DISCLAIMER: I forgot to put this down earlier. anyway, obviously none of
the characters are mine. They all come from the movie trilogy Matrix. Only
the plot and the characters you don't recognize are mine.
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CHAPTER THREE
(completely unaware of the chaos)
"Sir, if you could sign these," a secretary said breathlessly, shoving a stack of papers at Neo. "They're needed at noon."
"Thank you - er - " Neo paused to rack his memory - "Linda. Come back for them in an hour."
"Nelda. Yes, Sir Manville." Nelda, looking slightly affronted, turned and left the office.
Neo Manville. At first the name had been unfamiliar to him; but now, mere days after the Architect had wiped his memory and left him stranded in the Matrix, he felt like it had been his name all his life.
Neo was unaware of it, but the Architect had thought of everything. He entered the Matrix on a Saturday, and he had gotten time to get acquainted with his apartment. On Sunday, an officemate had dropped by to congratulate him on his 'promotion' and remind him that he had received a packet containing his new work description. And on Monday, just before he was leaving for work (ecstatic about the promotion, but keeping it hidden under a cool façade - not even the Architect could wipe away all traces of the old Neo), a cleaning woman had shown up and chatted about how she felt so sorry for him, no parents, no wife, no children.
Neo had been subtly informed of everything that was going on in his life.
Now it was the weekend again, and he was scouring the streets for a pet shop. Feeling that his apartment was entirely too lonely, he had decided that he needed a dog.
Finally he spotted one. 'ANIMAL HEAVEN (We sell over 50 species of dogs, cats, birds, mice, rabbits, snakes, and many more!).' He walked up to it and pushed the door open.
Neo wrinkled his nose. The smells that assailed him were horrific. The dung of over 50 species of animals, he thought wryly.
A tired-looking saleslady greeted him. "Are you looking for a pet, sir, or for stuff that your pet needs?"
"I'm searching for a dog. Preferably not a puppy. Do you have one that won't tear down the house if I leave him alone everyday?" Neo asked. The saleslady thought about this for a moment, then led him to the dog cages.
Half an hour later, Neo walked out of Animal Heaven with a little brown-and-white dog and a couple of bags of dog food, along with a dog-food- holder, or whatever they were called.
He felt like the name he had chosen for his dog was perfect. It had just come to him from thin air. One moment the saleslady was putting the dog on a leash and asking him what he would name the male puppy, and the next moment he had seized upon one. "Morpheus."
* * *
Neo decided to take Morpheus to the park. A dog didn't get much exercise cooped up in a cage, and he would probably enjoy frolicking around for a while. The saleslady had assured him that Morpheus was a lively dog, but easy to calm down, and easy to train.
Now, Neo was sitting on a bench strategically positioned under the shade of a tree with spreading branches, one hand holding Morpheus' leash, the other placed over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Morpheus barked and bounded around energetically, straining to get free. Neo would have taken him for a walk, but from his vantage point, he was watching somebody.
A petite woman - she couldn't be more than 5'3 - was flat on her stomach on the wood-plank pier that led out over Magayon Lake, which the park was named after.
She kept swiping furiously at her long ponytail, which threatened to brush the surface of the lake's waters, then stretching out her hand for something black, which floated just out of reach.
Neo didn't find that particularly funny. What he was smiling at was the fact that the girl refused to ask for help. All she had to do was ask someone taller, and with longer arms, for assistance, but she insisted on doing it herself. She had been at it now for more than a few minutes.
The woman pushed herself out a little further, and her ponytail swung into her way. She flung it over her shoulder furiously, and swiped at the black thing. It floated even further away. She almost fell off the pier.
She suddenly stood up. Neo watched her in amused anticipation. Planting her hands on her hips, she marched over to a tree near the other end of the pier like a little sergeant and broke off a long branch. Then she headed back to the lake end of the pier. Squatting down, she reached out with the stick and began using it to maneuver the little black thing near her.
Then her ponytail swung over her face again. She flipped it back, accidentally dropped the stick, and uttered a curse that was meant to singe the ears of whatever force of nature was behind her unluckiness. And clumsiness.
The Architect, Neo thought. He was the 'force of nature' behind everything, and the woman couldn't help doing that because it was planned.
He had no idea why he had thought of that. But by now he was used to his weird thoughts, and he quickly dismissed them. Standing up, he decided to help the poor woman. "Let's go, Morpheus," he told his dog. They began walking, or in the dog's case, trotting.
As Neo drew closer, he gave a silent whistle of male appreciation. The woman was pretty. She was only wearing jeans and a thick red sweater, but it didn't hide her slender, willowy figure. Her hair was black, with only the slightest hint of copper, and gleamed in the sunlight. Her back was to him.
When he reached her, she was tugging her hair out of the ponytail. He grinned to himself as her hair, which appeared to be waist-length, swung loose. He watched, a bit disappointed, as she pulled it up into a tight, secure bun. She didn't seem to notice him.
Neo cleared his throat to announce his presence, holding Morpheus still. "Hey."
She jumped, startled, and faced him. She had slanted, almond-shaped eyes in a rich mahogany color, which narrowed as she peered up him from beneath long, dark lashes. "What do you want?"
He raised an eyebrow. He was more than half a foot taller than her, definitely more muscular, and she was glaring up at him as though willing to take him on.
"Need some help?" Neo looked pointedly at the little black object which floated, now completely out of reach for her, in the water. Morpheus barked.
The 'poor woman' gave him an equally pointed stare. "Are you offering it?"
Neo shrugged, slightly discomfited. "Yes, if you want it."
She looked at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm Neo Manville." He waited.
She mirrored his earlier shrug. "I'm Lara."
Neo took note of the fact that she hadn't given him a last name, but he let it pass. "What is it?" He gestured to the black thing.
"My purse. It's waterproof, thank god, and it holds all I have - all I have saved for shopping," she corrected herself. She looked damned pleased with her quick save.
Neo smiled indulgently, aware of her near slip, but willing to let her believe that she had caught herself in time. All she had, hmm? "We'll have to get it, then." He started moving past her to the end of the pier.
To his surprise, she smiled back. "Thank you." Then she added, referring to her initial greeting, "I'm not usually so rude to strangers, you know."
"Why am I the exception?"
"You're too attractive," she said. And she meant it. Neo had a way about him which practically oozed self-assuredness, power, and poise. And he definitely looked good, with his chiseled features and lithe body.
But Neo wasn't aware of her perception of him. So all he said was, "So are you."
"Right," she snickered. Sarcastically she added, "That's why I've got men lining up to he - to ask me out."
He ignored her second near-slip of the tongue. He told her, "I don't usually help strangers."
"What does that make me?"
"A stranger. But you're not usual." One corner of his mouth quirked upward in a small smile. "Because you're too attractive."
She laughed. "Smooth talker. Enough of that. My purse has yet to be retrieved." But a faint blush stained her cheeks.
Neo, smiling to himself, bent down and reached out for the purse.
* * *
Zion was in a state of panic. Even Morpheus had lost his cool. They couldn't find Neo or Trinity, and the robots were closing in on their city. The last stronghold of human resistance.
"Where is the One?" everyone asked, some fearfully, some angrily.
"I'm looking," Morpheus would answer loudly. "He'll come. If he isn't here, it's not of his own free will."
Some accepted this. Some did not. At that point, Morpheus really didn't care. He just wanted to find Neo.
The Council was divided as to whether or not they could afford to send out more troops, more ships, to search. In the end Morpheus decided the matter by sending them out without the Council's permission.
They were incensed. But Morpheus just snapped, "We're desperate," and left.
* * *
Neo lay in his bed that night, completely unaware of the chaos his friends were going through in the real world, and thinking of Lara. She had left as soon as he got her purse for her.
Morpheus padded around the room, sniffing loudly at all the things in it. It seemed they were all new to him.
Neo glanced at his dog, then looked back at the ceiling. "Trinity," he said.
He was confused. "What?" He frowned. He was losing it.
He thought of captivating, slanted eyes, and of long dark hair.
Then he went to sleep.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Trinity's story will come later. . . please review!
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CHAPTER THREE
(completely unaware of the chaos)
"Sir, if you could sign these," a secretary said breathlessly, shoving a stack of papers at Neo. "They're needed at noon."
"Thank you - er - " Neo paused to rack his memory - "Linda. Come back for them in an hour."
"Nelda. Yes, Sir Manville." Nelda, looking slightly affronted, turned and left the office.
Neo Manville. At first the name had been unfamiliar to him; but now, mere days after the Architect had wiped his memory and left him stranded in the Matrix, he felt like it had been his name all his life.
Neo was unaware of it, but the Architect had thought of everything. He entered the Matrix on a Saturday, and he had gotten time to get acquainted with his apartment. On Sunday, an officemate had dropped by to congratulate him on his 'promotion' and remind him that he had received a packet containing his new work description. And on Monday, just before he was leaving for work (ecstatic about the promotion, but keeping it hidden under a cool façade - not even the Architect could wipe away all traces of the old Neo), a cleaning woman had shown up and chatted about how she felt so sorry for him, no parents, no wife, no children.
Neo had been subtly informed of everything that was going on in his life.
Now it was the weekend again, and he was scouring the streets for a pet shop. Feeling that his apartment was entirely too lonely, he had decided that he needed a dog.
Finally he spotted one. 'ANIMAL HEAVEN (We sell over 50 species of dogs, cats, birds, mice, rabbits, snakes, and many more!).' He walked up to it and pushed the door open.
Neo wrinkled his nose. The smells that assailed him were horrific. The dung of over 50 species of animals, he thought wryly.
A tired-looking saleslady greeted him. "Are you looking for a pet, sir, or for stuff that your pet needs?"
"I'm searching for a dog. Preferably not a puppy. Do you have one that won't tear down the house if I leave him alone everyday?" Neo asked. The saleslady thought about this for a moment, then led him to the dog cages.
Half an hour later, Neo walked out of Animal Heaven with a little brown-and-white dog and a couple of bags of dog food, along with a dog-food- holder, or whatever they were called.
He felt like the name he had chosen for his dog was perfect. It had just come to him from thin air. One moment the saleslady was putting the dog on a leash and asking him what he would name the male puppy, and the next moment he had seized upon one. "Morpheus."
* * *
Neo decided to take Morpheus to the park. A dog didn't get much exercise cooped up in a cage, and he would probably enjoy frolicking around for a while. The saleslady had assured him that Morpheus was a lively dog, but easy to calm down, and easy to train.
Now, Neo was sitting on a bench strategically positioned under the shade of a tree with spreading branches, one hand holding Morpheus' leash, the other placed over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Morpheus barked and bounded around energetically, straining to get free. Neo would have taken him for a walk, but from his vantage point, he was watching somebody.
A petite woman - she couldn't be more than 5'3 - was flat on her stomach on the wood-plank pier that led out over Magayon Lake, which the park was named after.
She kept swiping furiously at her long ponytail, which threatened to brush the surface of the lake's waters, then stretching out her hand for something black, which floated just out of reach.
Neo didn't find that particularly funny. What he was smiling at was the fact that the girl refused to ask for help. All she had to do was ask someone taller, and with longer arms, for assistance, but she insisted on doing it herself. She had been at it now for more than a few minutes.
The woman pushed herself out a little further, and her ponytail swung into her way. She flung it over her shoulder furiously, and swiped at the black thing. It floated even further away. She almost fell off the pier.
She suddenly stood up. Neo watched her in amused anticipation. Planting her hands on her hips, she marched over to a tree near the other end of the pier like a little sergeant and broke off a long branch. Then she headed back to the lake end of the pier. Squatting down, she reached out with the stick and began using it to maneuver the little black thing near her.
Then her ponytail swung over her face again. She flipped it back, accidentally dropped the stick, and uttered a curse that was meant to singe the ears of whatever force of nature was behind her unluckiness. And clumsiness.
The Architect, Neo thought. He was the 'force of nature' behind everything, and the woman couldn't help doing that because it was planned.
He had no idea why he had thought of that. But by now he was used to his weird thoughts, and he quickly dismissed them. Standing up, he decided to help the poor woman. "Let's go, Morpheus," he told his dog. They began walking, or in the dog's case, trotting.
As Neo drew closer, he gave a silent whistle of male appreciation. The woman was pretty. She was only wearing jeans and a thick red sweater, but it didn't hide her slender, willowy figure. Her hair was black, with only the slightest hint of copper, and gleamed in the sunlight. Her back was to him.
When he reached her, she was tugging her hair out of the ponytail. He grinned to himself as her hair, which appeared to be waist-length, swung loose. He watched, a bit disappointed, as she pulled it up into a tight, secure bun. She didn't seem to notice him.
Neo cleared his throat to announce his presence, holding Morpheus still. "Hey."
She jumped, startled, and faced him. She had slanted, almond-shaped eyes in a rich mahogany color, which narrowed as she peered up him from beneath long, dark lashes. "What do you want?"
He raised an eyebrow. He was more than half a foot taller than her, definitely more muscular, and she was glaring up at him as though willing to take him on.
"Need some help?" Neo looked pointedly at the little black object which floated, now completely out of reach for her, in the water. Morpheus barked.
The 'poor woman' gave him an equally pointed stare. "Are you offering it?"
Neo shrugged, slightly discomfited. "Yes, if you want it."
She looked at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm Neo Manville." He waited.
She mirrored his earlier shrug. "I'm Lara."
Neo took note of the fact that she hadn't given him a last name, but he let it pass. "What is it?" He gestured to the black thing.
"My purse. It's waterproof, thank god, and it holds all I have - all I have saved for shopping," she corrected herself. She looked damned pleased with her quick save.
Neo smiled indulgently, aware of her near slip, but willing to let her believe that she had caught herself in time. All she had, hmm? "We'll have to get it, then." He started moving past her to the end of the pier.
To his surprise, she smiled back. "Thank you." Then she added, referring to her initial greeting, "I'm not usually so rude to strangers, you know."
"Why am I the exception?"
"You're too attractive," she said. And she meant it. Neo had a way about him which practically oozed self-assuredness, power, and poise. And he definitely looked good, with his chiseled features and lithe body.
But Neo wasn't aware of her perception of him. So all he said was, "So are you."
"Right," she snickered. Sarcastically she added, "That's why I've got men lining up to he - to ask me out."
He ignored her second near-slip of the tongue. He told her, "I don't usually help strangers."
"What does that make me?"
"A stranger. But you're not usual." One corner of his mouth quirked upward in a small smile. "Because you're too attractive."
She laughed. "Smooth talker. Enough of that. My purse has yet to be retrieved." But a faint blush stained her cheeks.
Neo, smiling to himself, bent down and reached out for the purse.
* * *
Zion was in a state of panic. Even Morpheus had lost his cool. They couldn't find Neo or Trinity, and the robots were closing in on their city. The last stronghold of human resistance.
"Where is the One?" everyone asked, some fearfully, some angrily.
"I'm looking," Morpheus would answer loudly. "He'll come. If he isn't here, it's not of his own free will."
Some accepted this. Some did not. At that point, Morpheus really didn't care. He just wanted to find Neo.
The Council was divided as to whether or not they could afford to send out more troops, more ships, to search. In the end Morpheus decided the matter by sending them out without the Council's permission.
They were incensed. But Morpheus just snapped, "We're desperate," and left.
* * *
Neo lay in his bed that night, completely unaware of the chaos his friends were going through in the real world, and thinking of Lara. She had left as soon as he got her purse for her.
Morpheus padded around the room, sniffing loudly at all the things in it. It seemed they were all new to him.
Neo glanced at his dog, then looked back at the ceiling. "Trinity," he said.
He was confused. "What?" He frowned. He was losing it.
He thought of captivating, slanted eyes, and of long dark hair.
Then he went to sleep.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Trinity's story will come later. . . please review!