Answers, at last!

Sat at Mara C,I get a call. Xenin and Mind call me over to the Sai Kung dojo. There's a truce and people are discussing the situation. We're all stood around waiting for an old school photo. That's when the connection drops in.

"Aw, don't you all look pretty!"



Well, i feel like we're getting our backs against the wall for a firing squad.

"Hope you've got your running shoes on. "

As always. How's things at virtual?

"Well, remember that all three organisations got access to the machine mainframe?"

Yeah. Sounds fun.

"It was one hell of a fight. But it was bit strange. Everyone against the oligarchs."

How come?

"The oligarchs had started to kill blue pills. Zion starts hitting the oligarchs in
realitation and the machines are wanting free from their control. Even the Frenchman
responded to this. Can you believe it, he acctually got his hands dirty."

What did he do? Bore them to death or cover them in merde?

"Heh, nope. But to be honest kiddo, we're all up to our necks in it!"

Oh?

"If it had been a co-orindated effort, it might have done some good but the Oligarchs are too good. Nobody could stop them and they got to the source. However, the Kid and Niobe made a discovery. Helian's location in the real."

Aw Cool.

"So the Kid grabbed ghost and headed straight there, They found Helian still plugged in but his brain had siezed up. He was a total vegitable."

Can't think of a nicer person for it to happen to.

"Well, it didn't take much but a couple of quick hacks and they released Trinity back in the Matrix."

But she could only get to virtual.

"Yeah. I know that it's difficult not being able to do anything but bare with me. This was about three weeks ago. Since then, the Oligarchs went crazy. If we thought they were powerful before, that's nothing to what they've done since."

Let me guess, the power loss can only mean one things. They're killing the Blue pills in their pods.

"By the thousand, the oligarchs have almost total control of the source and we're having trouble dealing with it. That's why things are getting so bad. "

And when the power falls away, then that might means Smith could get back in as well.

"Always a possibility."

But if the power is going, that shouldn't lead to the breakdowns I've seen.

"Well, that's because the Bluepills are more than just batteries."

Hang on a second, you've always said that is all we were to the machines.

"No, I just didn't tell the whole truth because I wasn't allowed to. After the Trainman, I've discovered a little bit more freedom than I used to have."

Great, more secrets.

"One of the reasons, I'm closer to humans than machines is because of you're minds. It was my whole purpose to try and logically understand the human mind and it's wetware, the brain."

Good Luck, I've got one and I don't understand it.

"The mind and the human brain is still one of the most powerful computers on the planet. Did you know that the number neutal connections between brain cells can be greater than the number of atoms within Machine city?"

Surly not?

"But the brain only uses 9% of it's potential."

So the Machines use the remaining 91% for their own use?

"Heck no, any bluepill would burn out so quick it wouldn't be worth it. But you have
millions of bluepills, each having 1% taken to help the machine maintain the matrix, well you have the most power coputational devices since god said let there be light."

Ha ha ha!

"What's so funny."

You love us for our minds not our bodies!

"In most machines case, it's both. But here's the catch. We're loosing bluepills at such a rate, soon the system will collapse. To much strain will be put on the minds of the remaining bluepills."

It an exponential curve.

"Exactly, my latest predictions will have the system crash in five days unless some kind of miracle happens."

Billions of people all wiped out. An entire civilisation destroyed.

"Getting rid of the Machines has always been Zion's goal."

I never delt with the machines during the first war, so I don't have the same hated as some of the older operatives. I don't think anybody has the right to commit genocide.

Suddenly, there is a large crack. and suddenly the dojo is full of tactical squaddies and their orders are kill any redpill. It was a trap and we walked right into it.

Gotta Go.

"Get over to Hampton Green. There's someone there you should talk to."

The bullets start flying, as do my feet. It feels I've got every nut job with a gun after me at the moment. I manage to reach the hardline and jump. I check the watch and start a countdown.