It was just another day.  That was what the Machines wanted you to think.

 

In the Matrix, inside the area that new redpills were sent to train themselves in basic operations and combat, is where an old veteran made her entrance.  Said entrance was simple and ordinary; the same burst of code and light, the same sounds, and the same popping noise of virtual air displaced by the introduction of a new virtual mass marked this event.

 

When all was said and done, a tall woman stood at Uriah Industrial hardline.  Her dress was atypical of the "noob" redpill: She wore all black.  Her knee-high leather boots shined with polish and effort.  Her pants, festooned with zippers and straps, clung tightly to her muscled legs.  The pants gave way to exposed skin well below the waistline, only to be covered yet again by a vinyl top that barely contained her chest.  The faux croc-skin trenchcoat billowed open in the wind while her black and white hair flowed softly around her neck.

 

ZipperQueen took a deep breath of the virtual air and caught the familiar scents of trash and oil.  A smile crossed her face as a pair of new redpills turned to see who had just emerged from the training areas...

 

And a cell phone ringtone broke the spell.  ZipperQueen (she preferred to be called Zip or ZQ) snatched the phone from her hip.  "Yeah."

 

It was Flood.  The Merovingian taskmaster sounded annoyed... but that was the norm.  "Well, well, well.  Back from your self-imposed hiatus, ZipperQueen?"

 

"Yeah.  Nice to hear from you too, Flood," she replied.  "How's our employer doing?"

 

"We're in dire straits, ZipperQueen.  Then again, with the quality of recruits we have managed to... acquire... from Zion... this should come as no surprise to you.  Oh, by the way... Xeros wants to see you as soon as you get to a safe location."

 

Xeros.  The man who had formed one of the Merovingian's elite units, Les Enfants Terribles, was one of ZQ's most trusted friends.  He was also her superior officer.

 

"Thanks, boss," she said absentmindedly.  ZipperQueen turned back to the hardline and loaded her hardline transport program.  Let's see here.... Richland and Westview are still crawling with Zionites... International is the same... looks like Downtown is my best bet.  ZQ chose the South Vauxton hardline as her destination.

 

"Go ahead and put me back on the 'Active' list, Flood.  I'm back for the duration.  And I'll need a data dump on the past few months' events," ZQ requested.  Flood snorted derisively, mumbled something about how he wasn't in the business of giving up information, and sent the requested data.

 

There was a lot of it.  Zip saved the data dump and sent herself through the hardline to South Vauxton.  She would need a quiet place to review it... the Hel Club would suffice.  Maybe she would even run into the Merovingian while she was there... and Persephone, too.

 

It was good to be back.