1 The Agents' Conundrum

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now."

"I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change."

"I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin."

I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you. A world without rules and controls, without borders or boundaries. A world where anything is possible. Where we go from there, is a choice I leave to you…."

Click! Neo walked out of the telephone booth onto the asphalt.

He looked around, taking in the fast-paced world simulated in the Matrix. However, all he saw was code. He saw the Matrix for what it was.

Neo crouched; his swooping black trenchcoat fluttered up, and the solid pavement rippled. Boom! He took off into the air. He soared into the sky like a human rocket.

Onlookers were shocked; some of them gained Matrix consciousness immediately. However, the cops were nearby and took swift action. The area was cordoned off. They could not let any vital programs be infected.

Agent Jones walked to the location and stared at the pavement, which had returned to normal.

Agent Brown joined him. "Any word of Smith?"

Jones shook his head and fixed his tie. "He is nowhere."

"Does that mean that Anderson can destroy us, guardians?"

"Seems like it."

"This way, he's going to take us all out. How does he do it?"

Jones furrowed his brow. "If I had to assume, perhaps he has a bit of the source code in him. It allows him to manipulate the Matrix's terrain freely."

"That's uncanny. He poses a great threat, then. What do we do now?"

"What can we do? We lie low. Do our job and pray we don't run into him."

Brown was not convinced. "We exist to perform our vital function in the matrix, and if we fail, you know what will happen."

Jones nodded. "We'll be deleted. That's right. We'll find a way to eliminate Anderson."

"Let's head back to the headquarters and keep an eye out for Smith."

"Will do."

["This is Officer Colt. Come in, Agent Jones!!"]

"What is it?" Jones took a finger to his ear and spoke into his radio.

["Help- this guy- crazy-"]

"I can't hear you, officer!"

["Sir- this guy- came to the armory- and stole all the weapons!"]

"What!" Jones exclaimed. "Why didn't you shoot him, officer?"

["We tried, sir! We emptied- our guns at him. But he- stopped the bullets- in mid-air. Then- he went- crazy- most of the regiment is dead, sir! This is some serious- voodoo!"]

Jones turned to Agent Brown. "Do you think…?"

"The aberrant Anderson? No, a pawn reported he is still in the sky in the south quadrant."

"Then who is this guy? Stopping bullets? Is there another aberrant?"

Brown had no answer. Jones returned to his radio. "What does he look like, officer?"

["He's young- male- early twenties."]

"Does he identify himself?"

[ Oh no- he's- back!"]

"What is his name?"

"He calls- himself… Cyberpunk…-"

Jones heard a volley of gunfire. The officer was dead.

"What do we do?" he asked Brown, taking off his earpiece. "Shall we transmit to that location?"

"No. Too dangerous. Things are about to fall apart. We can overlook Anderson for now. He is not intent on destroying the Matrix overnight. We need information about this new aberrant, Cyberpunk."

Jones nodded. "There's one guy who knows every major event and owes us a few favors."

"Who is it?"

"The Merovingian."