Notes: Thank you for reviewing. I really didn't mean to leave it on a cliff-hanger, but I'd rambled on for quite a while and that seemed an appropriate place to stop.
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Nyx awoke to a blinding pain in her head, rolling onto her back to try and take a breath of air, she coughed and tried to open her dark eyes. Coughing again, she tried to sit up, fear creeping into her mind at what she saw around her. The young girl shook her head, sending dust and fragments of material flying from her hair, putting one hand to the side of her face and wincing. It was dark. Very much so. She couldn't see for very far around. Nyx attempted standing, crying out involuntarily, trying to find the source of pain in her ankle; she found a deep gash, blood dried around it, leading her to believe that she had been lying unconscious for some time. She abandoned the standing plan and inhaled, trying to get enough air into her lungs to project a shout, "Lys!" Nyx paused and waited for a response, "Mama! Daddy!?" she called.
"Nyx.." she heard a voice, very much like her own, coughing a reply.
"Lys!?"
"…Here."
She saw a shadow of a small figure in the darkness heading in her direction. Nyx cowered for a second, afraid that the person was not her twin, one arm bent over her head to defend herself. Whoever it was grabbed her arm, and the wrist of her other, forcing her to look at them.
"Nyx!"
She found herself staring into the blue eyes of her brother, "Lys!"
The boy coughed again and sank down to the floor beside her, "Where are we?" he managed.
"…I don't know," Nyx admitted. She scanned her brother up and down, "Are you hurt?"
He grimaced, "Not really. Head hurts," he caught sight of her ankle, the trousers ripped through, "But you are."
Nyx shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Where're Daddy and Mama? What happened?" she questioned.
Lys shrugged helplessly in the darkness, "I don't know," he prodded a nearby piece of metal, "And I don't know where we are either…"
She looked upward to see a darkened sky, clouds rolling above, the occasional flash of light breaking through, "….Are we….outside?"
Her brother shrugged again, "All I can remember is that thing that grabbed us jerking around, that blue light, a burning smell and then hitting the ground…"
Nyx looked down, not wanting to appear weak, even in front of her twin, "…I wonder if Mama made it…"
Lys sniffed, "Dad tried to shoot that other one of…whatever grabbed us."
"…I remember falling down…"
"Then it grabbed us," he confirmed.
She looked back up at him, eyes narrowing in concern, "Where's the Neb? Is the Neb safe?" realisation dawned, "…What if…?" she couldn't continue.
He clambered to his feet, giving what appeared to be a piece of metal tubing a kick. Standing on tip-toe, he looked around, scanning the area, "I cant see it. I cant see anything."
"They wouldn't just leave us here…" Nyx uttered.
"No," he replied, "I know they wouldn't…..would they?" doubt crept into his voice.
She shook her head, "Mama loves us. Daddy loves us. They wouldn't leave us behind…." the girl sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as well as her brother. Nyx stopped abruptly, "Do you feel that?" she shut her eyes.
"The pain?"
"Yeah. I don't know whether its because I hit my head or not…"
Lys was about to reply, when a humming sound made him halt. He ducked back down and sat beside her, "You hear that?"
"Yeah…" she whispered. Nyx remained silent for a couple of seconds, concentrating, "Its getting closer…"
The two of them sat there, huddled against the other, watching and waiting for whoever or whatever was approaching. As the sound increased in volume, Lys got to his feet, standing over his sister, ready to make any attempt to defend her. Both waiting, wide eyed, silently….even then they never heard the sentinel that crept up behind them and knocked them instantly unconscious, as if they were mere dolls. They fell quietly, not uttering a single cry, as the machine secured its prey.
–
She regained consciousness to see Neo standing over her, Morpheus and Link hovering in the background. Trinity blinked a couple of times to try and focus her vision, "What-"
"We heard you screaming. We couldn't get to you before you just slumped down and passed out," Neo answered her question softly.
She tried to sit up, "The twins?" no answer came, at least, not one quick enough for her liking, "Nyx, Lys!" she jumped up from the chair she was lying in and started to survey the wreckage of the ship, trying to hide the grimace she gave when the pain from the bullet wound shot through her nerves.
"Trinity," Morpheus attempted to calm her.
"Where are they!?" her voice rose, "Where're my children!?" Trinity was looking wildly around in desperation.
Neo took her by the shoulders, not meeting her gaze for a few seconds, "….We cant find them…" he uttered quietly, helplessly.
She broke away, "But they have to be- they must be-" she started to shove aside the pieces of metal obstructing her path, "Nyx! Lys!"
"We've searched the whole ship whilst you were out," Link called after her, despair in his voice.
"Trinity!" Neo tried to call her back.
She whipped round, eyes blazing, "No!" she shouted, "No! You don't understand! They cant be…they aren't…"
"We didn't find any bodies," Morpheus offered, frowning, frustrated at his lack of ability to do anything remotely productive.
Neo was standing in front of her, trying to hide his own emotions to protect her from more backlash, "Trin…"
Trinity looked across at him, eyes betraying her fear and her own helplessness, "Then something…or somebody….has the twins. Someone has my children! Someone has our babies!" she nearly broke down at her last shout, determined not to fall apart completely. She narrowed her eyes in thought, "Wait. Why are we still here? Those machines were ready to tear us apart…"
"We don't know," Neo answered, "We were all unconscious for some time, at the same time."
"You blew the EMP?" Link questioned.
She nodded, "I only just got to it before it got to me. But by then there was only one sentinel; the other one had vanished."
"The EMP should've taken out every sentinel in the area, in the ship or otherwise," the Captain stated.
"So where are the twins?" Neo asked aloud, not expecting or wanting an answer. In all honesty, he was terrified. If it had been just him, without Trinity, he was sure he would've been in the same state that she was in currently. But somebody had to remain calm about it and he seemed to be the designated one at this moment. They shouldn't have done this. They should have kept them in Zion, regardless of their own needs and whether or not either of them was 'required' in the Matrix. Three days. It had been barely three days, and not only had their children been harmed, they had vanished completely.
"They couldn't have escaped the ship," Link began, "I know its practically in half here, but it would've been practically impossible for them to do, without hurting themselves. And, if you ask me, I don't think they would leave the ship and you two behind, even if their lives were threatened."
"Children don't just vanish," Trinity countered through clenched teeth.
"We're already in broadcast level. I don't understand why the machines haven't attacked us, but we should use this time. We need help. And that means somebody has to go into the Matrix. Which I shall do," Morpheus started tapping away at the still functional Operator station.
"What if they come back whilst you're in there?" Link asked, "Its suicide, Sir."
He shot the Operator a look that said it all, looking across to Neo and Trinity briefly.
Link nodded, "Yes, Sir," he joined the Captain at the station, "But for your sake, be quick," he shook his head in dismay as Morpheus retreated to the only functional chair, the one Trinity had recently vacated, after they had placed her there in an attempt to wake her.
"Morpheus?" Neo's voice called him back.
"Neo?"
"Be careful."
He nodded as the younger man approached him, taking one of the ports in his hand. Thankfully, at least some of those systems had survived. Neo swiftly inserted the needle-like port, twisting it, stepping back as Morpheus' eyes closed.
Link stepped back from the station, headset now present, "He's in," he flicked the mic away from his mouth, "I'm so sorry guys."
"Why haven't they come back for us?" she was physically shaking "Why? They could destroy us all now. Why?"
"…I don't know," Neo answered. He ran a hand through his hair. Damnit. He should be in there, not Morpheus, doing something, anything, to try and find out what had happened to the twins, "They're not dead, Trin," he stated, "They're not. I can feel it."
She looked up at him with hope in her eyes, for a second, "…I'm scared, Neo," she admitted in a low voice.
"I know," he answered gently, "So am I."
Her children were gone. Her babies were gone. She had lagged behind, endangered all their lives and now had paid the price, "…Why didn't you just…" she wouldn't look at him.
"I couldn't. I couldn't do it. You held out for me, risking everybody's lives, remember? I couldn't just pull the plug. I love you too damn much."
She closed her eyes against the pain, stumbling a few paces backward. Gone. They were gone. The thought echoed through her mind constantly. One hand went to gently cover her stomach, the knowledge of what she was beginning to suspect and dread fighting for attention in her mind. Unable to cope with such conflict, Trinity promptly threw up.
-
