"I still can't believe you force-fed her the red pill."
"She was unconcious, there was no other way. Sometimes choices have to be made, little one."
"She's awful pretty..."
Morpheus glanced momentarily at the over-articulate six-year-old child who was crouching on the floor beside Fiona's cot. He was thin though healthy, with short mass of dark hair. His skin was pale, constrasting to his hair.. smooth, and absent of plugs. He turned his head and grinned at Morpheus, exposing two rows of teeth wired with weird post-modern looking braces.
"Yes, but she's taking much longer than I thought she would. Even with the complications."
"Complications?"
"Yes.. hush now Gavy, she's awake."
Typo opened her eyes very slowly, only to close them again because of the rude invadance of florescant lighting. Morpheus got up and went to the door, pushing down a small lever slightly. The lights dimmed to a gentler flare. Typo, though in a completely alein environment, had a sense of safety and security that she couldn't explain.. but just felt it. Gavroche meanwhile scooted over to Typo, getting in her line of vision and waiting to be the first thing she saw.
"Wake up sleeping beauty," Gavroche whispered. Typo opened one eye, focusing it, and groaning slightly. She saw a cute boyish face looking at at her.
"Dopey?"
"Close. That's snow white."
"Well I sure as hell fell like I've been dead."
"Eaten any apples recently?"
"A red one."
Morpheus smiled slightly, going over slowly and sitting down on a chair beside Typo's cot. She opened her eyes the rest of the way, though her vision still slightly blurry. "Looks as though you've made a friend." Morpheus said to Typo.
"Morpheus?"
"You remember me?"
"Surprisingly.. where am I?"
"You're not in your glass coffin anymore!" Gavroche piped up.
"No more walt metaphors, mickey. It's time for bed." Gavroche looked over at the door, seeing Trinity there, smiling gently.
"Awww Mom! I wanna talk to Typo.."
"C'mon Gavy, let Morpheus speak to the poor girl."
The little boy got to his feet, looking dejected.. then suddenly took off out of the room and down the hallway "Yahahaha you can't catch me!!" Trinity rolled her eyes and muttered, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Typo and Morpheus blinked.
"Anyway," Morpheus began, looking the bald girl over. "Come with me." He rose and went to the door, lifting the latch. A wheel on the other side spun and the hatch squeeked open. He motioned, palm up, for Typo to go ahead.
*~*~*~*
The small band of reistance fighters sat around a plain metal table, scooping mucous-like glop out of little tins with their sporks. Typo looked as though deep in thought, expressionless. Gavy was discussing the metaphorical importance of sporks with Gizmo, an 8-year old newbie who'd been freed a month before. He used to be one of the Oracle's potentials, one of the oracle's children but he was given up to Morpheus and his crew. Trinity was trying to calm the beginnings of a food fight between the two boys, while Neo, Tank and Morpheus talked amongst themselves. Out of the corner of her ear Typo heard the word 'matrix' float through the air. She couldn't have been sure who said it, but she seized the opportunity.
"Can I go this time?"
"No Typo, I think it's better you stay with Gavy and Tank. Besides, the little one needs help building his new computer." Morpheus said calmly. Typo didn't move, just looked at Morpheus for a few moments, conversations continuing around her. Suddenly she lifted up her tin and slammed it down on the table, as though she were a volcano with thousands of tons of pressure building up inside her until she finally exploded.
"That's IT! It's been three months and yet I have not seen the matrix since you people so rudely pulled me from it. You're right maybe I WASN'T having such a good life but it's better than this prison! Everyday I sit here alone with Gavy or Tank, I do chores and you've taught me to be probably one of the best mechanics this side of the sewer system. But to what point is that? If you wanted a gopher so much you should have taken an already trained mechanic from Zion. It's not that I don't appreciate what you have done for me, but with all due respect mr.president, what's the POINT!? I sit alone at night, awake, watching my friends through the matrix monitors. I watch them go about their lives that I could have been a part of. I watch somebody that I really care about.." Typo choked slightly then covered up quickly by continuing "go about his life wondering whether or not I even exist anymore. You make up some lame excuse not to let me grow my hair out, and you keep me bald. You refuse to give me training, the only time I've been hooked up to one of those dentist chairs is when you showed me the construct and told me where I was. I didn't think there was anything else to it, then you guys go along and free Gizmo. I see the same process repeated, with the exception that he gets training and he gets to go back and see the oracle. It's been three months and you people still treat me like I'm gonna BREAK or something! Like you expect me to shatter if you put me in that overgrown computer game again! Why am I so different? WHAT AM I??"
Silence.
The others at the table had frozen in their movements, stunned and unknowing of what to say about her outburst. All of it was true, but no one knew how to react or how to tell her the truth. Gizmo broke the spell, saying cheerfully
"You're the matrix's brain child!"
Instantly Gavroche's eyes widened, and so did everyone else's simultaneously. They all stared at the newbie who cringed and sunk down, trying to make himself as little as possible. Meanwhile, Neo and Trinity gave Gavy the 'someone's in trouble' look. Gavroche squirmed, punching Gizmo in the arm
"I told you that you weren't SUPPOSED to know, goober!"
"No," said Morpheus calmly, "she needed to find out eventually."
Typo whispered, "I'm...what?"
There was another awkward silence. The sensei reached forward and put a gentle hand on Typo's shoulder, the bare skin underneath the touch of his fingers flinching and drawing back. She got up from her seat, leaving the room as silent as a cat, though the reason for her leaving left scratches in her new friends' ears and hearts. Morpheus' eyes traveled over to Tank, who nodded unnoticeably, understanding.
Everyone slowly began eating again, in abject quietness. The occasional "ow." from Gizmo, and a scowl in Gavy's direction.
"She was unconcious, there was no other way. Sometimes choices have to be made, little one."
"She's awful pretty..."
Morpheus glanced momentarily at the over-articulate six-year-old child who was crouching on the floor beside Fiona's cot. He was thin though healthy, with short mass of dark hair. His skin was pale, constrasting to his hair.. smooth, and absent of plugs. He turned his head and grinned at Morpheus, exposing two rows of teeth wired with weird post-modern looking braces.
"Yes, but she's taking much longer than I thought she would. Even with the complications."
"Complications?"
"Yes.. hush now Gavy, she's awake."
Typo opened her eyes very slowly, only to close them again because of the rude invadance of florescant lighting. Morpheus got up and went to the door, pushing down a small lever slightly. The lights dimmed to a gentler flare. Typo, though in a completely alein environment, had a sense of safety and security that she couldn't explain.. but just felt it. Gavroche meanwhile scooted over to Typo, getting in her line of vision and waiting to be the first thing she saw.
"Wake up sleeping beauty," Gavroche whispered. Typo opened one eye, focusing it, and groaning slightly. She saw a cute boyish face looking at at her.
"Dopey?"
"Close. That's snow white."
"Well I sure as hell fell like I've been dead."
"Eaten any apples recently?"
"A red one."
Morpheus smiled slightly, going over slowly and sitting down on a chair beside Typo's cot. She opened her eyes the rest of the way, though her vision still slightly blurry. "Looks as though you've made a friend." Morpheus said to Typo.
"Morpheus?"
"You remember me?"
"Surprisingly.. where am I?"
"You're not in your glass coffin anymore!" Gavroche piped up.
"No more walt metaphors, mickey. It's time for bed." Gavroche looked over at the door, seeing Trinity there, smiling gently.
"Awww Mom! I wanna talk to Typo.."
"C'mon Gavy, let Morpheus speak to the poor girl."
The little boy got to his feet, looking dejected.. then suddenly took off out of the room and down the hallway "Yahahaha you can't catch me!!" Trinity rolled her eyes and muttered, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Typo and Morpheus blinked.
"Anyway," Morpheus began, looking the bald girl over. "Come with me." He rose and went to the door, lifting the latch. A wheel on the other side spun and the hatch squeeked open. He motioned, palm up, for Typo to go ahead.
*~*~*~*
The small band of reistance fighters sat around a plain metal table, scooping mucous-like glop out of little tins with their sporks. Typo looked as though deep in thought, expressionless. Gavy was discussing the metaphorical importance of sporks with Gizmo, an 8-year old newbie who'd been freed a month before. He used to be one of the Oracle's potentials, one of the oracle's children but he was given up to Morpheus and his crew. Trinity was trying to calm the beginnings of a food fight between the two boys, while Neo, Tank and Morpheus talked amongst themselves. Out of the corner of her ear Typo heard the word 'matrix' float through the air. She couldn't have been sure who said it, but she seized the opportunity.
"Can I go this time?"
"No Typo, I think it's better you stay with Gavy and Tank. Besides, the little one needs help building his new computer." Morpheus said calmly. Typo didn't move, just looked at Morpheus for a few moments, conversations continuing around her. Suddenly she lifted up her tin and slammed it down on the table, as though she were a volcano with thousands of tons of pressure building up inside her until she finally exploded.
"That's IT! It's been three months and yet I have not seen the matrix since you people so rudely pulled me from it. You're right maybe I WASN'T having such a good life but it's better than this prison! Everyday I sit here alone with Gavy or Tank, I do chores and you've taught me to be probably one of the best mechanics this side of the sewer system. But to what point is that? If you wanted a gopher so much you should have taken an already trained mechanic from Zion. It's not that I don't appreciate what you have done for me, but with all due respect mr.president, what's the POINT!? I sit alone at night, awake, watching my friends through the matrix monitors. I watch them go about their lives that I could have been a part of. I watch somebody that I really care about.." Typo choked slightly then covered up quickly by continuing "go about his life wondering whether or not I even exist anymore. You make up some lame excuse not to let me grow my hair out, and you keep me bald. You refuse to give me training, the only time I've been hooked up to one of those dentist chairs is when you showed me the construct and told me where I was. I didn't think there was anything else to it, then you guys go along and free Gizmo. I see the same process repeated, with the exception that he gets training and he gets to go back and see the oracle. It's been three months and you people still treat me like I'm gonna BREAK or something! Like you expect me to shatter if you put me in that overgrown computer game again! Why am I so different? WHAT AM I??"
Silence.
The others at the table had frozen in their movements, stunned and unknowing of what to say about her outburst. All of it was true, but no one knew how to react or how to tell her the truth. Gizmo broke the spell, saying cheerfully
"You're the matrix's brain child!"
Instantly Gavroche's eyes widened, and so did everyone else's simultaneously. They all stared at the newbie who cringed and sunk down, trying to make himself as little as possible. Meanwhile, Neo and Trinity gave Gavy the 'someone's in trouble' look. Gavroche squirmed, punching Gizmo in the arm
"I told you that you weren't SUPPOSED to know, goober!"
"No," said Morpheus calmly, "she needed to find out eventually."
Typo whispered, "I'm...what?"
There was another awkward silence. The sensei reached forward and put a gentle hand on Typo's shoulder, the bare skin underneath the touch of his fingers flinching and drawing back. She got up from her seat, leaving the room as silent as a cat, though the reason for her leaving left scratches in her new friends' ears and hearts. Morpheus' eyes traveled over to Tank, who nodded unnoticeably, understanding.
Everyone slowly began eating again, in abject quietness. The occasional "ow." from Gizmo, and a scowl in Gavy's direction.