The Elysium Sedition

Pyraci

If when I say I might fade like a sigh if I stayed…

“I hate it out there.”
A woman in a black dress sighed disgustingly as she sipped the last of
her wine and placed her glass on the sterile-white tablecloth. “I can’t do this anymore. He showed me things I never wanted to see. He made me promises and lied to me.” She continued as she leaned back in her chair, glancing at the man in a sharp black suit on the opposite end of the table.

“…then we have a deal?” The man suggested in an idealized, nearly mechanical voice.

“Sure.
The sooner I can really live, the better. He promised me real things,
honestly I think this is more real than anything I’ve seen since I’ve
been out.” She wiped a small bead of wine from her lip and neatly placed her napkin on the table.

He tossed a folder across the table. “Here are your directives and guidelines. I…expect that you will follow them exactly as they are given.”

She leaned over the table arms folded, with an air of sultriness in her voice and in her eyes. “Anything you need me to do.”

“Well good…” The dark-haired man smirked faintly behind his angular glasses. “Our meeting is concluded. That is all, miss…”

She raised a hand towards him, interrupting his sentence. “Don’t… I won’t have that name when I’m done.”

“…as you wish.” The man nodded and the two stood and parted ways.

The
woman left the restaurant, cutting through the steadily-busy crowd of
pedestrians towards the hardline at the corner as the phone began to
ring. “Ugh… I *CENSORED* hate him…” She whispered to herself as
she rolled her eyes and picked up the receiver, placing it to her ear
and vanishing before the next wave of pedestrians came down the street.

(Sorry, guys. Almost forgot to post this here :S)

Pyraci

…you'd minimize my movement anyway…

The woman's eyes opened, gazing at the bound wires on the metal frame of the ceiling. Un-fazed by the groping in her head as the cranial shaft was removed, she left her mind to her newly downloaded directives and began to plan her strategy to fulfill them.

"...are you alright?" The captain of the ship questioned, hanging the spike on a hook behind the chair.

"I'm fine. Just fine…." She answered unflinchingly, then blinked and turned her eyes to him for a moment before rising out of her chair. "I…I just need rest."

"Wait a minute…" He took her hand as she walked away from the operator station towards their quarters. "We read Agents in there, and none of them were hostile?"

"No. They weren't. I want to sleep now." She replied with a cold, withdrawn voice and stared at him for a moment with furrowed eyebrows. The captain let go of her arm and she continued, bolting the door behind her as she entered.

The hours passed. He came to bed and slept beside her and the ship was quiet. She opened her eyes and slowly glanced over at him. She was eager to see if the time was appropriate to let go of the façade of slumber she had been holding this whole time, and move forward with her directives. As he fell silent and the breath of sleep became more pronounced, she eased off of the bunk and made her way quietly out of the room, up to the operating deck.

The dim light left little more than a silhouette of her as she sat in the operator's chair, checking the diagnostic monitors and before her and replying in the irc chat boxes that littered the screens. She worked quickly and constantly glanced over her shoulder, touched with caution and a little paranoid.

"…can't sleep?" The captain called quietly from the other end of the room.

She jumped and adjusted in her seat, eyebrows raised. "Y… uh… yeah. I… I'm sorry. I know I need to sleep, but…"

"Listen, it's alright." The captain replied. "Just come back to bed soon, ok?"

"Yeah…" She turned her head back around to resume typing. "…yeah."

He paused for a moment. Feeling his presence lingering behind her, she kept typing and spoke again. "I just…. I just want to go home and not be cold and isolated here."

"Yes I know, hun. We'll be back in Zion soon enough." He replied, anxious to return, himself.

"Heh…"

"Look, we've got a couple more things to do before we go though. I just need you to sit tight and let me handle this last mission, okay?"

"Okay…" She herself paused briefly and looked down in her lap as he left and she started typing again.

She made one last reply before shutting the monitors down. The words streamed across the screen:

"I'll do whatever I need to. I told you… I just don't want to remember it. ANY of it. I'll be with you soon, sweetie. G'night."

The screen went blank as soon as the message was sent.

Pyraci

…then I must persuade you another way.

The next sunless day came, still in it’s infant hours. The halls of the hovercraft were drenched in silence, save for the metronomic drip of water in the captain’s quarters that reverberated around the room. The woman’s eyes tore open again as she laid on her bunk.

“He’s in. I know he is… I need to talk to him again before I do this.” The words pounded their way through her head, driving her mad.

After about three hours of uneasy, anxious sleep, she rose again and stood in front of the mirror. She’d made her choice, but the consequences of that choice were nearly unbearable.

Waking was a mistake, but what if going back didn’t solve anything?
What if the mission failed? She’d either be killed right away or even worse, taken back to Zion and made a martyr - condemned to hell for trying to make her way back to heaven.
What if they were lying just like the same people that gave her the red pill? What if it was another excuse to get something out of her and kill her when she ascended to the city?

“That doesn’t matter now. If I was being made a fool of again, I don’t deserve to live. Here or in the Matrix.” She thought to herself, booting up the computers as she prepared her operative chair. “I can’t be afraid if I’m going to make this right. I can’t stay here. I can’t.”

She made her way to the operating station and set the system to allow her to hack into the Matrix on her own, with automated operator support. There was at least another three good hours before anyone would wake and start another shift. Ironically enough, the slumber of her crew was what was needed for her own. They would be punished for their sins and she would have been purged of hers, the man with the dreadlocks told her. This was comfort - reassurance.

As the cold, metallic shaft of the cranial jack slid through the intricate copper and steel pattern that inhabited the back of her head where her skull and her spine met. It felt like someone groping her brain when it first happened, but now, it was soothing. To be connected…

She released an uninhibited smile as the warmth of the system caressed her and the jovial echo of reggae music filled her ears. The lyrics about heaven and redemption motivated her as she made her way towards Tabor Park. The man she chatted with earlier took a break from his operations. His eyes scanned the perimeter for a moment until he saw her emerge from the seemingly blurred procession of bluepill traffic. He stood to greet her and the two embraced.

“Seat?” He motioned her towards the spot beside him.

“Yes… I’m still tired, actually. Trouble sleeping.” She returned as they both sat, watching morning the runners pace across the park.

“So, you mentioned going back…” The man draped his arm over the back of the bench, his platinum hair reflecting the sunlight. “Is this our goodbye?”

She nodded slowly turning her gaze towards him. “I... I can't take it anymore. I just can't.”

The man sighed. It's a shame. “A shame that once it's all over, we'll never know each other existed.”

She glanced away, frowning. “You're the only thing I will miss…” and continued after a brief pause. “They can't allow us to see each other once it's done?”

“If we remember one thing, we'll remember the rest. Undeniable logic leads to inevitable heartbreak, I’m afraid.”

“That's what I was afraid of…” She sighed, matching his. “Ugh... I wish it could just be right.”

He leaned forward, his elbows at his knees. “It's odd...I was thinking to myself, the reason we go back is because we enjoy the comfort of the system.”

She nodded in agreement.

“And, I'm no hippie, but whose going to protect the system when we're re-inserted…? It just makes me wonder ... is re-insertion what I really want?”

A barely audible gasp escaped her lips. “...but.”

The gentleman glanced back at her, reclining again. “Well... of course it's what I want ... but it's far too insecure... at least awake I'll be able to know I'm fighting against what tries to bring the Matrix down.”

“...I understand. We won't have any protection until this is over.”

“Trust me ... It's not an easy choice.” He stood and she followed on his cue. They embraced again.

“...I .... I should go.” He said in a reluctant voice as the sky faded into navy blue, welcoming the sunrise.

“... Alright. Just promise me…” She urged before he started to depart. “...promise me you'll come to sleep when it's over. I miss you already.” She reached forward, grabbing his arm out of uncertainty.

“As soon as I do what I have to do, I'll be in blissful ignorance beside you. Even if we don‘t remember each other when it‘s over, I‘m with you.” He assured her. The two gazed at each other for a moment. He reached up, wiping a glistening, newly-emerged tear from her cheek and kissed her. “Now we do what we have to do…” Her head nodded, now resting in both of his hands as he kissed her again on her forehead. The levy of tears had broken and spilled forth. He withdrew slowly, releasing the caress if his hand on her face, “Goodbye, Opiate.”

Resolving to keep her composure, she replied. “G...goodbye, Terracus.”

In that moment, he was gone. A meeting she hoped would be joyful had ripened, spoiled, and become somber, with new truths realized. However, she was motivated as she intended to be. “It’ll work, regardless of what anyone says.” She assured herself. She always had a problem with acceptance, running from problems when things were too much to handle, and this was one of those times. She had faith, which was uncommon in recent times. At this point she needed to retreat, for there was a difficult transition ahead of her, a crew full of lambs that needed to meet their end. She made her way to the phone both moments later and exited.

**exsuscito**

A nice, simply designed narrative, along with intriguing plot devices. It raises more questions than it answers, which maintains the readers' attention, and leaves them wanting more.

Overall, a fine prelude. You're more than a pretty photoshopped face, Pyraci.

**PBlade**

(( That Terracus is some hot stud, I tells ya... ))

**TonyJaa**

well written SMILEY

ps:make me a sig plz

**Sixerz** · 02/23/2007 18:18:48

yes, great work

**Yasamuu** · 02/24/2007 14:08:55

(( Great work Pyraci, i loved the dialogue especially))

**PBlade**

Yasamuu1 wrote:

(( Great work Pyraci, i loved the dialogue especially))

(( On the spot RP ingame. He can't take all the credit SMILEY

))

Pyraci · 03/05/2007 06:09:13

PBlade wrote:

Yasamuu1 wrote:
(( Great work Pyraci, i loved the dialogue especially))
(( On the spot RP ingame. He can't take all the credit ))

(He's right, the exchange between Opiate and Terracus was on the spot and PBlade has helped this tangled web develop immensely. SMILEY

Glad you all enjoy! Take not of the locations as we'll be seeing them in other media, as I've told Yasamuu.

Suggested listening for this story: Tool - Pushit. Here are links to the song as well as lyrics for those that have trouble finding them:

Part 1
Part 2
Lyrics

This song was also the inspiration for this story. Also, to save you all from having to read five pages worth of this at once, I decided to split the last act up into two parts.)

Roughly eleven hours after Opiate left the simulation, she had returned with the rest of the operatives in her crew, to the riverside neighborhood of Magog. The group stood in a dilapidated apartment across the street from the western hardline.

"Opiate, stay here. We'll meet with the potential and bring her back here."

"Right. I'll be here." She replied from behind her mirror-reflective lenses.

"I know you're tired, but we'll be done soon. Trust me."

"Oh I know we will..."

The captain nodded and moved towards the door, "Lin, Napier, let's get going. This'll make one less poppy in the fields..." He proceeded further then paused. "Wait a minute..."

"What..?" Opiate asked.

He turned slightly, checking his pockets. "My phone..."

"Here, take mine." The woman offered a moment before the others. She extended her hand and he met with his, taking the phone.

"Thanks... Are you sure you'll be alright here without it?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I have an exit here and one across the street in case something happens." She forced a nervous, almost sarcastic smile onto her lips.

"Alright. We won't be long. Let's move." He nodded to the others, all of which followed and Opiate was alone in the room. She walked towards the cracked window overlooking the hardline on the thirteenth floor of the high-rise housing project complex. The plan was in place and all the pieces were set. The temperature in her expression plummeted. This was a time for focus, and she turned towards the barrels of chemical solutions that were stockpiled in a dark corner of the apartment.

The three that left took a long, black car across the river into Stamos and parked in the parking lot behind the south central hardline. Lin looked around for followers as the other two got out of the car and proceeded across the street. A moment after she turned her attention back on the potential's address, another black car pulled up on the other end of the parking lot. The same gentleman that met with Opiate the previous day got out of the car and closed the door. Two identical red convertibles drove by. One a second behind the other.

The three took the elevator to the third floor and approached the apartment the potential belonged to, Room 206. The captain knocked on the door and they waited a few moments with no reply. After they glanced at each other, he knocked again.

"This doesn't make any sense. We just talked with her..." Lin mumbled.

"Unless..." The leader interrupted. "...unless they set us up." He turned the knob and opened the door, only to find a brick wall.

"Dammit!" The captain exclaimed.

Lin and Napier both pulled out submachine guns as one checked a window, only to find another brick wall.

The captain pulled the phone out and dialed the operator. "Dao! Are you catching this?!"

The operator replied. "Yes, sir. They changed it - they changed everything, like just now. Those bastards haven't done anything like this since the war!"

"Is there another exit for us?" The captain returned, repressing his anxiety.

"I'm working on that now, sir... Ok, the elevator is still open. Take it down the second floor and you can make a jump for it."

"Alright. Thanks, Da..."

"Oh, *CENSORED*.." The operator said under his breath.

"What is it, Dao?" The captain asked, now with a greater sense of urgency as they approached the elevator.

"I'm reading two Agents. One just popped up on that floor on the other end of the building. The other one's at the exit."

The captain took a deep breath. "Alright." He signaled the others towards the elevator.

When the elevator door opened on the second floor, Napier spotted an older gentleman as be began to tremble, his clothes turning black.

"Fu*k! An Agent!" He reached for a set of polished knives in the seam of his trench coat. One of them sliced through the air, but hit only the wall, as the elderly man had been assimilated by the program and dodged it effortlessly. "I'll hold him! You two get out of here!" Napier barked at his captain and crewmate as they lunged out of the window, hailing gunfire at the newly-formed Agent in the process.

The program and the operative paused for a moment before the Agent of the machines spoke. "You are not allowed in this area, Mr. Agbayani. You are a terrorist and will be treated as such."

"Blow it out your *CENSORED*!" Yelled the operative as he un-holstered his Clamors and unloaded a fully automatic barrage at the Agent, rippling the wall behind him as he made a run for the window.

As the blur that was the Agent's upper body slowed and came back into focus, he reached for his FM-1500 and returned fire. Napier's agility guided him out of the building, but the Agent's bullet pierced his shoulder in the process. Though injured, he caught up to his captain and crewmate, and the three ran down the alleyway towards the hardline. At the end of the alley the same Agent turned and shot at them from around the corner, chipping the brick walls mere inches from their heads.

"There's a safe area near here. Split up and we'll meet there in a few minutes!" Yelled the captain as they made it to the other side of the alleyway and ran their separate ways.

Back in Magog, Opiate casually walked out of the high-rise complex and made her way across the street, towards the hardline. The seconds later, the floor that was occupied by the operatives about thirty minutes prior exploded, sending glass and shrapnel in every direction. She casually continued, unflinching as the bang rung out across the city block. The moment The Fire Department arrived, she hid herself within the band of on-looking pedestrians.

After scanning for other reds in the area, she made her way towards the hardline, which had begun to ring. With everyone's attention to the fire, she left the Matrix one last time. Half of the job was done. Now on to finish things...

Pyraci

Shards of wood flew into the hall as Napier kicked the door open in an old, dilapidated electronics repair shop. The three operatives turned and ran down the stairs, over obsolete and discarded televisions, radios, and other equipment.

The captain glanced at the other two and spoke. "You two alright?"

They nodded - Napier holding the wound on his shoulder.

He proceeded to pull his cell phone out and dialed the operator.

Back aboard the ship, Dao was attempting to hack into the hardline that was in the same room as the rest of the crew. As his eyes were fixed on the monitors, a figure moved forward in the background, a part of it glistened and reflected the light from the monitors. Once the figure reached the station, the light revealed the shiny object as a scalpel. In an instant, the blade made it's way across the free-born man's throat and spilled forth blood across the monitors, which coursed the screen along with the code of the Matrix. He struggled for about 5 seconds and surrendered, slumping over in his chair. Opiate wiped her arms and hands and picked up the headset that had fallen to the floor, making her way towards Lin's station. As the captain's call came in, she answered with a disturbingly playful and flirtatiously whispering tone. "Operator..."

"Opiate?! When did you get out? What the hell happened to Dao?!" He barked frantically as his mind stirred to make sense of what was going on.

"Oh... well he's indisposed at the moment, but I think it's time for us to go to sleep...in one way or another."

"WHAT THE F..." The captain looked around at his crewmembers, his eyes widened. "What did you do to him? The f*cking Machines put you up to this didn't they? You sold us out!"

"DON'T YELL AT ME!!!" She returned, showing signs of instability. "You tricked me. You showed me a place that I didn't want to see, and I never want to see this place again."

The captain slumped against an old television, the dust billowed around him as Lin and Napier look on in terror. "You made the choice, Opiate. You asked for the truth and I gave it to you."

"The only f*cking truth here is that right now, I'm going to pull the plug out of Lin's head and you get to watch her die."

Lin's eyes were stained red from tears as she looked at her captain. "No..." Her words were choked as she fell limp and the life left her body.

"I didn't like that *CENSORED* anyway..." Opiate mumbled as she dropped Lin's cranial spike on the floor and walked over to Napier's station. "...and Napier didn't trust me. Hell, nobody in Zion ever did. You bastards all thought I was too unstable. Heh... but you were always too busy to notice what was really going on, weren't you Captain?" She rubbed Napier's forehead, pulling the hair away from his face.

The man shook his head. "Why, goddamnit?! WHY?!"

Napier held his head in his hands for a moment and stood upright with a grimace on his face. "You tell that *CENSORED* if she's gonna do it, to cut the poppycock and just do it. I'll see her in hell." A moment later, he fell dead beside Lin.

Opiate ran over to the captain's chair and sat in his lap, facing him as he slept. "Well, well... looks like I only have one more plug to pull." She smirked and folded her arms over his chest. "Now, any last words? Any pleas for your miserable life? Yes? No?"

"Why, Opiate? Why?" The captain asked again as he sobbed, his breakdown apparent.

"Why?" She mocked. "Because we did this to ourselves. We destroyed this ‘real' world. The Machines did us a favor by putting us there. I gave them what they wanted. They're giving me what I want - A normal life like I had before all this bullsh*t. You brought me here to this place. You hurt me and I'm done with you. You pushed and shoved me to this point, and now it's time to send you to hell so I can go back to heaven"

"Heh, even if you kill me, remember that you'll never make it. The Machines don't give a *CENSORED* about you other than what you can do for them"

"Well you remember something... just remember that I'll always love you, even as I tear this f*cking plug away." She hopped off of him and walked over to the side. "But this will end..." The spike was pulled and he fell with the others. "...no other way." Approximately three minutes later, the hovercraft exploded, shooting blue and yellow flames into the air.

Pyraci

Pyraci

"For certain is death for the born
And certain is birth for the dead;
Therefore over the inevitable
Thou shouldst not grieve."

- Bhagavad Gita (250 BC - 250 AD), Chapter 2

Welcome...

**exsuscito**

The story is coming along, and the images are beyond words once again. Thank Deus ex Machina for Pyraci.

Pyraci

(Thank you! SMILEY

Much of this stuff was conceptuallized and written months ago. Just finding the time to post it all. It's great to see people following though! Please, stay tuned and ask questions. There's much to learn about this.)