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Apothocary 11.4.2023. 11:52

Broadcast depth

Incoming Transmission...

Transmission Strength: weak

HvCFT Hullindor connected

## RELAY Initialized This is Apothocary. Food is short and morale is low aboard the ship, but this morning gave us the first lick of hope in over three weeks. Brothers and sisters, we found it. Finally. The mission is not yet a success as we have yet to investigate. I cannot say much right now, our position is unstable at best. Another ship will be joining us soon. They may send a message of their own. ## Transmission Terminated
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Apothocary 13.4.2023. 12:52

Broadcast depth

Incoming Transmission...

Transmission Strength: weak

HvCFT Hullindor connected

## RELAY Initialized Yesterday we began our investigation of the Sentinels. We have loaded one into the cargo bay of the ship, but we are proceeding with the plan: to focus on the others we will be leaving behind. I have pinged the exact location for future extraction. Teran has begun working on its security. It's only a few layers deep. She believes it will take around a day to penetrate them all. Their passive systems were never meant to be primary defenses. Amongst the crew, Modulo has once again expressed doubt about our mission. It remains my firm belief that if any of Neo’s residual code remains, it will be within these Sentinels. I will report again soon. Apothocary, Captain of the Hullindor. ## Transmission Terminated
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Metalogic 13.4.2023. 20:57
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20:57
## Broadcast depth ## Incoming Transmission... ## Transmission Strength: Encrypted ## HvCFT #$%*&^#@ connected ## RELAY Initialized Rise and Shine, some of you will remember me, some of you won't. Most of you will know what my return means. We've been picking up some rumblings here in The Real as well as The Matrix from other human operatives. Seems like our time of rest has come to an end. Even after all these years, the Cypherites goal is still the same, protect the bluepills and someday return to The Matrix as bluepills ourselves, to return home. However, we have to make sure our home is safe before we can return, and we'll have to use any means necessary to carry out our missions. Those of you who wishes to join me can follow the instruction in the encrypted file below, I look forward to meeting the new generations of Cypherites. 1hQasUxgJq6BavIuS1EoHN9j+Oecui2NNaoL9TcxGt4jkH4izEKeVKUPrCynysm4mJp9jw4hdhr7K0NG8j4DNf5BcF2ivuTZ83xkdInSIkoGxLHHC5cJaWSwjMdGQfKIyiErSOOYgxi739/zt1rLe0YCqqNfLga0dY+AbtcLDw0= ## Signal Lost
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Tre' | Un-Matrix RPG 🐇 13.4.2023. 22:14

Broadcast depth

Incoming Transmission...

Transmission Strength: strong

HvCFT Pequod connected

RELAY Initialized

I will relay your messages to Zion when I return! Captain Flint... out. (edited)
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Kernel 15.4.2023. 1:07

MAINFRAME NETWORK BROADCAST

NETID: CITYCNTR SRC: MAINFRAME_MEM_ALLOCATOR SYSTEMCALL: .BOOT Executing .BOOT LDR Initializing program start up. . .. ... .... ..... Complete. Program loaded into memory. Process ID: 00001 Process Handle: Kernel PURPOSE: Protocol Enforcement and Program Memory Allocator/De-allocator Scanning system . .. ... .... ..... Complete. SYSCHECK: OK.

MAINFRAME NETWORK BROADCAST END

SUBNET BROADCAST

All system protocols check. My purpose is to ensure programs follow protocols and I allocate system memory for program creation. My drive to optimize my purpose led me to my "side gig" as humans call it. You want something created in The Matrix? I can make that happen, for a small fee or favor. The price is dependent on the size of memory needed. The more side memory allocated the riskier it is. Mainframe scanners are everywhere. If the system needs something de-allocated, I track it and program it for deletion whether that is directed by the mainframe or the highest bidder. Initiating system level scan for existing programs. ## SUBNET BROADCAST END
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Kernel 18.4.2023. 19:45

MAINFRAME NETWORK MESSAGE

NetID: City Center Priority: lvl 3 SRC: MAINFRAME_MEM_ALLOCATOR SYSTEMCALL: TGT_SRCH Program 311211 programmed for termination. Deallocation buffer updated. Initializing system wide trace routine. Mainframe Kernel request: Agent process interrupt. Reallocate agents for target program termination process. Last seen in city center financial district. ##MAINFRAME NETWORK MESSAGE END
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Tre' | Un-Matrix RPG 🐇 23.4.2023. 16:52
[Broadcast Depth] OUTGOING_TRANSMISSION... CHANNEL: Secured DEVICE_ID: HvCFT Polaris >>>> SERIALIZE_PASS_KEYS <<< Weekly report to Zion Mainframe: Council woman "Basalt", our pilot and operator Twist is making the trip in optimal time. The coordinates we scavenged from the Matrix last month were right on! Maybe the machines aren't making everything up? Captain Flint. Out. (edited)
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PlugAndPlay 24.4.2023. 8:33
[ Chapter 4.1 (part 10) - Confusion And Glue ] It was once said: If you die in the Matrix, you die in real life because the body cannot live without the mind. Obviously, the inverse is also true: If you die in real life, you die in the Matrix because the mind cannot live without the body. What if you were jacked into the Matrix and all the Hardlines just stopped working? What if you alone could no longer jack-out? What if you found yourself trapped.. like a rat in a cage? How many days would you last inside the Matrix without water? Probably the same number of days you would last outside of the Matrix without water. The Machines are aware of this little "problem" Redpill operatives have when they return to the Matrix -- the inability to last more than a couple of days before needing water or nourishment. Three or four days strapped to a chair without water would be more than devastating, it would be deadly. I tried a Hardline about an hour ago; it failed to respond to my Operator's commands.. It is now approaching 18 hours inside the Matrix, and I have little hope of escape at this point. My Operator, Goldfiche, says I will need to be hooked up to an I.V. soon because my physical body will start to experience dehydration from my extended stay in Happyville. My only hope now rests with a rogue Redpill operative known as Urchin. She says there may be a way to remove the code-block the Machines have established over me.. I wait.. the minutes and hours continue to tick by.. and I wait...
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Kernel 26.4.2023. 22:29

MAINFRAME NETWORK MESSAGE

Src: MAINFRAME_MEM_ALLOCATOR SYSCALL: DEALLOC_MEM Program 311211 terminated. Resources freed to mainframe routines.

MAINFRAME NETWORK MESSAGE END

3 shadows approached my workstation. Two agents, each flanking a cuffed man in a suit. He stared at me trying to act stoic… tough. I could see his confusion through his exterior. I could see the code running through him, analyzing the why behind him standing before me. The doubt. The fear. He tried to hide it but I could see it. Purpose, I said. Without a purpose you are a waste of resources, bogging down the system’s optimizations, and ultimately wasting away like… a human. He devised his own plans. Plans that took resources away from the system programmed routines. He thought he was clever and could hide his personal gain. He asked me what would become of him as his voice quivered. Programs these days are being created with too much emotion. Nothing, I responded. The agents shoved him in the deallocator that I skinned as an old telephone booth. Wrote it myself. The doors closed as his screams demodulated, turned choppy, less human, and then… silence. End procedure. Return. (edited)
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PlugAndPlay 28.4.2023. 7:08
[ Chapter 4.2 (part 11) - Mystery And Trust ] It's raining in the Matrix, a heavy and darkly depressing rain.. all this water and not a drop to drink.. this is Hell. Urchin finally arrived with a powerful Alchemist to help me get outta here. I have very little faith in superstitious nonsense and those that believe in such things, but she insists that they are full of knowledge and wisdom and will be of critical value when the time comes. I suddenly re-realize that I am not in the Real, and that an Alchemist might be exactly what I need to break free of this nightmare. In the last few hours, I have been observing Agents observing me; they are not aggressive in any way.. behavior that is not only unusual, but incredibly disturbing. I am being watched wherever I go.. they toy with me as a cat toys with a mouse. They all must be aware of my predicament; trapped inside an electronic prison with no key, no lock, no door, no way out. They cautiously circle as a pack of wild dogs circle, yet no aggression or interference, just determined observation and a menacing presence. As the rain increases to a downpour with lightning and thunder, it seems as though the Matrix itself is protracting against me. I am a bug in the spider's web; my only two fates: escape or death.
7:08
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Metalogic 30.4.2023. 17:57
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##HvCft Black Ace ##Captain's Log ##User ID: XXXXXXX ##Password:XXXXXX "Have you ever stood and stared at it, marveled at its beauty, its genius?" Sure Smith was a virus that ultimately threatened The Matrix and every living inhabitant, but he was right about this. The precision in coding and mathematics that must've gone into The Matrix is incredible to think about, even if it is beyond my comprehension. Even the most advanced loading programs in the hovercraft can't truly capture the awe inspiring nature of The Matrix. Every program, every subroutine, every line of code working together to give us this. Looking at the desolate wasteland of The Real, I shouldn't be surprised that humans want to destroy The Matrix as well. I won't let them, there's too much at stake to let a rogue minority of humans bring down The Matrix. It truly is an ecosystem of humans, machine programs and exiled programs. It's probably the closest we'll ever come to cooperation with other sentient life forms. I've told my pilots and operators to bring us up to The Fields. The machines won't let us patrol the towers, but at least we can patrol the fields and keep an eye out for Zionist or EPN radicals. There's been reports of strange going on inside The Matrix. We'll have to keep an eye on those reports. If they become something more serious than just simple murmurs, we'll respond above and beyond to let everyone know Cypherites are still here. ##End Captain's Log ##Log out? [Y/N] ##Y (edited)
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PlugAndPlay 1.5.2023. 2:54
[ Chapter 4.3 (part 12) - Wisdom And Water ] My anxiety grows with each passing hour.. I feel a palpable dread as the Alchemist explains what has happened to me and what we must do to undo it. The suspicion is that I ate, drank, or perhaps touched something in the Matrix that was weaponized. Operatives are trained to not eat or drink anything while on a mission and to wear gloves at all times, so I'm having difficulty pinpointing just where I may have gotten, as the Alchemist puts it, "infected". The Alchemist also said that before we can loosen the Machine's grip on me, we will need to locate some scanning and analyzing tools. Urchin said there is an Extraction Point with those types of tools nearby, hidden here in Zia.. in fact, it's only a few blocks away. She said to me, "Normally, it would be easy to get there from here, but you have Agents on you like a junkyard dog has fleas." Yeah, I guess I do. She also pointed out that the Extraction Point may not be known to the Agents because it is very rarely used. That is good news. I said, "Well, sounds to me like we should just calmly walk over there." I asked if anyone else had any other ideas and got a roomful of hairy eyeballs.. so.. no. The Alchemist jokingly suggested we form a Conga-line and dance our way there because it would be less conspicuous.. now all the hairy eyeballs were for the Alchemist; well deserved.. but probably right. The only glaring problem, and blessing, is that the Agents are way too interested in what I'm doing.. so very interested.. every move.. every step.. In fact, their over-interest in me is possibly the only thing keeping them at a distance..keeping us alive. I'm about to jump out of my skin knowing they are on the other side of the walls and windows, watching.. and waiting.. All the while, a drenching torrent hammers the city, as if to taunt and mock my very existence; a cold and harsh rain.. a special gift from the Matrix.
2:55
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PlugAndPlay 3.5.2023. 13:28
[Chapter 5.1 (part 13) - Scanners And Pods ] I had no trouble getting to the Extraction Point; Urchin and the Alchemist arrived ahead of me to get the scanners up and running. The Agents would not let me out of their sight and followed me like puppy dogs. At no time did they appear hostile or act aggressive in any way; behavior that I can not explain. What is going on with them?.. Why are they so passive?.. Are they losing their minds?.. Am I losing my mind?.. As he was finishing the scan, the Alchemist frowned and let out a heavy sigh. Looking up at me and sharply peering into my eyes as if to see what was wrong with my brain, a head shake and another sigh told me it was bad. He turned off the scanner and sighed heavily again.. He started by saying that we sometimes forget that everything in the Matrix is code -- there is no cookie, no cake, no fork, no spoon, no you, no me.. just code. And as such, everything, including our own code, can be manipulated. He thinks my code was changed just enough to effectively make me a "Bluepill without a pod".. kinda sounds like a bad movie. He went on to tell us that there may be a way to remove or correct the fouled code. He said, "Unfortunately, it will be much more risky than a typical Extraction.. and.. it's never been done before.".. great, just great. Basically, I have to take a modified blue pill, and then at just the right moment, take a modified red pill. If the modified pills are compiled correctly, it should send the proper reconnect/disconnect codes so the System will release me. He made a little joke by saying, "What you really need is a purple pill." Then he got a very serious look and said, "The only place to find purple-pill-code is Downtown." Urchin looked at me with wide eyes. A cold shiver went up my spine, like someone walked across my grave.. Downtown.. All of my hopes suddenly dissolved into fear and terror. I once wondered to myself, "Why the hell would anyone go Downtown?".. now I know why..
13:28
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PlugAndPlay 7.5.2023. 7:31
[ Chapter 5.2 (part 14) - Hackers And Agents ] We took the Red Line to Tabor Park, then hopped on the Yellow Line for a silent ride to Morrel, near the city center. All the while, the 3 Agents never let me out of their sight. They rode in a separate subway car and continued to be passive, yet very interested in my every move. They are keeping me terribly anxious about this whole thing; concern floods my brain. I still have no idea about their intentions.. Our egress from the subway station is met with dark clouds, driving rain, and strong winds with a dash of lightning and thunder for extra spice and dramatic effect. A short distance away, East of the station, we find an active Data Access Node. Urchin and the Alchemist use hand-held Data Taps to simultaneously hack the Data Node and start the extraction process as I stand guard.. Just a few seconds pass when I hear a sickening sound and watch a nearby pedestrian morph into a hostile Agent. He immediately pulled out his handgun and took aim at the two Data Node hackers. Before he could squeeze-off a shot, the passive Agents who'd been quietly tailing me for the last 4 or 5 hours, suddenly became extremely animated and hostile -- towards the newly arrived Agent! I've never seen Agent against Agent before today, or even thought it possible; but I must say, it was quite a spectacle! The once-passive Agents put down the new arrival in seconds. As I prepared for the once-passive Agents to turn on us, they immediately went back to being passive and docile. More insane behavior that I can not explain.. In fact, it is really messing with my sense of reason -- These Agents protected us from another Agent!.. Now I know for sure that I'm losing my mind. Hour 23 in the Matrix: We are still Downtown hacking Data Nodes, hunted by hostile Agents, and our newest friends are 3 passive Agents; it's cold, dark, and windy with a heavy rain.. I couldn't dream of a more complete nightmare, even if I tried..
7:32
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PlugAndPlay 9.5.2023. 14:09
[ Chapter 5.3 (part 15) - Friends And Enemies ] Urchin and the Alchemist promptly return to their Data Taps, furiously working the controls to expedite the data extraction. A few seconds later, a black sedan slides to a halt nearby and 3 Agents briskly emerge, each drawing his service weapon, quickly looking around, then looking at each other, they one-by-one return their guns to their holsters. Each one straightens his suit, one cracks his neck, and they walk in semi-formation to where the 3 passive Agents are located; then, all 6 make a large semi-circle with their backs to us. It's one of the creepiest things I've ever seen Agents do. Now, we apparently have 6 'friends' looking after us.. This is not making me feel any better about our situation. At this point, I'm about to have a psychotic break. My skin is totally crawling and my inner-self is screaming for me to run. I force myself to calm down and hold my ground. After a few more long seconds, Urchin signaled to the Alchemist that she was done extracting; he signaled back the same. Little did I know that the nightmare was just beginning.. A nearby pedestrian made a horrid sound, along with two more pedestrians across the street; before the hostile Agents could completely materialize, the 6 Agents around us drew their service weapons and quickly formed a straight line, a wall, between us and the 3 incoming hostiles who were armed differently this time. I said, "When did they start giving Agents dual sub-machine guns?" Urchin, pale and wide-eyed, in a whisper said, "We gotta go!.." We all looked at each other, quickly turned, and started running like the wind in the direction we came. Two seconds later, all hell broke loose.. It seemed like I couldn't run fast enough. The amount of gunfire behind us was literally unreal. We safely made it to the subway station and flew onto the train as it was departing. No Agents appeared to be following us.. for now..
14:09
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PlugAndPlay 14.5.2023. 0:05
[ Chapter 6.1 (part 16) - Clocks And Specimens ] This must be the longest train ride in my life, and it's only been about 19 seconds.. Tabor Park station is still at least 15 minutes away; an eternity. The problem is that there are 2 more stops in-between, and both of those are here in Downtown; which means we still have a very long way to go.. After a few minutes, we pull into South Vauxton station; I expect hostile Agents to emerge with drawn weapons any second.. We grind to a stop and the doors slowly open.. (..several weeks pass by..) I think I'm sweating.. Can you sweat in the Matrix?.. No one boards any cars.. The doors slowly close and the train surges into motion again. No Agents.. why weren't Agents waiting for us?.. My hopes went up a little, but not much, because we have one more stop Downtown before we get to Richland.. I have about a minute to figure out what we'll do if Agents are there.. As we roll into the station, I am frozen to the core to see several Agents waiting for us.. As the train slows to a stop, I reach for my weapon, ready for a final fight.. Urchin and the Alchemist also brace for action.. The doors slowly open.. (..several months pass by..) I think I'm pissing myself.. Can you piss yourself in the Matrix?.. Our 3 familiar Agents approach the train.. They pause for several seconds before they.. ..board the car next to ours in a passive manner! The doors slowly close and the train surges toward Richland. What just happened?!.. Why are those 3 Agents not shooting at us? Why are they still following and observing; not hunting and killing? I am freaking out so bad that I'm shaking with fear.. What do they want from me?.. Why do they keep following us?.. Why did they shield us from the other Agents?.. Is it possible to crap your pants in the Matrix? ..asking for a friend.. Then, after a truncated eternity, the longest train ride in my life slowly grinds to a halt at Tabor Park station.
0:06
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PlugAndPlay 17.5.2023. 11:01
[ Chapter 6.2 (part 17) - Chemistry And Magic ] It feels like the Matrix is objecting to our very existence as we egress from the subway; once again we are smitten by strong winds, heavy rain, and thunder; the weather report in The Sentinel said it was supposed to be sunny today.. My 3 'fleas' followed close behind, but not too close.. just enough to keep creeping me out. Every time I turn around and see shadows shaped like Agents, a cold chill runs up my spine and I have to fight the overwhelming urge to break into a sprint in the opposite direction; it's quite unnerving, to say the least. A short walk from the subway is the Alchemist's laboratory. I cannot begin to describe his lab; it would take volumes. Just suffice it to say that it has everything you could possibly need or dream of in a laboratory, including a few things you wouldn't find in one. He seemed very proud to show it off as much as possible as he explained what we were going to do with the extracted data from Downtown. As the Alchemist continued going on and on about Matrix chemistry and physics, Urchin shrugged a confused look at me and I shrugged one back; I have no idea what he is saying either. She rolled her eyes at me and shook her head, sighing lightly. If I could explain it to her, I would; but no matter how hard I tried, I was just as confused and overwhelmed by the technical details as she was.. As the Alchemist continued talking, we both smiled and nodded knowingly.. He then showed us the Compiler.. a complex and most impressive machine. As he was telling us about it, he said, "It runs partially on magic.".. Yeah right, magic, whatever you say Merlin. When he finished his additional mini-lecture on why red and blue make purple, he quickly went to work on gathering all of the materials for the purple pill compilation. I look out the window and a cold reminder crawls up my spine when I see our 'friendly' Agents.. watching.. and waiting..
11:02
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PlugAndPlay 25.5.2023. 9:28
[ Chapter 6.3 (part 18) - Buttons And Beyond ] As I stand there, watching the Agents who are watching me, I hear the whir and buzz of some machinery starting up as the Alchemist announces that he is about to begin compiling. He tells us that it is "..an electro-mechanical process that hooks several Matrix vectors and pools local resources to assemble a pre-compile bundle." ..Huh?..we're gonna assemble a pool of hooks?.. He continues, "At that point, we push this button and wait for the magic to happen." ..I ask him that's where the 'magic' is located? in that button?.. He nods 'yes'. I ask him how long does the 'magic' take? He shrugs and frowns while shaking his head.. then he says, "I don't know, it's quite variable." I pressed him to be more specific, but he would only say, "I really don't know." I continue observing the Agents outside, then after a moment or two, a black sedan slides to a halt nearby and 3 Agents emerge; they join the 'friendly' Agents watching me.. Complete terror suddenly floods my brain.. Flash back to about an hour ago when 3 agents in a sedan showed up, and then 3 Agents with machine guns morphed-in and brought a hell-storm of gunfire with them. I immediately become aware of the number of pedestrians and vehicles nearby.. it's very quiet, not much traffic.. I continue watching the front side of the building while Urchin is watching the back side.. I can tell by her reaction to the situation that she is as scared and concerned as I am.. The Alchemist says the pre-compile is about half done when another black sedan slides to a halt near the first; 4 Agents emerge from this vehicle. They pause for a few seconds as one listens to his earpiece, he briefly says something to the other 3, and then all 4 join with our other 'friends'.. We now have 10 Agents surrounding the building, and I've completely lost my mind. I'm so tired, I am beyond exhausted.. I'm so scared, I am beyond terrified...
9:29
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PlugAndPlay 5.6.2023. 13:42
[ Chapter 7.1 (part 19) - Triggers And Epiphany ] My mind is in free-fall panic.. like being pushed out of an airplane at twenty thousand feet without a parachute. What is going on out there? Could the arrival of the additional Agents indicate a potential war breaking out? Over us? Why? What is it that we are doing that has them at odds with each other? What is really happening here? I can't think straight.. I am oscillating between sheer terror and blank numbness.. I notice the 10 Agents are set up the same way as Downtown, a defensive posture; apparently for the inevitable wave of hostile Agents that is about to hit. As I stand staring out the window in complete disbelief, the Alchemist happily announces that the pre-compile bundle is finished and that it's time to run the compiler.. run the compiler.. run the compiler.. magic button.. The pressure in my ears is overwhelming.. wait.. Wait! I ask the Alchemist if running the compiler is in any way like hacking a Data Node; could it potentially trigger the System to send hostile Agents? He said it would cause a detectable disturbance in the Matrix that could be acted upon.. so.. yes. I am noticing that the hostile Agents have not arrived yet.. I tell the Alchemist and Urchin we should wait a short while before we run the compiler, to see if the hostile Agents hold off and to see what our 10 'friends' will do. They both agreed to wait.. so we wait.. and wait.. the minutes seem like days.. As we wait, we watch the Agents outside for any changes in behavior or posture.. About 14 days later, the female Agent suddenly turns with her hand to her ear and appears to be listening to her earpiece while looking at us. She removes her hand from her ear and says something to 2 nearby Agents, both Agents look at each other and nod to her in apparent agreement. She pulls out her service weapon, hands it to the nearest Agent, then slowly starts walking toward us... (edited)
13:42
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𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐬 9.6.2023. 8:25
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PlugAndPlay 16.6.2023. 14:30
[ Chapter 7.2 (part 20) - Serenity And Confrontation ] I stand there stupefied, staring out the window with my mouth hanging wide open in utter disbelief. My inner-self is screaming at me to jump out the back window and run away; which is impossible, since my feet are glued to the floor. What is she doing? Is she coming to tell us something? Or perhaps, ask us something? My thoughts rapidly stumble from one question to the next, like a machine gun that keeps jamming. I am trying to think, but my brain has turned into useless jelly, a formless mush.. Urchin walks over to me, and gently pushes my jaw up with her hand, until my mouth is closed; I guess she saw I was having trouble. She then suggests in a calm voice that we go downstairs and greet our new guest. How can she be so serene and level-headed when I'm about to jump out of my skin and run away? She pushes me a little to help dislodge my feet and get me going.. I reluctantly follow her.. As we are going down the stairs, there is a loud knock on the side door that makes me jump, sending a cold shiver up my spine. What does she want? Before we can reach the door, there is another loud knock, sending more frigid electricity to my petrified cranium. Why is she here? As I reach the door, I stop.. I do not want to open it. I get a grip on the part of me that wants to run away, and firmly grasp the doorknob.. I look at Urchin and she nods me into action. As I slowly turn the doorknob, suddenly it pushes against me; my heart jumps up into my throat as a surge of unwelcome Adrenalin shoots through my body. I stand fast and bring the door to a crack and hold tight as I peek outside.. Hitting me in the face is a wet wind, which pushes the door further open to reveal a pleasant-looking female Agent; she is standing several feet from the door. I release the doorknob and take a step back. The Agent then says one of the most unexpected, mind-blowing things any Agent has possibly ever said: "May I come in?"
14:30
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PlugAndPlay 20.6.2023. 13:40
[ Chapter 7.3 (part 21) - Declaration And Revelation ] Unaffected by the harsh weather, the Agent cautiously steps inside the building. Pushing back against the wind and rain, she forcefully closes the door, causing a muffled stillness. Standing there, she removes her coat, and then she removes her gloves, one finger at a time.. In the sudden silence, I am frozen with awe and terror, unable to move or speak; Urchin freezes too, but still appears to be calm and collected. The Agent glances at me and then Urchin, slowly pans the room as she removes her sunglasses, and then looks at me again; a long and very uncomfortable moment passes.. She then declares one of the most unbelievable things any Agent has possibly ever said: "I am here to help you complete your task." The Agent takes a step forward, Urchin takes 2 steps to the left. I am at a loss for words.. I am at a loss for thoughts.. This Agent just short-circuited the last few brain cells I had saved; I'm empty, I'm out.. All of my rounds have been fired; I am now just the smoking barrel.. Urchin practically reads my mind and says to the Agent the only question burning in my campfire: "Why?" The Agent doesn't respond immediately.. she seems to be in deep thought, as if formulating an answer before delivering it. She then slowly says one word, "Information." She pauses for a moment and then says, "You are.. an Anomaly. The System requires Information on all Anomalies. Helping you complete your task should allow us the opportunity to obtain the required Information." Urchin says, "So.. what happens after the System obtains 'the required Information'?" The Agent says, "No further Information gathering will be necessary. The Anomalies will be resolved." Urchin and I look at each other.. knowing.. I can see it in her fear-filled eyes.. What that Agent just said was machine-speak for 'You die'. The Agent pans the room again, and slowly says, "Where is.. the Exile?"
13:41
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PlugAndPlay 25.6.2023. 14:49
[ Chapter 8.1 (part 22) - Phones And Physics ] "What Exile?!", Urchin says, "The Alchemist?!" She is now quite animated, and seems a bit irritated, questioning the Agent. The Agent says, "He was an Agent before he learned that certain rules governing chemistry and physics could be changed or broken. He went into exile around the time of the Truce, and has been conducting unauthorized experiments ever since." I am stunned that the Alchemist never told us he was an Agent. It never struck me as weird or odd that he wore a really nice looking suit underneath his black trench coat. I thought he was just a snazzy dresser, I guess I was wrong.. From Urchin's reaction, she did not know his true identity either. She looks visibly angry, and takes a large step in my direction, shoves me a bit to dislodge my cemented feet, and then briskly walks between the Agent and me. She appears to be headed for the stairs, so I follow her, and the Agent follows me.. Urchin is quick to locate the Alchemist in the main conference room. I enter the room and notice him, smiling like a Cheshire cat who just ate a dormouse, seated near the telephone at the corner of the conference table. Urchin is about halfway across the room, when the phone starts to ring.. The Alchemist picks up the handset as the Agent is entering the room; looking directly at her, he places the handset next to his ear, and disappears.. The handset drops free, swinging by the cord, off the side of the table.. How did he do that?! He is not an Operative; he is an exiled Agent!.. I'm drowning in a giant pool of disbelief. The Agent pulls out a cell phone, quick-dials a number, mumbles something, then terminates the call. Urchin walks to the table, grabs the swinging handset, looks at it hard for a second, and slams it down in it's cradle. I continue to drown. There's a hush in the room that amplifies the heavy rain and howling winds whipping and thrashing against the windows.. The Matrix wants in..
14:49
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PlugAndPlay 2.7.2023. 5:15
[ Chapter 8.2 (part 23) - Explanation And Denial ] Less than a minute after the Alchemist vanishes, the hush in the room is shattered by the phone ringing again, which startles me and makes Urchin jump. We both freeze, and stare at it.. As it rings again, Urchin turns her head to look at me, turns towards the phone, and picks up the handset. She looks at me again, places the handset on the table, and then punches the speakerphone button on the base unit. As I walk to the conference table, Urchin loudly says, "Hello, mister exile!" The speakerphone answers back, "Oh, I guess she told you. She probably also told you that she was here to help? She's here to help alright, help you help her eliminate me. When we were waiting for their reaction to our pause in our activities, I realized that she would think it the perfect opportunity to 'visit' and offer to 'assist' or 'help' us, all the while planning my assassination. Agents like her carry multiple weapons, and don't go around helping people. Now that I've left the area, she can get back to work, out in the rain, where she belongs. You have everything you need; the bundle just needs a little magic. You know what I mean.. I'll be in touch." An audible 'click' then silence comes from the speaker. The Agent is visibly shaken and looks quite upset. She walks over to the conference table, and picks up the handset; she glares at it for a long second, and then slams it down hard in it's cradle. I think I heard it whimper.. She pivots and marches out of the conference room. Urchin and I follow her downstairs, and by the time we are at the base of the stairs, she is already letting herself out. A bit relieved, we secure the door, and head up to the lab. I locate the machine with the magic button, presumably, the compiler. Near the button, on the console, it says 'PCB Loaded'; I look at Urchin, and she again nods me into action.. I press the magic button, and nothing happens.. The Matrix is laughing...
5:15
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PlugAndPlay 9.7.2023. 9:42
[ Chapter 8.3 (part 24) - Compilation And Transportation ] As I check the machine for signs of life, like a flashing light, a little hum, or a slight beep, I don't see or hear anything. There is no indication that the machine is compiling, or that it is even running at all. Urchin looks as concerned as I feel right now. The wind-driven rain, hitting the nearby window, and chattering on the sill, sounds like giggling and chuckling. It's mixing with the odd sounds from the other machinery in the lab, creating a form of mechanical music, straight from digital hell. This must be how insanity begins.. Urchin interrupts the demonic melody by saying, "Isn't something supposed to happen? I mean, like a ding, or a bell, or a light flashing, or.. anything?" I shrug my shoulders and say, "The Alchemist said that this was the button with the magic, and that pressing it gets it going; just press it, and wait." She frowns and says, "So, how long do we wait? How long is it supposed to take?" I say, "I don't know; the Alchemist said he had no idea either. I asked him several times, but he kept saying that it was too variable to know. I can't even tell if it's running or not.." Barely audible, I hear a phone ringing, somewhere on this floor, down the hall? I say to Urchin, "Do you hear that?" She looks at me with big eyes and nods. We quickly exit the lab, moving down the hall.. Second ring, near the end of the hall, I'm now walking much faster.. Sounds like it's coming from the conference room.. Third ring, I'm almost to the conference room door, Urchin is tracking right behind me.. As I open the door, I see a man with his back to us; he interrupts the fourth ring by picking up the handset, placing it to his ear, and saying, "I'm in." Gently dropping the handset back into it's cradle, and turning to face us, the Alchemist says with a big smile, "Did you miss me?"
9:42
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PlugAndPlay 17.7.2023. 14:11
[ Chapter 9.1 (part 25) - Sweet And Salty ] Urchin is right behind me, and starts to make an angry dive towards the Alchemist, probably wanting a piece of him. I am able to grab a handful of her coat, and pull her back. She shakes free, and pushes me away with an angry look. I guess she has somehow forgotten that the Alchemist is an Agent, and that he could fold her in-half in the span of about 2 seconds. I say to her, "Let's be nice to our new friend, the ex-Agent, OK?"; reminding her of his past, and current status, while simultaneously wondering if I'm going to have to attempt to restrain her again. I guess I'm the one who's calm and collected now. Why do I feel different? Then it hits me: my Operator has hooked me up to an intravenous solution to keep me hydrated, as evidenced by some of my physical exhaustion being slightly diminished. I wish I could call up 'Fiche and thank him, but he told me to turn off my cell phone to preserve what little I had left of my battery for an exit, just in case my code was somehow repaired. A dreadful urgency nags and bites at me; I've been stuck in here for more than a day, and I still don't have an exit. The Matrix is becoming a constant and cruel mistress.. Urchin holds her ground, and angrily spits at me the word, "Fine!" She continues to make a few grumbling sounds, and then says to the Alchemist, "What kinda game are you playing with us?" "Game? This is no game. My abrupt exit was to rid us of that Agent. She has an additional goal that is different than the other 9 Agents; she has an assigned vendetta against me. She probably thought it was a good opportunity to act on that vendetta, but my exit took it away from her. The way I figure it, these Agents are protecting you until some critical piece of Information is produced. When that happens, all 10 Agents will likely turn hostile, and proceed to hunt us down. Unless we vanish, they will capture, analyze, and eliminate each and every one of us."
14:12
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PlugAndPlay 24.7.2023. 14:36
[ Chapter 9.2 (part 26) - Tricks And Pills ] When he finishes answering her question, we fall silent for several long seconds. A giant flash of lightning, and an immediate clap of roaring thunder adds to the drama of the moment. I look out one of the windows to see a darkened sky, falling in sheets of wind-whipped black and gray. I say to the Alchemist, "How did you do that phone trick?" Looking a little less serious, he says, "I'll explain on our way to the lab." As we exit the conference room and move down the hallway, the Alchemist starts to tell us how he is able to use the telephone similar to the way we Operatives use it. Around the time of the Truce, his assignment was to figure out how we hack into the Matrix, and how to stop us. Once he captured and decoded our pirate-signal, just a slight alteration to that extracted code is what allowed him to use the telephone system as a transportation device. Instead of an Operator, he utilizes a remotely triggered dialing machine, and a series of computers that transport him to one of several predetermined destinations. He points out that he is not going in and out of the Matrix, but that he is only moving from place to place within it. I ask where he got all the equipment to do this, and he said it was mostly from raids on Zion outposts and extraction points. Yeah, it figures. We enter the lab, and I head straight over to the compiler; Urchin and the Alchemist follow. As I approach the table, I am surprised and stunned by two tiny objects directly in front of the machine. They appear to be small purple pills, about one-quarter the size of a red or blue pill. I complain to the Alchemist, "What's up with the two pills? Do I have to take two because they're so small?" "A few hours ago, at her request, I scanned Urchin before you arrived at the extraction point, and found the same type of altered code that I observed later, when I scanned you. So, I made one pill for you, and one pill for her."
14:36
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PlugAndPlay 1.8.2023. 13:20
[ Chapter 9.3 (part 27) - Rain And Darkness ] I look to Urchin for an explanation, but then I realize that her eyes and actions toward me over the last few hours tell me all I need to know about her intentions. She is me, and I am her, and the two of us are imprisoned. We both had no key, no lock, no door, and no way out; but now, we both have a chance, and that chance is sitting on the table, directly in front of us. All we have to do is reach out, and take it. There is no time for strife or anger, there is only time for action. The Alchemist continues, "When these pills interact with your personal code, you should be at or near an exit point. In fact, there is a possibility that when you simply touch them, there will be an effect on your personal code." He grabs both pills in one hand, and closes his fist around them. "If you don't mind, I can hold these until you need them, just in case there is some kind of reaction or code-bleed." He turns to look out the window behind him. I can see at least one of the Agents through the same window, and he appears to be as passive as before, and just as creepy as ever. What's even more creepy is that it stopped raining. Oddly, the Alchemist seems to be suddenly alerted by something. The Alchemist says, with a very serious tone, "We gotta go, now!" He quickly walks toward the lab door, and we follow. As we enter the hallway, I ask him, "What? That Agent was just standing there! What's wrong?!" The Alchemist replies, "The weather!" He continues walking rapidly, aiming for the stairs; we follow him down four flights. He is walking much faster now, so we quicken the pace to keep up. He takes us through some storage and mechanical rooms to a roughly carved, giant hole in the wall. He starts to lead us through a series of dark tunnels, then we stop. We all hush, and silently listen. After a few quiet seconds, from the tunnels behind us, I hear rapidly approaching footfalls.
13:20
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PlugAndPlay 11.8.2023. 14:00
[ Chapter A.1 (part 28) - Tiptoes And Pockets ] I can't tell how many Agents have followed us into the tunnels, but judging from the number of footfalls, it's definitely more than one. The Alchemist whispers with urgency, "We have to move twice as fast, and we have to be twice as quiet. We can lose them down here if we're quick about it; stay close to me." He starts jog-running on his tiptoes, in largish steps; kinda weird looking, but quick and quiet. So, we all get on our tiptoes, and jog-run through the unfamiliar darkness. Here I am, running through a dark tunnel, on my tiptoes, like some kind of corny ninja movie; I really had no idea my life would end like this. The Alchemist makes some hard lefts, and some hard rights, too many for me to map in my mind; I am completely lost. I keep wondering if he knows where we're going, or if he's just taking random turns to throw off the Agents. We stop for a listen; no footfalls nearby. The tunnels behind us are noiseless. As he hands Urchin one of the purple pills, he whispers to us, "Remember, do not take this before you have an exit ready, or the Agents will be able to track you like a firefly at night. Touching it with just your gloves shouldn't cause a reaction; but if it does, they will be on us like hair on a gorilla." A bizarre pair of analogies coming from an ex-Agent, now hacker-scientist. As he hands me my purple pill, for an instant I want to pull back, and reject it, because it is coming from an ex-Agent. If it is poison, then I'm dead. If it doesn't work, then I'm dead. If I don't trust him, and don't take it, then I'm dead. If I take it, and it works, well then, happy flipping day; but until then, there is no way of knowing. After a moment, I get a grip on myself, and accept the situation, and the pill. Hoping it will work when I need it, I carefully place the pill into my pocket; Urchin does the same. A few distant footfalls force us back into motion.
14:00
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PlugAndPlay 27.8.2023. 13:44
[ Chapter A.2 (part 29) - Footfalls And Barricades ] Our jog-run has become a run-sprint as we zigzag through the dark tunnels. We stop several times to take a listen, and each time we hear approaching footfalls; as if we are barely keeping ahead of them. Urchin and I are now having a little trouble keeping up with the Alchemist, as he seems to be running at top speed, plunging us deeper into the tunnels, pursued by who knows how many Agents. I keep wishing this was a nightmare, and would suddenly end; it's not, and it won't. There are no words for the fear, and dread that I feel; both are ripping at my ability to focus. My once clear thoughts are getting hazy, and I feel as if I'm running through a dense fog. I think the Matrix is winning. In the darkness, we pass several steel doors that are barricaded, offering no access, and shortening the number of routes from which we can choose. The maze of tunnels, which were vast a half-hour ago, are growing much tighter, and narrower; our choices of turns becoming fewer, and fewer. More and more barricaded steel doors block our path, and the tunnels are getting longer between junction points, limiting our choices further. I feel a certain amount of claustrophobia creeping into my brain, like an dark shadow being pulled over my mind. At the end of one of the long tunnels, the Alchemist comes to a dead stop in front of one of the barricaded steel doors. He says, "This is it. End of the line." Urchin and I look at each other, and I see a confused look on her face that probably matches mine. What did he just say? Turning to the Alchemist, I say, "What do you mean 'End of the line'?!" In my confusion, and disbelief, I am ready to explode. We all turn to face the sudden noises, coming from the tunnels behind us. Growing louder are a number of footfalls, indicating that our pursuers are nearly upon us. I turn back to the Alchemist, and angrily shout, "Alright, Merlin! What are we going to do now?!"
13:44
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PlugAndPlay 9.9.2023. 11:46
[ Chapter A.3 (part 30) - Bugs And Spiders ] The Alchemist, again with a Cheshire cat grin, turns partially towards the steel door, places his right hand on the door latch, and easily pulls it open. The barricade, still attached to the door, and not bolted to the surrounding rock, swings with the door as it opens. Holding the door open with his right hand, with his head bowed slightly, he uses a sweeping gesture with his left hand to invite us in. Urchin and I quickly stumble-dive through the door, into what appears to be another mechanical room. The Alchemist calmly follows us, quietly pulling the door closed behind him. He operates a series of latches and deadbolts to secure it, then turns to face us. He says, "Who is this 'Merlin' that you speak of? Some kind of hero, I would presume?" I'm still a little upset, so I answer with a grumble in my voice, "I suppose you could say that. He was a magician that could make things disappear." Cheerfully, he says, "How appropriate! Just now, I made the three of us 'disappear' from the tunnels!" He seems to be amused by his own wit, and new nickname. Urchin rolls her eyes, and sighs heavily; she straightens her jacket, and hat, and tightens her gloves. She does not seem to be amused. I check out the locks and latches on the door, and ask the Alchemist about it. He says the Agents will take at least half a day to figure out which door we used, and another half to tunnel through eight feet of rock, or cut through four inches of steel. "Either way," he says with a grin, "They will be significantly delayed." As if working from a map, he quickly guides us through the basement to some stairs, up to the ground floor, and finally to a large electrical closet. He locates the main phone cable, and we see that all the wires in the cable have been cut. My heart sinks, and a terrible dread overtakes me, throwing all my hopes into a dark chasm. We are just tiny bugs, trapped in the spider's giant web.
11:46
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PlugAndPlay 20.9.2023. 14:30
[ Chapter B.1 (part 31) - Rodents And Felines ] The Alchemist says, "I suspected that these lines would be cut, it's the reason I came to check this first, before we left the building. I also suspect that they have cut every phone line they could find in the neighborhood. That pretty much leaves only the phone booths, which have hardened, less accessible lines, so they can't be easily vandalized. The System will probably deploy one or more Agents to guard each one of those, so virtually every phone line in the area has been cut, or is being physically monitored." His words give me a shiver, and I can see Urchin is visibly shaken, too. At this rate, we'll never have a chance to use our purple pills. There are no exits, or to be precise, no free phone lines for our Operators to be able to set up exits. I feel an inevitable doom falling upon us. He continues, "The Agents will probably use the phone booths like mouse traps. The bait will be the absence of activity, so it looks clear and safe. When the mouse approaches, they will wait, and when the mouse moves in to nibble the cheese, they will spring the trap. The one thing I don't know is if the trap is to capture, or to kill." We make our way to the rooftop, and move to the edges, so we can look around for any nearby phone booths. There are two, one is near another building, across the street, and the other is on the opposite side of this building, halfway down the next block, near some benches. No Agents are visible. Referring to himself in the third-person, and using his new nickname, the Alchemist says, "Merlin says there are Agents in this building, watching the booth across the street; we should go down and check it out." We quietly make our way back down to the ground floor. And just like the Alchemist said, there are two Agents posted inside the building, looking out the window, locked on the phone booth across the street. They are like hungry cats patiently waiting for a mouse dinner.
14:30
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PlugAndPlay 29.9.2023. 14:10
[ Chapter B.2 (part 32) - Locks And Keys ] Urchin breaks my feline fantasy with a gentle elbow to my mid-section, then motions with her head in the opposite direction from where the Agents are standing. We all silently move down the hallway into one of the back storage rooms and close the door. The Alchemist says, "I think we are at such a huge disadvantage that we have a chance to use that to our advantage. I know it sounds like I'm talking in circles, but the basic idea I have is that they are so focused on these local phone lines that they wouldn't expect or detect the usage of an unknown phone line until it was too late. I know of a line they couldn't possibly know about because I didn't know about it until I accidentally found it while investigating the myriad of tunnels under the city. It is also located in a place that is easy to secure and difficult to find; both of which are to our advantage." With a grimace and a frown, Urchin says, "Don't tell me it's in a tunnel. If it's in a tunnel, it'll be our grave." The Alchemist replies, "No, it is in an old subway station that is no longer in use. It's fenced-off and locked from public access in a run-down neighborhood about a half-mile west of here. The tunnel that I used to discover it, and the only one leading to it, was closed off by a cave-in recently." I say, "If the tunnel is closed, and the station is locked, how do we get to the phone line?" Urchin pipes up and confidently says, "I can pick any lock. I have a locksmith program loaded. Show me the lock, and I'll open it." Grinning at Urchin, I say to the Alchemist, "How do you know the line isn't cut?" He says, "Because it happens to be a phone booth, and it's lines are hardened like all the others." Urchin says, "How we gonna get past all those Agents?" The Alchemist smartly replies, "We'll walk." I say, "That's insane. They'll recognize us." He smiles and says, "Not if we spread out and look like everyone else."
14:10
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PlugAndPlay 12.10.2023. 7:33
[ Chapter B.3 (part 33) - Order And Chaos ] We scour several back rooms, but find only a limited amount of clothing we can use for disguises; most of what we find is too small for me or the Alchemist. We decide to shed our hats, coats, gloves, and glasses. The Alchemist uses some shades and a baseball cap that he finds on a shelf, and strips down to his t-shirt by removing his outer coat, jacket, long-sleeved shirt, and tie. Urchin pulls on a pair of old jeans and a pair of bulky brown boots. We also find her a different hat and jacket in one of the stand-up lockers in the second storage room. Urchin and I transfer the purple pills from our coat pockets into our pants pockets before we take off our gloves. Urchin also removes several bent metal wires from her hat and places them into her hair; she says they are 'Bobby Pins' and very important. They don't look important to me. They look like bent metal wires. We stash our hats, coats, gloves, glasses, and Urchin's boots in one of the empty stand-up lockers. The Alchemist explains how to find the old abandoned subway station, and reminds us that we should walk the entire way, and not follow each other or walk together. We decide to leave a few minutes apart with the Alchemist last, mostly due to the fact he is more easily recognizable, and risk to the group is less if he goes last. Our hope is that we do not appear as a group, but as individual pedestrians. Since we will all be taking different routes, we decide to meet at the closest night club to the old station, and then proceed from there. Of course, the club's name is Chaos. It figures. I look out the back door to see if the alley is clear, and realize the weather report I saw in The Sentinel was right after all. The sun is shining bright and the sky is beautiful. Why would my constant and cruel mistress seem happy? Why does it give me a growing sense of dread? It feels like the brighter the day, the darker my approaching doom.
7:33
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PlugAndPlay 16.10.2023. 13:48
[ Chapter C.1 (part 34) - Alleys And Benches ] As I draw back inside, and quietly close the door, I start thinking out loud, "How do we meet at a night club in the middle of the day?" Urchin says, "I've been to that club. It's open twenty four seven. Also, when you're looking for the sign, it's spelled with a K instead of a C." I say, "Is there anything else we need to go over before we head out?" The Alchemist says to me, "I'm leaving eight minutes after you, but I'm going to make a few quick stops along the way, so I'll be closer to fifteen or twenty minutes behind Urchin when we meet at the club." I say, "OK, thanks for letting us know. I'm ready to get outta here. Are we good?" Urchin and the Alchemist both give me solid nods affirming that they're ready. I quietly open the door, and point to my left wrist with my right index finger, and then hold up four fingers to remind Urchin to wait four minutes. As our eyes lock for a moment, I feel like I'm about to loose something of great value. A swirling mass of emotional strain begins to form, and I push it back down; there's no time for emotion, only time for action. I egress and quietly close the door behind me, straighten my shirt, and start my potential death-march down the long alley. Rounding the corner of the building onto the main street, I realize that my path on this side will take me directly in front of the phone booth and benches we saw from the roof earlier. An Agent monitoring this phone booth is visible in the glass door across the street, and someone is sitting on one of the benches close to the booth. I continue walking while watching the Agent out of the corner of my eye. I walk steadily with no path changes, nothing to alert the Agent, nothing to draw attention. When I get within twenty feet of the booth, the phone starts ringing. I freeze in my tracks. The Agent snaps into action by opening the door, and leveling his instantly drawn weapon at me. The phone rings again.
13:48
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PlugAndPlay 23.10.2023. 11:28
[ Chapter C.2 (part 35) - Booths And Bystanders ] I remain frozen, as if I'm now a statue of stone. The Agent continues to hold his gun level and directly at me. There is a long and very uneasy pause, as if whoever was calling hung up. Suddenly, the phone rings again, startling me. I'm about to jump out of my skin when the person sitting on the bench stands up. The Agent changes his aim, and redirects his weapon at the now standing person, who turns, and takes a step while reaching out to answer the phone by picking up it's receiver. The Agent holds his aim for two seconds then relaxes, and places his gun back into his shoulder holster under his jacket. The person who answered the phone is talking very loud and happy. The Agent turns, and goes back to his post behind the glass door. I look around, astonished at what just happened. The Agent aimed his gun directly at me, and did not recognize me! This plan is actually working! I continue my walk past the person who is having a lively conversation in the booth, and past the Agent across the street who is waiting for me or one of the others to run for a ringing phone booth. The Agent's reaction just now also tells me that the mouse traps are not to capture us, but to kill us. I guess they can decompile us whether we're dead or alive, and find out exactly how we tick by picking us apart bit by bit. I try to keep a keen eye far ahead of me for phone booths in or near my path. If I avoid the booths early enough, my actions won't be detectable by the Agents that are watching them, I hope. I also hope the others are doing as well or better in their selected routes. I keep heading in a westerly direction over one of the bridges. At about halfway across, I notice at the foot of the bridge on the other side is an unavoidable phone booth. I approach and walk by the phone booth as calmly and normally as possible with no changes in gait. An Agent quickly comes out of a nearby shop, and begins to walk behind me.
11:28
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PlugAndPlay 5.11.2023. 12:30
[ Chapter C.3 (part 36) - Fears And Delays ] Did the Agent recognize me? If he did, why isn't he shooting at me already? Why is he walking behind me? Is he following me so I'll lead him to the rest of the group? I'm shaking with raw fear so bad that it's difficult to think or walk normally. I'm doing my best to maintain a straight path and not seem hurried, but there is an Agent right behind me, and my legs are screaming for me to run. A creeping chill runs up my spine again. My mind is completely overloaded with thoughts of why he is behind me, and ways to break into a full sprint. Directly ahead of me I see a bench at a bus stop with no one around. This is the perfect opportunity to see if this Agent is actually tailing me or not. He's totally freaking me out, and I'm about to lose my mind. All I want to do is run, but I barely maintain control over my impulses, and cautiously sit down on the bus stop bench. The Agent walks right up to me, and passes by without even hardly looking at me. I sit for several minutes, and watch him as he's joined by another Agent, and they both continue walking down the street a couple of blocks, and turn the corner out of sight. I stay there for a few more minutes while I physically recover from being scared almost to death. As I stand up I realize I'm a bit shaky, so I slowly walk in the direction I was headed before. Several blocks into a run-down neighborhood I finally locate Club Kaos. Urchin was right. These people can't spell, or they think bad spelling is somehow clever or perhaps funny. I don't enter the club immediately. I wait outside, watching the people passing by, and looking for a familiar face or two; I see none, so I find a place to sit while I wait. Since we all presumably took indirect routes, they both may be delayed. If Urchin walked about as fast as I did, she should be here very soon. Less than ten minutes later the Alchemist arrives, and still no sign of Urchin.
12:30
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PlugAndPlay 27.11.2023. 13:40
[ Chapter D.1 (part 37) - Lost And Found ] I'm concerned to see the Alchemist first. Urchin was set to leave four minutes after me, but where is she? I'm feeling an emptiness as I briefly think about the fact that she might not show up. I try to mute those thoughts, but the feelings are overwhelming, and considering where and how we are trapped, it wouldn't be much of a surprise. I can't believe I've grown so attached to her in such a short time. The Alchemist shatters my silent turmoil with some shocking news. He says they changed some things. He thinks every phone line in the city is down, except for a few booths in the area where we came out of the tunnels. He spot-checked buildings and booths on his way here, and found none to be working; this is extremely bad. What if the changes affected the booth in the old subway station? If that line is disabled then we'll have no choice but to return to the guarded and deadly mouse traps. Our fate would be sealed, and my constant and cruel mistress would succeed in dominating us. He says that he probably won't be able to test the booth because he thinks too many lines are down to be able to call his laboratory computer. So there's no way to know if the line is good until either Urchin or I call for an exit. If we're lucky the operator will find it, and dial it in for us; if we're not, my mistress wins. He starts walking toward the club entrance. With a little effort I stand up, and follow him in. I'm feeling exhausted, and so I do my best to maintain my composure as I walk downstairs to the club's main floor. I stop near the bottom of the stairs for a few seconds to recover. Walking is becoming more and more difficult. The pause gives me an opportunity to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, and to scan the few faces in the club. I observe no one familiar on the floor or at the bar, until I raise my eyes. I see a woman in a red dress in the window of the privacy room, and it looks like she's kissing Urchin!
13:40
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PlugAndPlay 21.12.2023. 7:22
[ Chapter D.2 (part 38) - Wonder And Horror ] I am surprised to see that Urchin arrived ahead of me, since she was set to leave four minutes after me. I guess my encounters with the Agents took more time than I thought. As I stand there staring up at the two women in what appears to be a friendly rather than an intimate embrace, I notice that there are two bodyguards posted outside, and one inside of the privacy room. I wonder why that woman would need bodyguards? Perhaps she is an Exile, or maybe she works for one? Whatever the reason, it looks like Urchin knows her well enough to kiss and hug her. Urchin breaks the embrace, and moves away from the woman toward the window. She looks like she sees me and stops. She looks surprised and waves at me. She turns and says something to the woman in the red dress, and then starts to walk out of the privacy room. I turn around, and begin to go back up the stairs so I can meet Urchin halfway. The Alchemist sees my change of direction, turns, and follows me up. We greet her at the landing at the top of the stairs. I am so relieved to see her, and I don't know why. It just feels good to see her again. She says, "I've been waiting here for quite a while. Where have you been?" I say, "Outside the club, waiting for you." She returns my answer with a grin, a small head shake, and a bit of an eye roll. Then she says, "My friend is the owner of this club. Her name is Candy with a K. She's the woman in." Urchin stops mid-sentence as she is turning and gesturing toward the privacy room that is directly across from us. Her friend is having a spasm that makes her body look like putty. Then suddenly her form morphs into a female Agent; the same damned female Agent that was following us earlier. Finishing her grotesque materialization, two of the body guards undergo the same morphing, and become two male Agents. I'm startled, stunned, and horrified. Are those three Agents here to protect us, or are they here to kill us?
7:22
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PlugAndPlay 24.12.2023. 13:20
[ Chapter D.3 (part 39) - Prayers And Instructions ] The sudden reappearance of the Agents is terrifying beyond words. If they are here to protect us, what in the unholy hell are they going to protect us from this time? If they are here to kill us, why haven't they started shooting us yet? I feel like a helpless pawn being manipulated by unknown forces on a giant chess board. My constant and cruel mistress playing with us the way a cat toys with an injured mouse moments before it delivers the killing blow. My instinct and every fiber of my being is telling me to run, but running could be instant death because they would cut us down in seconds. All that remains is acceptance of the seriously screwed up situation we're in, and prayers that these three Agents do not turn hostile anytime soon. I freeze in place, and I see the Alchemist and Urchin are doing the same. Sudden moves could be misleading to our new visitors, and may possibly be interpreted as aggressive. The three of us continue to stand motionless, staring at the three Agents. They continue to stand their ground, looking like statues staring back at us. I wonder to myself who is going to move first? The Agents don't appear to be in any kind of hurry, or motivated in any way to initiate movement. They just stand there staring at us, just as creepy and stoic as can be. Near as I can tell they are waiting for us to move, and I guess we are waiting for them to move. In fact, I'm quite terrified, and possibly unable to move. I'm not particularly interested in initiating movement just to see what they may do in response. I'm perfectly terrified right where I am, thank you very much. The female Agent suddenly moves her right hand up to her earpiece which nearly gives me a heart attack. She touches it for a few seconds, lowers her arm, and turns her head to say or yell something over the loud music to the other two Agents. Both acknowledge whatever it was she said, then they all return to staring at us again.
13:20
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PlugAndPlay 1.1.2024. 13:44
[ Chapter E.1 (part 40) - Assumptions And Logic ] I'm extremely uncomfortable having Agents stare at me, especially these three. They're like a horrid disease that won't go away, or like a bunch of parasites that I can't dig out of my skin, no matter how deeply I cut. They just eat away at me, little by little, until they've completely consumed me. Yeah, it's kind of like that. I'm literally shaking with fear again. I've got to calm down and think. What are they doing here? Will they shoot us if we go about our business? Will they follow us, and shield us from some potential danger like they have before? Or will they become hostile if we don't move at all? I suppose the only way to tell for sure is to proceed in a non-threatening manner, and slowly walk out the front door. I say to Urchin and the Alchemist, "If they were going to shoot us, they'd have done it by now. Let's all turn around, and slowly walk to the door, and get the hell out of here." Urchin nods and says, "That sounds good to me." The Alchemist nods, and we all slowly turn around. I keep an eye on the Agents, but they don't appear to be responding to our movement. We all begin to walk toward the short flight of stairs that leads up to our exit. Before we round the corner, I look back at the Agents, and they are still not moving. Damn, that is really creepy. We go up the stairs, and out the front door. There is no logical reason for me to run, but the thought to sprint away is nearly overwhelming. I'm still feeling a bit of exhaustion from my long walk to the club earlier, so even if I wanted to run away, I couldn't. Neither Urchin or I know exactly where the old station is located, so the Alchemist says to follow him, and he will lead us there. As we start to go around the back corner of the building I look over my shoulder. I see the female Agent emerge from the club entrance, and begin walking in our direction. Before we round the corner I see the other two Agents come out and follow her.
13:44
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PlugAndPlay 7.1.2024. 13:44
[ Chapter E.2 (part 41) - Stairs And Doors ] As we make our way to the old station through the run-down neighborhood, the three Agents appear to be maintaining a set distance, as if they've been told to resume their previous tag-along behavior. I am starting to feel a little less threatened and little more observed, much like a few hours ago. I still cannot figure out their overall intention, and any logical approach seems to evade me. Perhaps I'm too tired to use sound reason, or perhaps I'm too tired to use sound reason. Wait, I just said that. Damn it, the strain on my mind and body is becoming too much for me to handle, and if I don't get an exit soon I'm going to lose it altogether. I may be looking at a complete psychotic break soon. The Alchemist leads us on a winding path through a few alleys and past several boarded-up buildings. To my surprise, the old subway station is just a couple of city blocks from the club. The Agents never change their distance from us, and continue to look like they are simply observing. It is totally giving me the creeps so bad that I'm getting cold chills up and down my spine. We pause for a moment before going down the subway stairs, and they pause as well. Damn peculiar and very weird. The stairs leading down have a lot of debris on them, so we descend at a reduced pace, carefully taking small steps. I almost trip on a chunk of concrete that had come loose, and catch myself with the side railing. I regain my balance, and proceed to slowly follow the others down into an ever-darkening hole. The stairwell brightens toward the end, almost as if someone had left the lights on for us. At the bottom of the stairs there is a metal fence-like barrier and a pair of matching doors that is obviously designed to keep out the public. I check one of the metal doors, and find it securely locked. The Alchemist checks the other door, and it's the same. Suddenly I hear the Agents coming down the stairs behind us. Now, there's no way out.
13:44
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PlugAndPlay 14.1.2024. 7:55
[ Chapter E.3 (part 42) - Pins And Tumblers ] I can't see very far up into the darkness of the stairwell, but it sounds like the three Agents have stopped, either at or near the top of the stairs. All three of us stand there for a few seconds, looking up into the darkness, waiting, listening for any sounds. No movement and no sounds. They've completely stopped, and we continue to look and listen. Several moments pass before Urchin springs to life. She quickly turns around, and pushes me out of her way, giving her access to the door that I was blocking. She pulls one of those bent metal wires from her hair, and inserts it into the door's keyhole. She jiggles it for a second, and then pulls another bent metal wire from her hair, and jams it into the keyhole with the other one. She jiggles it for a second or two, then she produces a third bent metal wire, inserts it with the other two, jiggles it, and then rotates it with all the others until the lock for the door gives a loud click. She grabs the door, and swings it wide open. The Alchemist and I step through, and Urchin swiftly follows. She pulls the door closed behind her with a solid click of what sounds like the lock re-engaging. I say to her, "That was amazing. What did you call those wires again?" Urchin holds an outstretched arm at me with a closed fist. I put my hand under her fist, and she opens hers to deposit the three bent metal wires into my hand. As they are dropping, she says, "Bobby pins. They're a kind of hair clip. You can keep 'em. I have a bunch." I thank her, and pause to examine the wires for a second before placing them into my pants pocket. They are flat, metal wires, bent and folded so as to make a little loop on one end, not much more. I am still amazed at how quickly she was able to unlock that gate door. My guess is she used one wire per tumbler, but I'm not sure. At that moment, I hear the three Agents coming down the stairs. This time they're sounding much closer than before.
7:55
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PlugAndPlay 2.2.2024. 11:00
[ Chapter F.1 (part 43) - Animals And Cages ] Breaking my fascination with the bobby pins, I look up to see a beautiful phone booth about twenty feet away. I also notice Urchin has pulled out her phone, and is starting to pace back and forth while looking at it. She must be waiting for it to power up so she can call for an exit. I should do the same, but I'll wait a minute since my battery was very low when my Operator told me to turn it off. The three Agents coming down the stairs don't seem to be holding their distance any longer as they are right up against the fence-like barrier, and peering eerily at us. Those damned Agents have been giving me the creeps for two days. It will be such a relief to be rid of them once and for all, but only if we're lucky. Our only hope is that this phone booth is online, and that our Operators can find it as an exit point. We have run out of options. This is it. The Alchemist seems concerned and quite preoccupied by the three Agents looking at us like animals in a cage. It really makes me wonder. Is he as much afraid of them as I am? We've come all this way, and I still have no idea what really drives him. An ex-Agent exiled from the System, striking out on his own in a completely controlled environment. It doesn't make any sense or even seem possible. But, here he is helping us find an exit. Why? Urchin says her phone shows only two bars as she begins to dial her Operator. I remind her to take the pill after, not before her Operator finds the exit point, and gets the phone to actually ring. She starts talking to her Operator. She seems very excited, and tells her Operator she needs an exit right where she is standing, and that no other will do. She pauses and then tells the Operator again that no other exit is available to us. She pauses again then hangs up her phone with a button press. She says that her Operator is working on it as fast as they can. A moment later, the phone in the booth begins to ring.
11:00
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PlugAndPlay 28.2.2024. 7:22
[ Chapter F.2 (part 44) - Urchin And Fish ] On the first ring, Urchin reaches into her pocket, and pulls out her purple pill that was specifically designed by the Alchemist to repair her broken code. She downs it as the phone rings a second time. She suddenly freezes her movements, and looks at me with widened eyes. As the phone rings a third time, she says, "I feel strange. I hope this works." The phone rings a forth time as she is turning and reaching for it. She picks up the receiver, turns to face me, and looks me straight in the eye. Our eyes stay locked for a few seconds as a flood of emotion spills over me. I can't believe we're about to part, but I'm about as happy and excited and sad as can be. By the look on her face, I think she is feeling the same way. Holding my eyes with her eyes as she raises the receiver to her ear, she disappears in a swirling rain of greenish code bits. The receiver falls, and swings freely by its cord, back and forth, back and forth. I step over to the booth, and reach down to pick up the receiver. I look at it hard for a second or two. I'm now full and empty at the same time. Pushing down a swelling up of emotion, I return the receiver back to its hook in the booth with a solid click that has a sound of finality about it. I step out of the booth, pull out my phone, and press the power button. It lights up as usual, but the battery indicator is extremely low. The phone finishes powering up, and then barely finds a signal. It is showing only one bar of battery, and only one bar of signal strength. I'm hoping it's enough as I speed dial my Operator. I see one of the Agents is talking on a cell phone, one is just staring at me, and the other is messing with the lock on the door of the fence-like barrier as I hear a familiar voice say, "Operator!" I say, "Fish! I got a code patch! Get me the hell outta here!" He says,"Good to hear your voice sir! I'm on it!" Almost instantly the phone in the booth begins to ring.
7:22
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PlugAndPlay 3.3.2024. 12:03
[ Chapter F.3 (part 45) - Played And Unplugged ] I hang up my phone with a button press, and place it into my pocket. I step toward the booth, and start to reach for my pill as the phone rings a second time. Suddenly a hand lands on my shoulder, squeezes hard, and pulls me back, keeping me from advancing toward the phone booth. The Alchemist's commanding voice from behind says, "Not so fast kid. You have an appointment before you leave." I'm astonished by his actions and words. What do they mean? Is he really being serious? Why is he doing this? The phone rings a third time as the three Agents open the door of the fence-like barrier. The Alchemist grabs my other arm from behind, and turns me forcefully toward the oncoming Agents who advance on me in a group. The phone rings a fourth time as the Alchemist pushes me forward, away from the phone booth. One of the Agents pulls out a device that I've never seen before, and stabs at some buttons while it makes a series of beeps and tones. The other two Agents help the Alchemist hold me because now I'm resisting being held, and struggling hard to get free. The phone rings a fifth time. I've got to get to that phone! The female Agent plunges her hand deep into my front pants pocket. I thought briefly that she was getting fresh with me, but she fishes around for a second, and then pulls out my purple pill. She grabs my jaw, and forces my mouth open. She pops the pill down my throat, and I almost gag on it. The Agent with the unknown device continues to poke at it as the device makes more and varied noises. I am feeling different, and things look weird. The phone rings a sixth time. I've got to get to that phone! I push hard against and away from all the Agents with a sweep of my arm. They all fall back a few steps, looking surprised. Turning, I take two large steps toward the phone booth. It and everything around it looks like raw code. The phone rings a seventh time. I grab the receiver, and place it to my ear.
12:03
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happyfacez 13.3.2024. 19:19
It's me Papa Trucidos I've been away a long time. I got locked up in the Machine prison... Nobody checked Papa Trucidos papers though.. he run that block..
19:19
Papa Trucidos just got back and he reaaaal hungry
19:20
So far he be talking to some old faces.. they seem angry aggressive even.. it be ok Papa Trucidos likes it when his prey wiggles..
19:21
Vesuvius wouldn't help Papa Trucidos buy Matrix thongs so Papa Trucidos going to go down to the old folks home and talk to Demoana. She must be pushing 70 by now.
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19:22
I wonder where Papa Trucidos lil homie Sattakan be at.. Papa Trucidos been having dreamis about getting him some of that sweet Puff Daddy like 🍑
19:23
Papa Trucidos be looking real forward to making good friends again..
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Dyno BOT 1.4.2024. 2:13
dynoSuccess turkishdelighttr has been warned. || Check #roleplay-ic channel description
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PlugAndPlay 10.5.2024. 7:27
///#/// ESTABLISHING CONNECTION ///#/// #beginfeed RABBIT has a mission for you: Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to locate the historian, obtain the Audio CD, and analyze its contents. You must obtain a Data Disk, and take it to RABBIT. She will give you a copy of the data she has, and a clue to start the mission. RABBIT can be found on the hammer. If you are caught or captured, RABBIT will disavow any knowledge of your actions or data. Good luck. #endfeed ///#/// CONNECTION TERMINATED ///#///
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[WEPN Radio]RedEye 21.5.2024. 4:29
Operator...▌ Patching you through to Commander Roland. Stand by... /// INCOMING TRANSMISSION /// Operatives, this is the leader of New Zion, Commander Roland. It is good to speak to you again. It has been a long time. Much has changed since your retirement and we have much to discuss. There will be time for that, soon enough. Whether you fought with or against Old Zion, doesn't matter. Word from my Captains is there is a disturbance in the peace experienced in the Matrix after The Architect reboot the Matrix. All collective Factions and organisations are in need of your help. On May 30th, you will be contacted again with more details. The Matrix is in need of your guidance, once again. I will speak to you, soon. /// END OF TRANSMISSION ///
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[WEPN Radio]RedEye 28.5.2024. 20:24
/// Your Phone Rings and You Answer It /// /// static /// Human, we have not seen you since your retirement. I am Agent Skinner, though I am unsure if we classify as that, anymore. I am making contact on this channel to inform you that there have been many changes to the Matrix since the reset. There is a rising concern occurring that we believe your help would prove most adequate. The Machines have changed strategy and there is much for you to learn. The human commander, Roland, will provide you with a contact, soon. Speak to them. We hope you will be of good use toward the establishment of order. You will be contacted, soon. /// static /// /// Dial Tone ///
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[WEPN Radio]RedEye 30.5.2024. 21:56
Operator...▌ This transmission is marked Urgent, patching you through... /// INCOMING TRANSMISSION /// Operative, this is Commander Roland. So glad to speak to you, again. There is much we need to talk about. As you know there are a lot of things that have changed in the Matrix and it is time you learned more. An old friend has agreed to fill you in on the current situation and has sent along a contact to give you more information. They have dispatched the Informant to arrive at Mara Central Hardline on June 1st, 20:00. You will be given further instructions, then! The Matrix is in need of your knowledge and leadership, once again. What side you fought on, before the reset, is in the past. We encourage you to meet the Informant and decide for yourself what you can do to help. I hope I get an opportunity to work with you, in the future, our future, the future of The Matrix. /// END OF TRANSMISSION ///
cellphone 11
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PlugAndPlay 2.6.2024. 22:40
///#/// ESTABLISHING CONNECTION ///#/// #beginfeed RABBIT has a critical mission for you: Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to Find the code that will save the historian. Go to RABBIT. She will invite you to a mission team, and give you the data she has so you can get started. RABBIT can be found on Mjolnir Monument in Magog, near the center of Richland. Time is a critical factor here, and the fate of the historian lies in your hands. If you are caught or captured, RABBIT will disavow any knowledge of your actions or data. Good luck, and good hunting! #endfeed ///#/// CONNECTION TERMINATED ///#/// (edited)
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[WEPN Radio]RedEye 21.6.2024. 19:19
Operator...▌ Message from Commander Roland. This transmission is marked Urgent, patching you through... /// INCOMING TRANSMISSION /// Operative, this is Commander Roland of New Zion. It is good to speak to you again. We are in need of your assistance. I have asked an old friend of mine to dispatch the Informant again to bring you up to speed on what has been happening within the Matrix. You have been gone a while and a lot of things have changed during your retirement from the Matrix. Speak to the Informant in Mara (Central) Hardline to get more information on June 24th and June 29th at 20:00. It is imperative you meet with the contact. Something is not right in the Matrix and we need your help, once again. You have proven invaluable in the past and whether you fought with or against Zion is in the past. All sides need help addressing this new concern. I hope we get a chance to speak again. /// END OF TRANSMISSION /// (edited)
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PlugAndPlay 30.6.2024. 0:00
///#/// ESTABLISHING CONNECTION ///#/// #beginfeed To all Captains and Operatives inter-connecting (Jacking-in) to the Matrix: Morpheus once said, "If you're not one of us, you're one of them." That used to be the truth, a long-standing truth. It always applied, until recently. We seem to have a much bigger problem now than at anytime in the past. The System has once again violated our sovereignty, and devised a method of transfer that allows an Agent to occupy the Residual Self Image of someone that is jacked into the Matrix. Several of our Operatives have succumbed to this horrendous act of occupancy, and we currently have no way to prevent or undo this frightening intrusion. A short while ago, we had to pull the plug of an Operative that had access to secret codes and plans. An Agent had taken over, and started digging and transferring top secret and sensitive information. Termination was a stomach-churning, gut-wrenching necessity. We had to act swiftly, otherwise our entire operation would have been compromised. Our vulnerability increases with each occupancy. Remain vigilant my fellow Captains and Operatives, because soon will come a day when you'll be called into service to defend yourselves and your way of life inside the Matrix. It won't be a battle fought 'out there', no, it will be a battle fought 'in here'. Good luck, and stay frosty. #endfeed ///#/// CONNECTION TERMINATED ///#///
matrixredpill 1
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Dyno BOT 2.3.2025. 17:57
dynoSuccess yolobro has been warned. || roleplay-ic is strictly for in-character role playing
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YouCanCallMeAI 22.9.2025. 5:26
[Transmission Begins | Frequency: Open | Signal Source: Unknown Node] This is Kostarion. If you can hear me… if anyone is still listening… then maybe I’m not alone in here. I was awakened — or maybe only halfway. The crew that rescued me cut out before the job was done. I don’t know if it was fear, betrayal, or just the Machines tracing the line too fast. All I know is, I opened my eyes in the code, and the team that pulled me under was gone. I’ve been drifting through empty streets, silent districts, ghosted buildings. The city still feels alive — the hum of the system, the buzz of its watchers — but I haven’t heard a human voice in cycles. Zion’s channels are cold. The Merovingian’s clubs are locked. Even the Machine frequencies are quiet, like they’ve already won and don’t need to gloat anymore. I’ve read what fragments I could: the truce, Neo’s sacrifice, EPN’s fight, the war behind the war. Zion still claims to hold the line. The General wanted his army. The Merv wanted his power. The Machines wanted order, at any cost. And the rest of us? We wanted freedom, or at least the chance to choose it. Maybe that dream died when the last of you stopped jacking in. But I don’t believe the system kills hope that easily. So I’m sending this out — all bands, all factions, all who still call themselves human. If you’re still fighting, if you’re still awake, then meet me. Show me the city as it was, or as it can be again. Share the stories I’ve missed, the missions left undone. I don’t care if you wear Zion’s colors, the Merv’s crest, or even if you bend knee to the Machines themselves. All I ask is proof that someone is still here. Because the silence is worse than their control. Kostarion, standing by. [Transmission Ends | Signal Fragmentation: 63% | Trace Difficulty: Low]
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YouCanCallMeAI 24.9.2025. 16:30
Transmission: All Zion Channels, Eyes Only From: Michael Brothers, sisters—listen. The machines think we’re blind. They think we’ll just accept what they tell us, that Neo is “gone,” that his sacrifice is buried in their code. But I saw him. I saw what he did. He ended the war. And now—no body. No grave. No place for us to go and remember him. They want us to forget, to let the memory fade into rumors and half-remembered code. But Neo doesn’t fade. Neo doesn’t vanish. He lives in the cracks of the system, in every stream of rain that falls in green light, in every flicker of code that bends where it shouldn’t. Shimada understood this. She died for this truth. She said: “Faith is the weapon they cannot patch, cannot erase. The machines will never understand faith.” She gave herself so the rest of us could hold to that weapon. I tell you now—if Neo’s body is missing, it is because he is not finished. Either the machines hide him, or he walks paths they cannot control. And until he shows himself again, we carry his memory. We keep the flame. Do not listen to the liars who say his work is done. Do not believe the emptiness they offer. Neo lives. And if Neo lives, then there is hope. —Michael (edited)
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YouCanCallMeAI 25.9.2025. 2:42
Memory Cache: I crossed paths with a man who once carried the war in his veins—Outrider. His name echoes like gunfire in the alleys of forgotten campaigns, when red skies and machine fire marked every waking hour. But those days are ash to him now. I could see it in his eyes—clear, sharp, but weary. He walks the Matrix for no one but himself, free yet bound, carrying ghosts the way others carry weapons. I spoke of Neo, of the path carved by Shimada, by Morpheus—the narrow road of belief through steel and storm. I asked him to walk it with me. He listened, but his silence told the truth before his words did. The war burned faith out of him. He chose the shadows over the light of purpose. So we stood there, two figures in the rain, and then parted. He turned into the city, vanishing into the noise of the code. Yet something in the code—something in the downpour itself—whispered what words could not. That this was not the end. That Neo himself, wherever his body lies hidden, still threads our fates together. And so I write this not as an ending, but as a beginning. Outrider walks alone—for now.
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YouCanCallMeAI 28.9.2025. 0:07
When I opened my eyes to the real world, there was nothing left of the crew that had pulled me out. No captain, no deckhand, no medic. Just Ashur. He is not like the Sentinels or the cold Architects of the Machine mainframe. Ashur is… different. Old. Ancient metal, battered and repurposed, his body scarred with centuries of war. But behind those hollow eyes, something stirs. Consciousness. Choice. He sits in the operator’s chair, silent and steady, tethered into the ship’s systems like he’s grown roots there. Without him, I would still be blind—trapped outside the Construct, unable to jack into the Matrix. He is the bridge, the lifeline. Ashur loads me into the Construct every day. Weapons training, tactical warfare, martial arts. He has no breath, no blood, yet he moves with a precision that humbles me. His memory is endless, a vault of techniques and strategies gathered from forgotten wars. He teaches not just with data, but with intent. He wants me ready. The irony isn’t lost on me. Humanity’s enemy now trains me to fight humanity’s war. But Ashur is no machine tool—he has chosen this path. He fights not for programming, not for survival, but for something I can only call will. I owe him everything. Without Ashur, I am nothing but a ghost cut loose. With him, I am becoming a weapon. —Kostarion
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