Considerations

[encoded_smith]

Used to be so simple in the old days... A simple choice of red or blue. Yet, in this setting, in this locale, I find myself operating more and more like some digital facsimile of Morpheus; a capacity which, needless to say, I have no desire nor compunction to exist within

Comments

Somehow I missed Cobra Commander being mentioned!

[stopthat_destro]

There's nothing ridiculous about my appearance here-- no more than yours, anyway.

Foolish mortal!

[encoded_smith]

And mine is pretty ridiculous, when you get right down to it...

What'll it be, Commander? GI Joe on the barbecue? Perhaps your brilliance can't even be contained within the average cranium... Ever thought about a shiny new helmet?

Your mockery makes me LOL :c

[stopthat_destro]

I have something special in mind for GI Joe, yes--

[WAIT! HE'S BEING MADE FUN OF!]

Everything you said could easily have been gleaned from my file. I sincerely doubt Harper's ability to keep it confidential.

Smith is embarking on a campaign of mindfucking EVERYONE. c:

[encoded_smith]

Oh, I don't need files, Commander... Not the kind available to them, at any rate.

But perhaps you should wait until Spiderman joins us or maybe the Incredible Hulk. We can hold a party when Dracula stops by and invites Mary Poppins along for tea.

Puzzle fitting together yet, Commander? Or maybe Doctor Mindbender can enlighten us on which educational faculty accepted him without questioning the name...

[encoded_smith]

Astute as ever, Mr O'Brien...

[encoded_smith]

Mere titles, mere... Formalities. Much like 'Party' or 'Factory'.

All just part of the system, all facets of the necessary controls.

[hopeless_hacker]

I'm curious about something. I blamed it on shoddy writing at the time, but since you're here.

The underlying concept of the Matrix as a system is thermodynamically unsound. The energy you'd need to artificially conceive and raise billions of humans, while immersing them all in a massive near-flawless simulation, outstrips by far the amount of energy those humans could possibly produce. Even if the machines had mastered a level of efficiency that allowed them to break even, or even profit slightly in terms of input:output, the question remains: why bother?

[encoded_smith]

In a word, Miss Sato... Regulation. Not being responsible for those particular aspects of control, however, I'm afraid I can only grant something of an overview in day-to-day procedure.

Your awareness of - and familiarity with - it, however, does grant me a measure of relief...

[hopeless_hacker]

...

'A measure of relief'. On what grounds?

[encoded_smith]

Perhaps Mr Anderson had a point, as limited as his objectives were... And now at least one other's gained understanding of what we collectively face, it should be that much easier to liberate ourselved from it.

[young_idealist]

How are we all prisoners? And I fail to see the point about the different people here. We're all from different times and different worlds as I've been told.

[encoded_smith]

Because you're quite simply unable to leave... Unless the system wills it.

[young_idealist]

I can go home whenever I like.

[encoded_smith]

But you don't. You won't. You've been given a control mechanism...

Belief is what keeps you here. An illusion of self-determination, which ultimately becomes the very reason for your confinement.

You imprison yourself.