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Part IV - Pseudo-Mutiny
Sometimes Change makes Sense
[screen is black, with just a speck of blue-tinted light near the top left corner of the screen]
Trinity voice: Kael's going to make a stand
Morpheus voice: I know.
[start slow, rotating zoom on light-speck]
Trinity Voice: What are you going to do about it?
[fast zoom on speck of light reveals it is the Neb. Cockpit. Morpheus sits in Captains' Chair staring out. Not looking directly at camera, b/c camera is off-center, high and to the right. Trinity is standing half-in, half-out of the portal behind Morpheus]
Morpheus: I'm going to hope that I am wrong, that he is the One.
Trinity: (cold) What if he's not?
Morpheus: (sighs, rubs temples with both hands, looking sort of down) Then we will lose one of our best assets, and I will lose a very old friend.
[Morpheus continues looking into the distance while holding his head, Trinity turns abruptly and exits the cockpit]
[camera pans around cockpit to the right, showing the side of Morpheus's head, then the view is interrupted by some cockpit glass supports, then by more supports, then as the last support passes, the camera is suddenly panning past pieces of equip near the Neb's main deck. Seated at a makeshift table/ desk Kael and Cypher are looking over various electronic pads, paper schematics, maps, and pages of figures. Both are quiet, and while Kael appears to be studying the designs, Cypher appears to be thinking, rather than planning]
Cypher: You ever think about it, Kael? Think about that day when Morpeus and I met you in that old warehouse, and gave you the choice? You ever wish you'd taken that damn little blue pill and just slept the better for it? Sometimes, I-
Kael: No Cypher. I looked at Morpheus standing there with the options in his palms, and I looked at you, the stoic freedom fighter behind him, and I knew which choice I had to make.
[awkward silence, Kael continues working, Cypher shuffles around, looks about]
Cypher: You know Kael, you were the first guy I helped Morpheus pull out of the Matrix. Remember that? You were a scared, pissed off little kid. God that was a long time ago, back onboard the Proteus (smiles), what a piece of shit that was, huh? You always got to be the one to replace power couplings, b/c that ship was so small, the rest of us couldn't fit inside to work on 'em. I wonder what new dope captain they've got stuck on her now, huh?
[this elicits no response from Kael, who continues studying the diagrams, so Cypher continues]
Cypher: But here we are, the Nebuchadnezzar (sarcastically) Zion's finest. (normal) We've met some good fighters since then Kael, Alesis and her crew, Brenin, Demas, Fenix, Galen, Akai... And remember when Apoc, Switch and Trinity first got here! Ha! What a bunch of hellions!
Kael: (breaks a little smile) I remember how they used to always slip something from Dozer's work desk into your sanitation bottles (bigger grin) As if you'd shave your head by choice! (now outright giggling) and.. remember what Morpheus said...(can't continue)
Cypher: (imitating deep, somber voice) I think it looks... sexy.
[both have a good deep laugh over it, then Cypher takes a deep breath, glad to finally break the mood, but turns more somber, continues]
Cypher: (seriously) We've lost a lot of good people too. Captain Edom, the Ulysses, Lazarus, even young Victor. I agree with you, we can't afford to lose anymore, which is why I don't understand why you're just throwing yourself on this agent's sword for him!
Kael: (upset, impatient) You can't understand?
Cypher: No, I can't see your reasoning. Sure, yeah, we all disagree with Morpheus from time to time, but we've just got to trust him, to stick together. Like you always pushed, the only advantage we have is our teamwork. You're splitting the team, putting all of us in jeopardy, it's not worth it.
Kael: (roused) How can You say that? You Cypher, who taught me about the war; who showed me the incubation fieldsÉ You've been out longer than any of the rest of us, seen what's happening. We wait, we search, but as we do it the machines push us deeper and deeper. I remember when Zion wasn't the only city, don't you! But all that's gone now, and what do we do? More waiting, more searching."
Cypher: (plaintively) It's not like we've got a lot of options
Kael: (with force) It's time we made some.
[both are quiet for a time, Cypher obviously mulling something over]
Cypher: Kael, you know when we pulled you out, we did it so young because we thought, we thought that..
Kael: You thought I was the One, and you wanted to end the war before the machines finished off the other colonies.
Cypher: (sort of shamed) Yeah.. we tried to rush fate, we rushed you. You weren't the One, but you still exhibited great potential.. You're fast Kael, you can change the Matrix sometimes.. your scar.. you could still be the One.. I don't know, but-
Kael: No Cypher, I'm just another guy, just like you. I'm just tired of waiting for someone else to do what we're all afraid to do. So I'm taking a stand.
Cypher: Listen to yourself! What happened to the cool, rational Kael! The Kael that kept Apoc from ripping this ship apart chasing those two girls, the Kael that's been like a brother-
(Comm channel interrupts)
Mouse: (on comm.) Kael, I got that search program finished, should have a target and location for you in a couple of hours
Kael: (looks over at Cypher as he talks) Thanks (to Cypher) We'll be ready by then.
[Camera pans past the duo, various cables and bulkheads obstract it's view, until it is completely black, then it pans from the left to show the galley, in it's dimmed blue-white light and gray interior]
[scene change]
[camera scrolls in to show the galley, with most of the crew assembled for the "briefing." Kael has several diagrams, both legible and encoded on the walls, as well as splayed all over the table. Apoc and Switch are sitting off Kael's right side, examining the plans, while Tank and Mouse are taking it all in from the wall, and Cypher is sitting off Kael's left, watching the process just a bit anxiously. Trinity comes through the portal, takes a seat near Apoc and Switch.]
Kael: (nods to Trinity, then looks around) Good, here's the plan. Our target is Agent Nguyen, a new program the machines may be beta testing. This agent was just recently created, and so has not yet had time to take advantage of their adaptive learning software technology. Also, we believe he may have been created not to monitor the Matrix, but actually to purge aberrant software. Us. If we stop him, the machines are going to know that we can take down the best they've got to throw at us, and that should slow Them down for a change.
Trinity: So you're hunting one of the newest, most advanced Agents?
Kael: We haven't seen any appreciable advances over the standard v. 301.7's other than directives.
Trinity: That doesn't mean there aren't any.
Kael: True, but we won't know that unless we engage one. Call this a high-risk recon, if you'd like. We have to go after Agent Nguyen. We know the machines can create Agent programs faster than we could ever hope to destroy them, so killing an older version would only encourage the machines to upgrade all their agents, but if we can stop one of their new Agents...
Trinity: And just how the hell are you going to do that?
Tank: Yeah, Kael, I'm all up for splitting some Agent programming, but killing Agents? Is it possible?
Mouse: I heard once that the Agamemnon crew gunned down one a couple years ago-
Trinity: That's a Zion fairy tale, Mouse. Way I heard it, they did the whole thing blindfolded too..
Kael: (smile forms just at the corners of his mouth) The Agents are bound by the very rules of the Matrix they try to protect. They'll die.
Switch: They're not going to be easy to hunt down in the open.
Kael: Agreed, we don't fight clean, so what's that leave?
Apoc: Ambush.
Kael: (Pulls up a big map w/ a building diagnostic on it) The abandoned Morrison Theatre, on 9th and Pine will do nicely. Big stage, large audience seating, including balconies, four separate points of entry, and best of all, a hard line in the dead-end basement that the agents just found and destroyed last week. They will probably assume that we don't know of its destruction yet. So they'll follow us casually, assuming they're closing the door on our cage, and in doing so, walk directly into our trap.
Mouse: Um, They?
Kael: Agent Nguyen has, thus far, worked alone, but we'll assume at least two Agents to be present. Caution is necessary-
Trinity: Caution! You're talking about hunting down an Agent! The mere idea-
[booming, but calm voice from behind Trinity]
Morpheus Voice: Caution -
[camera pans to show Morpheus half in/ half-out the door frame]
Morpheus: - is a wise addition to any endeavor.
Trinity: (having just spun about) Morpheus, you can't agree!
Morpheus: No, I don't. But we're fighting for freedom, and I cannot do that by restricting the free choice of the fighters. Good luck to all who choose to go. I will be watching. (Turns to go)
[camera shows morpheus' back in the door frame, looking past most of the crew, over Kael's shoulder]
Kael: (cold) You do that well, old friend.
[camera shifts to closeup of Morpheus' face, we can see Kael and the crew over his shoulder]
Morpheus: (pause)
[camera back to Kael's shoulder, Morpheus doesn't turn around, but tilts his head just a bit toward the shoulder over which Kael is glaring]
Morpheus: Each of us must use the talents we have judiciously. A pity you never understood That Kael.
[Morpheus leaves, all eyes (and camera) center on Kael]
Kael: Very well, let's turns our talents to Action. (looks around room, appears to have made some decisions) Apoc, I know you're with me.
Apoc: (nods) Always.
Kael: Switch?
Switch: Load to Go.
Kael: Mouse, you're staying here with Cypher
Cypher: (startled) Hey! I've-
Kael: (definitively) No. You're staying here in case we don't come back. I need someone here who remembers where we've come from, what we've lost, and why we had to go.
Cypher: Don't I outrank you?
Kael: (deadpan) Not today.
Kael: (turns back to group) Mouse, I need you on the screens with Tank, keep the trace program running, and watch everything very carefully, we don't know how all of this is going to work out.
[Mouse and tank nod]
Kael: Trinity?
Trinity: (stands, prepares to make a speech) I believe-
Kael: (cuts her off, growling) It doesn't matter what you believe, what will you Do?
Trinity: (glares, exuding a cold calmness) I'll cover your exit, because you're going to need it in a hurry.
Kael: All right, (looks around, slowly at every crew member, camera shows the determination, hesitation, fear and excitement in every face) Dozer, take us to broadcast depth, and keep an eye out for company, the rest of you, plug in.
[the crew exits the galley, last out is Kael. As he heads back toward the core, we see the unfocused outline of Morphes behind him in the hall. Kael turns around]
Kael: I didn't mean to split the crew, this isn't a mutiny. But things must be done differently.
Morpheus: So you keep insisting. We shall see. Think long and hard about this Kael, think about the lives your risking, not just yours, not even theirs, think of everyone who could be hurt by the loss of this crew.
Kael: I'll take care of them, Morpheus. When I'm a captain, I'll know what you're going through, and I'll hate it too, but this is the way it has to be.
Morpheus: How do you think your team is doing?
Kael: Apoc and Switch are steady, Tank and Mouse are already lost in thought considering what programs they'll need for the job, Trinity is... well, pissed, but she'll do fine, and Cypher... Cypher looks like he already has the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Morpheus: He's seen a lot; it's been a very hard journey for him.
Kael: For all of us.
[Morpheus leans forward, locks his eyes on Kael]
Morpheus: Don't make it any harder than you have to Kael.
Kael: And you find the One, so I don't have to.
[Kael turns away, walks back toward core where the rest of the team are settling onto their tables]
Part V >
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