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Part 5 of "The One" series by Thesseli , Part 5 of "The One" series by Thesseli
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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-04
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2010-01-08
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10/10
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The One: Exiles

Summary:

Former Agent Smith returns to the Matrix to continue the work of the One, and runs into a some old friends and enemies along the way. Sequel to 'The One: Reloaded'.
Submitted through the Makebelieve_YG mailing list.

Chapter 1: Part 1: Strange Days

Chapter Text

The One: Exiles
Part 1: Strange Days

 

Former Agent Smith rubbed at his eyes and yawned, pushing the thick file across the desk and looking at it distastefully. He never would have guessed that being the One -- the supposed savior of humanity and vanquisher of their machine overlords -- would involve so much paperwork.

He blinked a few times, trying to get up enough energy to return to the report. So far, it wasn't working. He just pushed the hardcopy a little further away, then leaned back in his chair and wondered at the workings of the human body. He hadn't really been reading for long. How could he be tired already?

He sighed. Humans were weak and inefficient; and now, he was one of them.

It had been several months since he'd taken on Neo's appearance and role -- at Neo's request, although Smith hadn't exactly been given a choice in the matter. Neo knew he was dying, and he knew that the world still needed the One...not to fight the machines, but to make peace with them. He also knew that the only living person (so to speak) who could take on the role was Smith. Smith, his mortal enemy, the other half of the equation. Smith, the former agent, the former virus, the former AI who now resided in living flesh and who'd taken on Neo's task with great reluctance. But as he'd gotten used to his situation, Smith had become more comfortable with it, and himself -- more accepting of his new purpose. His new mission.

Although Smith hadn't realized, in the beginning, just how boring that mission could be. Not all the time, of course. Going back into the Matrix to work with the team of agents the mainframe had assigned to him, or following a lead on suspicious exile activity or acts of sabotage against the peacekeeping process...that wasn't boring at all. It was like being an agent again. And because nearly everyone inside and out of the Matrix thought he was dead, there was nothing like the look on an exile's face the first time they saw who was in command of the agents running the investigation.

Smith hadn't failed to notice how frequent these investigations were becoming, however, just as the planning phase of the project was starting to come together. Not the peacekeeping project; the *other* project. This massive undertaking, the joint venture between man and machine, that they hoped would someday clear the skies. If they were successful, it would permit life to return to the surface; and with it, there would be freedom from the Matrix for anyone who wanted it. But the Oracle had warned them that others would be working against that goal. Too many people, both human and AI, had too much to lose if the Matrix's hold on humanity was released.

To the rich and powerful, the status quo could be quite appealing indeed.

This was all in the reports Agent Collins had been sending. And truthfully, these were the only items of real interest to him. Most of the files dealt with the logistics of bringing the human and AI scientists together so their research could begin, along with the science behind the research itself. Not that these things weren't important, but as a former system agent he simply didn't have the scientific background to consult on such an endeavor...which was what both the humans and machines wanted. Both sides wanted the One involved. He'd had to familiarize himself with the basics via the material sent to him by Collins.

At least that was going smoothly, he mused. Smith was thankful that the three agents assigned to protect him seemed to have overcome their initial misgivings about working with him...especially Collins, who'd originally been programmed as an antivirus. Her team was doing more than just providing security now; they were acting as liaisons between the One and the mainframe, and through it the rest of the machine world. Agent Evans, the team's intelligence unit, had prepared the rather extensive scientific documents that Smith was currently struggling through. They were very complete, and Collins had offered to send him an abridged version if he wanted one. She'd warned him that her colleague was *very* thorough with such things -- Evans wanted to include absolutely everything that might possibly be of help. But there was so much minutiae that he kept getting bogged down in the details.

Smith rubbed his eyes and forehead again. The material was complicated, he was getting restless, and his head was starting to hurt from staring at the tiny print on the pages. Maybe he would take Collins up on her offer of the abridged version after all. But for now, he needed a break.

He stood up and stretched luxuriously, enjoying that aspect of being human, and then headed for the bridge of the hovercraft.