* * *
Agent Smith was disturbed when the rebel called Trinity stepped forward and around his gun. For all of what he had said to Mr. Anderson, she had not been his Trin for a long time.
She stepped closer, so close that he could feel her breath. Delicate hands pulled him toward a beautifully familiar face, soft lips ready to be kissed-
A shot rang out-
And the rebel called Trinity fell sideways, half her head blown off.
* * *
Darkness and silence unending. No taste, no touch, no smell. Nothing.
Only the soundless memory of sound and the fading memory of sight told him that such things had ever existed. Memories told him that smoked salmon had a taste that was without compare, though he could not remember what it was. His mother's cooking had smelled so wonderfully tasty, though all he remembered of it was how good it was. And Trinity-
"For daring to love my Trin, Mr. Anderson, fall to your knees and repent, if you please."
Something shattered in that dark and silent place.
* * *
A thousand hours passed in a microsecond.
"Why?" Agent Smith whispered.
His Strategic Unit merely walked forward to stand in front of him. Agent Brown removed his sunglasses with a deliberate motion, revealing clouded dark amber eyes. "You have not been functioning at optimal performance for quite some time. You would not have done your duty and killed the rebel yourself."
Agent Smith felt anger cloud obscure his vision with red. With the unnatural grace of a machine, he moved-
-And Agent Brown crashed against the far wall.
He walked over to the fallen Agent, the tapping of good shoes loud in the dark room. He noted the other's wide eyes and rapid breathing with a smirk. Agent Brown was afraid of him.
He snatched the sunglasses off his own face and glared. "Why did you kill her, Agent Brown?"
Clouded golden-brown eyes stared into Agent Smith's angry blue ones with something that was not fear.
Agent Smith stared into those deep brown eyes and laughed. "You poor fool. You were jealous all this time?"
* * *
The Mainframe was, contrary to popular belief, rather fond of emotions. It felt that emotions were what helped its Agents to protect the Matrix better. If there had been anyone to argue with, it would have argued that its Agents that had developed emotions were some of the best Agents it had.
That was why it had allowed Agent Smith to form a relationship with the human Catherine Chardonay. That was why it had Agent Brown to develop an undue amout of affection for his Command Unit. That was why it had merely placed Special Agent Rahne into a permanent shutdown, rather than deleting her.
So when the Mainframe examined the state that the latest Excited mind was in, it was intrigued.
After a microsecond of calculation and thought, it instructed one of its subroutines to go about the task of wiping the memory of the new mind.
If the Mainframe were not merely a rather large collection of computer programs, it might have smiled. And its subordinates would have backed away from such a smile.
Let it never be said that the Mainframe does not work in mysterious ways.
* * *
Agent Smith left his Strategic Unit collapsed against the wall and stalked out of the building. If he had turned around, he might have seen the pain on Agent Brown's face. He did not, however, turn around.
The angry Command Unit ignored the communication Agent Jones was trying to send him. If the Combat Unit cared to know what was going on, he could contact Agent Brown just as well.
* * *
Agent Brown walked into the office that Team 0.2.8 was currently occupying and resisted the urge to hide behind Agent Jones. His Command Unit was still looking rather angry and he knew that when Agent Smith was angry, Agent Smith lashed out at everything.
It was not worth thinking on what Agent Smith would do to him. He had, after all, made the mistake of forgetting that the latest upgrade had allowed the communication of emotions via the eyes. Whatever Agent Smith did to him was well-deserved for his stupidity in forgetting that.
He was a Strategic Unit. Strategic Units were not supposed to forget their weaknesses like that.
Agent Jones was looking at him oddly. Probably wondering why he had not responded to his communications all last night.
"We are going to have a new teammate as of today, Agent Brown," Agent Smith said in his magnificient deep voice.
If Agent Brown had been human, he would have bludgeoned that thought to death. Possibly with action figures. As it was, he merely deleted it.
"A new teammate? I was unaware that the Mainframe allowed teams with more than three Agents in them," he commented.
"Perhaps teammates is the wrong word. He will be a Special Agent assigned to work with our team."
That was unusual. Usually Special Agents simply worked where they were needed. Rarely, three of them would form a team and work where they were needed. Agent Brown had never heard of a Special Agent being assigned to a team of standard Agents before.
"We will await his arrival here and update him on the situation within the Matrix," Agent Smith said with an aura of finality.
* * *
The Special Agent selected the body nearest his assignment and phased into it. He turned sharply to the right, strode down the hall, and reviewed the information he had.
As a newly formed Agent, he was required to work with a team of Agents until such time as the Mainframe determined that he was fit to work on his own. Normally, as a Special Agent, he would be assigned to work with other Special Agents with functions similar to his own.
He was, however, a member of Team 21.1.2. Like Special Agent Rahne and Special Agent MacHewlett, there were no other Special Agents with functions like his.
He pushed open the door and looked at Team 0.2.8. A random Command Unit, a love-sick Strategic Unit, and a Combat Unit that actually did his job. This would be very interesting.
"Special Agent Anderson reporting for duty," he said with a smile.
The End