Chapter XIII

A few nights later Trinity lay on her cot, willing sleep to come to her. She was tired but couldn't seem to fall asleep with all the thoughts that ran through her head. Her mind never seemed to rest - there was always something new to ponder and mull over. She didn't recall the mental stimulation ever being so intense in the Matrix, before she was freed. She supposed that was just the way the machines designed it: the less people think, the less they figure out. She had figured it out, though, and never once regretted it.

Her heartbeat slowed and her breathing grew soft as she was lulled into sleep in spite of her never-ending thoughts. Within moments, though, she was hauled mercilessly from the depths of sleep. The jarring click of a latch opening and the screeching of the large steel door as it was hastily pulled open invaded her peaceful slumber. Trinity almost leapt out of her skin.

A very disheveled looking Neo hesitated in her doorway for a moment. He took a step into her room and then shut the door behind him. Biting his lower lip, he sighed loudly and averted his eyes to the floor.

"Neo, are you alright?" Trinity tried to keep her voice low, but her surprise and concern made her almost shout the words. She rushed to his side as his brown eyes looked meekly up at her from under his long lashes.

"I… yeah. I mean no… not really." His voice was gruff and low as he battled with his pride.

"What's wrong?" she asked more softly this time, placing a hand on his back. He reluctantly allowed her to lead him over to her bed where they sat down. They sat in silence for a while as Neo studied his hands but did not offer any answer to her question. Finally, Trinity coaxed him again, "Neo… what happened?" She looked directly at him until he looked up to meet her gaze.

"I… I'm not quite sure. I just… I saw Morpheus in a dream." His voice was broken and tired. She reached for his hand to comfort him and he didn't resist. She held his one hand between her two and stroked it with her thumbs, admiring its delicacy and beauty. He was talking. That was good enough for her, so she let him take his time. "Morpheus… he… they got him. I … I, er, there was nothing I could do. It all happened so fast and it was so… so real."

"Who got him?" She knew immediately who "they" were, but she asked anyway. He sighed, a forlorn look coming over his face.

"The Agents." Fear gripped her as though he were speaking of a factual event. A thousand different and equally horrible scenarios ran through her mind of what they would do to Morpheus if they got a hold of him. She closed her eyes for a second to block out the impeding fear, calming herself by realizing that it was only a dream.

Only a dream? Only a dream?! Her conscious screamed at her. Her own dreams had been eerily accurate in portraying the man she was now sitting next to. Yet she ignored the blatant truth. She ignored it because the truth would not console this man so shaken by his nightmare. She ignored it because the truth was, well, true. And she did not want his dream to come true.

She saw he was watching her, waiting for her reaction, but she was at a loss. She had done battle with her conscious though she wasn't quite sure who had won. His eyes pleaded with her for condolence. She released her hold on his hand and enveloped him in a warm embrace. She knew it wasn't only he who was seeking comfort.

She inhaled his scent and it made her stomach flutter. She buried her face in his neck, drawing in his heat. He rested the side of his head against her ear, feeling her hair tickle his face. They breathed deeply, drawing in a peaceful calm as they drew in each other. They remained like that for a length of time that neither of them knew. All they knew was that was all they needed right then.

***

"Dozer, bring the ship up to broadcast level. I'm taking Neo to see her," Morpheus's authoritative tenor broke through her pondering of the goo they called sustenance that she was trying to digest. With evident wonder and interest, everyone's eyes were trained on Neo. He was the only one at the table who did not know who their captain spoke of.

"To see who?" He asked quietly to no one in particular.

"The Oracle." Tank supplied. His eyes were wide with awe and his voice incredulous at the mere mention of that name.

She was secretly excited for him. She knew he would be nervous too. In an effort to reassure him that it was nothing to be scared of, she prompted him to finish his meal before they headed out to the core. He obliged by stirring the slush around and halfheartedly putting a few bites in his mouth. All the while Mouse chattered away, reminding Trinity of his rodent counterpart.

Once in the Matrix, she watched through tinted windows as the surreal computer programmed world went. She did not really see it, though. Her thoughts were on Neo and what the Oracle might tell him. She already knew the answer to Morpheus's question, not in her mind, but in her heart. The Oracle had hit the mark exactly for her… well, so far. She still didn't understand some of the things she had been told by the cryptic prophecy.

A glance at Neo told her he, too, was wrapped up in thought or was mesmerized by the passing scene. She remembered how strange it had seemed to her on her first time back in the Matrix after she was freed. It had been so unreal that she had to pinch herself to be convinced that she was merely walking in a dream, but not dreaming. She did not have to wonder about Neo long, though.

"Hey, I used to eat there!" He exclaimed, pointing out the window. Realizing how foolish he must've sounded he added quietly, and not a bit wistfully, "Really good noodles." She had to smile at his naïve attachment to his life in the Matrix. He asked her some questions about his life that was still so clear in his mind. Without missing a beat, she responded with words of wisdom but he seemed too bewildered to really take in their meaning.

When asked about her visit to the Oracle, Trinity was at a loss for words. She did not want to reveal the truth of the words spoken to her that day. She knew her heart would not lie, but she did not want to burden him. More importantly, she did not want to take anything away from the Oracle's message that he was yet to receive. She grappled for a way to change the subject, or at least lower the lump rising in her throat. To her ultimate relief, the car came to a stop and Morpheus informed them they had indeed arrived.

As Morpheus escorted Neo into the run-down apartment complex, Cypher turned in his seat to face her. "So what did the Oracle tell you, huh Trin?" His voice oozed apathetic sarcasm. He had obviously been eavesdropping on her conversation in the backseat while he drove.

"You know that's none of your business," she replied coldly, her eyes becoming blue ice as they met his vapid ones. She turned away in disdain as his lips curled up to reveal his teeth in a sickeningly wicked grin. He didn't give a shit about anything real. He never had. That self-absorbed pig she said to herself vehemently.

She soon calmed down with thoughts of Neo, though. While still remaining on alert for danger, she let herself drift into thought to tune out the nuisance sitting in the driver's seat.