"Close to me?" Neo repeated. "Who is near me and is trying to kill me?"
"Well, it has to be someone, who was in the Matrix recently." Trinity noticed. "And who was there alone, so that no one noticed him becoming Smith."
"It's if we can trust Oracle." Morpheus said. "And I must say I start to doubt in her after all this."
"We can believe in what she says, Morpheus." Devil answered. "She is playing her own game, but she can't lie to us directly."
"And as Matrix needs me alive, she is interested in saving my life." Neo continued. "What brings us back to the first question. Whom do I have to fear?"
Silence was the answer to him. And in this silence fast footsteps were heard clearly. Roland, the captain of "Hammer" entered the Core.
"I believe, you've finished your extra-important Matrix trips?" He asked rather harshly. " If you still remember, we have to help Zion."
"Zion is safe." Neo answered. "Sentinels were stopped. Actually, there is no active Sentinel on the whole Earth at this moment."
"And you wait me to believe in this nonsense?" Roland laughed sarcastically. "Morpheus is the one, who believes in nonsense like this. I need proves."
"Scan the surroundings." Trinity offered. "And tell if you find at least one active Sentinel."
"And then what?" Roland asked, still not believing. " I'll see they all are on they way to Zion right now?"
"They are not." Neo said patiently. "You have to believe us."
"Besides, what proves do you want exactly? We are too far to contact Zion." Morpheus added and, after Roland answered nothing, continued. "Neo is right, you have to believe us."
"And if I do? Shall I obey your orders as well?" There was sarcasm in Roland's voice now. "Bet you'd like that."
"Me too." Link mumbled to himself, typing something furiously. Then he called loudly, " The results of the scan. The only thing we have to offer you, beside our word."
Roland studied monitors carefully. "Fine." He said at last. "Let's say all this missing sentinels are really out. What are you going to do now? I'd recommend returning to Zion. We have the man in coma on board, in case you've forgotten."
"Oh, yes. Bane." Morpheus had actually forgotten.
"Bane?" Neo repeated. "The one that delivered the message from the Oracle?"
"Yes, him." Morpheus confirmed. "Lock sent ships to counterattack machines. But someone triggered the EMP too early. Bane was the only one that had survived."
Neo raised his eyebrow in disbelief. " Survived when machines were send to destroy all people? Impossible. If only."He paused. "Yes, that's it. Morpheus, remember when Smith waited for us on our way to the Architect? " Morpheus nodded silently and Neo continued. " How could he now we were to come? If only he hadn't seen it before. Then he could now what the meeting with Oracle meant." He paused again, giving others time to understand. "And he obliviously knew I was meeting the Oracle. Now the question. How did he know?"
"Do you want to say." Morpheus started.
"Oh, yes. I believe, that's exactly what he wants to say." The voice from the door stated. " I'm pleased to meet you once again, Mr. Anderson." Bane was standing in the doorframe, completely conscious and not at all looking as dying man again. His voice was unfamiliar, but his intonation was immediately recognized by everyone but Devil.
"Smith." Neo breathed out.
"Mr. Anderson." Bane repeated. "I'd stay and chat with you, but unfortunately I have more important business at the moment." And he disappeared into the darkness of corridor.
By the time they followed him, he was nowhere to be seen already. "He said he had orders from you." One of the Logos' crewmembers said eventually. "So I let him out of the ship. Is something wrong?"
"No. Everything is just fine." Niobe tried to stay calm. "You may go."
"He wants me to follow him." Neo said.
"And will we do that? " Trinity asked.
"Yes, I will. I need to finish it. And the sooner the better." Neo answered heading towards the ship exit and ignoring her "we" completely.
"Fine." Trinity replied. "Any ideas from where should we start?"
" "We" are not starting from anywhere. I'm going alone." Neo stated and turned to leave.
Trinity sent Morpheus a meaningful look, asking for support. Morpheus sighed quietly. He hated to argue with Neo, since he was the One. "We are all going, Neo." He said at last. "This way we have more chances to find Bane, I mean Smith."
"But." Neo started, wanting to say it was too dangerous.
Morpheus didn't let him finish. "I'm still your captain Neo. And this is the order."
"Yes, sir." Neo sighed heavily. He hated to argue with Morpheus, since he was his superior.
Quickly Morpheus started to give orders. He decided to take the whole "Logos" crew with them, and was leaving only the half of "Hammer" crew at the ship. "We will have more chances to find him, if we'll split up." He explained to Neo. "And it will be hard for him to get into the ship." Roland was still skeptical about the idea of Bane being Smith. Nevertheless he found Bane's actions quite strange and was determined to find him. Actually they had the biggest problem with Devil.
"I said: You. Are. Not. Coming." Morpheus repeated trying to stay calm. He nodded to the two "Hammer" crewmembers and they immediately took their positions near Devil.
"Morpheus, this is not fair!" She had to remind herself that is was not good idea to shout at her captain. Although that was exactly what she wanted to do.
"I know. But life is never fair." And he left the ship. Others where already waiting for him outside.
"Good luck." Devil whispered as she was escorted back to the Core. Her new "bodyguards" seemed to take their task too close to the heart. Well, at least they didn't know, that she was not allowed to write Construct- programs yet.
Devil found it hard to concentrate on the screen in front of her. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. She stood up quickly and headed out of the Core ignoring her "bodyguards".
"Hey!" One of them blocked her way. "Where do you think your going? You've heard what Morpheus said."
"Did he mean bathroom by this?" She answered sarcastically, wishing they would buy it. "Or may be you want to go there with me? Just to be sure."
That worked. Her way was clear, as the man stepped aside blushing. Devil walked slowly across the corridor, until she was out of everyone's sight. Then she started to run. It took her three minutes to open the ship door. "Damn this access codes." She thought angrily as she closed the door behind her. "I don't have much time." She couldn't explain where did she know it from. Nether could she explain where was she running now. She just knew it. And she knew she had to hurry.
~~*~~
A/N: Well, I know it was a long time, since the last time I've updated it. Technical problems, sorry. But I've finally decided to review my reviews. Um, sounds strange, but anyway. (
To Carmel March: THANKS! What would I do without you?
To Lee Jun-Fan: Sorry, I thought it was easy to figure out when is this happening. Well, first three chapters take place after the Matrix, but before Reloaded. Forth one is happening during the party in Reloaded. And fifth starts almost right after the end of the Reloaded. I've finally watched Revolutions, but do not try to find any spoilers. Just pretend it never happened.
And I've checked. The ship that picked up Morpheus's crew was called "Hammer". But captain's name was really Roland, thanks for that.
And Neo didn't know there would be the year of peace. He only knew that machines needed time to recover from what was done to the Matrix. He suggested it'd take about the year to do that.
To wh1te rabb1t 01: One word: done.
"Well, it has to be someone, who was in the Matrix recently." Trinity noticed. "And who was there alone, so that no one noticed him becoming Smith."
"It's if we can trust Oracle." Morpheus said. "And I must say I start to doubt in her after all this."
"We can believe in what she says, Morpheus." Devil answered. "She is playing her own game, but she can't lie to us directly."
"And as Matrix needs me alive, she is interested in saving my life." Neo continued. "What brings us back to the first question. Whom do I have to fear?"
Silence was the answer to him. And in this silence fast footsteps were heard clearly. Roland, the captain of "Hammer" entered the Core.
"I believe, you've finished your extra-important Matrix trips?" He asked rather harshly. " If you still remember, we have to help Zion."
"Zion is safe." Neo answered. "Sentinels were stopped. Actually, there is no active Sentinel on the whole Earth at this moment."
"And you wait me to believe in this nonsense?" Roland laughed sarcastically. "Morpheus is the one, who believes in nonsense like this. I need proves."
"Scan the surroundings." Trinity offered. "And tell if you find at least one active Sentinel."
"And then what?" Roland asked, still not believing. " I'll see they all are on they way to Zion right now?"
"They are not." Neo said patiently. "You have to believe us."
"Besides, what proves do you want exactly? We are too far to contact Zion." Morpheus added and, after Roland answered nothing, continued. "Neo is right, you have to believe us."
"And if I do? Shall I obey your orders as well?" There was sarcasm in Roland's voice now. "Bet you'd like that."
"Me too." Link mumbled to himself, typing something furiously. Then he called loudly, " The results of the scan. The only thing we have to offer you, beside our word."
Roland studied monitors carefully. "Fine." He said at last. "Let's say all this missing sentinels are really out. What are you going to do now? I'd recommend returning to Zion. We have the man in coma on board, in case you've forgotten."
"Oh, yes. Bane." Morpheus had actually forgotten.
"Bane?" Neo repeated. "The one that delivered the message from the Oracle?"
"Yes, him." Morpheus confirmed. "Lock sent ships to counterattack machines. But someone triggered the EMP too early. Bane was the only one that had survived."
Neo raised his eyebrow in disbelief. " Survived when machines were send to destroy all people? Impossible. If only."He paused. "Yes, that's it. Morpheus, remember when Smith waited for us on our way to the Architect? " Morpheus nodded silently and Neo continued. " How could he now we were to come? If only he hadn't seen it before. Then he could now what the meeting with Oracle meant." He paused again, giving others time to understand. "And he obliviously knew I was meeting the Oracle. Now the question. How did he know?"
"Do you want to say." Morpheus started.
"Oh, yes. I believe, that's exactly what he wants to say." The voice from the door stated. " I'm pleased to meet you once again, Mr. Anderson." Bane was standing in the doorframe, completely conscious and not at all looking as dying man again. His voice was unfamiliar, but his intonation was immediately recognized by everyone but Devil.
"Smith." Neo breathed out.
"Mr. Anderson." Bane repeated. "I'd stay and chat with you, but unfortunately I have more important business at the moment." And he disappeared into the darkness of corridor.
By the time they followed him, he was nowhere to be seen already. "He said he had orders from you." One of the Logos' crewmembers said eventually. "So I let him out of the ship. Is something wrong?"
"No. Everything is just fine." Niobe tried to stay calm. "You may go."
"He wants me to follow him." Neo said.
"And will we do that? " Trinity asked.
"Yes, I will. I need to finish it. And the sooner the better." Neo answered heading towards the ship exit and ignoring her "we" completely.
"Fine." Trinity replied. "Any ideas from where should we start?"
" "We" are not starting from anywhere. I'm going alone." Neo stated and turned to leave.
Trinity sent Morpheus a meaningful look, asking for support. Morpheus sighed quietly. He hated to argue with Neo, since he was the One. "We are all going, Neo." He said at last. "This way we have more chances to find Bane, I mean Smith."
"But." Neo started, wanting to say it was too dangerous.
Morpheus didn't let him finish. "I'm still your captain Neo. And this is the order."
"Yes, sir." Neo sighed heavily. He hated to argue with Morpheus, since he was his superior.
Quickly Morpheus started to give orders. He decided to take the whole "Logos" crew with them, and was leaving only the half of "Hammer" crew at the ship. "We will have more chances to find him, if we'll split up." He explained to Neo. "And it will be hard for him to get into the ship." Roland was still skeptical about the idea of Bane being Smith. Nevertheless he found Bane's actions quite strange and was determined to find him. Actually they had the biggest problem with Devil.
"I said: You. Are. Not. Coming." Morpheus repeated trying to stay calm. He nodded to the two "Hammer" crewmembers and they immediately took their positions near Devil.
"Morpheus, this is not fair!" She had to remind herself that is was not good idea to shout at her captain. Although that was exactly what she wanted to do.
"I know. But life is never fair." And he left the ship. Others where already waiting for him outside.
"Good luck." Devil whispered as she was escorted back to the Core. Her new "bodyguards" seemed to take their task too close to the heart. Well, at least they didn't know, that she was not allowed to write Construct- programs yet.
Devil found it hard to concentrate on the screen in front of her. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. She stood up quickly and headed out of the Core ignoring her "bodyguards".
"Hey!" One of them blocked her way. "Where do you think your going? You've heard what Morpheus said."
"Did he mean bathroom by this?" She answered sarcastically, wishing they would buy it. "Or may be you want to go there with me? Just to be sure."
That worked. Her way was clear, as the man stepped aside blushing. Devil walked slowly across the corridor, until she was out of everyone's sight. Then she started to run. It took her three minutes to open the ship door. "Damn this access codes." She thought angrily as she closed the door behind her. "I don't have much time." She couldn't explain where did she know it from. Nether could she explain where was she running now. She just knew it. And she knew she had to hurry.
~~*~~
A/N: Well, I know it was a long time, since the last time I've updated it. Technical problems, sorry. But I've finally decided to review my reviews. Um, sounds strange, but anyway. (
To Carmel March: THANKS! What would I do without you?
To Lee Jun-Fan: Sorry, I thought it was easy to figure out when is this happening. Well, first three chapters take place after the Matrix, but before Reloaded. Forth one is happening during the party in Reloaded. And fifth starts almost right after the end of the Reloaded. I've finally watched Revolutions, but do not try to find any spoilers. Just pretend it never happened.
And I've checked. The ship that picked up Morpheus's crew was called "Hammer". But captain's name was really Roland, thanks for that.
And Neo didn't know there would be the year of peace. He only knew that machines needed time to recover from what was done to the Matrix. He suggested it'd take about the year to do that.
To wh1te rabb1t 01: One word: done.