Rocket
“ You're all suckers!
”
Slaves! Slaves to the Machines!
You're swimming in vats of glop with giant tubes shoved up your butts!
There are no flowers in the Real World!― Rocket[src]
Rocket, born Harold Zinsser, was a boy from Scottsdale. He was a street kid good with computers who knocked over ATMs and hung by Larry Little with his goons. After getting liberated from the Matrix, he shortly became a crew member of the Mariner. He was trapped alone in the Matrix for days during his first mission when the Mariner suffered a sentinel attack, leaving him, at the time, as the sole survivor of his crew.
History[]
Deuce, getting attacked while plugged in from the Real World
Rocket was inside the Matrix and was headed to Phoenix, in a car with three other operatives, to participate on his very first mission when, just twenty minutes out, they got a call from Rook, their operator, that their ship was under attack. Speedy, the driver, immediately pulled off the road and towards the nearest hardline but, just some meters away from the phone booth, suddenly slumped over dead, nearly causing the car to crash. The three remaining operatives hurriedly got out of the car and started running towards the phone booth.
The phone was just a few meters away, already visibly ringing, when one of Rocket's companions just keeled over. And when the last two of them was just steps away from the phone, the other operative, Deuce, had her head explode.
The last man standing, Rocket was able to reach the exit and picked up the phone only to hear an explosion from the other end before the call was dropped. Furious, Rocket could not help but vent his frustration and destroy the booth. His leg then suddenly broke just moments later, a reverberation of what was happening in the Real World but, expecting the worst, he was spared from any further injuries.
Looking for help, Rocket got his mobile phone out and dialed the Resistance. He eventually got through to someone who instructed him to head to a nearby restaurant and to avoid attracting attention. Complaining about his leg, he was given the tip that, even though his leg in the Real World was broken, his RSI was digital and separate from his body.
Rocket was soon walking, a feat of his own mind, and reached the restaurant. Still talking with the Resistance through his phone, he reported what transpired. He assumed that the their ship, the Mariner, was attacked by sentinels, and that the sentinels were ultimately destroyed by Rook but that Rook must have died before he could pull out Rocket. Asked for his real-world location, Rocket only vaguely remembered Rook mentioning Tokyo. He was then told that the Pequod was on its way to find him and that he could stay in a nearby safe house back in Scottsdale, his hometown.
King, giving Rocket advice
Reaching the safe house, Rocket withstood four more days of his mind fighting the worsening state of his real body. King, a fellow Resistance member, often visited and helped him get his mind off his suffering, asking about his past life in Scottsdale, talking about their less than respectful pasts, and finally landing on the topic of his bluepill beloved, Mona Thomas, pointing out that his love was real regardless of whether or not it was experienced in the Matrix.
Later that night, Rocket visited Mona and asked her to join him for a motorcycle ride. Mona agreed to join him and, a little while later, they found themselves parked and alone with a full view of the city sky. Mona was curious where Rocket had been the past few months but he kept dodging her questions, only expressing how much he liked her. Mona suggested they go to Denny's afterwards to see his old mates in Larry's gang, relaying how much they must also miss him. But Rocket answered that he was only back for Mona. Suddenly feeling his real body's thirst, he excused himself back to his bike for some bottled water.
Rocket tried to quench his thirst but got exasperated when he didn't feel any relief, his mind unable to resist his physical body's dehydration. He threw the bottle in a fit and chanced upon the flowers near where the bottle landed. He brought back the flowers to Mona who, receiving flowers for the first time from Rocket, loved the gesture. Rocket and Mona then kissed.
Back in the Real World though, the beam that fell and broke Rocket's leg was still resting on top of it, merely supported by one of the ship's cables. But that cable soon snapped, delivering the beam's full weight into Rocket's leg, almost splitting his leg in half and causing Rocket to suddenly wail in pain within the Matrix. Pushing Mona back, he focused on making his RSI walk again. Then, feeling sorry for himself and, believing he was perhaps nearing his end, Rocket left on his bike and left Mona in tears.
Rocket using a powerful kick reminiscent of Trinity
Rocket was soon found resting in Denny's when Larry and his gang spotted him. Rocket, looking extremely pale and fatigued, was still unsuccessfully trying to quench his thirst with liters of water when Larry brought up the trouble Rocket caused by just disappearing out of the blue. Larry thought that Rocket owed them but Rocket disrespectfully opposed the thought, instead pointing out how bad Larry was to him. One of Larry's goons did not take kindly to this and tried to hold Rocket down in his seat but Rocket, getting in a quick frenzy, just broke the goon's arm, leapt high up from his seat, and then kicked Larry back before landing on the table. Using the new platform, he immediately professed to all the watching diners the truth and reality about their bodies, and how there were no flowers in the Real World. Larry no longer got up and was dead, having gotten his neck broken when he smashed back to the wall and landed on it.
The next morning, a sleeping Rocket was visited in the dumpster by King who shared the good news that Rocket would, in an hour, be soon found. Rocket initially wanted to first inform Mona but King, noticing a nearby worker getting possessed, quickly shot the stranger in the head before the Agent could fully materialize. King shared how Agents would only give you a second to react as he urged them both to start running. He also handed Rocket a pistol and the address where his exit was setup, informed him the time when the operator would call, and asked him to keep running and head for the exit. King, noticing the Agent having possessed a nearby kid, then split up from Rocket and lead the Agent away.
Mona, meeting Rocket one last time
Rocket soon found the exit at Motel 6 then called Mona and asked her to come visit him quickly. Mona was able to get to Rocket in time and Rocket, expressing his need to disappear again and his desire to save Mona, asked her to wait for his return. She agreed, swearing to go anywhere with him upon his return. Then, the phone rang, signaling that the Pequod had found him.
Mona, remembering something, asked Rocket to be careful and warned him that an Agent-looking man was earlier looking for him. Rocket, fearing the worse, tried to confirm what Mona knew of this Agent when she suddenly started getting possessed. Rocket drew his gun yet hesitated to shoot Mona. The Agent, however, showed no qualms and quickly strangled Rocket as soon as he materialized.