(All appropriate disclaimers about my not owning anything about the
Matrix.)
Chapter 1
His eyes were shut.
It was black.
He opened them.
Still black.
Then he lifted his head.
It was grey.
He tried to stand up.
He settled for having his head raised. That was work enough. He managed to roll over onto his back.
Blue. A rectangle of blue. He was looking up at the sky, between two buildings. And a little girl was looking down at him.
"Well, I'm pretty sure we aren't back at the train station, are we Sati." said Neo.
"No we are not. We are behind the Oracle's apartment."
"And what are you doing out here."
"The Oracle asked me to take out the garbage. She said I could talk to the person I found waking up in the alley if I wanted to."
Neo smiled.
"Where's the Oracle now?"
"We have just finished baking cookies. Do you want to come up and have a cookie?"
"Yeah. I'd like that very much Sati."
He climbed slowly to his feet, and followed the young girl up to the Oracles apartment.
When they entered, Neo immediately smelled the cookies. He usually dismissed it as being nothing more than programs being jacked into his mind. But for once, he simply enjoyed it.
All the while, Sati was dragging him into the kitchen.
"Oracle, Oracle, look who I found."
The Oracle, who had been sitting looking at the oven turned with her ever present smile, and looked at Neo.
"Well, ain't this a nice surprise," she said in a way that told Neo she had known that he was coming since before Sati had even left the room.
"Why am I here?" Neo asked simply.
"Sati, honey, why don't you take some of these cookies to Seraph, to see if they are good. He's in his room. Take a few for yourself, too."
The young girl immediately took the offered plate and walked to the next room.
On the way, in a moment that inspired déjà vu, she looked up at Neo and said, "I'm glad you're back Neo."
He smiled.
"Me too."
Then she smiled, if it was possible, a little wider, and walked out to find Seraph.
"Welcome back, kid," The Oracle said, once Sati was out or earshot.
"How?" Neo asked.
"How what?" the Oracle asked, the picture of innocence.
"How can I be here?" Neo asked, even though he knew that she already knew that. "I was supposed to die when the Matrix was reloaded. How did I survive?"
"It's not the how that's important Neo. It's the why."
"Then why?"
"You're still needed here."
He waited. Then, realizing that she still needed prompting, he said "Why."
"Well, now you have the idea," she said with a smile.
"Why? Why am I still needed here? What haven't I done?"
"Well, someone needs to find the people that want out."
"What?"
The Oracle gave a sigh. Not frustration or anger, just amusement. The kind of sigh that said you knew something another person doesn't.
"You need to find the people that don't want to stay in the Matrix."
Neo absorbed this.
"Why?" Neo asked.
"Why not?" She returned, with a slight smile.
Trin's gone. He almost said it, but stopped himself. That wasn't a reason. But at the same time it was. If he didn't have Trin to help him keep going, what was the point?
"You are the One." She spoke as if she had been listening in on his thoughts.
He nodded.
"All right," he said. "Where do I start?"
"Oh, I think you'll find somewhere to start," she said with a smile. She glanced out the window for a few second, then back at him. He followed her glance and noticed someone in a building across the street. Someone at a computer. He gave the Oracle a quizzical look, which she answered with a shrug and her knowing smile.
Sati chose that moment to reappear in the doorway.
"Seraph says the cookies are good."
"That's good honey," said the Oracle. "Did you like them?"
"Yes, very much," she said.
"Good."
Sati then turned to Neo and lifted the plate. "Do you want a cookie Neo? Seraph said we should save one for you."
Neo smiled, and was about to decline, then decided against it and took the cookie. He examined it, and noticed that he was seeing the cookie as just that. A cookie. Not a line or clump of code. Just a cookie. He also noticed that everything now looked as if it was an image, not a code. He tried to look at things in code, found that he still could, but only if he concentrated. Otherwise, it didn't work.
He was about to say something, but, looking at the Oracle, he realized she already knew. So, he simply turned and walked out and headed for the elevator.
On the way down, he took a bite of the cookie. Sati and Seraph were right. They were very good. He had finished it by the time he got to the bottom of the elevator.
I decided to break this into two chapters to make it more manageable. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
His eyes were shut.
It was black.
He opened them.
Still black.
Then he lifted his head.
It was grey.
He tried to stand up.
He settled for having his head raised. That was work enough. He managed to roll over onto his back.
Blue. A rectangle of blue. He was looking up at the sky, between two buildings. And a little girl was looking down at him.
"Well, I'm pretty sure we aren't back at the train station, are we Sati." said Neo.
"No we are not. We are behind the Oracle's apartment."
"And what are you doing out here."
"The Oracle asked me to take out the garbage. She said I could talk to the person I found waking up in the alley if I wanted to."
Neo smiled.
"Where's the Oracle now?"
"We have just finished baking cookies. Do you want to come up and have a cookie?"
"Yeah. I'd like that very much Sati."
He climbed slowly to his feet, and followed the young girl up to the Oracles apartment.
When they entered, Neo immediately smelled the cookies. He usually dismissed it as being nothing more than programs being jacked into his mind. But for once, he simply enjoyed it.
All the while, Sati was dragging him into the kitchen.
"Oracle, Oracle, look who I found."
The Oracle, who had been sitting looking at the oven turned with her ever present smile, and looked at Neo.
"Well, ain't this a nice surprise," she said in a way that told Neo she had known that he was coming since before Sati had even left the room.
"Why am I here?" Neo asked simply.
"Sati, honey, why don't you take some of these cookies to Seraph, to see if they are good. He's in his room. Take a few for yourself, too."
The young girl immediately took the offered plate and walked to the next room.
On the way, in a moment that inspired déjà vu, she looked up at Neo and said, "I'm glad you're back Neo."
He smiled.
"Me too."
Then she smiled, if it was possible, a little wider, and walked out to find Seraph.
"Welcome back, kid," The Oracle said, once Sati was out or earshot.
"How?" Neo asked.
"How what?" the Oracle asked, the picture of innocence.
"How can I be here?" Neo asked, even though he knew that she already knew that. "I was supposed to die when the Matrix was reloaded. How did I survive?"
"It's not the how that's important Neo. It's the why."
"Then why?"
"You're still needed here."
He waited. Then, realizing that she still needed prompting, he said "Why."
"Well, now you have the idea," she said with a smile.
"Why? Why am I still needed here? What haven't I done?"
"Well, someone needs to find the people that want out."
"What?"
The Oracle gave a sigh. Not frustration or anger, just amusement. The kind of sigh that said you knew something another person doesn't.
"You need to find the people that don't want to stay in the Matrix."
Neo absorbed this.
"Why?" Neo asked.
"Why not?" She returned, with a slight smile.
Trin's gone. He almost said it, but stopped himself. That wasn't a reason. But at the same time it was. If he didn't have Trin to help him keep going, what was the point?
"You are the One." She spoke as if she had been listening in on his thoughts.
He nodded.
"All right," he said. "Where do I start?"
"Oh, I think you'll find somewhere to start," she said with a smile. She glanced out the window for a few second, then back at him. He followed her glance and noticed someone in a building across the street. Someone at a computer. He gave the Oracle a quizzical look, which she answered with a shrug and her knowing smile.
Sati chose that moment to reappear in the doorway.
"Seraph says the cookies are good."
"That's good honey," said the Oracle. "Did you like them?"
"Yes, very much," she said.
"Good."
Sati then turned to Neo and lifted the plate. "Do you want a cookie Neo? Seraph said we should save one for you."
Neo smiled, and was about to decline, then decided against it and took the cookie. He examined it, and noticed that he was seeing the cookie as just that. A cookie. Not a line or clump of code. Just a cookie. He also noticed that everything now looked as if it was an image, not a code. He tried to look at things in code, found that he still could, but only if he concentrated. Otherwise, it didn't work.
He was about to say something, but, looking at the Oracle, he realized she already knew. So, he simply turned and walked out and headed for the elevator.
On the way down, he took a bite of the cookie. Sati and Seraph were right. They were very good. He had finished it by the time he got to the bottom of the elevator.
I decided to break this into two chapters to make it more manageable. Enjoy!