Screed turns to Methuselah and asks, "Is that what we're doing?  He's got a point."

Taking another bite he finishes and says to baldy, "I'm just here to make difference.  The higher-ups whom I trust say we needed to contact you because someone and your creator were in trouble.  Why, I don't know because I came on late.  Someone should know exactly why we're here though."  Turning back to Methuselah and the others, he prods, "Don't you?  Just tell him."

Looking down at the dwindling food, he holds his belly and sighs, obviously getting full.  Breathing a couple of times to relax, he digs in again.

OOC:  If any of you have forgotten the purpose of your mission, please read the very first post in IC3-1.

Methuselah feels color rushing to his face, even though he had long ago sowrn off letting anger get the best of him.  "Okay, I'm not going to bother debating free will versus determinism, since the machines aren't bothering to get permission for their activities.  However, we have an individual outside this programmed reality whose consciousness is trapped by Agents somewhere in this world.  The programming aptitude of Vincent may be the only way we can find Binary, defeat the Agents holding him, and return Binary to where he wants to be."

OOC: Actually, my concept of the mission is still a little murky:  our characters are looking for Giovanni to free Binary, and Locke has some codes that indicate his (Binary's) location that only a computer genius can crack.  The next obvious question is why we're trying to free Binary, and that's where I get lost, since I'm not really sure, other than 'he's being held inside'.  :)

Snow looks up from his untouched food, and says with passion, Because a prison, no matter how its dressed up is still a prison. In there, you are only as good as Zero-1 allows you to be, can only achieve what it calculates is best for the program. Alright, life in the real world is difficult....but so is everything else thats worth doing.

OOC: My character was not there for that part of the mission.

Without even looking up while he downs the last bits of his food, he says, "Freedom.  Very noble.  Sounds good to me."

OOC:  You can presume that you have been told anything that is posted in public.  Please feel free to review them.

A recap for those who were not present:

Mission One:  Go with Binary to the secret location researching the Matrix.  It was deserted.  Binary was kidnapped by agents.  The research codes were recovered and uploaded to the Hyperion.  They provide information and codes to download various things into the Matrix (such as your weapons) and secret information, as well as details about Zero-One and the Agents.  The names of the researchers planning to escape were discovered.  (The other researchers are presumed to have been killed by Agents.)

Mission Two:  The party (in the real world) tries to rescue four of the researchers who escaped while X tries to decode the recovered files.  Two of the researchers are killed, but Sam and Elle are rescued.  A strange mutant creature's corpse (with the ability to repel the Sentinels) is also brought aboard for further study.  Sam switches ships to go tell Zion all he knows.  Elle stays behind to help with the decoding.

Mission Three:  Unfortunately, the code's scrambling algorithms were through partitioned locks, meaning the writer of the scrambling algorithms can decode it.  However, Vincent Giovanni wrote what he called the unbreakable code, so his help is needed to break the last part of the code.  He was a master of recoding the Matrix and very eccentric and a bit of a misanthrope -- called a genius more than Stephen Hawking, and also in a wheelchair.

Although Vincent locked himself in his own recoded "Digital Fortress," the researchers decided they always needed a chain so that the code would not be lost forever.  The characters have followed this chain to get into Digital Fortress.

Mike (aka "Binary") was a close friend of Vincent, perhaps because they were both eccentric.  Vincent supposedly knows where all the major Zero-One hubs are and may be able to tap into the Matrix and help locate where Binary was taken.


FYI, this is the first time the "Shadow Regime" has been mentioned.  None of you have ever heard of it before.

This message was last edited by the GM at 01:38, Wed 27 Apr 2005.

The man says, "I grow weary of these games.  To make it this far, you must have the information from one of the scientists in the chain.  But did you get it by force or by friendship?  If by friendship, why does not one of the scientists come himself?  As you can see, I am suspicious of you, even though you have proven yourselves to be real humans.  The Shadow Regime may have gotten to the scientists first, and I will not be played the fool."

"Elle Draney sent us. She told us Dr. Giovanni could help us find Binary." Fault says, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Sitting back and breathing, Screed adds, "Yeah, since he was captured by the agents, we've been kind of lost in getting some decoding done.  I've got some skill, but it's still way beyond me.  We need to get him back and away from them before..."  He trails off not knowing what to say.  Looking up, he asks, "What's the Shadow Regime?  Are they good or bad?"

"Ah," the man says.  "Elle Draney.  Now there's a name I recognize.  But who is this 'Binary' and why should I seek to help him?"

He looks at Screed.  "The Shadow Regime are, you might say, your counterparts.  They are humans in the Matrix -- not AI's or Agents -- but they serve the purposes of Zero-One.  Like you, they have some skills in manipulating the Matrix code.  And they come in all shapes and sizes.  Their real agenda is world -- albeit Matrix-world -- domination.  Zero-One supports these efforts so long as the Shadow Regime pursues Zero-One's goals.  They are a tolerated thorn in the side of Zero-One -- a necessary evil, you might say.  Pockets of this group can be found in politics, in the military, in corporate governance, and in entertainment."

He pauses.  "To put it another way, if you consider that all Matrix-bound humans are in prison, the Shadow Regime wants to be warden of the prison without ever leaving the prison itself.  They will stop at nothing to achieve these goals and have tried time and again to enter Digital Fortress, yet they never had all the pieces to the riddle."

He leans forward.  "This is why your intrusion angers me.  You have led Zero-One into Digital Fortress.  Although my sentries can stop AI entities, they will not stop actual humans.  Since the Shadow Regime is human, if Zero-One divulges the riddles, the Shadow Regime can enter Digital Fortress.  I must turn to more recoding to prevent this.  Therefore, I hope your visit will be brief.  What is it you want exactly?"

Screed looks surprised, "I thought they already knew how to find you which is why were trying to find you first.  And I thought Binary also known as Mike was a friend of yours, or your creator, or I really guess you.  The agents have him and are probably trying to break the code and get here.  You were both kind of 'birds of a feather' and all that."

"Ah," he says.  "Binary is Mike.  Must have taken a new name after leaving the Matrix."  He shrugs.  "Yes, you guess correctly.  I am Vincent Giovanni, now freed from my prison -- the wheelchair.  Here I am God."

He pauses.  "If the Agents have Mike, then you should rescue him, by all means."  He snaps his fingers and asks the servant, "Fetch me my laptop...with the 'outside line.'  That should help us.  Now, any other questions?"

"Hmm, better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven, is that the motto of this Shadow Regime?"  Methuselah wonders aloud.  "Well, I'm sure Locke's gonna have kittens once he hears we've been able to reach you.  I don't have any questions I want to ask.  We found you, and that's what we're supposed to have done.  The obvious question is 'what next?' but I'm sure Locke will have some mission ready for us before we return."

"Well, since you asked, what is in this unbreakable code?  What were those two things that were tagging along with us?  Are agents trying to find you, and how close are they?  Are you going to be safe?  Do you need to come with us?  Do you have any Lobster Thermidor?"

He answers Screed, "If I told you the unbreakable code, would it be unbreakable anymore?  It is what I call a 'dancing algorithm.'  It changes with each attempt to hack it.  Are agents trying to find me?  They have been trying to find me since before you knew they existed.  Am I safe?"  He laughs.  "Are any of us safe?  Am I not more safe in a world where I am a God than a world that is a prison?  I will not be going with you.  If I leave the Matrix, my body will awaken.  It is not on your ship, and the machines are likely to kill me.  As it is, I've masked the program from them, so they can't tell which body is mine.  I'm just a thorn in their side."

He snaps his fingers, and the attractive servant appears with a plate of lobster in her hand.

A man shows up with a laptop, which Vincent takes and begins typing.  "I'm opening a channel to your ship."

Your radios suddenly spring to life as X says in your ears.  "Is that you?  I think we've reestablished contact."

"This is Vincent Giovanni," the large man says.

Elle's voice comes on-line.  "You sound...different."

"Let's just say I've made some modifications to myself.  Are you prepared to receive an upload?  Sending...now."

"You know, a wise man once postulated that the best place to hide a leaf is in a forest.  You've managed to trick the machines into holding onto your body while maintaining such power within their constructed reality.  I must admit that your audacity would shock Emporer Napoleon himself.  I had always assumed you were safely hidden and jacked in from elsewhere.  No, your body and mind are both within reach of the machines, yet you remain free and your power unfettered.  I think Elle seriously overestimated our chances of reaching you, but I'm glad we succeeded nonetheless."

Vincent puts his computer aside while waiting for the information to upload.  "Let me tell you a few things about these agents.  Zero-One, though it controls the human race, needs an extraordinary amount of power to operate, both inside and outside the Matrix.  It is computer of efficiency.  Thus, its constructs come in various forms.  The most powerful are the Agents, dressed as such.  Less powerful AI's come in various forms.  There are also glitches in the code, things you might think are ghosts or deja vu or other oddities.  And then there is the Shadow Regime, consisting of humans like you manipulating the Code."

He looks at his computer.  Still uploading.

"You must gauge your skills according to your enemy.  Even Zero-One's AI constructs must work within the Code.  If this 'Zion' you speak of desires to penetrate Zero-One, it must do so both from within and from without.  To destroy it from the outside is to sacrifice the human race.  To destroy it from within is also to destroy the human race.  Only with both can such a goal be attainable.  Therefore, any kind of virus or codebreaking I take into the Matrix must be tempered by such concerns."

He types a few buttons.

"Ah, here we are.  Mike is being held in a Node.  Do you know what a Node is?  No, of course you don't.  It is a waystation of sorts, a point of connection in the Matrix which connects to many points in the world and is--normally--inaccessible to humans.  You can rescue Mike by entering the Node.  Because of its nature, the Node's architecture and structure is not even comprehended by me.  But I expect that it will be only lightly patrolled, not by Agents of any kind but lesser AI programs...that is, until Zero-One discovers you are there.  In that case, it will divert all energy and power to stopping you."

He punches a few more buttons.

"Okay, if you like, I'll open a door to the Node."  He looks up.

Locke's voice breaks through your headphones.  "We are listening up here.  You should make it your primary objective to save Binary.  We may not get another chance.  And look for anything else that might be helpful against Zero-One while you're there."

Screed silently listens, taking in all the information.  At this last bit, he looks obviously shaken but tries to keep himself under control.  Finally he asks, "Do..do you have any tools or code that might be helpful in there?  Lockbreakers, scanners, or anything?"  He looks around at the walls, expecting some door to open to this 'node' at any moment with agents pouring forth.

Methuselah looks around the group.  "We're going somewhere lightly patrolled, not trying to blend in with Vegas vacationers.  Now's the time to break out the heavy artillery."  He looks over at Vincent, "Sir, I don't suppose there's any nifty weapons you've coded that you've been itching to see how well they work?  I think we're in a good position to test some out where we're going."

"For obvious purposes," he answers, "my code is not compatible with the Matrix Code.  You can bring Matrix Code in, but you can't take my code out.  Any compatibly coded weapons are on the CD-ROM back at the base, the one I understand you uploaded to your ship."

"Such is life."  Looking around one last time and taking one last bite of the lobster, Screed says, "You're really one nice guy, and I wish you the best.  Thank you for your time and your help."

Vincent frowns.  "I realized that, in addition to overhauling my body, I had to overhaul my personality too.  I doubt anyone would recognize me."

He looks down at the screen.  "Upload complete.  Let me take you back to the hallway of doors."

You walk back with him into a whitewashed hallway filled with doors.  Vincent leads you to one.  "Walk through this door and you will get directly to the Node.  However, as soon as you walk through, your time will be limited.  Zero-One will not only come after you, but me as well.  Once it finds this Node connection, it will attempt to shut it.  You will have six minutes and thirty seconds to get in and out before Zero-One closes our connection.  If you don't make it in time, you will have to try another door and go wherever it takes you.  I can't help you there."

He pauses with his hand on the door.  "And you will have no contact with your ship in the Node.  Are you ready?"

Screed shrugs and takes out his weapons.  He checks his ammo, takes off the safeties, and waits by the door.  Looking at the others, he nods.

Everyone ready?  Any final preparations?