The two women sitting in the apartment appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be perfectly normal. Two friends having tea, the redhead looked slightly older than the other, if only because of the look in her gray eyes. If her eyes looked much too old for her years, what was that? Many people had experiences in life that made them seem much older than their years. The other woman, with neon pink hair and incongruous dark gold eyes, didn't seem to have quite the same air of gravity. The conversation, though, was anything but normal. To anyone on the street it might've seemed entirely incomprehensible.

"It's absolutely not that I think it can't be done, Tirzah. I'm sitting here, aren't I?" The redhead took a sip of her tea and rearranged a delicate, hand knit shawl draped across her shoulder. "It's that I don't understand why anyone would want to do it in the first place."

Tirzah, the younger of the two, scowled and crumbled the edge off a perfectly browned shortbread biscuit. "And I can't see how you don't understand that. Everyone wants what you have."

"No. Everyone THINKS they want what I have. You haven't even lived half as long as I have, and none of you have any idea what I went through after the accident."

"You didn't intend for it to happen, and you didn't know how to manage after the event. But because of you, we will! If it's intentional, it won't be the same situation at all."

Tirzah had jacked in with the rest of the team from the Elbereth. Ostensibly they were here to visit the Oracle and to pick up a new potential. One more redpill joining the ranks. Tirzah had also come to visit Etna and let her know how research was going.

Etna was not a coppertop or a bluepill. Nor was she a program or a redpill, precisely; she was a little of both. Almost 80 years ago, Etna had been "rescued" from life in the simulated reality of the Matrix. For a few years she'd crewed a ship, jacking out other redpills and living the life on the run that was common to so many Zionites.

That had changed during what was supposed to be a test. A new type of broadcast had been developed, and Etna had volunteered to be the first to hack into the Matrix using the new signal. It had gone horribly wrong. Beset by agents inside the Matrix and sentinels outside, Etna's ship fought a pitched battle to escape while she frantically looked for an exit. She had never found one, and the ship's captain had made the heart-wrenching, fateful decision to use the EMP on the sentinels outside. The EMP should have disrupted the signal, cutting off Etna from the Matrix and killing her instantly.

What happened was something entirely different: something about the EMP, the experimental broadcast, and the ship's proximity to a server farm hosting the Matrix program had all combined to result in the impossible: Etna's consciousness was somehow copied into the vast system of storage that housed the Matrix. Her physical body had been unable to withstand the trauma, and she'd been left inside the Matrix with no possibility of getting out again. Etna had become a human program: a human consciousness existing only in code.

For 60 years, she'd lived, never aging, in the Matrix as the friends and family she'd known died one by one. Immortality had been a very lonely, very painful business for Etna until an extremely unlikely Exile accidentally changed that.

Smith, the Agent program defeated by The One, had remained in the Matrix. Still rogue, code corrupted by all those programs and people he'd copied over, and ostensibly without any sort of purpose, he'd been in bad shape when Etna found him. An entirely dysfunctional roommate relationship had become a very unlikely friendship, which had then turned into love and completely changed them both. Etna regained some sort of sense of humanity, instead of simply seeming to wait for a death that was never going to come for her. It had changed Smith enough that he was the sole reason Tirzah was here at all; he'd taken a bullet that would otherwise have killed her. His self-sacrifice had solidified the truce between human and machine. He and Etna were both given new purpose after the ordeal: Etna was allowed to remain in the Matrix as something of a human counterpart to the Oracle and the Architect while Smith became a challenge-authorization program for her. Many people, program and human alike, wanted access to Etna for one reason or another. To get it, one had to get through Smith--a very daunting prospect not only because of his skill, but also his intense devotion to Etna, which she returned just as fiercely. Among their friends, however, Smith was known mainly for his cynical, dry wit and his excessive fondness for sweets.

It was in Etna & Smith's apartment that Tirzah sat now, eating shortbread Etna had baked. She knew there wasn't much of a point in either the tea or the biscuits, as they were merely code, but she had to admit Etna had become one hell of a cook in the 20 years she'd been working with the Oracle. Etna claimed it was the only thing she'd learned; she was still much better at the clinical, objective work she did with the Architect. Tirzah wasn't certain. She'd seen Etna manipulate redpills & coppertops alike into doing what needed to be done to ensure the safety of the Matrix. She took another bite of her cookie.

"They have a name for you now, you know," Tirzah said, changing the subject slightly.

"Other than, say, Etna? 'Anomaly' seems popular around here," Etna said dryly.

"They've been calling you The Infinite," Tirzah told her. "Immortal."

Etna pinned her with a look. "And some of them call me The Abomination. I know this because Smith killed one of them within a dozen feet of me last Friday." Tirzah's mouth went dry; she had not realized how much Etna knew about the fanatics. Etna rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "Tirzah, I can't tell you what to do. I know you've given your whole life to this research, and I respect that. But you need to know there is more to this than simple 'immortality'. Humans are not meant for immortality, and there is a major period of psychological adjustment that not just anyone is ready for, no matter what they themselves may think. You need to tread lightly with this."

Tirzah scowled again. "I know, I know. I will, and I promise to be careful."

"That's all anyone can ask. Now, if I'm not mistaken, the rest of your crew is about to knock on my door."

They did. Gaia, Freja, Rhiannon, and Radha all trooped in, ate cookies, drank tea, & gossiped. Visits to the Matrix were not the furtive, high-risk affairs they'd once been. The peace between humans and machines had resulted in a very different place, and while Zionites jacking back into the Matrix were encouraged not to make a spectacle of themselves, they were no longer actively hunted. In any case, there was no more talk of Tirzah and her research. After a leisurely visit, they left; Etna gave Tirzah a knowing, warning look as they went.

On the way to the exit point, talk turned in its usual risque direction. The crew of the Elbereth was all female, and over the last few years that had made for some very lively discussion.

"Anyone spot anything...interesting...today?" Gaia asked with a bit of an eyebrow raise.

A few sighs went up. "Nothing," Freja said. "Not a single agent."

"Well," Rhiannon giggled. "I DID see Smith in the hallw--"

"DON'T," Tirzah growled. "Great gods, that's disgusting. He's like my FATHER or something. Ew."

"Just because he feels like YOUR father doesn't mean the rest of us can't think he's hot," Radha pointed out, also giggling.

Tirzah made a gagging noise. "Fine. But do you have any idea what Etna would do to you if she knew you were oggling him?" Etna would laugh and roll her eyes, but the other girls didn't know that. Radha & Rhiannon's faces blanched.

"I've heard she can kill you just by thinking about it," Freja said.

"That's ridiculous," Gaia pointed out, sounding as though she might believe it herself. "I did see Etna and Smith in a sparring simulation once." She shuddered a little. "I couldn't decide if it was fighting or foreplay, but I'm pretty sure it would kill normal people." Tirzah snorted at the exaggeration.

"I was hoping to get a look at Brown, myself," said Freja. "He lives in the same apartment building, you know."

"Thompson is supposed to be patrolling our exit area today," Tirzah said slyly. She'd gotten the information from Etna just before leaving. "Shall we start something and see who comes running?"

With the war years behind them, the younger redpills no longer saw Exiles and agents in quite the same way as previous generations. In fact, a curiosity had grown up around them, as it always does something slightly forbidden, slightly dangerous. On the Elbereth, the curiosity had taken on a rather naughty aspect. In a crew of all women, speculation had arisen about the sexual nature of agents. Smith obviously had one, given his relationship with Etna; what about the rest of the agents? From there, both imaginations and conversations had run wild. Each jaunt into the Matrix was a chance to ogle an agent and fuel discussion and debate for weeks.

They walked a few blocks and, guided by their Operator, finally neared their exit. "It's now or never, ladies! Anyone care for a bit of mischief?" Gaia giggled, jumping onto a nearby bench.

"I would advise against it," came the deep, masculine voice from behind the crew. The women whirled around, and Tirzah found herself nose to nose with Agent Thompson. Or nose to chin, rather, given the height difference. Tirzah was a tall woman.

"Hellooooo, Agent! That was impressively quick." Gaia said airily, jumping down from the bench again. "And to what do we owe this honor?" She sounded very, very innocent.

"The system received a tip you would be exiting in this area, and ordered an escort to make certain there were no disturbances." He seemed almost bored.

"'Ordered an escort'? Remind me to send Etna a thank-you card..." Freja said under her breath.

"And whatever kind of disturbances would you expect from us, Agent Thompson?" Rhiannon asked silkily.

"I'm here to escort you to the exit," Thompson said, ignoring Rhiannon entirely. "Please follow me." He began walking toward the building housing the exit.

"Ooo, happily," Radha said, not even bothering to hide the innuendo. She was unabashedly staring at Thompson's rear.

It only took a few minutes to reach the exit point. There was no way Thompson could've missed all the innuendo and comments, but if he noticed he didn't react.

"Thank you ever so much for the escort, Agent Thompson," Gaia said, eyeing him boldly. "Well, ladies, what's our order today?"

"I'm bringing up the rear," Tirzah said. Gaia went first, followed by Freja, Rhiannon, and Radha. Tirzah replaced the phone on the hook and waited for her own call. She decided to take a bit of a chance.

"So what do you guys do for fun, anyway?" she asked nonchalantly.

Thompson eyed her blankly. This was the first time a redpill had attempted to engage him in any sort of conversation. "Fun?" he asked blandly.

"In your free time. When you're not chasing people or shooting people or being..." she looked him up and down, "tall and intimidating?"

"Neither my height nor my demeanor ever changes, Miss Greene. And I do not have 'fun'. Do not confuse the rest of us with the corrupted Smith program."

The use of her Matrix name rankled her, so by the time he called Smith "corrupted", Tirzah was already irritated. "Corrupted?" she snapped, eyes narrowing.

"Corrupted," Thompson repeated. "He was reassigned to The Anomaly merely because his flaw makes him unsuited for anything else."

"Flaw? Which 'flaw'?!" Tirzah growled. "The fact that he loves Etna makes him 'less' than you?" Given that he'd saved her life, insulting Smith was the fastest way to send Tirzah into a rage.

Thompson nodded. "Correct." Tirzah's eyes flashed. Her arm seemed to shoot out of its own accord. Thompson caught her fist inches from his own jaw. His fingers were firm on hers; she could not have removed herself from his grip if she'd tried. She gritted her teeth, longing for Etna's abilities. They stood rooted to the spot for a few seconds, the only sound Tirzah's teeth grinding audibly. The phone rang. Thompson released her hand.

"That would be for you," he said, tone flatter than usual. Tirzah hissed, insulted Thompson's parentage in extremely creative terms, and lifted the receiver. She was gone in a flash of code.

Tirzah's eyes blinked open into the dim light of the Elbereth. After the few seconds it took her to regain focus she shook her head & sat up slightly in her chair, only to see the rest of the crew staring at her as though she'd grown a third arm.

"You threw a punch at Thompson," Gaia informed her. "Threw a PUNCH at him."

Freja, Rhiannon, and Radha were staring at her, still dumbfounded. Binah, the operator's, jaw was hanging open, and she kept looking from the screens of emerald code scrolling behind her to Tirzah and back again.

"I guess I did. You saw what he said about Smith."

"And therefore you tried to punch someone who could snap you like a twig. You do remember he nearly killed both Morpheus and Trinity, right?" Rhiannon pointed out. The stories from the war were the stuff of modern legend, but at least that one was fairly accurate.

"Wasn't really thinking that clearly," Tirzah admitted, embarrassed. She was not precisely the best hand-to-hand fighter; Thompson could have snapped her like a twig. And according to the terms of the treaty, would've been within his rights to do so, as she'd "attacked" him. Why hadn't he?

Echoing her thoughts, Radha had found her voice. "Why DIDN'T he?" she mused aloud. Then her face brightened mischievously, and the conversation took the turn it always did. "He wants you, Tirzah. That has to be it." She nodded as though this settled the entire question.

Gaia snickered. "Uh-huh. Mr. Ice-Water-for-Blood-Agent has the hots for Tirzah. That explains everything."

"He's just sitting in his car right now," Binah commented, bouncing in her seat. "What did his hand feel like?"

Tirzah ran a hand through her extremely short, sandy blonde hair. She always went for a different color when she jacked in, but in the real, she'd kept her hair this way for years. Her eyes were a very dark, liquid brown. It was easier to concentrate on research when she didn't worry about things like appearance in general. "That's right. Agent Thompson is sitting in his car, thinking about his desperate, unrequited love for me as we speak. And his hand felt like a hand. A rather large, slightly cold, kinda soft hand." It had been surprisingly soft, and he'd obviously been trying not to hurt her. She hadn't the first clue why, and wasn't going to let it distract her now. She hopped up from the plug chair and turned to Binah.

"What's our depth? What's our proximity to the server farm? Do you have the readouts from our broadcast?" Her mind had whirled back to her research on Etna's accident, and thoughts of Agent Thompson had all but vanished.