The Sum of Us
A Matrix Fanfiction
(formally known as the flight of horis)
***
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine!
***
******
Author's Notes: For Julie. Another request fic. This fic was written before I ever saw the second Matrix, which I saw yesterday so it doesn't follow the story line of Reloaded. Sorry if you don't like that but that's the way it is.
Julie's request was that the story involve a daughter of Neo and Trinity and center around her struggles with being the daughter of the One. So here it is Jules. I hope you like it.
******
Chapter One
"Ah, the prodigal son returns!"
Neo chuckled and clapped Link on the shoulder as he sat up. "Good to see you too," he greeted as Link pulled him to his feet. He stretched with a satisfied groan.
"Neo," Trinity said softly as she approached him. She reached up and kissed his mouth softly.
"How's Cyprus?" Neo asked, smiling down at his wife.
"Distracted," Link answered.
"All day?" Neo asked with a smile as he walked with one arm around Trinity toward the back of the ship.
"She's had her head plugged into that mainframe for hours. She hasn't surfaced once."
Neo made a soft, thoughtful sound and nodded his head. He reached a door, similar to all the others on the Nebuchadnezzar, except for the fact that it was painted red. The door swung open automatically as it detected his presence.
The room, like its door, was unlike anything on the Nebuchadnzzar. It was fulled from one end to the other with a massive tangle of wires, cables, and glowing monitors. There was a clear path that lead straight down to the center of the room. In the dead center of the massive mess a large clean area. In the middle of that clean area was a tattered chair.
Above the chair there was a pair of goggles that displayed the same images as some of the other monitors in the room. Circling the chair were several opaque squares that served as three-dimensional, multi-angle screens.
"How was the interface?" a young voice asked.
Sitting in the chair with the goggles over her face and her hands on a long keyboard, was a young child.
"Any bumps or snags?"
"Its nice to see you too, Cyprus," Neo chuckled.
"Welcome back Dad," Cyprus said with an air of distraction. "How was the interface?"
"Smooth. I think you got all the bugs out."
Cyprus chuckled softly. "You joke around too much Dad. The day I get all the bugs out is the day I become the ruler of Zion. Hi Mom."
"Hello Cyprus," Trinity answered with a smile, leaning against Neo's side. "Don't you think its time you took yourself off that thing?"
"I'm not working on the interface right now," Cyprus answered.
"Then why are you still plugged in?"
"I'm working on the Archives," Cyprus answered. She flicked one wrist lazily and the opaque squares lit up, displaying what she was viewing.
The monitors displayed a flickering light which Trinity knew was various pages full of pictures and text but that were flickering too quickly for her to read. Neo and Cyprus seemed comfortable with the speed though.
"How far have you gotten?"
"Haven't made any progress. I keep hitting triggers and loosing everything." The screen went blank for the barest moment before springing back into life.
"What's causing it?" Neo asked, leaning over to look closer at the monitors.
"I have no idea," Cyprus answered, her tone distracted. "It cycles every three minutes. Annoying but not exactly distressing."
"Maybe your code is being corrupted," Neo suggested.
"I know it is. I'm watching it disentagrate now."
Cyprus sighed quietly and pulled the goggles off. Long, heavy locks of dark brown hair immediantly fell over her eyes, reclaiming their favorite spot. Her eyes, when they could be seen peeking out from behind her bangs, were a chocolate brown, as dark and soulful as her father's.
It was lucky for Trinity that it was not in Cyprus' nature to be rebellious or try to overstep her bountry's because a penatent expression in those eyes would bring her to her knees, a fact that Neo took great joy in exploiting.
"I'll figure it out later," Cyprus said, mostly to herself. She pushed the now blank screens away from her and settled back in her chair comfortably.
"Lets go eat," Neo suggested. He abandoned leaning on Cyprus' chain in favor of leaning against Trinity's side. "I'm starving."
They always took their meals together, the three of them. It was a time to talk or simply enjoy each others presence. It had been Neo's idea. He enjoyed above all else being with his small family.
"Okay," Cyprus answered. "I'm kinda hungry anyway."
"Good thing," Neo said. "I still think you're waisting away." There was a hint of laughter in his voice as he spoke, nuzzling his nose against Trinity's hair.
Cyprus had been born nearly twelve years ago. She had been sick and weak at birth. She had been three months early and so small Neo could hold her in one hand comfortably. She had hardly been able to breath and completely unable to swallow.
Everyone had thought she would die shortly after birth. The birth had left Trinity very weak and the thought that she would lose the baby sapped the little energy that had remained. Trinity developed a high fever and had slipped into an uneasy rest.
Too much handling made it hard for her to breath so the doctor ordered for the child to be taken from her mother and placed in a warm bassinet where she would not be disturbed. With heavy hearts everyone had waited for her to breath her very last breath.
Only Neo seemed to have no despair in his heart. He had fallen in love with the baby the moment he found out Trinity was pregnant and he would not be separated from her even for a moment. Amongst yells from the doctor and urgings from his friends to leave her be, he had taken his daughter in his arms and disappeared into his room for ten hours.
Everyone thought the baby had died during that time and that he couldn't bare to let her go. Trinity's fever broke and she woken to find Neo watching her. He had smiled, said that their daughter was hungry, and handed the fussy baby to her. Her name is Cyprus, he had said and Trinity had looked down to find the baby looking back at her with eyes the same as Neo's.
Her early birth had stunted her growth and left her vulnerable to illness but she had been going strong ever since. She was quiet and thoughtful, like her father, and had an amazing aptitude for anything that had to do with computers. Her mother's rebellious nature had missed her, thankfully, and Cyprus preferred to spend her time working with her computers or reading books.
Her father's sense of humor had not missed her however. Cyprus had a quiet, quirky sense of humor that was often misunderstood or completely missed by people around her. Her jokes were off color, understated, and delivered in a deadpan voice. She was small, odd, and too smart for her own good.
And Trinity couldn't have asked for more. Cyprus was exactly like a mini version of her father. Neo 2.0. Trinity smiled to herself and felt the arm around her waist tighten.
Cyprus jumped down from her seat and joined her parents. "Are we going to eat?" she asked, clearly missing Trinity's serious musings. "Lunch will be over soon."
Neo wrapped an arm around Cyprus' shoulders and lead them both to the dining room. He knew exactly what Trinity had been thinking about. She reflected on Cyprus' birth too often, dwelling on the fact that her pregnancy had almost ended in a miscarriage. Though he hated to admit it he'd despaired for his unborn daughter's life then but the moment he'd held her in his arms all worry had left him. The baby would make it. He didn't know how or why he knew but he had believed above all else that he would watch his daughter grow. The only thing he wished for was another child, one who looked more like Trinity than himself but he wasn't sure how to ask his wife. Trinity's pregnancy with Cyprus had been a complete surprise and full of dangers for both baby and mother. Neo was terrified that another pregnancy would result in the same hardships but that didn't stop him from dreaming. He'd wanted a large family for as long as he remembered but if Trinity didn't want any more children he would be pleased with what he had. He couldn't help but be content.
Cyprus glanced up at him, a thin line creasing her forehead. She knew something was going on Both her parents were oddly silent and while her father was relaxed her mother was tense. Maybe something had happened in the Matrix earlier. She hadn't watched the codes, she'd been to busy working on the interface. Had something happened there? Why had he gone in anyway? She found that she couldn't remember. As she decided whether or not to ask the Nebuchadnezzar rocked suddenly.
Everyone was knocked off their feet and into the wall. Trinity grabbed hold of a heavy pipe and Neo's shoulder, securing them to the wall. She reached for Cyprus but the ship tipped forward and Cyprus went sliding across the floor on her back. The ship slowed and Cyprus went sliding back the other way.
"You okay?" Neo asked, his voice light and amused.
"Uh, yeah," Cyprus answered as she went sliding forward again. "Its kinda fun," she continued as she slid past her parents. "What's going on?"
"Sentinel attack," Trinity answered and the lights in the ship dimmed.
"That still doesn't explain all of this," Cyprus noted as she slid forward again. "Is Morpheus trying to run them over?"
The ship suddenly rolled to the left and Cyprus went sprawling into the wall with a startled cry. Realizing that the fun was over she tried to grab hold of something but bounced off the wall and went sliding toward the other. The ship chose that moment to flip upside down and hit the ground with a loud bang.
Neo and Trinity were knocked from their safe hold against the wall and went sliding toward the ceiling, which was now the floor. Cyprus, who had nothing to hold on to, fell instead of slid and landed heavily with a pained groan.
"That was odd," Neo chuckled.
Trinity looked up at him. He had grabbed her as they fell, holding her tight, and she was now sprawled across his chest, his arms still tight around her waist. She had no idea how he could think any of this was funny but he was chuckling to himself and she could hear that Cyprus was laughing too from somewhere on her left.
"Are you all right Cy?" Trinity asked, grinning as Neo nuzzled her ear with his nose.
"You bet," Cyprus answered, sitting up. Her lower lip was busted and bleeding down her chin and there was a large bruise forming on her left cheek bone.
"You're bleeding," Trinity said, shoving Neo away and hurrying to her daughter.
"I'm fine Mom," Cyprus assured, sitting still as Trinity dabbed her busted lip with the hem of her shirt. "It doesn't hurt."
"She's fine Trin," Neo chuckled.
Trinity scowled at him, helping Cyprus to her feet. "I'll take her to the med bay. You go find out what's going on."
Neo nodded agreeably. Trinity was as fiercely protective of Cyprus as she was of him and he knew better than to mess with her right now.
"Don't need med bay," he heard Cyprus grumbled and quickened his steps to avoid the argument that was sure to ensue.
*******
This i the third request fic I've ever done. Well it actually might be the four if a sequel that was asked for by fans can be considered a request. I think it is so that makes four. I'm a people pleaser. Its hard for me to say no when I'm asked to write stuff. So the title and all of that will be explained later and all that jazz.
Please read, enjoy, and review. Or a plague upon your house!
Thanks,
Jo
A Matrix Fanfiction
(formally known as the flight of horis)
***
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine!
***
******
Author's Notes: For Julie. Another request fic. This fic was written before I ever saw the second Matrix, which I saw yesterday so it doesn't follow the story line of Reloaded. Sorry if you don't like that but that's the way it is.
Julie's request was that the story involve a daughter of Neo and Trinity and center around her struggles with being the daughter of the One. So here it is Jules. I hope you like it.
******
Chapter One
"Ah, the prodigal son returns!"
Neo chuckled and clapped Link on the shoulder as he sat up. "Good to see you too," he greeted as Link pulled him to his feet. He stretched with a satisfied groan.
"Neo," Trinity said softly as she approached him. She reached up and kissed his mouth softly.
"How's Cyprus?" Neo asked, smiling down at his wife.
"Distracted," Link answered.
"All day?" Neo asked with a smile as he walked with one arm around Trinity toward the back of the ship.
"She's had her head plugged into that mainframe for hours. She hasn't surfaced once."
Neo made a soft, thoughtful sound and nodded his head. He reached a door, similar to all the others on the Nebuchadnezzar, except for the fact that it was painted red. The door swung open automatically as it detected his presence.
The room, like its door, was unlike anything on the Nebuchadnzzar. It was fulled from one end to the other with a massive tangle of wires, cables, and glowing monitors. There was a clear path that lead straight down to the center of the room. In the dead center of the massive mess a large clean area. In the middle of that clean area was a tattered chair.
Above the chair there was a pair of goggles that displayed the same images as some of the other monitors in the room. Circling the chair were several opaque squares that served as three-dimensional, multi-angle screens.
"How was the interface?" a young voice asked.
Sitting in the chair with the goggles over her face and her hands on a long keyboard, was a young child.
"Any bumps or snags?"
"Its nice to see you too, Cyprus," Neo chuckled.
"Welcome back Dad," Cyprus said with an air of distraction. "How was the interface?"
"Smooth. I think you got all the bugs out."
Cyprus chuckled softly. "You joke around too much Dad. The day I get all the bugs out is the day I become the ruler of Zion. Hi Mom."
"Hello Cyprus," Trinity answered with a smile, leaning against Neo's side. "Don't you think its time you took yourself off that thing?"
"I'm not working on the interface right now," Cyprus answered.
"Then why are you still plugged in?"
"I'm working on the Archives," Cyprus answered. She flicked one wrist lazily and the opaque squares lit up, displaying what she was viewing.
The monitors displayed a flickering light which Trinity knew was various pages full of pictures and text but that were flickering too quickly for her to read. Neo and Cyprus seemed comfortable with the speed though.
"How far have you gotten?"
"Haven't made any progress. I keep hitting triggers and loosing everything." The screen went blank for the barest moment before springing back into life.
"What's causing it?" Neo asked, leaning over to look closer at the monitors.
"I have no idea," Cyprus answered, her tone distracted. "It cycles every three minutes. Annoying but not exactly distressing."
"Maybe your code is being corrupted," Neo suggested.
"I know it is. I'm watching it disentagrate now."
Cyprus sighed quietly and pulled the goggles off. Long, heavy locks of dark brown hair immediantly fell over her eyes, reclaiming their favorite spot. Her eyes, when they could be seen peeking out from behind her bangs, were a chocolate brown, as dark and soulful as her father's.
It was lucky for Trinity that it was not in Cyprus' nature to be rebellious or try to overstep her bountry's because a penatent expression in those eyes would bring her to her knees, a fact that Neo took great joy in exploiting.
"I'll figure it out later," Cyprus said, mostly to herself. She pushed the now blank screens away from her and settled back in her chair comfortably.
"Lets go eat," Neo suggested. He abandoned leaning on Cyprus' chain in favor of leaning against Trinity's side. "I'm starving."
They always took their meals together, the three of them. It was a time to talk or simply enjoy each others presence. It had been Neo's idea. He enjoyed above all else being with his small family.
"Okay," Cyprus answered. "I'm kinda hungry anyway."
"Good thing," Neo said. "I still think you're waisting away." There was a hint of laughter in his voice as he spoke, nuzzling his nose against Trinity's hair.
Cyprus had been born nearly twelve years ago. She had been sick and weak at birth. She had been three months early and so small Neo could hold her in one hand comfortably. She had hardly been able to breath and completely unable to swallow.
Everyone had thought she would die shortly after birth. The birth had left Trinity very weak and the thought that she would lose the baby sapped the little energy that had remained. Trinity developed a high fever and had slipped into an uneasy rest.
Too much handling made it hard for her to breath so the doctor ordered for the child to be taken from her mother and placed in a warm bassinet where she would not be disturbed. With heavy hearts everyone had waited for her to breath her very last breath.
Only Neo seemed to have no despair in his heart. He had fallen in love with the baby the moment he found out Trinity was pregnant and he would not be separated from her even for a moment. Amongst yells from the doctor and urgings from his friends to leave her be, he had taken his daughter in his arms and disappeared into his room for ten hours.
Everyone thought the baby had died during that time and that he couldn't bare to let her go. Trinity's fever broke and she woken to find Neo watching her. He had smiled, said that their daughter was hungry, and handed the fussy baby to her. Her name is Cyprus, he had said and Trinity had looked down to find the baby looking back at her with eyes the same as Neo's.
Her early birth had stunted her growth and left her vulnerable to illness but she had been going strong ever since. She was quiet and thoughtful, like her father, and had an amazing aptitude for anything that had to do with computers. Her mother's rebellious nature had missed her, thankfully, and Cyprus preferred to spend her time working with her computers or reading books.
Her father's sense of humor had not missed her however. Cyprus had a quiet, quirky sense of humor that was often misunderstood or completely missed by people around her. Her jokes were off color, understated, and delivered in a deadpan voice. She was small, odd, and too smart for her own good.
And Trinity couldn't have asked for more. Cyprus was exactly like a mini version of her father. Neo 2.0. Trinity smiled to herself and felt the arm around her waist tighten.
Cyprus jumped down from her seat and joined her parents. "Are we going to eat?" she asked, clearly missing Trinity's serious musings. "Lunch will be over soon."
Neo wrapped an arm around Cyprus' shoulders and lead them both to the dining room. He knew exactly what Trinity had been thinking about. She reflected on Cyprus' birth too often, dwelling on the fact that her pregnancy had almost ended in a miscarriage. Though he hated to admit it he'd despaired for his unborn daughter's life then but the moment he'd held her in his arms all worry had left him. The baby would make it. He didn't know how or why he knew but he had believed above all else that he would watch his daughter grow. The only thing he wished for was another child, one who looked more like Trinity than himself but he wasn't sure how to ask his wife. Trinity's pregnancy with Cyprus had been a complete surprise and full of dangers for both baby and mother. Neo was terrified that another pregnancy would result in the same hardships but that didn't stop him from dreaming. He'd wanted a large family for as long as he remembered but if Trinity didn't want any more children he would be pleased with what he had. He couldn't help but be content.
Cyprus glanced up at him, a thin line creasing her forehead. She knew something was going on Both her parents were oddly silent and while her father was relaxed her mother was tense. Maybe something had happened in the Matrix earlier. She hadn't watched the codes, she'd been to busy working on the interface. Had something happened there? Why had he gone in anyway? She found that she couldn't remember. As she decided whether or not to ask the Nebuchadnezzar rocked suddenly.
Everyone was knocked off their feet and into the wall. Trinity grabbed hold of a heavy pipe and Neo's shoulder, securing them to the wall. She reached for Cyprus but the ship tipped forward and Cyprus went sliding across the floor on her back. The ship slowed and Cyprus went sliding back the other way.
"You okay?" Neo asked, his voice light and amused.
"Uh, yeah," Cyprus answered as she went sliding forward again. "Its kinda fun," she continued as she slid past her parents. "What's going on?"
"Sentinel attack," Trinity answered and the lights in the ship dimmed.
"That still doesn't explain all of this," Cyprus noted as she slid forward again. "Is Morpheus trying to run them over?"
The ship suddenly rolled to the left and Cyprus went sprawling into the wall with a startled cry. Realizing that the fun was over she tried to grab hold of something but bounced off the wall and went sliding toward the other. The ship chose that moment to flip upside down and hit the ground with a loud bang.
Neo and Trinity were knocked from their safe hold against the wall and went sliding toward the ceiling, which was now the floor. Cyprus, who had nothing to hold on to, fell instead of slid and landed heavily with a pained groan.
"That was odd," Neo chuckled.
Trinity looked up at him. He had grabbed her as they fell, holding her tight, and she was now sprawled across his chest, his arms still tight around her waist. She had no idea how he could think any of this was funny but he was chuckling to himself and she could hear that Cyprus was laughing too from somewhere on her left.
"Are you all right Cy?" Trinity asked, grinning as Neo nuzzled her ear with his nose.
"You bet," Cyprus answered, sitting up. Her lower lip was busted and bleeding down her chin and there was a large bruise forming on her left cheek bone.
"You're bleeding," Trinity said, shoving Neo away and hurrying to her daughter.
"I'm fine Mom," Cyprus assured, sitting still as Trinity dabbed her busted lip with the hem of her shirt. "It doesn't hurt."
"She's fine Trin," Neo chuckled.
Trinity scowled at him, helping Cyprus to her feet. "I'll take her to the med bay. You go find out what's going on."
Neo nodded agreeably. Trinity was as fiercely protective of Cyprus as she was of him and he knew better than to mess with her right now.
"Don't need med bay," he heard Cyprus grumbled and quickened his steps to avoid the argument that was sure to ensue.
*******
This i the third request fic I've ever done. Well it actually might be the four if a sequel that was asked for by fans can be considered a request. I think it is so that makes four. I'm a people pleaser. Its hard for me to say no when I'm asked to write stuff. So the title and all of that will be explained later and all that jazz.
Please read, enjoy, and review. Or a plague upon your house!
Thanks,
Jo