The Song of Charity
Charity's Quest
The dreams were unrelenting. Breathing shallow and painful to her ears, ringing in the dark and damp room. Visions of Amy and Lily beckoning her...pleading for her to save them from their own uncertainty and loneliness. Tears of anguish streaked down her face, as Charity sat up in bed.
The nightmares were growing worse, and the pain of knowing her own worth, or lack thereof, sank into her bruised soul. Pulling her knees to her chest, Charity cried for the first time in years. The pain in her head may be gone, but the pain in her heart was just beginning.
Where was she to go now? Whom was she to turn to?
Then Morpheus stirred beside her, and she knew. Looking into his worried eyes, Charity knew she wouldn't burden him with her pain. Not when her problems paled in comparison to the ones he and his crew faced now.
She was insignificant to it. Looking in through the window as the rebels planned their next move.
It was as it should be.
Now all she had to do was figure out what her next step would be. And how to get her strength back. To be confident enough to live again, and strong enough to walk away from them.
As Morpheus reached to caress her cheek, Charity rolled to her side without saying a word to him, afraid of what she'd do if he touched her. Closing her eyes, she wished for peace.
Praying Morpheus would leave. And hoping he'd stay.
* * * *
Morpheus made his way down the darkened hall slowly. He need to speak with Neo. Get his mind off Charity, and what her sudden vulnerability and withdrawal made him feel.
He spotted Neo gazing at the red script Charity created but just a week ago. A frown marred his forehead as he scrolled through the language.
Walking up behind him, Morpheus placed his hands on Neo's shoulders to let him know he was there. "Have you been able to decipher it?" he asked mildly.
"No." Neo grumped, frustrated. "A few things here and there. But nothing conclusive. This is something outside the Matrix, and yet an intricate part of it. It surprises me that the machines have missed it for this long."
"That...or the machine that put it in Charity had kept it from them." Morpheus mentioned.
"It seems to me that Charity was an....experiment of some sort. To test the waters. Maybe even creating a new species, like we did when we created A.I." Neo said, with a thoughtful look at the screen.
"What do you mean?" Morpheus asked, perplexed. But then it dawned on him. The machines could've been trying to find a way to live without the need for human energy in the current form.
They could've been trying to find a way to be human.
Neo interpreted Morpheus' thoughts correctly, continuing the thought out loud. "But they didn't continue the experiment. Probably because they couldn't overcome Charity's natural human instinct to resist, and the need to wipe out Zion."
"Then why insert her in the Matrix? I'd think that putting her safely away in a lab might be better for them. And why the new code?"
But Neo could only shake his head. "Who knows? But I've asked Cruiser to do some quiet research. I don't want Zion to know of this yet. They might act out rashly and try to destroy her too...to protect themselves."
Nodding his agreement, Morpheus wandered. Something else was plaguing him. Charity's withdrawal, and her inability to let go of the Matrix.
Now with the new elements Neo mentioned, it may be even harder for Charity to make a choice.
"She can't let go, Neo. Every day I see her withdrawing deeper into her own mind. She's breaking. And there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to help her. Her mind is too old to accept the loss."
"She's strong, Morpheus. But she has a lot to loose, either way. All we can do is be there for her."
* * * *
Charity woke to silence. Even the ships usual pings and creaks had ceased. Due to the lack of noise rattling the ship, she figured the crew was asleep, and had hidden the ship from the sentinels who were likely at this moment, searching for them.
Slowly she moved her feet to the floor, wincing as the icy metal stung her bare toes. Grabbing a ratty blanket from her cot, she made her way to the consoles, her mind sharp for the first in time days with purpose.
But she stopped abruptly as she spotted Neo casually sitting in front of the computers, her red scrolls zipping down the screen. Taking a deep breath, Charity moved forward, intil she was by his side.
Neo knew the moment she saw him. He could almost feel her wariness. Raising his eyes, he looked, and didn't like what he saw. She was thinner, with deep shadows under her eyes. Hair stuck up in spikes, forming a halo of flame, the only color on her. The contrast was frightening.
But then he saw her strength, and felt relief.
"I was wondering when you'd join us again." Neo mentioned lightly.
"I was sick of my self-pity and isolation." Charity said, raising her chin. "May I use the computers?"
"May I ask why?" Neo asked, curious.
"I just want to see what kind of programs I can write in this reality." Charity hesitated. "To give me something useful to do."
Neo moved out of the chair, so she could sit down. Then leaning against the counter, with ankles and arms crossed, Neo watched her.
Neo didn't know how much time had passed. But they spent what seemed like hours, there by the computers. He watched Charity create complex programs with hardly a thought. She just whipped them up in moments. And with each program she created, he could see the confident women from the Matrix emerge again.
And her ideas for computer programming were amazing.
"Wait, can I ask what this code here is? " Neo interrupted, pointing to a small code at the top of the screen.
"It's just a simple code for rain." Charity murmured, her eyes glued to the screen. "The point of this program is to train us to fight in horrible weather, all combined. This stage has rain, lightening, and high winds."
"Can you create a program with both the green and red code?" Neo wondered.
The question had Charity pausing, her eyes slightly troubled. "I don't know how to answer that, Neo. I'm not sure. They're the same, you see. But at the same time, they do different things. The Matrix code is by far more complex than the one I showed you. But because of the simplicity of the red code, it makes it more dangerous. It's a weapon."
But it gave her an idea.
What if she did try to create a program with both codes? What would the end result be?
Quickly finishing her current program, Charity set off to see what she could do. So absorbed in her research, she didn't noticed when Morpheus sat beside her, and watched. Neo and Morpheus covertly exchanged glances. Then Neo set off to find Trinity to update her on Charity's progress.
* * * *
Frustrated with her failed attempts, Charity pushed back from the console in disgust.
Take a break, she thought. A valuable lesson she learn during her childhood. Pushing herself too hard too much always made things more difficult.
Glancing at Morpheus, Charity felt the familiar rush of her blood at the sight of him. She didn't know what this meant, or why it mattered. All she knew was her attachment to him was getting alarming. The sight of him made her heart glad.
"Been here long?" she asked, trying to slow her heartbeat.
"A while now." he murmured.
Morpheus stopped lying to himself. And admitted that Charity meant more to him than he was comfortable with. Giving a mental shrug to the consequences, he leaned forward and touched his lips her hers.
The kiss was barely a whisper, but it was enough to draw out her courage. And draw herself closer to deepen the embrace.
* * * *
"Neo, we have a problem." Tank called out, urgent. Both Neo and Trinity rushed to his side.
"Sentinels?" Trinity asked.
"No. I've just gotten word from the Oracle. She wants to see you, and she has Charity's family. They have agents on their trail."
"Oh My God." Trinity whispered.
"What are we going to do?" Cruiser asked, his young eyes wide.
His twin, Celeste moved to his side. "We're going to save them...right, Neo?"
Neo nodded, his eyes on Trinity. "Go get Morpheus. Tell him he'll need to work on a way to talk Charity into staying here while we go in."
"She won't, Neo. You know that."
"I know. But it won't hurt to try, Trin."
Trinity left, quickly making her way down the dim hallway. But when she walked into room, she halted abruptly, blinking in shock, as she watched Morpheus tenderly caress Charity's cheek and back, while kissing her breathless.
Oh My...Trinity thought...who'da thought?
"Ahem." Trinity said, clearing her throat. Then she repeated the gesture, since the first had no effect on the couple. "Morpheus?"
The two broke apart slowly, eyes still on each other.
"Yes, Trinity?" he answered, his voice husky.
"Neo sent me. The Oracle called. Seems we have a bit of trouble."
Standing up swiftly, Morpheus once again became his usual cool-headed self. "What's wrong?"
"We've been notified that some agents are after Charity's family, and we have to get in there and stop them. The Oracle has them now, but the agents are closing in." Trinity said, worried about Charity's reaction to this news.
Morpheus grasped Charity's hand as she stumbled out of her chair. "We have to get them out." she whispered, eyes dark with fear.
"Don't worry. We will." he assured her.
"Neo thought it best....if you stayed here, while we go in..." Trin began.
"Oh no, I'm going. This is my family, Trin. Even Neo can't stop me from helping them." Charity fairly growled, her voice fierce.
"Yeah,--"Trinity sighed-- "He sorta figured that."
