Miscellaneous:

Karma

++++ escape ++++

He dashed through the dark alley, trying to get rid of his pursuer. His chest ached from a vicious kick he had received from his opponent sooner. He needed to reach the exit soon. He was strained from the long run. Gathering focus once more he performed a 3 meter jump-up to reach a fire-stair, Karma climbed up the ladder in an unbelievable speed. He entered the 3rd floor and ran towards the stairwell. Too slow!
Once again she had outrun him.

*Shit!*

They had some rags there to sit on. Diamond and Karma made themselves comfortable Jack stood there, feeling a bit lost.
"Take a seat, Jack. Feel comfortable." Diamond invited him, suddenly showing an unknown attitude of authority.
Jack dragged some rags together and sat down.
"First, we free our mind from disturbing thoughts, Jack, so we can concentrate on the lesson. Sit straight and let your mind flow. Feel your center - your Hara. Breathe deep - this way" she showed him, then they gathered their thoughts for some minutes.
"Sun Tsu said:
In movement, be as swift as the wind;
In slow marches, be as majestic as the forest;
In raiding and plundering, be as fierce as fire;
In defence, be as firm as mountains;
In camoflage, be as impenetrable as darkness;
When striking, be as overwhelming as thunderbolts.

So how do we achieve these abilities?.."

They discussed things a long while, Diamond let Karma try to explain Jack's questions when she thought they were within Karma's knowledge. She was impressed by his fast learning, his sharp and brilliant mind.

After an hour Jacks mind was spinning. Diamond felt he was nervous and lacked concentration.

"Jack, it's not a duty to be here. If you feel like leaving, you're free to do so. Think about what you've heard and if you have questions, we can discuss that later, OK?" she gave him her typical tiny smile.
Jack was glad he could leave. That stuff was somehow strange, but he felt the truth and wisdom in it. A lot to think over.

++++ infection ++++

Some days later Karma and Neo went into the Matrix to watch a new target.

Out of nowhere a green crackling of electricity appeared near them and struck Karma. He lost consciousness for a second and felt dizzy afterwards. Neo decided to get out again. He did not want to risk anything.

They had Needles check Karma. He did various scans and tests, but all were negative. Karma was physically OK. But that fact did not help Karma feeling better. He was off duty for the rest of the day.

At next morning's breakfast Karma was missing. That was unusual, but they thought he was just still feeling bad. Morpheus asked Needles to check that later.
Neo was still wondering what had happened. Nobody had a clue. They were discussing that subject when Dancer came back in:
"Needles, something's terribly wrong with Karma! Better come quick."
Like one person they all got up and followed Needles down the hatchway to Karma's room.

The crew had built up several groups with various interests and alltogether they were rebuilding the tight-knit bonds, the affectionate atmosphere that had kept the Neb's crew alive for such a long time before.
Trinity, Neo, Morpheus and Tank were somehow the old-timers, rational, logical, the quieter ones.

Karma and Diamond were the philosophers, sometimes Neo or Morpheus joined them.

Karma, Needles, Dancer and Diamond were definitely the wild, young guns. Diamond had opened up a lot during the last months and she had much joy fooling around with the other youngsters, enjoying the youth she had never had in the matrix. Often enough the four of them had turned the ship upside-down with their mock quarrels.

So now they all were worried.

Karma laid there, shaking but unresponsive.
They moved him to the cargo-lift to get him on the main-deck and into the med-bay. Then Morpheus ushered all out of the now crowded room. Only he himself and Dancer stayed with Needles.

Diamond helplessly watched her student through the open door.
Tank put his arms around her and moved her to the mess
"Hey, you can't do anything, so let's go and sit somewhere, OK?" he knew some of the things they might had to do with Karma would be disturbing; he had learned that Diamond was extremely protective once she had considered someone being a friend. Although she was tough Tank wanted her to stay away from the med-bay.
They went to the mess, where they found Trin, Neo and CrackerJack.

They were silent, nobody had a real clue about the story.
"Tank, do we have a record of our being ITM?" Neo asked.
"Sure. I delete them only after a week or so. You hope to find something?"
"Yes, maybe. I can't get rid of the feeling it has something to do with that surge he was struck by." Neo said.
They left for the operator's area where they narrowed the part of the record interesting and then re-played it countless times.

Morpheus came out of the med-bay and looked just as clueless.
"He is catatonic. Physically he is OK - we have no idea what had happened to him. Needles wants him to be on the monitors to track his progress - if there's any." He watched the two men and the code
"There!" Tank shouted and stopped the recording.
"What's it?" Neo asked. Although Tank had uploaded tons of info into his brains it was still difficult to read the Matrix-code.
Here in the real Neo was far from being a superhero - he himself was glad for that. He knew it would take years of experience to become such an expert operator or cracker as was Tank - if ever.
"I'm not quite sure, but I think I can extract it. Just need time."

Tank started hacking the keyboard in his usual untraceable speed. When he was working, he completely forgot the world around. Typing, thinking loud, talking to the computers - he could do that for hours or just as long as it took. He would even forget eating. Only the trained reflex of reaching out for the bottle with water from time to time would brake through the iterative process of trying, thinking, programming.
As far as a plugless human could become part of a computer system, wetware in its true meaning: a bio-limb of the system, Tank did so.

++++ Killing Time ++++

After a while Diamond found the waiting being unnerving. Forced to passiveness was something she hated. She got up.
"Gotta get to do something..." she muttered and went down to the loading-bay. Jack who wasn't yet used to all this curiously went down to see where the fierceful yells came from. He watched Diamond for a good while doing some kata. She was incredibly fast and he could tell it wouldn't be a good idea to stand in her way - even here.

Diamond stopped, covered with sweat.
"How about some basics?" she asked him.
"Why not?"
"OK. First thing is breathing:" she explained him the principal of correct breathing and that actions should take place on the end of the exhale. In return he had to hit when the opponent took in breath, because he would be most vulnerable then.
"Many people think that construct-training is sufficient, I don't. Simply because that is only training the mind. But you have to be one with your body - otherwise you will never be as strong as you could be. And since I have found Zen being a very valuable method of finding a way to that, this is what I will teach you. And breathing is everything. Go ahead."
She stepped behind him, put a hand on his lower belly to feel his technique. She pressed "here's your center, your Hara, so let it work. And focus on what you do!" He couldn't. Hell! She was too close and her hand...
"FOCUS!" she shoved him away "Hell, Jack! Focus on what _you_ do! I am not here, OK?" she stared at him half in anger, half amused.
"Buddha, men! I'm just a skinny rat, what's so hot with me?" she ruffled her hair, "OK, we can try another attempt: put _your_ hand there, so I can see what you do."
She stepped away from him and they started over again. She corrected his breathing from afar
*remote training* she snickered.
When he had found an acceptable technique she just let him go on while she went on explaining concepts.

++++

When Karma broke free from the stasis he was caught in, he did so with a scream, so loud and so filled with fear it was barely human.
It was dinnertime and all but Tank were in the mess. Diamond flew across the table, jumping through a gap between Morpheus and Jack out of the door.

Karma stood in the med-bay, a scalpel in his trembling hand, a wild look in his eyes. Diamond tried to calm him but it did not seem as if her words reached his mind. Tank and Morpheus tried to get behind him while Diamond kept his attention.

When Morpheus tried to capture Karma it was just the second that Karma had decided to turn around, so the blade hissed through the air before it hit Morpheus' chest, cutting fabric and flesh as well. Diamond, like lightning, disarmed Karma with a hard grip that forced the hand open. But in his rage he was so strong he pushed her away so hard, she flew across the med-bay. But without a weapon Tank and Morpheus then managed to catch Karma. They put him back on the bed, tying him up.

His screams ended only when his throat was sore.

++++ Analysis ++++

"Needles? I need your help." at 03:18 Zion time (and thus the time on every vessel) Tank woke Needles.
"What?"
"I think I got it, but to me it makes not too much sense - you're the medic, so you gotta help me out." Tank rubbed his burning eyes.

Needles sat in the operator's chair and stared at the code.
"So what?" his ability of reading code really sucked. The only thing he really was interested in was medical issues in any form.
They spent hours discussing the coding. Tank explained what he understood and in return Needles tried to transfer the information into biological facts.

"Holy smokes, Tank! We can be glad we all were awake, otherwise Karma would have chopped us!"
The ship lit up. Another day started.
"OK. We got to tell Morpheus. C'm-on, little brother!" Tank patted Needles shoulder who accepted it this time without growling or snarling at Tank..

++++

"Do I understand right what the two of you are just trying to tell me?" Morpheus was disturbed.
"Yes, Sir.", Needles said, "They have invented a piece of code that is able to induce heavy paranoia. First we need to find a cure for Karma - if there is one. Kind of a digital brainwash. If that's possible?" he looked over at Tank.
"Maybe possible, but risky." Tank felt the strain of the past hours. His hands grazed his hair, his back ached from the movement.
"You two did a very good job. Thank you. Get as much rest as you need now before we proceed."
Tank fell on his pallet, sleeping before his head hit the cushion.

++++ Vaccine ++++

Dancer piloted the Nebuchadnezzar at high speed with ease. They had found out - shortly after he had joined their crew - he had been an active member of the resistance before. He had been the one who had managed to escape the pursuit of 3 squiddies a few years ago: something that had been said to be impossible. But he missed Zion so much he quit after 2 years, being rather content with his job as a gardener, being in contact with the earth.

Tank went to wake Needles. Sooner that evening, he had found a note from Needles that told him to get him back to work whenever he would feel like.
Tank had eaten some hours ago after he'd gotten up and then gone back to work. He needed to understand the code as far as possible.
He cursed the fact he could not just upload himself some medical information. That would speed his work up a lot.
Now he had reached the point he needed Needles help to make up a concept for a filter. Once the concept was made up, Tank would be able to start coding.

Morpheus had already informed Zion about the new danger, so they could be sure the information would reach the ships as fast as possible. Orders were clear: no runs in the Matrix until a filter was developed and established on every ship on every supplement drive.

They had made contact with the Thunderchild for support from their best crackers and the medic, they were scheduled for 01:00 at their rendezvous-place.

++++ Rats in the Lab ++++

5 days later four exhausted people decided they had compiled a program that could be used for a first test after it had passed several simulations in the Neb's system.
What they need now was a volunteer, a Matrix-born one who was willing to get uploaded into the construct and then, filter compiled into the supplement-drive, would be exposed to the extracted virus.

Morpheus and Hal, the Thunderchild's captain, had decided to ask for volunteers and then - if there should be more than one, to draw lots to choose that one guinea-pig.

It had been a hard work to keep Neo from participating. They explained him, he was too important and - what made sense to him - he would not be a representative candidate.

While Tank and Stack worked on the setup for the test the two captains gathered the rest of their crews to call for volunteers. Everybody knew pretty well this could be a ticket to the padded cells of Zion and every loss would be dramatic, but this test had to be done.
"We know this is risky but we know as well this is essential and therefore has to be done if we want to keep up the fight. Therefore Morpheus and me will sign up as the first ones." Hal said.

They got 3 more volunteers: Diamond and two from the Thunderchild. This was maybe a bit disappointing, but both captains knew their warriors would not falter at the sight of death - but being locked-up in the loony-department was something completely different.

Dancer pulled the lot. He grew pale
"Morpheus." He said with a dry throat.
Diamond stared at Dancer. How could they risk their captain? He was their leader, they all trusted him blindly. He was their brains. This was impossible!

+++++

Everybody was gathered around the operator's place while Tank and Stack kept monitoring Morpheus in the construct. Except Neo: they had him on stand-by, just in case.
"Initializing filter...up and running. OK Stack, load the virus." Tank kept his eyes on the monitors.
"Done."
Nothing happened. The filter did not mark any activities. Morpheus moved around in the fake living-room they had set up.
"Hey did anyone use disinfectant on the software?" Tank asked since nothing happened for minutes.
"Oh my God! It multiplies! And it morphs! There!" Stack shouted.
"What? Christ, unload him!", Tank hit the com-button, "Morpheus, we gotta get you out NOW!"
The filter beeped continuously.
"Shitshitshit!" Tank and Stack cursed in unison.
"Get me in, Tank. Before any harm is done!" Neo shouted from his seat, already plugged in.
Tank entered the readied upload-command.
Neo managed to shield Morpheus from the virus, but by doing so he damaged parts of the filter. They hardly managed to unload the two men before the construct crashed.
"It's crashing and pulls down the system. We have to cut it before the whole Neb is downed! Cut off all connections to the Thunderchild. Hurry!"
While Stack worked hard on keeping possible damage away from her ship, Tank fought to reduce the shutdown to peripheral parts of the system. If the OS-kernel would be damaged they'd have a real big problem.

Half an hour later he announced a standstill of the spreading virus. But the Neb was deaf and blind.

Meanwhile Needles hat Morpheus checked. Nothing could be found. Staring at the now sedated Karma, who was still in the medical area, Morpheus decided for himself he should be kept under supervision to prevent damage to his crew in case he had been infected by the virus.

Tank leaned back, eyes closed, hands on his face and sighed. What had happened? How could they have failed to badly? What did they miss in the code?
"How is it, Tank?" Neo asked.
"Neb's a cripple. The babe is like a torso with a brain - alive but disabled."
"And now?"
"I suggest, before we try anything else, we must clean the system and then try a re-load of the peripherals, mount all drives and so on. Hope that'll do. Otherwise..."
"What?"
"Well, then we must perform a complete shutdown and then re-boot. Like after an EMP. And you know it takes a while to re-boot such a complex system. Until she's back up, she will be brain-dead. Not a thought I like."

The ship's systems was a conglomeration of pieces of soft- and hardware from different times, communicating via countless interfaces. Although a complete redesign would have made sense, nobody at Zion had the time to do so. Besides the scientists continuously invented new sensors, weapons and other tools for the vessels, so that any redesign would be outdated soon after release.
Thus a vessel's system was a very complex and delicate thing. A re-boot was always a delicate thing and often had to be performed more than once until all systems were up and running again. Shutdown and re-boot always took hours, boring hours that asked the operator's complete attention to monitor the progress. Hours during which the ship was non-operative and completely vulnerable.

Every operator hated that.

++++ Disinfectant ++++

They started scanning the system for traces of the virus. Carefully they replaced every program they found being afflicted with a backup Tank kept on old-fashioned optical disks.
"Wow! You have backups of everything?" Stack was surprised
"You bet! With the years you learn to keep a backup of literally every shit you produce or get installed." He grinned

...hours passed...

"Moment of truth.", Tank activated the intercom, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now trying to re-boot the system. We excuse in advance for any inconvenience and ask you not to flush the toilet while the ship is halting."

Reloading failed after they were done halfway. After they had downed what they had just started Tank stopped. He forced Stack to get some sleep, food and whatever she may need. She was not willing but Tank insisted.
"You're of no help, Stack, if you're exhausted. This is not a matter of haste. If I can sleep, you can do that too, OK? Get some rest, sister" with an encouraging smile and a pat on her shoulder Tank left for the mess to stuff his empty stomach, before he collapsed on his bed where he slept like a log for 7 hours.

+++++++

Diamond took shifts at Karma's bed. It did not really help anything but somehow she had the feeling he should not be left alone.
While she sat there, her thoughts circled around the last year and all the things that had happened since her dropping into the real world. She had found a completely new life, discovered feelings she had believed she would never have again.
Had her life in the Matrix been directed by things like loyalty and duty it now was devotion and love. The people on this ship were her family. And now her little brother was lying here, terribly sick and nobody had the cure.
Except for Tank and Needles maybe. What irony that the two persons on the ship who where most distant now had to work together as close as possible: only as a team they could succeed.

Morpheus came in, pulled a stool close and sat with her. After a while Morpheus broke the silence:
"I am sure he knows he's not alone."
"I hope so. To feel lost is something terrible, I know. I hope we can keep that away from him." She paused, before she went ahead with a gesture that included the whole ship "This is my home, Morpheus. And you all are my family now. I can feel that."
"I know, Diamond. But it makes me glad to hear that from you, because that means you do not deny that to yourself."
"How could I deny the truth? And therefore I must try with all my powers to help. You know I believe everything is dependent on anything. And thus I cannot be really happy when others aren't."
"Because all together forms a universal unit, right?" he smiled.
"Yes, Morpheus. I cannot watch you or Karma or a roach at Zion without keeping in mind all the things and beings around that influence you or vice versa. All things together just form one complete union."
"But then: how can there be wars? Or good and bad? Only because everything has to exist?"
"I'm not sure, Morpheus. Maybe 'good' and 'bad' are just not very objective? Always depending on the actual point of view. And as long as people struggle for goals, there will always be conflicts. I doubt that we will ever reach a stage where we all stop to seek, where we all have reached enlightenment."
"Not a very encouraging view, Diamond."
"As you once said: I did not say it would be easy." She gave him her small smile.
"Oh, don't start beating me with my own weapons!" he laughed.

+++++++

"Are we sure this is it?" Tank rubbed his eyes and streched.
"Yeah. This code-section is for sure a built-in mutation-sequence that produces randomly new forms of the virus every time it manages to spread. We missed it first because we absolutely had no idea it would be so sophisticated." Stack was sure she had now completely understand what made this virus so dangerous.
And now that they were sure what they had to deal with, they could make up a plan to ban this deadly threat.

They started to make up a scheme for the new filter, worked it over several times until they were sure to have a correct concept. Then they again started coding, except for short brakes in which they tried to get enough sleep they worked 4 more days. Diamond tried to provide them with drink and food as far as possible, but they lived on liters of coffee, nothing else.
They tested the filter longer and harder than before.
Just when Diamond came around with some more fresh coffee, they were clapping their hands in the so old give-me-five-gesture.
"So you got it?" Diamond asked
"Yeah, honey. Looks really good." Tank managed a tired smile.
"So let me try it, OK?" Diamond was determined not to risk their captain again.
"Are you sure?" Tank trusted his capabilities but to risk his love was something different.
"Yes, I am. And besides: it is my job to protect this crew. How could I do that better than in keeping harm away from Morpheus?" she jumped onto her chair and Tank plugged her in reluctantly, resting his forehead on hers before he hit the upload-button.

It worked!
After a test over several hours they were sure it was done. The code was sent to all ships within reach and transferred to Zion. Then the ships parted: the Nebuchadnezzar headed for Zion to get help for Karma. Tank needed rest and at Zion they would get all support needed.

Epilogue

3 Months later a small welcome-party took place on the Neb: Karma had finally returned from Zion where neurologists and programmers had worked out a way to fight the virus' effects.
"So they made a complete core-dump of your brains, cleaned it and re-loaded that stuff again?" Tank was fascinated.
"Can't have been too much work then" Diamond grinned, "Admit it: you took some extra-vacation-time there!"
Karma stuck out his tongue.
"Don't worry, Diamond," Needles said, "I told them to include an obedience-pattern. With the proper word he'll just be a pet!" He grinned.
"I'm gonna feed you your tongue!" Karma leaped across the table, grabbing Needles and soon the young guns were caught in a mock fight all across the ship.
Morpheus smiled to those left in the mess "Looks like we're back to normal chaos."

THE END