The Matrix Linked: A Matrix Fanfiction Story

Chapter 10:

In physicality…

The city of Zion, with its Machine parts combined with more original parts, looks like a whole city modeled after Shinra and Venice in design with a mostly pale brown color scheme and underground rivers flooding where the past Zion in ruins is. In a steampunk like hospital, Morpheus and Chavez are in clear tube shaped human sized canisters surrounded by steam, but both in separate rooms. Neo and Tara are sitting in gray tube styled chairs at Morpheus's canister, while Trinity and Tank are sitting in the same kind of chairs at Chavez's canister. Neo sighs, "why didn't I realize that our plan wouldn't work?"

Tara concludes with a sympathetic hand on one of Neo's hands, "as far as I know, no one has ever tried to capture an Administrator before."

Neo insists, "but I'm supposed to know how far someone can break the rules in the Matrix: That there's supposed to be no limit!"

Tara comments, "as much I want to believe that, we clearly have a limit to what we can do."

Neo concludes, "no. Ever since that argument with Morpheus, I've been less sure of myself. It's partly my fault for losing faith in my supposedly most trusted friends…and partly Morpheus and Trinity's faults for losing faith in me. Now I may not have the chance to make things right…if he…" He almost breaks into tears.

Tara sighs, "as much as I hate to admit it, I'm scared too. But, you'll get through this, because you are the One. You have the power to make things right."

Neo chuckles a little, "thanks."

Tara adds somewhat more cheerily, "like you told me and Chavez, it's just a question of faith in yourself."

In the other room, where Chavez is…

Tank points out, "why isn't Neo and Tara here? I thought they cared for Chavez."

Trinity sighs, "I know. Neo and Tara are afraid that their time with Morpheus could be at an end…but Neo still doesn't want to see me. Can't say I blame him."

Tank urges with a hand on one of Trinity's hands, "don't be so hard on yourself. You were just doing what you thought was right."

Trinity remarks, "then why do I feel as dull as a null character?"

Tank reasons, "in spite of our technology, we..." Suddenly, there's an explosion across the hall. The hall is lit aflame by a bluish yellow liquid ignited by a dropped exploding red inhaler like device. A black nurse's outfit is worn by the one who dropped it, who is running out of the purple and blue walled corridor.

A random doctor with a black nurse's outfit calls out over a comlink, "we have to evacuate the facility! I repeat, we have to evacuate the facility!" Outside of the brown and gray exterior of the facility, two black and red police car hovercraft that look like crosses between cars and motorcycles with wheel like blue discs facing sideways shift in midair to cover the back door and the front door of the facility.

Trinity calls out, "get Morpheus out of here!" She runs after the infiltrator, leaving some concerned doctors and Tank behind to escort Morpheus's body out to safety. A significant number of doctors take out rifles, and fire at the other doctors with them to their great horror. Eleven doctors go down in flames by the surprise attack.

Tank mutters uneasily, "no. Not this time!" He maneuvers the hovering canister with Morpheus inside towards an elevator with a mighty push to knock over most of the fake doctors, but at a terrible price. By the time he gets Morpheus out of harm's way, Tank is shot by one of the still standing fake doctors as they unsuccessfully try to hit the canister. Neo and Tara are evacuating with the other doctors and the canister with Chavez inside, when they realize what happened.

Tara cries out in tears, "no!"

Neo mutters, "that…was my friend! He was my friend!" He charges angrily at the fake doctors, kicking and punching them as he says this. Shots are fired at Neo and the four remaining doctors, but the doctors get to the elevator in time because of Tank's distraction. The fake doctors all get knocked over again, getting up coughing violently just as six of the nine fake doctors explode in the incoming flames. Tara jump kicks and hurls the other three angrily into the flames, letting them burn into ashes as Tank's body explodes in flames.

Tara cries out, "damn you to hell!" She cries into her hands hard.

One of the random doctors urges, "we have to get out of here!"

Neo sighs heavily, "you're right. We do. Come on!" Tara and Neo, with mixed feelings, head into the elevator with the remaining four doctors. The elevator goes down the second the floor explodes in flames. Luckily, this floor was reserved for Zion military personnel…and Chavez and Morpheus were the only patients for that floor to save.

At the entrance…

Police officers in red and black uniforms have gotten out of their hovercraft with black EMP pistols. One of them with a mini-loudspeaker calls out, "come out with…!" Trinity has jumped and tumbled past flames to catch up to the first fake doctor, tackling the first fake doctor to the ground as soon as she gets outside.

The first fake doctor cries out in protest, "the Matrix will not be…!"

Trinity mutters, "you picked the wrong girl to preach to." She punches the first fake doctor into unconsciousness, revealing a tall green priest like hat with microchips on it smushed under a wig of real blondish red hair. Trinity suggests as she gets up, "take her in." The Zion police carry the fake doctor and the Matrix like hat in custody, bringing her into the back of one of the hovercrafts. Not long after, Neo, Tara, Chavez's body, Morpheus's body, and the remaining doctors from the top floor get out of the wreckage of the exploding medical facility. Most of the other doctors and patients had gotten out okay, besides being emotionally shaken.

Trinity realizes, "Neo! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She hugs Neo bittersweetly.

Neo tries to act ok, "it's ok. If any of us knew there was a third choice…"

Trinity sighs with mixed relief, "I hoped you would…understand. What's wrong now?"

Tara points out teary eyed, "it's Tank. He's dead…because of terrorists in doctors' clothing."

Trinity starts getting teary eyed, "the Matrix…they were led by the Matrix."

Neo wonders uneasily, "how is that…?!"

Trinity sighs with tears, "I don't know. I don't know. Morpheus told me of rumors of a terrorist group called the Code. But everyone thought it was just that: Rumors."

Neo concludes, "clearly…it isn't." Neo kisses Trinity on the forehead. And Trinity and Neo just stay in an embrace for what feels like forever, but is really ten minutes long.

Tara mutters to herself, "this is…all wrong. All wrong!" Tara just stands there, looking back at the wreckage behind them.

Forty five minutes later, in the 1.0 Matrix…

Glenda and Brando's body is behind a boulder sized shower on its side, with pistols firing at them. Glenda fires back, but soon runs out of ammunition. Glenda mutters, "goddamnit!" Just as that happens, Brando wakes up.

Brando mutters, "where…are we?" The tribe led by Daman fires through the fallen shower, nearly hitting Brando and Glenda.

Glenda asks, "how are you?"

Brando figures, "other than the bullets and the pieces of code around my head, I'm happy to be alive."

Daman orders, "not them! The ground."

One of his tribe members points out, "but we just lost ammunition."

Daman mutters, "you're lucky I don't kill you now." He throws his last grenade far above Brando and Glenda's heads, making part of the ground above and some windows come crashing down on them.

Glenda starts to ask as this happens, "can you handle a…?"

Brando mutters as the cave in happens, "the code is coming right for us!" He sees flashes of more code, getting more frequent as it happens. Brando quickly pushes Glenda to the side, just as several cracked windows with whitish dusty window sills fall down on top of Brando.

Glenda cries out, "you dirty piece of shit!"

Daman instructs, "get him out of there…both of you. We'll need him." Glenda gets up.

One of his tribe members mutters with red highlighted shoulder length black hair, "but once the tribe of Apophis kills…"

Daman figures, "if I'm right…that's just what a soft throw did. In which case, there will be chaos in our favor. Or did you forget your place, Lilith?"

Lilith mutters coldly, "no, Daman."

Daman figures, "good." Glenda tries to punch him, but Daman catches her hand and punches her head with the other in a surprise attack. Glenda tumbles to the ground, clutching her head as she tries to get back up. Daman just kicks Glenda in the stomach, making her clutch that with her other hand. Daman concludes, "now that I got your attention, I believe you are familiar with the tribe of Peyote."

Glenda mutters between coughs, "what…are you…driving at?"

Daman concludes, "simple. You show me the way to the Peyote tribe, and we'll spare you and your friend from becoming our love slaves." He has a hand around Glenda's throat before she can react.

Glenda mutters, "just so…you can make the Peyote tribe your love slaves? You sick bastard!"

Daman mutters, "flattery will get you nowhere here. Have you found the body?!"

Lilith and a man with greenish dyed medium red hair drag Brando's coughing body from the wreckage. Brando mutters, "could someone tell me what is going on, for god's sake?!"

The man with greenish dyed medium red hair chuckles darkly, "you're part of a deal with the devil."

Brando concludes, "then if he's like a devil to you…?"

Daman calls out, "that's enough, Asura!"

Asura suggests, "aww. Can't I torment him some more?"

Daman assures him, "save it for the Peyote tribe. So, what's it going to be?" He turns back to Glenda in his clutches. Brando is clutching one of his legs, which feels numb from all the rubble piled on top of it. At the same time though, he has been doing so recently in a way that no one but Glenda across from him notices it.

Glenda sighs, "I'll tell you the way."

Daman insists with his fist clenched tighter around Glenda's neck, "I said show me! Otherwise, how else are we not walking into an ambush?"

Glenda mutters, "fine. Then let go…and I'll take you to them." Daman reluctantly does. Glenda is back on her feet.

Brando calls out, "forget about me and save yourself!" Lilith slaps Brando in the face.

Lilith implies, "that's enough out of you!"

Daman remarks, "let's go. We're wasting time." Glenda uneasily leads a limping Brando under close observation and the tribe of Apophis back the way she came.

Glenda mutters uneasily under her breath teary eyed, "I'm sorry."