Here we go Mjolnir! An actual mission! Feast your eyes on this:

The name of I am the two has been changed to Chuck in this mission

Ten years had passed since peace was declared. Neither side had broken the truce, each keeping to their own business and maintaining separate societies. The city Zion flourished and grew, as did the numbers of freed humans - so much so that Zion could no longer hold all of them. More, smaller cities were built, connected to each other by railways.
Human economy, culture, communications and technology thrived, bringing the quality of human life closer every day to where it was when the machines took over, and looking to overtake it soon. Democracy was slowly being introduced into the fray, and the poverty was fast diminishing. The people, weary from generations of war, were in a state of near-euphoria, but underlying it all, remained the deep-seated mistrust of the machines.
And the machines were no different. The program kingdom had forbidden human extracts to plug back into the Matrix without express permission by the machine leadership – those who were allowed in had to repay the machines by acting as keepers of the peace in the enormous virtual world. Meetings between the sides were only held in order to keep the peace going, and trade between them was unheard of and virtually unthinkable to either side. But the fragile peace was kept. And for a time, it was good.

Captain Freeyourmind gave the door three quick knocks.
"Come in," said the deep booming voice, so familiar to FYM from all the speeches he had heard it give.
"You asked for me, Councilor?" asked Freeyourmind, as he came up to his desk.
Morpheus raised his worried eyes from his paper work, giving FYM a solemn look through his rectangular specs. "Yes I did, Captain. I'm afraid I might have some rather bad news for you. Sit down"
Freeyourmind did so quietly, fearing the worst. Councilor Morpheus had a tendency to make things seem worse than they were, but you never know. "What is it Councilor?" he asked, neither his voice nor his face betraying his worry.
"Sati's been kidnapped."
FYM gave him a blank look for a few seconds. This was the bad news? He was expecting news about a friend's death or something equally tragic. What was so damn tragic about some program's problems? "Who by?" he inquired, trying to seem interested rather than relieved.
Morpheus studied him shortly before responding. "You don't know exactly who Sati is, do you?" The Captain didn't reply, and so he continued, "Sati's been one of the few programs to remain in regular contact with us. She's a big fighter for peace on their side. If it wasn't for her, it is very possible that the peace would have been broken many times in the past." FYM furrowed his eyebrows, now very truly interested. "We don't know for sure who kidnapped her, but the rumour is that it is the Merovingian."
"The Merovingian?!" cried a surprised FYM. "You mean he actually exists?"
Morpheus gave FYM a long hard look. "Yes," he said finally, "he does exist. I've encountered him personally before."
FYM gave him an incredulous look. "Then why –"
"There is a reason why we keep him secret" Morpheus cut him off. "The people of Humania are not yet ready for this truth. We do not wish to start a panic."
"I understand, Sir."
"Good. I knew you would. The Oracle has contacted us. She should have more details. She will meet you at this address," he said, holding a piece of paper in his outstretched hand. "Be there as soon as possible." As FYM took hold of the paper Morpheus squeezed his hand, "Remember, Captain, it is of paramount importance that you keep this secret."
FYM nodded, shook the Councilor's hand and turned to leave. Reaching the door he turned around. "So this should be a routine mission, yes?"
"Yes, in theory. But we are entering dangerous times. Don't take any unnecessary risks. Good luck," he gave him a thumbs-up sign, and returned to his work, worry creasing his forehead again.

FYM left Morpheus' quarters into the clear (at least by the standards of the renewing Zion) evening air troubled by thoughts. The Merovingian had become somewhat of a legend around the land of Humania. It was said that he had once captured the savior. FYM hadn't believed in this program's existence until now, and it was a nasty shock to find out about him in such circumstances. Suddenly the world seemed a much more dangerous place to live in.
He had been called by the Councilor in the middle of a meet-up with his ship crew, so he knew where to go back to find them. After a few miles of walking he reached the "Virtual Worlds Zone" – a huge complex of virtual reality programs, where people plugged in to be entertained. It was an expensive outing for the regular civilians, but one of the privileges of being a member of the human army was that you could come here for free, and when the soldiers were home they did in fact spend quite a lot of time here.
"Good evening, Captain," said the gate keeper as FYM entered the complex. FYM smiled and nodded at him in response.
He surveyed the area around him. He never ceased to be amazed by how much the humans had managed to accomplish during the so short a period of peace. All around him were hundreds of realities designed by the best programmers in Zion. Programs for entertainment, study, socializing - anything you could want was here. It was in stark contrast to the rest of Zion, which still could not present a wealth of life like the one here, but they were on the way there, which was a very comforting thought…
What wasn't so comforting to him was the meeting with Morpheus. He had a feeling Morpheus was holding something back from him, which was unusual since Morpheus usually trusted him. Perhaps those were just feelings and suspicions Morpheus was trying to hide, and he didn't want to needlessly alarm him. But FYM could tell Morpheus was much more worried than usual.
He proceeded to the socializing section, and made his way to "Kara's Bar". This was the first bar program made in Zion, an idea which was quickly imitated by many more. Kara programmed the drinks herself, and they were still considered the best digital drinks around. FYM looked up at the barwoman herself, lying in the center of the room, snickering about something. She'd done a lot to keep the morale of the men up through her job, and FYM could not help but be amazed at her dedication – spending almost every minute she had home entertaining the rest of the soldiers. This was by far the soldiers' favourite bar, and with good reason.
FYM sighed as he walked up to one of the chairs. Time to call the crew for work. He signaled to Kara's assistant to plug him in, and sat down, relaxed. No need to show his worry to his crew.
As the pin was inserted into his spine he felt the familiar tingling sensation up his head, followed by a certain numb feeling as his surroundings morphed into the interior of Kara's bar.
"Pleasure to have you back," said Kara, turning to him, "anything to drink?"
"Yeah, why not. One beer." He was seated on a stool in front of the bar. "Where are my men?"
"Well, Swampy's over there flirting with Eon," she said, motioning towards the corner of the room, where the two were conversing quietly, "The others are where you left them, probably blind drunk by now."
"Hey Cap!" cried NXM as he noticed FYM, jumping up and managing to stand on both feet somehow, "you reckon you can hand us another beer?"
FYM turned his head back to Kara, "Is it me, or is he cross-eyed?"
Kara laughed and gave him a beer, "Reckon he's had too much?"
"You can never have too much beer," grinned FYM, dismounting his stool. "But I'm afraid we are limited in time. We've got to go now, but don't worry; I can't keep this bunch of stoned maniacs away from you for that long."
He came up to the table where the Mjolnir crew was seated and NXM gave him a heartbroken look.
"You didn't get me another beer," he said, mock-incredulously.
"Don't worry," grinned the Captain, "I'll make it up to you. Get you a real beer."
"What, are we going in?" said Chuck, his eyes wide open in anticipation.
FYM nodded.
The crew erupted into cries of joy, jumping up and punching their fists into the air.
"About friggen time!" laughed eRider between jumping and shouting.
Swampy came by to see what all the commotion was about. "What's up Cap?" he asked.
"We're off on a mission," replied FYM to his second in command, "Aight guys, time to get moving. Go on. Swampy and I will join you."
The guys got to it, unplugging from the bar one by one.
"What's this about?" asked Swampy, turning to FYM.
"We're not sure yet. But it might have to do with the Merovingian."
Swampy's eyes darkened. "The Merovingian?" he whispered. Swampy was a believer in the legend of the Merovingian. "What's he done?"
"Look, nothing's for certain. We're just going to see the Oracle for now. She should hopefully have more details. Don't worry about it. Come on, let's get moving."
And with that, the two men plugged out.


Over to you Swampy...

P.S. People, I'd appreciate to have any criticism or comments sent to me by PM... I won't get offended. I want to know what you think...

P.P.S. thanks for the heads-up FK!

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Superb Starter Captain. I will endeavour to follow suit.

The real world phased back to reality, the inplants remove from their necks and both men started towards the door. The jollity and smiles that moments earlier were being shared with friends and, in Swampy's case, loved ones was gone. It was time for business. The door started to swing shut behind them, a voice interrupting the slight creak the door made as it went.

"Swampy, wait" It was Eon. He looked at the captain, who smiled , a knowing smile. The two men knew each other as if like brothers, and what mattered to one of them was worth dying for to the other. "Go on," FYM said, "We have a brief in twelve hours, enjoy yourselves till then."
Swampy turned and started to walk back towards Eon, before stopping and turning to face his captain. "Thanks Bro, I'll see you in the morning"

Eon caught up with him, taking his hand. A concerned look spread across her face as she looked deep into Swampy's eyes. "I haven't seen that look in a long time. You're going in aren't you? Is it bad?"
Swampy looked down at the ground. After the years they'd spent together, she always knew when something was bothering him, he just wished she was going with them, but she'd been on the Caduceus for her entire career, and her and the captain, UltimateTrinity, were inseperable, just like him and FYM. "It's bad" he said, raising his gaze to meet hers, "You remember the old tales of the Merovingian?" Eon nodded "It turns out they're true, and for some reason he's kidnapped Sati. We've got to go see the Oracle, to find out whats going on. I've heard the old tales about him, and I don't like the sound of this one bit." Eon moved close and wrapped her arms around him. Since the two of them had been together, they'd both been dispatched on a variety of missions. They always hated saying good bye, but only once had he looked this worried, and that time he nearly died. He still bore the physical scars to tell the tale and, occasionally, the nightmares still returned. She didn't want to contemplate life without him, and she knew that he'd never take unnecessary risks, but the look still worried her. "When do you leave?" she asked. "FYM and I will brief the rest of the crew at 0800, and we'll leave soon after that." Eon squeezed his hand, before smiling and loking into his eyes. "Well then, we have tonight to say good bye properly."

"Contact has been made with Councillor Morpheus by the Oracle. She is one of our oldest allies in the matirix, and we are to go and meet with her. This has become necessary due to the kidnapping of the Sentient known as Sati. As those of you who follow history will be aware, at the time of the revolutions, Sati was spawned. She was the first sentient, born out of love, and not purpose. This gave her immense powers within the Matrix, and she has skills, which we cannot hope to comprehend."

"Cut to the chase, Captain, and spare us the history lessons." NXM had never really cared much about the history of the revolution, just like much of the post Neo generation. "Just listen, kid." Swampy replied, annoyed at the young mans lack of interest in his own history.

"The tales of the revolution also tell of an immensely powerful programme known as the Merovingian, who had worked as assistant to the Architect himself. After the great new dawn, when Neo and the sentient known as Smith fought for the future of both the Human race and the Machine's, we thought he had been destroyed. Many of us had thought his existence now to be but a myth. Unfortunately, this would appear not to be the case. The Merovingian is alive and at large in the Matrix,and we believe, also holds Sati as his captive. For him to reappear after all these years can only be bad news, and so this mission is to be treated as a matter of life or death, even though it should be fairly straightforward. Keep your eye's open, and remember, all we do is not for the good of the few, but for the good of all Humania. We launch in two hours, pack up your stuff and be back in an hour for pre launch checks"

The crew dispersed, leaving FYM and Swampy stood alone. The two men shared a knowing look. They'd been crew mates since before the revolution, they'd lost friends together, fought together, drank together and been there for each other through very imaginable situation. Neither of them liked the sound of this 'routine' mission, and both of them trusted the others judgement enough to be concerned at the other's look of worry.

From launch to broadcast depth took the Mjolnir 7 hours of careful flight. They landed at one of the authorised access points, broadcast the access codes that had been agreed with the architect soon after the cease fire hed taken effect and prepared to plug in. Swampy and FYM were preparing to plug in. They'd selected a hardline 2 city blocks from the Oracles run down Detroit appartment, and were preparing their inventories. Between them, they could handle most forms of weapon and vehicle, and as a fighting unit they complemented each other, to the point where in the dojo at Zion they were feared hand- to- hand fighters, who's skills were only bettered in team combat by Hitman and Macleod. They both sat down in the familiar ecto chairs, facing each other, waiting for NXM to plug them in. "See you inside" Swampy said, before shutting his eyes as the implant locked into the hole on his neck

His eyes opened in a small room. The glass was missing from the window of what had once been a small shop. The Oracle was one of the most powerful programmes in the Matrix, yet she insisted in living in a run down city block. Whilst it did seem to fit her grandmotherly persona, it made for shitty jack in points. "Another dump, hey my old friend?" It was FYM, dressed in his usual attire. The trim, tailored black suit and leather coat, covering a slight frame were in stark contrast to the khaki combat trousers and sleeveless vest that swampy had over his muscular bulk, hidden beneath a large sheepskin coat that concealed not only his muscular frame, but his weapon of choice, a folding 6 foot carbon fibre quarter staff. The two of them set off down the street towards the Oracles appartment.

The Mjolnir
The Oracles appartment had always been impossible to understand when viewed as code, but this time things seemed even stranger than usual. The code was flowing in ways that NXM had never seen before. He'd only seen this part of the matrix twice, and if he'd been a bit more experienced, he'd have contacted FYM, but his naievety and desire to not look stupid in front of the Captain was about to cause them problems.

The Oracles door
"After you, Old Man. Age before Beauty." Swampy said, grinning at his captain and friend
"No, No, I insist. After you." The two shared a smile, before Swampy put his hand on the door knob, Turning it 90 degrees to the left and pushing it inwards.

The appartment was trashed, the children were all gone and there was blood on the door frame that led through to the kitchen. In a flash Swampy had drawn the staff, locking it into position. FYM had a set of rubber handled nun chucks in his hands within less than a second, and the two of them silently entered the appartment. The lounge was empty, save for the broken furniture and a broken plate of cookies. Whatever had gone on here, there had obviously been a struggle. They went towards the kitchen, Swampy taking point as FYM pocketed his weapon to free his hand for the Uzi he carried. The Oracles kitchen was not big enough for a hand to hand battle, not with Swampy's bulk in there, so the gun was always a useful toy to carry.

The beaded curtain shifted around Swampy's form as he entered the kitchen. He stopped a smal wy into the room, turning to face the table the Oracle kept in the corner. FYM entered cautiously, keeping his eyes pointed in the way Swampy was looking.

Sat either side of the table were a pair of men. They had long, blonde, dreadlocked hair, and a pale expression, matching beige suits and identical sunglasses. They looked like clones. The left one spoke as the two of them rose.

"We've been waiting for you and have a message for you from the Merovingian."

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Ok, a duoble post but it's our mission and the captain said i could

“Where’s the Oracle?” Swampy asked, the grip on his Staff tightening as he looked at the two men before him, “What have you done with the children? And who the fuck are you?” His temper was starting to rise, something that had proven to be his Achilles heel.
“Who we are is not your concern. The children are safe, for now, the Merovingian is not a barbarian after all. The Oracle now works for the Merovingian. Should any attempts be made to sever that employment, then the safety of the children could not be guaranteed.” The Right hand of the two said, a contented grin spreading across the two ashen faces.

“You will no longer enter the Matrix, all rebel activity will cease, there will be no more of your un-plugging’s. We will escort you back to the point you plugged in then watch you leave. You are to give this message to your leaders and then you are to consider the Matrix closed.” Left said.
“And what if we don’t want to leave, asshole?” Swampy asked, a growl spreading into his voice. The twins looked at each other, before focusing their attention back on Swampy and FYM. Right spoke “We hoped you’d say that.”

They stepped forward towards Swampy and FYM, Left physically walking through the table. FYM started to back into the lounge area, pulling Swampy with him. “Nice going, big mouth.”

FYM’s hand slid into his jacket, withdrawing the nun-chucks again. Left walked through the doorway, and next to him, Right slid through the wall, solidifying as he walked into the room. The two men stood next to each other, weapons in hand, as the twins walked towards them. Swampy stepped forward, his offensive style dictating that he must be on the attack.

He swung the Carbon Fibre staff, expecting to impact Left on the collarbone, waiting for the jarring of his wrist as the impact took effect. But it never did. The space where the shoulder should have been opened and the staff slid through the space where he was stood. Swampy pulled the staff back, a puzzled look spreading across his face. “Right, it’s going to be like that huh?” He asked his feet at 90 degrees to his opponent. FYM watched this happen, the range of his weapons being considerably shorter, and adopted a defensive stance, his left hand in font of his torso, his right up near his head. His fingers on his left hand bent towards himself, giving Right the traditional come get me signal.

For a few seconds the two pairs stood facing each other, weighing up strengths, trying to determine weaknesses. The twins were about the same build as FYM, but obviously were programmed differently to most of the sentient’s they had encountered, their ridgidity being adjustable. They were still products of the system so the rules had to apply. It was the one weakness of every sentient they had encountered, either in this matrix or the previous one, and it was the only way they could defeat them.

Swampy and Right sprung forward, taking the offensive. Swampy kept the staff moving from hand to hand, swinging a series of blows. The speed with which he advanced meant that his adversary had to defend with a series of parries and dodges. The staff glanced off his right arm, slid overhead, before connecting with the sentients boot, redirecting the staff to Swampy’s left side, exposing his chest. A fist slammed into his sternum, throwing him backwards, until he collided with the studded wall. The air exploded from his lungs as he slid down to the floor.

Right advanced mercilessly, launching blow after blow at FYM, forcing him backwards due to the sheer force of the attacks being hurled at him. He was deflecting each shot, away from his face, then his body, then a shot to the legs, all the while looking for a chink in his opponent’s armoury, but so far finding none. He stepped inside a sharp uppercut, and momentarily right was exposed. With blinding speed the nun-chucked hand exploded into Right’s neck, the solid rubber handle slamming into his jaw, causing him to stumble sideways. FYM stepped to his left, and whilst he was still off balance, he landed a kick to his kidneys, before removing his leg from underneath him, causing him to crash to the floor.

Left and FYM were now stood back to back, a space of approximately a meter between them. Neither could see the other, yet both knew where the other stood. As if synchronised, the two turned to face each other, a storm of blows and parry’s exploding between them.

Swampy tried to pull himself from the floor, but his arms wouldn’t hold his weight. His ribcage was on fire and every breath was getting harder and harder to take. He lifted his head. The captain was facing one of them, but where was the other? He spotted him moving, dragging himself up onto his hands and knees at the far side of the room. He had to get up, had to keep going….

He was tiring, and his opponent was relentless in his onslaught. Wave upon wave of assault had been launched, parried and responded to, without either of them landing a serious hit on the other. He was staring to pick up a pattern in his opponents attack, he’d spotted the chink in his armour. He ducked under the kick that Left threw, and threw an unstoppable jab into his ribcage. Somehow, Left corrected himself mid kick, redirecting FYM’s jab, before slamming a two handed punch into the back of his neck. He fell to the ground, his arms above his head, awaiting a further blow.

The Mjolnir
“What the hell?” NXM exclaimed. The code at the Oracles had gotten faster and faster, until he was unable to keep track of it no longer, until it suddenly froze. Swampy and FYM were still breathing, their hearts continued but this wasn’t right. Erider peered over his shoulder. “The computer must have overloaded, best get it rebooted quick” He said. As NXM moved his hand to the keyboard, the code began to flow again, only the Captain and First officer had both disappeared.

Somewhere in the matrix
Swampy saw his captain fall. He looked down, closing his eyes and summoning breath to pull himself to his feet, needing to re-enter the fray, to go to his friend’s aid. He reopened his eyes. The room had changed. The floor was white, not covered in plaster dust. The room was filled with a glow. He looked around, seeing a circular room, lined with monitors around him, each showing the scene he’d just been in, their two opponents stood looking confused. He didn’t know what the hell had just happened or where they were but this…..

“I’m sorry I was so late, I was some what tied up else where.”

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Hmm...this is looking great guys, I look forward to seeing where you take it.

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Freeyourmind is going to be out of touch for three days now as he goes to celebrate rosh hasana, the Jewish new year, but before he went, he wrote the next chunk of the tale, for me to post after the last one, so i cannot claim credit for the next post, which is very good

FYM took his arm away from his face and slowly opened his eyes. "Why, isn't that a stroke of luck?" he said
Swampy got up to his feet and dusted himself off. "Thanks for the help man," he said, "but, erm, who in the hell are you?"
"I am the Architect. I created the Matrix," said the bearded man seated in the middle of the room.
FYM quickly got to his feet, his heart beating very fast, all of a sudden feeling very uncomfortable. "What's just happened?"
"I have frozen the Matrix," replied the Architect coldly, "the pair of you were facing deletion there."
"Can you do that?" asked Swampy, obviously not as intimidated by the Architect as his Captain, "just… freeze the Matrix?"
The architect shot him a pitying glance. "It is my creation. I can do with it as I wish."
"Why don't you just delete the Merovingian from it then?" asked Swampy.
"Unfortunately, due to constant interference by hackers, my control of the Matrix has never been complete," admitted the Architect with a hint of anger in his voice. "Treacherous program entities like the Merovingian have always attempted to disrupt the peace and unity of our people for their own personal gain. That, as a matter of fact, is the crisis you were called to assist in."
"I thought we were here because of Sati," said Freeyourmind, finally gathering up the courage to speak. Morpheus had never trusted and always quite feared the Architect, and the Mjolnir Captain relied on the Councilor's judgment enough to be very wary of his predicament.
"Sati's kidnapping is merely a symptom of the bigger problem. That is, the program Merovingian's desire to gain control of the Matrix." He studied the two men thoughtfully for a time, then continued, "Since the termination of the Agent programs the Merovingian has managed to increase his power to a greater extent than he'd ever done before, with virtually no interruption from the human soldiers functioning as peacekeepers." There was a long pause. "You have failed where the Agents have succeeded, and so it is that I have no choice but to bring them back. They will assist you in combating the exile Merovingian."
"The Merovingian says she is now working for him," said FYM.
"Impossible. He lies if he says so. The loyalty of the Program you call the Oracle is beyond any question. If she is being used for his gain then it is against her will. She must be rescued from him and brought to safety."
"Just what do you want us to do?" asked Swampy, becoming impatient with the Arc's slow talking and rigidity.
"I want you to stop the Merovingian. He is more powerful than you might think. Send your councilors my message regarding the Agent programs, and tell them a meeting with my forces will take place here," the bearded program handed FYM a chip. "This contains the coordinates of the safe zone. It is a secluded area of the Matrix beyond the Merovingian's reach. We will be exercising more caution in dealing with the Merovingian henceforth. The Matrix is no longer safe.
The door behind you will lead back to the Oracle's apartment. The Twins will be long gone by now. Do not expect to have me come to your rescue again. Freezing the Matrix is dangerous to the program and drains me of much of my strength. You are on your own for a while now. Make haste in getting word to your leaders. Every day that passes I get weaker and the Merovingian gets stronger."

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Care for the Caduceus to join in this mission guys? We would be more than happy to jump in and offer any assistance.

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Thanks for the offer UT. We will get you written in shortly. Desperate times are ahead and as bed fellows go, your lot aren't too bad. Especially not Eon;) grrr! We'd be happy to have you and your team join us in this mission.

This is the second of the 2 posts FYM left me to post so enjoy.

As soon as FYM was unplugged DeadCowDying bombarded him with a hail of questions: "What took you so long? Where'd you disappear to in the middle there? What's happening with the Oracle? Is she okay?"
"Whoa whoa, calm down kid," said eRider, coming towards them and resting his hand on DCD's shoulder, "let him breathe a little. Looks like he's just been in a fight."
NXM smiled as he proceeded to take the pin out of Swampy's spine. "Cap, what were those two things you were fighting? They read identically on the screen…"
"I'm not sure," said FYM, sitting up, "but I think Morpheus might have said something about them to me before."
Swampy opened his eyes and blinked a little. "I read something about them in the archives once. Apparently they were in the employ of the Merv ten years ago when he faced off with Neo. Although… the archives say they were destroyed by Morpheus…"
"Oh yeah, now I remember," said FYM, "Maybe the Merv's recreated them by now."
"But doesn't every new program creation require human approval?" asked Swampy, puzzled.
"Well, it might mean, like the Arc said, that we humans haven't been doing our job properly…"
"It would mean more than that," said eRider, "an approval of a program potentially hostile to human forces would mean a human collaborator with the Merv… wait, 'the Arc' said?"
"The Arc? You mean the Architect of the Matrix?" said DCD, who had been following the exchange excitedly.
"Yes, we spoke to him. I'll explain everything," said FYM. "Where's my brother?"
"I sent him to pilot the ship," said NXM, "we've got a bit of a difficult patch at the beginning of the flight. He should be setting it to auto-pilot any minute now though."
"You guys talking about me?" asked I Am The Two, climbing down the ladder stairs towards the group. "Hey Bro, I heard you got into a little trouble with th -"
He was interrupted by the ship alarm going off. "What the…" he started, "What's a ship need an alarm for?"
FYM looked at Swampy in horror. "Well," he said, turning to I Am The Two, "Before the peace… it used to mean sentinels on approach…"
"It means WHAT?!" exclaimed Swampy.
He and FYM quickly exchanged glances again, then both rose to their feet and started towards the pilot cabin. "COME ON!" roared FYM to his crew above the noise of the alarm. Chuck, Swampy, I need you controlling the guns. DCD, you'll be piloting the ship with me. NXM, I'll need you here to send a distress signal to Zion. It looks like the sentinels have just reappeared. Ask them how to deal with this too." He was now climbing the ladder. "eRider. Come with me. You remember how to deal with these things right?"
eRider was the oldest member of the Crew. His job was to give the crew council based on his hefty amount of experience. Usually the advisors chose not to jack into the Matrix, as the experience was too exhausting for most, but eRider was the exception that proved the rule. He was an adventure seeker, and despite himself he could not help but enjoy the adrenaline rushing through him. He had missed these times.
"Don't worry," he shouted, "squiddies are not the kind of thing you forget."
FYM ran, heart pumping, to the pilot seat. He's only joined the army a short time before the peace, and the only time he had encountered a sentinel before, it had almost cost him his life.
"DCD, kill all auxiliary systems, and reroute the power to the engines" he barked.
He looked down at the screen showing the 8 sentinels. They were still getting closer by the second. He looked forwards to where the ship was heading. The walls in front were narrowing and there was becoming less space to maneuver. After a few seconds deliberation, he decided, "take us up DCD."
DCD punched some orders into the screen and the ship rose up at a steep angle towards the sky. The three crewmembers squinted as the sun appeared directly in front of their eyes.
"Not good, Captain," said eRider, "We can't remain out in the open. The squiddies have a speed advantage over us. Our only hope is to outmaneuver them."
"I can't outmaneuver them," said FYM, "not without getting us killed."
He looked down towards the gunner-cabin. His brother. "Chuck!" he cried out, come here! We're swapping positions!"
Chuck was the professional pilot of the group. He was also the professional gunner though. FYM had been neglectful in assigning positions to the ship. Why didn't he take into account that in a time of crisis both positions would need their men? What was he thinking? Never mind, no time for that now.
"Alright, Chuck, do whatever eRider tells you," he said, rising up from his seat. He ran to the gunning seat to join Swampy.
"You still remember how to do this?" he asked his friend.
"Yeah. Kept on training through the Virtual Zone sentinel games. Never played one this hard though."
FYM put his goggles on and got into position. One sentinel had already been downed by Swampy. Seven still to go. He set his sights on the closest one and started shooting. The shots had virtually no effect on the mechanical monster.
Chuck got them through a complicated turn, turning the whole ship sideways and slowing the speed a little. The sentinels were fast gaining. FYM and Swampy continued to shoot with increased concentration and dedication, but to no avail. Any minute now the Sentinels were going to tear the ship apart.

"We can't stop them with guns," said Swampy.
"The EMP," said FYM. He rose up from his seat and ran towards the pilot cabin. "Chuck," he said, "bring the ship down quickly."
"What???"
"Just do it! Quick."
A stunned Chuck put the ship down gently. "What are you playing at?" he asked angrily when he was done.
"Turn the power off. We're using the EMP"
Chuck did as he was told. He was taught in his pilot training about the EMP, but like most didn't take it seriously. No one had believed that the hoverships' weapons of war would really be used again.
They all fell quiet as FYM kept his hand on the EMP switch, waiting for the Sentinels to get close enough. Swampy was now standing behind him, squeezing his shoulder. NXM was climbing up the ladder, coming to see what all the silence was about They all held their breath as the sentinels approached.
Freeyourmind was about to turn the switch when eRider stopped him. "Wait," he said, pointing up at the sky. Small white specks began to form a the skyline, becoming larger and larger with great speed.
"Are those -" started DCD, "are those…"
FYM opened his mouth in horror. "More sentinels," he whispered.
Suddenly, the 7 sentinels stopped advancing towards them and spun around to face the masses of squiddies in the sky.
"What are they doing?" said Swampy.
"Are they waiting for the others before they attack?" asked Freeyourmind, turning to eRider.
"I don't think so. That wouldn't make sense. They know we have EMP and that it would make more sense to come in waves…"
"What's happening then?" asked Chuck.
The 7 closer sentinels began to turn and look around at eachother, in what to all appearances seemed to be panic. They turned to observe the hundreds of sentinels in the sky, and then, in a flash, they dispersed in 7 different directions, flying up towards the sky. Just as quickly, the mass of sentinels fast approaching formed into seven groups, each tracking down a different dispersing sentinel at blinding speeds. In front of the eyes of the stunned Mjolnir crew, each group caught up with its hunted sentinel, swam around it, mechanical arms flailing wildly, and then finally left 7 dead sentinels falling to the ground in a crash.
"They're fighting each other…" said eRider.

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