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We can make sure of that.

Whether you like me or not, whether you and I have had issues in the past or not, if you've known me at all, then you know the things I've done to try and entertain this community. From the events I've held on Recursion as a member of Pluribus Neo, to the little bit of time I spent as Liaison Officer Zeissman, to Algorithm: Black, to the Turf Wars event series.

I love this place, as much as any of you do.

While I have no love lost for SOE, it honestly does hurt me to know that this place is going to disappear.

And since the announcement was dropped... I've been approached at least a hundred times over, being asked things like "Do you know of an emulator in development?" and "You have to have something up your sleeve... what is it?"

Truth be told, I've had nothing up my sleeve. But I do have an idea...

If you remember the Algorithm: Black event, then you remember that there were a number of ARG-style elements incorporated into it that brought the feeling of The Matrix to your every day life. From anonymous text messages on your cellular phone, to receiving clues in the mail. So here is what I propose:

Project Slumber: An ongoing MxO-based Alternate Reality Game, set to begin after the conclusion of The Matrix Online. It will pick up where the story of MxO leaves off, and it will build upon it, all in a real-life setting. You will play the part of the character you've built here, and you're more than welcome to invite others who are unfamiliar with MxO to participate.

What is it exactly?

You'll have to experience it for yourself to find out.

Can you help out?

Sure, if you're interested. I'll be accepting applications for various positions that I'll be detailing in another post, in this thread, very soon.

How do you participate?

Well, it's an opt-in process, for now. In the future, I hope to build a website, with forums, and so on that will eventually act as a base of operations for the project. I will, in the meantime, be running an IRC channel on the irc.mibbit.net IRC network, where you can hang out and converse with other members, until a full website is available.

Until then, to opt-in as a participant in this project, send an e-mail to projectslumber@gmail.com with the following information:

Your Full Name (First and Last)
Your Redpill Name
Mailing Address
Cellular Telephone Number

None of the information will be shared with anyone else, and will only be used for the purpose of contacting you, in your participation with ongoing events.

I was recently contacted by a gentleman named Peter (I'll withhold his last name, and no, it's not Griffin), who is a student at the Sheffield Hallam University, and located my e-mail address via the redpillalliance.com website. In his e-mail, he expained that he is currently doing a research project on The Matrix (transmedia story-telling, to be specific), and that he would like to pick the brains of the MxO community.

The research is into transmedia storytelling, which, in case you don't know, is narritives that are told through multiple media, such as The Matrix, Star Wars, etc. What follows is his e-mail, with questions for you to answer (if you'd be so kind.):

Hi Cody

Thank you for your quick reply, I've started reading the storyline on
mxostory.com but there's quite a bit to get through so think it'll take me a
while. There are two main questions I would like to get your response to and
also have you post on the MxO boards, if you don't mind.

First, if there was to be more new content for the Matrix franchise what medium
would you want it delivered on? The obvious options people might choose to me
were film, game, book, comic, and animation. If there are other mediums you
would prefer to see content on that's great. I really want to see what ideas
fans have about where they would like the Matrix to go. In relation to this
question I'd like to know why you, and others, choose a particular medium, and
also because you and everyone else on the MxO boards has played MxO, would you
want some of the story from MxO told in this new medium or a brand new story
content.

Second, with MxO closing down (or not as we hope) would you say that the Matrix
franchise has 'died' and why? Obviously it will never be 'dead' but with no new
content and seemingly the end of MxO it seems that the Matrix is over.

I'd love to have your thoughts on these two questions, and if you could post
them on the MxO boards that would be great. These are two quite big issues that
are going to be more like debates, or almost essays, rather than just simple
answers but if you're willing to answer that would be great and if this seems
kind of one-way and you want to know my take on these questions feel free to
ask as well, I have my own ideas but obviously they come from a different
perspective than yours will because I've never played MxO and I'm quite
pragmatic about such things.

Regards

Peter

From: Sykin
To: Phrack
Date: 03/05/2009 18:45:54
Subject: Hey, Phrack
This is a real bummer. I was wondering if you could pass along my last goodbye to the community. My subscription up and ran out on me (I came back during the big Rarebit sobfest); I simply forgot when my last day was going to be. I should be going out sans a whisper like last time, I barely feel like I spent close to four years of my life here nowadays, but I just wanted to say:

Thank you. Thank each and every one of you. It has been a pleasure, but, for me, this is where it ends.

Farewell,
- Sykin

Sykin... nothing ever ends. We'll be in touch, old man.

For those who are interested, the character of N07H1N9 in the Algorithm: Black event series, was conceived, contributed to, and played by Sykin.

Surprise, surprise.

After four years of playing, Phrack's time is nearing an end. I've grown a little too disgusted with the turn of events, and behavior of certain individuals to continue on as I have to date... and I think it's become pretty obvious to many, judging by my attitude.

Back in November, I got the idea to write Destinybound, in an attempt to go back in time and provide details surrounding Phrack's awakening that I never touched on during my four-year tenure here. As it currently stands, there is still a lot of story there that's left to tell. For that reason, it is one of a few projects that remain on my to-do list, before retiring my character completely:

Farm New Area K (for the Omega Jacket) - Ding.
Farm Executable Headgear
Farm Patcher’s Headgear (for the Omega Headgear) - Ding.
Farm Zion Rave Pants
Farm RSI Captures (already have gang leaders)
Farm War Sword
Finish 11.3.3 Mission
Finish 12.1.3 Mission
Finish writing Destinybound
Finish writing Phrack’s Story

After that, nothing's left.

With the official storyline being left as-is, quite possibly indefinitely, the concept of the story being in "our hands" comes to mind. I would like to know how the rest of the community feels about the idea of the story being player-run. Would you like to see a team of players, like LESIG or Algorithm: Black step up, to carry on the story in some semi-official (by semi-official, I mean that the majority of the community more or less accepts it as cannon) way?

Would you like to see the story left alone, and claim everything posted for Chapters 12, 13 and 14 as the official "end?" Or would you prefer, as a community, to see it continue in some way, run by players, for players? Or would you just not care, either way?

If you know me at all, then you probably have a pretty good idea of why I'm asking these questions. I'm looking forward to hearing your answers.

Faction Leader: Phrack

Organization: E Pluribus Neo

Rank One Council: Aracher, Archangel, Darminian, ExternalError, Phrack

Established: August, 2004

Faction Type: RP/PvP/PvE

Website: http://www.pluribusneo.org

Disclaimer:

Please do not post in this thread unless you have a positive remark to make on Pluribus Neo in its entirety, or are considering recruitment into this faction. Anything other than these types of posts will be considered harassment, even if they are in a "joking" manner. Also, do not spam or "bump" this thread with irrelevant commentary. If you do not have updated faction information or news to post, a question, or a positive review to post, please refrain from posting. This also goes for members of this faction as well. Thank you for your time.

Faction History:

Originating on the Algorithm server in Beta, Pluribus Neo started out as a group of Zion-aligned Morpheus supporters known as Scarlet Omega. When The Matrix Online went live, in March of 2005, the faction reformed on its home-server of Iterator, where Scarlet Omega would grow, and mature into Scarlet Prime, prior to the server merge.

Following the server merge, Scarlet Prime found itself on Recursion, where it would rename itself Pluribus Neo and continue on to this very day, where it continues to host and attend events on a regular basis.

Faction Census:

Pluribus Neo consists of a variety of players, from all over the world, who gather in-game, on our faction’s TeamSpeak server, the faction forums, and Xfire. We seek like-minded individuals, who are well-versed in Matrix lore, active in the game, and capable of both a mature mindset, and the ability to joke around.

It should be noted that we will help new and old players as much as humanly possible, with grinding experience, reputation, or farming. However, we encourage players to learn how to be self-contained, and do things on their own. It is our belief that the stronger we are as individuals, the stronger we are as a group. We do not allow petty drama to occur among our faction members, and are quick to use an Open Door policy when it comes to handling issues any faction member may have. Likewise, we urge anyone in our faction that has an unresolved issue, to address it to the Rank One Council immediately, so it can be resolved in a timely and professional manner.

We have been the home faction for a number of players, both veteran and new, and will continue to welcome new members for a very long time.

Recruiting Requirements:

1. Must be Level 15 or higher, to be considered for recruitment. This is an older policy that has now been reenacted, and helps show us that the individual seeking recruitment is actually dedicated to putting in work on their character.

2. Must be able to devote at least 7 hours of game time to your character, each week. This equates out to at least one hour per day, and helps us determine who is active and who is not.

3. Must have an active Xfire Account.

Filling out an Application:

All applications for recruitment are to be filed in this forum (link), in a new thread. Instructions for filling out an application are listed in said forum, in the thread entitled “Before Applying...” Please read and follow all instructions carefully.

Once an application has been filled out, it will be reviewed by members of the Rank One Council, and you may (or may not) be interviewed. Once a decision has been made, you will be met in-game and accepted into the faction, or your application will be updated with a status of “Declined” and the reason why.

Friends, acquaintances and contacts of MegaCity. I come to you to ask for help. A new operative of Pluribus Neo, designation Lynzy675 has come back from a recent excursion into the simulation quite distressed. Her operator has recently sent me a data disk. Here I post the contents of that disk...

Normally we wouldn't even consider getting involved in such trivial issues as bluepill murder and gang deaths. However, GreyMountain trusts her instincts implicitly. And I in turn trust GreyMountain. Something about it doesn't add up. This isn't the usual bluepill killing bluepill and it certainly wasn't a mindless act. There is something more to it. When you get the chance, I urge you to speak to Lynzy, or perhaps her mentor GreyMountain. They are taking up the search to find the killer and resolve this situation.

Taking place on Saturday, February 7th, 2009. Thread will be edited with more details to follow. Link to main thread is here.

The Event:

Gang wars are breaking out all over the city. Three of International's most dangerous gangs have finally reached the boiling point, and are now aiming their guns at each other in what will most certainly be one of the biggest bouts of bloodshed that Kaede has ever seen!

Information:

This is the third in the ongoing series of PvP battles between Zion (The Brothers of Destiny), the Machines (The Silver Dragons), and the Merovingians (The Black Tigers). All participants are asked to farm the necessary RSI Captures, while they fight each other as representatives of each respective street gang. The gang that lasts the longest (regardless of how many times they're killed) will be declared the winner, regardless of how long the brawl lasts.

Participants are allowed to use any ability tree or build that they desire. They are also allowed to rez, buff, pop pills, etc. Anything goes! If the event is successful, then expect to see other gangs go to war with each other throughout the city, as Turf Wars continues on.

Event Time, Location:

The event will take place in Brown Field, in Kaede, at 3pm MCT (Pacific) on Saturday, January 24th. For those of you who don't like to do the math, that's 4pm Mountain, 5pm Central, 6pm Eastern, 11pm GMT.

Other Notes:

Anyone wishing to help out may do so by helping farm Ginjiro, John Moira and Shadow Strider RSI Captures and e-mailing them to Phrack2 on the Vector instance, who will be conducting this event. Also, any/all advertising that can be provided for this event would be helpful.

Event Provided By:

Pluribus Neo, with special thanks to Garu for the images.

I'd like to introduce Interface, a new podcast for The Matrix Online that will be making its debut in the coming week.

This podcast will be co-hosted by Darminian and myself, with one or two special guest-hosts per podcast. We'll also be introducing new segments of the podcast, as time goes on.

One of our starting show segments will be a portion of the show that lets the players of MxO provide their feedback on the topics of discussion, for each podcast.

Think you'd be interested in having your say? Just dial 214-628-2725 and leave a voicemail, telling us your MxO Screenname, what server you play on, and providing whatever insight you'd like on any of the topics below. Please choose only one topic to voice your thoughts on, per call, and try to limit those thoughts so they can be easily edited into the show. Note that this is not a toll-free number, and that we hope to replace it with one in the eventual future.

The topics up for discussion on the Interface - Podcast 1 are as follows:

1. Quality Repeatable Content vs. Live Events: Which do you prefer, and why? Do you think you'd be more willing to freely give up Live Events, if we had more quality repetitious content (such as instances, quests, and other static content)?

2. Your Thoughts on Update 65: With Update 66 just around the corner, we thought a decent assessment of your thoughts on Update 65 might be worth combing through. Did you especially like, or especially dislike something about it? What did you think of the items, and the bosses?

3. What Happened to Trinity?: From the infamous IRS-dbase hacker, to Neo's true love, to a pin-cushion, to a BIP? Care to share your thoughts on it?

4. Old Abilities: Remember abilities like Decoy? Better yet, remember when Multi-Fighting actually DID something? What old abilities do you remember, that we don't have anymore? Would you like to see the return of some of these abilities? Which ones, and why?

5. Hovercraft Battles: Don't know about these yet? Or are you a hardcore hovercraft warrior, who attends every battle? Let us know what you think about these, how you would like to see them expand, or whether you could care less!

Feel free to call in and give us your thoughts! And be sure to look to this thread in the future, when we update with our FIRST upcoming podcast!

In the release of Chapter 12, we were also given the release of a new dungeon-like area that some in my faction have lovingly dubbed the "Override Construct," located in Downtown. Inside, there are a whole slew of Level 55 and 60 NPC's known as Override Functions and Override Executables.

One of the first things we noticed about this place and the opponents within, is that the trick to get through it lies in strategy. For that reason, I've developed this poor attempt at a guide, detailing how to get there, how to negotiate your way through, and how to obtain the Shells and Kernels from within. This has been extensively tested and verified with me and my faction (Pluribus Neo, Recursion) and seems to work, so long as it is followed to every detail.

Reaching the Construct

Your first step is to proceed to Union Hill North, Downtown. This will be the location that you and your team will gather, to make finalizations to your loadout(s), and buffs. The following builds will be helpful:

1. Martial Artist - This will be necessary to keep the Override NPC's in interlock.

2. Gunmen and Master Knife Throwers - This will be necessary to deal area damage to NPC's while they're in interlock.

3. Proxy Master - Using a simulacrum while luring Override Executable NPC's will keep them from spawning additional Override Function NPC's on you and your team.

Other abilities you may find helpful are Recall (Team or Single), Rez, and Disguise. Note that using Sneak will be futile around the Override NPC's, as they will detect you almost immediately. With Disguise, you have a timer while your Disguise is in use, during which you can run between rooms to get into "safe" areas within the Override Construct.

An additional note: DO NOT USE AREA HACKS!!11! I cannot stress this enough, as area hacks used on any NPC's inside the area will ALSO affect other NPC's, in other rooms, and bring tons of them pouring in on you.

Once you've got your team ready to go, the entrance to the hallways to head to the construct will be located on the top-most rooftop, on the building just beside the hardline:

When you enter the white hallways, the first place you'll find yourself is in a section of the hallways that looks like the following image. To help with any potential problems, I've outlined which door you should take:

Once you've entered the second door, you'll enter a second section of the hallways, but now you'll find yourself in the presence of two hostile Level 55 Override Function NPC's, waiting in the center:

Here, you have two options. You can either attempt to fight the Level 55's (you can farm the shells here, from them) or you can bypass them completely (Disguise and/or Hyperspeed) and enter the last door to the left, straight ahead. When you've done the latter, you'll find yourself inside the Override Construct:

Note that I've marked exactly what room you'll be ported into.

The above map is accurate, in terms of what types of NPC's are located in what rooms. I've also made a point of marking the hardline exit from the area. Now, if you're after the Kernel, the NPC you're going to want to go after is the Level 70 Override Executable NPC, as marked above. Anyone using Disguise should have Recall loaded, and proceed to the room JUST PRIOR to the Level 70 before teleporting the team in.

Once that has been done, ALL TEAM MEMBERS should move as far into the Southwest corner of the room as possible and stay there. The person with the simulacrum (using Disguise) should open the door to the next room and use the sim to pull one (two is fine, with a big enough team) of the two Override Functions into the empty room with the team.

Once the NPC is in the room, WAIT FOR THE DOOR TO CLOSE before attacking it. Else, you'll pull the others from that room inside with you, and you'll all be obliterated. When you've killed the Override Function, DO NOT LOOT it until the Executable has been killed. Repeat this process until you lure the Executable in and get it killed. It seems to drop a Kernel almost every time, though I can't guarantee that.

We did this with a team of 12 people (two mission teams) and it became a pattern:

1. Kill the two Functions, do not loot.

2. Kill the Executable, loot all three NPC's.

3. Two Functions will respawn in next room, lure them in and kill them. Do not loot.

4. Executable will respawn in next room, lure it in and kill it. Loot all three NPC's.

5. Rinse and repeat.

Hopefully this tactic will help others as much as it's helped us.

Information:

This thread is for the ongoing Turf Wars PvP Series. Matches will take place twice-monthly, on alternating server instances. Each round of the Turf Wars will consist of four matches in all (between three gangs, each match). The fourth match of every round will pit the winning gangs of the prior three matches against each other to determine a winner.

This thread will outline the details of each round, as it is scheduled, and will provide links to each server's respective match thread, and will be updated with the winning gang.

The Events:

These are pure PvP Events with a small RP aspect, and Dulux is credited with the idea. Anyone can participate, regardless of level or organization affiliation. Players on each server will be required to help farm the necessary RSI Captures for each event. This thread will be updated as necessary to provide more information for upcoming rounds and matches.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Round One]

Friday, December 19th, 2008 [Recursion] (Event Thread Link)

Richland Match-Up

The Demon Army (Merovingians) [WINNER]
The Crossbones (Zion)
The Blackwoods (Machines)

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 [Syntax] (Event Thread Link)

Westview Match-Up

The Disciples (Merovingians) [WINNER]
The Guillotines (Zion)
Legion (Machines)

Saturday, January 24th, 2009 [Vector] (Event Thread Link)

International Match-Up

The Black Tigers (Merovingians) [WINNER]
The Brothers of Destiny (Zion)
The Silver Dragons (Machines)

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 [Recursion] (Event Thread Link)

ROUND ONE CHAMPIONSHIP - IN ZERO ONE!

The Demon Army (Merovingians)
The Disciples (Zion)
The Black Tigers (Machines)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Round Two]

Saturday, February 21st, 2009 [Syntax]

Downtown Match-Up

White Security (Merovingians)
The Chisels (Zion)
The Daggers (Machines)

Saturday, March 7th, 2009 [Vector]

Richland Match-Up

The Choppers (Merovingians)
The Silver Bullets (Zion)
The Death Merchants (Machines)

Saturday, March 21st, 2009 [Recursion]

Westview Match-Up

The Sparks (Merovingians)
The A.S.P.'s (Zion)
The Crow Bars (Machines)

Saturday, April 4th, 2009 [Syntax]

ROUND TWO CHAMPIONSHIP - IN SATI'S PLAYGROUND!

February 21st Match Winners (Merovingians)
March 7th Match Winners (Zion)
March 21st Match Winners (Machines)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[Round Three]

Saturday, April 18th, 2009 [Vector]

International Match-Up

The Phoenixes (Merovingians)
The Destitutes (Zion)
The Shuriken (Machines)

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 [Recursion]

Downtown Match-Up

The Bookwyrms (Merovingians)
The Dog Pound (Zion)
The Hellions (Machines)

Saturday, May 16th, 2009 [Syntax]

Richland Match-Up

The Bells (Merovingians)
The 88s (Zion)
The Furies (Machines)

Saturday, May 30th, 2009 [Vector]

ROUND THREE CHAMPIONSHIP - IN DATAMINE!

April 18th Match Winners (Merovingians)
May 2nd Match Winners (Zion)
May 16th Match Winners (Machines)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------[FINALIST MATCH]

Saturday, June 13th, 2009 [Recursion]

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALIST MATCH (ROUNDS ONE THROUGH THREE) - IN RAWLINS CORNER!

Round One Championship Winners (Merovingians)
Round Two Championship Winners (Zion)
Round Three Championship Winners (Machines)

The Event:

Gang wars are breaking out all over the city. With Richland still in the wake of a deadly battle between the Demon Army of Tabor Park, the Crossbones of Moriah Projects and the Blackwoods, calamity has befallen Westview as three more neighborhood gangs prepare to spill the blood of each other, and anyone who stands in their way!

Information:

This is the second in what will hopefully be an ongoing series of PvP battles between Zion (The Guillotines), the Machines (Legion), and the Merovingians (The Desciples). RSI Captures will be provided for all participants, while they fight each other as representatives of each respective street gang. The gang that lasts the longest will be declared the winner, regardless of how long the brawl lasts.

Participants are allowed to use any ability tree or build that they desire. They are also allowed to rez, buff, pop pills, etc. Anything goes! If the event is successful, then expect to see other gangs go to war with each other throughout the city, as Turf Wars continues on.

Event Time, Location:

The event will take place in front of the Sobra Shores Church, at 3pm MCT (Pacific) on Saturday, January 10th. For those of you who don't like to do the math, that's 4pm Mountain, 5pm Central, 6pm Eastern, 11pm GMT. Everyone signing up for this event is asked to do so by replying to this thread, so that reminders can be e-mailed out in-game as necessary.

Other Notes:

Anyone wishing to help out may do so by helping farm Jezebeth, Sylphia and Marcel Petiot RSI Captures and e-mailing them to Ilea on the Syntax instance, who will be conducting this event. Also, any/all advertising that can be provided for this event would be helpful.

As stated, full purity and expect the same.

They say we can't have Melee weapons, because the game doesn't support them, right?

So how about consumable weapon items that grant the one-turn move of using a melee weapon like a sword, staff, etc?

Basically, it'd work the same way the Shadow pills or the Silver Bullet, Holy Water, Stakes work.

Thoughts?

Sometimes even a little goes a long way. Liaison or not, I'd like to give a personal OOC thank you to Rejex for providing me with a little LESIG interaction tonight. I honestly enjoyed it, and I hope others in LESIG will follow your lead... we could certainly use it right about now.

It was another late night, or rather, early morning, as he sat in the Operator's chair, staring at the cluster of monitor displays. Since his return to active duty, the everyday routine onboard the Scarlet Hotei had fallen back to its usual standards... and Corrine, the person scheduled for tonight's shift, knew that when Phrack offered to relieve her... she was to agree to it, no questions asked. Tonight was no exception to that rule. He leaned back in his seat, as he watched the lines of code tumble down the various screens with a look of thoughtfulness across his face. In his hand, rested a metal cup, half-filled with engine degreaser... he'd taken his time in drinking it, though this was admittedly his fourth cup for the night. It seemed impossible, he thought, as he watched the code tirelessly. He couldn't begin to imagine how long Morpheus had done this very same thing, watching for hours, in hopes of finding Neo. Exhaustion had set in well over an hour ago, and yet he couldn't bring himself to call Corrine to reclaim her post so he could go to bed. Not when there was the slightest chance that the one Phrack was looking for, could reveal his or herself at any time.

A lot of thought had gone into his search, and Phrack knew that tonight was just one of the first of what could be many nights, looking. He could only hope that somewhere, eventually, he would find the person he was looking for.

In silence, he finished off the degreaser, before staring into the empty cup. It was surprising to him, how well the stuff seemed to quell the constant throbbing of his right leg. The problem was how to drink enough of it to numb his pain, without staying intoxicated. He could only imagine the look on his crew members' faces, if they walked onto the Operations Deck the next morning to find him passed out drunk at the Operator's Console.

He sighed again, as he sat the cup down, refraining from pouring more, as he turned his attention back to the monitors and frowned. The irreparable damage done to his leg had only served to remind him of his own mortality. He'd always known that the time would come when he would no longer be around to fight, but that fact seemed all the more evident now than ever. Unfortunately, he thought, when he was gone... who would continue on in his absence? Who would push the boundries as much as he had, with his level of determination? Who shared in his cause that couldn't be compromised?

Sure, there were his faction mates... even his crew. But they were their own people, with their own paths. Who they were, today, was the result of what they'd dealt with up to now.

No, they wouldn't do.

He needed someone fresh. Someone that was capable of walking alongside him and learning from him, someone capable of standing up at the right time and doing what needed to be done, regardless of what anyone said. His search continued, through the high school and larger parts of the Slums. It would have to be someone that he, himself, would awaken to the truth.

A potential in a sea of few potentials... there was no telling how long he would have to wait.

The Event:

Gang wars are breaking out all over the city. The long-standing fued between the Demon Army of Tabor Park and the Crossbones of Moriah Projects has reached the breaking point, and as if that weren't enough to rattle the bluepills, the Blackwoods are now getting involved! Soon, it will become an all-out battle between the three, with the citizens of Mega City caught in the crossfire. How long will any of them survive when the city goes under siege from three of Richland's most well-known street gangs?

Information:

This is the first in what will hopefully be an ongoing series of PvP battles between Zion (The Crossbones), the Machines (The Blackwoods), and the Merovingians (The Demon Army). RSI Captures will be provided for all participants, while they fight each other as representatives of each respective street gang. The gang that lasts the longest will be declared the winner, regardless of how long the brawl lasts.

Participants are allowed to use any ability tree or build that they desire. They are also allowed to rez, buff, pop pills, etc. Anything goes! If the event is successful, then expect to see other gangs go to war with each other throughout the city, as Turf Wars continues on.

Event Time, Location:

The event will take place in Tabor Park, at 3pm MCT (Pacific) on Friday, December 19th. For those of you who don't like to do the math, that's 4pm Mountain, 5pm Central, 6pm Eastern, 11pm GMT. Everyone signing up for this event is asked to do so by replying to this thread, so that reminders can be e-mailed out in-game as necessary.

Other Notes:

Anyone wishing to help out may do so by helping farm Mammon, Hatchet and Owl Bangheart RSI Captures and e-mailing them to Dulux on the Recursion instance, who will be conducting this event. Also, any/all advertising that can be provided for this event would be helpful. Expect to see advertisement signatures posted within the next 24-48 hours that you can use to help advertise this event with.

Event Provided By:

Exemplar Triune, The Brethren, and Pluribus Neo.

Information:

In-Faction Events (IFE's) are special RP-driven (or RPvP-Driven) events that Pluribus Neo has implemented for the entertainment of all participating faction members. Because of the lack of RP and the current state of Live Events, the decision has been made to provide an open invitation to Recursionites to participate in upcoming IFE's.

Those wishing to participate may do so, first, by catching up with the storyline so far, and then by contacting myself (Phrack) via DN1 Private Message or in-game e-mail for further information. Each week, following one of our IFE's, a follow-up will be posted in this thread, to further the storyline and keep everyone up-to-date.

Times/Dates:

Sunday, December 7th (Chapter 2.1) - 3pm Pacific, 4pm Mountain, 5pm Central, 6pm Eastern, 11pm GMT

Saturday, December 13th (Chapter 2.2) - 1pm Pacific, 2pm Mountain, 3pm Central, 4pm Eastern, 9pm GMT

Saturday, December 20th (Chapter 2.3) - 1pm Pacific, 2pm Mountain, 3pm Central, 4pm Eastern, 9pm GMT

Saturday, December 27th (Chapter 2.4) - 1pm Pacific, 2pm Mountain, 3pm Central, 4pm Eastern, 9pm GMT

Was looking around last night and ran across this. I'd read it before, but it had been a few years... was interesting to go back and re-read it. Makes you wonder what old Chadwick's up to now.

Like the original, the aim of this contest is to aid in The Matrix Online advertising by making your own game commercials and putting them on YouTube, then posting the links in this thread.

There are many skilled video editors playing, so we want to see as much originality and creativity as possible! Many new items have been implemented in MxO since the original contest, in August of 2007, so feel free to show off places of interest, such as the new Archive Constructs, the Organizational Areas, the White Hallways, and new missions/rewards!

Be sure to include the URL to www.thematrixonline.com in your commercials!

Contest ends December 31st, 2008!

Note: You can see the winning videos of 2007's contest by visiting SkyJackal's MxO Video Collection on YouTube!

"Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings." - John F. Kennedy

There was a chill in the air, consistent with the grey skies overhead. The clouds themselves were a darker shade of grey than the sky, and passed by overhead, faster than usual; the result of steady northern winds, bringing in yet another cold front that the city would suffer from for at least another month. It was that time of year again. When winter had overstayed its welcome, and the only feelings left to associate with the season were a sense of dread. Perhaps it was the clouds themselves, but the city seemed especially dreary, and everyone could feel it. This was the time of year that depression was at its worst.

In the distance, the sound of a car engine could be heard. Its tires could be heard as they rolled over the wet pavement, its brakes squealing gently as the vehicle rolled to a stop inside its designated parallel parking space.

"I'm not pleased." The female driver said, admitting her obvious feelings, despite her tone of voice. "It's not even 1 o'clock in the afternoon."

"I know what time it is." A male voice came from the passenger side of the vehicle, its tone also one of annoyance. It was easy to tell that the one being lectured would rather have been anywhere else but where he was at that moment.

"I know you do." She replied. "That's the point, you think you know everything!" The jingling keys rang against one another as she turned off the vehicle's engine. "But if you did, I wouldn't have had to just bring you home early for the third time this week. I can't keep this up!"

The teenage boy in the passenger seat sighed audibly, as he stared out the window, not even wanting to look at the woman who was lecturing him. She was right, it had been the third time this week. It had been the third time that he'd gotten this same lecture, and the third time that he'd face the same punishment. It would also be the third time that she'd send him to his room for the evening, grounded, only for her to turn around and leave for the evening, heading to work, and leaving him to fend for himself.

The only real punishment was having to endure her lecture, yet again.

"I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but I've had about enough of it." She said, as she started in on him again. "Your attitude stinks, and it seems like every day now, you're making some kind of obscene or snide comment to the school faculty! You realize what's going to happen if this doesn't stop, right?"

"No, Mom." The boy finally answered. "What's going to happen? Alternative school? Juvie?"

His mother sighed. It was useless to even attempt to talk any sense into him... he was already too far gone for her to try and save. And despite any attempts she made to try and show him that she was on his side, he was going to keep a chip on his shoulder to her and everyone else.

"Forget it. Just get out of the car." She answered, as she pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the car door.

The teenage boy got out of the passenger's side of the vehicle, before locking and closing the car door behind him. His shoulder-length straight black hair looked almost greasy, in the dreary weather that surrounded them, and the backpack that hung off of one shoulder looked like it had seen much better days. Of course, it didn't help that it appeared to have been gone over with by a razor blade and a series of permanent markers. The young man didn't look like he really cared, as he reached around his neck and grabbed his headphones, put them on his head, turned his music on, and followed his apparent mother across the sidewalk and into the nearby low-rent apartment building.

The inside lobby was old, and covered in wood paneling, which only made the place seem darker and drearier, with the weather they'd been experiencing outside. The mother walked in, keys in hand, and headed directly for one of at least fifty locked mailboxes.

"Hey, Barb." A man said as he walked up. "Rough day?" He asked, barely noticing the dirty look he was receiving by the woman's headphone-wearing son, in the background.

"You have no idea." She scoffed, as she slid the mailbox key into its lock and attempted to turn it counter-clockwise. Suddenly, the key broke off in the lock, leaving her standing there, ready to scream in frustration. "...And it's only getting worse." She sighed yet again, before turning around to the man staring at her in pity.

"It's alright... take a breath. I've got another key to open it with, and I can have a locksmith here in the morning." He told her, sounding like a father who was trying to console a frustrated child. Without a word, he reached down and pulled a large key-ring from his belt loop, with a seemingly uncountable number of keys on it. "There's something we need to discuss, though." He said, as he sorted through and pulled out a cylindrical-looking key, and shoved it into the lock in the center of the mailboxes.

"...Rent..." Barbara responded, in a disheartened tone, as she raised her hand to her cheek and closed her eyes. "Bobby, I completely forgot..."

The key turned, and the entire faceplate opened, revealing the contents of every mailbox mounted within the wall, including Barbara's. Bobby reached into her box and retrieved her mail, glancing briefly at the red past-due and final notice envelopes as he passed them to her. He felt sorry for her, he genuinely did... but there was only so much he was capable of doing for her. "Hey... I completely understand." Bobby told her. "Times are tough right now." He said, handing her the substantial stack of bills, before he turned to close the mailboxes back. "But tomorrow's Friday, and I've held off all that I can."

Barbara looked as though she was about to cry, as she took the mail from him without looking. She already knew what the red envelopes signified, and she wished that just one day would go by that she didn't have to see them. She took a deep breath and recomposed herself.

"I can have the money for you first thing in the morning. I'm going to work in an hour, and tips tonight should cover everything." She pleaded.

Bobby nodded calmly. "That's fine, dear, just make sure I have it by tomorrow morning. Otherwise..." He frowned.

"You'll have it. Without a doubt." Barbara said, faking a smile to the man, before turning around to her son, who was leaning against the opposite wall, playing some handheld videogame. "Roger, come on." In silence, the two headed for the stairwell, leaving Bobby standing there, watching them in pity. Sure, she'd have the money for him tomorrow morning, but they'd have to do without some other necessity to pay him. He hated that, but as the apartment manager, he was only able to hold off the property owners for so long before his job was put on the line, and it had reached that point. One thing he could say for the poor woman was that she was trying. No one could say otherwise.

Roger didn't look away from his videogame, as he followed her across the lobby, and up the stairwell. He didn't need to look up... he couldn't hear the conversation, but he knew what it consisted of. He didn't watch the interaction, but he knew what had happened. It was the same thing that happened every day now, and nothing ever changed. It was like watching the same television show again, and again, and again. He didn't say a word to anyone, he just followed her up the staircase, listening to the music from his headphones, and playing his videogame.

Spanning the length of December...

This thread exists solely for discussion between players, in discussion of "Fallout".

## Incoming Transmission
## Server Relay Initiated

://begintrace
[Incapable of trace!]
scarlethotei@hvcft.pluribusneo.org (242 Encryption)

Two and a half years ago, we stepped into the light. We claimed that the truce was a falsehood, and that it would be violated and/or nullified by the Machines at the earliest given opportunity. We stated that "we do not regret the truce, we regret that the truce has been bastardized, by both Zion and the Machines. Something that should have been a foundation for the future of civilization has been turned into a safety blanket, and we've all found complacency with it. While Zion upholds the truce to the best of their being, Agents corroborate with Cypherites, those who are not bound by the truce, and free to kill without political turmoil ensuing. While Zion attempts to gain stronger defenses against a machine attack, they walk on eggshells, avoiding resolve of important issues, such as the remains of the One."

Since then, much has changed, and much has not.

Zion has suffered for their alliances and their desire for vengeance against the Merovingian. The war has started anew, merely because Zion sought to protect itself from Machine attacks against its city.

The General and his subordinates now work for the for the Merovingian directly, and act as his eyes and ears in the desert of the real.

Many of the Cypherites have learned the truth about their own manipulation at the hands of the Machines. And what of us?

We too have faced our sacrifices. The loss of our liaisons, and of Shimada. The cataclysmic attack on Michael, and the ships we sent into the No Fly Zone. But we still fight for what we believe in, and we still believe that our beliefs are complicated, but not far fetched. Those who do not understand, simply choose not to. As is their prerogative.

We believe Morpheus lives. We believe that Neo lives. We believe that the only entity with enough power in this world or the real to bring upon true peace between man, machine and program, is Neo, a man who was willing to give his life for all of us, and a man that we all respect for that. If he were to arise tomorrow, he would be the one person that the majority of the Matrix would be able to respect enough to stand behind.

It would create a new peace. One that could be utilized to combine the efforts of all of us, to utilize the programming of the child known as Sati, along with the technology of the machines, and to clear the skies of the real world, bringing sun back to the Earth.

With solar power and global heat returned, there would be no need for human batteries. The millions of humans trapped in their pods could be freed, and the Matrix could continue to exist as a home to the exiles, and as a blueprint of how we could rebuild the surface. But this is a future that is a long way off, and dependant on a number of things... the most important of which being the return of Neo. Neo is what we fight for, regardless of cost.

Today we face hardships that we have never before conceived. The Biological Interface Program, and the loss of our beloved Oracle. A loss of foundation, and of many of our brothers and sisters. But we are not finished... we have simply been stripped down to what we were when we began: A group of determined soldiers.

If we must play the role of terrorists to attain Neo, then so be it, and if he is truly dead, then so be that as well. However, we believe he is very much alive.

Yes, we will kill redpills, bluepills, and Ogliarchs alike, if it means his return. Even the Machines have proven they hold no qualms with killing bluepills if they cease to be useful. We will do the same, if they pose a threat.

We're all here to do what we're all here to do, and this is our purpose. If our purpose raises issues with your own, then I apologize, but it will not stop us from standing our ground on the battlefield, or from dying with honor while doing what we believe is right.

Because we choose to.

## Transmission Terminated

We're doomed, I tell you. Doomed!

[Note: This is the next chapter, following Recreation - Lessons Learned.]

The hovercraft Akira was small in design, and surprisingly manueverable despite the firepower that had been incorporated into its construction. Blue lights illuminated the tunnels, as each of the ship's hoverpads crackled with electricity and bent the laws of magnetism and gravity to push the ship forward, slowly. It had been little over a ago that Phrack had secretly constructed a small hovercraft that had been designed specifically for the purpose of swift raid-like attacks on machine outposts, but when a battle had left this classified ship in shambles, Phrack had found himself stashing its remains within the rubble and debris that adourned many of the tunnels of the real world. It had been almost a year ago, now, that he had begun reconstructing the ship, improving on the design, and incorporating newer technologies into it. Lined with the armor of fallen sentinels, and even a small signal converter that would disguise the ship's energy and radio frequencies as another sentinel. Fueled by the fall of the truce, Phrack had been determined to make the new ship an even larger success than its predecessor, the Red Queen. The result had been the Akira. Phrack's latest creation, and his pride. Of course it had only been a prototype, but it was more dependable than he could've ever dreamed. It bothered him that the ship would soon be grounded in the rebuilt ruins of had once been proudly known as the "last human city." When that happened, the ship would be ransacked by EPN security officers, who would, as procedure dictated, sweep the ship's computers and inner-workings, searching for potential threats and evidence that would be used against him in the impending trial. Every communication, to and from the Akira, would have its logs pulled. Every log entry, every map that had been used for navigation, every operator's record... it would all be in the hands of the uppermost elite of EPN, and would be used to judge Phrack's latest actions before handing down a ruling that he would have to live with for the rest of his life. Not that he didn't have enough to have to live with, already.

"We're on approach." said the Crusader who had taken over piloting the ship, as it was escorted home. Ahead, outside the cockpit window, the familiar sight of the city's main gate could be seen, sending a plethora of memories rushing through Phrack's mind, as he stood silently, his wrists bound, and watched. Beside him, Captain Irah, the man that had been charged with bringing him into custody, watched the scene with all of the strength of a man that had put in almost thirty years as an operative. "Confirmed, powering down hoverpads five and six." The Crusader said into his headphones, to control, as the gate began to open, slowly, ahead of them.

"Watch your speed. If you come in too fast, Shimori will have my butt in a sling." Irah told the young pilot, as he looked out the cockpit window with a mixture of vigilance and pride. "And not in the way I'd like her to."

Phrack chuckled softly at the comment. He didn't dislike Irah. Not at all. He just disliked what he was having to do. It had been years since Phrack had been awakened, and he remembered what it had been like to see operatives that were much more experienced than he was. He'd always looked up to them to share their experience and strength with him, but that all seemed so long ago. Most of the older operatives that had been in service before Phrack had awoken were long gone, either dead from missions gone awry, or retired into civilian life. Since those times, Phrack found that the junior operatives that he'd trained with had now become the distinguished war veterans. And yet, Irah here, had been active since long before the truce was around, and had a wealth of experience about him. Only Neo could've known what kind of high-ranking military position in Zion Irah had given up when he joined EPN. Hell, he could've possibly succeeded Lock himself.

"Our ship is preparing to dock. The Akira will be next, on dock four, and then Captain Darminian's ship on dock six." The pilot informed his commanding officer, as the hovercraft passed through the gate, giving full sight of the rebuilt docks.

"What of security?" Irah asked.

"Minimal, with the exception of a small guard unit accompanying Michael." The Crusader answered.

"Huh, Kid himself is waiting for us to dock." Irah commented to himself, aloud, before turning to Phrack. "Wonder how you managed to get on his bad side."

Phrack just smirked his response, silently. He was doing good to even be standing after spending the last five months continuously jacked in. Even now, his legs were aching and weak from the mere task of holding him up, and would probably collapse beneath him, if he wasn't leaning on the bulkhead to help support his weight.

"It's a very long and very detailed story." Phrack finally said.

Irah didn't say a word. He wasn't going to ask... because he already knew. He just wanted to see what Phrack's response would be. Irah had examined Phrack's records during the course of his investigation, and knew of every exploit he had performed that EPN had frowned upon. From his support of Morpheus, to his support of TaeCross, to the punishments he'd received for callous comments toward his superior officers. He'd publicly attacked one of his liaisons in mid-trial, for the entire redpill community to witness... he'd walked out on another of his liaisons, and he'd landed himself the label of indefinite probation. He was a loose cannon, like his mentor before him, and Michael, among several others, had a severe problem with that. But Irah could fully understand and respect it.

"Commencing landing sequence." The Crusader exclaimed, interrupting Irah's thoughts. "Michael is waiting for us on the dock."

"Then get us set down. No sense in making him wait any longer than he already has." Irah said, half-snarling, before turning to Phrack. Carefully, he wrapped an arm around his prisoner and helped him limp out of the cockpit of the hovercraft without falling down. "Let's get your sorry butt off of this ship."

Phrack groaned in anguish, but didn't respond to his captor. It was going to take a lot of work to get his physical body back into working condition, and the pain of even moving was almost unbearable after so long of laying still. But then, here in a few days, the decision would probably be made to confine him to a brig for the rest of his life... so it wasn't like he'd be moving a whole lot from here on out anyway. Until then, Phrack would just be pleased with being home, in Old Zion, for the first time since giving Zion his resignation.

Very simple, really.

Perpetual items that when activated by the player, would initiate the "Code Bomb" or "Code Pulse Device" effect... then have the standard 5-minute-or-so reuse timer.

/discuss

Prologue:

Two years ago, the E Pluribus Neo liaison known as TaeCross left his post suddenly and without warning. Reports that followed detailed his presence at a number of attacks on Slumberil facilities throughout the simulation, resulting in the deaths of several bluepill employees. Eventually the former liaison officer was tracked down, but not before he'd procured access to a small arsenal of code bombs. What followed was an assault on the simulation itself, during which, the churches of Mara, Mannsen, Sobra Shores, and Camon Heights were engulfed in warfare and code bombings.

TaeCross himself died on the steps of the Camon Heights church during the final detonation, well aware that the final explosion would shatter his RSI and his mind.

Since these events, each August and September, an unknown radical group, unaffiliated with any organization, but believed to be under the influence of TaeCross' actions, attempt to carry on his work within the simulation by inciting major violence in bluepill-populated regions, and setting off code bombs through the simulation. Last year's affairs involved the group's use of several simulacrum, rigged with code bombs, to deliver an exact replica of TaeCross' speech before detonating in the center of a large congregation of civilians, killing them all instantly. This event was the most brutal attack to date since TaeCross' suicidal crusade.

Event Storyline:

Another year has passed and August is approaching rapidly. However, unlike last year, early intelligence has been discovered that suggests that the unknown radical group has once again begun stirring in anticipation of more attacks, marking the date of TaeCross' death.

This intelligence, though vague, may yet prove valuable in putting a stop to the actions of this group and stopping yet another bloodbath before it is too late.

Event Details:

The event will run for two weeks, beginning on Sunday, June 29th and concluding on Saturday, July 12th. In the days leading up to the start of the event, in this thread, will be revealed the name of one of the unknown group's high-ranking lieutenants.

Those who have signed up for the event will receive an in-game e-mail, listing the times that the lieutenant will be present on each day of the event. His/her location will be in the FFA Data Mine Construct, which will allow any/all organizations the ability to terminate him -- repeatedly.

The three players with the highest number of kills on the lieutenant at the end of the event will win the event and be rewarded sufficiently. There is no entrance fee, and the event will be open to anyone who enters, regardless of organization, faction, ability tree build, or level. The lieutenant will appear for no longer than two hours per day, and no less than one hour per day, on each day of the event, and each appearance could take place at any hour of the day, early morning, noon, or night.

If you wish to participate in this event, please do so by posting a reply to this thread with your in-game character's name, so that the necessary e-mail may be sent to you upon the beginning of the event.

It's an interesting read.

Clicky.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the mystery and surprise that has happened over the last few years when playing MxO. From rumors and myths of happenings in-game from different players, to unexpected twists in old Live Events, there are a lot of things that I miss and remember that I thought I'd share. I'd be interested in hearing what some of your best (or favorite) memories from in-game are.

- Standing in Apollyon SE at Level 12, toying with my ability tree and talking with my wife who was standing beside my desk, when we were both startled by the sound of someone landing from a hyperjump. When I turned my character to see who or what had made the noise, we were both in awe when Morpheus was standing less than 5m from my character, offering to shake his hand.

- The day of the final conclusion of the Nightfall event, leading my faction on a search through Westview (which was dangerously high-level for many of us at the time), searching for any activity of things that were out of the ordinary. We traveled the dark alleyways of Sobra Shores, the entire time being stalked and toyed with by a member of the old LET, before working our way up to Mannsen and being attacked by hordes of Vampire and Lupine NPC's. The feeling was very surreal and creepy, traveling as a group through Westview at night, and seeing (what we thought were) other players running through the shadows around us that weren't showing up in /who.

- Our first discovery of the White Hallways, prior to their accessability via the organizational construct keys. The entire process showed a side of the Matrix that we'd literally never seen before, and upon our arrival, rumors from more experienced players of CSR's and Development Team members that frequented the hallways dressed as Agents, hunting for players that were doing things that they shouldn't. These things made the experience thrilling and very Matrixy, because of a genuine feel of danger.

- Chasing the Assassin from Apollyon to Sobra Shores and into Gracy Heights, alongside the rest of my faction. At the time I was running a 56k connection, with a video card that was barely capable of running MxO without making my computer smoke. I remember chasing him with everyone else on the server, when he gave us all the slip. I continued searching and eventually found myself in shock when I came across him /sitting in the middle of the road, in sneak. Disturbed and surprised, knowing he could kill me at any moment, I called the rest of my faction to my location as he sat and healed. No one else could see him, yet for some reason I could. He stood, still in (I suppose) admin invisibility as I took a number of screenshots. We goaded him, saying things like "I see you" and "Stop cowering." He turned and stared at all of us before eventually jacking out.

- Staking out the Probability Monument at 2am, during the Blue Sky Anniversary Event, following a tip in the Sentinel that there would be a private meeting there. Granted, whatever privacy was promised would've been pointless as the entire server had shown up to be present... imagine our surprise when time came and rather than a private meeting, we were bombarded with swarms upon swarms of Sleepwalker Cypherite NPC's and launched into a full-scale battle.

- When the LESIG program first kicked off, we'd been investigating rumors that Morpheus was still alive, and being held captive in Blackwood. Whether they were true or not was impossible at the time to determine, but we were in agreeance that the only way we knew of that we could potentially access Blackwood was the door on Ascension Monument in Rogers Way. My faction and I guarded the door around the clock, in shifts, for a week. We were involved in a number of PvP attacks from various factions and organizations. Naturally, this was a pointless move, but it was fun nonetheless.

- We'd received intelligence that claimed that there was a door hidden in the Sakura archive construct that had remained unfound by the MxO populace. The door was supposedly invisible to players except during a one-hour window in the middle of the night, and would only be visible through Data Goggles. A couple of us rolled new characters and powerleveled them to the appropriate level, to begin searching the construct... eventually the rumors were dispelled, but it still had our imaginations soaring.

- LESIG had been running an event for the Machinists on Recursion, in which their Liaison Officer TIMCAMM had been abducted and was being held prisoner somewhere in Westview. The only clue to his location was a small image that was found in one of the Scanline broadcasts, and TIMCAMM himself was only online for five minutes every 24 hours, making the window of rescue very small. After almost a month, when the situation had not been resolved, my faction and I decided that we would swoop in and attempt to kidnap the liaison ourselves, if for no other reason than just to see if it could be done. After three days of searching, our team located TIMCAMM and told him that we would escort him out of the building. He was invited to team, and upon accepting, I was waiting in the White Hallways with Team Recall loaded. The entire team was transported to the hallways, and we could tell from TIMCAMM's reactions that the poor player behind the character had no idea what to think. In the end, we were ambushed and TIMCAMM was killed by The Collective, but in the end, we still felt it was a major accomplishment on our part, and was fun as hell.

It's been confirmed, the series has been picked up for a second season and will be returning this Fall.

Thoughts?

[Note: This is the next chapter, following Blood in the Code.]

They say that the truth is subjective. One man's truth may not necessarily be the truth to another individual. Who we are, where we are, what things represent... they all change accordingly to the eye of the beholder.

Maybe that's true, but I always had a hard time believing it.

The truth was the truth was the truth. It never changed, never faltered, never waivered. It wasn't a mirage, visible only as some heat-induced dream that danced on the horizon. It was real... substantial and tangible. Like pain.

Pain was something that never changed. It was always substantial, and it could always be felt... by everyone. And I've certainly felt my share.

I remember exactly what it felt like to lay on that stone alter as that needle stabbed into my flesh again and again. It was like freeing something within me... tiny pinpricks, opening microscopic doors into my body. The drops of blood were me. My pain... my anger... releasing from inside me, freed from its prison.

My skin felt like it was on fire. Lit up and alive... a feeling I'd forgotten all about, after hurting for so long that I've become numb. But then, my skin was only code wasn't it?

Code.

Digital blood that emitted from within... code releasing code. Blood red code.

Yes. This was me.

This was my pain.

Phrack's eyes were open. Twin orbs of a deep gun barrel blue stared upward and through the stone ceiling of the compound structure that he laid within. He wasn't looking at anything, but rather through it all... time, space, everything. He ignored the dark cloaked figured that hovered over his body, as he contemplated his life thus far.

His birth had resulted in the separation and divorce of his parents. His mother had worked for the rest of her life to support both him and her, barely scraping by.

His time in the Brothers of Destiny had been a waste. In the end, they'd turned on him at the slightest whim, throwing away the so-called 'brotherhood' they'd shared with Phrack in an attempt to kill him.

His awakening didn't have any better results. He was a burden on people in Zion, and doubly so when he decided not to burden them any longer.

His departure from the Last Human City had coincided with the creation of E Pluribus Neo... and even that had suffered at his hand. The truth that had become clear to Phrack is that his termination, at any moment, by any person's hand, would have no negative affect on anyone or anything. His life, thus far, had been nothing but trouble for anyone.

Two wives had even left him because of this. But then... they all leave in the end anyway.

"It's finished." Arcane's voice rang through the chamber, as the men that surrounded Phrack's body slowly backed away to admire their work.

Phrack sat upright, slowly, taking in the throbbing pain that shot across his face and even now was beginning to contort into a fierce migraine. Calmly and without the slightest show of emotion, he turned to look at Arcane, revealing the fresh cross-shaped tattoo that spanned his face. It was a symbol... an alteration of his RSI to represent on the outside, the pain that he felt on the inside.

"How does it feel?" Arcane asked in a concerned tone, as the other exiles looked on.

"No different than anything else, lately." Phrack answered amidst the pain.

Arcane nodded at this response, his massive muscular arms crossed over his chest. The answer was an honest one, and not one that was unexpected. Single-file, the monk-like exiles left the two alone in the silent room: Arcane leaning against the wall, near a torch, and Phrack sitting upright on the alter with freshly-treated wounds and a new ritual tattoo. They sat silent for several moments, leaving only the noise of the torches, the crackling fire, to add ambience to the atmosphere. The stone walls of the room were similar to those of a dungeon, letting in a little light between the bars that filled them.

It had been three days since Phrack's battle with Arcane, and his submission to his fate. Perhaps it was this place, but his wounds had already begun healing at a much faster rate than they would have in the Matrix. He was sure that onboard his ship, his operator was worried sick about him... his signal had disappeared from the Matrix some time ago, when he first entered the white hallways to take the trip to Club Hel. It never returned.

It came to Phrack's mind that anything could happen in his departure from his ship that would cause him to drop dead in this place. A sentinel attack... an ambush... or his operator just pulling his plug, not knowing what else to do.

"What happens now?" Phrack asked, ready to begin whatever training Arcane had planned. He wanted to get through it and get it over with, so he could jack out or at least return to the Matrix, where he could let his operator know that he was alive.

"Your wounds are healed enough for you to begin your training, but I should warn you that it will be extensive." Arcane explained. "The dead man specifically ordered it that way."

Phrack nodded, as he rose from the alter to his feet. It was typical of SeventeenDead to give such and order. He'd never been one to appreciate the easy way, unless the easy way happened to be excessively bloody. He was sure whatever was going to happen wasn't going to be pleasant, but it was something he could handle.

"Then let's do it." Phrack said, before stretching the arm that had been unusable the day before. It still ached, and the muscle throbbed where his own knife had entered him... but it was much better than it had been only hours before.

"Come with me, the others should have the supplies prepared for our trip." Arcane told him, as he unfolded his arms and turned to head for the door.

--

The door to the apartment flew open with a single kick, sending splinters of wood and paint flying in and across the living room. Melissa walked in, almost wanting to gag at the number of snack wrappers and empty soda cans that littered the place.

"Search the place." She ordered, as two men, dressed in punk rock-style attire entered the apartment behind her and crossed the living room, weapons in hand. "The Merovingian ordered Speck found for his treason."

Her search for answers concerning Phrack's trip to the Ruins had led her back into the simulation, a place she preferred to be anyway. But she'd only begun her search when she'd been ordered to locate and terminate Speck for aiding in the escape of the two redpills who'd entered the Merovingian's club looking for Phrack. Melissa knew when she'd heard this that it was most likely her best chance at getting answers, and proceeded into it with her own agenda. She would do what she'd been ordered to, but she wanted answers.

"The place is clean. Looks like nobody's been here in days." One of the men said, as he returned to her location in the living room of the apartment.

"After the explosion, the three escaped into the garage and fled." Melissa thought to herself outloud as she walked through the apartment. "It makes sense that Speck wouldn't return here, he knew the Merovingian would be looking for him."

"But he has no place to go, even if the other two could jack out." Another man said, looking at her.

"Unless EPN put him up in a safehouse." Melissa noted, before pulling out her cellular phone and hitting a button on speed dial. The phone rang momentarily, and then the operator's voice could be heard. "Contact Flood and ask for clearance to access the Merovingian's list of Neonate safe houses throughout the city. There's a good chance that the Epeens are keeping Speck there, and out of the path of the Frenchman."

--

Human.

It's a simple enough word... but words are meaningless if you can't comprehend what it is that they imply. Which leads one to wonder the definition of the word 'human.'

What is it? What makes someone human?

Is it emotion? Free thought? ...No.

Exiles have feelings and thoughts. They aren't human.

Perhaps it's our ability to reason. Ha. As if we reason... there's nothing reasonable about humans.

So what does it mean to be human? What makes our species different from the machines or the exiles? What makes us unique?

The only answer I have is flesh. And with flesh comes pain... which means pain must be what it means to be human.

The trees swayed strongly in the wind. Arcane had led Phrack from the compound and through the forest for what seemed like forever, before they had reached a clearing. This place still astounded him with its alien nature. Above, the black skies were now barely visible as the deep brown clouds covered the sky, churning and boiling.

Lightning danced across the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

"What are we doing?" Phrack asked Arcane, who stood several feet in front of him, resting on a log.

Arcane was once again wearing his deep-black robe, and his hood covered his shaved head. On his back rested a leather pouch with various supplies.

"Smell the air." Arcane told Phrack, with a light smile.

Phrack inhaled, taking in the light smell of moisture and electricity. It left a strange taste in his mouth, like putting your tongue to a 9-volt battery.

"It's about to rain." Arcane said, before removing the pouch from his back and placing it on the log beside where he was sitting. "This is our first step... washing away the last traces of who you were, so that who you are is what remains."

Phrack nodded softly, taking a moment to fully understand the words.

"Now take off your vest." Arcane told him, which prompted an odd look from Phrack. "Just do it."

Without a word, Phrack did as he was told and slowly unbuckled each of the buckles on the black tactical vest, before pulling it off. He put it in one hand and tossed it toward the log. With one more look to the boiling sky, Phrack lowered himself into a kneeling stance as his head tilted upward and his eyes closed. Moments passed and nothing happened. Thunder blasted through the air, loud enough to make Phrack's ears ring... but he didn't budge. His eyes remained closed and his head stayed tilted back, as though awaiting a gift from above. And then it happened.

A single drop of black rain fell from the sky and landed on Phrack's shoulder. He could hear it sizzle as it burned at his skin, and he turned to look at it... watching as a small trail of smoke rose from the drop before it stopped sizzling.

It burned like hell.

"Yes. It's acid rain." Arcane told him, as he smiled knowingly. Phrack looked back at him with concern. "This is your baptism... now close your eyes and embrace it." He said, and Phrack obeyed hesitantly.

After a moment, Phrack's muscles twitched when another drop landed on him... but he soon recovered and waited for more. And then the sky opened. Black drops of rain fell from the heavens, landing on him in a downpour... making his muscles twitch and contort from the burning sensation of each new drop. In front of him, still resting atop the log, Arcane pulled his hood forward a bit more to make sure he was covered, before placing his hands in his pockets and hiding the last bit of skin. He watched as Phrack's body convulsed and spasmed in pain, as he fought to hold his kneeling position on the ground.

The black rain was now pouring down heavily, as lightning clawed at the sky like fingernails on skin, threatening to rip it open. Thunder followed, booming so loud that the ground itself seemed to shake beneath them.

Phrack's head flung forward, his face turning toward the ground as his arms lifted upward. The pain was unbearable, each drop of this tempest burning against his skin, as trails of oil-like black rain sizzled and trailed down the skin of his chest and back. He began to scream violently at the onslaught of pain, his voice rising back to the heavens that punished him.

Arcane watched in silence as it continued, his robe just thick enough to protect him from the rain.

Screams of torture continued as the thickness of the rain increased. Phrack's mind raced through all that he had done until now... everything he had sacrificed and all that had questioned his faith in Morpheus. It was all burning away.

Lightning stuck so close that Phrack could feel the hair on his arms stand freely from static electricity.

"Let Zion play their cards. I have my own to play, as they shall soon see." Morpheus' voice echoed in his mind, from that night in Club Messiah.

His own cards? What cards? Creating chaos in the streets and then leaving others to take the heat for it?

"You will know when it is time." Morpheus' voice resounded through his mind.

Time has come and gone, old man. I've waited for an eternity, and led people to follow you who otherwise would have left long before I.

"Is this what he would've wanted? I've never seen Morpheus act out of vengeance." Phrack's own voice chimed in. The memory of that day in the Sobra Shores church, trying to reason with Niobe while she called Zion to war with the Merovingians.

"That's not important right now." Niobe answered.

Of course it wasn't. For someone to claim themselves so awakened, you're so quick to act on your emotions and lead your people into situations you aren't prepared to handle.

No wonder Morpheus couldn't stay with you.

Memories continued to flash through Phrack's mind, one after the other... some very much real, and some merely imagined. Zion lit up with flame, the docks littered with bodies and inactive sentinels. War breaking out atop the roof of Jacob's Ladder in Apollyon, the very same place his mother had worked years before. Cypherites attacking in Bathary Row as he stood alongside Zion and battled the onslaught of masked soldiers.

Thunder crashed nearby.

The intensity of it all overtook him, until the pain of the acid rain disappeared. These were memories of who he was and what he'd done. The image of him standing alongside Merovingian soldiers in the white hallways, interrogating the strategically-acquired TIMCAMM. The image of him and his soldiers within Scarlet Prime, fanned out across Apollyon Park, fighting hand-in-hand with members of the Red Code Army. Faces from long ago. Shimori. Ettaric. Fryed. Olbaid. They were all gone. Zant. Vie. Vesperascit. They'd left him. Hexedesmal. Ratiug. So many of them had deserted him, just like Morpheus had.

Faster and faster they flashed, each one flashing brighter in his mind's eye. The images that were burned into his cerebrum were now drowning out his own screams, coming together in a single vision of truth: none of them cared. Not like he cared.

None of them tried. Not like he tried. None of them wanted what he wanted... none of them had seen the light like he had... but all of them had left him to rot.

So they could rot, for all he cared.

To hell with them all. Let them all burn. Without them... without EPN... without her... without his child... what was left? What -is- left when it's all stripped away?

He was.

His eyes opened wide at the realization, aimed upward toward the vicious and never-ending sky that unleashed torrents against him, like each drop signified another in the legions that he'd faced time and again in the past. His screams subsided and he gasped for air as the rain fell into his face, baptising him and washing away the pain that he'd carried with him for so long. It was at this exact moment that he came to realize...

...the rain no longer stung his skin.

20 years old, but still as big a noob as ever. SMILEY<img src=

" /> You're a fun noob, though.