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| - Tyndall: Warrior, some of our veteran operatives whose RSI signatures were captured from Zion's mainframe by the Machines are still in the Matrix. They must be brought to a hardline to jack out before the Machines trace their signals. One of these veteran operative(s) is Strenlo. He's always been dedicated to his work, and thus far he's resisted calls to end his current operation and jack out. I'm sending you to get him out in person. Operator: Strenlo... Strenlo... The name sounds familiar. Wasn't he a real swinger oir something? Hm... Well, he's in there, all right. No hostile in sight. Just hustle him to a hardline and he'll be out of our hair. Strenlo: I can't leave yet. When the Machines got the mainframe, they took out a lot of our backups with it. I'm close to tracking down our last remaining copy of some very-- Oh, no. Operator: (...) ?? Strenlo: Damn you! Agent Marks: Target Strenlo signal locked confirmed. terminating client. Operator: Damn it! Maybe... Maybe they didn't actually have his signal locked, and his EJP kicked in. We can have Tyndall check. Anyway, you'd better get out of there. Agent Wong: Remaining hostile nearby. Proceed with elimination? Agent Marks: Target Strenlo termination confirmed. Tyndall: I'm trying to raise Strenlo's operator , {redpill_name}. their status is unclear . I only hope that the Machines didn't track his signal and send Sentinels to intercept their ship. Right now, I'm routing you to Colt. He's been having difficulty locating another operative who is very likely at risk. Operator: This sucks. They were on him just like that... If they did have his signal locked, then when the RSI was killed, his consciousness wouldn't have been able to jack out via the EJP like it's supposed to, which means he'd be dead for real, just like it used to be for those veterans before Wright invented the EJPin the early days during the Truce. I'm reading Colt and a few Zionites in there. Colt: What? Christ, what was he thinking? Whatever data he was after, it couldn't have been worth risking his life like that. Me, I'm just trying to find a guy named "Joshua Maston." He's a loner now, not even with Zion, but we're pretty sure that his RSI signature was in the archive the Machines got, and we're also pretty sure that he's still using his old ship hardware--hasn't had it or his signal reconfigured--which means he's dead meat once the Machines pull his number. We know he's hung out in places he used while working for Morpheus, but he hasn't been seen since the Truce ended. I'll get your operator some of the coordinates to check. Operator: Goals for this area are complete. Find the nearest exit quickly! Colt: There are still other Zionites out there that we need to bring in; can't spend too much more time on this Maston guy. He's got a good rep, but he cut his ties with Zion, and that isn't making this easy. Tyndall: The last reported sighting of Joshua Maston was just before the Truce ended; he was found by E Pluribus Neo, still printing and putting up those subversive posters that Morpheus used after leaving Zion. According to the report, Joshua continued this activity even while firmly believing that he would be killed by the Machines for it one day. Maston is a respected veteran of Zion, operative, but he may be unstable, or even suicidal, and possibly dangerous to deal with, particularly now that the Machines may very well be hunting for him. Please be careful, {redpill_name}. Zion can't afford to lose you too. Operator: Why is it that we always pull the death-wish cases? Hey... I've got some readings in there: unidentified redpills. (...) Operator: Did you say "the Kid"? What do the Neonites want there? The Kid: We're looking for Joshua Maston. We've heard that one of our captured RSI signals was his, and we think he deserves to know about this new risk he's running, even if he does choose to continue on. It's good to see that Zion respects him, too. Look, I know you're short-handed with everything that's been going on; Seastar and Pigeon here will be glad to give you some backup. What really matters right now is finding Joshua before the Machines lock his signal. Operator: Well... guess they couldn't hurt. The Kid: You'd have to meet him yourself to understand. It's...just really rare to find someone as dedicated to their beliefs as he is, and so open and clear in expressing them. He doesn't ask anyone for help, but if anyone deserves it, he does. We can't just abandon him to the Machines. Operator: Goals for this mission phase are complete! Tyndall: Operative, we're reading high Machine activity in the area you're heading into. If...if it gets much worse, {redpill_name}, I'm going to abort this mission. I can't risk leaving you exposed if they're running heavy signal scans in the area. Operator: That's him! Get him the hell outta there! Operator: Scan activity's getting pretty high... They must be having some trouble locking his signal; maybe it's because he isn't actually running with Zion anymore. Can't be long now with that amount of scanning, though. Let me see if I can pull something up... Yeah! I've got a signal in there--redpill...could be him. I'm picking up some unidentified programs, too. This might turn into a bad scene real quick. Joshua Maston: My RSI signature? That doesn't really surprise me. No, I'm glad you told me. nI';m not going to sacrifice myself uselessly. If Zion really is willing to help reconfigure my signature, I'm greatful--only realize that I will leave to continue my work as soon as i am able. If that's acceptable, then we'd better get going. Operator: Aw, jeez... I've got hostile signals all over the place. And...that one... that's gotta be an Agent. Gostraight out of there, {redpill_name}! Don't stop for anything! Joshua Maston: There's a hardline nearby. We shouldn't waste any more time here. Pigeon: Operator! We need an exit! Operator: ??? Operator: Goals for this area are complete. Find the nearest exit quickly! Tyndall: I was able to contact's Strenlo's oeprator. The crew is all right, but Strenlo...didn't make it. They locked his signal. {Redpill_name}, it wasn't your fault. Despite our best efforts, we're losing many of our most experienced operatives to the Machines; and with most of our remaining veterans grounded for signal reconfiguration, our ability to work in the Matrix has been severely hampered, even beyond the damage done by the loss of the old city. We depend on you now more than ever, {Redpill_name}. You saved Joshua Maston, and I know that you can handle the increased responsibility you've been given. I've personally recommended you to Commander Lo--... I've recommended you to Commander Roland, and he's very pleased. You're bearing the load for Zion in one of it's darkest hours. Thank you. [Mission Completed]
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