as such they have antibodies to defend the matrix.’

The scenery changed again and before him stood a man, around 6 feet tall, with a black suit and dark glasses. He was wearing an earpiece in one ear and a firm look on his face. It was the man who’d ‘advised him’ to stay away from hacking that first time and he told Swampy this.

‘They must have known we were watching you, you see our contacting you was not an unplanned event. We had been watching your development since you were very young. The man who you see before you is an agent. Our fiercest enemy within the matrix and the reason we are here today. Every one and everything that is connected to the system can become one of them. If you are not one of us then you are one of them. This is why the knife was held at your neck the first time Lock met you and this is why your training is about to begin.’

Swampy pulled out his phone ‘Load him up’ he said. All of a sudden his head flooded with information. He felt overwhelmed and almost collapsed, the dizziness almost overwhelming. It soon subsided and when it did he felt different.
‘What was that?’ Morpheus asked
‘You have just been updated with every martial art and fighting style known to man. You have also been taught how to handle each of the major weapon types and how to maintain them. In the space of those few moments you have learnt what everything the human race has ever known about self defence. Thousands of years of knowledge in just a few moments. Staggering, Don’t you think? It is however, not enough to defend you against the agents. Every person who has stood and fought them has died. If you are faced with an agent, run. Their strength is matchless, their speed is above any thing the human body could ever achieve. It is not, however, with your body you will fight them. The human mind has an advantage. It is not confined by the rules of the system in which you will face them. It is not enough to allow you to defeat them but it will be enough to let you escape.’

‘Now it is time, I’m taking you into the matrix. There’s some one I want you to meet.’

Very nice! :D I like how you made in understandable from the Matrix, yet you didn't copy excactly what Morpheus says... Another whole scene.

Sorry about the delay in this episode, the juicy stuff starts here

11.
‘Operator’
‘Dap, we’re going to see her, get the crew and load us up’ Swampy said into his mobile. All of a sudden the scene around them changed. Racks of weapons of all types appeared around them.
‘Wow!’ said Morpheus
‘Welcome to the toy store’ Swampy said. ‘See if you can find something that takes your fancy.’

He wandered through the racks, selecting a pair of Uzi’s, a heavy brass knuckle-duster and an M16 assault rifle with grenade launcher, which he flung over his shoulder. It weighed a tonne. ‘Its alright’ a voice behind him said ‘You can come back and play another day.’ It was Cristal. She was dressed back in her long coat and sunglasses and was carrying a twin pack of pistols on each hip and hung on her pack was a large curved sword. ‘Those agents don’t know how to treat a lady so I always make sure I have a treat waiting for them’ she said. She looked him up and down before pulling her mobile out of her pocket.

‘Dap, I think Morpheus needs a new wardrobe’ she said before turning to face him
‘I think its time to show you a neat trick,’
‘Dap, do your thing.’
‘Cristal, sweetie, you need to grow out of this game’ Dap said
‘Just do it’ she said.

Morpheus clothes suddenly disappeared. He dropped the guns to the floor and moved his hands to cover himself. ‘That’s quite a piece your packing’ Cristal said with a glint in her eye. She threw him a pair of designer boxer shorts. He turned round to put them on and Cristal gave him a spank on his bottom. He turned his head round, his cheeks going red. ‘You like that huh? She said to him, winking. ‘Now lets get you dressed before the others get here.’ She brought him a black suit and shirt and a pair of motorcycle boots. She chose a pair of rimless sunglasses and he clipped them on his nose. Last of all she gave him a long black coat with large pockets for the guns. ‘We can’t have everyone seeing that big piece of tackle your carrying round, or the M16.’

The rest of the crew arrived just then. Swampy got on the phone and called Dap again. Moments later the scene changed and they were all squashed in a phone box. Morpheus was stood at the door and he opened it. They all fell out onto the pavement. Messiah pulled out his cell phone.
‘Operator’ Dap said.
‘Very funny wise guy’ Messiah said.
‘I know you guys like to make a real entrance’ Dap said.
‘Just get us some wheels, smart ar$e’

A black mini van appeared from round the corner and they all climbed in. Morpheus climbed in the back with Cristal and Messiah. Swampy climbed in the front with Lock. They started to drive through the streets. Morpheus looked out of the window, the truth that the world around him was no more than a lie still sinking in. The sandwich shop on the corner there, was nothing more than a lie. It just seemed too much to be true.

They soon arrived at a non descript looking apartment block. Every one piled out of the van and Swampy turned to Morpheus. ‘We’re going to see the Oracle’

They started to move in to the building. Just as they were in the foyer, the lift doors opened. Messiah turned to look at the lift doors, a look of horror on his face.
‘Guys,’ he screamed ‘The lift’

Out of the lift stepped a pair of agents. The one on the left spoke.
‘I’m sorry have I smudged my make up?’
Messiah pulled a fierce looking double-handed battleth blade out from his coat.
‘So which one are you?’ he said
‘My name is Agent Drake, and I am going to kick your ar$e’

I'm not sure if any one else hhere is a trekkie as weel but for those of you who aren't a battleth is a curved 2 handed blade with 4 large spikes on it. For anyone who is i'm sorry my klingon spelling is not up to speed

12.
‘Morpheus, Run’

Cristal, Swampy and Lock all pulled out their guns and opened fire on the approaching agents. Lock went left and Cristal went right, with Swampy staying where he was stood, hosing the area where the agents were with fire from his automatic weapon. Messiah moved to where Morpheus was stood and literally threw him towards the stairwell.

He sat there for thirty seconds, a gun in his hand pointed towards the door, whilst he caught his breath, before running up the stairs. He ran into a thin Chinese man, a similar height to himself, dressed in a white oriental Jacket and black trousers. Morpheus swung the gun up to point at him but the man spoke, a voice that instilled calm into him. ‘I am for you, not against you’ he said ‘Go through the next door into room 606, there you will be safe.’ As quick as that the man continued down the stairs, headed towards the sound of gunfire.

Cristal went down, a round from Drake’s pistol exiting through the rear of her skull. Swampy saw her fall, and roused by the sight of his fallen comrade drew himself up to his full height, pulled his nun-chucks from his belt and charged the agents. He was just mere feet away from the first agent when he was seen. The agents both turned to face him, their first round missing him by a mere whisker before the second caught him in the arm. He ran on unpeturbed, like an enraged bull. He raised the weapon, preparing to strike the agent. His arm was blocked, and a fist followed into his chest. He flew back, crashing into the wall. He dragged himself up from the floor, just as the agent began to approach. The agent raised his gun towards him. ‘This is it,’ Swampy thought ‘What a way to go’. All of a sudden the door to the stairs opened and a white coated blur charged across the room. He was too late to save Swampy though. The bullet entered his chest, Just as the man reached the agent.

Both agents turned to face the white jacketed man.
‘Seraph, how convenient for them’ Drake said.
‘Play time is over Drake’ he said.
The agents turned to face Messiah and Lock. Drake spoke’ You haven’t seen the last of us, you or the boy’ before walking out the lobby.

Lock turned to the oriental man and spoke ‘Seraph, we’re glad to see you’

Wow, very nice :) I like being the bad guy... I killed Cristal :D Keep it up!

P.S. Sorry for shooting you, I really am... I woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning ;)

13.
Morpheus stood looking at the Door to room 606, wondering what to do and what was inside. Who was the man he had seen on the stairs? The 2 men who had come out of the lifts were agents. That was obvious, which explained the gunfire that followed. The question was why did the firing stop so soon after the Chinese man had gone down stairs. He guessed the answers must be through this door and he raised his hands to knock.

‘That looks nasty, Swampy’ Seraph said ‘Lets get you upstairs to the Oracle, see if she can patch you up’.
‘What about Cristal?’ he replied
‘You know that she is already dead’ Seraph answered. He picked Swampy up and carried him towards the stairs. Lock and Messiah looked at each other, realising that Swampy’s hopes were very slim before following Seraph up the stairs.

The door opened. ‘Morpheus, come in, the Oracle is expecting you.’ It was a tall black woman with shoulder length curly hair and a welcoming smile. He followed her into the apartment and through what looked like a lounge, filled with young children. A young girl smiled at him, before spotting the gun in his hand. She looked away, a look of slight shock on her face. He decided to put the gun into his pocket. He kept his hand in there with it so he could get it out quickly if he needed it. He followed her into the kitchen.

‘I see Seraph found you.’ A middle-aged woman stood hunched over the stove.
‘I’ll be with you in a minute.’ Morpheus looked around. It was a fairly typical inner city apartment, a window looking over the street, a small fridge in the corner next to a small square table with 4 chairs round it. The wallpaper was faded and looked dated and the cupboards all looked like they’d seen better days. She turned around.
‘You can let go of your gun now’ she said ‘Did no-one teach you its not polite to handle your weapon in front of a lady?’ a grin on her face.
‘Now, how about a cookie? They’re the best.’
‘I’d rather have a packet of cheesy poof’s’ He replied ‘Who are you and what’s going on?’
‘I am the Oracle’ she said

Seraph and the others burst through the door, Swampy draped over his arms. His face had gone white and he looked like he was on the verge of death.
‘Oracle’ Seraph called ‘We need your help.’

The Oracle ran from the kitchen with a speed and agility that belied her obvious years and went with the others into one of the room just off the lounge. It was a large bedroom. Seraph lay Swampy down and went to fetch some towels. The Oracle leant over and listened to his chest. He wheezed and spluttered, a spray of blood coming from his lips as he did. His breathing stopped. Morpheus stood watching, knowing his friend had died and not quite understanding why. He turned away, choking back the tears from his eyes, then he realised Cristal was not there as well. He turned to Messiah and asked him. Messiah just shook his head. He ran into the kitchen, knocking the tray of cookies to the floor before vomiting in the sink, the shock and pain of the death of his new found friends overwhelming him.

:( I feel bad now... I made all those people sad... Wait a minute.. I'm an Agent! :D Screw those peeps!:) Lol nice story, good detail very tragic. Keep it up Swampy!

Sorry no posts for a couple of days, I haven't been well. I'll try and get 2 done today. Oh, and as you'll see the Ulysses has lost half its crew. TheOneIsGone is already joining us, anyone else care to join the good ship Ulysses? Let me know

14.
‘Oracle, we have to leave. Agents know we are here’ Seraph said.
‘We have time, Seraph. I need to check on Morpheus’ she replied. She walked through into the kitchen. Morpheus was wiping his mouth. She saw the cookies on the floor and smiled.
‘Now I know you didn’t want a cookie, but there’s no need to throw them on the floor’ she said. Morpheus smiled, a weak sickly looking smile but it was a start.
‘Come here,’ she said ‘Let me have a look at you.’ She looked into Morpheus eyes, past the shock of what had just taken place and began to speak. ‘Morpheus, your path is not a straight-forward one. You are destined to do great things for many people but before you do, you will have to over come many trials. Take strength in your colleagues and crew mates. Now, we must go before the agents return’

Lock and Messiah were gathering all the children together. Seraph headed out the door to check for agents in their path, before returning to give them the all clear. Lock and Messiah moved out of the door, the children and the oracle following close behind. Seraph stood next to Morpheus.
‘This is the way of the Matrix’ he said. ‘Your friends died in the fight for freedom, do not mourn them, it is how they would wish to have gone.’ ‘Now we have to protect the freedom of others. Even though you are still only 16, you have what it takes. The oracle can see it in you and so can I.’

With that they followed the others out of the door. They went down the stairs, through the bullet ridden foyer and out to the van. Morpheus was the last to enter and closed the door behind him. He chose a seat next to a young black girl, with short hair. He guessed she was about 14.
‘Hi’ he said, ‘Im Morpheus’
‘Hello Morpheus’ she replied ‘My name is Niobe’

Wow that's real good :) It's cool how they're all young and such

very nice yet again swampy!!!
And a very interesting (and not often seen) twist of you killing yourself off!!!

Like the cheesy poofs bit in the last part!

keep it up

Sorry guys, I have copped for a dose of writers block in the last few days. HELP!

OK, after 2 months off (sorry for anyone left in suspense) i decided i'd pick up where I left off with first light

I hope to be able to do more than this most days but...

15.
They made the exit quickly and were soon unplugged. The shattered crew of the Ulysses, returning to the ship to come face-to face with there dead comrades. Morpheus opened his eyes and looked straight in to the glazed over eyes of Cristal. She'd died trying to make sure he was safe. His heart sank.

The Ulysses made its way back to Zion. Morpheus learned about the running of the ship and before there journey was complete he was ready to begin piloting the craft. Captain Lock was always there with him, guiding and instructing, teaching him the way of the real world. The loss of his friends still hurt but as he learnt, the pain faded.

They arrived back at zion 2 weeks later. The main gate opened and as they floated through, Morpheus was confronted with a sight unlike any he'd ever seen. A fighting robot, the likes of which he'd only ever seen in his warhammer rpg's when he was a child, was facing them down. Chain guns, rockets and, sat rather comically in the middle of it all, one little man, controlling the lot.

very nice :)

‘Welcome to the toy store’ Swampy said. ‘See if you can find something that takes your fancy.’
best line EVER!!!

but still ... i would have thought Morpheus to still be a bit more serious, even at a young age ... and, uh ... why the heck is the agent wearing makeup?

I love how detailed the early parts of your story were.

heh, i gotta fanfic goin too.

The Matrix; Patriot's Dream (http://www.matrixmania.com/showthread.php?p=181829#post181829)