USH'S MATRIX GAME 2006 FIRST ASSIGNMENT- 'The Museum'

"I hate reassertion."

"What possible use could an invincible Program have in the Matrix?"

"Why were they written at all? Is there anything they can do that an Agent can't?"

I stand in the back quitely listening

"Whatever use they have they aren't unbeatable at least, I'm more interested in that Doctor looking guy anything on him and that Hunter as well."

"I can think of plenty of uses for an invulnerable programme," says Ariadne, "but making one goes outside what we have generally learned are the basic design parameters of AIs within the Matrix. It is also contrary to the basic mechanics of the Matrix that even Agents are subject to. I've not seen programmes made like that before.

"Ok, next thing..."

She brings up the point at which the Doctor arrives, is shot at by the SWAT, and then freezes the SWAT.

"This one is... odd. When he dodges those bullets, his code displays the exact same algorithms as an Agent doing the same thing. But there the similarity ends; this is a distinctive programme within the Matrix. Not body hopping like Agents do. As for what he did to those SWAT... well."

She replays the code from that moment. You watch the trickling green code on the screens, as the Doctor and th SWAT guy interact. At that very moment, all the code for the SWAT simply sticks on screen- no longer trickling, no longer altering, just stuck there. And as time goes by, new code from other things comes running down from above, and replaces the frozen code.

"It's like... the SWAT just stopped interacting with the Matrix at all. Eventually the remnant of his shell was completely overwritten."

"Sort of shut off?"

"I'd say... rejected," says Ariadne. "Thrown out the Matrix, only the physical form remaining until that is coded over."

"He didn't seem interested in us, thank God," Sirin comments. "Only our Hunter friend."

"That does seem remarkably dangerous," says Marduk. "Would it work on one of us? What would it do?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," says Ariadne. "Maybe it only works on programmes hard-wired in. Maybe it would kill one of you just as unplugging would."

Mirages is listening with interest to the valuable information.

"Well we shouldn't let him try now should we..."

"No, I'd definitely say we shouldn't allow a chance to find out exactly what would happen." San says.

(bleh, lack of internet at home right now...)

"Indeed," Mors agrees. "I would not want to give it a reason to suddenly dislike us."

"Curious. Well, what about the SWAT? And the Hunter?"

"Now we come to the REALLY odd bit," says Ariadne. "That Hunter."

She brings up a screen of Matrix code, more stuff recorded from the fight.

But there is something wrong with the screen. One of the lines on it doesn;t contain proper code characters. Onstead, it contains distorted, broken and twisted code, broken up, swapped around, totally messed up. Often just an unreasable corrupted blur.

"Something stopping you from reading him?" asks Marduk.

"No," says Ariadne. "That IS him."

Mors does his best to translate it, but finally gives up.

"That IS odd. Any ideas?"

"Did it change at all when I dropped him?"

"Change? It didn't start being normal, if that's what you mean. But... I can't READ this. It is gibberish. I can't tell you if it is altering or not. What I can tell you is, he... IT didn't make much effort to avoid harm."

"It made plentry of effort to INFLICT harm," says Marduk.

"Hey, we kicked its ass!" points out Dallas.

"About five on one and I don't think we really caused it any long term trouble," says Ariadne. "But its recognition of its status... and the way it shot the key out of the Exile's hand because it knew it couldn't hurt it... the way it skirted the battlefield, this is cleary an intelligent being, not a mindless drone. I cannot see any sign of an AI mAtrix in that mockery of code but the way it acts is the only thing we have to go on. But ideas? Just one."

"Let's hear it," Sirin says. Having fought the Hunter and been its first target when it got up, she's very interested in what there is to be said of it.