Forward: I do not own The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, or any other aspect of the series. I do, however, own Catherine.
Rude Awakening
Chapter 1: What is reality?
She didn't know what she did wrong. She'd never been in trouble with the law before, and now three federal agents were after her. She walked quickly down the moonlit street as she tried to escape the three men following her. They walked side by side almost robotically, and in sync. Not knowing exactly why she feared her followers so, she began to run, regardless of the lack of feeling in her legs. Just seconds later, she cried aloud as the men caught up to her. The next thing she knew, two of the three agents were holding her down in a dark alley; the third was removing something from his jacket. She didn't know what it was; it was small, metallic, with a coil on one end. Just as the third agent was approaching her, Cat woke up in her bed in a cold sweat.
A few things bothered Cat about her dream. One was the fact that it happened shortly after she realized the subtle abnormalities occurring around her. Nothing too noticeable; clothes and other items seemed slightly out of place, and some things seemed to gain an almost unnoticeable green tint. The second thing that bothered her was the group of men that attacked her. They seemed…cold; emotionless; inhuman. They were dressed dark colored suits that were not quite black, and they wore identical sunglasses. The last thing that bothered her was how vivid the dream was. She felt like she was there…had she not woken up, she wouldn't have had a problem believing her dream was reality.
Reality…the word became rather hazy to Cat over the past few weeks. Just what was reality? Was it the mediocre life that she could barely pay for? About a month ago she would have laughed at the question. But that was before the dream; before the subtle differences peppered throughout her daily life. Now she wasn't sure what to think. She kept thinking to herself that there had to be something else in life, she just couldn't put her finger on it. As if it was a key that she was struggling to reach. Little did she know, the key led to a journey that a minute group of people had traveled.
Cat sat in front of her computer minutes after waking up. She'd been looking for the infamous Morpheus for months now. Rumor had it he was the one that could tell her what was going on. Unfortunately, coming across said individual had proven to be nearly impossible. Those who had met him were never the same afterward. And they were rarely seen. The mystery scared Cat a little, but her want of knowledge about the true nature of her life that she couldn't quite reach easily outweighed her fear.
Cat snapped her eyes open, unaware of the fact that she had even fallen asleep. She looked at the computer screen, anxious to see if anything had been found. She was angered to find that her computer froze. She sighed in frustration and began furiously moving her mouse, not wanting to have to reboot her computer after an hour of progress. Nothing. Still not wanting to give up, she tried every key combination she could think of to try to regain control of the situation. Just as she had given up, her computer screen went black.
"Damn it; what now…?" Cat asked herself in the darkness.
But nothing was wrong; someone was sending her a message.
They know you know. You have to get out of there.
Cat laughed to herself, and decided to play along. She had nothing better to do at this hour.
Who are you?
The messenger responded quickly.
There's no time. If you want to know the truth, you must risk everything.
"The truth…?" Cat no longer felt that this was a joke. At least she hoped it wasn't. She'd never told anyone about what she'd seen…
What should I do?
First we need to meet. I'll be at the town library in one hour.
Before Cat could respond, the messenger signed off.
She sat staring at the screen for a few seconds, soaking in what had just happened. She had no clue who this stranger was, but she had to take a chance. This couldn't just be a coincidence. And she had nothing to lose.
Catherine swiftly rose from her chair and slid into her worn out jean jacket. It probably wouldn't help with the light downpour outside, but that didn't matter. It was the last thing that occurred to her at this point. Without bothering to turn her computer off, she left her cramped apartment for the last time.
