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FOLLOW THE NOSFERATU
* CHAPTER 1 * - Rainfall
* 7 * - The New Mission
NOS / CONSTRUCT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDY shivers when JAYMAN speaks of SKY.
ANDY doesn't like being reminded of the dead before going in the Matrix. Sometimes she wonders
if she was in the right place, here, on a ship of the Fleet. She wonders if she can really stomach it all.
JAYMAN's voice brings her thoughts back to the present. "Any questions?"
"No," ANDY answers him, and manages to look him in the eyes.
NOS / CONSTRUCT / CRYSTAL:
CRYSTAL turns to JAYMAN and ANDROMEDA. She suppresses a sigh, and manages a slight smile.
She is about to ask JAYMAN about what is going on, but he's already ahead of her.
"Hope you don't mind... Since you're already here, I figured it would be easier for you to shift
into the Matrix, rather than unplug and plug back in."
CRYSTAL stares at him, surprised. She is waiting for another explanation. Easier? she wonders.
Is this the real reason? She can't help but feeling something in his tone that makes her doubt it. She waits for
him to continue, and tell her about the mistakes she made. But he doesn't do that.
CRYSTAL stares at him, almost disappointed. She still isn't sure if that is the real reason.
I have to push my annoying thoughts aside, she reminds herself, and focus on the next mission. We are
soldiers after all, and duty comes first.
"... But unlike those missions, Andy will join her..."
The uneasy feeling returns. CRYSTAL glances at ANDROMEDA, then turns her look
back to JAYMAN. Does he think I must be under control? Does he want someone beside me to
watch out for my actions? Does he really distrust me that much? Even if I made mistakes in the past,
caused the failures, I don't need a supervisor after all.
"Our secondary objective is for Andy to begin her first-contact training under Crys..." JAYMAN
continues.
CRYSTAL lets out a barely noticeable, relieved sigh. Oh, that's the reason, she notes,
ashamed of the thoughts she had in her head. Why am I so paranoid? What's wrong with me? Why
do I see things that aren't there? she wonders.
"... Crys trained under Sky, and Sky was one of the best..." she hears his voice, feeling the
sad tone of the last words.
Yes, Sky... CRYSTAL's thoughts wander back to the commander they
lost four years ago. SKY was her first friend on the Nos, and helped her a lot to get used to her new life.
CRYSTAL could never be grateful enough to her. She missed her very much. SKY's death shocked each
member of the crew, and it was the beginning of a new period in their lives. A period of tragedies and hard times
started. So many losses, CRYSTAL thinks back sadly. I've had to handle losing Sky, Flicker, Kan-Chaing...
and in a way, even Jayman...
"Any questions?" his voice shifts her back to reality. She is glad to have her shades on, so noone
can see the teardrop in the corner of her eye.
CRYSTAL shakes her head, swallowing. Though she wants to scream -- "Yes!" -- it's about the
mission now. Not her personal problems...
"No," CRYSTAL answers shortly.
NOS / CORE / FALL:
FALL sits at the Operator's station and splits her concentration between the monitor and the
continuous streaming code.
A mission, something for me to at last! FALL thinks bemusedly. Zion bores her,
and in her opinion, they spent far too much time there on their last stop.
NOS / CONSTRUCT / JAYMAN:
"No," ANDY replies.
JAYMAN turns his mirror-reflected gaze. He nods in acknowledgement, yet senses her dark-haired
sadness.
"No," CRYSTAL replies.
JAYMAN turns to his former lover, from before the others joined. He nods, yet senses her
scarlet-haired concern.
VERITAS remains silent.
Ironic, JAYMAN notes silently and somberly, Despite the infinite brightness in here,
it's as dark and gloomy as a dungeon... We definitely need something to take our minds off the darkness...
JAYMAN inhales and exhales.
"Very good..." JAYMAN focuses on ANDY. "Lotus should be coming home from school as we speak...
Crys will find a safe location to connect to the internet, and she'll monitor her activity, her routine... Try to learn
as much as you can... The mission should take no more than a few hours."
JAYMAN turns to CRYS. "If there are any problems, you know how to reach me..."
Then JAYMAN looks to the featureless super-white sky.
"Operator! Crys and Andy are all yours! Ver and I are coming out!"
NOS / CONSTRUCT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDY shifts her weight from her left leg to her right, and back again.
JAYMAN's eyes on her make her uncomfortable. She feels her face growing slightly red.
Stop acting like a schoolgirl! she tells herself.
ANDY fixes her eyes on her boots, hoping that no one notices. When JAYMAN and VERITAS
disappear from the CONSTRUCT, she lifts her eyes to CRYSTAL, smiles, and puts on her sunglasses.
NOS / CORE / FALL:
"Aye, Captain," Fall mutters to herself and types in the commands to bring JAYMAN and VERITAS
out of the CONSTRUCT. Ignoring CRYSTAL and ANDROMEDA for the time being, she dashes over to JAYMAN's side
and eases the needle from his head port, before moving to VERITAS to do the same. In a flash, she's back in her
Operating chair, placing a call to CRYSTAL.
NOS / CONSTRUCT / CRYSTAL:
After the two residual self-images disappear, CRYSTAL approaches ANDROMEDA.
"So, are you ready?" CRYSTAL asks her.
But there's no time for an answer as the ringing tone of CRYSTAL's phone cuts the dialogue.
CRYSTAL immediately answers the call.
"Right, Fall!" CRYSTAL says in her firm, soldier-like manner. Cold as ice. Focussing all of her nerves
on the mission. Annoying thoughts pushed aside. "Come on!"
NOS / CORE / JAYMAN & VERITAS:
Just as he adjusted to the super-bright Construct, JAYMAN quickly adjusts to his return to the
Outside, the gray darkness, the surrounding metal, and the patterns of cables and catwalks above him.
Taking the black cap off his chest and replacing it back on his head, JAYMAN climbs out of his
suspension chair (chair #1). VERITAS climbs out of the chair beside him (chair #2).
JAYMAN turns to VERITAS. "Good job. Get some rest... You deserve it."
VERITAS' blank expression breaks into a relieved smile. "Thanks!" I did it! I actually did it!
JAYMAN adds, "But don't get too comfortable... This was just your first training session."
"I know... But I'll be ready!"
As VERITAS bounces away to her quarters, JAYMAN steps behind FALL to stare into the streams of
bright-green code, and witness the entry of his lieutenant and lieutenant commander into the Matrix.
NOS / CORE / FALL:
Typing in a few quick commands, FALL expertly hacks a way in for CRYSTAL and VERITAS.
FALL: "All yours, ladies."
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT:
Cloudy sky, a school day, about 3pm in the afternoon. The scene is an old abandoned multi-storey
apartment building in the slum-filled center of the city. A just-as-old black rotary phone rings in one the stripped rooms...
on one of the desolate storeys... a rat pops out of a corner hole, and disappears...
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT / CRYSTAL:
R-R-RING! R-R-RING!
Finding herself in a messy, twilighted room of the building, with her little black laptop in one hand,
and a firm look on her face, CRYSTAL glances at ANDROMEDA. She steps to the old black phone on the dusty little table
next to the broken, dirty window, and places her other hand on the receiver. Casting a look at ANDROMEDA, she lifts it.
"We're in," CRYSTAL answers, her expression firm and emotionless.
NOS / CORE / FALL:
FALL nods, though CRYSTAL cannot see her.
FALL: "Set yourself up near the junction of 4th and 12th Street. Your exit will be the payphone there.
And stay out of trouble!"
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT / ANDROMEDA:
Her face sealed behind her black sunglasses, ANDY looks at CRYSTAL. She taps her foot on the floor,
the heavy boot causing a "thump" sound with every tap.
ANDY tries to focus her mind on the mission.
Jack in, log on, monitor the girl, jack out. It shouldn't be a problem, she laughs and shakes her
head at her thoughts.
With a bitter smile, ANDY says quietly, "It's never that easy."
NOS / CORE / JAYMAN:
Reading the streaming bright-green symbols like descending musical notes, Captain JAYMAN sees that
his Lieutenant Commander CRYSTAL and Lieutenant ANDROMEDA have entered the Matrix with no problems so far.
He pats his Commander, First Officer, and Operator FALL on her shoulder.
Stepping around the CORE to his quarters, JAYMAN glances at ANDY and CRYSTAL in their suspension
chairs, lying back, eyes closed, beside each other... and wonders how ANDY will manage under CRYSTAL's training.
NOS / CAPT. QTRS. / JAYMAN:
JAYMAN returns to his quarters, leaves the door open, and sits at his smaller-scale version of FALL's
operator station.
They've worked together before, over the last four years... he notes silently. On larger rescue
missions with Kan-chiang or myself... a success with Libertad... then two failures with Waterfall and Valkyrie...
But it's time to see how they work together by themselves... Time to see if Crys can draw Andy out of her shell...
somehow get her to trust... and to talk...
JAYMAN gazes into his single screen of streaming symbols... at his two black-clad soldiers in the
Matrix...
He sighs. And time to figure out what the fuck I'm afraid of...
NOS / MATRIX / LOTUS:
Beneath the cloudy sky, Cynthia Peterson stares out her smudged and scratched window of the
bumping and bouncing school bus. Sitting in the first row behind the driver, she holds her flower-designed apple-green
book bag in her lap. As she stares, she notices the first few raindrops streak against the rattling glass. Turning her
faded blue eyes further, the 15-year-old girl can barely see her distorted reflection in the glass.
Her long and straight blond hair is combed and fastened tightly against her scalp, falling sharply to
her slight shoulders. The hood of her shiny blue raincoat is folded behind her head. And the scar - No, she couldn't
see it in her vibrating reflection, but she knew it was there. The faded scar, along her jaw, across her childhood, is a
constant reminder of her loss, her parents, her solitude.
SQUEAK! The sudden braking tells her that it's time to get off the bus.
Cynthia quietly pulls her hood over her head, pulls herself up, and pulls her book bag over her shoulder.
She steps off, and as the bus rumbles away, she makes her way in the cold drizzle, down the treeless block, to the
small single-storey brick home of her grandmother. Climbing the brick steps, she steps to the front door, inserts her
key, and enters.
An older female voice calls from the kitchen. "Cynthia, is that you?"
With barely a reaction, Cynthia locks the door, and continues past the kitchen towards her tiny
room at the back of the house.
Her grandmother turns to see her granddaughter walk past. The older woman begins to open her
mouth, but catches herself, gives up with a saddened gaze, and returns to her knitting.
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT / CRYSTAL:
"You know me... I always do," CRYSTAL replies to FALL, smirking, and ends the call.
"Right." From behind her black reflecting shades, CRYSTAL turns and casts her firm look at ANDROMEDA.
"So our Captain wanted me to lead you in the world of first-contact, huh?"
Staring at ANDROMEDA, CRYSTAL suddenly sees her old self in the girl.
Only some years ago... CRYSTAL remembers. At that time, I was the student, and my blonde
commander was the teacher... Sky... Her heart sinks, thinking of her lost crewmate.
Sighing at the painful memory, CRYSTAL continues.
"We might stay here, close to this entry line, and use it as an exit, but... we might have
been tracked, and Agents would find us soon... So we'd better leave for another place... near the junction that
FALL mentioned."
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT / ANDROMEDA:
ANDY hears CRYSTAL say, ".....lead you in the world of first-contact, huh?"
Lost in her own thoughts and attempts to concentrate, ANDY misses most of CRYSTAL's first sentence,
but catches the rest, and quickly replies.
"I... ah, yeah, you're right. We better move."
I hope she didn't notice... Get a hold on your self already! He's not even here.
ANDY gestures towards the door with a slight bow and a smile.
"After you."
NOS / MATRIX / APARTMENT / CRYSTAL:
Has she paid attention to my words? CRYSTAL wonders. Just as she herself had
drifted away in her memories, CRYSTAL could have sworn that ANDY's thoughts were much farther away.
CRYSTAL stares at her for a moment, then tightening her grip on the laptop, manages a
slight smile and heads out of the room. Sighing, she hopes that their distractions won't spoil the mission.
NOS / CAPT. QTRS. / JAYMAN:
Staring through his main monitor, eyes unfocussed, JAYMAN barely catches ANDY's slight
distraction and hesitation as CRYSTAL confidently leads the way through the Matrix.
"This isn't the time to be distracted," JAYMAN whispers at ANDY's image, and suddenly realizes
that the statement can easily apply to himself. JAYMAN removes his cap to scratch his scalp, leans back in his chair,
and closes his tired eyes.
Okay, captain... What the fuck are you afraid of...
Once again, JAYMAN returns to his recent nightmare... the painful and terrible images of death
and loss... Yes, I admit I'm terrified of death and loss... afraid of losing Crys, just as I lost Sky and Flicker
and Kan-chiang and Waterfall and Valkyrie and on and on... But is that just an excuse?...
JAYMAN recalls the soft melodic waves of warmth that called to him through his black nightmare...
as if ANDY came to him like... like an angel... his guiding light... But am I just as afraid of living life?... Maybe I'm
just as terrified of life and love... pushing away Crys and Andy and even pushing myself away... afraid of finding my
guiding light... afraid of everything... grabbing onto all of these fears... Why?... Why am I afraid of letting go?
Letting go... Letting... go...
An odd realization hits JAYMAN. Maybe it isn't about my fears of the future at all... Maybe it's
about my guilt... of the past... of surviving when the others didn't... of not doing justice to their memories... of
wanting to let go of their shadows... Maybe... Maybe this instant, this moment of realization... Damn!... Is this what the
Oracle meant by my "guiding light"?...
For an instant, JAYMAN flashes back to his memories in the Jump program, and smiles.
Maybe... Maybe it's time to let it all go...
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