First of all, this is my first attempt, so please be kind. Although I’ve tried to keep this narrative separate from either the movies or any other fan fiction here- I’m only human, and as such I couldn’t help but be influenced by all the great stories out there. In particular, I’ve borrowed heavily from Asimov, and for the original idea, the Wachowski Brothers (obviously). Just wanted to make it clear from the outset, that although this is an original work, it does contain references that most sci-fi fans will recognise, and I wanted to point them out first. If you’ve got this far-you’ve earned the story! Hope you enjoy it.



Matrix: Replay

Episode 1

“………while the process my have altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human. Ergo, some of my answers you will understand, and some you will not. Consequently……….”

Macleod woke up with a wry smile on his face. He often dreamt of these things.

He rolled over in bed, the rough cotton sheet becoming tangled in his legs. In his mind, he played the conversation back to himself. Was it possible that those things had actually happened?
He knew the stories of course. How the One had been revealed and fought the machines, how the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar had played their part to perfection. How they’d been brave and strong, and Zion owed it’s existence to them. The legend had even been smuggled into the matrix system itself, and then shown to the masses through popular media- in this case it was a movie. AI must have been furious, Macleod chuckled to himself. But of course, they were powerless to stop it once it had been released- AI could create reality for the human race, but it couldn’t erase memories.
It had been that movie that had really made him aware of the splinter in his own mind. He supposed it was the same for everyone who’d been freed around his time. Zion was full of young, idealistic people, who’d ‘followed the white rabbit’ to the real world, only to find, as he had, that in truth, the war was barely a distant threat. He’d arrived in Zion full of courage and ambition- he’d seen what Neo could do, and now with a free mind himself, he’d been sure that he could play his part too.
He’d heard the stories of the battle with AI at the gates of Zion. How, once they had come so close to destruction. According to the legend, Neo and the rest had existed around 100 years ago, and their exploits had saved humanity. Along with other players like Niobe and the Logos, and the crew of the Osiris, Neo, Trinity and Morpheus had fought agents, met the Oracle and other programs like the infamous Merovingian, and had even visited the fabled Source.
Ultimately, all their struggle had come to nothing, and AI was not only tightening its grip on the minds still in the matrix, but the sentinels were digging closer to Zion with every second. This is where Neo had come into his own. He could write code in the system himself, his mere existence spelled the end of the matrix. He could have ended it all, but doing so would have meant the death of 6 billion humans. AI knew the end was near, and when a truce was suggested, they were almost grateful.
Neo, Trinity and Morpheus had become the great peacekeepers of their time, the agents of Zion itself. They worked tirelessly to free minds everyday, since they knew that the more they freed, the less energy AI would have, and thus, the weaker it would become. They instructed others of their plans, to secretly build their army, and cripple AI at the same time, until the day came when the favour had swung back to their side. In time, the old crew aged, and finally died, but their legacy, and their legend lived on.

Macleod heard the familiar sounds of the hovercraft, the Asgard, rumble around him. He could faintly hear the rest of the crew clattering around doing routine repair work, talking to each other, and joking around. He smiled again. They called themselves the Musketeers, and since there were four of them on the ship, the name fit nicely. He found it amusing that such a team could have been formed in the very system they were born to destroy.
Years ago, the four friends had met on an internet forum set up to discuss and dissect the Matrix movies. Their fate had brought them together- when others were talking about the intricate nuances of the films themselves, these four argued the implications. They each felt the ‘splinter’ although all in a different way. Macleod himself had thrown himself into philosophy, Backdoor relied on the spirit of humanity, Oracle searched the internet for others like herself, and Truth threw herself into her faith. Even with such different points of view, they had gravitated towards each other, and such alliances had not gone unnoticed. By both sides.

In Zion, more than 50 years after the deaths of their saviours, the free minds struggled to save the human race. Following the plan for victory shown to them by the legendary Neo, they worked tirelessly to find potentials- people who not only felt the splinter, but also had the courage and strength to be of use to the resistance. The musketeers were spotted almost immediately, but it was some time before their use could be determined. They were such an argumentative bunch!
On the Olympus, Artemis and Prometheus knew their short window was drawing to a close, and took the decision to take the chance, and get them out. It had been close too. Certainly closer than Artemis would have liked. It seemed the agents of the system had been watching too, but biding their time, and hoping to catch two rebels as well as their targets. It was difficult to simultaneously save four people in four different geographical locations at the best of times, but when the system was waiting around every corner………..
Each of the musketeers had received messages on their PCs during one of their online chats. The rebels knew that the public was familiar with this technique as it had first been shown to them during the story of Neo. It was very effective, and they had no time to spare.
‘The Matrix has you………….’

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I hope people out there see this...a solid piece of work!...can't say more here...PM time methinks!

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Great story, very well written!!!

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I'm lovin it! keep going, Truth!

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Thanks guys! Well here's the next bit-

Episode 2

Artemis called each of their targets, giving them the short message ‘They’re coming for you……….they know you know……….get out, get out now!’ This was followed by a plan of escape for each person. Macleod jumped 4 stories from his library window, Backdoor escaped in a crowded shopping mall and then through a maze of side streets, Oracle outran the agents with her motorcycle and some impressive riding skills, and Truth scaled the outside of her office block. Even Prometheus was impressed with their natural skill and bravery. In separate cities around the world, each of the musketeers were given the red pill, and released from the matrix.

Only weeks later Artemis and Prometheus had taken on the ultimate task. They were to destroy the matrix, and the billions of humans still plugged in. There was no time to lose. The precarious peace between Zion and 01 was at breaking point, and the rebels knew they would have to take the decisive step. A strategy was formulated. The mainframe of the system was housed in the upper floors of a tall building in central 01, and it was up to the Olympus to bring it down. It was supposed to be a surprise attack, giving the crew the best possible chance of hitting their target. Artemis and Prometheus had never before failed their objective, and they didn’t intend to break the trend.
Of course, due to the truce, 01 had little in the way of a defence system, and the Olympus was able to fly right into the city’s airspace before they were even detected. Prometheus held the ship steady as their target came into view. The bright lights of the building could almost have been placed for their guidance. Artemis and Prometheus looked at each other as the building approached, a determined expression on each face. They nodded quickly to each other, and turned to face the looming building.
The Olympus burst through the structures glass shell, shards and chunks of metal and concrete flying in all directions. The warning alarms didn’t even have time to sound before the huge ship crashed through the titanium walls and shattered the mainframe into a million tiny pieces. There was a second of silence when Artemis and Prometheus had a moment to comprehend that they’d completed their task- they’d done it! They again turned to each other with looks of triumph on their faces, and then the explosion shook the earth.
The mainframe building was engulfed in flames within seconds, the fire spreading to the rest of the machine city within minutes. And so the matrix was destroyed, taking most of humanity along with it.

It was distressing for the rebels of Zion to have to deliberately caused such a massacre, but it was also undeniably necessary- until the matrix and it’s energy source were gone, Zion was simply waiting for the machines attack to come. With their energy gone, 01 was now forced into a situation described many years ago by the Architect program. It was a ‘level of survival they were prepared to accept’. All remaining energy was channelled and stored, while almost all the machines and robots were shut down. They were kept in stasis until such time a different source of fuel could be found. It was felt that Zion would not be much of a problem due to it’s weakened state, and relatively few inhabitants. Besides, they’d got what they wanted now; the matrix had been crushed.
There was only one building in the whole of 01 that was used now, it’s lights burning brightly through the darkness. It was manned by four robots, the only four now in operation. They worked feverishly and without rest, looking for a solution to their energy problem. It was only a matter of time before they found it.

Two years later, the musketeers were trained, educated, and determined. They’d impressed the Zion Council so much that even though they were young, they’d been given the Asgard to pilot themselves. As the final rescues and prodigies of Artemis and Prometheus, a lot was expected from them.
It was to them that the final attack fell. Zion had to initiate the last attack on 01 before the robots found their answer. The Asgard would have to follow its predecessor into the centre of 01.

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...I see the plot now; much more fleshed out and intricate...very nicely done! hey BD; O2, checking it out? I jumped 4 stories!!! Take that Popper! lol!...

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awesome! I get a motorcycle!

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I was trying to save this, but I'm too excited to get the whole thing up here! Please forgive me if this is terrible

Episode 3

So now here they were, completing the preparations before their final flight. Macleod got out of bed, dressed quickly, and left his room. He strode purposefully down the long grey corridor towards the sound of the crew. Considering the fate of the last ship to undertake this endeavour, the three voices were buoyant and happy.
“I can’t believe you said that Backdoor!” Their laughter rang down the halls. Macleod stepped down into the light of the mess hall. The steel table was covered in artillery and ammunition, little shiny gadgets and navigational devices. Three faces turned his way.
“Macleod! Good morning! Well, sort of,” laughed Truth, glancing at her watch sarcastically.
“Yeah, well, it looks like you’ve been getting along fine without me,” Macleod replied, gesturing to the cluttered table, “ besides, I had wonderful dreams of all those old legends.”
“Ah, Trinity and Persephone?” smiled Backdoor, brushing a strand of dark hair away from his eyes.
“Well, er…….yes,” said Macleod looking guilty and blushing slightly, “but not just the women, I heard all those old Merovingian and Architect conversations, as if I’d been there. I couldn’t tear myself away.” He smiled again. Oracle looked up from delicately fixing a tiny microchip,
“Typical! We’ve been up for hours, slaving away over all the details, and you’ve been in bed!”
Macleod smiled again, “But I needed my beauty sleep!”
“Hmmm…….maybe you should go back to bed!” grinned Backdoor.

By early evening, the musketeers were done. Everything was finished and in place. They were ready.

It was strange, they thought. Ever since they’d taken on this mission, the rest of the inhabitants of Zion had treated them differently. Reverentially, almost. Most people didn’t expect to see them return to Zion, not only after what happened to Artemis and Prometheus, but because of the nature of their task. They’d been given enough explosives to blow up the whole of 01 several times over, and it had been decided that the most easily performed and most effective plan was simply a suicide attack. Because no one knew what to expect to find in the machine city, they had also been granted a full armoury of automatic weapons.
People who never would have done so otherwise moved out of their way when they walked along the narrow corridors of the city. They were often brought little token gifts from the children, and the people as a whole looked at them with a glint of hope in their eyes.
The crew knew that Zion was counting on the success of the mission; they must stop AI from finding energy by any means. And yet they were surprisingly upbeat. They had hope and faith in their task, and knew that from all the warriors in Zion, they alone had the resilience and strength to finally destroy the threat, and return. Many thought them crazy, but they kept their spirits high. It helped to be part of such a close group.

Later that evening, after addressing the council with news of their progress, the four friends walked back to their quarters together. Zion’s lights had already been switched off for the night, so the darkness was punctuated with ‘stars’; tiny artificial halogen lamps in the roof of the cavern that was their home.
“I’d hate for this to be our last night in Zion,” said Backdoor, wistfully, “we are coming back, right?”
In a solid voice, Oracle answered “Of course we are. Could you have accepted this mission so easily if there was a doubt in your mind?"
“I guess not,” he replied slowly. “It’s just that everyone else seems so sure they won’t be seeing us again. And they’ve given us all those explosives…….we don’t even have full instructions for what happens if we don’t need to just detonate.”
Macleod looked over. “They want to cover all angles. Although it is kind of alarming that there’s no mention in any plan of us coming back.”
“It’ll be a nice surprise then,” snapped Oracle. “Look, we know what we have to do. We get in, get the job done, and then get out. Okay, so we don’t know what we’re up against in 01, but how much could it be? We’re the best trained fighters in the whole of Zion. If anyone can do this, we can.” Her large blue eyes lit up, “Come on guys! Don’t start doubting now! We’re the best, and we can do this, you know we can.” She smiled at the rest. “And just supposing we don’t come back, we’re fighting for Zion- what’s wrong with dying for a cause like that?” It was just this sort of response that was typical of Oracle. Forceful, determined, and single-minded, she knew what she wanted, and got it. But she’d always been like that. As the youngest of the group, she’d always felt that she had something to prove. There was no changing her mind once it was made, but she was invariably right in her decisions.
“Can’t argue with that!” Backdoor laughed, the tension broken. He had never really had any doubt, somehow he had just felt the need to give voice to the question. He was a thoughtful man, but he knew they could do it. He was actually excited!
The group came to an intersection of passages, and stopped. Oracle and Backdoor had apartments down one hall, Macleod and Truth another.
“So this is our last night of being ordinary citizens?” asked Macleod, “Tomorrow we’ll be heroes!”
“Then we really will be the musketeers,” giggled Oracle.
“Which one do you want to be?”
“Oh, that’s a big decision, can’t take that sort of thing lightly!”
Backdoor took Oracles elbow softly, “I hate to break this up, but I have to get some sleep. We have a big day coming,” he tugged her arm again. “So are you going to walk me home or what?”
“Sure, who knows what would happen otherwise?” Oracle laughed, and turned to Macleod and Truth. “Goodnight you two. Sleep well.”
“You too,” Macleod replied.
Backdoor and Oracle took the hallway on the left, their quick footsteps echoing behind them. Their laughter slowly became quieter, until it could no longer be heard.

Episode 4

In the darkness, Truth and Macleod began walking again. Slowly this time, as though to prolong the hours before their departure.
“You’ve been quiet tonight,” said Macleod thoughtfully. Truth didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, she sighed. They had arrived at her door, but she didn’t make a move to go inside. Instead, she stepped over to the railing, and leaned her elbows on the cold steel. She looked up.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, without turning around. Macleod stood beside her.
“It is.”
“Do you think we’ll ever see the stars? I mean the real ones, out there?” In all the time they’d known each other, Truth’s faith had never faltered. Like Oracle, she knew where she was going, exactly how, and she wouldn’t let anyone tell her otherwise. She was the quietest of the group, never wasting a word, always saying what she meant, and meaning what she said.
Macleod was intense as well. He’d always known there was something wrong with his world, and had spent his adolescence in search of answers. Unlike the girls, he was much more open to others, his years of research into every philosophy and science fiction theory he could find telling him team effort and co-operation were the answer.
“I’m sure we will.”

Truth turned toward him, her green eyes piercing his black ones. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead took his hand in hers. Neither of them moved.
“Goodnight,” she said quietly, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

The crew went to their beds that night like matrix children waiting for Santa Claus. Tomorrow they would leave Zion.

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Ok..this is cool! Truth, ur a very good observer! I felt like I really was reading about myself! I HAVE to see the next installment!

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