USH'S MATRIX GAME 2006 FIFTH ASSIGNMENT- 'The Pagoda'

"He knew we would not have left," Klez says.

"Again you talk without thinking much, Berserker. As I said, the plan..."

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"... was not mine. As for reliability... that is absolute. I..."

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"... simply look ahead."

"I understand the plan wasn't yours but you still planned around it." Berserker says.

"I believe that is what I said."

Melitus is on the bed, the luxurious covers tucked up around him. He is propped up on pillows, and attached to his face is a substantial oxygen mask, which connects to a complex of controls to one side of the bed, which also include a drip attached to his right arm.

"And that is what I said I'm not one for trying to say things are not what they are. I understand we are pawns. Which leads me back to the original question. What do we do now? It is your plan after all."

"I take it that the iron lung can no longer help," Mors comments. "Still, I would like to know what happened after we revealed you to the System. Even if it is a complicated answer."

"You are perceptive, Melitus," Azrael says, then pauses to cough, "My faith in teamwork is waning somewhat. Now all I want to do is see it through.
"But I too would like to know what happened after our last meeting. Clearly our assumption of your destruction was premature."

For some reason, I'm picturing Peter O'Toole on his deathbed from Stardust for Melitus... ermm

Heph raises an eyebrow, curious about Melitus' condition.

"I see you insist on stating agajn that this is my..."

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"... plan, Berserker, You understand little, and will amount..."

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"... to little if you stay as you are. As for the lung... as you can see..."

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"... my condition is much improved since we last met. Whereas yours... well. It is far..."

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"... worse."

As a reminder- Melitus is not very helpful if you do not pay close attention to what he says. Often you ask questions he has already answered, you just needs to look at his statements more carefully.

He pauses before continuing.

"Now, Azrael... there is nothing significant to know about that. In..."

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"... meeting Jericho you have the important answers. But as..."

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"... for your loss of faith... you cannot say I did not warn you."

Melkor laughs again, in a bit hysterical way.

"It seems that my friends are more concerned with their task than your words. So what happens now, Melitus? You allow us to spread the cure, of course..."

Ares nudges Melkor.

"Let him chat with Azrael," Ares says. "It's obviously important..."

"Sorry, this is all a bit much for me." -Melkor shakes his head.

Whilst this is true, Melitus is also repeatedly making a point that no-one is quite getting.

Well, he said that we are responsible for our own fate- but at the same time that our actions have been predicted.

Yes, but there's an important implication for that second bit.

Free will or not?

"So we are just pawns, aren`t we?"

"I hope this conversation is not simply me..."

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"... re-stating the same point continuously."

"So you are implying that predicitive and analitical abilities of the Programmes involved make our choices insignificant?"

"That I discussed last time; it is no longer appropriate. At least not..."

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"... immediately."

"I don't know if I recall any specific warning," Azrael replies.

"It is clear that we are pawns, but are you as well? I find it hard to believe your condition improved without help from someone else."

I had a quick look backwards at the old thread with Melitus, started rereading it.