Disclaimer:I do not have anything to do with the brilliant works of Andy and Larry Wachowski, this is to say I am not affiliated with them or the Matrix and those who are affiliated with the Matrix in anyway shape or form.

Thanks.

This is set before reloaded but when the Neb already had link as an operator. Authors note* I realize I have a lot of useless babble about family stuff, but I know if I was given the choice between the red pill and the blue pill, the below circumstances would need to be in place for me to be able to pick the red pill. So, I need to get this out, so that I can get my mind around the character and the story! Right, on with it*

Chapter one

She had been searching. Searching for at least 2 and a half months now, at least. Since he had gone missing, who? Holden...or Insano as he would rather go by. Her boyfriend, gone, missing with out so much as a good bye, let alone a bloody trace. A month before his disappearance her parents had been killed, she had seen it, she had been right there un able to stop it, though it isn't really easy to save your parents when they're already dead. It was a car crash, she was in the back seat, but they were killed on impact and all she could really remember before slipping in to her short coma was her mother crouching down and her father trying to swerve the car, then the impact. After that a man, coming towards her, gun in hand. But that was all.

Holden had been searching for the answers to questions that almost seemed unanswerable for a few months before that, and he had told her. After her parents died, she became a recluse the rest of her family had died one way or another to the point where her and her parents were left with few scattered second and third cousins that were never associated with remained. But that was fine, it was only her grandparents and her parents whom she really loved, and of course Holden. Annnnnnnnyways. Holden had told her about his search, his search for the truth. He had begun looking for a man named Morpheus. He had also begun looking for what was called the Matrix. But no one knew what it was, there were rumors of course but how believable was a rumor about a massive computer system that controls all being? I mean really. So those ideas were quickly discarded. Then Holden left with warning and without a trace. He vanished into thin air, one day he was there, the next, he wasn't. She was devastated- everything was gone. How she managed to live alone in her house without anyone, she didn't know. But she kept on going with her life, with school, and with her search.

Her search for the answers, to seemingly unanswerable questions...

12:00

'Shit, not again, im sick of this godamn monitor...' She shouted hitting her slowly dying monitor on the side, ignoring the pain it was giving her. Not only was a rather large essay due the next morning at 8:30, but she was also having a rather intriguing conversation with her bass teacher, whom, for some while was interested in. She switched off the monitor which was flashing a bright blue and playing with the word window and sat back in her chair. She switched her monitor back on, just what she expected, it was black. The letter H popped up on the left hand side of her screen, she looked closely at it, confused. She switched her monitor of again. Back on. Same H- the message continued, 'Hello Society Finch.' Her eyes squinted at the message, she sat there baffled, and switched off the monitor once more. Back on. A new message. 'Please listen, we don't have much time.'

'Go on.' she typed, thinking it was one of her terrifically annoying friends playing a prank on her. But who was good enough to tap into her computer and do this.

'What I am about to tell you will put your life in grave danger.'

'Who is this?'

'That does not matter, I know what your doing, I know why you hardly sleep, why you've cut yourself off from all of your friends and family, you're looking for the answers night after night. Do you wish to know the answers?'

'Answers to what?'

'The answers to all your questions.'

'What questions? I demand you tell me who you are.'

'Those impending questions which you cannot answer on your own, either because you do not know how, or because you just do not know where to look.'

It hit her. 'What is the Matrix.'

'Yes, very good. Tomorrow at school classes will be canceled, wait to hear from us then. Trust your instincts. Till then Society Finch.'

'Wait! WAIT!'

But they were gone, her computer went back to its same old desktop, but she was way too confused and anxious about the next day to complete any of her home work, or to even finish her conversations.

*****

7:30

She awoke the next day with a bit of a start. Her parents had passed away some months before now and she found herself living on her own, with the help of family friends and her grandparents. But on this particular morning, as any other lately, she found herself relying on her independence. After a getting ready in her usual routine. She set off for school, on her usual path through her neighborhood. She got in as usual, 20 minutes late for her first period class. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Second period rolled around. She had just sat down at her desk when the principle came on the intercom.

'Attention all students, staff and visitors. This is a very important announcement, due to government proceedings, we are being asked that everyone vacate the building. There is a health warning that everyone must listen to and abide by...' It hit her, she remembered the strange message from the night before. Her cell phone started ringing She searched frantically in her bag for it as her teacher started towards her with displeased expression across her face. She answered it quietly.

'Hello Society Finch.'

'Who is this?'

'We'll explain later, right now you need to listen to me.'

'Are you the same person from last night?'

'Yes, I need you to trust me, look out the window, do you see that black car parked across the street?'

'Yes.'

'That is where I am, now I need you to listen very carefully to me.' The mans voice said calmly.

'I need you leave your class room when I say so, get ready quickly.... now!' She got up and slung her bag on her back quickly, ignoring the looks on the faces of her teacher and class mates she went out into the hall.

'I'm out.'

'Good now. Go down the hall to your left and wait behind the corner.' The man said. She walked down the hall and stood just around the corner, she peeked around the corner. Three men in black suits walked to her classroom and went in, thoughts of terrorists and her friends being in trouble flooded her mind.

'Do you see those men?' The man on her phone asked.

'Yes, what are they doing, who are they?' She asked frantically.

'You will get your answers in time, now take the fire exit on your left and go through to across the street, then come to the car. You must do this quickly, and when I say. Go!'

Off she went, she reached the fire escape and looked behind her quickly, she saw a quick glimpse of an agent, but just then the classrooms emptied students out into the halls blocking her view and she ran out the fire escape. She made it outside and looked around her, she saw the car.

'Hey!!' She turned around- an agent. She saw a quick glimpse of a gun and new the man was right, she was in danger, she ran across the street as quickly as she could, to the black car. The door opened and she dove inside. The car took off.

She looked through the back window at the three agents running out onto the street behind her. Then she looked beside her. A young man, resembling a younger version of that of her father, with dark brown hair like her own and black sun glasses looked at her. He surveyed her 5'1 figure, her dark hair messily surrounding her face and her quizzical grey eyes searching him.

'Hello, my name is Neo, this here,' he said motioning towards a big black man with a scarred face and very small sunglasses, is Morpheus, and this,' he said motioning towards a pale woman with slicked back dark hair like her own, ' is Trinity.'

'Wow, you guys don't waste any time do you.' She replied. 'I guess I don't need to introduce my self you already know, but how? How do you know who I am?' She asked desperate for a believable explanation.

'We know more about you than you know about yourself, Society Finch.' Replied Morpheus.

'Arlie, call me Arlie.' The girl said, being that her first name was Arlie.

'If you wish.' Replied Neo.

'Wait a sec- Neo, the Neo? I've heard stories of you, I've heard stories about all of you! But your some of the most dangerous people on the planet, what ever do you want with me?' asked Arlie now even more desperate for answers. Before she new it they were speeding down the highway. She looked down at her cords and pushed her hair out of her face. This was the first time Neo had even got a decent look at her, she was pale, and had a number of large upgauged ear peircings, she seemed to fidget, the nervous type. In a matter of 15 minutes they were downtown.

'Wait, the Matrix, you were going to tell me about the Matrix, and what were those men doing back at my school?' Arlie asked suddenly looking at Neo, then to Morpheus.

'Those men were agents.' Morpheus replied.

'Agents?' Arlie asked still deeply confused.

'Yes.' Neo replied.

'They looked so familiar, like I had seen them before, or at least people like them...' Arlie looked outside her mind racing, searching, trying desperately to remember where she had seen these so called agents before. The car pulled up beside a large old run down building. Neo went inside quickly nodding at Morpheus. Then it struck her. She slid over to the middle of the back seat and grabbed Morpheus on the shoulder.

'My parents, them, the accident, it was because of some strange men in black suits, they disappeared after the accident, they got out and I remember looking out my window before trying to get out of the car, I caught a glimpse of one of them as he turned to run away. Those men, they killed my parents.' Arlie said quickly piecing it all together.

'Yes, we are truly sorry we couldn't have gotten there sooner.' Morpheus replied.

'They were trying to kill me?' Arlie asked tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. Morpheus nodded. Arlie raised a shaking hand to her mouth.

'But why?' Arlie asked once again searching for answers.

'He's ready.' Trinity said, turning to look at them both.

'I will explain this all in time, Arlie, come with us now.' Morpheus said reassuringly. He opened the Door and got out, he came around the back an opened Arlie's door. She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car. She followed Morpheus and Trinity inside the building and up the elevator to an unmarked floor. They went in to a big room, which looked like it led to another, the room was dirty and old with big red curtains and big wood doors opposite to her.

'Some advice,' Trinity said looking down at Arlie as she dropped her bag to the ground. 'Don't lie to him, he knows more about you then you know.' Trinity added in a little smile, showing a bit of compassion towards the distraught young girl. Arlie nodded and went ahead to the doors.

She swung open one door and went inside, in front of her was Neo sitting in a chair was back was towards her, she went and sat down in the chair opposite him. Between them was a table with a little metal box and a solitary glass of water.

'Hello, Finch.' Neo said taking off his sunglasses (which I will now call shades for the remainder of the story).

'Neo.' Arlie, now Finch (Arlie's codename, short for society Finch(its a bird)) said with a little nod, sitting down in the chair.

'I can imagine how you must feel-' Neo started.

'Can you? Can you really, I don't think you can, what, have you ever had your parents taken away from you before? Then suddenly find out from mysterious terrorists who killed them? What is all this?' Finch asked in a mildly condescending tone. Neo could see her distress.

'Well then no, I guess I cant.' Neo said looking at her. 'But, I can answer your questions, now. You are a girl who is looking desperately for a truth, I can see it in your eyes-' Neo was cut off once again.

'I know all this, I am, and I am looking desperately for a truth just, get on with it!' Finch said exasperated.

'Do you believe in fate, Finch?' Neo asked calmly.

'Yes, I do.'

'Whys that?' Neo asked somewhat surprised that she answered the way she did.

'Because, things happen for a reason, I'm here for a reason, this all happened for a reason, my parents are dead for a reason, my boyfriend went missing two months ago for a reason, reasons that are yet to reveal themselves but they are there.' Finch replied.

'You don't believe we have control over our own lives?' Neo asked.

'We do, we make our own choices, but we make those specific choices for a reason, its why things happen the way they do, I could have stayed at school today, I made a choice to trust you for a reason, didn't I?' Finch replied.

'Yes, you did- would you like to know the reasons why?' Neo asked, trying to get to his point.

'If you can tell them to me.' Finch replied.

'Your here because you know something, what you know you can't explain. But you feel it. You've felt it your entire life. That there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is but it's there, like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about? ' Neo asked.

'The matrix?' Finch asked, looking up at him.

'Do you want to know what it is? The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to school, when you're at home, whenever, wherever you are. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.'

'Truth? What truth?' Finch looking bewildered.

'That you are a slave, Finch. Like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch. A prison for your mind.... Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. This is your last chance.' Neo reached down to the little pillbox on the table and took out two pills, one red and one blue. He held out both of his hands and looked at her.

'In my right hand I have the red pill, this pill will lead you to the truth, it wont be a very fun ride, but it leads you to the truth, nothing more and nothing less.' Neo said holding out his right hand an opening it to reveal a red pill.

'And in the left?' Finch asked.

Neo opened up his left hand to reveal a blue pill. ' If you take the blue pill, you will wake up in your bed and this will be remembered as a dream, we will not contact you again, you can believe whatever it is you want to.'

'If I take the red pill, will I be able to do to those agents what they did to my mother and father?' Finch asked looking straight into Neo's eyes.

'In a sense yes, you will.' Neo replied.

'Then truth here I come.' She said picking up the red pill and seizing the glass of water.

'After this there is no turning back.' Neo said as Finch studied the pill in her hand for a very short moment.

'What've I got to go back to? Everyone's gone.' Finch replied literally tossing the pill into her mouth and downing the water.

'Follow me.' Neo beckoned to her and led her through more doors to a room with a chair surrounded by computer screens. A man with tousled blond hair sat at the computers. Trinity motioned for her to sit down in a seat surrounded by wires, and with a broken mirror to the left. She sat down and Trinity stuck those sticky cables to her head and to her neck.

'The pill you took is a trace program its designed to disrupt your input/output carrier signals so we can pinpoint your location.' Morpheus explained

'You did all this?' She asked around as the people around her nodded and continued working. She looked beside her at the mysterious broken mirror, it fixed itself. 'What the?!' She reached out to flick the glass, but her finger got stuck. She pulled away quickly but drips of a metallic liquid were already reaching up her arm. 'What's going on?'

The blond man sitting in front of the computers flicked open a cell phone. 'Link, were going to need a signal soon.'

'Its so cold.' Finch had a look of genuine fear on her face.

'Mute we need a location.' Morpheus said to the blond.

'Almost there,' he replied. 'Tank signal.'

The metallic liquid spread quickly up her arm and towards her face, and Finch made the mistake of trying to push it down with her other hand.

'She's going into arrest.' Trinity said.

'Targeting location, we have a signal.....lock! We've got her!' Mute said, as Finch started to hyperventilate. The liquid rushed up towards her arms to her face, she thrashed in the seat and screamed an earpericing scream which became muffled with the freezing liquid as it flooded her throat.