The Human Resistance

For decades, the human Resistance believed that the founder of Zion was a man that had been born in the Matrix. This man, known as Prime, had the ability to see the prison for what it was and alter its code at will. Prime freed other humans from the Matrix and organized the Resistance. Prime taught the other Resistance fighters what he could, though no one could match his ability to control the Matrix.

When Prime died, the Oracle prophesied there would come another with the ability to overcome all limitations of the Matrix and control it at will. Resistance Hackers now regularly hack into the Matrix and the numbers of Zion are growing. Some would say the hope of a free humanity is becoming a reality.

Zion: Bastion City Of The Human Resistance

In the desert of the Real, most humans have been forced to live underground, deep beneath the cities in which humanity once thrived. In subterranean caverns, the Resistance has managed to establish a community consisting mainly of Zion Proper. A city of caverns and environmentally sealed pods and subsections all inter-linked. Many of these subsections have the feel of small villages, orbiting a central "spire" of crosswalks and thoroughfares. Zion itself is protected by a series of sentries and EMP pulse weapons designed to keep any robotic invaders at bay.  Hunting groups regularly patrol the area and disable any Sentinels that begin sniffing too close to one of Zion's gates.

The Mainframe

Early Resistance fighters stole enough technology to design their own supercomputer within Zion's walls. While it does not match the complexity or power of the Matrix computers, the Zion Mainframe is a formidable tool upon which the Resistance relies. The Mainframe not only provides Operators with necessary codes, cracked through encryption-decipher programs, and Construct code, to provide weapons and training to Hackers, but it also manages and safeguards Zion itself. Only those with a proper access code can pass through Zion's security gates. The Machines obsessively hunt for these codes, believing they provide keys to Zion's gates and could open the Resistance to destruction once and for all.

The Children Of Zion

Not all of Zion's inhabitants were freed from the Matrix. Some survivors managed to etch out an existence before the initiation of the Resistance. Others have been born to freed or freeborn humans. The Children of Zion are a resourceful and resilient bunch, usually playing with old circuit boards and hover thrusters as kids. They learn quickly to work as a team and for the good of the group. The survival of all may depend on the actions of one. Most learn to pilot hoverships or serve as an Operator to assist the Resistance Hackers in their fight against the Machines. Ironically they tend to be more light hearted and optimistic then those freed from the Matrix. Most carry a spark of optimism and open minded friendliness most Resuscitated Hackers lack after the shock of their awakening.

The Society

Zion's population currently consists of approximately 250,000 inhabitants. The community exists through hard work, sacrifice and more than a little luck. All citizens contribute and all temper what they take away. Since birth, each Zion child realizes the existence of all may depend on the actions of any one. Still, Zion functions like many human communities: there is trade, entertainment, education, romance and intrigue. While there is very little crime, the group pressure and strict need for survival keeps anti-social behaviour to a minimum. Only rarely will a citizen receive punishment and then can almost always be rehabilitated. In Zion, the ultimate punishment is banishment to the world above, but such a dire act has not yet been required. 

The Government

Zion is governed by a Council, which consists mainly of well-respected elders. The elders are elected by the general populace, but political strategizing is kept to a minimum. The Council oversees the daily functions of Zion, passes down rules of law, allocates resources, and has the final say in security issues.  The Council entrusts the defence of Zion to the Security forces, whom are responsible for the deployment of Zion's defences, the hovership fleet, and excursions into the Matrix. Zion Security is headed by a single Commander. Next in the chain of command are the hovership captains, who are usually given wide discretion in their field operations and Matrix runs.

Resistance Fighters

The continued existence of Zion depends upon the successes of the Resistance fighters. All citizens of Zion are in some way part of the Resistance. Only a select few, however, serve aboard the hoverships and hack into the Matrix. These talented individuals are given a special place in Zion society. In a communitarian society such as Zion, this rarely translates into tangible benefits (all must work, all must share, all must endure) but it is easy to see the respect in the eyes of their fellow citizens or the outright admiration of the children.

Other elements of the Resistance attack the Machines through means other than the Matrix. Small raiding parties attack robot factories or farms to acquire equipment or intelligence. Others scout the surface, looking for useful salvage or other survivors. Still others pepper the Machines with assaults, to keep their resources spread and attention distracted. Together, the fighters form a cohesive whole with the singular goal of freeing humanity.

Factions
Even the citizens of Zion can disagree. When they do, they tend to do it loudly, with much debate and waving of hands. Since Zion fights to free the minds of humanity, it holds to a strict protection of self-expression and group participation. It functions as a very pure democracy that often resembles the town hall meetings of early Puritan settlers in America.

And like any group that may disagree, the citizens of Zion sometimes split themselves into factions. Rarely do these divisions cause permanent discord. But sometimes a dissent may begin to disrupt the function of the group and, thus, risk the destruction of all. Typically, these problems are addressed and mediated. An act of secession or banishment has never been required. But, as Zion grows, opinions on how to handle the war and manage the affairs of the freed humans may expand as well. It will require skilled leadership to keep the peace at home.

There is wide disagreement about the nature of the "One", and whether such a messiah figure actually exists. Even many who believe in the One's capabilities refuse to entrust the fate of Zion in a single hacker. Some believe he or she is merely a highly skilled hacker while others subscribe to a nearly religious faith which can brink on a kind of Roman Catholicism, where the “One” is revered as a kind of Jesus Christ.

Resuscitation

The Resistance typically tries to free only children and young adults from the Matrix. Adults have been too indoctrinated and hopeless inured by the system and their minds often cannot let go of the "reality" they knew. Thus, the Resistance frees adults only in rare cases, where the balance of the war or the survival of the person is involved. 

For either, the shock of Resuscitation is profound. Imagine waking up one day, cold, in pain, and so weak you cannot lift your arms. You discover the world you knew, your family, friends, schoolmates, lovers, never existed as anything more than computer code. The point of your existence, thus far, has been nothing more than to serve as an energy source for your captors.

Rehabilitation of Resuscitated individuals is a long and arduous process. Many of the cybernetic implants must be removed and others must be modified. Muscles must be stimulated with tiny electric shocks in order to function again. Many individuals require extensive physical therapy in order to learn basic motor functions. The psychological trauma may be immense, and many suffer from depression, anxiety and even psychosis.

And all of this pain and hard work results in their introduction into the real, "free" world: continual cold, hunger and  fear for one's life. More than a few of the Resuscitated have wondered why they didn't refuse to be freed when offered the chance.

Technology
Zion and its inhabitants depend on a strange mix of the primitive and technologically advanced. The Zion mainframe, hoverships, and jumpchairs are but a few examples of the complex machines and computers Zion citizens rely upon. At the same time, they have rediscovered many skills lost by humans in the 20th and 21st centuries. They craft needed tools and clothes from hand; they hunt, collect, build shelter, and fend against intruders both robotic and animal. An anthropologist would wonder at the old traditions and religious overtones which have begun to crop up, and would likely categorize them as "neo-primatives."