Behind the Scenes - 13
A/N: I seriously love these two characters so much. Writing them brings me joy. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. The one after this is gonna get steammayyy hopefully. :)
Neo diligently stayed with Trinity until well past one a.m., but as soon as his eyes started turning bloodshot and he started blinking more slowly, Trinity ordered him to go to bed. She certainly didn't want to lose his company, but he needed to be on his guard the next day. He'd only argued once before conceding. He couldn't even deny how tired he was.
The rest of her shift dragged on, and she spent her time singing songs in her head that she used to love while inside the matrix. She would never admit she still did that, especially because nothing inside the matrix was even real, but she couldn't help the comfort it brought her (and entertainment, too). Before she knew it, Morpheus was back and she was grateful to be relieved of duty. She was exhausted and could hardly get to her cabin fast enough.
Careful not to make too much noise, Trinity took off her shoes and pants and groped around in the dark to find the edge of the bed. She crawled in slowly next to Neo and pulled the blankets over herself. Neo sidled up against her back and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in close.
"You're supposed to be asleep," Trinity murmured. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, letting Neo's scent fill her lungs and relax her.
"I was trying to. Honest. But I think my body was waiting for you to come back," he said in reply, matching her quiet tone.
"Well, I'm back now. Go to sleep."
"Yes, ma'am." Trinity smirked at Neo's sarcasm.
A few minutes passed. "Hey, Trin?" Neo asked, trying to gauge if she was still awake.
"What, Neo?" Trinity responded, starting to get mildly annoyed. She was really tired.
"You think the Oracle will tell me what my dreams mean, and how to stop them?"
Trinity's eyes flew open. She turned over her shoulder to look Neo in the eyes. She couldn't see much in the dark but knew the impending visit must be on his mind. It was certainly on hers. "Yes, I do. Be honest with her and I think she can help you." Trinity didn't truly believe that it would be that easy, but Neo didn't need to know how cynical she was regarding the Oracle right now. She was sure (to an extent) the Oracle had her reasons for not saying jack shit when she visited her a few weeks ago. Or at least, she hoped she had her reasons.
"Okay. I will. Goodnight, Trin. I love you."
Trinity turned back over. She smiled. "I love you too, Neo. Goodnight."
Trinity slept late the next morning. By the time she woke up, Neo was gone. She yawned, stretched, grabbed her bathroom bag, and headed to the washroom to take a shower. When she emerged ten minutes later, she dropped off her bag and dirty clothes in their cabin before heading into the kitchen for some breakfast (lunch?). No one was there, so she ate quickly and washed her dish before heading to the Core.
She found Neo and Link chatting when she arrived. They both smiled at her and Link promptly teased her for her late arrival. She joined them and playfully swatted Link's shoulder. They talked for a few more minutes before Morpheus arrived to give them a status update.
"Ah! Trinity! You're up. I'm glad we're all here now. I wanted to give you an update. We will be at broadcast depth in about an hour. We're making great time. I trust you guys can prepare everything while I get us set down and settled?"
"Yes, sir." Link answered for them.
"Good. I'll come back when it's time to go." He gave Neo a pointed look and inclined his head towards him in acknowledgment.
Trinity gave Neo a questioning glance. "I told him I was going in alone," Neo said. "He didn't think it was the best idea either, but I got him to agree."
Trinity nodded, almost forgetting that she had given in to his request the night before.
The next hour passed fairly quickly. Neo, Trinity, and Link went over the plan once more (tweaking things a little now that Trinity was staying behind) before changing the subject to talk about more lighthearted things.
Link told them excitedly that what he was looking forward to most when the war ended was that he was going to try and convince Zee to finally start a family with him. As much as Neo wanted to be happy for him, he couldn't help but feel sad at this revelation. He wasn't expecting to live past the end of the war, if he was being honest with himself. There'd be no family life for him. Meanwhile Trinity felt the same way but for different reasons. She'd never had this talk with Neo, so she had no clue if he wanted children or not. But with their jobs, there was no way they'd ever be able to have a family or a normal life, even if they made it out of this war alive. Besides, she didn't know if she even wanted children. But if that was the case, why did Link's confession make her feel so dejected?
Soon, Morpheus tucked the Neb safely inside a hollow cavern and lowered the power. He joined the rest of the crew in the Core and helped Link get the program up and running. While they sorted through the information given to Neo on the chip from Ballard, Trinity pulled Neo aside to speak with him privately.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, keeping her voice low. They were standing on the other side of the circle of chairs, away from Morpheus and Link.
Neo shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. In and out, right?" he smirked, clearly a little nervous.
"Exactly. Just… ask her what we need to know, and try to get the answers you seek, too. I don't know when we will be able to consult with her again."
"Yeah. I just know I won't have a lot of time."
"You're probably right. But your personal questions are just as important as the rest. Okay?"
He nodded. Surprising even her, Neo cupped her cheeks and pulled her in for a kiss. They didn't normally display such PDA in front of anyone, but Neo didn't care. He knew kissing Trinity would give him the boost he needed before going in alone.
They heard a throat clear behind them. When they turned, they saw Link looking cheeky and gesturing to the chair.
"We're ready to go, Neo," he said, trying to suppress his grin.
Trinity took his hand and led him to the chair that was prepped and ready. She put a hand on his chest and reminded him to be careful before giving him one more 'good luck kiss' and inserting the rod into the back of Neo's head.
As soon as Neo entered into the matrix, Trinity began to pace. She'd been waiting for this moment for weeks, and while she would have preferred to go in with him, she understood why he felt like he needed to do this alone. She watched him off and on, wondering what they would talk about. She watched the monitors when Neo fought Seraph. She saw him sitting with the Oracle in a … park? Courtyard? But she couldn't read their conversation. Then she witnessed the most incredible thing she'd likely ever seen Neo do. He fought off a swarm of agents. Her heart was hammering in her chest the whole time - she trusted Neo could do this but the fear still clawed away at her insides.
Thankfully though, Neo made it out mostly unharmed. She could finally breathe again. She asked him what happened, and he laid out exactly what the Oracle told them to do; where they needed to go and when. He described what it felt like when the agent tried to copy himself onto Neo. He said it felt like dying, and Trinity shuddered, so very thankful Neo had made it out alright.
In the back of her mind, Trinity wondered if that is what Neo saw happen in his dreams. Did he see her being replicated? Is that what he didn't understand, and needed to meet with the Oracle about? She was still operating on the assumption that Neo's dreams had something to do with her demise. He never actually said as much, but based on what he had said, she could gather it wasn't good, and it was likely involving her.
Morpheus asked Neo some follow up questions, and Link entered everything Neo said into the computer. They were to go rescue someone called The Keymaker from an old program called the Merovingian in two days time. They were given coordinates and a time. From there, once they had The Keymaker in their possession, Neo was to go to something called the Machine Mainframe? Whatever that was. (Trinity was more than a little ticked off that she didn't get to hear any of this firsthand).
After Neo had shared everything he could about what came next in fulfilling the prophecy, he told Link and Morpheus he needed a moment alone with Trinity. He took her hand and led her to their cabin. She sat next to him on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to tell her more about his conversation. She didn't want to pry, but was grateful Neo had brought her in there to (hopefully) talk about it.
She waited patiently while Neo took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, clearly still recovering from his fights. She took his hand and waited for him to say something; anything.
"I talked to her…" Neo started.
"I saw." Trinity tried to keep her voice level and even. She didn't want to dissuade Neo from talking to her about this.
"She didn't quite answer me about the dream thing… but she did say something interesting…"
Trinity tilted her head, not saying anything but encouraging him to go on.
"She said… she said 'we can never see past the choices we don't understand.' I don't know what it means but… well… it's something," he finished lamely.
Trinity nodded, trying to understand. "So, she seems to think whatever you're seeing is a result of some choice you've made?"
"I guess so, yes. But I am not willing to accept that. I am going to try and change things. But… I need you to trust me, Trin. If I ask you to do something, I need you to trust me and do as I ask." He looked at her, pleading with her to understand. She could tell he didn't want to go further than that, and as much as she wanted to know what he saw, she decided to let it go and put her trust in him as he asked. Plus, if she was being completely honest, it was too close to what the Oracle said to her, for her to ignore. Clearly this had to involve her somehow.
"Okay, I can do that. Did she say anything else?" Trinity asked.
Neo took a deep breath, looking anywhere but at her. Trinity's stomach clenched. "Actually, yeah. I told you everything about The Keymaker. But… well…" Neo opened and closed his mouth, not knowing how to phrase his words.
Trinity took his other hand in hers, too, and held firmly. "You can tell me," she whispered lovingly.
Neo looked at her briefly before turning away again. "She said… she said I needed to go to the machine mainframe. Where… where the path of the One ends…"
Trinity blanched. "...What?" she exhaled.
"I don't know what it means. I don't know what to make of it, to be honest. I think it means that it's where the prophecy ends? I… she didn't give me any indication I was going to die." Neo stammered a bit, trying to work through the information aloud. He could see Trinity's face drain of color and instantly regretted telling her this. That is why he refused to tell her about the dream. As much as she claimed it would be okay and she could handle it, he knew otherwise. The information would eat away at her, and there was no way Neo was going to put that burden on her.
"Neo, that's… how could you not know what that means?" Her voice was high pitched with worry.
"You know how she is. She's cryptic. But she was positive almost, during our conversation, she wasn't…. She didn't seem like she was telling me of my impending death, Trin. I debated whether I should even tell you - I don't want you to worry."
"Neo, I'm always worried you're going to die - especially because of all this. You should know this by now." She leaned into his shoulder, needing to feel his warmth.
Neo took a steadying breath. "Trinity, listen. I just wanted you to know because I think we are about to find out if the prophecy is real or not. I know… I know I am the One. I see that now. But ending the war? Completely? This … well, something just doesn't feel right. I wanted you to know what she said so you can help me parse through it. She could be hinting that whatever the prophecy says is going to happen is going to happen soon - when I go to the machine mainframe. Or, she could be indicating in some way that everything after that moment… well, we may be on our own after that. Maybe the future remains to be seen after that point… I don't know."
His frustration was rising. He hated the cryptic, coded messages of the Oracle just as much as Trinity did. But he had made the decision to share this knowledge with her and he wanted her to understand. He wanted her to put her feelings for him aside long enough to help anticipate what could possibly come next.
"I think your instincts are right, Neo. If you say she seemed unphased… then yes, she probably would not have foretold your death. 'The path of the One ends'… I don't know what that could mean, either. You have good theories though. I guess we won't know until after you come back. Perhaps what it means is that this could be the last thing you have to do as the One? That maybe after this… you'll be one of us again?" Trinity tried to keep her anxiety held back and in check. She could tell Neo needed her right now. He needed the soldier-Trinity, not his girlfriend. So, she took a deep breath and imagined locking her innermost fears and insecurities in a little box inside her heart. She'd deal with them later. For now, she was going to straighten her spine, still her aching heart, and be what Neo needed.
"I wish I knew. She said I'd finally made a believer out of her," Neo sighed, dejected.
Trinity let go of Neo's hands. "Neo, we are fortunate to have access to the Oracle to begin with. We've known all along none of this was going to be easy, and we know she's never straightforward about anything. I don't think we should put any stock on that statement without knowing what she truly meant. Let's just focus on what we do know. We'll be spinning our wheels all day if we focus on what it could have meant." She was clear and direct and it was exactly what Neo needed to hear.
"I know. You're right. I guess I just needed to talk about it. It seemed… well it seemed big. And it… it freaked me out, Trin. Talking to her can do that to me, I guess."
"I know, Neo. But there's nothing we can do now. We just have to go retrieve The Keymaker and deal with the next step after that. One thing at a time, okay?" She put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
He nodded. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay. You're right. One thing at a time," Neo said softly.
"Now come on, let's go back. Knowing Morpheus, he's going to want to go over that again." Trinity smiled and pulled Neo up with her. They left their cabin, neither of them truly feeling much better about what the future may hold, but both trying to maintain a sense of strength in comfort to the other.
The rest of the day passed in a blur to Trinity. She locked her worry away, just like she'd wanted to, and kept her mind focused on the various tasks she needed to accomplish before their visit to the Merovingian. Morpheus had agreed to keep them settled where they were, which meant no need for a pilot.
That evening, they played cards to pass the time, and everyone went to bed early except Link who was taking first watch. Trinity and Neo talked very little, neither wanting to bring up the anxiety they felt about the coming rescue mission. In fact, Trinity was still trying to process everything Neo told her. She wanted this all to be over so badly, but at the same time, she could hardly stand to think about it anymore.
They slept fairly soundly that night, even Neo, who was able to sleep through the night mostly undisturbed for the first time in a long time. They were wrapped up in each other, comforted by the other's presence. It was a welcome consolation to Trinity who loved nothing more than curling into Neo's chest and sharing his warmth. She loved feeling close to him, and the intimacy of waking up in the arms of the man she loved almost counteracted the stress she'd built up in her mind over Neo's encounter with the Oracle.
The day before the rescue, Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus met with Niobe and her crew inside the matrix to go over the plan. Morpheus insisted on telling her in person (at least in the matrix) versus sending a message to her ship. All went well, and they were able to get out before being found by agents. They spent the rest of the day working on general maintenance items for the Neb to pass the time. No one had much to say at this point about the impending mission; it was all a waiting game and nothing else could be done other than to wait for the right time to enter as planned.
That night, after Trinity's watch, she crept into their cabin like she'd done a few nights before, but Neo was sitting up, not even pretending to be asleep. Wordlessly, he held his arms out to her and she climbed into them. He nuzzled her neck and rubbed her lower back, and Trinity could tell what he was trying to say. He needed her right now.
They made love slowly, quietly, savoring the feel of skin on skin. Trinity finally unlocked the box inside her heart and allowed a few stray tears to leak from her eyes. She knew it wasn't like her to be so emotional, and she certainly didn't want to be, but something felt … wrong… about where things were headed. It was like things were finally coming to a head, and Trinity couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom. She didn't have a logical explanation, but her gut told her things would change, and soon. Neo wiped the tears away with his thumb, not needing to ask what was on her mind. He knew she was scared. He was too, which is why he needed her touch so badly. They poured all their fear and doubt into each other, knowing this was the time to do it. Tomorrow, they would need to be level-headed, and on their A-game. Tomorrow would change everything.
When they were done, they resumed their positions from the night before, settling in to what would inevitably be an almost sleepless night. But they held on tight to each other, hoping and praying it wouldn't be for the last time.
Neo and Trinity were all business when it was time to finally meet the Merovingian. They entered his club, and were surprised to learn he spoke in a thick French accent. At first, they thought the conversation was going well, until they were forced to leave empty-handed. They started wondering if they had done something wrong, if somehow they had missed something, when suddenly the elevator door opened on Persephone, the Merovingian's wife.
Something about this woman flummoxed Trinity. She seemed so… obedient and subdued, before, but her demeanor screamed confidence and cunning. She led the group into the men's bathroom, startling some people along the way. She didn't seem to care. Much to the trio's dismay, Persephone complained about the Merovingian. Apparently he was a pompous prick now, but he didn't used to be that way. Trinity couldn't understand where any of this nonsense was going, and she was about to say so, when Persephone suddenly turned and looked at them each in turn. She had a glint in her eyes that Trinity didn't like to see. Her defenses raised and she tightened her fists, readying herself for whatever this woman had to say.
"I'll give you what you want, but you have to give me something," she purred.
"What?" Neo asked, sounding skeptical.
"A kiss," she replied sweetly, purposely not looking in Trinity's direction. Trinity's stomach lurched in response.
"Excuse me?" Trinity spat. Her wheels were turning, trying to figure out just what this bitch's angle was here. Her jealousy flared, and her heart started to race. The audacity of this woman, to ask such a thing? What?
"I want you to kiss me as if you were kissing her," she stated unemotionally, finally glancing Trinity's way. For once, she was glad to be wearing sunglasses, so Persephone couldn't see the loathing and contempt in her eyes.
"Why?" Neo was genuinely confused. Out of all the things, why on Earth would she want that from him?
"You love her. She loves you. It's all over you both. A long time ago, I knew what that felt like. I want to remember it. I want to sample it. That's all. Just a sample."
Trinity couldn't hold back any longer. "Why don't you sample this instead?" She whipped out her gun and clenched her fist tightly around it.
Morpheus could see this getting out of hand, and fast. "Trinity…" he warned. Trinity's mind was racing. She knew she was overreacting, but the gall of this bitch astounded her.
"Such emotion over something so small; it's just a kiss," she said sweetly, but Trinity could hear the venom. She was purposely trying to hurt them.
"Why should we trust you?" Neo asked, and Trinity could hardly believe he was even considering it.
"If I dont deliver you to The Keymaker, she can kill me."
Neo looked at Trinity, seemingly to get approval. She didn't know what to do or say. She didn't want him to do this. He was HERS and no one else's. But this was their only shot at getting The Keymaker, and Trinity knew it. Persephone knew it. So, Trinity gritted her teeth and nodded ever so slightly.
"Alright," Neo choked out, jaw clenched.
"But you have to make me believe I am her." Persephone warned.
Neo agreed once more. He took a deep breath and leaned in, pressing his lips softly to hers. He wanted to scream - wrongwrongwrong all of this was WRONG. But he gave in because he knew this was what he had to do.
"Terrible, forget it." Persephone scoffs. Trinity wanted to scream, too. He did what you asked, you awful bitch, Trinity thought to herself. She was actually starting to feel sick. Persephone knew this. She could feel the tension, and to her, it was delicious. She was sure to look directly at Trinity right before Neo kissed her again, finally complying with her wishes.
Trinity died a little inside. She knew it was stupid to feel that way, she knew Neo didn't want to do this, but she couldn't help it. And then it hit her. This is what she had used to lie to Neo a few weeks ago to get him to go see the Oracle. She had said she feared a woman coming between them, and though it had been a lie at the time, she felt it in her bones now; the ache that jealousy left behind. The heartbreak of seeing a fear you didn't know you still had playing out right in front of your eyes. And worst of all? She couldn't even be mad at Neo for it because this wasn't his doing. She was no longer the only woman to have kissed those lips, and the next time she did, she'd be tasting the remnants of this horrible woman and what she made him do. Trinity felt bile rising in her throat and her hands began to shake.
"Yes, that's it. I envy you, but such a thing is not meant to last," she crooned. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Trinity thought angrily. She wanted to reach out to Neo. She wanted to fuck him right here and now and show Persephone what she was really missing. But she restrained herself. She tried to rein in her anger and hatred and pain and longing and focus on the task at hand. They were going to get The Keymaker, and she wasn't going to let anything stand in their way.
A/N: I did struggle a bit with the conversation between Trinity and Neo about the Oracle, but that sentence - whyyy did he not think to ask her what the hell she meant by that? I felt like that was a pretty scary thing to say to someone and not ask a follow up question about. *insert eyeroll here* But anyway - I think one more chapter for movie 2! Please reviewwww, they make me smile!