Agent Smith- Reloaded by angelinhell

Neo: is sitting in random place doing random things suddenly hears cry for help Ah! A cry of help! I must save the world! flies off in heroic frenzy

Trinity: Neo, that's just a fire alarm.

Neo: is already too far away to hear her

Trinity: sighs and goes back to reading People magazine

Neo: arrives at site of fire, where Penny is standing triumphant with angelinhell, evilemmylou, ririchan, and laaanessness standing in a threatening ring around her

angelinhell: I thought we went over this: you don't burn down my writing studio, I don't MASH YOU TO A PULP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penny: stands grinning triumphantly

angelinhell: shouting in her ear ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?????!!!!!!!!!

Penny: takes iPod headphones out of ears What?

Neo: Should I save the world or just...sort of, well, leave?

ririchan: Well, for starters you could kill Penny for us?

Penny: What did I do?

evilemmylou: Take a look around you.

Penny: looks around Oh. pause Did I do that?

angelinhell: I plan on finding out.

Neo: I guess this is the wrong place...I'll just be...

angelinhell: No, wait! You are supposed to be here!

Neo: Why?

angelinhell: So you can give the disclaimer!

Neo: Oh. pause Disclaimer?

laaanessness: sighs I'll do it. turns to crowd angelinhell doesn't own The Matrix or any of its offshoots or sequels. Also, in the story Neo is nowhere near as stupid as the disclaimers make him out to be.

Neo: I'm being made out to look stupid?

evilemmylou: Sex and misfortune are humorous, buddy. hums "that's what it's all about" from the Hokey Pokey song

angelinhell: Enjoy!

Neo opened his eyes.

That, in itself, was surprising, for two reasons. One- he was, after all, supposed to be dead- and two- even if he were still alive, his eyes would be impossible to open. But what he saw was even more surprising.

He was inside the Matrix.

He reached out to touch a wall, as if to make sure that it was really there. The wall beside the Oracle's door.

It opened, and a little girl of about five, the girl he had met in the subway station with her parents, stepped out of the house. She looked up at him and held out her hand, which he took, and lead him into the house.

The door closed behind them and the girl lead him to the Oracle's kitchen door. Unnecessary, but kind. Then he crouched down to look her in the eye.

"What's happening to me?" he asked.

The girl smiled, showing a set of perfectly even, white teeth. "You're one of us, now." She touched the spot where his third eye would be, laughed a short, bell-like laugh, then scampered away. He stood up and went in.

The Oracle was sitting at the table, looking out the window. She waved him over to the table without looking at him, and he sat down across from her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You tell me," she replied, looking at him.

He thought for a few seconds. "I fought Smith...he absorbed me into the network, and then the machines- killed him through me? But I'm not dead."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the Oracle said, a smile on her face.

Neo tried to smile back, but the seconds of workout had pulled his memory back online. The smile was weak and barely visible- his grief was still too fresh.

The Oracle had sympathy in his eyes as she spoke. "You're not dead, Neo, and likely to remain so. No one meant for it to happen, but now you're stuck in the Matrix and you'll never get out. I'll tell you that much. But there's not a lot else that I can say."

"But-"

"I don't know everything, dear, and some things you'll just have to work out for yourself."

Neo got up. "All right," he answered, and headed for the door. He was just entering the hallway when the Oracle's voice floated after him: "And let's hope you do it before Smith catches up with you."

Neo was tempted to go back in and demand an explanation, but the door had swung shut behind him. He was alone in the hallway. Somewhat angry and totally confused, he left the building.

Unsure of where to go, he went towards his old apartment, wandering along the streets he had once known so well. Never get out of the Matrix...what had happened to him?

As he neared the apartment, he searched his packets for his keys by reflex and was very surprised to find them there. Confused and a little afraid, he opened the front door.

Slowly he climbed the dark stairs to his room, body tense and ready for attack. But nothing met him, and he opened the door of his one-time home without problems.

Everything was exactly the way he had left it- nothing had changed. He closed and locked the door behind him, then looked around. Why is it still here? he wondered.

It is here, came the unexpected, unspoken, foreign answer, because you expected it to be.

He whirled around, looking for the source of the voice, but saw nothing. A husky, feminine laugh floated down into the room, and followed him as he ran into the street.

angelinhell: So, what'd'ya think?

evilemmylou: That's what reviews are for, Smith.

angelinhell: Oh, yeah. Right. So. R/R!

evilemmylou: shakes head and sighs