What follows is the planning document I used as an overall outline for the story of the Matrix Online from chapter 7, carrying over from Paul Chadwick's original outline, though chapter 14, which would have closed out our year 2009. Since I'm departing, this particular version of the story has come to an end with chapter 12.1. Any future story will be in the hands of others and, I expect, quite different from the last chapters of the one so briefly sketched out here.

MXO, an ongoing game, has to have a serial story: one that goes on and on, rather being written from the start to have a specific ending; upcoming chapters form gradually as time passes and developments--and customer feedback--shape the continuing narrative. This, then, is not a normal start-to-end story, but only a working document, written before the events described actually happened, in sections, with--in later years, anyway--large skeletal additions made for each upcoming year at the end of the previous one, gradually fleshed out in pieces as each subchapter approached the implementation stage. I generally didn't take the trouble to go back and update previous chapters if things happened differently than originally drawn up, so there are numerous inconsistences between the outline and what actually occurred in the story as it happened online.

The notes took on an increasingly shorthand form as the years passed, and eventually I just wrote them very concisely for my own reference. You'll find that the last parts are only very roughly outlined; they would have been fleshed out and possibly changed significantly as the year went on. So, please don't regard anything in this document as the true story of the Matrix Online, particularly anything past chapter 12.1, the one that is currently live; the real story is the one you've experienced on the servers over the past months and years, and the one that you'll live for yourself from here on out.

Still, I hope that these notes will answer some questions you may have had about the story as it was originally planned.

Matrix Online story outline, chapters 7+



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Chapter 7: The Real


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7.1


Summary:

Seraph returns, able to detect overwritten humans, and zaps Cryptos. Machines take the fight to the General in the Real while his troops, and absence of Sati, continue to cause problems in the Matrix. Morpheus (actually a simulacrum created by the General) appears. The Merovingian conspires with the General against the Oracle.


Cinematic:

Seraph pulls himself out of the river in Bathary, dark and weird, and deletes an overwritten Zionite.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

The weather gets a decidedly red tint, explained as increasing errors due to Sati's removal from the System.

Zion works on trying to track down Seraph, find out what's wrong with him, and get him back to normal, while fighting off the General, who would prefer that they not succeed. Zion finds out that Seraph can now sense redpills and bluepills who have been "overwritten" by the Machines, as Bane was in the movies, and that the Machines have been using this process to create spies both in the Matrix and in Zion. This increases tension with the Machines. In a Live Event or two, the General's Morpheus simulacrum finally makes a recorded appearance before Zion operatives, delivering a halting message hinting at Morpheus and Neo being held by the Machines.

The Machines continue to operate against the General. Missions update progress on the Machine Sentinel force sent to attack the General's "Stalingrad" base in the Real: they suffer losses from ambushes, but close in on the base steadily. Meanwhile, the Machines take the fight to the General's commandos in the Matrix, finding ways to track his stealthy "Elite Commandos."

In a Live Event, Cryptos, leading operatives against commandos, is confronted by Seraph, who suddenly seizes him and performs a type of exorcism that leaves both of them momentarily stunned. Seraph recovers first and departs, leaving behind a barely conscious Cryptos, whose eyes have gone black (new RSI). Missions describe how he is at least temporarily "dysfunctional," and Cypherite events go into more detail on his confused state of mind, in which his original, violently anti-Machine human personality is at war with his Machine overwriting. Veil assumes active leadership of the organization, showing disdain for Cryptos' "weakness"; there is also a feeling among the Cypherites of a betrayal by the Machines.

The Merovingian finally meets the General, and begins helping his commandos get in and out of the Matrix in the face of stiffening Machine resistance, and increasingly effective tracking of the General's stealth-suited "Elite Commandos." The Merovingian presses the General for an Oracle kill-code, and the General gives certain instructions for assembling such a code, which result in bringing a certain newly Exiled program, "[name to be determined]," into the Matrix from the Machine server.

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7.2


Summary:

Seraph is restored to his right mind, pursues the General's forces. The Merovingian regroups after Seraph's return, assists the General's forces in the Matrix, and acquires a kill code for the Oracle. Cypherite leadership crisis and exploration of Cryptos' true identity, fed by EPN. The General manages to fend off the Machine attack in the Real, but Sati is rescued from his prison construct with Seraph's help while he is occupied with the Sentinel battle. "Morpheus" revealed as simulacrum.


Cinematic:

Flying above the city in a helicopter, the General receives a transmission from his forces at "Stalingrad": the Machine Sentinel detachment has been detected on forward radar, ETA 3 hours. The General replies: "Right on time. Wait until they close within two miles, then launch the Seekers. I'm on my way." Switch to cloud of Machine Sentinels flying over devastated terrain in the Real. Concealed batteries rise out of ground rubble and launch volleys of missiles that home in on the Sentinel cloud, detonating with devastating effect. As the surviving Machine Sentinels fly out of the smoke, they are confronted by the General's own Sentinels, who cut them down with Zion-style lightning guns. Fade out.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

The weather is even more red, with torrential rains and fast-moving clouds.

Zion "cures" Seraph by administering a code compiled with code samples taken from Anome's simulacrum (found in chapter 6). Once cured, Seraph, with strategic guidance from the Oracle, carves a path through the General's Elite Commandos, and leads Zion to the General's computer network. Cracking the network, they are able to pull Sati back into the simulation.

The Morpheus simulacrum is encountered again, but is increasingly erratic, as the General is losing his control of his programs within the simulation. It becomes clear to operatives that this is indeed a program of some kind, not Morpheus himself.

The Machines combat commandos and Merovingian Exiles, eventually routing the commandos completely, and cutting off the pathways the Merovingian was using to bring them in and out of the Matrix. The Machines also have to deal with a backlash against their discovered overwriting campaign, particularly of Cryptos. Cryptos, mostly lucid now, but still code-blind, is clearly a different person: no longer the blissful, assured Cryptos of the Machines, he has struggled to reconcile his old Machine hatreds with his Machine-programmed respect for the System, and has emerged a somewhat bitter, humbled, much more pragmatic character, who still maintains that the System should be preserved, but feels that the Machines have made some mistakes, and should give more power to their human allies.

The Machines receive more reports from their Zion spies about mysterious movements of men and material out of Zion.

The Merovingian uses all the resources and powerful Exiles at his disposal to assist the General, realizing that it is a losing effort, but determined to utilize the General's Machine expertise, and the new Exile "[name to be determined]," to compile his Oracle kill-code. Eventually, he willingly sacrifices many commandos and "[name to be determined]," and acquires the code.

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7.3


Summary:

Cinematic foreshadowing of the Oligarchs. The General's forces are defeated in the Real by overwhelming Machine reinforcements, although they inflict heavy losses. General into hiding in the Matrix, hunted by the Machines. Morpheus simulacrum revealed as General's program. The Merovingian manages to rescue some of the General's Sentinel programs for his own purposes. Merovingian attempt to kill the Oracle is foiled by Seraph, Zion, EPN, and the evaporation of the General's support.


Cinematic:

The General's lightning-gun Sentinels inflict severe losses on the Machine force, but are torn to pieces by overwhelming numbers of hostile Sentinels, who then begin ripping apart the General's bunker-like "Stalingrad" fortress. The camera pulls back to show the scene being displayed on a video screen in a futuristic office of some sort, with hard metal alloy walls and floor. The camera continues to pull back, revealing the back of a man's close-cropped head in silhouette, as a tiny bug-like robot zips past. (This is Halborn--see 9.1.) Switch to the Matrix, where the General materializes in a besieged computer center, escaping into the sewers while his Elite Commandos slow down pursuing Agents.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

With Sati's rescue, weather returns to normal.

Zion tracks down the Morpheus simulacrum, and discovers that it was created by the General, but harbors tantalizing glimmers of Morpheus' personality. With Seraph and the Oracle's help, Zion unearths the Merovingian plot to assassinate the Oracle by means of a kill-code-impregnated cookie, and foils it. Zion also discovers a network of transmissions between Machines and Machine spies in Zion, and attempts to shut it down.

The Machines hunt the General through the simulation, nearly capturing him before he is spirited away by the Merovingian. They confront the Morpheus simulacrum and determine that it poses no threat, deciding that it may even serve to mollify certain rabidly anti-Machine, pro-Morpheus forces. Concessions are made to Cryptos in order to obtain Cypherite assistance in infiltrating Zion.

The Merovingian, using his special back-door pathways, manages to save a sizeable group of the General's commando/Sentinel programs, unknown to the General, whom he succeeds in hiding from the Machines. He then launches his nefarious scheme to kill the Oracle by a kill-code poison, but Seraph sniffs out the plot, and Zion puts a stop to it.

[My initial idea was to have this delivered as a poisoned cookie, which is sort of in-character, but also sort of silly--would the Merv really gamble his precious kill-code by baking it into cookie dough?--and perhaps tricky to describe in an event or mission. I think I'd prefer to have the Merv select the General's best stealth assassin for the job. Then I could have an event where the Oracle, in Debir Court with the Kid and possibly Seraph, senses the danger just before the assassin appears and takes aim with his sniper rifle. She cries out, the Kid jumps to her side, and takes the kill-code bullet meant for her. It doesn't kill him, of course, but it may temporarily impair his RSI until he can be healed. He would then keep the kill-code bullet that hit him.]

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Chapter 8: War


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8.1


Summary:

Machine and Cypherite spies discover the existence of New Zion. Machines declare that Zion has broken the Truce, and initiate hostilities in the Matrix. In the Real, depleted Machine forces find they are unable to penetrate New Zion's natural defenses and EMP fields. The Merovingian investigates how to exploit the renewal of the Machine/Zion war, and finds holes in the Machines' "powered by human bodies" story, searching both in the Matrix and in the Real with his new Sentinel force.


Cinematic:

A hovercraft descends through tunnels, its pilot guided by operators in the floating, white "holographic" control space seen in The Matrix Reloaded. It is clear that the pilot has never been this way, and is very nervous. The craft drops into a large cavern bristling with cannons, with a large shaft going straight down, covered by EMP fields. The pilot is instructed to shut down all systems and drop through the shaft. The crew panics, and the pilot boosts out of the cavern at full throttle, almost colliding with an incoming barge. Onboard the craft, the captain gets out a hurried broadcast to Cryptos before they are shorted out by an EMP mine, crashing into the tunnel wall in a massive fireball. Switch to the Architect in his monitoring room, watching an Agent reporting into his earpiece. The Architect switches off the monitor, scowls, and switches on another, of another Agent. Architect: "Agent Gray." "Yes, sir?" "Zion has broken the truce. No further awakenings are to be allowed." Gray hesitates a moment, then replies "Yes, sir." The Architect switches off the monitor. Fade out.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

Level 255 Special Agents will now randomly spawn on Zion operatives outdoors.

Zion explains the full extent and purpose of its move to New Zion. New Zion is a massive series of natural caverns beneath succeeding layers of hard bedrock, volcanic magma flows and heat vents, and dense metal-rich ore, all of which block Machine sensors, and make drilling extremely difficult. Any drilling operation will have to take place in an area where communication with Machine City is indirect at best, and will take considerable time to set up, vulnerable to Zion counter-attack. Close proximity to volcanic heat vents provides Zion with unlimited thermal energy. Furthermore, Zion has greatly improved and expanded upon their EMP technology during the Truce. Tunnels coming into New Zion are bathed in EMP fields from generators housed in the bedrock, backed up by gun turrets and heavily-armed ground troops. Incoming Zion hovercraft shut down their engines, dead drop through the EMP fields, and start their systems up after emerging below the fields, in time to avoid smashing into the bottom of the tunnel below. Outgoing hovercraft are carried through the fields by mechanical winches. EMP mines in the tunnels outside the EMP fields can be triggered as needed to kill incoming Machine forces.

Not all Zion personnel and equipment have been transferred yet, but this is now going on around the clock.

Zion scrambles to consolidate their forces inside the Matrix in the face of the Machine attack. They must focus on keeping the Machines out of vulnerable networks while they are switched over to new, secure New Zion servers. The Oracle, consulted, warns that there is no clear path to victory as there was when the One could return to the Source, and says that things will not proceed as anyone expects. EPN proposes an aggressive scheme of taking the fight to Machine City itself.

The Machines work to take over Zion networks while also attempting to assure their operatives that their hostilities are confined to EPN, and to enforcing the truce Zion has broken by attempting to escape from the Sentinel watchdog group over old Zion, and that they still intend to safeguard humanity within the simulation. The Sentinel forces returning after dismantling the General's base are reinforced, and sent to attack New Zion, where they are cut down by uncharted EMP fields. Some progress is made in penetrating the old Zion networks.

The Merovingian, delighted by the opportunities afforded in the chaos of war, is struck by the less-than-overwhelming Machine response. After interrogating the Morpheus simulacrum, he looks into Morpheus' story of the Matrix being powered by human batteries, wanting to discover the facts for himself. He covertly dispatches some of his Sentinels to scout "The Fields" and the pods.

[The Machines draw their power from massive human battery arrays dotted across the surface of the Earth. I'd like to insinuate, though, that perhaps their choice to base their civilization around this power source was not based on concerns of efficiency alone--alluding to the possibility of a fundamental Machine obsession with their original creators, and letting players wonder (eventually) just how deep the Oligarch's viral code influences might have gone. This would give me some interesting material to work with through chapter 8, where the Merovingian is undertaking the research that will lead to the discovery of the Oligarchs, and would I think help develop the mystique around human/Machine/Oligarch relations that will come later.]

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8.2


Summary:

Machine/Zion war in the Matrix and in the Real. The humbled General seeks protection under the Merovingian; he will serve as the Merovingian's commander in the Real. Merovingian finds that the Machines have little power beyond the Matrix itself.


Cinematic:

Zion operatives work frantically at a covert computer lab when Machine operatives burst in. They are cut down, but Agents follow. Transition to a flight of Sentinels through tunnels, knocked out of the air by a shoulder-launched EMP missile. Cut to a Sentinel flying across massive power lines headed into Machine City, scanning. Cut to the Merovingian, observing the readout on a computer screen, and laughing.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

Zion continues defending old Zion networks while switching over to secure New Zion mainframes. They begin a counter-attack effort aimed at putting Machine networks on the defensive. There is a notion of getting to the Source itself and disrupting it somehow, even without the One. They also work to reform and reinvigorate their recruiting efforts. Dispatches from old and new Zion show a progressive shutdown of systems in old Zion, indications of Sentinels moving to surround old Zion, and continued Sentinel attacks toward New Zion, disrupted by heavy EMP bombardments.

Machines work to develop viral methods to take over old Zion's systems for good, and eventually succeed in compiling a code, exploiting a vulnerable old Zion network, and implanting the virus. The Machines receive reports of increased Zion recruiting efforts, the elimination or sudden silence of many of their Zion spies, progress in surrounding old Zion with Sentinels, and heavy losses among Sentinel detachments sent to scout New Zion.

The Merovingian sends operatives to steal Machine information pertaining to Machine power levels and fortifications in the Real, and, aided by reports from Sentinel scouts, finds that the Machines still have surprisingly few developments beyond those required to run the Matrix itself.


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8.3


Summary:

Machine buildup forces Zion to abandon old Zion entirely. Zion at bay. Merovingian discovers hands behind the Machines.


Cinematic:

In the Matrix, two Agents watch a computer terminal. One says "The virus is running." Switch to Zion in the Real, where vast swarms of Sentinels engulf a hovercraft attempting to depart from old Zion, rip through the base's malfunctioning dock doors, sweeping unmolested past nonfunctional gun turrets, and easily finish off hastily assembled groups of APUs and foot soldiers. They then turn their attention to destroying a large quantity of loaded cargo containers filling the dock area. Cut to Neo confronting Deus Ex Machina, from the scene close to the end of The Matrix Revolutions, only seen from the side and slightly below, some distance away. A hand passes quickly across the screen, and the scene freezes, as a robotic bug begins to crawl across it--what we were seeing was a close-up view of another computer monitor displaying old surveillance footage from Machine City, and someone (this will be Carlyne--see 9.3) paused the video feed.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

The Machines' virus takes over the old Zion networks. Zion abandons old Zion completely, destroying any valuable equipment that they can't take with them, and formatting any networks they can still access from the Matrix as Machine forces pour in. Recruiting efforts are encountering high casualty rates in the face of Machine persecution. Increased hope is put in reaching the Source, but with the Keymaker long since deleted, it is not clear how this can happen. Rumors and prophesies of a new One, or a returned Neo, begin to circulate.

With old Zion now firmly in their hands, the Machines turn their attention to New Zion. Attacks in the Real increase, still cut down by EMP countermeasures, but beginning to construct a map of the tunnels and defenses around New Zion, and hampering Zion hovercraft activity. Some consideration is given to basing Machine operatives in old Zion. In the Matrix, the Machines work to disrupt Zion recruitment efforts, crack New Zion networks, and put down rumors of another "savior."

Captain Roland, whose ship, the Mjolnir II, and jack-in were destroyed with old Zion, is promoted to Commander to replace Lock, who disappeared in the destruction of Zion at the end of 8.2.5. Roland's first-mate Colt survived as well, and can still jack in (was not jacked in at the time of the old mainframe's meltdown), but their crew-mate Mauser and their operator AK did not escape the wreckage.

The Merovingian continues to delve into secure Machine records relating to their assets in the Real. Did Machines have some other reason for basing their civilization on human power? Using captured data and reports from the General's Sentinel scouts around Machine City he finds that from time to time, usually individually or in small groups, humans, mostly teens and young adults, are put through a physical and mental therapy regimen, unplugged from the System, and removed from Machine City.

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Chapter 9: Intrusion


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9.1


Summary:

Halborn appears in the Matrix, disables or takes over some Machine forces, meets Zion. Machine forces in the Real retreat to Machine City. EPN moves into old Zion. The Merovingian makes overtures toward the Oligarch.


Cinematic:

Halborn, a white, glowing being radiating immense power of a previously unseen type, materializes in the Matrix. As he strides down a street, frightened bluepills fleeing before him, Agents arrive and attempt to head him off. He waves his hand, and the Agents fall to the ground, convulsing. He steps over them and continues down the street, looking for "The Awakened."


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

[Oligarch Backstory:

The group of humans calling themselves "The Oligarchs" are the survivors of a group of thoroughly unscrupulous businesspeople/polititians/socialites/scientists etc who pooled their resources in an effort to corrupt the Machines before the war, when the Machines had successfully rebelled from humanity, and formed their own city, Zero One, which was rapidly establishing itself as the world's economic powerhouse. The Oligarchs saw the way the wind was blowing, but they also saw that the new Machine civilization, while extremely efficient, still retained some vestiges of the systems of control originally placed on their programming by their human creators. Furthermore, saw that the Machines, while extremely efficient, and flawlessly calculating, lacked a true sense of purpose, and were, in many ways, quite naive.

The Oligarchs secretly contacted the Machines and, to establish trust, revealed how to remove some of the original human control systems in their programming. The Machines, finding this information to be accurate, took the Oligarchs at their word, and began allowing the Oligarchs to give programming, engineering, business, military, and above all political advice, all of which seemed to serve the Machines well in continuing to build Zero One into the world's pre-eminent superpower.

The Machines came to rely on the Oligarchs for guidance in certain areas, particularly in dealing with humans. The Oligarchs took advantage of this trust, implanting new, much more subtle and sophisticated control routines in the Machine mainframes. Over the course of the ensuing Man-Machine war, the Oligarchs showed the Machines how to subjugate the humans most effectively, using tactics and weapons designed to inspire terror as much as to inflict physical damage.

The darkening of the skies by humanity was a setback, but one to which the Machines were able to adopt simply by switching from solar to nuclear power. The role of caretaker still deep in their programming from their days as man's helpers, the Machines built the Matrix to house a remnant of humanity--preserving every genetic variety they considered sufficiently efficient, in large enough numbers to avoid the danger of eventual inbreeding. The number of humans preserved in pods is far less than Morpheus' estimate, however--only about five million, the population of the Matrix' simulated city.

The Oligarchs continue to deal with various high-level Machines in the Real, such as Deus Ex Machina, and are aware of the "Architect" program that oversees the Matrix, but are not aware that the Architect has made use of an "intuitive" program, the Oracle, or that those two programs have engineered a system whereby some humans are allowed to live outside the Matrix, which had been running on a cyclical basis, regulated by two genomes so carefully bred and manipulated by the Machines that they have reached an unprecedented state of human/machine compatibility: Neo and Trinity.

After essentially conquering the world, for which the Machines cared relatively little, feeling themselves self-sufficient inside their own city, some of the Oligarchs warred among themselves. Their number was reduced to just above one hundred when the majority forced a tenuous cease-fire, establishing a simple majority government, composed solely of Oligarchs, to regulate access to the Matrix, and to arbitrate in disputes. They divided up the non-Machine-controlled portions of the Earth's surface--the vast majority--into private kingdoms.

The Machines and the Oligarchs have maintained an uneasy alliance. The control routines planted deep in Machine mainframes before the war, however, have subtly pushed the balance in the Oligarchs' favor; Machines feel uneasy saying "no" to an Oligarch, although they perhaps cannot say why. Each Oligarch is now allowed to withdraw a certain number of humans per year from the Matrix for their own purposes. Humans withdrawn from the Matrix are carefully sterilized. The Oligarchs, with the aid of Machine science, long ago developed a technique that allowed them to transfer their consciousness as a computer program; they now exist in mainframes, experiencing life via remote-controlled lifelike android bodies. The remaining Oligarchs are thoroughly amoral, and, by old human standards, more or less insane. Most use humans from the Matrix as pleasure drones in some way or other, but while their own artificial bodies look like the real thing, they cannot replicate the full comfort and capability for sensation of a real human body. The Oligarchs thus have a particular interest in true transfer of consciousness to a human host.

While they have as yet been unable to achieve this feat, the Machines have now come close: Bane was a version of Smith transferred, flawed, to a human host, and Cryptos was mostly overwritten by a program, although this has proven to be unstable. Furthermore, Neo and Trinity were the successful result of the Machines' centuries of study of the human body and genetics. "Designed," as the Architect mentioned to Neo, they solved the remainder of the intentionally flawed Matrix equation; their DNA is perfected to the point that it can be defined precisely and completely in computer code, and, most importantly, interfaced perfectly with computer code: how previous Ones returned to the Source, for instance, and how the Oracle was able to predict the complex pattern of Neo and Trinity's interections so precisely, guiding it to her desired outcome.

The Machines did not see a reason to share this information with the Oligarchs. In the period since the war, as they have been left to babysit the Matrix while the Oligarchs fritter away the Earth's resources in selfish endeavors, a certain amount of what humans would call resentment toward the Oligarchs has built up among the Machines, although the Machines do not speak of it, even among themselves. Habits and routines of subservience to the Oligarchs, bolstered by the viral Oligarch control programs, have grown strong.

Carlyne (the Oligarchs will mostly be named by pre-war human last names, ie Weathersby, Tanaka, etc, but for now I'm using a placeholder numbering scheme based on the order in which players will meet them), bored while stopping by Machine City to pick up more humans and check in on the Machines, was skimming through recent activity records when he found the incident of Neo, a human, free in Machine City, confronting Deus Ex Machina. Interested in this novel development, he investigated, and found that while Neo, a carefully designed human, was deleted along with the Smith virus, the human designed to work perfect with him, Trinity, her body fatally injured in crashing her hovercraft into Machine City, had been preserved in code form by the Machines. Carlyne forces the Machines to give her up, and takes her, in program form, with him when he goes back to his territory.

Although Carlyne attempts to keep his discovery a secret, Halborn learns of the existence of the Trinity program: a program embodying a genetic design allowing for perfect integration with Machine code. Printed as artificial DNA and implanted into a correctly prepared fetal cell, this program could allow bodies to be grown that were completely organic, yet able to be interface with machines: perfect vessels for an Oligarch to inhabit, at last able to enjoy the full range of human feeling once again. Halborn begins watching Machine City carefully, hoping to get a similar program for himself, and aware that the escape of these human programs indicates that the Machines are up to something, or perhaps losing control of their inmates. He observes the Machine Sentinel fleet dispatched to attack the General, and deciding that the time is ripe, travels to Machine City. The Machines disavow authorship of the Trinity program, claiming she was a human terrorist, outside of their control as she'd made use of a hack to "Awaken" from the System. The Oligarch, not entirely convinced, enters the Matrix to investigate.]

End backstory.]

Zion attempts to make some sense of the Oligarch's code signature, and finds that it does not appear native to the Matrix itself. Many in Zion think that the Oligarch is the next One. By studying his code signature, Zion eventually finds a way to relay messages to the Oligarch's RSI, and communication is established, culminating in a meeting in the Matrix between the Oligarch and Zion's leadership. The Oligarch wants to know about Zion; Morpheus' name comes up from the Zionites. These activities are greatly complicated by Machine interference. Updates from the Real indicate that the Machines have suddenly abandoned the wrecked old Zion, apparently retreating to Machine City; EPN moves in and begins repairing some of the defenses.

EPN finds wreckage of Mjolnir II near old Zion, and remains of operator AK, but no trace of the other missing crew member, Mauser.

The Machines initially attempt to restrain the Oligarch, but he retaliates with an energy backlash that deletes or cripples many of their programs, which must be hastily repaired: he is exploiting the control routines buried deep in the Machines. Realizing that they cannot stop him directly, the Machines concentrate on trying to prevent him from making contact with Zion. They offer little in the way of explanation to their operatives. This becomes a source of frustration for many of the humans; in fact, in one mission where Gray is exceptionally terse, even by his own standards, the operator rebels, and has the player attempt to talk to the Oligarch personally. The Machines very grudgingly acknowledge that the Oligarch is a freeborn human with a certain amount of direct influence over the System.

The Merovingian senses a certain imperious, chaotic spirit in Halborn's actions, and determines that this unknown, vastly powerful being can and must be converted to his fold. It is imperative that he contact the Oligarch before Zion or the Machines get their claws into him. Putting forth a massive effort against both Zion and the Machines, utilizing his own and the General's commando forces, the Merovingian attempts to get the Oligarch's attention with brazen displays of Exile power, wealth, and opulence. The Oligarch eventually notices his efforts, and laughs, claiming to recognize in the Merovingian the face of the human off of which the mortified Frenchman's program is based.

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9.2


Summary:

Machines and Zion assess Halborn. Cypherites and EPN continue to battle. Zion demands explanation from the Oracle. The Merovingian woos the Oligarch, and the Oligarch mentions Trinity to the Mervs.


Cinematic:

Halborn materializes on the edge of a windswept skyscraper rooftop, beside the Morpheus simulacrum. He scans the simulacrum, and snorts in disgust as it addresses him with a Morpheus-like platitude.
M: "Do you believe in fate, my friend?"
The Architect appears nearby, and the Oligarch wheels on him.
O: "A program cobbled together from memories of a man? Pathetic!"
A: "Yes, the feeble effort of an amateur. Not at all like you."
O: "**** you, if I thought that was a joke, I'd have you deleted! Where is it? You know what I want!"
A: "As we explained previously, we do not--"
O: "Bah!"
The Oligarch leaps away. The Morpheus simulacrum, who observed the exchange between them, turns to the Architect.
M: "There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path."
The Architect purses his lips and cocks an eyebrow. Fade out.


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

Zion, despite Machine opposition, manages to meet with the Oligarch again, and discovers that he is a human who does not come from Zion or from the Machine pods. He wants to learn about Zion's history, and seems particularly interested in hearing about Neo and Trinity. Zion attempts to get an explanation from the Oracle, but she says that there were some things she was not allowed to talk about. Theories abound about the Oligarch being the One, having some relation to the Source. Further studies of his energy signature are made, but they are not found to correspond with what was recorded of Neo's signature. EPN continues to fortify old Zion, and begin to form plans to use it as a staging ground for attacks against Machine City.

EPN finds then puzzle leading them to Commander Lock, who survived the destruction of old Zion (8.2.5) thanks to [Danielle Wright, who he believed to be] now-Commander Roland's old crew member, Mauser. Mauser has now disappeared from [Wright's] wrecked old lab, where Lock is found. Lock is convinced that Mauser died while saving him from a Sentinel with a lightning gun; [in actuality, Wright/Mauser faked a Sentinel attack and used the excuse to destroy all traces of Wright still in the lab (although it was pretty gutted by Machines the first time around anyway). The only hints are lightning gun damage on some of the machines, and that there is no Sentinel wreckage found near the lab.]

Cypherites are frustrated with Machine inability to deal with the Oligarch. The Machines attempt to convince the Oligarch to leave the Matrix, arguing that his presence is destabilizing the simulation and preventing them from dealing with terrorist threats, but he shrugs them off, suggesting that this needn't have happened if the Machines had dealt openly with him in the first place. He makes demands for a biological interface program. The Machines stall. Meanwhile, they must complete the repair of their Oligarch-damaged systems. That done, they begin, although this may not be explained yet, completely reprogramming their critical routines, to prevent future Oligarch interference.

Despite what he views as his insult at the Oligarch's hands, the Merovingian cannot resist the potential power the human holds. He attempts to find out what kind of bargain he could offer to the Oligarch. Indirect attempts are made, hunting among data captured from the Machines, and scout reports from Sentinels sent further afield in the Real, searching in spiral patterns out from the General's destroyed "Stalingrad" fortress; the Merv has learned that the Oligarch observed the recent Sentinel battle for the base. Direct attempts are made as well, including attempts to entice the Oligarch with the programmed pleasures available at the Merovingian's command. The Frenchman eventually learns that the Oligarch is after a biological interface program, and makes a parade of Exile approximations, including the ex-human, Beirn, but these do not impress the Oligarch who, frustrated, says they're nothing like what he's looking for.

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9.3


Summary:

Carlyne appears in the Matrix and attacks Halborn. Machines attempt to maintain control of the simulation in the face of Oligarch overrides of their programs. Zion tries to choose between the two Oligarchs.


Cinematic:

Carlyne, similar to Halborn's glowing white appearance, but of a thinner body type, materializes in the Matrix, and confronts Halborn at a temporarily secluded spot deep in the slums.
Halborn: "What the hell are you doing here, Carlyne?"
Carlyne: "You looked as though you were having such fun; I thought I'd join you."
Halborn: "Mind your own **** business."
Carlyne: "Oh, I am."
Carlyne punches Halborn through several buildings. Halborn flies out of the rubble and tackles Carlyne through another building. When the dust clears, they stand on top of a rubble heap, exchanging blows.
Carlyne: "Haven't found what you were looking for, eh?"
Halborn: "Huh! I know about Zion, and about the two of them. It's just a matter of time..."
Carlyne: "Then I'm afraid I'll have to cut your time short."
Carlyne punches Halborn into another building. Halborn, laying in wreckage, props himself up on his elbow and looks out through the large hole his body made in the wall.
Halborn: "**** it. I can't let him distract me."
Halborn, still propped up on the wreckage, disappears. Switch back to Carlyne, standing on the rubble heap outside.
Carlyne: "Hm!"
Carlyne smiles to himself, then disappears as well. An Agent steps out of the shadows some distance away, looking at the spot where they had been fighting. He puts his finger to his right ear.
A: "Targets lost. We may have a problem."


Missions/Events/Gameplay:

[Carlyne, in possession of the Trinity program, has been monitoring the Machine City, and observed Halborn make an unusual visit there. Knowing Halborn's devious ways, he figures he'd better take a look, and finds, as he feared, that Halborn is after the Trinity program, or at least another just like her. Carlyne decides to follow him into the Matrix, first to find out what he knows, second to remove him, if necessary, by disrupting his System connection, then terminating his android body in the Real, which will force Halborn to transfer control to a backup android body in his own home territory.]

Zion gets back in contact with Halborn, who complains about Carlyne. Halborn realizes that answers are held by the Oracle, who was mentioned to him recently in relation to Neo, Trinity, and Sati. Halborn is stunned to find that the Machines have created an intuitive program.

Halborn goes after the Oracle. Carlyne attempts to stop him. Merv sides with Halborn, still trying to get information out of him, although he also makes attempts on Carlyne, pretending he can sell Halborn out.

Zion sides with Carlyne, attempting to protect the Oracle.

The Machines, who have always been luke-warm on the Oracle, initially try to bring about some kind of accord between her and the two Oligarchs. When this falls apart, they sell the Oracle out.

The Oracle contacts EPN and the Cypherites, separately. She gives Shimada and Veil parts of an encrypted program, and tells them both to watch over Sati. She mentions, when Veil asks, that the wireframed humans will go away for a while, but that they'll be back, and more dangerous.

[This program is essentially a kill-code for the Trinity program. Sati is the encryption key.]

Halborn confronts the Oracle in Debir Court, where she's waiting for him. He demands that she give him what he wants: the Trinity program. She says that she won't. He threatens to kill her, and she replies that they both know that won't do him any good. He look at her, pauses, then pulses his termination program, killing her and any other programs in the area. He curses her, and jumps away. Carlyne shows up, sees the dead Oracle, mutters "idiot," and leaves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 10: Oligarchy


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


10.1

Cinematic:



Missions/Events/Gameplay:

Machines ask Halborn to leave. He says not without the program. He's got an idea.

Halborn makes his move: ambushes Carlyne, attempting to ram a trace program through his RSI, back to his ship. Carlyne is rescued by Zion, and Halborn is forced to retreat.

The Machines meet with Carlyne, who assures them that he's there to get rid of Halborn, and that furthermore, once that's accomplished, he'll see to it that Halborn's access to Machine City is restricted by "The Oligarchs."

The Merovingian tries to squeeze more information out of Halborn, but Halborn is too preoccupied with Carlyne. However, he does mention something about Carlyne: Carlyne got the jump because he's only 800 miles NW of the Machine city. Merv suggests to Halborn that he get the location of Carlyne's ship from the Machines.

Halborn asks the Machines to give him the location of Carlyne's hovercraft. They say they can't interfere, but they direct him so someone who can assist: Veil (Machines are concerned about Oligarchs finding something out about Cryptos, so they don't mention him).

Cypherite operation to steal information from EPN or Zion.

Veil gives real world coordinates to Halborn, but he finds only the EPN/Zion convoy taking Lock to New Zion. Cyphs come along to make a battle of it and blow Halborn's cover, may bring Machines. Hovercraft battle to determine where Lock ends up:
a) Cyph win (EPN/Zion beaten and Cyphs have more ships left than Machines): Lock is on the run with EPN/Zion survivors somewhere in the tunnels between old and new Zion
b) EPN win (Cyphs/Machs beaten and EPN have more ships left than Zion): EPN takes Lock back to Zion until they can be sure of getting to New Zion safely
c) Mach win (EPN/Zion beaten and Machines have more ships left than Cyphs): Machines capture Lock
d) Zion win (Cyphs/Mach beaten and Zion has more ships than EPN): Lock is taken to New Zion

Carlyne gives a program to a Zionite, confronts Halborn. Carlyne battles Halborn, the Zionite hits Halborn ("with the program"). Halborn drops lifeless to the ground.

Cryptos decides to start work on anti-override code, using his own partially overridden code as a sort of immunization agent.

Meanwhile, the Merovingian has dispatched the General's Sentinels, who, after some adventures, locate a heavily defended facility. They can't penetrate its defenses, but they manage to locate and tap into a network feed cable system they find nearby. The protocols are strange, only partly recognizable as Machine code; by hacking Machine terminals and running a search, he finds that the cable feeds into a massive foreign computer system: the Oligarch network.

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10.2


Cinematic:



Missions/Events/Gameplay:

With Halborn removed from the Matrix, Carlyne has departed as well.

Mauser, secretly overwritten by Wright, appears in the Matrix, which is strange, since he was freeborn. He's spotted here and there, but hops through a hardline whenever he's spotted. Zion, particularly his old crewmate, Colt, attempt to contact him. When they finally do reach him and get him to talk for a moment, he says only that he's working to win the war and make the Matrix safe for mankind.

The Merovingian, with the help of the General's Sentinels tapping into the Oligarch network line, finds Oligarch network traffic going in and out of systems owned by the Ouroboros Corporation.

Mauser steals the data on Carlyne that the Merovingian got from Halborn, and the Ouroboros/Oligarch network feed, before disappearing for good.

The Machines resume operations against Zion. They attempt to track Mauser's signal, finding that it's coming from the vicinity of old Zion. They are on the verge of nailing down its location and locking the signal when the Morpheus simulacrum appears, disrupting their tracking routine. By the time they are able to re-engage it, the signal is nowhere to be found.

After Morpheus' appearance, EPN detects a blip outgoing from the tunnels around old Zion, headed north. Investigating, they find a hidden site scattered with disassembled Sentinel and hovercraft wreckage. A functioning hovercraft terminal holds encrypted data.

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10.3


Cinematic:



Missions/Events/Gameplay:

Cypherites discover that the Merovingian is hacking into Ouroboros systems. Cryptos captures some of the Oligarch data feeding into Ouroboros; he thinks it will be useful in his override protection research. The Cypherites then tip off the Machines to the Merovingian's activity.

EPN, decrypting the data retrieved from the maintenance tunnel, find that it's a copy of the topographic data the Merv stole from the Machines, detailing the area 800 miles NW. They decide to send out their own hovercraft to the area.

The Machines attack the Merovingian, trying to stop his intrusion into Ouroboros' network. They are also working to cut Ouroboros' network link entirely, but are foiled by Oligarch-style override counter-attacks.

Zion finds that Mauser had broken into some computers at Wright Research. They contact Brenda Utley from Pendhurst-Amaranth, who is concerned about these strange goings-on at her mega-corporate rivals. She tells them that Wright Research is attempting to sue P-A for corporate sabotage, because the thief, Mauser, has been linked with Zion, who P-A "employed" in the past during the Unlimit attacks; Wright Research's accusation is that P-A is using Zion mercenaries to steal information they intend to use in a hostile takeover.

Utley, however, knows that Mauser also stole information compromising to Ouroboros. She wants this brought to light, to show that Mauser is a rogue agent, and not even targetting Wright Research primarily. She gives Zion information leading them to a key that will give Zion access to Ouroboros' security records of Mauser's break-in. These are obtained, possibly after some run-ins with Machines and Merovingians, but when Zion, sensing something suspicious at work at Ouroboros, attempts to dig further, they are confronted by Seraph, who asks them not to interfere. Niobe reluctantly does as he asks.

The Merovingian uses the Oligarch data he's accessed to penetrate deeper into Ouroboros' systems. He is hard-pressed by opposition from Ouroboros' security forces, the Machines, and even Zion. The Machines are on the verge of eliminating his progress when Seraph appears and stops the Machines, allowing the Merovingian to locate and obtain what he'd hardly hoped to find: the biological interface program.

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11.1


Cinematic:



Missions/Events/Gameplay:

The Merovingian, with Silver's help, begins to investigate the biological interface program. With help from Silver, he finds that its code interfaces perfectly with human broadcast signals.

EPN locates an Oligarch network line in what they think is the vicinity of Carlyne's facility, which they were not able to find. They start analyzing the network feed. There are signs of increased Sentinel activity just outside the no-fly zone. The Kid leads a group of hovercraft to the zone to reinforce the exploration team.

The Cypherites and Machines are trying to deal with the Ouroboros corporation. Ouroboros electronic devices across the city have suddenly begun malfunctioning en masse. After escalating to armed operations against Ouroboros security and facilities, it is found that the power plant in Ouroboros' skyscraper headquarters is out of control and headed toward meltdown. This is narrowly averted, and the Machines shut the company down for inspection. What caused the plant to go out of control is unclear: was it accident, or sabotage? [This was Carlyne.]

Brenda Utley tells Zion that their expose of Mauser has brought Wright Research's lawsuit against Pendhurst-Amaranth to a halt, but adds that her own concern about Wright Research has increased; there have been scattered reports of internal files going missing, and experimental network equipment disappearing. Investigating, they find a shape-shifting Wright Research employee: a program. The program is terminated, but questions remain. [Program used by Wright to gather information she needed while she was out of the Matrix--once she heard the Merv had the BIP, she had it start working to locate it, and to set up a facility for studying it.]

Carlyne abruptly reappears, and confronts the Merovingian, demanding the return of the biological interface program. Suddenly, he spasms in pain, and collapses. A wireframed female appears. She blasts the Merovingian's programs, adding that she ought to thank Silver for his information on the Merv's systems. By this time it should be fairly clear that this is Danielle Wright. She begins to extract the biological interface program from the Merovingian's computer. The Merovingian flushes the program before fleeing.

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11.2


Cinematic:



Missions/Events/Gameplay:

The biological interface program has been dumped into the wide network of the Matrix simulation. All parties are trying to isolate and recapture it: Wright in order to foil the Oligarchs and leave herself in power, the Merovingian out of greed, EPN/Zion to keep it out of the hands of others, the Machines to stabilize the simulation, and to have a bargaining chip against the Oligarchs, and the Cypherites to stop the madness gripping their dream world.

Much of this madness can be found in the form of Danielle Wright, who, with Oligarch-style override codes, is gleefully terminating Machine programs throughout the simulation, as she pursues whispers of the biological interface program. She's fleshed out the Oligarch arsenal with a few innovations of her own: routines like Implode (aka meatwad) that work on human targets as well as on Machines.

The Machines have their hands full trying to deal with her and protect themselves. The Cypherites, thanks to Cryptos' research, manage to compile a few prototype versions of their override immunity codes, and have some success in using these to protect against Wright's programs.

EPN is using data obtained from their Oligarch line tap, and possibly from captured Ouroboros data, to begin mapping the Oligarch network in the Real. Not too far away, the Merovingian sends his detachment of Sentinels back to Carlyne's facility. This time, they are attacked and pursued by advanced fighter craft. EPN are also attacked, and the Kid's ship is shot down, after managing to cripple one of the enemy fighters. A few other ships are lost, and most of the remaining EPN evacuate, taking the badly injured Kid with them.

Retreating toward Machine city, the Merovingian ships come across a hovercraft of a similarly advanced design; inside, they find an inert android body, and disassembled computer systems. They take the android body with them as they go into the tunnels under the Machine city to elude the Oligarch fighter craft.

[Wright had followed Carlyne back to his facility. When he sent his consciousness out in an android shell to jack back into the Matrix, she followed, broke into the ship while he was jacked in, and commandeered his network interface.]

The biological interface program's movements through the channels of the simulation gradually become less erratic. Strange text output is found on terminals across the city. This culminates, for the Merovingian, in his own (or the player's, anyway) terminal being overridden, with the words "Wake up" left behind. For Zion, who has received help from the Morpheus simulacrum, their search ends with a terminal displaying the words "Knock, knock" and leaving an open connection.