IceBlade28: Just a small scene I had in mind, intended for the reader to ponder over. Enjoy.
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Do You Believe?
Trinity walked slowly down the hallways of the sleeping quarters of Zion, feeling the evening's glop-for-food churn in her stomach. There had been something off with today's meal. Maybe the cooling unit in the fridge was starting to wear down. Either way, she was feeling slightly nauseous, and so she decided to leave dinner a little early and go lie down. She'd gotten to the table late anyway, so fate decreed that she wind up leaving at roughly the same time as everyone else.
Trinity turned a corner to see her room up ahead, a rusty red door like most others. She stopped halfway down the lane, however- the door in front of her was ajar. Trinity paused for a moment. This was Kid's room. It was rare he had his door unlocked, much less open. Trinity paused, and over the hum of the thermal engines she could hear a mumbling. It was quiet, enough so that she could have mistaken it for her own thoughts, but she could definitely hear a voice coming from Kid's room.
She frowned and crept up to the door to listen. Kid was talking softly, but there were no other voices coming from his room. Trinity stretched her neck around the edge of the door and peeked inside. Kid was kneeling on the floor, his head bowed submissively. At first Trinity stiffened and felt adrenaline surge through her system; Kid was kneeling in an execution pose. There was no-one else in the room, however, and Kid didn't seem to be in any danger. Trinity relaxed and watched him speak to the darkness of his room.
"I'm scared," said Kid. "I know I have no reason to be. I know lots of people are being freed, almost daily, and I know Neo does everything he can, but I'm still scared."
Trinity was confused. Who was Kid talking to? She knew the logic in his words, but she had no idea why he was talking about them out loud. Anyone could eavesdrop. Anyone like her.
"A lot of people who are going into the Matrix aren't coming out. The Agents are killing more and more people, and now there's an army of Sentinels tunnelling towards Zion. I know You're watching over us, but . . . I just wish I could know everything's going to be okay," Kid continued.
"I've seen the powers Neo has in the Matrix, and I believe in him. But I know he's not invincible, and he can't do everything. I guess that's why I'm scared," he whispered. Trinity stood stock-still. She'd been there when they unplugged the Kid; he was one of Neo's most faithful followers. Trinity didn't much believe in the Zionists who thought Neo was their saviour, but somehow she'd labelled Kid as one of the biggest believers. The idea that Kid didn't believe as she thought was unusual. The fact that Kid was aware of things that Trinity thought only she knew was jarring.
"I have faith in You. I guess You know that already, but . . ." Kid trailed off, and Trinity bit her lip. She could almost see Kid's struggle, trying to find the words to express his feelings to the darkness.
"Please, protect the ones I love. Protect Morpheus, and Trinity, and Neo. I'm not good enough to do it myself, even though I wish I could. I know we could all use Your protection, but- please, watch out for them. Keep them safe."
Trinity took her eyes off Kid for just a moment, wondering about what she was feeling. A gentle wisp of contentment was brushing her heart. She found the feeling peculiar, and allowed a tiny smile to lift the corners of her mouth. Maybe she didn't know who Kid was talking to, but maybe she didn't need to know. But Trinity knew she would have to ask why Kid was talking to- well, whoever he was talking to.
"I ask these things of You humbly. Please, answer my prayer. Amen," Kid finished. He stood up, groaning slightly as he stretched his knees. Trinity whipped her head back around the door, letting a fast gasp out. She caught herself for a moment, mentally scolding herself. Why did she gasp? Beyond that, why was there any need to worry if Kid saw her? Trinity quelled her emotions, allowing her logical side to take control.
Kid turned around as he heard quiet footsteps enter his room. His face brightened with the usual eagerness when he saw her, but the expression was blended with a peaceful look.
"Hi Trinity," he said. "Anything I can do for you?" Trinity decided to cut straight to the point to hide any awkwardness she felt.
"Who were you talking to?" she said firmly. Kid frowned, before something clicked.
"Oh- just then? I was . . . well, I was praying," he admitted.
"To who?"
"God."
"Who?"
"God. He's- um, have you heard of Him?"
"No."
"Oh. Um . . ." Kid stammered, at a loss for words. He'd never really hit this boundary before. How did he explain God to someone who'd never even heard the concept?
"He created Heaven and Earth. He is the father of our souls, and He loves us. He created everything in existence. He is omnipotent and almighty," Kid explained haltingly. It was harder than he thought to take the beliefs he'd held for so long and break them into the very simplest pieces for Trinity to understand.
Trinity thought about this for a moment.
"And you 'pray' when you want to talk to God?" she asked, the concept foreign. Kid nodded in confirmation.
"If you have faith, then He'll answer that prayer."
"Faith in what?"
"Faith in Him."
"I doubt that."
"You'd be surprised," said Kid, clambering into his bed. Trinity turned to go, lingering at the threshold of Kid's room.
"Do you really believe?" Trinity asked, not turning around.
"No," answered Kid softly. "I know."
Trinity closed the door behind her and walked the final few metres to her room. She opened the door to find Neo already in bed.
"Where were you?" he asked. It wasn't an accusation, just a question. There was no malice behind it. Just curiosity.
"I was-" Trinity began, before stopping. "Just listening." Neo frowned; Trinity wasn't the type to be cryptic, but he could look past it. They needed their rest for tomorrow: not only were they launching again, but Kid was going on-board the Nebuchadnezzar as a test run. If they were well-rested then they had less chance of being irritable to their crewmates, who probably wouldn't take to Kid's presence lightly.
Trinity slipped into bed beside the One, feeling his arms close around her. She felt the first tendrils of sleep start to enclose her mind, and she mentally shrugged. So maybe listening to Kid's prayer had more of an effect on her then she'd admit. But it couldn't hurt to try.
Trinity closed her eyes and started to pray.
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IceBlade28: That'll about do it, I think. Just a little warm and fuzzy fic. Something for you to ponder over. Any and all reviews will be appreciated.