Dying

"Why, Mr. Anderson?"

The flash of light and code took over everything. . . Such a beautiful, bright light in the darkness, overcoming it. One could have thought it was an omen of hope, and life. But it only brought death, leaving nothing, killing the two of them.

And all Neo could do was watch through the eyes of Smith, and listen to him scream.

It shook the whole Matrix. It lit up the whole Matrix. Lights danced among themselves, playing, and killing, laughing, and choking.

The people of Zion gazed to the unseen heavens, blocked from the darkness. The Machines hummed over The Virus's screams, and no one heard. No one knew. The light they held precious, took back its gift to them.

The Machine saw the light, and saw the sacrifice of The One, heard the screams of the savior. But it didn't care, it didn't realize. It wasn't supposed to. The very thing The One fought, was the only thing watching him die.

Lights from the heavens came, and took the souls away.

And two bodies lay in a crater, a cloak covers a suit, and the breathing slows.

"Why? Why. . .? Why can't I move? Why can't I move!?"

Neo ignored the voice. Just a couple minutes, and the voice would go away.

"Mr. Anderson! Why!? Why can' t I move!?"

Neo weakly raised his head to see a fallen virus.

They lay on their sides, they cannot move, and they are forced to face each other. And Neo saw big blue eyes on the verge of tears. Neo only stared, and blinked slowly.

"Mr. . . Mr. Anderson. . ." Smith looked at him.

Smith heaved with breaths, unsure of what was happening as rain fell on him, and he grew colder. Neo only stared, breathing slowly, and waiting for it to come.

"Yes, Smith?" Neo whispered softly.

Smith stared at Neo for a moment, his mouth dropping open.

"What's. . .What's happening!?" Smith screamed.

Neo sighed.

"We are dying, Smith. We are dying."

Neo's voice so calm.

"No. . ."

Smith's so scared.

Smith stared at The One, and shook his head. He couldn't be dying. He couldn't be. . . He wasn't dying. He wasn't going to let himself die. He wasn't going to accept his own inevitable fate.

Neo stared at Smith, calmly. Neo had done this, he knew this would happen. He knew he had to die, and die on Smith. Neo knew it all along. Inside Smith, he infected him, and the positive was no more, only leaving the negative. The negative could not balance, and now they both will die with the equation.

Two enemies will now die together.

"No!" Smith yells, and Neo only stares.

Neo wasn't going to say sorry for killing Smith. And Smith wasn't going to say sorry.

"No!"

Smith tried getting up. Smith tried, while Neo only laid there, and closed his eyes.

Neo stayed silent. His body now dead somewhere, and his mind soon going with it. The screams of Smith wouldn't stop as Neo shut his eyes.

"Please no!"

"Stop screaming, Smith." Neo said calmly.

Then there was silence.

Only the rain now.

"I didn't want this." Smith said. "I never wanted this."

Neo looked up.

"I just wanted to live." Smith said.

"You're crying." Neo said calmly.

"It hurts. . . It hurts so much. . ."

One by one the codes were deleted. Dying from the inside out, slowly, very slowly.

"I just wanted to know what it was like. . . without the smells." Smith said.

"Then you shouldn't have gone insane." Neo closed his eyes again.

The rain was beginning to stop, just as their codes were being deleted.

"Mr. Anderson. . ." Smith pleaded. "I don't want to die."

Neo opened his eyes, and placed his hand on Smith's shoulder.

"We have to." Neo said.

"I choose not to."

"It doesn't matter."

Smith didn't understand, but Smith never did, and Neo didn't care anymore. Smith could feel his breaths slowing. He knew what that meant he knew what happened after this. But he wouldn't allow it. It wasn't will that kept him alive, it was fear.

"We have to go now, Smith." Neo explained.

"No. . ." Smith shook his head.

Rain fell onto their eyes, and bruises.

The inevitable had come, and Smith wasn't ready for it.

"What will happen to me?" Smith asked.

Neo didn't understand. He wondered if Smith was talking about an afterlife, if Smith was actually hoping for something better for him after his death. He was shocked especially after that Smith had said only moment ago.

But they were dying now.

"I don't know. . ." Neo admitted.

Their life was leaving them. They could feel it. Only small parts of their coding were left. Smith was beginning to close his blue eyes that were never really exposed to the world. And Neo lay on his side, and breathed in deeply.

He thought of Zion, and knew somehow everything was going to be alright. And it was almost as if he could see it, but he pictured Morpheus holding Niobi, and Zion roaring in victory.

"Mr. Anderson. . ." Smith whispered.

Neo opened his eyes again, and looked at the world his the golden vision he had. Light from within everything had shown itself.

And Neo looked to Smith.

"Goodbye, Mr. Anderson." Smith said, as if that would make everything better.

Neo nodded slightly.

"Goodbye, Smith."

Just a few more strands of coding left, just a few more breaths. They were going to leave this place now. No more Matrix. No more war. No more pain. The day would rise again. A day of peace.

"Trinity. . ." Neo whispered.

Smith didn't close his eyes, and stared at Mr. Anderson, and watched him die with him. He wanted to see the thing he had always wanted to see. But he knew that was happening to him as well. He could feel it just as Neo. The horrible pain spreading from his chest. Smith watched as Neo slightly raised his head to the sky.

Smith just wanted to live. Neo just wanted Trinity.

And then everything was white. An endless place of purity, light, and warmth.

"We died. . ."