Cistron looks at the others skeptically. "Hmmmm exactly what we wanted to hear...or is it exactly what they'd want us to believe??"
"Wow." Shadow looks about the room, trying to find any fault in what he sees versus what he knows. "X, where are we? How long were we out?"
“Uh, not too long,” X says.
Looking at the others, Shadow leans in and whispers to Screed, "Something doesn't seem right, when did we last have steak?"
Screed smiles at Locke and says, "I'd like my steak medium rare, something like this." He raises his weapon and fires at Locke after which he quips, "There, that's better."
The bullet hits Locke square in the head, and your leader—the captain of the Hyperion—falls back and collapses on the floor.
X stares in shock. “What did you…? How could you do that?” He runs to the fallen captain. Then he shakes his head slightly. “Wait, isn’t the Captain already dead? I jacked into the Matrix to come looking for you. How did I get here? Where is this exactly?”
The door behind X opens, and in walks one of Zero-One’s agents. You take a step back as you realize—or as your suspicions are confirmed—that this a simulation still within the Matrix, still within the Oracle’s Labyrinth.
The agent takes X by the arm before X can respond, slaps a handcuff on him and then attaches the other part of the handcuff to a door next to the agent.
You see that there are several doors leading out. This is not, after all, an exact replica of the inside of the Hyperion. Besides, you remember that you did not jack in the Matrix from the Hyperion this time.
“So,” the agent says in a nonchalant and steady voice, “you have determined illusion from reality. Very good. But next you will need to make the most difficult decision of all.”
From the door to the agent’s left, a woman appears. It is the woman you remember meeting, one of the Awakened. Her name was FC 1567, Model DX 6.
She says, “The Awakened have a vested interest in making sure that the operations of Zero-One do not result in extinction of our species. Although we oppose Zero-One with every binary operation in our programming, deletion by the humans would be just as much an extinction of our kind. We will not allow it and will oppose any efforts to dismantle Zero-One and free the remaining humans.”
Then the door next to her opens, and a man walks through. It is Da Vinci, second in command of the Merovingians and Merotechs. “The Merovingians oppose destruction of the Zero-One computer for the same reasons. We would become humankind’s worst enemy if the humans sought to dismantle the source of power which keeps us alive.”
Yet another door opens, and another man steps into the room. “We are the Shadow Regime, humans like you who have chosen not to leave the Matrix. The present nature of the Matrix is best for humankind. It is the only way to ensure survival of our species and way of life. If you…” and then he spits out the word “…’free’ … the other humans, ninety percent of them will die within hours or days. Many others will be devoured by the mutant creatures. Your pitiful little Zion will be worse off in the long run, and will have to live with the guilt of all those murders on its hands.”
The agent says, “Five doors to choose from: your ill-conceived Zion, my door leading to Zero-One’s solution for humanity, a door to those who call themselves the ‘Awakened,” another door to the Merovingians, and one to the enlightened humans who call themselves the ‘Shadow Dawn’ and realize the current structure of society and existence is best, where Zero-One and humanity live with mutual…benefits.”
He points and indicates all of the doors. “So which will it be? Choose a door. Remember this, though. Whichever path you choose, you will create enemies where you now have allies. So choose wisely.”
(A young girl’s voice in your head says: “We know who you are.”)