In article <d3s768$p9$***@nemesis.news.tpi.pl>, Profil1 <***@neostrada.pl>
writes
Post by Profil1Post by JPM IIIWe need to start talking about The Matrix Comics Vol 2 or more about the
storylines of The Matrix Online just to keep math out of here. ;-)
Please, start;)
I'll start:
**
The Menace of Red Eyed Agents
Tranquil blue skies heralded a new week in a fatigued but relieved Mega
City today. The malignant red glow of eyes indelibly burned onto the
inner walls of mankind's collective skull is a lingering reminder of the
danger engendered by man's lust for power. Weary citizens of the Mega
City wander around in a reflective stupor, still incapable of grasping
how close mankind had brought itself to ultimate destruction. The chaos
and fog of battle still obscure the true nature of recent events;
however, as reports continue to pour in, a coherent picture begins to
emerge.
It was a standard Tuesday night in the Matrix. Warriors of Zion were
fighting that midweek malaise at local bars, occasionally eyeing an
insignificant mid-season bluepill ball game. Merovingian "hipsters"
lounged disinterestedly about local clubs smoking cigarettes in the
midst of another night of drinking and excess. Machinists were already
in bed, tucked in and dreaming of the meticulously organized week ahead.
Just another Tuesday night in the Mega City, when suddenly, a mysterious
transmission shattered the complacent air of normalcy.
## Relay Initialized ##
## Attention: Prepare for new orders ##
# System resources indicate the presence of illegal fragments.
# Humans cannot be permitted to possess this contraband.
# You will comply with the following directives.
# Cease all activities.
# Immediately travel to the nearest hardline.
# Surrender all contraband fragments.
# Jack out.
# Humans are no longer welcome in the Matrix.
# We will be disabling hardlines.
# We will neutralize your auto-jackout. Opposing these directives will
result in permanent death.
# If you do not surrender all contraband fragments, and remove yourself
from the Matrix…
# You will be destroyed.
# You have exactly twelve hours to comply with these directives.
# Resistance is useless.
# Platoon leaders will be deployed to ensure your compliance.
# There is nowhere you can hide your contraband from the system.
## End Transmission ##
## Relay Termintaed ##
At the heels of this transmission, a force of mysterious red-eyed Agents
spread through the City, wildly attacking any human alleged to possess a
fragment. Chaos ensued. All humans were targets, regardless of
Organizational affiliation or level. Violence continued through the
night and into the morning. When the initial shock wore off,
Organization leaders regrouped and started a campaign of concerted
rumor-mongering. The Merovingians sobered up and cast a suspicious eye
at the Machinist faction. Zionites brashly implicated the Frenchman,
citing his power-hungry inclinations. The Machinists, concerned only
with maintaining the truce, kept their composure and exerted their
energy in finding the source of this destabilizing force.
Later that day, each Organization issued an official denial of
responsibility for the red-eyed Agents. Although some in the Matrix
remained incredulous, the notion of a new, fourth party captured the
popular attention of the Mega City. The Organizations turned their
attention to killing red-eyed Agents and collecting fragments. The
nature of these fragments was uncertain but there was no shortage of
wild theories to explain them. The Merovingians, with uncharacteristic
physical exertion, jumped out to a commanding lead in the race to
collect fragments.
On the dawn of the third day, players received "Neo's Insight" for their
efforts in collecting fragments. The gift brought toughness to those in
the leading Organization on their given server, toughness that would be
needed to meet the challenge of a greater influx of red-eyed Agents.
This new motivation for fragment collection sparked even greater concern
from the Organizational leadership. Frustrated with the lackluster
efforts of the Zionites, Niobe traveled through the Matrix giving "fire
and brimstone" speeches to goad her people into action. The Zionites
heeded her message, and a fury of Zionite fragment accumulation ensued.
Instead of uniting against a powerful outside force, the Organizations
bickered amongst themselves and fought over control of the fragments. At
the close of the third day, Zion had wrenched the lead from the hands of
the complacent Merovingian Organization.
As tough as Thursday seemed, it proved to be the calm before the storm.
Friday signaled a drastic increase of red-eyed Agents in both number and
effectiveness. An elite brigade of the Agents ran roughshod through the
Matrix killing scores of redpills. Organization leaders, more interested
in winning the inter-Organization pissing match, failed to see or even
question the larger implications of this new threat. Flood savagely
lashed out at the Merovingian redpills for conceding the lead to the
Zionites. Meanwhile Morpheus, having discovered the relation between the
fragments and Neo's RSI, gave a series of speeches attempting to unite
all of humanity under the aegis of Zion. His speeches were punctuated by
a mesmerizing display of what was later confirmed to be a partial image
of Neo's shattered RSI.
Late Friday evening, Morpheus addressed the Zionites, the Architect
addressed the Machines, and Persephone addressed the Merovingians. After
the speeches were heard, one local wag glossed the three speech givers
as the Mentor, the Creator, and the Seductress. The speeches all
consisted of a cryptic message encoded within some of the mysterious
fragments carried by the red-eyed agents. These speeches catalyzed a
frantic but uncertain effort to decipher the coded messages.
The Matrix was tormented by these enigmatic speeches for the next two
days as players scrambled to break the code. In the midst of a search
for the answer to an extremely complicated puzzle, warriors also
organized fierce resistance movements to oppose the marauding bands of
elite Agents. The end of this day saw fleeting moments of inter-
Organization cooperation, as all humanity battled to stay alive.
However, the Organizations remained divided and fiercely competitive as
they selfishly continued to gather fragments. Flood's inflammatory
speech filled his minions with a berserker-like rage, galvanizing them
into a bestial flurry of fragment gathering. As Friday drew to a close,
the Merovingians reclaimed the lead in fragment collection with blood-
smeared faces (which they later claimed was lipstick).
It is still uncertain precisely when the code was broken, but it opened
a line of communication with The Oracle. The Oracle's desperation in
contacting humanity in such a democratic fashion betrayed the gravity of
the situation.
Once the riddle was solved, her message was transmitted throughout the
Matrix for all mankind to hear. She explicitly instructed all of
humanity to work together to gather Neo's fragments. The Oracle also
explained that a mysterious sect, known only as Shapers, possessed the
knowledge and power to recombine the fragments into a coherent form.
Unfortunately, the Oracle's message fell on deaf ears. Organizational
leaders, drunk with the notion of possessing the power of The One,
greedily set out to grab power for themselves instead of heeding the
Oracle's warning. Organizations hoarded Shapers for themselves, and in
the end, the Oracle's harmonious speech only set mankind more viciously
against itself. On Sunday, the Oracle's worst fears were realized.
Distracted by inter-Organizational bickering, humanity allowed the
Intruders to capture a Shaper. Using the Shaper to augment their power,
the Intruders unleashed an awesome force of lightning Agents.
These new lightning-wielding Agents stormed through Mega City, leaving
destruction in their wake. Mankind, confronted with annihilation,
grudgingly conceded a need for unity. Mortal enemies just days before,
Merovingians, Machinists and Zionites took collective aim at the red-
eyed Agents. "We got them in our sights, and we took them down. Then I
gave em' a little shiv in the neck just for good measure," explains the
founder of ZAP (Zionite Activists for Pacifism).
As the last lightning Agent perished, it became clear that the
motivation for human accord died with him. As the smoke of battle began
to clear a Mexican standoff emerged: Merovingians warily eyed Zionites
over the barrels of their still smoking guns, Zionites addressed
Machines with still clenched fists, and Machinists coldly monitored the
Merovingian movements. Tension and distrust quickly replaced feelings of
fellowship and cooperation.
The Oracle once again addressed the residents of the Mega City.
Well would you look at that, when you all choose to work together...
Things tend to work out alright. I know how tired you must be. The last
couple of days have been hard on us all. But there are a couple of
things we should discuss while everything's fresh in your minds.
First. You ought to be proud of yourselves. You did good today. But if
you go back to bickering then next time it might not turn out as well.
You humans have a funny way of heaping trouble upon yourselves and there
is going to be trouble enough ahead without you all making it worse.
Oh, I know mischief is in your nature. But so is survival.
Now is the time to choose which you value more. Remember, Neo sacrificed
himself for your freedom and now it's up to all of you to take care of
yourselves and each other. You get some rest now. There's going to be
plenty for you to do in the near future.
**
All of the above is from http://thematrixonline.warnerbros.com/web/live/
news_display.jsp?id=041305_eventssummary
--
Gavin Smith
http://www.geocities.com/gsmith_5678
--