The Betrayal: A Machinist View
Jonathan "MercuryDomini" Fisher

Some of you will know him as a betrayer of Zion. The one who almost ended it all. To the rest of us, he's the only sane man in the whole dang movie! Some of you can guess who I'm talking about, for those of you who can't, he's simply known as "Cypher."

Cypher was in the first Matrix movie, and his occupation was Computer Operator. He had a slightly important role in the movie; he was the one who "betrayed" Morpheus. Proudly turning him over to the agents for one reason, and one reason alone: to be plugged back in. Can anyone blame him for doing this deed? Who wouldn't want to be plugged back in with all of the perks he was promised? Fame and fortune can make anyone do anything, especially living in a place such as Zion.

He really isn't such a bad guy, once you get to know him. He's simply mistaken for a fool. Living in Zion requires a special breed of people, those who were simply born there, and those who have no problem giving up the finer things in life. Cypher was not one to give up on the beauty of the Matrix so easily. The Matrix is just that, beauty. He was one of the few people in the movie to truly understand that the Matrix had much more to offer than just lies. It had everything anyone could ever want; great food, fun, everything. It was just too much to give up.

Others have argued the point that you don't truly know what you're getting yourself into until AFTER you have taken the red pill. Morpheus simply gives you vague ideas about what is at the end of this so called rabbit hole. To me, this is insane. You can't expect people to give up everything and not want to go back. That's just what happened to Cypher. Morpheus gave him vague clues, and he took the red pill. To be honest, he should have seen this coming. Cypher resented Morpheus for taking away everything he had known and given him a life of eating slop and wearing rags for warmth. He wanted back in, probably taking a little pleasure in handing over the great leader. Again, who could blame him?

Working hard to get plugged back in, he met up with an Agent. A daring, dangerous move to say the least. Thankfully for him he had a nice card in his hand. He has Morpheus. Without that he certainly would have been killed on the spot. The beauty of being an insider. The Agents wanted more than just the leader of the Nebuchadnezzar, they wanted the codes to Zion itself. Unfortunately for Cypher he didn't have those codes, so all he could give was Morpheus. Thankfully, it was enough for them. He agreed to hand over Morpheus as he chewed into his delicious ignorance and was blissful. Cypher was happy once again, for the first time in 9 years he could smile and his baleful eyes shined.

At this point many people will view Cypher as a traitor, the Judas of The Matrix. The rest of us who see The Matrix as a peaceful program that does more than keep humans plugged in, but also keeps the machines alive will see him as perfectly sane. While handing over Morpheus may have been a little selfish, you do what you must to get what you want. What Cypher wanted was nothing out of the ordinary. It was nothing that most of us don't, or wouldn't, want. He wanted to live a life of peace with a little bit of elegance. No more crappy food from a tube or clothes that looked like he was mauled by a bear. He wanted to sport flashy cars, eat juicy steaks, and have a nice wife on his arm. Heck, who doesn't want that?

It takes a lot to get back into the Matrix. Hard work and dedication to get the means and be deemed worthy enough to be plugged in. Fortunately he had what it took. He had a dangerous leader, the means to obtain that leader, and the desire to be plugged in. It pays to be in the right place at the right time. It looked as if he was going to get exactly what he wanted. With the Agents agreeing to do what he wanted for acquiring Morpheus, he would put his plan into action.

As the crew jack into the Matrix to go see their beloved Oracle, Cypher puts his idea into full force. He first activates his cell phone so that it can be traced to their hideout that they'll later use to jack out. It then leads on to scenes of the Oracle and Neo being told he isn't the One. Afterwards they all head back to the hideout where the attack on the crew commences. This is where the first crew member dies, the young Mouse. They all frantically try to escape, sneaking into the walls trying to climb down into the basement. Cypher causes Morpheus to be captured by an Agent due to sneezing from dust. As the rest escape and split up, Morpheus battles Smith, only to lose. Cypher is the first to jack out, being separated from the others. As he is unplugged, he begins his attack on Tank and Dozer, putting himself in the Operator chair. As the others call in awaiting a friendly voice, they encounter Cypher. He begins to unplug them one by one leaving only Trinity and Neo. At this point, a miracle for the Zionists happens. Cypher is murdered by Tank, who helped Trinity jack out just before Neo battles an Agent.

Cypher never got what he wanted, he was sadly killed just as his plan was unfurling. The Agents inevitably lost what they had worked so hard to get. Neo and Trinity jacked back into the Matrix to save Morpheus. It was a lose/lose for Cypher. He never got his dream of being jacked back in, being freed from the terror that is Zion, and having his trophy life. This is the last recorded attempt to betray Zion until Bane was taken over by Smith, which also failed. Perhaps someday those who wish to be freed from Zion will get their chance, but until then we only have hope.

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