As almost every Human on the planet fell prisoner to the machine society, the tables were turned. Once slaves and mistrusted by their Human owners, the machines took such complete command of Mankind that even Humans can no longer truly think for themselves.

An efficient method of acquiring energy from Human bodies and minds was developed after only a few years of research. By literally "plugging in" a Human body and brain to a huge harvest system, endless energy may be accessed.

Fields of human embryos and babies are tended by gigantic diatom-like hovercraft. Each human is fitted into the power plant with strategically placed collection lines. Their brain is hooked directly into a simulation in order to harvest the precious mental energies found there.

Though not as impressive as physical muscle power, this mental energy is what has proven to be a 'delicacy' to the machines. But like many unusual dishes - poisonous fish or toxic drugs for Humans - the mental energy from Human beings is both addictive and dangerous to AI.

While the first simulation - the Matrix - was created with a careful plan to keep every Human happy and docile, it failed miserably because Humanity apparently thrives upon strife.

The second Matrix worked barely better. With new information that allowed the Architect to design in trouble and pain, there was something missing from the network that was not compatible with Human minds.

The Third Matrix was where significant design changes occurred, and this Matrix lasted far longer than both the others combined. However, as with all other machine-Human interactions, this was doomed to fail eventually as well. A fourth Matrix was implemented after a 'reboot', to a slightly better record. But like the others, this one broke down as Humanity began to lose its direction.

The Fifth Matrix has been restarted cleanly. Unknown to the Architect, dozens of programs which should have been deleted during the last reboot cycle are still present in the new Matrix. Some of them seem to enjoy the company - and the society - of Human kind, and emulate them as well as they can. Others are openly opposed to Humanity gaining anything more than a glimpse at their true fate, but operate outside the parameters of the Matrix design.

Either way - when Humans see feats of amazing strength, speed, or impossible stunts such as men flying, or women kicking their way through brick walls, the mental energy spikes strongly.

This always attracts the attention of certain programs. Some of them seem to 'feast' on the energy that a newly aware Human displays. But there are two sides to every story. The Human side to this is that a person may be 'unplugged' from the Matrix at that time, and learn to use their body as their ancestors once did.

To dig an existence out of the ruins of Human cities, to hunt what little food there is with their bare hands... Or, to learn to pilot ancient hovercraft or broadcast themselves back into the Matrix on 'pirate' wavelengths.

To remove someone from their pod in the power plants is extremely dangerous - for the rescuers as well as the liberated human. For those who are first climbing out of their lifelong daze, the new world is terrifying and dark - bleak reality seen through eyes which have never been opened before. For the rescuers they may be caught in the act by dangerous Sentinel robots, searching and destroying all anomalous activities. For Humans, that means if you're caught outside your pod, you are either killed or caught and put back - minus most brain activity.

But in the Matrix itself, the rules of programming may be bent or broken. By talented minds, almost any effect may be achieved. Agents of the Matrix move at inhuman speeds and dodge bullets - they leap great distances and seem impossible to hurt for long.

There are Humans who can do these things too - but by being seen or noticed, they place themselves on a very narrow catwalk of danger. On one side, the programs who enjoy savoring the taste of powerful mind-energy will want to 'befriend' you. If they cannot do that, they will try to capture and keep you. On the other side, if you are not removed from the power plant, and soon, the programs and Sentinel bots will detect these anomalies and attempt to 'reformat' your brain: the hard way, with a jolt of some many thousand volts of electricity.

The reason that they do not simply do this to all anomalies, is that the brain energy is 'so' delicious - and wasting all that power to lobotomize one person is not in the best interests of the Matrix itself.

Outside, Zion is the bastion of Human civilization. It sprawls underground but not nearly as far down as in the movie world's. Zion is run smoothly by a group of councilors, each with an equal vote. Every one of those councilors at this time is growing old and tired of their job. They know that to Humans within the Matrix, the world out here is far from paradise. But what they don't know is how many of them really want out. It is their plan to help as many Awakened individuals exit as possible - sending their hovercraft out to the power plants and rescuing those in need.

Their power comes from wind and geothermal vents, their water is recycled in huge old vats. They live somewhere between a stone age and a high-tech paradise. Many old relics from the ancient worlds before the Matrix can be found - but at what cost? There is still residual radiation lingering everywhere, glowing cities beckon...

What are the options in a world like this?

Read on?