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Agent Gray: Operative, it may occur to you that at present there are a number of "loose ends" which, left unresolved, could potentially come back to trouble the simulation again. E Pluribus Neo, arming in Zion's old city, constitutes one of these lingering issues, as does the simulacrum of the Zionite Morpheus, which just weeks ago reappeared in the simulation, disrupting our search for the terrorist Mauser at a critical juncture.

At this time we know of an EPN team searching for the simulacrum. It would be to our benefit to disrupt the team, and find what they may know about the simulacrum's whereabouts.

Operator: Got some reds in there. Should be pretty straightforward.

EPN Fighter: D*mn!
EPN Fighter: D*mn!





Computer:
--small craft heading north from a deep tunnel system. We are still working to decrypt the data found on a dismantled hovercraft console at the end of the tunnel--

Operator: No sim, but there was a certain satisfaction in that anyway.

Agent Gray: Yes, we had heard of the reading obtained by E Pluribus Neo's scanners at the old city. It was supposed to have been taken shortly after Mauser's last known appearance in the simulation, several weeks ago. And no, Mauser still has not been located in the Real--another loose end.

And then there is the restricted phone line system whose existence Mauser's movements in the Matrix brought to our attention. Thanks to his untrammeled and much-observed use of this old Zionite network, and partial records of its layout found among the data captured with Zion's old mainframe, we have made significant progress in unearthing and deactivating this remnant of the pre-Truce conflict. This loose end, at least, may soon be cut. However, whether it be out of a sense of nostalgia, or a desperate attempt t ohold on to anything they can, some operatives continue to fight for this network, harassing our removal efforts. One of our mechanical crews appears to be in some distress now.

Operator: You know, he could'a just said that to start with and saved the details until later...

Looks like listening to that speech might've made us miss most of the action. I've got a few active signals showing; one of them's ours.

[Hostiles: Zion operatives]
[Friendlies: Machine program]

Zion Pathogenist: D*mn it, tell him to recon! I don't CARE if he gets bounced to Kaede! Just-- Aah!



Machine Mechanic: Yessir, thank you, sir! I think we've got that line taken care of. There won't be any more terra-ists coming through there, you bet!



Phone: We're sorry, this number is no longer service. To end this call, hang up. Obviously.

Machine Mechanic: Just another day for a telephone repairman, sir!

Yep! Red eyes, black boxes, jammed red lines--I reckon I've pretty much seen it all.

Agent Gray: The Zionites themselves are a threat that we have not been able to control adequately since the emergency jackout technology that saves them from permanent death became widespread shortly after the Truce was established. This problem is somewhat offset by their current lack of a "savior" capable of manipulating or rebooting the simulation; nevertheless, their second city, heavily protected by geologic formations and electromagnetic fields, remains our primary military objective.

Sentinel activity had been reduced to a minimum while the intruders, with their ability to override and terminate our programs, were in our city's vicinity. Since their removal, preperations to resume the conquest of Zion have begun, but currently these are hampered significantly by the massive increase in storm activity triggered by the Merovingian. I would like you to collect an updated "intuitive" analysis of the storm from technical resources in the simulation.

Operator: I used to think I wanted to be a meteorologist. Just have to do a song and dance a couple times a day, and you can pretty much mail in the actual prediction part--sounded like a pretty sweet job to me.

Come to think of it, the real weather is even easier to predict than the simulated weather--or at least, it used to be.

[Friendlies: Bluepills]

Aldo Runnels: -- so then I said to him, "That's about the most mediocris nimbus I've ever seen!"
Vania Verdick: Haha! What a nimbostratus.

Aldo Runnels: Nimbostratus .... Hoo! Oh, man. If only we could make jokes like this on air.

Vania Verdick: That's it, I'm starting a stand-up weather show!

Computer:
Running analysis...
Temperature +0.2
Precipitation +11.5
Wind chill +3.8
Pressure -0.5

Elin Royal: Given the scenario, I'd say you can expect the storm nucleus to persist for some time--even expand. You had a high energy system in relative stasis, but this activity is creating new fronts. Without knowing the force that sustains it, I can't say for sure, but my feeling is that it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Operator: Pff. Come back tomorrow, and they'll probably tell you the opposite.

Elin Royal: Well, no, but when you get right down to it, the whole thing's a puzzle. With that kind of cloud cover, it should have frozen over entirely in a very short time. So, you're lucky--relatively speaking.

Agent Gray: Hm. I believe this leaves us with a fairly clear course of action at present. I would prefer not to discuss it over the simulated phone system.

Operator: There's a thought: is a simulated phone system vulnerable to the same hacks--simulated--as a regular phone system would have been? I mean, I guess that's one drawback of creating a really detailed level of simulation, right?

[Friendlies: Agent]
[Heroes: Agent Gray]

Agent Marks: All possible threats to the Matrix are recorded and tracked. We do not enumerate all of them to you, as it would be...impractical for you to attempt to assimilate that quantity of information. Rest assured that you are utizlied in the most efficent manner possible.

Agent Gray: Mauser and the simulacrum have not been located, and the storm and the two cities will take a substantial investment of time and resources to resolve. Much more readily approached are the machinations of the Merovingian, who in recent weeks has put considerable effort into stealing data, disrupting Sentinel systems, and violating restricted areas.

Although his forces have retreated from the area they had encroached upon on the Earth's surface, we have reason to believe that while there they may have obtained information that will tempt the Frenchman to encroach further upon the boundaries within which his existance is tolerated. He will have to be monitored carefully.

Yes, I had not mentioned Carlyne and Halborn--the "intruders," as you call them. Their existance and abilities are known factors. Certain intitiatives are underway to...reduce the impact they might have, should they return to the Matrix. Their return is not expected and, in any event, the project is a long-term one.

[Mission End]

Thank you, operative. I trust that you will keep in mind the topics we have touched upon today. The responsibility we bear to protect the simulation is an unending and complex one.

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