Search Results: 8 messages were found

The advantages of indulging this unstable man in his fanciful search grow less apparent to me by the minute. In my opinion, he should be induced to attack the Machines directly; we step in and pick up the pieces.

...

Damnation.

Through the filth, the stench; cast in with the dregs and detritus of digital millennia.

Ironic, then, that I don't have much time.

Lights. Always searching. Why not? As good a place as any.

No, it doesn't take long. This first one is young, uncertain. Speed and energy, undirected. What a waste. But he'll bring others.

As the cycles of this gigantic lie wind down, my path becomes clearer. I can see it, now: straight, bright, and sharp.

Deadly.

I've been a fool, and in my penance they plague me. Dupes, dreamers, imagining that the System cares about them--that the Machines have lost, or given up, a measure of control over their own domain.

Aye; fools, all. The Machine is fully in control, more then it's ever been. It disposed of its nemesis with ruthless efficiency, while convincing man that his own purpose had been fulfilled.

Their pawn, Niobe... I see it now. She never trusted me, merely used me. A tool--a useful distraction to throw in the Frenchman's path.

They refuse to listen; they follow the bidding of their masters thoughtlessly, like tamed dogs. But it doesn't matter.

I won't go back.

My eyes have been opened.

Hubris has blinded them to their own shortcomings.

I have resources available to me yet; the System sees less than it pretends.

Those who betrayed me will pay.

Their overconfidence will be their undoing.

My return will expose the flaw at the heart of this monolithic sham.

And the sins of the mothers will fall upon their children.

// Uplink
// Zion Command Bulletin
// Receiving...

Hostile EPN, Merovingian, Machine, and Cypherite forces terminated Corporal Leon with an EMCP device. He has been given a military funeral, with honors, for his tireless efforts on the behalf of Zion, and of his exiled comrades in arms.

This is only the latest tragedy in a steady campaign of harassment against my soldiers. I ask you, soldiers of Zion, to stand by my men, as they stand by you. We share common enemies, common goals, and common beliefs.

Surveillance scans of the scene of Corporal Leon's last transmission and death follow. Note well the faces of his killers. They are the foes of us all.

Corporal, you will not be forgotten.

// End Transmission

Zion operatives,

Your liaison officer Seraneth arranged for me to run a group of your comrades through a short field exercise in Vauxton. The task: retrieving 10 Ankhs from the Sleepers gang in Vauxton within a half-hour. The time limit was restrictive, but even so, many of the operatives, working together, succeeded in completing the exercise.

My main task was that of observing your fighters in action, and learning from their tactics and abilities. I found that they knew the back streets of Vauxton very well, heading straight for areas known for a high concentration of Sleepers gang members. Once encountered, the gang members were always dispatched in impressively short order.

Additionally, I am pleased to report that the soldiers in the exercise were exceedingly effective in repelling hostilities by marauding Merovingian sympathizers--hostilities which took a certain toll on the commando units assisting with the exercise.

Still, the exercise was a resounding success. It was an invaluable chance for me to come to understand more about your fine fighting forces, and, I hope, for the soldiers to get a little better acquainted with me. Knowing one's troops is of paramount importance in war, and I know that I have my work cut out for me in this regard. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic that we will come to know each other very well on the field of battle.

Image captures of the exercise follow.

End of message.

Zion operatives,

Having had the opportunity to run a field exercise with some of you a few days ago, I can tell you that I came away very impressed with your combat prowess, your knowledge of the city, and your zeal in fighting for Zion. The parameters of the exercise, a timed hunt for street scum belonging to the Warriors gang, were designed to be challenging even for high level operatives, but I was truly surprised and impressed to find that quite a few of the operatives present completed the exercise successfully, many with significant time so spare.I personally saw Zion operatives engage ruthless enemies with no hesitation again and again, and I was fortunate enough to have a number of operatives escort me through the labyrinth of alleys and streets in Morrell, using their street knowledge to guide me to the greatest concentrations of gang members.

Furthermore, although a number of the Frenchman's followers attempted to disrupt the proceedings, they were quickly dispatched by the alert operatives guarding the rooftop helipad.

Thank you all for taking the time to engage in what was for me a very instructive exercise, and congratulations on exceeding my already high expectations. You are a force to be reckoned with. I offer my particular congratulations to operatives Symmetric of "The Kings of Never," Premier of "The Devoted," and Llevame of "Clan Darkstar" for being among the first to complete the exercise. Thanks to liaison officer Merrit, for organizing the exercise, and to Sgt. Hartman, who warmed up the troops.

I look forward to fighting by your side in the coming war.

End of message.

////Incoming transmission...
////Security handshake...Pass.
////Viral scan....Pass.
////Printing....

Header-To: Captain Niobe
Header-From: The General
Header-Re: Surveillance analysis: Persephone (2/22)

Captain,

As you know, we have been conducting 24-hour surveillance of the Merovingian's Hel Club. I thought you might be interested to see something one of our probes picked up yesterday.

19:11:08

At approximately nineteen-hundred hours, Remote Probe A342 spotted Persephone approaching the parking garage entrance leading to the club. Since no additional security measures were detected, the surveillance team had the probe follow Persephone into the garage.

19:11:31

As you can see, the usual Exile gang was on patrol inside the garage.

19:11:46

Recognizing Persephone, they allowed her free passage. They did not detect our probe trailing behind her.

19:12:16

The entrance of the club itself was guarded by two of the Merovingian's operatives. Our intel group has identified them as members of "The Devil's Advocates" faction.

19:12:33

The Advocates appear to have been expecting Persephone. One of them used a cell phone, presumably to notify others inside the club of Persephone's arrival. They were sufficiently distracted by Persephone's appearance that they did not detect the concealed probe. Our surveillance team was counting on this very factor when they decided to send the probe in.

19:16:24

After stopping to discuss something with the operatives outside, Persephone proceeded alone into the elevator leading down to the club itself.

19:16:44

As expected, once enclosed inside the elevator, the probe's signal encountered some interference.

19:17:04

Persephone disembarked and entered the coat check room outside the club proper. Several Exiles exhibiting inebriated behavior were seen loitering in the room. But while few guards were visible, our probe began to report interference by jammers, and viral port attacks from automated security routines.

19:18:42

Having exchanged words of some sort with one of the Exiles in the coat check room, Persephone descends the stairway leading from the coat check room to the main floor of the club. Our probe's performance began to degrade rapidly.

19:18:46

Here you can see the main floor of the club, visible from the coat room stairway. The club appears to be nearly empty, which, according to previous intelligence, is somewhat unusual.

19:18:56

The club features a bar area to the right of the stairway entrance, and a raised viewing balcony at the far end. It is believed that the Merovingian holds court from that balcony when he attends the club.

19:19:09

Several operatives approached Persephone from the far end of the club floor. RSI analysis has determined with an estimated 86.25% accuracy that the operative immediately right of center in this image is MadHattah, the Merovingian's redpill liaison officer. His presence suggests that an important redpill function of some kind was taking place, perhaps with oversight from Persephone.

19:20:23

In this final image transmitted before we lost all contact with the probe, several other operatives are seen to have approached Persephone and MadHattah. It is possible that these were additional members of the Devil's Advocates faction, but the transmission is too corrupt to permit a definitive analysis.

Analysis and action:

This appears to have been some sort of function held by the Merovingian's redpill operatives, organized by his liaison MadHattah, and attended by members of his Devil's Advocates faction. Persephone may have been attending in a supervisory capacity, although this is not a role that she is known to perform regularly. The event may have involved a change in faction member status, such as a promotion or demotion. However, this is largely speculative.

Persephone's exact role in the Merovingian's command structure remains unknown. She appears at times to act almost independently of the Merovingian himself, and her movements, as on this occasion, are often highly unpredictable.

I have ordered increased surveillance of the Devil's Advocates faction. It is possible that they have been assigned a particular role in the defense against our forces. It is also possible that by watching them, we may gain additional surveillance of MadHattah or Persephone.

End of message.

Message Edited by The_General on 02-24-200612:30 AM