Chapter Four: The Question
Throughout the city, many mothers persuaded young children to crawl into bed. Security guards on night duty were stifling yawns. The stars shone vibrantly in the night sky.
Of course, those in a downtown club frankly didn't give a damn.
Smoke hung like a veil over the people, of which the minority gathered around the furniture in cliques, like jungle cats about a tree. The rest raved the night away under the dim lights, extravagantly clad in anything from simple black leather and dreadlocks to chains and mohawks, and one woman with hot pink braids was spotted topless. Shadow-like figures grinded away in the flickers of the strobe lights to the hypnotic beat of industrial music.
Quite naturally, Neo (in a suit) felt very out of place. He leaned against a wall, alone, and sipped a bit of his drink. Tearing his eyes away from the men dancing in cages, he filtered the music from his mind and began to wonder why whoever had sent him a PM had wanted him to come here.
Minutes passed. Once, a woman had slid up the wall right in front of Neo and began dancing, slipping him erotic glances in between shaking her wild mane of hair. Neo, rather unsure of what to do, had slipped away quietly while she wasn't looking.
Safe on the other side of the building, Neo had had enough. This was stupid. He turned to leave, but someone caught him.
"Hello, Neo," a woman approached him from behind. How did she know his name? Not just his name, but his hacker alias? Neo grimaced.
Indeed, it had not been a joke. He had followed the white rabbit for a reason.
He glanced back quickly in anxiety and avoided her eyes, examining her from top to bottom. No, she didn't look like anyone that would cause trouble for him, but of course, it could be a disguise.
"How do you know that name?"
Neo looked at her face and drew in a sharp breath. Very pretty, he noticed. Classical, but still fitting in among the others in the club-and yet cold. What did she want from him?
A smile flickered across her face as Neo turned away slightly. "I know a lot about you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Trinity," she replied. Finally, she thought, they meet. After months of searching, and many more of watching, she was here with Neo. She smiled again at his bewildered look. It was apparent that had either had too much to drink, or had taken his job as a hacker seriously.
"Trinity? The Trinity? That cracked the I.R.S. D-Base?" Good, she thought, it was the latter. He was quicker than the others.
"That was a long time ago."
"Jesus. . ." he said, trailing off and looking away again.
"What?"
"I just thought, um." He flushed inwardly, a little embarrassed. "You were a guy."
She smiled again, used to the reply by now. "Most guys do."
He took a step closer to her. "That was you at my computer." He stared intently into her eyes. "How did you do that?"
She did not break his gaze and moved near to him, tilting her head up and speaking directly into his ear. The music was loud, but she did not want to risk anyone overhearing her words. "Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger. Please listen," she rushed as Neo opened his mouth to reply. "I brought you here to warn you."
"Of what?"
"They're watching you, Neo."
He glanced at her face, hesitatingly and slightly questioningly, but not very taken aback. "Who is?"
"Please, just listen," Trinity repeated, and leaned in slightly. "I. . . I know why you're here, Neo. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit at your computer." She paused. Yes, security was a great matter, but this was nice, standing next to him. Comforting. She grimaced slightly and recoiled, sure that he did not feel the same. After all, she would be a stranger to him. He had not been watching her in the way she had watched him. He did not know, he had not heard the predictions, as she had. . .
She continued. "You're looking for him. I know, because I was once looking for the same thing." Her voice drug Neo in with its hypnotic, nostalgetic quality. He could not see her eyes glazing over in memory, in thought. "And, when he found me, he told me that I wasn't really looking for him. . .I was looking for an answer."
Her lashes brushed his cheek. "It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did. . ." she trailed off.
"What is the matrix?"
"The answer is out there, Neo. It's looking for you. And it will find you. . .if you want it to."
Trinity stepped away, gazing into his eyes one last time as she disappeared, weaving away in the crowd. It might be a few days before they met again.
She paused and bit her lip, and then realized that she had never really met him in the first place.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's note: Man, I wish Neo would have danced with me! Anyway. Yes, again, short scene, not my best work, yadda yadda, I'll revise it. Thanks again for the reviews, everyone. Chapter five will be coming soon. --Bryte
Throughout the city, many mothers persuaded young children to crawl into bed. Security guards on night duty were stifling yawns. The stars shone vibrantly in the night sky.
Of course, those in a downtown club frankly didn't give a damn.
Smoke hung like a veil over the people, of which the minority gathered around the furniture in cliques, like jungle cats about a tree. The rest raved the night away under the dim lights, extravagantly clad in anything from simple black leather and dreadlocks to chains and mohawks, and one woman with hot pink braids was spotted topless. Shadow-like figures grinded away in the flickers of the strobe lights to the hypnotic beat of industrial music.
Quite naturally, Neo (in a suit) felt very out of place. He leaned against a wall, alone, and sipped a bit of his drink. Tearing his eyes away from the men dancing in cages, he filtered the music from his mind and began to wonder why whoever had sent him a PM had wanted him to come here.
Minutes passed. Once, a woman had slid up the wall right in front of Neo and began dancing, slipping him erotic glances in between shaking her wild mane of hair. Neo, rather unsure of what to do, had slipped away quietly while she wasn't looking.
Safe on the other side of the building, Neo had had enough. This was stupid. He turned to leave, but someone caught him.
"Hello, Neo," a woman approached him from behind. How did she know his name? Not just his name, but his hacker alias? Neo grimaced.
Indeed, it had not been a joke. He had followed the white rabbit for a reason.
He glanced back quickly in anxiety and avoided her eyes, examining her from top to bottom. No, she didn't look like anyone that would cause trouble for him, but of course, it could be a disguise.
"How do you know that name?"
Neo looked at her face and drew in a sharp breath. Very pretty, he noticed. Classical, but still fitting in among the others in the club-and yet cold. What did she want from him?
A smile flickered across her face as Neo turned away slightly. "I know a lot about you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Trinity," she replied. Finally, she thought, they meet. After months of searching, and many more of watching, she was here with Neo. She smiled again at his bewildered look. It was apparent that had either had too much to drink, or had taken his job as a hacker seriously.
"Trinity? The Trinity? That cracked the I.R.S. D-Base?" Good, she thought, it was the latter. He was quicker than the others.
"That was a long time ago."
"Jesus. . ." he said, trailing off and looking away again.
"What?"
"I just thought, um." He flushed inwardly, a little embarrassed. "You were a guy."
She smiled again, used to the reply by now. "Most guys do."
He took a step closer to her. "That was you at my computer." He stared intently into her eyes. "How did you do that?"
She did not break his gaze and moved near to him, tilting her head up and speaking directly into his ear. The music was loud, but she did not want to risk anyone overhearing her words. "Right now, all I can tell you is that you're in danger. Please listen," she rushed as Neo opened his mouth to reply. "I brought you here to warn you."
"Of what?"
"They're watching you, Neo."
He glanced at her face, hesitatingly and slightly questioningly, but not very taken aback. "Who is?"
"Please, just listen," Trinity repeated, and leaned in slightly. "I. . . I know why you're here, Neo. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep, why you live alone, and why night after night, you sit at your computer." She paused. Yes, security was a great matter, but this was nice, standing next to him. Comforting. She grimaced slightly and recoiled, sure that he did not feel the same. After all, she would be a stranger to him. He had not been watching her in the way she had watched him. He did not know, he had not heard the predictions, as she had. . .
She continued. "You're looking for him. I know, because I was once looking for the same thing." Her voice drug Neo in with its hypnotic, nostalgetic quality. He could not see her eyes glazing over in memory, in thought. "And, when he found me, he told me that I wasn't really looking for him. . .I was looking for an answer."
Her lashes brushed his cheek. "It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here. You know the question, just as I did. . ." she trailed off.
"What is the matrix?"
"The answer is out there, Neo. It's looking for you. And it will find you. . .if you want it to."
Trinity stepped away, gazing into his eyes one last time as she disappeared, weaving away in the crowd. It might be a few days before they met again.
She paused and bit her lip, and then realized that she had never really met him in the first place.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's note: Man, I wish Neo would have danced with me! Anyway. Yes, again, short scene, not my best work, yadda yadda, I'll revise it. Thanks again for the reviews, everyone. Chapter five will be coming soon. --Bryte
