Chapter III – About 4 years later
Awakening to the cold, steely air residing in her cabin that not even her thick blanket and many layered dress could keep away, Trinity felt anticipation growing within her, though she could think of no explanation for the strange feeling. There was something about this day, but what it was she did not know. Opening the heavy door to her cabin, which moaned in protest to her efforts, she found herself the only awakened member of the crew. She could not remember a time in her now five years in the real world that she had been privileged to enjoy the silence of the early morning when she was the only thing stirring on the ship. Closing her eyes she inhaled the stillness, mouth slightly agape and head tilted back, allowing her senses to be overwhelmed with the quiescent peace of the quiet solitude.
She smiled as she sensed her friend's approach, despite his quiet footsteps and even breathing. "Hello. Surprised I'm up so early?" She had not opened her eyes but had not needed to.
"Hello Trinity. Nice to see you this morning. And yes, a little surprised actually. Well then, we'll get a head start on today's activities." Looking at the unusually blissful expression on Trinity's face, Morpheus had to return the smile.
Her eyes shot open as she felt the chill from when she awoke return with fervor. She quelled her nerves, though, as Morpheus offered breakfast. The tightening of her stomach at the mention of food influenced her direction into the kitchen.
They ate for some time in mutual silence, each to their own thoughts, until she cleared her throat quietly with the intent of drawing the attention of her captain. Morpheus met her eyes expectantly, but not without his usual calm demeanor showing through the liquid brown that met her sharp blue.
"So what was it that we have to get a head start on?" asked Trinity in an off-handed tone. It wasn't like him to be secretive about any important plans, so his earlier words had piqued her interest.
As an answer to her question, Morpheus rose from the table with a mysterious raise of his eyebrows and left the room. He never looked back, but it was clear to Trinity that she was to follow him. He made his way through the ship at a leisurely pace, pausing occasionally to admire the familiar machinery of the Nebuchadnezzar, as if buying time. Trinity found this odd and was growing ancy. It was a feeling she was unaccustomed to, like a child in a toy store. She was not kept in waiting too much longer, though, as they soon entered a side room off the main hull in which she had rarely been.
The room felt close and small as she tried to cut through the darkness with her eyes. Unable to see, she stopped short after stepping through the door when she sensed something formidable directly in her path. Just then, a circuit breaker was switched on and her eyes were momentarily bombarded by the luminescence of the many overhead lights. Only then did she identify the large object in front of her as an enormous terminal attached to multiple computers and databases.
Morpheus felt Trinity's look of astonishment fixed on the back of his head as he moved deftly around the room starting up the various computers and machinery. Pausing in his work and turning his neck around to look directly at her, Morpheus simply smiled mischievously at his female crewmate before he continued working at one of the computers. She ran through every feasible explanation for what Morpheus was up to. She finally concluded that there could only be one reason they were even in that room since their ship was almost at its maximum capacity for occupants. The spine-tingle was back. Speechless, Trinity moved up beside her captain and listened intensely as he explained the functions and intricacies of the different apparatuses that cluttered the room in an oddly organized fashion.
Soon all the equipment was up and running with a muffled and continuous whir that Trinity had become accustomed to in her time in the real world. After all, nearly every one of their daily functions on the ship relied on electronic machinery. It was kind of ironic, the way that worked out. The whirring was usually a comforting sound, but at the moment she heard nothing. Her mind was overloaded with new ideas and information that accompanied this new task. The endeavor they were about to embark on filled her with a feeling of exhilaration.
Diligently scanning the Matrix on three screens simultaneously, Morpheus spoke without removing his eyes from the scrolling lines of code. "I put a lot of thought into this, and decided that this is the ideal opportunity for you. He'll be yours to watch. You'll be responsible for monitoring him for the time being." His voice was cool, but the smile edging on his lips undid his attempted stoic demeanor until he broke down and smiled with delight just thinking of the possibility that this new prospect held.
This news thrilled Trinity and she could hardly believe that this might be it. There had been others located who were looking for answers and whom Morpheus thought were ready. Mouse, for instance, had been freed while she was aboard. Those other times she had been in the background of all the commotion because she had to focus on her own training. This time, and this person, it was definitely different. For starters, Trinity realized as her mind raced with anticipation, she was the first person Morpheus had told. This was evident from the little use the room they now occupied had obviously seen recently, as well as the lack of other crewmembers joining in their excitement.
"Shhhhhhh…" Morpheus's brow furrowed with concentration as he waved his hand to silence the non-existent noise. The jumble of thoughts in Trinity's head were at once still as she peered over his shoulder to gain a better look at the screen on which an image was now taking shape.