Like so many things, the rumors started out at the water front and seeped into the city's code like a slow fog. There is no saying when idle dreaming had coalesced into actual plans, but in the twilight of Uriah it was plain for all the world to see.
The word Knights had been emblazoned in white paint on the side of a crane cab towering over the docks. Some overzealous warrior had climbed the girders in defiant victory, and even as the last of the flies relinquished their death grip on the heavens, this private name for a dream was unfurled in clumsy paint. Topped with the symbol of a Wonderland crown, the word glowed luminously in the setting sun. The long shadow of the tower rippled over the water and fell heavy on the rotting barge adrift in the middle of the aqueduct. The redpills had all come together to fight for once in their lives… the Assassin had fallen… a dream had been named… Knights...
The graffiti spread quickly in the following days; south to Mjolnir, west to Tabor, north to Chelesa. The enigmatic name scrawled out everywhere in sprawling stylized lettering. The Exiles were long accustomed to subtle changes in the city and no sooner was the graffiti noticed then information on Knights began to spiral through the rumor networks. All information eventually makes its way to Stratford Campus and into the hands of the indelible Mr. Black. Slowly a story emerged before his eyes.
The rumors were all over the place at first: Knights was a new exile gang. Knights was another name for the Commandos. It was someone's little joke. It was a secret Kalt project. It was a new redpill organization. It didn't really exist. It did exist, but only in the real… Finally, a recording of a woman's voice made its way to him. The recording was short but it told him what he needed to know. "I have a vision of Knights to guard this fair city. I have a dream of peace," said her voice from the data disk. The rumors converged at several points after that and it became clear that Knights was a united effort between the three organizations to extend the truce into a peace. Who was involved, and how they planned to go about this remained a mystery.
Snippets from a pilfered document appeared. Most of the letter was missing, and the content was a month out of date, but the thoughts behind it were crystal clear:
"The goal of Knights is to have a strong neutral presence in the Matrix with the intent of moving events in the direction of peace. Neutral does not mean passive, and it is expected that Knights will have a robust presence around the city and in the realm of politics. As a whole, Knights will not favor any organization or faction over another unless there is a clear benefit in doing so. We will lead by deeds and by example, setting aside our differences to work for common goals. While our goals have not been strictly defined yet, of concern are the Assassin, the Masked, The General, and the continued stability of the system as a whole."
This plan had obviously been in the works for a while, but where was the link to the present? Curious to find out, Mr. Black released all he knew back into the network with the hope of more valuable information weaving its way into his grasp.
Nothing stays secret for long in the Matrix. The Kings Men quickly brought word of an unusual ceremony held late one night in the First Unified Church. The doors were closed to the public, but quite a few notable faces could be seen entering and exiting the church. When all was said and done, three new factions emerged from the ceremony, united under the banner of Knights.
TheZealot ran his Freelance Restorations at the fringes of Zion acknowledgment. Freejack2600 of Armistice had been a longtime supporter of peace for all, working from within the Exile ranks. And Personanongrata, an irrepressibly jovial Machinist, had chosen the more respectable faction name of Duhb Bas with a slight headshake and a grin. Three very different individuals, three very different factions, but all linked together by the slender hope of a better tomorrow. All of them Knights for the cause of peace.
Within days, redpill drop boxes began receiving little packages wrapped in plain brown paper and stamped with a crown. Someone with some clout was pulling strings to recruit for this endeavor. The data disks in the packages were etched with memories from CheshireCat and in this way she reluctantly stepped into the spotlight to tell the story of Knights. The neutral Cat, the well connected hermit, the playful wanderer. There were more rumors surrounding Cheshire then there were for Knights itself, and the truth when it emerged was often stranger than the lies.
Some said she was an Exile posing as a redpill. Others that she was a redpill bitten by a lycanthrope (or maybe an ailourthrope) and was turning feline because of it. Some still said that she was normal, but had been raised by Exiles, and that she now lived on the surface of the Real World. A few speculated that she was building an army in a secret location. Others said she had stolen a ship and was on the run from Zion. One person said she was completely insane and could disappear at will. All that was really know, except to those around her, was that she had been in the Matrix far longer than most and was well respected as a neutral element. She was the quintessential ghost in the machine.
As the disks unfurled their tales in ones and zeros, the path forward is revealed by a journey into the past…
((This is part 1 of 3 introducing Knights to Mega City. The other parts will be posted throughout the day, finishing with a party at 8 p.m. est. ::Grins:: Hope you enjoy! ))
