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Fragmentation 0.7 - KSJ
Plot: How does one measure freedom? Are our choices truly our own, or are they part of a preset design outside of our control? We all have a question burning inside of us, though few speak it out. It is the question that drives us forward, seeking purpose in our lives. What is The Matrix?
Rating: NC-17 // NSFW
Genre: Series | The Matrix!AU | angst | sci-fi | action | drama
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: Strong language, allusions to suicide, extreme angst, graphic violence
Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 2,096
AN: On to Seokjin’s origin story of how he left The Matrix. I actually took inspiration from the animated short, Beyond, from The Animatrix. I always found it super fascinating that certain parts of The Matrix, much like a computer, experiences “glitches” from time to time. Especially in the earlier incarnations of it. All information in the universe can be found on the official Matrix Wiki so please use that as a reference guide if you ever get confused!
Tag List: @aroseforyoongi, @prisczero, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @unoriginal-username15432
© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
Seokjin tossed the apple in his hand lazily, lagging behind his friends as they chattered on about some “cool thing” they found. He didn’t understand why they were so adamant in dragging him out there, but it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. Martin called and told him he didn’t need to come in for his shift today if he was fine with trading with him for that Sunday. As a teenage senior, he didn’t have much to really worry about as far as money. His parents were loaded. The only reason he had a job in the first place was his father wanted to teach him the “fundamental building blocks of living in society” and how to acclimate to said societal norms.
The truth? Seokjin was lazy at times and didn’t much care for responsibility on that level. With a successful chain of restaurants, stocks and bonds piling up in the bank, Seokjin didn’t have a care in the world. He could flit around and do as he pleased. The caveat? He had to maintain his grade point average and have a part-time job. If he couldn’t balance both his schoolwork and his actual job, then he didn’t deserve to inherit everything his father managed to build in his lifetime.
Easy money. Too easy. One day off on a said day when he didn’t feel like working, replacing said workday with a Sunday? The choice was obvious.
“Yo, Jin,” called Abbey, causing his mind to focus back on the current conversation he hadn’t been listening to in the first place, “it’s this way.”
He watched as Abbey, James and Elena motioned for him to follow through a narrow alleyway. The sun was bright and he couldn’t help but wonder why they were even doing this in the middle of the day. When it came to those three, they were always trying to get into some kind of mischief. Seokjin didn’t really think too much of it. Even if he got in trouble, he knew his mother would find a way to get him out of it.
What slivers of light existed quickly vanished within the dark shadows of the alley. They couldn’t enter in pairs - all trailing behind the other like little worker ants. Seokjin crunched into his apple, the sound bouncing off the walls of the small enclosure. They continued to chatter amongst each other, but Seokjin followed behind silently. He hadn’t been asked anything worth responding to and nothing of interest forced him to comment on it.
They were used to his lackluster attitude though.
As they breached the other side of the alley, he squinted from the sudden flood of light nearly blinding him. Abbey’s high-pitched giggle caught his interest. He shielded his face with his forearm, catching the image of James and Elena jumping into the air just in time. He didn’t quite understand what was so amusing…
...until he looked up and saw that Abbey was floating in the air.
“Whoa,” Seokjin murmured just as James did a somersault in the air - his motions slowed as if he were suspended in zero gravity, “what the hell?”
Elena laughed, her hair fanning out in the air as she hung upside down. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Seokjin nodded slowly, almost dropping the apple in his hand. “Yeah…”
“C’mon, Jin!” Abbey waved emphatically to him, spinning to the ground like a dancer from a dream. “You try it out!”
His eyes lingered around, spying all the various things in that section of the abandoned playground; a piece of a seemingly abandoned district. Rocks floated around, bouncing up and down in soft motions as if they were situated on an invisible river. Little bugs that attempted to fly off were slowed by whatever encompassed the space they were currently standing in. Seokjin could count the number of wings and how many times they flapped.
“What is this?” he asked, unsure of what this was and why he was even asking in the first place.
“We don’t know,” James answered with a shrug as he perched on the metal jungle gym, “but we figured it might have something to do with why this district got abandoned.”
He picked up one of the floating rocks, studied it, and then tossed it off to the side. The sound of it hitting the pavement caused him to turn and glance over his shoulder. The rock skittered off behind a barrel, hidden in its shadows where he wouldn’t bother looking. Canting his head slightly, he picked up another one of the floating rocks and threw it into the space where it occupied. For half a second, it zipped in at normal speed before slowing to a halt just inches away from James’ face.
“Hey!” he yelled, but Seokjin continued to look at the other rocks scattered along on the ground, “You could have hit me!”
Seokjin scoffed. “I doubt it.”
He tossed the apple into the air, watching it float along in the space - suspended in the air just outside of his reach.
Suddenly, there was a harsh sound resembling a record scratch that caught his attention. When he turned to face it, he saw that an old soda can seemed to be glitching in and out of focus. Seokjin’s eyes narrowed slowly, his feet moving toward it.
“Jin?” Abbey’s voice sounded concerned. “What is it?”
“You guys didn’t hear that?” He turned away from the can to look at his friends. “You guys didn’t hear that?”
All three of them shook their heads simultaneously. Had he been the only one to see it? To hear it?
But that’s crazy, he thought, his eyes moving back to the can, it was so loud and the fracture across the can is so obvious.
Or was it?
“Jin, you’re scaring us, dude,” chimed Elena, but he couldn’t be bothered with that. Not if they couldn’t see it.
But why could he see?
Like a bolt of lightning, the wails of sirens pierced through their tranquil setting. Flashes of red and blue illuminated their world. Seokjin looked around, his eyes widening as he quickly turned on his heels and scrambled a few steps back. His gaze shifted to the sky and he balked, seeing that it was suddenly dusk. When had it gotten that dark? They couldn’t have been there for more than an hour. Maybe less.
“We gotta go!” yelled Abbey, grabbing onto Seokjin’s wrist and pulling him away from the miniature wonderland.
Their sneakers pounded the pavement, kicking up dirt and scattered newspapers around them. James scrambled up a dumpster and grabbed for the handrailing of a fire escape. The girls followed suit and Seokjin knelt down to give Abbey a boost. Just as he was about to reach for her outstretched hand, flashlight beams all shined on him at once. Seokjin did his best to shield his eyes, backing away from where his friends were. Climbing up was too risky. He had to leave them and go off on his own.
“Look, I’ll catch up with you guys later!” he called up to them, pivoting on his heels and tearing off down the alleyway.
As his world got darker, Seokjin thought the alley was getting smaller and smaller. His breath came in quick intervals and he blinked rapidly against the sweat threatening to seep into his eyes. Just as he was about to reach the edge of the alley, an arm suddenly flung itself out of a window and grabbed him by his shoulders. He tried to scream, but all he could taste was leather as a hand covered his mouth - the rest of his body being dragged into the building through the opening.
Fear clutched at his chest, squeezing it slowly. Darkness flooded his vision, rendering him unable to see as the rushed sound of footsteps thundered passed. When the noise faded away, Seokjin’s heart finally began to ease up. The owner of the hand and arm that dragged him into the building finally stood up, giving him room to finally breathe comfortably.
“That was close,” said the person, her voice distinctly feminine.
Seokjin took a moment to get a good look at her, her dirty blonde hair framing her face while the rest of it was pulled back through the hole in the back of her ball cap. A cheeky grin etched her features. Her shorts were provocatively short, muscled legs covered in thigh high stockings that disappeared into a pair of combat boots. Her upper body showed off her toned midriff, the rest covered in a denim jacket and black tank top. She didn’t look much older than him, from what he could tell.
He frowned. “Who the hell are you?”
“Does it matter?” She scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know anyway, would you?”
Well, she certainly wasn’t wrong. But that didn’t make it any less irritating. It was clear that she knew something that he didn’t and considering the situation he just barely escaped from (barring her help), that was something that didn’t sit well with him. Not by a long shot.
“Why’d you help me?”
If he didn’t know better, he swore he saw her grin get just a little bit bigger.
“You saw it, didn’t you?”
A cold sweat prickled along the back of his neck. Instead of answering, he chose to swallow the lump in his throat. Apparently, that was all the response she needed. Chuckling more to herself than to the information he’d unintentionally given away, she shook her head slightly.
“Well, it’s a good thing I swung by when I did.”
Seokjin’s frown deepened, if possible, and he took a step toward her. “Just what in the hell is going on?”
She unfolded her arms, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She fished around in both until one came out. She held her fist out to him, urging him to come forward. When he did, she lofted a brow, waiting for him to do something else. Not sure what she was wanting, Seokjin held out his palm.
Opening her fist, she dropped a small, silver case into his hand. Curious, he popped open the box and inside were two pills. One blue, the other red. Was she trying to drug him?
Just as he opened his mouth to question her, he saw the girl holding a cell phone up to her ear.
“Stand by for pickup.”
Seokjin had about as much as he could stand. “Hey! What’s the big idea? You tryna kidnap me or some shit?”
The girl frowned, craning her neck slowly to glare at him. “You’re the idiot that doesn’t even realize he’s already trapped.”
He blinked, not sure why hearing that struck a nerve. What did that even mean?
“If you want to know the answer behind that little gravity show you and your friends were messin’ with, take the red pill. You wanna forget about it and go back to your normal boring life, then take the blue pill. Choice is yours, Buttercup.”
Seokjin’s eyes lingered back to the pills. He couldn’t forget what he’d experienced. His friends thought it was just some weird phenomenon and, honestly, if he hadn’t seen the can glitch out, he might have chalked it up to that as well. But too many things didn’t add up. How had the police shown up so quickly and when had time shifted that fast in a space where it only felt like he’d been there for no more than an hour?
Grasping the red pill between his thumb and forefinger, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed. The girl’s grin returned and he watched her hang up the phone and slip it back into her pocket. In the dark and dusty building they were in, the walls inked over in black as flickers of green numbers seemed to explode along the walls. Seokjin’s ears started ringing to the point where they hurt and he clutched at them with both hands, dropping the case and the remaining blue pill. He felt a hand on his shoulder as it squeezed it gently.
“You gotta breathe,” she said, her voice a distant whisper against the roaring sound of his blood rushing through his ears, “just take a deep breath. It’ll be over quick.”
And as he took a breath, everything blurred over in a haze of green, black and gray. Until there was nothing left. It was quiet; peaceful. But somehow he knew that this was only the beginning.
“Welcome to the Real World.”
Fragmentation 0.8
Plot: How does one measure freedom? Are our choices truly our own, or are they part of a preset design outside of our control? We all have a question burning inside of us, though few speak it out. It is the question that drives us forward, seeking purpose in our lives. What is The Matrix?
Rating: NC-17 // NSFW
Genre: Series | The Matrix!AU | angst | sci-fi | action | drama
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: Strong language, allusions to suicide, extreme angst, graphic violence
Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 2,138
AN: Like all of my works, there will be OCs working opposite of the boys. In this story, we have three. The first in the Fragmentation series is Mackenzie. Like Yoongi and Hoseok, she is self-substantiated. How she does will be revealed! On to Crow’s origin story for Defragmentation! All information in the universe can be found on the official Matrix Wiki so please use that as a reference guide if you ever get confused!
Tag List: @aroseforyoongi, @prisczero, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @unoriginal-username15432
© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
“Goddammit Mackenzie! I thought I told you to be home by eleven!”
A pair of green eyes glared up at the rotund looking man. His reddish complexion was barely seen from the scraggly beard covering the majority of his face. Sweat soaked through the dingy wife beater he wore, half stuffed into a pair of faded cargo pants. There were a pair of dog tags hanging from his neck - something that always piqued the green-eyed owner’s interest, but never enough to ask about them.
Mackenzie doubted he served anyone but himself, let alone the country.
Instead of answering him, she folded her arms across her chest. Normally this was the time when she escaped into her room, but he was blocking the way. He was always getting in her way.
It was his fault. Life used to be normal. This was as far from normal as a person could get. He was as far from being a real father as a person could get.
“You don’t have anything to say for yourself?”
She rolled her eyes, doing her best to ignore the stink of alcohol on his breath. Mackenzie didn’t understand why he persisted on being like this. It was the same shit on a different day. Part of her wished that he would walk outside and get hit by a bus. But she knew that that was a miracle she would never be granted.
“Answer me!”
“What do you expect when I’m closing?” Mackenzie asked, her tone flat and devoid of all emotion.
Her father’s eyes narrowed at her. She didn’t even flinch. “What did you just say to me?”
“I didn’t stutter,” came her clipped response as she let her arms fall to her side, “now move. I still have homework to do.”
Before she could take a single step, her father was advancing on her. Mackenzie mentally braced herself for what was coming. Her body was used to it, but it was always that dark corner in the back of her mind that suffered the most from all of this. So long as that part was shielded, she could handle everything else that usually followed.
The pain that exploded from the side of her head paled in comparison to the pain of her hip crashing to the floor. Her arms immediately shot up to cover the top of her head as her body curled into a ball. The flurry of kicks that collided into her caused her nerves to scream out in agony. But Mack refused to scream, instead choosing to bite the inside of her mouth. The taste of blood flooded across her tongue and she heard her teeth clacking together when the heel of her father’s boot hit the top of her head.
After what felt like hours, but were actually minutes, her father abandoned her there on the floor. Every square inch of Mack’s body throbbed from the pain. There would be bruises tomorrow. Thankfully he’d missed her face so she could still go to work and school without receiving too many curious gazes. It was none of their goddamn business anyway.
Mack waited until she heard the front door slam before picking herself up off the floor. She roughly rubbed the back of her wrist across the corner of her mouth, eyeing the blood smear and rolling her eyes. She couldn’t help but wonder if the old man would notice if she spit on the floor just to spite him. Would he even care?
Grunting, she made her way into her bedroom, locking the door after shutting it behind her. Her father would most likely be out getting drunk for the rest of the night. It meant she had the whole house to herself until he came stumbling back in at four in the morning. Mack just hoped that she’d be able to get all of her school assignments finished and have enough time to surf the internet. Something told her that she was getting closer to finding what she was looking for.
Or, rather, who she was looking for.
Speeding through her homework, Mack pulled up several browser windows once she was securely connected to the internet. Her eyes darted across the screen, her fingers flying over the keys - pausing only long enough to use her mouse to click on a few links that spiraled her into another location. Mack reached out to everyone that might have a lead and she got just a little bit closer than she did the day before.
After another hour, she was starting to get frustrated. Everything was forcing her into a dead end. Just when she thought she had a lead, it only caused her to go on a wild goose chase on the wide web. Mack roughly scratched at her head, attempting to tamp down on her slowly mounting anger.
“Dammit!” She slammed her fists on her desk, rattling everything on it. “Why can’t anyone just give me a straight fucking answer?!”
Burying her face in her hands, Mack did her best to suppress a sob that she didn’t even realize was building up in the back of her throat. She was tired, in pain, and a little hungry. But most of all, she was starting to lose hope. And that was starting to hurt her more than she would care to admit aloud.
“Fuck it,” she muttered, standing up from her chair, “I’ll pick this up in the morning.”
Just as Mack turned away from her desk, the ping from her instant messenger sounded from the laptop. Pausing, she craned her neck to look at the screen. The username consisted of a series of random numbers. But what made her heart nearly drop to her stomach was what the person said.
You’ll never find Michael because you don’t know The Truth.
Mack ran back to her desk, her fingers gliding over the keyboard. She could barely hear herself typing from how loudly her heart was beating inside of her eardrums. It was the first time someone responded to her inquiries with something credible. It was the first time she could actually believe what she was seeing.
Because it was the first time someone actually mentioned her brother by name.
Who are you? How do you know that name?
The cursor on her screen blinked steadily. Mack wasn’t sure how much more she could take because she was almost positive that this was the clue she’d been searching for after all this time. It was a solid lead just because someone was able to give her a name. If they knew her brother’s name, that meant that they also had a good idea of where he was. She couldn’t afford to let this person slip from her grasp.
Who I am doesn’t matter.
How I know doesn’t matter.
What matters is...
What are you willing to do to know The Truth?
She stared at the computer dumbfounded. Was this another trick? Was this person just jerking her chain, trying to lead her into a false sense of security before sucker punching her in the face like everyone else? It would be the most logical explanation. It was the only thing that actually made sense.
Mack didn’t know why, but she felt like that wasn’t the case. Not with this person. Were they trying to lead her onto the right path after having been on the wrong one for so long?
Narrowing her eyes, she began typing again.
Anything.
The air was cold and frigid. Mack rubbed her hands together, her breath coming out in small white clouds. She peered through the metal fence as people continued to file through the city. She was isolated from the rest, sitting on a park bench and waiting. She looked at her watch, making a mental note of the time. She had five minutes left to wait.
Five minutes until she would know whether this was real or a hoax.
The sound of gravel crunching underfoot quickly brought her out of her thoughts. Mack stood up immediately, facing the direction of the noise. All she could see were the trees cloaked in shadows cast from the street lights. She couldn’t see anyone, but the crunching noise wouldn’t stop. There was a large lump forming in Mack’s throat and she couldn’t help wondering if she’d fallen into a trap.
Seconds after thinking that, a young woman dressed in gray and black appeared. She wore a long black coat with a hood just barely covering her head of thick curls. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The rest of her outfit was some sort of gray jumpsuit that almost seemed to shimmer when it hit the light just right. The legs of the suit were stuffed into a pair of shin high combat boots - the heels continuously crunching into the gravel; releasing an eerie sound.
Mack puffed out another breath of cloudy air just as the woman stopped three feet from her.
“Y-You’re early,” she managed to stammer out.
The other woman smirked, her auburn curls accentuating her mocha skin even in shadow. “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. You’re late, Mack.” She reached up with a gloved hand to remove the sunglasses from her face, revealing a set of dark hazel eyes. “Or should I say, Crow?”
Mack took a step back, her lips parting slightly as the woman referred to her as both her name and her alias. Her heart hammered against her ribs, causing her lungs to tighten up inside. What in the world was happening? Just how much did this woman know?
Not wanting to look like some punk, she shook her head and straightened her stance. “You have information I want and yet I don’t know anything about you.”
The woman continued to smile. “I already told you that who I am doesn’t matter. It never will matter.” She shrugged. “Not until you know The Truth.”
“What the hell is this truth you keep talking about?” Mack could feel her anger starting to grow. “What does it even mean?”
She watched the other woman reaching into her pocket to pull out a cell phone. She punched a few numbers and then pressed it up to her ear. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a whole lot of time for me to explain. You’re going to have to see it for yourself.”
Mack bit her lower lip, her eyes narrowing as she watched the woman reaching into her other pocket with her free hand. Half a second later, her heart froze as the woman trained the business end of a semi-automatic pistol at her.
“Whoa,” Mack said, raising her hands up slowly, “what in the fuck are you doing, lady?”
“You have a choice to make, Crow, and you don’t have a whole lot of time to make it, so I’ll be quick.”
Panic began to settle around Mack’s chest. “What do you mean I don’t have a lot of time?!”
“Agents are coming. They’re coming for you because you’re sloppy and desperate, which, sadly, is making me sloppy and desperate.”
When the hammer clicked back on the gun, tears sprung up in Mack’s eyes. “Please, don’t do this.”
“Shut-up,” snapped the woman, the smile now completely gone from her face, “I already told you we don’t have a lot of time. You have two choices. You let the Agents take you or I force you out of the bubble you’ve unknowingly been put in. I’m giving you five seconds starting now. Five.”
She took another step back, but the woman advanced on her. Mack didn’t know what any of it meant. What did she mean by “agents” and why did it seem like this woman was trying to help her, despite the situation looking crazy to everyone else?
“Four.”
Her heart shook in her chest, causing her to reach up and clutch at the front of her jacket. Mack didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die without knowing the answers.
“Three.”
She still didn’t know where her brother was. She still didn’t know what The Truth was and what it had to do with her brother.
“Two.”
She wanted to live!
Mack ran up to the woman, wrestling the gun from her grasp. The woman took a step back, but the smile returned to her face. Mack pressed the barrel of the gun up to her temple as tears streamed down her cheeks. Multiple footsteps seemed to thunder through the gravel, but Mack could only see the single snowflake that began to fall from the night sky. The world disappeared into lines of green numbers before returning to normal.
She smiled.
“One.”
After the gunshot ripped through the night, Mack’s world darkened immediately. But she...she felt free, somehow.
“Welcome to the Real World.”
Fragmentation 0.8
Plot: How does one measure freedom? Are our choices truly our own, or are they part of a preset design outside of our control? We all have a question burning inside of us, though few speak it out. It is the question that drives us forward, seeking purpose in our lives. What is The Matrix?
Rating: NC-17 // NSFW
Genre: Series | The Matrix!AU | angst | sci-fi | action | drama
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: Strong language, allusions to suicide, extreme angst, graphic violence
Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 2,138
AN: Like all of my works, there will be OCs working opposite of the boys. In this story, we have three. The first in the Fragmentation series is Mackenzie. Like Yoongi and Hoseok, she is self-substantiated. How she does will be revealed! On to Crow’s origin story for Defragmentation! All information in the universe can be found on the official Matrix Wiki so please use that as a reference guide if you ever get confused!
Tag List: @aroseforyoongi, @prisczero, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @unoriginal-username15432
© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
Keep reading
Fragmentation 0.9
Plot: How does one measure freedom? Are our choices truly our own, or are they part of a preset design outside of our control? We all have a question burning inside of us, though few speak it out. It is the question that drives us forward, seeking purpose in our lives. What is The Matrix?
Rating: NC-17 // NSFW
Genre: Series | The Matrix!AU | angst | sci-fi | action | drama
Pairing: N/A
Warnings: Strong language, allusions to suicide, extreme angst, graphic violence
Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]
Word Count: 2,138
AN: Like all of my works, there will be OCs working opposite of the boys. In this story, we have three. Next in the Fragmentation series is Sabine. As you may recall, she is Hoseok’s childhood friend and the one who convinced him to leave The Matrix with her. This is her tale on how she became the captain of their ship. On to Animus’s origin story for Defragmentation! All information in the universe can be found on the official Matrix Wiki so please use that as a reference guide if you ever get confused!
Tag List: @aroseforyoongi, @prisczero, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @unoriginal-username15432, @taegiq,
© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.
Taking a deep, slow breath, Sabine peered out over the cityscape. The number of buildings she could see were seemingly endless. A soft wind tickled her face as her dark auburn curls flew back - the air whipping past her ears in a way that made it almost impossible to hear. Ambient noise from below seemed to pulse from the ground, rising to meet her as the sun began its slow descent beneath the clouds. Everything was cloaked in smatterings of gold, orange, pink and purple, signifying that the end of the day was drawing near. The twilight hour.
It was her favorite time of the day.
A soft smirk pulled at the corners of her lips, her hands stuffed into the over-sized hoodie she was wearing. When the wind finally eased up, Sabine felt her hair settle around her cheeks and shoulders before she turned away. The heels of her boots scraped along the concrete of the rooftop she was currently situated on. She took a step back, reaching the edge, and breathed in another lungful of air.
Then she took another step back, her body lifting up onto the lip of the building.
Another rush of wind pushed against her back, as if telling her not to take another step further. Because another step further would mean falling off the edge. It would be the end of everything that meant something to her if she did.
The door for the rooftop access slammed wide open. Sabine’s eyes narrowed as several Agents filed out, their guns trained on her. The smirk never left her face, but her head tilted slightly when the sound of several hammer clicks registered. Scoffing more to herself, she pivoted her body to the left - feeling her legs kick off the ground as she did a left handspring on the edge of the roof just as several gunshots rang out.
Bullets zipped by her until Sabine was forced to lunge forward, her body curling into itself as she rolled across the ground. Several pairs of feet thundered along the concrete as more bullets impaled along the surface. She continued to roll until there was nowhere left for her to go. Scrambling to her feet, she jumped and broke through the nearest window, her body continuing its fluid motion as she rolled down the stairs.
Her back slammed against the wall, forcing her to catch her breath as the Agents piled back into the building. Springing out, she quickly dashed down the stairs before gripping onto the handrail, spinning off the stairs, and lurching her body over the railing to sail down the central opening of the spiraling staircase. Spinning her body around, she pulled out both of her pistols from her holsters and aimed upwards just as the Agents pursuing her opened fire.
Firing off several shots, Sabine made quick mental notes of an immediate exit strategy once she hit the ground. She managed to empty out both clips completely before rolling her body around in mid-air, her heels crashing onto the ground. The stone tiles cracked and popped up from beneath her, causing the entire building to shake from her impact. Without looking back, she tore through the front entrance of the abandoned building and took off in a dead run down the street.
Glass shattered around her as bullets zipped by, spraying various contents in different directions. She felt one graze her shoulder, causing her to wince. She jumped over several crates and boxes, her legs pumping hard as she made her way through the industrial district. Pedestrians looked on in wonder, but she didn’t have the luxury to tell them to get out of the way. They would be fodder and the reason for her existence being erased if she made a mistake.
Rounding a corner, she gasped as she came face to face with the barrel of a handgun. Instinct urged her to swivel to the right just as the gun fired. A distinct ringing noise pinged in her ear and she barely managed to jam her elbow out to hit the Agent’s forearm. His hand slammed into the brick wall, forcing the gun from his hand. Her body jerked to the ground, her fingers grabbing the gun in one swift motion. She surged forward, her shoulder bashing into his chest as she slid her forearm against him. Pressing the barrel of the gun under his chin, she didn’t hesitate to squeeze the trigger.
A ripple of electricity revealed that the Agent took over an old woman. Sabine scoffed, dropping the gun and bolting for the subway entrance. It was dangerous to be underground, but she only needed to get to one place. She only needed to make it there with a few seconds to spare.
Her boots clicked along the pavement, her breathing labored as her heart thundered against her chest. The sound of a phone ringing reverberated off the stone walls. A train sped through, its wheels screaming along the metal track. She skid to a halt just in front of a row of pay phones, dust rising up around her. She managed to snatch it off the hook, but not before the head of the receiver exploded near her face. Plastic pieces shot out and scraped her cheek, forcing her to drop the ruined device as it swung purposelessly from its metal connection rope.
“Shit!” she snapped, barely dodging a fist aimed for her face.
Spinning on her back heel, Sabine avoided another hit as her back slammed into the wall. Her leg shot up, knocking the gun from the Agent’s hand as it went flying onto the now vacant train tracks. The Agent flung a kick out at her, forcing her to use both arms to block the blow meant for her chest. Her body went airborne and slammed into the wall. The impact was similar to being hit with a mack truck, leaving behind an imprint of her body as broken pieces of concrete and brick littered the ground around her feet.
A spray of red mist escaped from her mouth seconds before she crashed to the ground on her knees. Another phone rang, preceding the harsh symphony of another train speeding along the track further down the tunnel. Pain exploded along the back of her neck as another kick successfully landed against her, causing her body to slide along the ground.
Sabine groaned as more blood leaked from the corners of her mouth. The sound of the phone seemed to almost mock her, telling her that she was so close to the finish line but that she would not, in fact, finish. The thought of failing angered her, fueling something inside of her that she knew lurked among the shadows of her own heart.
She spit. “Get up,” she muttered, her body screaming at her to move.
The Agent advanced on her, his movements slow and predatory. Sabine growled as she spun her body up, her legs kicking into the air before flipping right-side up onto her feet. She reached into her jacket and quickly whipped it out, the metallic shink sang out as the steel baton extended. The Agent canted his head slightly and Sabine flashed a blood-stained grin, launching herself forward to charge headlong at him. He parried many of her attacks, but she kept a close eye on his feet to ensure that he was backing up with her mindless assault.
Screaming at the top of her lungs, she spun and whipped her arm out. The baton slammed into the Agent’s forearms as he lifted them up to block her attack. The subway shook with the approaching train’s momentum, causing small bits of dirt to fall from the ceiling. Sabine took another breath, leaped forward, and took aim for the Agent’s face. He caught her by the forearm, but not before she was able to spin around, landing a solid heel kick to his shin. He buckled, allowing her the opportunity she needed to slam her knee into his face. Using the force of his motion, he landed a fist straight into her gut. Sabine flew backwards into the wall, a sharp cry of pain all she could muster before hitting the ground.
She looked up to see the Agent falling into the path of the train seconds before it approached. It zipped by in a blur and Sabine quickly pushed herself off the floor. She ran back toward the row of pay phones, all but tearing it off the hook and pressing it against her ear. Everything disappeared around her in a wave of green - all of it transforming into strings of code.
“So,” mused Rear Admiral Brahn, “I see you were able to obtain the data we needed, Commander.”
Animus saluted, her eyes staring straight ahead as Brahn circled her. He held a case containing a data disk inside, moving it back and forth as he walked. After he nodded, she lowered her arm and stood at attention. Others stood behind the Rear Admiral, Captains of their own vessels. They were overseeing the last of her field training since she initiated her pursuit for her rank promotion.
In her mind, she had no doubt she would achieve it. They had no reason to deny her. The Council also agreed that she was fit to lead.
Rear Admiral Brahn, however, was another matter altogether.
She could see his stern expression in her peripheral vision. Her eyes continued to look ahead as he obstructed her line of sight. Pity. She was enjoying herself by studying the rust building on one of the pipes hanging overhead.
“You took on an Agent, Commander Animus. That was both reckless and unnecessary.” His eyes narrowed at her. “Your mission was to secure the information you obtained and return from The Matrix immediately . Nothing else.”
“Sir, yes Sir!”
“Explain yourself, Commander!”
“Sir!” Animus saluted again. “I was left with no choice.”
“You were fortunate there was more than one avenue for an Operator to get you out. But what if that wasn’t the case?” He scoffed. “You can’t expect to make those same kinds of decisions if you’re a Captain, Animus. You’re liable to get you and your crew killed.”
Slowly, Animus lowered her hand back down to rest at her side. She took a breath, expelled it, then shifted her gaze to meet Brahn’s. “We won’t always be able to run from them, Rear Admiral, Sir. It’s an operative’s duty to the people of Zion to gain every advantage we can in this war. The Machines are willing to do anything to stop us.”
Brahn quirked a brow. “Your point?”
She narrowed her eyes. “We have to be willing to do the same, Sir.”
There was a pregnant pause that seemed to stretch on for half a lifetime. After feeling Brahn’s eyes scrutinizing her for a few seconds longer, he pivoted away from her and made his way toward the other Captains. She wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved, but Animus held her breath all the same.
“Well, I certainly hope you can maintain that enthusiasm when leading your crew, Commander Animus.” Brahn set the mini disk case on the table where the other Captains sat, craning his neck to look at her. “If you can’t, their blood will be on your hands.”
She could feel her heart thudding wildly inside of her ribs and she smothered down the smile that threatened to break out across her face. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Animus saluted as the other Captains saluted her as well. She saw some smiles of approval while the others’ expressions remained impassive. That was fine. It was fine.
Her test was over now.
“Your new rank appointment and credentials will be sent to you by oh-seven hundred tomorrow. You’re dismissed.”
“Sir!”
She turned to head out of the briefing room. Animus waited for the doors to slide open. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Brahn clearing his throat loudly. She paused, craning her neck to peer back into the briefing room.
“Sir?”
“Your First Mate, Crash, has your crew manifest.”
Animus blinked in surprise. Her best friend was going to be part of her crew. Hiding her elation, she nodded slowly in understanding before raising her brows in question. “I already have a ship assignment, Sir?”
“Yes, you do.”
She smiled. “Her name?”
The Rear Admiral smirked as he folded his hands behind his back. “The Amaterasu.”
Her smile remained and, again, she saluted her superior. “Thank you, Sir.”