Breathe Into Me
by Wing'dCallisto
Disclaimer: The Matrix belongs to the Wachowski Siblings. Neo belongs to Trinity, but I wish he was mine.
Author's Note: Song lyrics used in this are from 'Anywhere', by-- surprise, surprise-- Evanescence! This chapter was also inspired by this song. And the story is not nearly over, everyone. I can't really say what's going to happen, but I have it all planned out. ^_-
Summary: Trinity and Neo meet again, in the Matrix, but do not recognize each other...
--------------------------**
It was late one evening when he asked me about Neo. The question took me by surprise. We were sitting on the couch in my apartment, curled up, watching television, enjoying a quiet night in, when he asked during a break in the program. I can't even remember what we were watching.
'I-I don't want to push you,' he said, nervously as I looked up at him. 'I'm... just curious.'
'I can't really remember much,' I replied, taken aback. 'I mean, they're just dreams.' I added, crossing my fingers behind my back. 'But he seems so much more real than a figment of my imagination. It doesn't matter, does it?'
'Please tell me, Trinity.' He whispered, staring at me intently.
Trinity? I looked at him, eyes widening as I realised what he'd said-- and he realised it, too.
'I mean, Amy! Amy! Please tell me.' All the colour drained from his face. 'Amy, you're Amy. Oh, shit.'
'You called me Trinity.' I said quietly, reaching for the remote. Abruptly, the television went dark, and the room was quiet. I gazed at the glass bowl on the coffee table, filled with dried flowers, until it blurred before me. I began to cry.
'God, Amy, I don't know what the hell is going on.' He said, reaching for my hand, and I took it, clasping it tightly, shutting my eyes tightly in order to stop the flow of tears from my eyes.
'You see this?' I whispered. 'This is real.'
'I'm not letting go,' he added.
I opened my eyes and gazed at him. It came so naturally. Our eyes met, and I knew I'd found him. I'd found him at last. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and all the memories came flooding back. They weren't fragmented anymore, but whole and complete.
Standing in a subway station, wanting to tell him that I loved him, but the words wouldn't come out. Me, my face pressed to his body, and his eyes opened and met-- we kissed for the first time, his hand reaching up to touch me. For the first time, showing fear, holding me tightly and whispering in my ear, telling me how frightened he was but how glad he was that I'd be there until the end.
I leant forward to kiss him, but he suddenly pulled away, his eyes devoid of all feeling.
'Tom? Neo?' I asked as he got to his feet and pulled his jacket off the back of the couch. He shook his head, running both hands through his hair.
'Amy, I don't know. I can't. I'm not Neo... I just can't be. You can't be Trinity. I'm sorry. She's dead. I saw her die.'
I stared at him in horror, cold fear spreading across my skin. 'You're leaving?' I said in a high-pitched voice. 'Tom, listen. You don't remember... But I remember you. You have to be Neo. I've seen him, and he is you. You're both the same person.'
'I can't remember her. I can remember... when I said her name. That's all.' He said quietly as he opened the door. Then he turned to me one last time. 'Amy, take care of yourself.'
He left. He closed the door behind him. Oh, shit.
'Forget this life, come with me, don't look back, you're safe now...' I could hear someone's radio singing in the apartment next door.
I wasn't going to look back.
I was going to forget Amy-- the person I had been.
I was Trinity. I knew I was. Everything fit.
The emails, the chatroom, The Matrix... 'I am Trinity.'
The person I was. But I wasn't complete until he realised it.
And I had to find him.
Because he had to know.
***
He was walking down the sidewalk. It was a busy night, and the roads were thick with traffic. All around me, a cacophany of life erupted like a symphony. I could see him-- he stood out in the crowd. He wasn't watching where he was going, his shoulders colliding with others. His pace was slow and sluggish, and I knew I could catch up to him.
'Neo!' I cried, dodging the crowd. He didn't turn to look at me. 'Goddamnit,' I swore, walking faster, trying to catch up. I broke into a jog.
He crossed the road. When he reached the other side, he turned and looked at me for the briefest moment, and I screamed his name again. His real name. He showed nothing-- not even the faintest emotion. I could have cried with frustration.
I started to run across the road.
He opened his mouth and dropped his guard, running towards me, his face pained and his arms outstretched. Did he remember? I smiled, reaching out my hand to touch his...
He let out a scream. 'Amy!'
I stopped, turned, and saw the car heading for me. There was no way I could move in time. Instead, I braced myself for the end, resigned to my fate.
But I'd just found him.
In slow motion, I turned to face him. He was still running, trying to push me out of the way and save me... one last time...
But then there was the sound of steel on bone, and I couldn't hear anything more.
***
So this is death?
An empty white void stretched out endlessly in all directions, and I stood in the middle of it all. I could not feel any pain. All I could feel was wonder.
'Neo!' I cried, but my voice merely echoed, teasing me. 'Neo... Neo... Neo...'
I knelt on the ground and wrapped my arms around myself, leaning my head on my knees. I never thought it possible to see so much white. So much purity. So much that wasn't tainted by reality.
'Am I dead?' I asked aloud.
'No, you're not dead.' Came a wise and strangely familiar voice from nowhere. 'Although you should have died a long time ago.'
I jumped to my feet in shock. An old woman was standing before me, a cigarette in her mouth and a smile on her face. 'Hello, Trinity, it's good to see you again.'
'You were... the woman in the park.' I said, surprised. 'You're the Oracle, aren't you?'
'Bingo!' She said gleefully. 'I'm surprised you remember. You remember a lot of things, don't you.' It wasn't a question. 'You've also found a lot of answers, but at the same time, you have so many questions.'
'Am I Trinity?'
'Of course you are,' she replied, motioning to two large crimson armchairs that had suddenly appeared, with a table in front of them. 'Take a seat. This may take awhile.'
I sat down, examining the plate of cookies on the table.
'Take one, you must be hungry.'
I took one, then looked at her expectantly.
'As you have guessed... you are Trinity, and Thomas Anderson is Neo. He's forgotten most of you. You aren't afraid to dig up your past, but he is. He's filed his memories with you away, but they threaten to escape.' She said, taking the seat next to me. 'You do remember the Logos crash-- I'm sure it's the most vivid of all your memories, hm?'
'Yes,' I replied, taking a bite of the cookie.
'But do you know what happened to Neo after that?'
I shook my head.
'He managed to make his way through Zero-One. He was jacked into the Matrix by the Machine God, and him and Smith fought. Neo sacrificed himself for humanity. It was his purpose. You see,' she told me, her eyes wide. 'Once you were gone, he had nothing to live for. Smith took him over. They're two parts of an equation, Trinity-- the positive and the negative. Smith's overwriting Neo cancelled out the equation, and he was destroyed.
Your body was taken from the Logos and repaired. Neo's body was taken back to the Power Plant, and you were reinserted into The Matrix. They felt that it would be better in the long run-- both of you had suffered and you didn't need the hardships of the real world. Zion was not informed of your fate.'
'It wasn't destroyed?' I asked, although my heart was heavy. I would never get to see Zion again.
The Oracle shook her head slightly. 'Trinity, there is peace in the world. Neo died for that peace, however fleeting it is. The Matrix is still operational, but it has reloaded. The story has ended, and come full circle. History will repeat itself.'
'God, you never made any sense!' I snapped, throwing my half-eaten cookie down. 'Don't give me some bullshit about history repeating itself. Neo died for us. We've all been living a lie. YOU said that the One would destroy the Matrix. YOU said that humanity isn't going to ever be free while the Matrix exists. You're full of shit.'
She just laughed, which angered me further. 'Trinity, you can believe that if you wish. But there has not been peace in the world for a thousand years. Peace, no matter how short, is always welcomed. This peace will last a hundred years or so, I believe.'
'Why am I here?' I asked, slightly more calm.
'You did not die. You are here so I can speak to you before you return to the Matrix.'
'Will I be able to escape again?'
'Morpheus will find you both. You may or may not be freed. That is something not even I can see, because you haven't made the choice yet. Understand?'
'Will Neo remember who I am?'
'If he wants to, then he will.' She smiled and took the last cookie. 'Good luck, Trinity. We will see each other again, I promise you.'
Everything went black. Tainted, tainted, completely impure.
by Wing'dCallisto
Disclaimer: The Matrix belongs to the Wachowski Siblings. Neo belongs to Trinity, but I wish he was mine.
Author's Note: Song lyrics used in this are from 'Anywhere', by-- surprise, surprise-- Evanescence! This chapter was also inspired by this song. And the story is not nearly over, everyone. I can't really say what's going to happen, but I have it all planned out. ^_-
Summary: Trinity and Neo meet again, in the Matrix, but do not recognize each other...
--------------------------**
It was late one evening when he asked me about Neo. The question took me by surprise. We were sitting on the couch in my apartment, curled up, watching television, enjoying a quiet night in, when he asked during a break in the program. I can't even remember what we were watching.
'I-I don't want to push you,' he said, nervously as I looked up at him. 'I'm... just curious.'
'I can't really remember much,' I replied, taken aback. 'I mean, they're just dreams.' I added, crossing my fingers behind my back. 'But he seems so much more real than a figment of my imagination. It doesn't matter, does it?'
'Please tell me, Trinity.' He whispered, staring at me intently.
Trinity? I looked at him, eyes widening as I realised what he'd said-- and he realised it, too.
'I mean, Amy! Amy! Please tell me.' All the colour drained from his face. 'Amy, you're Amy. Oh, shit.'
'You called me Trinity.' I said quietly, reaching for the remote. Abruptly, the television went dark, and the room was quiet. I gazed at the glass bowl on the coffee table, filled with dried flowers, until it blurred before me. I began to cry.
'God, Amy, I don't know what the hell is going on.' He said, reaching for my hand, and I took it, clasping it tightly, shutting my eyes tightly in order to stop the flow of tears from my eyes.
'You see this?' I whispered. 'This is real.'
'I'm not letting go,' he added.
I opened my eyes and gazed at him. It came so naturally. Our eyes met, and I knew I'd found him. I'd found him at last. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and all the memories came flooding back. They weren't fragmented anymore, but whole and complete.
Standing in a subway station, wanting to tell him that I loved him, but the words wouldn't come out. Me, my face pressed to his body, and his eyes opened and met-- we kissed for the first time, his hand reaching up to touch me. For the first time, showing fear, holding me tightly and whispering in my ear, telling me how frightened he was but how glad he was that I'd be there until the end.
I leant forward to kiss him, but he suddenly pulled away, his eyes devoid of all feeling.
'Tom? Neo?' I asked as he got to his feet and pulled his jacket off the back of the couch. He shook his head, running both hands through his hair.
'Amy, I don't know. I can't. I'm not Neo... I just can't be. You can't be Trinity. I'm sorry. She's dead. I saw her die.'
I stared at him in horror, cold fear spreading across my skin. 'You're leaving?' I said in a high-pitched voice. 'Tom, listen. You don't remember... But I remember you. You have to be Neo. I've seen him, and he is you. You're both the same person.'
'I can't remember her. I can remember... when I said her name. That's all.' He said quietly as he opened the door. Then he turned to me one last time. 'Amy, take care of yourself.'
He left. He closed the door behind him. Oh, shit.
'Forget this life, come with me, don't look back, you're safe now...' I could hear someone's radio singing in the apartment next door.
I wasn't going to look back.
I was going to forget Amy-- the person I had been.
I was Trinity. I knew I was. Everything fit.
The emails, the chatroom, The Matrix... 'I am Trinity.'
The person I was. But I wasn't complete until he realised it.
And I had to find him.
Because he had to know.
***
He was walking down the sidewalk. It was a busy night, and the roads were thick with traffic. All around me, a cacophany of life erupted like a symphony. I could see him-- he stood out in the crowd. He wasn't watching where he was going, his shoulders colliding with others. His pace was slow and sluggish, and I knew I could catch up to him.
'Neo!' I cried, dodging the crowd. He didn't turn to look at me. 'Goddamnit,' I swore, walking faster, trying to catch up. I broke into a jog.
He crossed the road. When he reached the other side, he turned and looked at me for the briefest moment, and I screamed his name again. His real name. He showed nothing-- not even the faintest emotion. I could have cried with frustration.
I started to run across the road.
He opened his mouth and dropped his guard, running towards me, his face pained and his arms outstretched. Did he remember? I smiled, reaching out my hand to touch his...
He let out a scream. 'Amy!'
I stopped, turned, and saw the car heading for me. There was no way I could move in time. Instead, I braced myself for the end, resigned to my fate.
But I'd just found him.
In slow motion, I turned to face him. He was still running, trying to push me out of the way and save me... one last time...
But then there was the sound of steel on bone, and I couldn't hear anything more.
***
So this is death?
An empty white void stretched out endlessly in all directions, and I stood in the middle of it all. I could not feel any pain. All I could feel was wonder.
'Neo!' I cried, but my voice merely echoed, teasing me. 'Neo... Neo... Neo...'
I knelt on the ground and wrapped my arms around myself, leaning my head on my knees. I never thought it possible to see so much white. So much purity. So much that wasn't tainted by reality.
'Am I dead?' I asked aloud.
'No, you're not dead.' Came a wise and strangely familiar voice from nowhere. 'Although you should have died a long time ago.'
I jumped to my feet in shock. An old woman was standing before me, a cigarette in her mouth and a smile on her face. 'Hello, Trinity, it's good to see you again.'
'You were... the woman in the park.' I said, surprised. 'You're the Oracle, aren't you?'
'Bingo!' She said gleefully. 'I'm surprised you remember. You remember a lot of things, don't you.' It wasn't a question. 'You've also found a lot of answers, but at the same time, you have so many questions.'
'Am I Trinity?'
'Of course you are,' she replied, motioning to two large crimson armchairs that had suddenly appeared, with a table in front of them. 'Take a seat. This may take awhile.'
I sat down, examining the plate of cookies on the table.
'Take one, you must be hungry.'
I took one, then looked at her expectantly.
'As you have guessed... you are Trinity, and Thomas Anderson is Neo. He's forgotten most of you. You aren't afraid to dig up your past, but he is. He's filed his memories with you away, but they threaten to escape.' She said, taking the seat next to me. 'You do remember the Logos crash-- I'm sure it's the most vivid of all your memories, hm?'
'Yes,' I replied, taking a bite of the cookie.
'But do you know what happened to Neo after that?'
I shook my head.
'He managed to make his way through Zero-One. He was jacked into the Matrix by the Machine God, and him and Smith fought. Neo sacrificed himself for humanity. It was his purpose. You see,' she told me, her eyes wide. 'Once you were gone, he had nothing to live for. Smith took him over. They're two parts of an equation, Trinity-- the positive and the negative. Smith's overwriting Neo cancelled out the equation, and he was destroyed.
Your body was taken from the Logos and repaired. Neo's body was taken back to the Power Plant, and you were reinserted into The Matrix. They felt that it would be better in the long run-- both of you had suffered and you didn't need the hardships of the real world. Zion was not informed of your fate.'
'It wasn't destroyed?' I asked, although my heart was heavy. I would never get to see Zion again.
The Oracle shook her head slightly. 'Trinity, there is peace in the world. Neo died for that peace, however fleeting it is. The Matrix is still operational, but it has reloaded. The story has ended, and come full circle. History will repeat itself.'
'God, you never made any sense!' I snapped, throwing my half-eaten cookie down. 'Don't give me some bullshit about history repeating itself. Neo died for us. We've all been living a lie. YOU said that the One would destroy the Matrix. YOU said that humanity isn't going to ever be free while the Matrix exists. You're full of shit.'
She just laughed, which angered me further. 'Trinity, you can believe that if you wish. But there has not been peace in the world for a thousand years. Peace, no matter how short, is always welcomed. This peace will last a hundred years or so, I believe.'
'Why am I here?' I asked, slightly more calm.
'You did not die. You are here so I can speak to you before you return to the Matrix.'
'Will I be able to escape again?'
'Morpheus will find you both. You may or may not be freed. That is something not even I can see, because you haven't made the choice yet. Understand?'
'Will Neo remember who I am?'
'If he wants to, then he will.' She smiled and took the last cookie. 'Good luck, Trinity. We will see each other again, I promise you.'
Everything went black. Tainted, tainted, completely impure.