#20 - The Matrix Deleted / The End of an Era

[whatbombsatmidnite]

The Matrix Deleted
or
The End of an Era
By PallWall, LatinQueen, TheKillerDynamo, SOCOMSoldier017, & WhatBombsAtMidnight

Christopher Walken, enigmatic and quirky troublemaker and pawn of evil, was locked in heated battle with Blade, the Daywalker. They were fighting on top of the Memorial Building in New York.
"This white boy has some good moves..." Blade thought as they dodged and parried each other's attacks. Walken was fighting with his cane and Blade of course with his sword.
"You can't win Blade....it's inevitable." Walken mocked
Blade's sword was knocked away as Walken backed the both of them up.
"You see, our plan to destroy all humans is working perfectly....we'll just kill all of you stupid heroes and it'll be over."
Blade slowly, without being noticed, reached into his jacket for the syrum-filled darts he had used once before to kill Frost.
Walken leapt high into the air for a final strike.
Blade, using lightning quick reflexes, threw all the darts he had except for one.
All of the darts stuck to Walken when he landed. A surprised painful look on his face.
"Some mother fuker’s always trying to ice skate up hill." With that, Blade tossed the last dart up into the air and as it came level with Walken's head he kicked it and it shot right between Walken's eyes.
"Noooooo!!!!" Walken screamed as light emitted from his body and he burst into a brilliant white light. Walken was dead.
*****************************************************************
The crew on Stark's ship cheered!
"That's one bad mofo right there!" Robert cheered
"Sir, we've found Walken's body.....he's dead!" Stark said.
"Score one for the good guys then." Morpheus said.
"As Jay would say...snootch to the dootch." Randall said.
"Man all this excitement makes me thirsty...I’m missin' that gatorade right about now." Dante thought.
*****************************************************************
Simon sat atop Mount Weezy. He was meditating and slowly relaxing his muscles when suddenly he felt a disturbance within the Matrix. Someone had died...someone powerful.
"Walken...finally." Simon thought as he opened his eyes. He slowly stood up and decided to head up with the others. He'd need their help if he was going to delete the Matrix.
*****************************************************************
"SON OF A B!TCH!!!" Skitza yelled as he hammered his fist down upon the ground. Nathan and Walken were both dead. Nathan, the one with the power to execute the plan was dead. And that b4stard Walken was gone too.
"Well, that' some rottin' Puddin...what we gonna' do?" Cosby asked.
"We still have him..." Skitza said pointing toward Bludgeon
"Well, the Transformer then with the dragon power, and the sword, and the tank transformin...and...." "The Banana puddin" Bludgeon interrupted. "Let's initiate plan b"
*********************************

Stark Atmospheric Generator: Slow Earth Project Observation Tower

Tony Stark had fallen asleep with the bottle of Jack still in his hands. Apoc shoved him off the couch. "Wake up, fool!"
Stark slowly rose to his feet. "Is Tammy still here?"
"Tony, how long before the surface can support human life?" Morpheus asked.
"A few days [hiccup] give or take."
"Good. We plan on freeing every remaining human in the Matrix by Christmas."
"Why Christmas?" Apoc asked.
"It makes it sentimental."
As Morpheus and Apoc left the room, Robert turned to Tony. "What's with the booze?"
"It keeps me warm at night."
* * * *
Just then, they came into a vortex and found themselves at the Holiday Inn. (From the movie Holiday Inn.) Bing Crosby sang while Fred Astaire danced around the heroes.
"Guess they warped us into a glitch" Simon said.
"What's a glitch?" Hellsing asked
Randall and Dante explained everything. Including the fate of the Matrix.
"So it's going to be deleted...what's going to happen to us?" Hellsing asked.
"Well, I just got a message from Stark saying that the atmospheric generators will kick in on Christmas day in the real world. So that means we have three days to hold off any attacks until then. What we need to do is find the source or spark of the Matrix itself."
"Did someone say Spark?" Bing Crosby asked. "I know exactly where that is!?"
"How do you know where it is?" Simon asked.
"Well, I'm not proud of it but I used to be one of Cosby's henchmen. I know it seems strange but I didn't know better." Bing said.
"How do we get there?" Hellsing asked.
"I think it's better if I take you there only because I want to see Cosby meet his demise." Bing said
"I don't know about that, it would be too dangerous for you." Simon said.
"If I may be frank I could give a s***!" Bing said.
"Okay then let's go. We don't have time to waste." Simon said.
* * * *
On board the Hovership the Neberchaneseur, Morpheus and Apoc were monitoring Dante and Randal's life signs and deciphering code, watching events unfold. "Looks like they met up with Simon - but where the hell are they now? It's like they're off the grid er something..." As Morpheus pondered this, Apoc panicked.
"Boss, something weird is going down inside."
"Like what?"
"I dunno, but it's all across the board. All the sublets. Every time period."
* * * *
Justin Timberlake believed everyday was a blessing, and he was glad he could wake up every morning to see a wave of condensed, rippling energy devastate everything in its path as it made its way to him?! "I'm bringing sexy-" The wave obliterated Timberlake.
* * * *
Lee Harvey Oswald was sipping his coffee as a wave of destruction turned him to ash.
* * * *
Helen of Troy was having her way with the nurse's twelve year old boy when a wave of electricity blew them away.
* * * *
Robert ran to the window and Tony stumbled after him. "What the hell's making all that noise?!"
Both looked down at the terraforming earth below to see a wave of robotic warriors led by Bludgeon attacking the generator.
"Ah, crap. Party crashers." Tony opened the window and shouted: "The keg's dry! Go home."
A laser blast ricocheted near by and Tony stumbled backwards and fell on his a$$.
"Well if that's the way they wanna play...let's play mother fukers." Stark said angrily as he stormed to the locker room.
"Wait Tony! You could not only destroy them, but the planet." Robert said.
Tony just looked back and replied. "Snootch to the fukin' dootch."
Tony suited into his armor and was thus Iron Man. He flew outside and landed in front of the advancing army. Tony was peering up at them as they all were on a cliff the generator just below.
"So Stark, You think you can destroy my army, my henchmen, my dreams?! My nightmares! I am a Decepticon and I am all powerful! I'm your worst nightmare!"
Tony then thought about his adventures and his arch nemesis's.
"...your not even close." Tony replied as he aimed his arm blaster. Phosphorescent energy charged around him and absorbed into his cannon. All of the surrounding light shut down as all energy was diverted to his cannon.
"Hey! My screen went blank!" Morpheus said. He looked out the window and his eyes widened. "Everyone get down now!" He shouted. The rest of the crew hit the deck.
Suddenly all of the light in Tony's cannon ceased, then burst forth again into a brilliant light beam that consumed everything within sight. Blinding light surrounded the landscape as people shielded their eyes. The beam tore through the upper atmosphere of earth and it was nearly as large as the entire northern hemisphere of the planet. The beam rocketed out into space light years away. Followed by an explosion that filled the sky.
The cliff that once stood in the way was no more than an empty field as was everything in front of Tony for miles and miles.
Tony sank to one knee as his suit's power shut down. He climbed out and stretched looking at the surroundings.
"Man...I didn't really think I could do that. Oh well, I don't like wasting time!" Tony walked back into the ship and poured a cup of coffee. All of the monitors were back on as he sat down. Everyone looking outside at the clouds that had parted from the beam revealing the sunlight again for the very first time in hundreds of years. Everyone gawked at Tony."What...is my fly undone?" he asked.
***********************************************************

The Undisclosed Location of the Matrix Mainframe

"Fools." Cosby commented. "He may have destroyed that legion of troops with his array of jigglers and gazoom, but he also damaged their generators. Either by freedom from the Matrix or not, humanity dies while eating the pudding pops!"
An assembly line rolled out another Bludgeon shell. Its eyes glowed as he was reactivated and reborn.
* * * *
As Simon and the others followed Bing Crosby...there was a sudden tremble within the Matrix, a big one. They were traveling down a deserted city block when suddenly the buildings went from wire frame back to normal.
"What in the fuk was that?" Randal asked
"Something on the outside happened...something big." Simon said. "Let me patch in to Morpheus."
Simon got the transmission and told the others.
"Je.sus....this is good and bad at the same time. Way to go Iron man!" Dante said.
"Wait a second, he may have destroyed the generators, but he cleared the cloud cover didn't he? And that mountain he destroyed...let me see." Bing Crosby asked.
Simon held out his PDA blackberry phone and on it was a picture of the mountain.
"The base of those mountains housed layers and layers of ice pockets that layer the earth's crust from the absence of sunlight. Well...if we can get the sunlight that Iron Man so destructingly provided to melt that ice....then we might not need those atmospheric generators after all." Bing Crosby said.
"What does that mean?" Hellsing asked.
"It means we have atmosphere and a chance....Simon, get word out to all the survivors of that planet to start digging as fast as possible till they hit ice."
"We might actually have a chance." Simon thought. He called Morpheus.
**********************************************
"My god...our planet might actually be normal again…trees, grass, all that stuff that exist in legends and fairy tales might actually come back!" Morpheus said. "And all we have to do is dig...pssh easy."
"Not quite......" Stark said. "Come take a look at the radar."
Morpheus stared at the monitor with a grim face.
"It...can't be......." Robert said. "I saw you destroy those things! And Bludgeon! How do we save the earth now!!"
"Simple" said a voice behind him.
The crew turned to look.
"Chazz Gobbleton.....we've heard so much." Morpheus said.
Chaz's ship #777 was just outside...they had gotten the distress call and made it. As did Chaz's crew.
"Leave Bludgeon to me, I've dealt with him before...."
*****************************************************************
"Blasheepity Bloop!" said Cosby outraged.
"That Chazz just peels my bananas!"
"But sir, there is always the plan"
"That didn't work when we last tried it back in the 80's,"
"Now we have the power, we can do what we failed to do"
"LEts get the Blood flavored J-E-L-L-O Flowin!"
*****************************************************************
Just then, they saw the Abominable Snow Monster from 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer'. So Cosby just dumped a butt-load of Jello into the lake and the Abominable got stuck in the Jello.
Suddenly...our heroes were on the Island of Misfit Toys. "Where in the hell are we now? Are we almost to the mainframe or whatever yet? I'm all out of gatorade!" Randall said.
"We're on the island of misfit toys." Bing Crosby said. "We're only one portal away from ending up in the mainframe"
"Well that's all fine and dandy, but what in the hell are we gonna do when we get there. How do you delete the Matrix?"
"The delete button...or syware." said Hellsing.
The group came across a red lake of Jello.
"Cosby was here...I can feel it." Simon said.
"What in the hell is that!?" yelled Dante
The group looked to see the abominable snowman.
"He needs help!" Dante said as he slid out onto the lake of Jello.
Dante ate the Jello around the snowman's feet.
"Thank you. You will have our help later." it said as the snowman yeti ran off.
"I have a feeling they'll be back in some important way." Randall said.
"Not before I kill you all!" said a voice.
The group turned around to see a man standing on an ice berg topped with teddy bear skulls.
"Skitza." Simon said. "How?"
Skitza smiled, changing the shape of his form from man to demon to Kelly Clarkson and back to demon. "I've missed you, Simon. Several times."
"You were sent back to hell, your claim to guardianship destroyed." Simon said.
"Yes, but if it is hell's wish for me to be here, I can't say no, can I?"
"That's how you and Walken kept coming back?" Dante asked.
"Actually, Walken is a saved program of Cosby's. He likes using him for various errands."
"I bet." Randal said, nudging Dante.
"What do you want, Skitza?" Simon asked.
"Same thing as you, samurai. As you all. No more Matrix."
"And no more humans." Dante added.
"Oh, no, there'll be humans. They'll just be employed, so to speak, by us."
"We'll never work for you." Dante said.
"We'll never work, period, if we have a say about it." Randal added.
"We've stopped you before. We can stop you again." Simon said.
"So confident, samurai. But how will you do it without your guide?" Skitza extended his hand a furious lightning shot into Bing Crosby's body, sizzling his flesh and killing him promptly.
"I could really use a gatorade right about now." said Dante
"And a fresh pair of pants." said Randall
"What do you want from us?" said Simon
"If it's not obvious by now I don't think you have been listening to me all these times we've crossed paths. If you don't want to be employed by me...then die!" Skitza yelled blasting eye lasers at the group.
Hellsing jumped in the way and deflected it by twirling his handguns.
"I am like you Simon except with guns...use your sword for short range attacks, I got this sucker on long range." Hellsing said.
"Right" Simon agreed taking a sword drawing stance. "One shot, one kill." Simon said.
"What do you want us to do?" Randal said.
"Stay out of the way for now!" Simon replied.
Hellsing opened fire all the while Skitza dodging bullets and lunging in close.
Simon almost materialized forward and slashed for Skitza.
"Je.sus he's fast!" Skitza thought as he ducked out at the last second.
Skitza leapt back onto a rock and hurled tiny energy needles at the duo.
Hellsing and Simon deflected the blast with their weapons.
"To hell with this!" Hellsing said lunging forward guns ablazing
Hellsing managed to clip Skitza with a couple of bullets, however, Skitza landed a blow Right into Hellsing's heart.
"Hellsing" Simon yelled.
Hellsing collapsed to the floor.
Simon was now alone in his battle. Skitza proceeded to overwhelm Simon with a blade of his own made of dark energy which was virtually indestructible. Simon couldn't keep up and was getting tired.
Skitza finally knocked him to his knees as Simon knelt down, sword holding him up.
"Now it is time to finish you. Goodbye Simon."
"Ancestors...give me the strength to vanquish this abomination straight back to hell." Simon prayed. "Please..."
Dante picked up a rock and chucked it at Skitza's knee.
Skitza went down on one knee and was damaged as was Simon
"Take that suk a duck!" Randall shouted. Skitza however got up and just ignored the two.
Thunder suddenly rocketed over head. The clouds filled with light as it cast shadows over the toys.
A beam of light came down upon Simon surrounding his body with energy. The light then went into his sword as he raised it above his head.
Skitza tried to block with his own weapon but to no avail as Simon's downward swing shattered Skitza's blade. Simon's swing came all the way and everything seemed still.
".....Unbelievable." Skitza said as a burst of light cut between his eyes down to his whole body separating him. Skitza exploded into light sending dust everywhere. The dust parted as the power of Simon's blade separated it. It seemed to be glowing with light...then the light faded. Simon sheathed his sword and rushed over to Hellsing.
"Hellsing are you ok?"
"I'll manage kid...say...that's a nice sword you got there reckon I'll have to try and do that with my guns." Hellsing was bleeding badly.
"You guys! We got trouble!" Dante said as a group of mimes swarmed through the mountains of toys and surrounding hills.
"Leave them to me..." Hellsing gasped. "I'll take care of these bastards."
"You can't take all of them." Simon said.
"Hey this is my destiny kid...maybe I die, maybe I don't you guys get to that portal and delete this god dammed matrix thing. I'll be fine."
"Thank you, friend."
"Via con dyos" Hellsing replied as he rushed toward the nearest group of mimes blasting many as he went along.
Hellsing's guns' began to glow a bright fire as did his eyes.
"Get out of here now!" Hellsing yelled.
Simon, Randal, and Dante headed through the portal which closed behind them due to a large explosion.
"Hellsing! Why! He was the coolest!" Dante whined
"Shut it, you pansy, he'll be fine. That's the kind of guy that doesn't die like no **bleep**." Randall replied.
"Well, this looks like the place." Simon said as the group headed toward a red door standing alone in infinite white space.
"Why's the space always gotta be white?" Randal asked receiving an eye roll from Dante.
*****************************************************************

[whatbombsatmidnite]

[part 2]

Iron Man and Bludgeon were going head to head while Morpheus and Chaz's hoverships were taking potshots at the army of mimes.
"Chaz, you said you knew how to take down Bludgeon." Morpheus asked over the ship to ship communicator.
"Yeah, we need to...uh...throw a concentrated...uh...brick...at, at his head...and then..."
"Didn't you defeat him before?" Apoc added.
"No, I lied. I was with the crew that did, but I died, or pulled out er whatever, when I was caught in a cave in. Mike was the one who defeated Bludgeon."
"Where's Mike?" Morpheus asked.
"He doesn't play with us anymore."
"Well, now what!?" Robert screamed.
* * * *
Simon and the clerks found themselves seated in a room that seemed to be an office. There were loud noises behind them. All three turned about to see through large pane windows that they were at a car wash.
"The car wash of the mind, maybe?" Randal asked.
Another door opened and in walked former President Jimmy Carter, who went about sitting at the desk in front of them and sifting through receipts.
"Mr President, it's an honor..."
"I'm not Jimmy Carta. I uh, merely look like him. Now, uh, Simon is it? I fail to see receipts for your travel to and from Japan, Berlin, Canada, and, is this right, you were in Tunisa for 8 weeks?"
"What are we doing here?" Simon asked.
"You are here to validate all your jumping about."
Simon withdrew his katana, sliced the desk in half, pushed Jimmy Carter up against the wall, and clasped his neck. "Where do we delete the Matrix programming and operating systems?" The former president-looking man pointed to the car wash. Simon let him go and entered the car wash.
"Now I'm gonna get all wet." Dante cried.
"I'm not even touching that." Randal said.
* * * *
Back in the real world. Bludgeon seemed to be weakening against Iron Man's attacks, but still kept regenerating.
"Why in the hell can't I beat this thing!?" Stark thought as he repeatedly blast the bejebus out of the robot.
"Why doesn't Mike play with us anymore!?" Morpheus asked.
"He got tired of all the rambunctiousness and wanted to stay in the Matrix." Robert replied.
"Yeah, well fuk his selfish @ss, send a squad to free him and bring him here immediately!" Morpheus ordered.
*****************************************************************
Mike was sleeping in his apartment when suddenly a light opened in front of him. Out stepped Jay and Silent Bob.
"Snootch to the dootch - it's time to save the world one last time!" Jay yelled.
"Oh for **bleep**'s sake...." Before Mike could get another word in Silent Bob shoved a pill in his mouth. Mike's vision became not distorted but digitized and he passed out.
When he awoke he was cold. He seemed to be in the helm of a ship. Bombs and explosions rang outside.
Morpheus walked in. "Hello again Mike."
"Why! WHAT!? WHERE!?" Mike asked.
Morpheus explained everything in a matter of minutes.
"Well, first thing we have to do to bludgeon is get him to say he is a **bleep**. After that we can kill him."
"............wow." Morpheus said. "Well, if it works. Let's go!"
Morpheus patched in to Starks' head gear mic and told him the plan.
"Oh I see, this'll be easy!" Stark said with a grin
"Hey, Go-Bot! If you like the wang what does that make you!?" Stark asked.
"What...you mean like I’M GAY?" Bludgeon asked. "Wait…nooooooooooo!"
"Snootch to the dootch!" Iron Man said as he aimed and fired a rocket at Bludgeon. After the explosion nothing was left of the robot. Bludgeon had been defeated.
Everyone on board the ship's cheered
"Sir! The mimes are pulling back and hey....it looks like we have some help!"
Yeti's appeared to be ripping the mimes to bits and pieces thinning their numbers and eventually killing them all.
"Well, Simon...it's all up to you now..." Morpheus thought.
*****************************************************************
Simon and the clerks wandered through the car wash all the while enduring water, soap, and wax.
"Where the hell is this d4mn button!?" Randall shouted.
"Right here ya' hooligan!" Said Cosby.
The group turned to see Cosby standing at the end of the carwash a giant green button behind him which above it read "SYSTEM CRASH/TERMINATION"
"Don't tell me we have to fight this guy I mean come on...he's old and feeble and he seems senile." Dante said
"Your physical attacks wont defeat me...the only way you can defeat me is by making me say…"
"Say what ?" Simon asked.
"Say some of the darndest things." Cosby said.
".......oh you mean like that stupid fuking show where kids say stupid sh1t?" Randal asked.
"You are correct dooooh!" Cosby said.
"Well.....d4amn...I'm at a quandary you two." Simon said to the Clerks. "This seems like your guys’ specialty."
"This'll be easier than raping a retarded chick." Randal said
"Randal!" Dante said. "That was just wrong."
"Oh...like you wouldn’t do it?!"
*****************************************************************
As Iron Man scouted the area and both Morpheus and Chaz's groups went about clean up, an irregular fluctuation in power output registered on his suit's short-wave radar. He traced it to an outcropping with thousands of camouflaged wires running back and forth and in and out. He set down on the ground and entered a cave. As he descended, he turned on his suit's floodlights to reveal corpses littered about: a young boy, an older woman, a big dog, a small lamb, a koala or two, and Al Roker.
"You shouldn't be here, boy."
Stark looked up to see a tower of a man coming at him.
"No one's gonna drain this battery..."
"What battery would that be?" Stark asked as he poised himself ready for a fight.
"Don't play stupid with me, tin man." He said as he swung a club the size of - no, it WAS a tree trunk. Iron Man hit the cave wall with such force that half of his online systems shut down.
* * * *
Cosby and the clerks had been exchanging remarks for ten minutes, all equally degrading and insulting. Simon had lost his patience, not something he was proud of, but it seemed to be a recurring habit of his lately. He pushed past both clerks, sword drawn, and confronted Cosby. "It's over, Bill. We're here to settle this once and for all."
"The puddin's gone bad, samurai!" And with that, Cosby revealed an oil painting of Vigo. Simon froze, hypnotized.
"You're accustomed to this, I know. Vengeful Imagery Gotten Online was an idea of Wwwwalken's. He thought Vigo was creepy look'n and it would be a great defense mechanism - imagery that dumps any mind jacked into the Matrix into a sleep cycle, allowing us access to their subconscious, or, in the very least, gives us windows of opportunity by distracting certain individuals - with Jello jigglers."
Simon heard none of this. He was lost in his own mind...
* * * *
Simon. Good to see you again.
"I thought you were gone."
You give up on people too easily. Skitza, Walken, myself. We're survivors.
"No, you're not real. None of this is. None of it ever was."
It's as real as you make it. That's why you became my weapon before. You will do so again. Because doubt clouds the mind, and doubt quenches my thirst. Simon, yours and everyone else's fate is sealed. Succumb to it.
"This isn't real."
The programming is real. The stakes are real. Your mind is real. All play their roles, and in the end, you belong to us!
Simon could feel his body being taken over slowly.
"What in the hell is he doing...fapping it?" Randall said.
"I thought he had a bon3r!" Dante said.
"Dude...you look down there?" Randall asked
"Well....no.....shut up!"
Simon suddenly remembered a story Neo had told him about a boy bending a sthingy. "Do not try and bend the sthingy...that is impossible. Only come to realize the truth...that there is no sthingy. It is not the sthingy that bends...it is you."
With that Simon began fighting Vigo in his head. Vigo swinging a battle axe Simon cutting it to pieces effortlessly.
"It can't be." Vigo said.
"You call yourself a survivor. Funny. Who do you think you are? Destiny's cChild?" And with that, Simon unleashed a super cut like he did on Skitza. Vigo burst into light. His code forever deleted.
The painting Cosby was holding bursts into light and disappeared.
"Well...fudge muffins!" Cosby shouted. "However, you still have yet something darndest to say. The moron twins haven't even come close!"
Simon stepped forward. He had had enough. His patience was shot.
"You two timing big stupid black mother fuker. Looks to me like the best part of you ran down the crack of your momma's @ss! Your career was over a long time ago and you need to quit rapin' those white women. You talk like you have a raccoon up your @**bleep**! And for the record, Banana pudding suks!!!"
Dante and Randall stood there speechless.
Cosby's face started to distort and twist violently.
"Noooooooooooo!" he said as he bursts into light. Cosby was forever gone.
"Time to delete this crap forever!" Simon yelled as he and the clerks put their hands on the delete button and pushed.
A voice that rang through the entire Matrix world and sublets announced. "System deletion in t minus ten seconds."
Simon could already see the buildings and landscape disappearing not into whiteness, but blackness.
"Morpheus! Jack us out!" Simon yelled.
"Ha! You almost said Jack off!" Randall said.
Dante rolled his eyes. The three heroes disappeared just as the carwash was consumed by blackness.
*****************************************************************
When Simon awoke he could hear people cheering. "We won!" "Victory" "Snootch to the dootch!"
Simon and the clerks got up in Morpheus's ship and looked out the window. They could see people awakening from pods.
"WAIT! ISNT THERE ANY OXYGEN!" Simon yelled.
"Relax hero…we got it taken care of." Stark said as he pointed up to the sky.
For the first time in years there were white clouds and sunlight. Oxygen.
As the people ran toward other ships the pods housed onto giant machines seemed to be exploding one by one.
Morpheus peered at his computer monitor. All the scrolling code was gone and all that remained was a blue screen that read "Error."
Once all the pods were destroyed the screens finally went blank and shattered sending sparks dancing to the floor.
"That was freakin’ sweet!" Randall said.
"Well, guess we don’t have to worry anymore about leaving the coffee pot on." Dante replied
"Well...as those two stoners would put it...Snootch to the fukin' dootch." Simon said.
*****************************************************************

Christmas Day

Morpheus had gone to great lengths to gather the newly freed survivors of the Matrix so that he and Robert could address them. When he did, many were apprehensive. Most would have preferred to have stayed in the Matrix than be set loose on a world waiting to be reborn. And of course, there was lettuce and eggs to be found - to be thrown.

Stark sat with Chaz and Mike in the observation tower, recapping his story of facing the large man guarding the power source for the Matrix. Turns out he was led to believe that it was merely the power supply to a Wal-Mart. When he learned the truth, he himself had destroyed it with his tree trunk. However, there was some embellishing on Tony's part, since he was now on his 12th beer of the hour.

Simon, however, was nowhere to be found. Rumors spread. Some say he was captured by Cosby's remaining minions and dragged into the darkness of night. Others say stricken with no battles left to fight, he took his own life as a shamed samurai would. But those that really knew him had an idea of the truth. Simon was disconnected from everyone his whole life, a born and bred nomad. And so, on the dawn of a new world, he walked into the dawn, going wherever fate carried him...



THE END