"Sit Down Kiddo, I got a story to tell"

I'm sat at Burly Park, watching the snow come down and cover the jack o lantern. Well, it doesn't really. the Snow in the Matrix never settles. It just disappears when it hits the ground. But the voice is not leaving me alone.

"Things have changed." comes the voice.

Really, I never would have guessed!

"There's no Need to be Sarcastic. It is the lowest form of wit you know?"

Sorry, But aren't you supposed to be dead?

"Well, there's more to deletion in Matrix. Just asking Trinity."

Ain't that the truth.

"Well, what do you know so far?"

About What?

"about how the the Matrix works?"

Well, I know it's a Computer Simulation of 1999, which uses some clever algorithms to fool you that 1999 is always the present. The older you get the the earlier you're birthday is. There are three versions, which I can access, each slightly different but I prefer to run through the syntax version. Apart from that, well, I know things from my experience, the goths, the crusties being from previous versions, the Frenchman, the Architect and the one. You want more?

"No Kiddo, you know the basics. But here's the Biggie, there's another version of the Matrix that only a few people can access. It's called 'Virtual'."

So that's where every one's gone? Niobie, Ghost, the kid?

"Got it in one, you're a little bit quicker than other's aren't you?"

Now who's being sarcastic.

"Heh, one all. "

But let me guess, what's happening in Virtual is affecting the other instances?

"Of course, All Four are connected. How do you think that the One could reboot the whole system? There wasn't a 'One' for each instance."

So you die in one instance, you died in all?

"Well, Yes but like I said..."

There's more to deletion...

"Exactly."

OK, so that's been happening in Virtual?

"What was the last thing that you remember happening here?"

Well, that was six months ago. A couple of new Oligraphs turned up ...

"Helian and Tesarova"

and Ghost discovered that BIP was Trinity's mind but without her body.

"Ah yes. Well. The problem with the Oligraphs is that the machines are programmed to like them."

Machine's liking humans?

"Hey Kiddo, I like you and I'm a machine. Not that I want us to start picking out curtain patterns."

OK, Two - One?

"Heh! The Oligraphs betrayed the human race and helped the machines in the original war. They had access to the source and wrote in, 'you must obey us/like us' routines. Most Machines have no choice, all the other's know that there's no choice and don't like it."

Puppets that can see the strings?

"Nice, steal that one?"

Of Course.

"Anyway, The architect put in place a scheme. The other instances were put on a holding pattern and the war has effectively moved to 'Virtual'. This is where we've been dealing with the Oligraphs."

Or trying to. With the effects here, I take it you're not doing well. That where all the agents went to as well?

"The power drain is enormous, huge amount of resources are being diverted and as you can see the effects."

OK, Is there anything I can do to help?

"Sorry, but nobody else can get into Virtual but if you're about tomorrow, I'll bring you up to date."

Count on it. It would be nice to have some answers, same time?

But there's no reply. It would explain much but I'm going to run a few archive missions. Everything seems out of our hands now, and that's the frustrating thing. It looks like we're all puppets who can see the strings.