Know Thy Self

Neo's lips hot on her cold neck awoke Trinity from her peaceful slumber in her cot on board the Nebuchadnezzar. She was slow to react, eventually sitting up and kissing Neo's lips sweetly, her tiredness showing. She was slightly annoyed that Neo had awoken her, after their last attempt of spending time together, they were almost caught by their captain, and Trinity was afraid that someone might actually catch them this time. Neo had been freed for nearly five months, and after his first couple of weeks on the Neb, his relationship with Trinity blossomed into a good friendship, and now was at the point of being a proper lover's relationship, although their fellow crew did not know of this event. The rest thought that they were just friends, but all had their suspicions, many times one of the others would catch Neo in Trinity's room, or just leaving, and each and every time he'd make up some bizarre excuse to what he was doing there, though if the suspicion had been erased, no one would really have cared. It was not the concept of their being a relationship; it was just that this was Trinity and Neo. Trinity, who had always said that no man was worth anything, who had turned down every guy who looked in her direction, and who has become one of the resistance's leading figures, not to mention her fame found in the world of hacking. The other member of this couple was Neo, who had performed what seemed to be Miracles. He had not been to the Oracle's yet, but everyone was already prepared for him to be announced as the one. The plan was for him to go into the matrix for his first time tomorrow, in order to finally receive his prophesy.

Trinity yawned, freeing herself of the last elements of sleep, 'Neo, what's the time? What are you doing here?'

Neo told her, 'it's about ten PM, you've been asleep for only an hour or so, you disappeared and went to bed early. I'm just checking that you're ok. I wanted to speak to you before I went to bed.'

'What do you want to talk about?'

'I'm just not sure about this all, I mean, about the whole being the One thing. The oracle might say that I'm not the one, but she might say that I am. If she says I'm not then I'll have let down the whole crew and everyone's hopes in me would have been wasted, but then if I am the one, I'm meant to save Zion, a city I've never been to before in my life, I'm meant to stop all these machines that I know barely anything about and have only encountered three times in the five months I've been in the real world. How am I meant to know what to do when I don't even know what I'm saving?'

'Neo, I believe that you are the one, and I believe that you'll know what to do when the time comes, but until then you can only wait. We'll be returning to Zion once you've been to the Oracle's tomorrow, and when we're there, I'll show you the city, I'll show what you're fighting for, what you're going to save. You'll see al the people, the little kids, the orphans, your fellow soldiers, as well as the huge caves and the ways that we've lived since the beginning. You just wait, Neo, everything will become clear.'

'Thanks, Trinity, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm really tired now, and I should probably be getting back.'

'Yeah,' Trinity said, reaching up and kissing Neo's cheek before letting him leave the room. Neo was happy now, but Trinity couldn't feel the same. Something had been pulling at her heart for a week or so now, and she was afraid of what it was, she was afraid that this was love. She knew that she was meant to fall in love with the one, but Neo might not be the one, no matter how much she believed it. She didn't want her heart to be promised to another, it was him that she loved.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a siren and a red light on the wall flashing. Sentinels were approaching, and fast. She hurried up, shoving her boots on and leaving the room, rushing up to the cockpit were Morpheus was already waiting. She tapped in a few commands, bringing up the hologram, 'Morpheus, they're only five minutes away, can we land in that time?'

'I'm not sure, Trinity, we'll have to try,' her superior said, starting the decent to the bottom of the sewer pipe. Trinity picked up the handheld intercom as they landed, 'Tank, switch off the power and charge the EMP.'

'Yes, ma'am,' Tank replied, and started flicking the switches, turning off the lights, the heat and all other power. He turned the EMP, causing the signal upstairs to flash on "EMP armed". All was silent as the sound of the sentinels approaching faded in, becoming louder and louder. Trinity sat still, the intercom still in her hand as Morpheus pulled a black hat on. Her hands were trembling and she had a cold sweat on, but still she sat there, even though she felt physically sick.

Morpheus glanced at Trinity briefly, noting her reaction, but quickly turned back to look out the main window, the humming noise becoming louder as the sentinels zipped around the last few bends. They came into sight, radars out, tracking any nearby activity, sniffing out their prey like dogs. Trinity shuddered, sighing in relief as they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Trinity breathed into the intercom, 'disarm the EMP, Tank, it's all clear.'

The red light flicked off, showing that the EMP was no longer available for use. Trinity tried to stand up to leave, but her legs wouldn't let her, collapsing beneath her. She fell back into the chair, passing out. Morpheus looked to his side, seeing what had happened. He quickly took the intercom from her hand, instructing the rest of the crew downstairs, 'Tank, Dozer, Neo, meet me in the medical bay now.'

He did not see reason to panic over Trinity's state, but he was very concerned for her. This wasn't like her what so ever, and he needed a medical opinion over the matter, hence asking Dozer and Tank to join him. Choosing Neo to come along as well was merely to see his support for her. Though others saw Neo and Trinity as just good friends, Morpheus saw a spark there, he saw love and commitment, but fear to admit it.

He picked Trinity's limp for up in his arms, slowly and carefully making his way down the ladder to the main deck, and then along to the medical bay. Neo's face turned white as he saw Trinity being carried in unconscious. Morpheus lay her down on the table, telling the three other men, 'she looked ill and shaken as the sentinels approached and upon trying to stand up she collapsed, passing out.'

'Is her pulse strong?' Dozer asked.

'Yes, still as normal,' Tank replied, checking it against a timer.

'Is she still breathing?' the next question was posed.

'Yes, perfectly normally. I think this is just a black out, but I don't know why. Did she do anything that could have made her feel ill at all or dizzy?'

'Neo, you saw her last I believe,' Morpheus looked at Neo.

'She was fine when I last saw her, nothing wrong at all,' Neo said, the original shock wearing off slightly.

'Ok, Tank, Dozer, return to your quarters,' Morpheus told them, 'Neo, you can remain here.'

Once the two brothers had left the room, Morpheus walked over to the door, closing it with a quiet click, and then approached the table again. Neo had been starring at Trinity's soft pale face, but looked up at his captain once more as he returned.

Morpheus said slowly, thinking about his words carefully, 'you care for Trinity very much, don't you Neo?'

Neo nodded, eyes wide and alert from both tiredness and adrenaline. Morpheus continued, 'I've known Trinity for many years Neo, and she's always been a daughter to me. I can see when things are going on with her inside, with her emotions, with her mind. You and her are more than friends, aren't you?'

Neo looked to the floor, scared to admit it to Trinity's father figure, ashamed that he had found out before they had told anyone. He didn't need to answer as Trinity suddenly started coughing, sitting up, rubbing her head. She saw Neo first, and whispered, still dazed, 'Neo, what's happening?'

Morpheus said for Neo, 'you passed out and so I brought you here. I was just talking to Neo, but seeing as you're awake now, if you feel up to it then I'd like to talk to you both together.'

Trinity nodded, sitting up properly and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Neo stood next to her, both of them watching Morpheus as he spoke, 'I have reason to believe that you are together in a relationship. I do not know how long for, or what stage you are at. I'd just like to say that I'm pleased for you if this is what you want, but I need to know for certain what is going on.'

Trinity sighed, and then started speaking, 'Neo and I are together, in a proper relationship. As you know, Morpheus, I'm not one to show my heart, but I trust Neo and I know that I need him.'

Morpheus and Trinity both looked at Neo, who spoke up, 'I don't know how serious Trinity believes this to be, but I find it very serious. I've never been in a proper relationship before, but I know that this is going to last. I…I love Trinity.' Trinity's eyes widened as Neo faced her, taking her hand, 'I love you, Trinity.'

Trinity squeezed his hand softly in hers, 'I love you too, Neo.' Their eyes locked and their hands held, but no more contact was possible at the moment. A long silence followed as the lovers were lost in each other's eyes.

Morpheus told Neo, 'Neo, let Trinity rest tonight, but please stay with her and look after her. I'm pleased that you have found each other, and no doubt you'll only need each other more tomorrow. I'll let you two decide on where things go from here, but if you ever need to talk to me or ask me anything you both know where I am.' He turned and left the room. They watched to see once he had gone, and then Trinity leaned forward, kissing Neo's lips gently, her tongue soon tracing along his bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth. Neo kissed her back, letting his tongue slip into her mouth, touching her tongue lightly and then drawing back into his own mouth. They both pulled back, breathing heavily as Trinity let herself drop onto her feet from where she had been sitting on the table.

Neo followed Trinity as they made their way back to her quarters. He sat on the edge of the bed while Trinity closed the door and then turned to face him. She approached him on the bed, taking off her boots and overtops, and then she sat next to him, waiting as he took off his own boots and tops. Trinity shivered slightly, so Neo rubbed her arms, warming her up. They climbed under the covers together, Neo spooning against Trinity, wrapping an arm over her waist, holding her close to him. Trinity placed a hand over his, holding him where he was, snuggling back slightly into his chest.

Neo whispered into the now dark room, 'I love you, Trinity.'

She returned with a small smile, 'I love you too, Neo.'

The next morning there was a loud knock on the door, waking both of them together. The door opened slowly, causing both of their hearts to start racing, only to find that it was Morpheus. He smiled upon seeing Neo and Trinity still curled up together like that, and then told them, 'you've overslept by about an hour, we're going up to broadcast depth soon so you need to get dressed and ready.'

'We'll be out in a minute,' Trinity said, sitting up more than she had been. Morpheus nodded and exited the room once more, closing the door again. Neo's lips brought Trinity back to their current situation, kissing the back of her neck. She sighed, relaxing again, breathing, 'love you.'

'Love you too,' Neo told her, sitting up properly, helping her up. They both got dressed, straightening out their clothes, and then they left the room together. Quickly, they went to the mess hall and ate their breakfast, and then headed to the core, where the rest of the crew minus Dozer and Cypher were. Morpheus greeted them, 'I'm glad you chose to join us. Now, we need to show you the plan for today's mission.'

Neo and Trinity were led to the screens where Tank was sitting. Morpheus stood with them, pointing out the route. He ended by saying to Neo, 'I know you can't read the codes yet so if you stick with Trinity…'

'I can read the codes,' Neo said quietly, looking up to meet his mentor's eyes. Tank turned in his chair to face Neo, while Trinity stood still, eyes glazed over in thought. Tank said, 'but you haven't had the codes uploaded yet, and even with that it would take you at least a month or more to get a grip of it.'

'Tank's right, Neo,' Morpheus said, 'how can you read it? Have you been able to read it before?'

'No,' Neo admitted, 'I'm not sure what's going on; I haven't understood any of it before.'

'Has anything happened since you left your post last night?' Morpheus questioned.

'Well yes, but only what you saw when we were in the medical bay last night.'

'We'll have to consult the oracle over this; it's a good thing we're going to day after all.'

The intercom started talking, Dozer saying that they had reached broadcasting depth and that they were about to land. Tank replied to his brother, saying that he understood his message. Everyone held onto something as there was a huge shudder throughout the ship as it touched down. Morpheus called everyone together, briefing them again quickly, and then told Trinity, 'look after Neo and make sure he's plugged in safely. Get him to relax first though; else he'll hurt himself again.'

Trinity nodded and led Neo over to his chair, waiting as he sat back slowly, getting comfortable. Trinity strapped him in, noticing that he was watching her intensely. Holding his forehead back, stroking his soft fuzz of hair first, but so that no one else would notice, and then she gently inserted the plug. She check over to see what others were doing, seeing that Apoc and Switch were already plugged in, Dozer and Cypher had returned from the cockpit, and Mouse was just about to be plugged in by Tank. Morpheus came over to Trinity, telling her, 'I'll be inside in a minute, you keep them in order, collect your guns and get ready.'

Trinity sat back in her own chair, 'yes sir.' Morpheus plugged her in, sending her into the construct. There were shelves of guns reaching to infinity, and through one of the shelves she could see everyone else on the other side. Realizing that the only way to get to them was over the top, Trinity performed a version of her famous levitating scorpion kick, jumping over the top of the stack, landing her next to the others. She was wearing her classic knee-length black long sleeved dress, along with her customary sunglasses. Trinity instructed them, 'get your guns and get ready, we want this to run smooth and quick so no time for shit.' She reached for a couple of hand guns, placing one on a holster on her leg just under her skirt and the other on her inbuilt hip holster on the dress. Neo watched her as the others picked up their own guns. Trinity told him, 'Neo, you don't need any, just stick close and keep safe.'

He nodded, feeling secure around Trinity, but fear still crept into his expression, all this still new to him. Trinity slipped her glasses off for a few moments, letting Neo see her ice blue eyes, bringing the flame of safety back to him. Cypher arrived, soon followed by Morpheus. Cypher grabbed his guns quickly, while Morpheus on the other hand remained unarmed.

Morpheus looked around at every person, checking that everyone was armed and ready, and then said, 'we'll arrive a few blocks away to avoid the agents, Cypher and Trinity will accompany me to the oracle's with Neo, and then we want to get back as quickly as possible. Anyone have any problems?'

No one replied, so Morpheus called up to the whiteness, 'Tank, load us up.'

The white around them filled with stacks of guns quickly disappeared, bringing them all into a hotel room, the landline phone ringing. Morpheus nodded at Trinity, who answered it, her soft tone stating clearly, 'we're in.'

Straight away they got to work, lead out of the building by their captain, brought up at the end by their second in command. Upon reaching the car waiting outside for them, Apoc, Switch and Mouse remained by the outside wall, while Cypher climbed into the driving seat, Morpheus into the front passenger seat, and Neo and Trinity into the back. Neo reached to pull his seatbelt on, but hesitated once seeing that no one else strapped themselves in. Trinity looked at him through her dark glasses, 'we normally wait until we've traveled a distance sure enough to be safe, incase there are agents and we need to bail out.'

Neo nodded, dropping his hand that had been holding the seat belt, placing it in his lap with the other. Sure enough, once they had traveled for a few minutes and they were in no trouble, everyone reached for their seatbelts, pulling them on, and Neo followed suit. Staring out of the window, Neo saw places he used to know, his beloved noodle bar, his local shop, his old office building and so many streets he had walked down. Trinity whispered, 'it's amazing, isn't it?'

'Why do we look at it in code when we're in the matrix, I've never seen it like this before, like when I was living here?' Neo questioned. Trinity looked puzzled and Morpheus turned around slowly, slipping off his glasses and staring for a minute at Neo, eventually Trinity told him, 'we don't see the code when we're inside.'

'But…' Neo started.

'Neo, are you reading this like you were back on the screens?' Morpheus asked, continuing after Neo's nod, 'can you stop reading it like this, focus Neo.'

Closing his eyes, Neo reached what felt to be a trancelike state, and then reopened his eyes, looking around and seeing the world as everyone else saw it. Upon Morpheus' questioning look, Neo told them, 'I can see normally now.'

Trinity and Morpheus exchanged meaningful glances, before Morpheus stated, 'we're almost there.' Neo remained lost, lacking in understanding of what was happening. Trinity tried to reassure him, 'it's fine, Neo, don't worry.' Neo tried to believe her, but he knew that there was something different about him. He'd been told by almost the entire crew that he was the one, and many other people believed it too. He didn't know what he believed, and he wished he knew what the woman he loved believed.

Arriving at the block of flats where the oracle lived, they got out of the car. Cypher waited, leaning back against the wall in front of the car, while Morpheus said, 'Trinity, I want you to join us.'

Trinity hadn't expected this, usually only Morpheus went with the newbies to see the oracle, but now it was obvious to her that this was different. She accepted Morpheus' instruction, and followed her love and her captain into the old building. They went up in the lift, soaring up slowly, with each floor that passed a little "ding" sound came from a bell. Stepping out of the elevator, Neo's wide eyes grew even wider, his pupils expanding to capture the little light that existed along the small corridor. Morpheus led the way, Trinity only half a step behind him, Neo last in line. The door ahead of them opened, the priestess beckoning them in. She told Morpheus where he could wait, and took Neo and Trinity through to the living room. Trinity was soon informed to go speak with the oracle while Neo stayed in the homey carpeted room.

Trinity stood in the door way, waiting as the oracle placed a new batch of cookies on the table. Trinity eventually said, 'you wanted to see me?' prompting an explanation from the old woman. The oracle looked up at the strong figure that stood before her, and said, 'take you sunglasses off, honey, and take a seat.'

Trinity obliged by removing her glasses, but still she stood in front of the elderly lady, not wishing to obey by one hundred percent. The oracle sighed, saying, 'you never wanted to conform, did you, Trinity?' after waiting for a couple of seconds she continued, 'you can have it your way and stand, or you could take the seat offered, you may want to sit in a minute anyway.'

Trinity sat down at the table, placing her glasses down as well. She asked, 'why did you want to speak to me?'

'Trinity, you know something important, you know what you're heart feels and you know that Neo is going to be the one…'

'What do you mean "going to be" he already is; I love him,' Trinity interrupted.

'Child, you may have told him that you love him, but that doesn't truly mean it, only your heart can say. Love is something special that your words can't express, and you'll feel that connection with the one when the time has come.'

'But I know that I love him, I know that he loves me.'

'Prove it to him, prove it to yourself. How can you be so sure that he's the one, how do you know that this is real love, how do you know that he loves you back?'

Trinity paused, unable to answer for she didn't know what to say. The oracle was right, what if Neo wasn't the one, but she just fancied him, her heart would have been wasted on him. But Trinity knew that Neo was the one, even the oracle said that he would be, but Trinity had to prove her love, though she didn't know how. Her eyes flickered down to the table, waiting there for a moment, and then looked back up to the oracle, 'how can I prove my love?''

'I don't know, honey, that's up to you, save his life maybe…'

Just then they were interrupted by the priestess coming into the kitchen with Neo, and then she left. Neo stood there looking around for a moment. The oracle stood up, saying, 'hello, Neo, I'm -as you may have guessed- the oracle. Let's take a look at you.'

She examined Neo, moving his head from side to side, getting him to say "ah", and then she took his hands, holding them out in front of him. She looked at his hands, telling him as she did, 'you're cuter than I thought you'd be. I can see why she likes you.'

Neo blushed, and Trinity turned around to see his reaction. Neo saw the fear in her eyes at that moment, and wanted nothing more than to comfort her and find out the problem, but he couldn't. The oracle continued to stare at his hands before saying, 'this is certainly interesting.'

'What is?' Neo asked.

Dropping Neo's hands, the oracle posed the question to him, 'do you believe you are the one?'

'To be honest, I really don't know,' Neo admitted, seeing Trinity turning back and looking down at the table.

The oracle spoke once more, 'Know thy self.'

Please review! I hope you liked my first attempt.