[Team Two] The Matrix

[damagea.livejournal.com]

SixTONES Matrix!AU, fully inspired by Barrier MV! :D

Kochi, Hokuto, Taiga | G | ~730 words

"Chaos sharpened its claws," Kochi mutters in front of the keyboard. It's a flat statement of fact as the green code on the monitor keeps running, and he doesn't tear his eyes away from it.

Hokuto lifts his head and leans in to look at the screen. 

"Show me."

Kochi switches the feeds.

The first screen loads. Morimoto Shintaro is on the staircase of his apartment building. He's staring into the exact patch of darkness Hokuto vanished into earlier that week. Shintaro's hand grips the railing, and it can't go unnoticed how worried his face looks. Terrified. As he moves, the lights above him are flickering. Then he moves back, maybe one meter under the next lights. The lights are indeed flickering only when he steps under them.

"Look at that," Kochi points out. "He's noticing something is off again."

Hokuto sighs. "I can't believe he keeps noticing all that. Earlier this week, there was his neighbor's car parked where it shouldn't be, and the same shadow crossing his path twice in a row. An agent was following him for days after that. I had to trick them and use some good old taser, or it could have gone badly."

"He's really picking up the pattern, noticing the tiniest inconsistencies. One wrong move, and the system will snap," Kochi says seriously.

"I know. And it makes me worried," Hokuto agrees.

Kochi moves to the next screen.

Tanaka Juri is in his apartment, his fingers flying on the keyboard in front of him. There are half-finished cups of coffee around him as he types the code at a crazy speed. 

Kochi pinches the bridge of his nose with a groan. 

"I swear that guy is so going to break the simulation open with sheer curiosity and spite. And yes, before you ask, he is already fully convinced I'm the world's most suspicious takeout guy."

With a sigh, Kochi switches to the last screen.

"You might want to see this," he calls out to Taiga, who also comes to follow what's going on.

They can see Jesse sprinting down a busy street. He dodges people and keeps looking over his shoulder like he expects something to appear out of the air.

Taiga lets out a worried puff against his hand. 

"Ahh, him... he's also starting to see the cracks. He's been counting déjà vu moments. Noticing every day how that old man with a cane crosses the street in front of him, and when he looks over his shoulder, the same man crosses again."

Kochi rocks back in his chair. 

"Okay. So. Three sleepers waking up at once. That's bad. The Matrix is already sniffing around. Agents are going to drop in any second, and they’ll catch them for elimination."

They all must realize the seriousness of the business, and maybe that's why no one says anything for a while. Not before Hokuto opens his mouth to state what they all must be thinking.

"Not if we move first."

Taiga nods slowly. 

"Tonight. We go in and get them out."

Kochi stands, tossing his half-eaten protein bar onto the nearest console, and it's obvious he's not disagreeing.

 "Alright. Let's get everything ready then."

They walk to the metal chairs that are bristling with cables and ports. The machines around them drone louder as the system boots up.

Taiga settles into his seat first while Hokuto takes the seat beside him. Kochi drops into his own chair with a grunt.

"These things would need more padding," he mutters. "My spine is going to file a complaint at this rate."

"No lawyers left in the real world," Taiga points out. "And well, you wouldn't want to deal with the court inside Matrix."

"I'll complain anyway."

They reach behind their heads, finding the metal connectors. In one move, they plug the ports at the base of their skulls.

"Running loading sequence," Taiga says as his eyes close.

"Coordinates locked," Hokuto says.

Kochi adjusts his position. 

"Matrix entry in three, two, one…"

Everything around them snaps white. There's a shrieking noise that surrounds them. Then the noise crumples into silence, and the gravity twists.

They land hard on asphalt.

The sky is bright and blue. The city around them looks clean. 

They stand up slowly.

Their clothes have changed. The worn, patched ship gear is gone. They're all in black tight leather now, accompanied by long black coats and sturdy boots. 

Hokuto digs into his pocket, pulls out his sunglasses, and puts them on.

"Let's go find them."

Alright shinysylver, your turn!

Comments

[rin-aokuro.livejournal.com]

Omg omg omg I told you earlier I know NOTHING about the movie, but your plans were so interesting already, and now THIS. Girllll I'm VERY invested. 🤩🤩🤩 It's all so clever, the dialogue and the little things the sleepers are noticing. (See, I already learned a new word. 😌) Can't wait to read more!